The Alliance Boxset Books 1-3

Chapter 3-1

Chapter Three

Hunter listened carefully, waiting to see when the human would return. He had worked a small blade out of the hemline of his vest. He was trying to break the metal band around his wrist when he heard the hushed sound of the latch on the door. Relaxing, he hid the blade in the palm of his hand.

It had been several hours since the last man had come out to check on him. He had hoped they felt confident enough in their chains and locks to wait a while, but it would seem they were rightfully paranoid. He would have to work fast once the male left again if he was to save himself.

He frowned when the door barely opened before it closed again. He sniffed the air to see which of the humans had come in this time. He barely controlled his reaction when a delicate, sweet scent washed over him.

He fought the urge to growl in frustration at not being able to taste the air with his tongue. He wanted to know if the air held the same sweet taste as the smell. He did not recognize this scent or understand why he felt such a need to know more about the human who carried it.

A moment later, a small beam of light illuminated the darkness. He could not see the figure of the human because of the way he was strapped down, but he knew from the scent and breathing patterns that it was a female. It didn’t take long before the figure moved far enough to the front of the van for him to see.

Vivid dark brown eyes stared back at him in fear. He couldn’t see much of the female’s face because of the dark cloth that she had over most of her face, but he swore he had never seen so much emotion in one set of eyes before. He wasn’t sure what this human wanted. She had not been with the others. He would have smelled her sweet scent if she had.

A dark thought crossed his mind that she might belong to one of the males. He had not gotten close to the one that had driven the transport that he was in. He had only heard the male’s voice. A low rumble of rage swept through him that any female, much less the one staring back at him, would belong to such a male.

He listened as she spoke in a voice that was barely audible. She paused before ripping the cloth down from her nose and mouth. Her words were soft and it took a moment for the translator embedded in his ears to understand what she was saying.

His whole body tensed when she unwittingly rested her left hand on his stomach. The vibration of the purr that escaped him at her touch shocked him. The purr turned to a growl of anger when she jerked her hand off of him.

His eyes narrowed when she leaned over him to whisper in his ear. Her voice was very soft and held the faint tremor of fear. Her warm breath fanned over his cheek as she explained that she was in danger from the other humans as much as he was if she was caught.

His fists clenched as a fresh wave of rage washed through him at the thought of this female putting her life in danger for him. He forced himself to listen carefully as she explained what she was going to do and asked if he understood what she was saying. He nodded twice to show her he did.

Her fingers were icy cold and shaking as she carefully picked one side of the tape free. He never looked away from her, unsure of what she intended to do next. He hated being defenseless. He was at her mercy and that did not sit well with him as either a male or a Trivator warrior.

Her face creased into a look of apology before she ripped the tape from his mouth. He ignored the burning sting as the tape pulled his skin. Turning his head, he spit the rag out of his mouth with a low snarl of hatred. Turning his head, he glared at the small female and flashed his teeth in warning should she try to harm him.

“Please, listen to me,” the female begged nervously as she glanced at the door before looking at him again. “They want to kill you in a very horrid and painful way. I… I can’t let them do that, but I can’t let you kill me either. Please, please understand me. I can undo the locks holding you down. I’ll undo all of them but one.”

Hunter stiffened as she stepped closer and reached out to touch him. She barely touched his jaw, but it was as if she had suddenly held him in a paralyzing hold. The sensation of her thumb rubbing tenderly against his skin was igniting a fire in his loins that he hadn’t experienced in years.

“Do you understand what I’ve told you?” she asked as she continued to stroke him.

It took a moment for him to focus on what she had said. She would release him. Well, give him the ability to release himself and she was telling him where other warriors could be found. That meant that she had been close to them. He didn’t like the idea of her being around the other warriors. Many of them had not had female company since they came to this world. That made them dangerous, even with the relief rooms set up for them.

“Yes,” he responded harshly when he realized she continued to wait for his answer.

He held himself still as she moved closer to his head and set the small light down near the lock holding the chains around his upper body. After several long minutes, a soft sigh escaped her. A smile of amusement tugged at his lips as she slowly set the lock down. He could have escaped once he had one of his arms free. He felt confident he would have been able to escape if given enough time. He carefully slipped the blade in his palm back into the sheath hidden in his vest.

He paused lifting the chains when the female called out a warning. His eyes followed her as she moved to the third lock. He sat up, carefully holding the chains so that they wouldn’t make any noise.

She opened her mouth to say something to him before turning in horror at the sound of footsteps approaching. Hunter had heard the other human the moment they had begun walking. He planned to rip the last lock off, but the female had already moved to it and was working furiously at undoing it. He flicked his tongue out, finally giving in to the need to taste the air around her. An assortment of flavors hit him hard in the gut. He could taste her terror. She had not been lying when she said the other humans would kill her. The fear was thick in the air around her. He could also scent the faint aroma of blood.

He would have to check the female for injury after he took care of the other humans. As much as it galled him, he owed this female a life debt. Well, life debt might be stretching it as he was confident he could have escaped, but the fact that she was risking her life thinking he was going to be brutally killed was close enough for him. It was obvious she did not have a protector. He would assume that responsibility until a human male could be assigned to her.

He rose up as soon as he was free from the bench and wound the chains around his fists. Holding still, he waited until he heard the male’s voice just outside the door before he made his move. He hit the doors with enough force to rip them from the hinges. The metal door struck the thin male who had been driving, instantly killing him.

He didn’t pause as he jumped from the back of the transport. Using his senses, he rushed across the large empty area between the transport and the room where the other males and the female were. It was time to show them what happens when they have angered a Trivator warrior.