Page 14 of Beast Unburdened

Once we’d sat down and eaten our terrible ration bars I carefully told him about my day and inquired about his. That felt so very domestic and normal that it was a little jarring. Except that Ziame brought up the fact that he’d spoken with every male individually and they were all on board with our plan. Then he said, “Tomorrow. We’ll do it tomorrow during the time we are at the gym.”

His worried eyes focused on me, “I just worry about leaving you here in the cell alone. I do not like that part.” “I think it’s likely that Tori and I will be with the doctor for some portion of the morning, try to time it then? We’ll be safer there I think,” the thought made me nervous too but it was better to be out of the cells and with Luka who could help fight too if it came down to it.

He was on board with that at least, agreeing to try to time their escape attempt from the gym with our visit with the Doc. While the first day I’d spend about an hour in the medical bay, today had been double that, because now Tori was there. That gave him a fairly large window. At least, unless the doctor changed the schedule and brought us to his medical room in the afternoon instead.

When the lights went out we huddled next to each other on the cot and Ziame pulled the scalpel out of its hiding place. “It’s time,” he whispered and he wrapped my fingers around the blade and brought it up to his throat. “You can do this Abigail.”

I couldn’t see anything now but I knew it needed to be done so I climbed to my knees. Before I could change my mind I leaned up and tugged on one of his big horns to bring his head closer. Then I nuzzled his cheek and pressed a kiss to the side of his fanged mouth. “For luck,” I said and I could feel the corner of that mouth turn up in a smile. Then he leaned in and nuzzled the side of my face, rubbing a little more firmly against my temple. “For luck,” he whispered back.

We settled into position and I tried not to hesitate as I let Ziame help me slide the knife into the seam on the control box of his collar. As soon as it was in between the casing and the lid I could sense how Ziame stiffened, his hand around mine twitched. Shit! He was already getting shocked!

I forced myself to focus as I pressed the blade a little deeper, leaning with my other hand on his shoulder for leverage. The lid popped off with a clack and fell to the bed between our knees. I didn’t wait, just swished the small blade through the inside of the casing, twisting it around for good measure until I felt Ziame lose his tension. “Well done!” he whispered huskily, but I could hear a faint tremble in his tone. That had hurt, a lot and he hadn’t made a sound.

Taking the blade from my suddenly nerveless fingers he placed it on the floor at our side and then tucked me into his arms and stroked my back. His tail curled around to twirl around one ankle, anchoring me to him in every way possible. “It’s over, you did great little female,” he said, and I soaked in his reassurance.

“I’m so glad that worked!” I murmured, “I don’t know what I’d have done if I had to try that a second time. I’m so sorry that hurt you,” I told him with heartfelt sincerity. Ziame just rocked me for a while and at some point I realized that it was comforting to him too, to hold me close. He was rubbing his head on top of mine, in my curls, a contented sigh leaving his lungs. “I’d gladly go through that again and again if it meant freedom little one.”

Of course, this was about freedom and he’d been a slave far longer than I had. Three days didn’t compare to three years at all. Knowing that I clutched him a little tighter for a long moment, returning his back stroking with some petting of my own.

Then the silence was suddenly pierced by a voice, high and sweet it soared in song. I didn’t know what song Tori was singing but the lyrics were poignant, singing of freedom and hopes and dreams. She hadn’t been kidding when she said she was a singer, the girl had talent.

When the song was finished there was a hushed sound to the cellblock and then the sound of stomping feet. I realized that Ziame too was stomping a foot on the metal flooring, alien applause it seemed. I half expected Tori to pick up another song but when the alien applause died down I heard her soft sobbing and I just knew she was crying for all she’d lost.

Eventually, Ziame told me to lie down on the cot, he still needed to do some work on the collar to make sure it looked like it still functioned. But for warmth he sat with his back against the edge, tail curled around my body. For a long while, I listened to the quiet sounds of his tinkering, occasionally we whispered about our lives pre-kidnapping.

I learned that the Lacerten, his species, were highly advanced but very peace-loving and they had hidden their planet from the rest of the universe. Sometimes males like him went out to explore the universe but generally nobody left home. He’d been taken on his exploration mission and they’d never discovered his cloaked and hidden ship, instead assuming he was a barbaric creature incapable of speech.

He told me with a laugh that was probably because they’d caught him while he’d been sunbathing naked after he’d taken a swim in a pretty lake he’d found. If they’d seen him wearing clothes they’d probably have known he was sentient but as he’d been naked…

In return, I told him about my boring life as a bank teller on earth and how my parents had had me late in life so they’d both already died. I had no close family left to yearn to return to, not like poor Tori. I surmised I was probably taken right after work from the parking lot.

At some point I fell asleep because I woke curled up on Ziame’s chest again, his big hands covering my back and his tail curled around a leg. Sighing I snuggled a little closer, tucking my cold nose into his throat and chuckling when that caused him to shiver. “Oops, morning Ziame,” I said with a grin and he made an adorably grumbling noise while pressing me closer.

Soon we were up though, straightening my clothing and surreptitiously checking Ziame’s work on the collar in a little more light. I couldn’t really tell the difference with before, maybe there were a few scratches on the casing but nothing very noticeable. The three little lights that always blinked red were still glowing so he’d somehow gotten it to work. A look at Sunder who stood at the front of his own cell showed me that it looked identical to his collar.

The two males exchanged a look and when Ziame nodded I realized that the gargoyle male knew about our tampering with the collar. Okay, that was good right? If my green guy trusted that scary-looking guy to know our plan that meant he’d have sufficient backup out there today.

I felt like a nervous wreck when the guards came and escorted the males to the gym. When I’d next see Ziame we’d hopefully be free, but what if he didn’t make it? What if he got killed in this uprising? I hadn’t even thought about that until now, which was stupid. Of course, the Krektar would shoot to kill if their lives were at stake and the collar didn’t work.

So regardless of who could see I grabbed Ziame’s hand and yanked him close, pressing a kiss to the side of his mouth. “For luck!” I whispered and in return, he nuzzled the side of my face and murmured the words back at me. Then he was gone.

When I started nervously pacing while Tori and I waited (hopefully) for our escort to the medical bay even Tori seemed to get agitated. “You’re nervous,” the young woman said quietly and I paused in my pacing to nod her way. “Yes, I want to get to the Doc, it’s cold here,” I said, not wanting to make her nervous as well.

While I was just shy of thirty, poor Tori was barely twenty-two and she was taking this whole kidnapping thing far harder than I was. Of course, I hadn’t woken up seven months pregnant, I don’t know what my mental state would be like if that had happened to me. And unlike Tori I also had a dead-end career, she had a promising start to a career on the stages of Broadway.

Thonklad was later than normal it seemed, maybe it just appeared that way because I was so anxious for this to be done with, and of course, there also wasn’t any way to tell the time. It was hard not really being an active part of this escape, I was just on the sidelines and I wouldn’t even have a view. I wouldn’t know how it went until Ziame reached me in the medical bay.

The Krektar gestured at Tori anxiously, urging her to keep her distance from him but he didn’t try to leave her behind again. As we exited the cellblock I followed my routine, working on memorizing the code he typed into the panel to open the door. Even though I likely wouldn’t need it at all.

The doctor greeted us cheerily and waved at Thonklad as the guard simply settled outside the door. Then we were inside and Luka was helping Tori sit down on the medical cot which was just a tad high off the ground for her.

Yesterday we’d all realized that Tori didn’t have a pain collar on but for the life of us we hadn’t figured out how that could help us escape. Tori was in no shape to traipse through the halls for some sabotage let alone assist in the fighting. Never mind that the poor girl was super timid and shy and barely spoke two words at all around Luka.

As I was too restless to sit I paced around the area and Luka picked up on my tension immediately, “It’s happening today?” he asked and I nodded. “We’re later this morning than yesterday aren’t we?” I asked, worried that the timing was going to be all wrong. Ziame was going to wait three hours before starting the revolt.

Luka shook his head, “No, a little earlier actually, I was worried about you two. I felt like you’d be safer here with me.” I didn’t say anything in return and simply nodded when Luka asked if that was okay. The timing was going to go wrong, wasn’t it? And there was nothing I could do to warn Ziame.

The Doc had focused on his patient, ignoring me. Instead, he scanned Tori’s belly again and confirmed what we’d discovered yesterday, the babe was a girl and she wasn’t human. Tori had cried when the doctor told her but then she’d tearfully asked if that meant she’d been raped while she’d been out or if she’d simply not remembered. I felt sick at the thought of something like that happening while she’d been unaware and I could see how this had shaken her up.