“You should bring our friend over here so you can protect all three of us.”
Ulf wasn’t biting. “The little one is safe where he is.”
They thought Piper was a boy?
Raine saw Tayla give her a satisfied smirk. Tayla, unlike Milly, who kept telling everyone they were going to be eaten, had thought the aliens had other ideas for human women other than food. So, she had helped the women in the vault camouflage their looks, hoping to escape their interest. Raine had been the only one who hadn’t bothered with a disguise. If an alien wanted her, it would be a food source. Where looks were concerned, any disguise that Tayla could come up with would only be a step up from where she had started from.
Dammit. With Piper’s health challenges, Raine wanted the girl where she could protect her.
The delayed shock of finding the man who she had helped stay alive and was an alien was wearing off, and she started assessing their situation. Then she wished she hadn’t. There didn’t seem to be a way out this situation, unless the two different aliens miraculously killed each other off. Normally, she wouldn’t have a problem with that, but Raine found it hard to fight her protective instinct while watching Skars fight.
Another detail finally clicked into place. They spoke the same language. While theirs were more old-fashioned, they were still easily understood. Now the chance of getting more information about the different alien species overrode her urgent desire to escape.
Sizing up the alien standing close by, she started probing for details that could be useful.
“The grey and black ones are called Olggans?”
“Já.” Ulf stared at her as if she had the mental capacity of a child.
Biting back the sarcastic response that she wanted to give him, Raine had to smother it, determined not to be sidetracked from finding out more about the different types of aliens. Especially the ones who would want to put humans on their menu. Knowledge was power, and right now, the aliens had all the power because of the humans’ lack of knowledge. She was going to rectify that shit right now.
Raine forced herself to use the same friendly tone of voice when serving a difficult customer. “What are you and your friends called?”
Ulf’s chest swelled with pride. “We are Vikings.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You’re from Earth?” Raine searched the gorgeous face above her own. “You’re human?”
“Part human,” he corrected her.
Raine really hated to ask, but couldn’t stop herself. No good is going to come from asking, she cowardly warned herself. The minuscule brave part of her wouldn’t leave it alone, though.
“What’s the other part?”
“Martian.”
Chapter 6
Raine
I told you not to ask, the cowardly part of her sneered as the brave part went fleeing back to nothingness.
“Crap.” Tayla’s soft mutter echoed her own misgiving.
The situation they were in had just gone from bad to a cross between Invaders from Mars to Vikings. She had never watched the dark comedy and had been too squeamish to watch Vikings. Wishing wholeheartedly she could change the channel and find herself back before the nuclear explosions had happened, blissfully unaware of the hell having headed their way, Raine stared up at the imposing male Viking to continue on her fact-finding mission.
“Your name is Ulf?”
“Já.”
“Ulf, I’m worried about my friend over there. I would feel better if she were here with us.”
About to scream a warning when an Olggan tried to sneak up from his side, Raine could only watch in horror as Ulf spun to chop the Olggan’s head off with one swing. Not content, the Viking-Martian sliced its legs and arms off, too.
“You didn’t have to go in for the overkill.” Glaring at him, Raine tightened her stomach muscles when she heard Tayla retching next to her. “It was already dead.” A sudden thought struck her. “Can it regrow body parts like a snake?” If that was the case, he could chop away to his heart’s content.
Ulf’s red eyes grew darker. “Neinn. I will not take any chances with your welfare. As Skars’ wife, you must be protected.”
Raine gaped at him. “I’m not his wife! He must have hit his head during the beating. He was unconscious a long time. I didn’t even talk to him, much less marry him.”
She could tell what she said went in one of his Martian ears and out the other. The human Viking male side of him wasn’t listening.
“Believe me; I would remember getting married to a Martian,” she snapped. “A woman would remember that sort of thing. At least I would.”
Ulf shook his head at her. “No ceremony has been performed. Thorsen won’t perform the ceremony until after we leave Earth. Skars does not want to miss out on the raiding.”
Raine switched her gaze to her so-called husband, who was blithely butchering any Olggan coming within reach of his ax. “What does being married have to do with his raiding?”