The Arcav King's Obsession

  The Arcav King’s Obsession

  Hope Hart

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Varian

  The heat of laser fire cuts through my stomach muscles like acid, and I struggle to stay standing as the pain shoots through my body.

  Jaret aims at the Grivath who made the lucky shot, rage clear on his face as the Grivath ducks just in time.

  “You shouldn’t be here!”

  “They’re my men. This is my ship. You expect me to hide like a child?”

  Jaret nudges me aside, and I hold back a groan as I cover him. The pain is all-encompassing, and blood is flowing down my body. The Grivaths howl in pleasure at the sight, emboldened at seeing me wounded.

  Jaret gives me another look, and I stare him down. We can’t let the Grivaths get past us, or we risk the humans as well. I try to force my attention from my mate, yet I can feel her terror and concern down the mating bonds. My fists clench as I realize she can likely feel my wound almost as much as me.

  “Surrender, Arcav filth, and I’ll let you die before you see me rut your human.”

  One of the Grivath grins at me before speaking into a communicator. He’s too far for me to get a good shot, surrounded by his men.

  I see the look on Jaret’s face, and I know we are unprepared. Our plan to pretend ignorance and let the Grivaths board has backfired, and our intelligence couldn’t have been more wrong. I can see ten times more Grivaths than we expected. This one bad decision could cost us everything.

  Jaret holds his hand to his ear, listening to reports from every part of our ship. His face hardens as his eyes meet mine, and we both duck as the Grivaths continue their unrelenting attack.

  “The bastards got through our secondary defense, Your Majesty. We’ve got twelve men down in the Southeast Quadrant, and the Grivaths are heading toward your quarters.”

  Harlow. My heart races at the thought. Suddenly, I want nothing more than to abandon this fight and find my mate.

  Jaret reads my face and nods. “Methi will keep her safe,” he says, and we both fire on a Grivath who thought to take advantage of our inattention. “You need a healer.”

  I shrug. Our healers are all in the medi-center, as they should be. If we’d been more prepared…

  I aim my weapon, finally taking out the Grivath who shot me. Satisfaction fills me as he crumples to the ground, and I want to howl my pleasure back to them. The humans have an animal called a hyena, and the Grivaths remind me of a feral pack, circling, looking for any weaknesses they can find. If they were to succeed in taking this ship, I have no doubt that every being on it would be killed or sold into slavery.

  The tide is turning, and the Grivaths are retreating back toward their ship, when I hear a sentence that makes my blood run cold.

  “We have your mate, Arcav King.”

  Harlow

  The pain is unrelenting, and I wonder if Varian is on his feet. I can barely stand it but somehow manage to function as Methi grabs my arm, concern written all over his face.

  “Harlow? Are you okay?”

  “It’s Varian. He’s hurt.”

  Jennifer wraps an arm around my shoulders, and I clutch my weapon in my hand. The pain is still there but receding slightly. I’ve got a feeling Varian is doing his best to block it for me, but it’s difficult to concentrate. We’re making our way downstairs to join the humans. That way, the Arcav can protect us all at the same time and I can hopefully blend in with the other women.

  We freeze as we hear howling laughter, and I realize we’re in deep shit. The language isn’t Arcavian, and I stare at Jennifer and Meghan as our ear implants translate it anyway.

  “We need to be quick. That idiot Arcav has no idea we made it back this far. Grab as many humans as you can and add them to the slave ship. Keep an eye out for the human queen. We get our hands on her and we’ll be richer than Kings.”

  Methi is grinding his teeth beside me, and we’re all frozen in the stairwell. The Arcav guards have surrounded us humans, guns out and ready to defend us yet not approaching the aliens. I can feel their frustration, and I get it. Babysitting us must be like being a rookie cop left “securing the perimeter” while SWAT goes in and takes care of business.

  “Who are they?” I mouth to Methi as their voices get further away.

  “Grivaths,” he says, face a picture of disgust. “They’ll sell their mothers for a quick buck, and they’re responsible for most of the slavery in this galaxy.”

  We begin creeping down the rest of the stairs, all of us tense as we hit the corridor. There’s absolutely no cover here, and we could easily be surrounded on all sides. The Arcav’s faces are hard, and I can feel Beth trembling behind me. We barely breathe as we make our way down to the unmarked door leading to the human quarters.

  Methi opens the door, and the sound of thousands of humans reaches us. I hadn’t realized just how good the soundproofing is on this ship until the sound spills out into the silent corridor.

  Conversation and laughter die away to murmurs as people stop what they’re doing and see the looks on our faces.

  “What’s wrong?”

  It’s the woman I met just a couple of days ago, her young daughter clutched in her arms. Bile fills my mouth as I stare down at the innocent face peering up at me. If the Grivath get hold of her…

  Methi looks at me, and I realize it’s my job to break the news and, most importantly, keep everyone calm.

  “I need everyone to listen up. We’re under attack by some aliens called Grivaths, and the Arcav are fighting them off. We know they’ve made it to this part of the ship, and they’re likely blocking all evacuation points.”

  Dismayed shouts ring out, and I wonder if I should’ve softened the blow. I shake it off. It’s only a matter of time before the Grivath find us, and these people deserve the truth.

  “What do we do?” one woman cries, lifting a young boy up to hold him close.

  “I want everyone to move out of this room. Head back into your living quarters. Hide the children wherever you can.”

  According to Methi, this part of the ship only has one entrance and exit, and we’re standing in it. That means that this will be where the Arcav make their stand, and it’s also the most dangerous place for the humans.

  High-pitched voices begin to ring out as panicked humans realize the extent of the situation. I look at Jennifer pleadingly, and she nods, moving toward a group of woman who seem to have simultaneously burst into tears.

  I run a hand over my face. Many of these women got on this ship to escape terrible situations at home. Now we’re under attack, and they’re realizing that they may not be so safe after all. I wince as another jolt of pain burns its way through my stomach and realize that there’s no way we’re going to have this part of the humans’ quarters clear in time. I reach out a wobbly hand for Methi, who helps me stand on a chair. I examine pale faces and wide eyes, raising my voice over the din.

  “Listen, I know this is scary, but we need to remain calm.” A sudden thought occurs to me. “Are there any members of the police or armed forces here?”

  Hands shoot up, and within a few moments, hundreds of people are stepping forward, volunteering to defend their fellow humans. Tears prick my eyes at the sight. There aren’t nearly enough weapons to go around, although the Arcav begin distributing their clutch pieces amongst some of the humans.

  “Right, the Arcav will be in this room, and humans will be second-level defense in all rooms leading off of this one.” A small group of Australian cops nod and begin herding humans toward the doors. I want to scream at them to hurry up, certain that it’s only a matter of time before we’ll be under attack, but I take a deep breath. If I lose control, hundreds of other people will as well.

  I make eye-contact with a blonde surfer-looking dude who has made his way toward us. The pain shooting through my stomach is making me dizzy, and I reach out a hand, bracing myself on a table as he approaches.

  “And you are?”

  “Nathan Smart. United States Marine Corp Special Reaction Team, ma’am.”

  I grin weakly. “Someone get this man a weapon.”

  Methi passes Nathan the last free weapon, and the room begins to clear as the last of the humans leave to hide. I’m shaking with frustration as I move toward the closest room and see just one human armed, the rest simply placing their bodies between the Grivaths and the rest of the humans.

  This is unacceptable. If we live through this, the Arcav are sharing their weapons. I take out my own weapon, which I’d shoved down the back of my pants.

  Methi shakes his head at me. “You need to go hide with the other humans.”

  I frown, but I know he’s right. Jennifer, Meghan, and the others have already disappeared, and I need to blend in. I’m keeping the weapon, though, and I make my way to a large kitchen off the main room, where Nathan is crouched down after Methi gave him a brief one-sentence instruction to help him shoot his weapon. I wish Blake was beside us and hope to god the HAA members haven’t been found.

  I crouch next to Nathan, and we both wait in tense silence. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the Grivaths will just keep on walking.

  One of the guards is positioned next to the first door, and he waves his hand for silence before taking his place behind a sofa. The Arcavs are hidden throughout the room, weapons aimed at the door, and every one of us freeze as the door cracks open.

  Chapter 2

  Harlow

  “Smells like humans in here, boss.”

  An alien sticks his head in, and I resist the urge to lean around and shoot it off. The Arcav are still as stone, obviously waiting for more Grivath to enter the room so they can surround them and take them out.

  The Grivath are massive, grey beasts, with squinty red eyes and huge teeth. I hold my breath as one of them takes a lumbering step forward, into the room. His friend pushes past him, heading straight toward the kitchen where I’m hiding.

  He’s the first to go down when the shooting starts.

  I’m trying not to focus on Varian or the pain in my gut, but I wish I knew whether he is okay. A scream jolts me from my thoughts, and Methi takes out another Grivath who hesitates for too long in the doorway.

  That seems to enrage the Grivath, and one of them blasts a hole in the wall, widening the doorway so three of them can rush in at once. The Arcav are soon outnumbered, and Nathan shoots at a Grivath who has hit one of the Arcav guards. I fire as well, and the weapon jolts in my hand, warming up slightly as a laser beam shoots from it.

  I go wide and narrow my eyes, firing again and hitting the Grivath at the same time as Nathan. Methi jumps to his feet, and we cover him as he lunges toward the guard, who is lying unconscious in the middle of the room.

  My heart jolts as two more Grivath rush forward, with Methi immediately in their sights. The closest Arcav takes out one, and Nathan hits the other, while Methi leans forward, grabbing his friend directly in my line of sight.

  Laser fire is destroying the room, and I distantly wonder how much the ship can take. What if we open a hole somewhere and end up sucked out into space?

  Methi’s friend is unresponsive, although he continues to drag him away from the Grivath. I grit my teeth as he seems to move in slow motion, and then I’m screaming as he takes a hit, falling forward onto his friend. The Grivath howl with laughter, and I take another one out, shit eating grin still spread across his face.

  It doesn’t seem to matter, though. We’re hopelessly outnumbered, and I watch another Arcav guard go down as he jumps in front of one of the doors, preventing a Grivath from making it through to the humans.

  Nathan hits the Grivath, and I whistle under my breath. The guy is on fire. “Can you cover me while I check him?”

  He nods. “Aren’t you supposed to stay hidden, though?”

  I ignore that and belly crawl toward the Arcav. Nathan lays down fire, and a choked sound escapes me as I realize Methi’s friend is gone. I reach out and close his eyes, meeting Methi’s enraged expression just a few feet away.

  His arm is completely shredded, hanging on by just a few pieces of flesh. “Fuck.”

  If I don’t get to him, he’s likely to bleed to death.

  I meet Nathan’s eyes, and he nods, taking out Grivath after Grivath as I inch forward toward Methi.

  “What are you doing?” Methi groans. “This is not the plan.”

  “Shut up.” I reach for his belt, hoping it’s wide enough that a tourniquet won’t do any lasting damage before we can get him to a healer. He lets out a deep sound as I roll him on his side to pull off his belt, and I wince.

  “I know, I’m sorry. But you’re not dying on my watch.”

  I wrap my sweater around the wound, and Methi suddenly goes limp. Good. Probably for the best if he’s not conscious for this. I apply as much pressure as I can then tie his belt around his upper arm, twisting the end and tucking it under. Finally, I roll him onto his arm, hoping the weight of his body will also help slow the bleeding.

  I push a sofa in front of Methi and hide behind it.

  Where the hell is backup? There are thousands of Arcav on this ship; how are we in a shoot out with just a few guards? Howls come from somewhere else on the ship, and I smile grimly. Sounds like some of the Grivath have bitten off more than they can chew.

  I spot uncertainty on one of the Grivath’s faces. He’s obviously in charge of this little group, because they’re positioned around him, protecting him from the lasers.

  “Find the Arcav traitor,” he says and smirks, chunks of rotten food stuck in his teeth. “Give him his reward and look for the human queen.”

  I shove the weapon down the back of my pants, wishing desperately for a holster. Time for me to boogie. I crawl toward Nathan, who continues to fire at the Grivath, letting out a sigh of relief as I make it back.

  “’Bout damn time.”

  I shake my head and turn, staring at the ruin of the room. My heart sinks as I spot every single Arcav guard down, either dead or horrifically injured.

  The Grivaths will be coming in here next, and I hear screaming as one of them makes his way into one of the other rooms off the common room. He obviously wasn’t expecting anyone to be armed and goes down immediately, body stuck half in and half out of the room.

  I shuffle backward, making my way toward the humans hiding in the back rooms. I’ve just reached the doorway when I meet Nathan’s wild eyes as he stares down at the weapon in his hand.

  The light is no longer glowing. It’s dead. He begins army crawling back toward me, and we both freeze as the Grivath leader lets out a hiss of frustration.

  “Enough of this.”

  I reach for my own weapon to slide it to Nathan, but it’s too late. We both stare at the Grivath as he steps into the kitchen.

  “And what do we have here?”

  His muddy grey eyes light up as they rest on my wrists, and I curse internally. My sweater is wrapped around Methi’s arm, and my mating bands are on full display.

  The Grivath pulls out a piece of paper and examines it.

  “All humans look the same to me, so why don’t you tell me? Are you the Arcav Queen?”

  I shake my head, and he laughs, pointing his weapon at Nathan.

  “Wait!”

  He pauses and stares at me as three more Grivath join him. This must be the last of their group, but I don’t have a hope in hell of getting my weapon out before they shoot me or Nathan.

  “Don’t say a word,” Nathan says, and the Grivath tuts. His weapon makes a low sound as he keeps it pointed at Nathan, tilting his head at me.

  “Yes. I’m the Arcav Queen.”

  Nathan’s eyes close in frustration, and I get it. But I can’t watch him die in front of me. The jig is up anyway, and I can see my own face printed on the paper in the Grivath’s clawed hand.

  The Grivath smiles, and terror shoots through me. I’ve managed to block out most of Varian’s pain, but I can feel his answering fear and know he’ll realize I’m in trouble.

  “Get up.”

  I haul myself to my feet and stare the Grivath in the face. For the first time, I realize how lucky we were that the Arcav invaded and not the Grivath.

  “I want to make a deal,” I say.

  He laughs, reaches out casually, and backhands me in the face.

  “No deal.”

  The other Grivaths cackle like monkeys, and I cup my hand to my aching jaw.

  Okay then.

  More screams come from elsewhere on the ship, and the Grivath looks nervous. He grabs me and moves toward the door, and I blow out a sigh of relief. They no longer have time to round up any humans, and they’re ignoring Nathan for now. The Grivath pushes me toward one of his men, who throws me over his shoulder. I have one last glimpse of the huge common room, and the many bodies scattered around, before I’m bouncing, stomach hitting the Grivath’s shoulder painfully as they begin to run.