Hidden Rage: Kindred Tales

“You can’t touch her,” Dragon said calmly. “She’s mine and she’s coming home with me.”

These last words seemed to break the paralysis that had fallen over Bobbi the moment she’d felt the Kindred’s big hands close on her shoulders.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, attempting to shake off his grip—with absolutely no success. “Hey, I’m not going home with either one of you! I’m not for sale—you can’t just ‘claim’ me and drag me away.”

“Too late—I already did. Come on now—we’re going.” Dragon had her by the arm and he was dragging her out of the laying hut. The Orniths were all clucking in alarm but none of them dared to come after her—not that Bobbi blamed them.

“Hey, let me go! I said I’m not going with you!” she exclaimed. Twisting in his grip, she attempted to kick him in the balls.

But Dragon was too fast for her. Moving with the same lightning speed she’d seen when he had caught Therena’s egg, he stepped out of range of her kick and slipped an arm around her waist. Then, before Bobbi could voice another word of protest, he swung her up and draped her over his shoulder. Clamping a heavy arm over her thighs, he began to walk.

Bobbi found herself face down with her long red mane swaying from side to side with every step the big Kindred took. Craning her neck and pushing her hair out of the way, she could see the Orniths pouring out of the laying house to watch her go. Therena was in the front and she was plucking at her own feathers again and wailing in a high, despairing voice.

Her friend’s gesture of hopelessness and grief made Bobbi feel cold inside. Obviously, the Orniths had written her off as lost. They didn’t have any weapons and couldn’t stop the big Kindred from taking her. They couldn’t do anything but tell the Kindred of the Mother Ship what had happened when they finally came to check on her—which wouldn’t be for another solar month at least!

Anything can happen in a month, Bobbi thought, despairing. I can’t let him take me—I have to get loose!

Screaming like a wild-woman, she began beating on the broad back and struggling as hard as she could—even though she didn’t relish the fall from his shoulder to the hard ground—which would be at least six feet.

Dragon’s response was to clamp down harder on her thighs and growl,

“Hold still, little one. You’re coming with me whether you like it or not—and you only have yourself to blame for it!”

“What? What are you talking about? How is it my fault that you’re basically kidnapping me?” Bobbi demanded.

But she got no answer. And before she could ask again, Dragon was walking up a metal ramp and bringing her inside a large black spaceship. The rest of the lizard men—including the still simmering Zerlix—trooped inside after him, some of them carrying the eggs which were nestled inside a padded box.

As Bobbi watched with horror, the spaceship’s thick metal door clanged shut and a strange, bluish-purple light clicked on overhead. It reminded her of being in a club when they turned on the black lights so that everything white glowed. It made the yellow scales that were on some of the lizard men seem to glow and flow in strange patterns and her own skin—which was always pretty pale—glowed like a beacon in the strange light.

“Prepare for liftoff,” she heard one of the lizard men shout.

There was the sound of the ship’s engines thundering to life and Dragon sat her on a cold metal seat and strapped a harness across her bare chest and lap.

“Don’t move,” he warned her as he strapped in beside her. The black-light made his teeth look extremely white in his dark face. “G-forces will give you a wicked headache if you do anything but sit still during liftoff in a Saurian ship.”

Bobbi paid him no attention. All she knew was that this was her last chance to get away before the alien ship took off. Fumbling with the harness, she somehow managed to unbuckle it. Scrambling out of her seat, she raced for the door.

All around her, the lizard men were all strapped in to the metal chairs that lined the walls of the ship but none of them tried to stop her. They all held still, leaning back against the metal walls, only following her with their slitted yellow eyes. Even Zerlix didn’t try to get to her, though she could see his clawed hands clenching on his knees, as though he longed to make a grab for her.

She reached the metal door and searched frantically for a release lever. She spotted one but it was far above her head. Not for the first time, Bobbi damned her short stature.

Have to get to it somehow, she told herself frantically. Have to get out of here before they lift off!