Chapter 40
Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.
With luck, Kaail and A'stea made it to his home without anyone seeing them. By the time they reached his place, it was pitch black with little lighting from torches. They reached the stone building and went inside in the blanket of darkness. No one lived there other than Kaail so it was safe for them.
With A'stea's support, they made it to the top of the building and into his room. It was simple in design with a fur bed and even a separate cleaning area to wash up. Although it lacked decorations and antiques to personalize it, A'stea looked around with intrigue.
"Looks cozy."
Kaail chuckled softly. "It's not much but I like it. Far away from all the attention that the city provides."
She smiled. Sounds like what I would do.
A'stea settled him down on the bed, making sure he was comfortable as possible and trying to avoid agitating his wounds. "Does your bathroom have medical supplies?"
"Yeah." He hissed, grabbing his shoulder. "In the cabinet."
She went right away and followed his directions, finding a cabinet full of items that she never thought of seeing in one area. He's taken care of. But the reminder of his pain told her it wasn't so simple. A'stea reached in to find some healing gel and aesthetics, grabbing a cloth on the way for extra. She came back to his side and placed the items on the small table by his bed.
"Okay. I'm going to go behind you . . . just letting you know."
She made sure to let him know. The Hish are very instinctive creatures, always protecting themselves from danger. Having someone behind them would make them react to defend their lives, even going as far as attacking even a partner without question. When she got a nod from him, she slipped onto the bed and went behind him.
Pushing his dreadlocks lightly, she can see the extent of the damage. Most were already healed but the deeper cuts were irritated by the match and now look seriously inflated. A'stea got to work to make it the first to heal. She takes the antibiotics and begins to spray around. Kaail arched his back and screeched, digging his claws into the bed frame.
"Sorry." A'stea spoke. "Forgive me."
"No." He spoke through his teeth. "Get it over with."
Worried but knowing she had to do this, A'stea added more of the aesthetics, flinching every time he tensed. Eventually, the pain subsided and Kaail relaxed.
But as he thought it was over, he felt her hands gliding against his back. He pulled away from her and turned his head, confused and somewhat nervous. "What are you doing?"
A'stea tightened her lips. "I have to add more healing gel. You took quite a beating from the match." She saw his red eyes looking at her with uncertainty . . . but she didn't know if he was scared or a little self-conscious. I bet on the second choice. Why would he be afraid? She moved back, raised her hands, and waited for him to relax. When he turned around and straightened his back, it was a signal to keep going.
Kaail stood still as she worked on his back with the healing gel, gently rubbing the clear substance all around. It wasn't the pain that made him hesitate but rather her hands. He tensed when he felt them on his skin, warm and soft. Kaail had to hold in his mandibles near his inner mouth so tightly. An unknown urge flowed in his body, making it harder to control his actions.
Luckily, she pulls away before anything else might happen. "Looks good for now. But you need some rest despite being tough." She paused. Her chest tightening like a vise. The marks on his back were a lot to take in. She'd seen worse but she wasn't as affected than this. They were too familiar.
She reached for one wound but started to shake when she got closer. Although she was curious, she pulled back after remembering Kaail's reaction from before. What have they done to you?
Shaking her head, she gathered the medical supplies and put them back in his bathroom. "Are you good then?"
Kaail nodded. "Yeah." He rolled his shoulder, feeling that there wasn't as much pain as before. "It feels good. You did well." He gave a shy smile.
"You're welcome." They stood there in awkward silence, neither not knowing what to do. Kaail lowered his gaze to the floor while A'stea twiddled with her fingers. The tension was thick in the air.
"Then . . . I guess I need to go." She opened her mouth but closed it, not having anything else to say. She turned around to head back to wherever she could think of. But an arm flew past her and pressed on the doorframe to the room. She jumped at the sudden movement and then froze when she felt Kaail's chest almost close behind her. Too close . . .
"Don't go."
His voice was husky and deep and it made A'stea's cheek heat up. It was the same as the last time they were so up close to the party. She bit her lip and stayed frozen, unable to say or do anything.
Kaail didn't know what he was doing. As soon as she declared she was leaving, his body moved of his own accord. He thought that if she left, the darkness would come back. The pain of his wounds amplified. But he might have taken it too far. He saw her body tremble slightly so he thought she was afraid but the heat of her body and her honey smell grew. When she was afraid, this would not be so.
Realizing his mistake, he backed away. "Sorry. If you want to go . . . then I won't stop you."
It was a minute of silence between them. Kaail turned his back to her, almost ashamed for his sudden action while A'stea wondered why he did that. But then, she sighed. "I don't mind staying . . . only to check on your back in the morning."
Kaail's body relaxed with some sort of relief as he turned around. "Okay. You can sleep on—"
"I'm going to be staying up a little longer." She stopped him mid-sentence. "I have to . . . watch to make sure no one comes in."
Although Kaail wanted to protest, he didn't want to spook her again. After getting her to comply with staying for the night, he didn't want to do something stupid like a few moments ago despite not being in control at that moment.
He nodded. "Of course. I'll take over after a few hours."
With that, Kaail lowered himself on the bed and closed his eyes, taking one more peek at A'stea as she sat on the ground. For some reason, he could tell that something was bothering her.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It was a few hours later that Kaail woke up . . . much to his protest. But his body called him to wake up and he had no choice. With a grunt, he lifted to sitting on the edge of his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. When he was able to see, he noticed A'stea still in the same position as before, sitting down but looking up through the open window now. It was still dark outside so it couldn't have been long. But why is she still awake?
"A'stea?" He got to his feet and walked slowly to her.
Jolted by Kaail's voice, she turned around. "Oh, Kaail. I didn't mean to wake you up."
"No . . . it's okay." He stopped by her side. "Why aren't you asleep?"
She looked down, dread filling her. "I can't."
He tilted his head. "Why not?"
There was no answer . . . because she didn't know how to explain it to him. The thought of it made her muscles quake. She hid her face, not wanting him to see.
"Is it because of the nightmares?"
She almost bit the inside of her cheek in surprise. How does he— She stopped herself. Of course . . . that one time. She answered, now that she was caught. "Yeah."
Kaail moves to sit next to her. "Do you want to talk about it?"
For a moment, she didn't think it was a good idea. It was too much of a personal thing to discuss in the middle of the night. But when she looked into his red eyes, she submitted. The look of concern made her realize he was going to not stop until he found out.
She sighs. "I'll tell you what I know if you tell me what happened to your back."
Kaail pulled back, stunned by what she asked. Inside, A'stea knew she was going to win. His curiosity would beat him at his self-control. After a minute of watching him look back and forth in uncertainty, he relents.
"A punishment from my master . . . for being gone for a few days I was with you."
A'stea lowered her gaze for a moment. Now I feel like c'jit. "I'm sorry."
Sensing her despair, he pressed a hand on her shoulder gently. "It's not your fault. I chose to stay with you . . . and I don't regret it."
She lifts her head with a shocked expression. To hear it from him was still shocking. A Hish that would take the blame like that. In this day and age, many look out for themselves so it's rare to see something like this.
She smiled. "Thank you." Her eyes gaze to his shoulder where a wound peeked out. "Did it hurt?"
Kaail shook his head. "It did but I'm sort of used to it by now. My master has done this since I was born whenever I step out of 'his' line. Not too shocking, isn't it?" He tried to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal but A'stea didn't take it that way. He noticed her fists tightening, shaking her arms like they were going to break.
Kaail let out a purr. He thought it would help them last time since it calmed her down. He grabbed her fists and rubbed them. "Hey. Are you alright?"
A'stea shook her head, pulling away. "I'm sorry you have to go through that."
Kaail didn't say anything. He shifted closer to her side. "Are you going to tell me about your nightmares?"
She nodded. "A deal's a deal."
A'stea shifted a little to get comfortable, crossing her legs as she looked up again to the window. The stars were brighter than she remembered but not quite sure if it's because of them or the fact that she was feeling more sensitive than ever. Well . . . Kaail is right next to you . . . What do you expect?
"Where do I start?" A'stea smacked her lips, hissing through her teeth. "C'jit."
"Take your time."
Kaail nodded to her, giving a bit of strength she needed to speak out. A'stea took deep breaths and looked back to the sky.
"I wasn't born like everyone else. I was created based on the image of the Engineers . . . the first of my kind and brought into a world that I never knew." She paused and Kaail waited patiently for her. "They wanted a being that would obey them without question and prove that they can create life. Show everyone that they are gods and I'm their prized possession."
She bit her lip at the thought. It sickened her so much that she felt her stomach twist in a knot. Still, she wasn't going to let a sinking feeling stop her. Kaail deserves to know. Her heart raced, pushing against the pain as she kept going.
"I was an empty shell with no memories . . . no childhood to think about. Without that, I thought what the Engineers said was the truth and how the universe worked . . . so I obeyed their command without question, never really thought about what I wanted or what the consequences would be." She gripped her hands together. "From tending to the Engineer's bidding to fighting against monsters, I served them."
A'stea stopped but her body began to shake. "Until that day . . ."
And then . . . her memories came back ten-fold.
I did nothing wrong to you . . . Why are you doing this?
You obey us . . . Finish what you started . . . Kill it.
Kaail watched her until he noticed she was starting to dig her nails into her arms. Like before . . . Her face contorted and her teeth began to clatter. But his eyes were set on her arms as she began to scrap into her skin. He pulled her hands away before she could do any more damage, seeing puncture wounds on top of others. It broke skin but there was no bleeding so that was a good thing. Kaail held her hands as she looked at him in surprise. But it did little to hide the pain from him.
"Take it easy." He purred again, sending vibrations through her body. Again, it calmed her a little.
After a minute or so, A'stea calmed down and her heart began to slow down. "I'm okay."
He lets her go and waits patiently as she takes a deep breath. When she got enough stability, mentally and physically, she continued despite the strain in her body.
"One day . . . the Engineers wanted to give me the ultimate test of obedience. They brought some cat creature from another planet and . . ." Her chest tightened. "They wanted me to kill it."
A'stea lowered her head, covering her face with her hair. "At first, I was going to do it. But unlike the monsters I've seen, this one was intelligent and had feelings. It was terrified . . . scared and then . . . something inside me snapped."
Kaail sighed, "You couldn't do it."
She nodded. "I felt something inside told me that this was wrong. That I couldn't kill it. But the Engineers didn't want to accept my refusal."
The despair that she was feeling began to contort into anger. Without thinking, she stood and ripped away from Kaail's grip, shocking him in the process. But she didn't notice and began to rant.
"They got angry. Told me that I was only made to obey but I refused again and again. They got so impatient that they decided to make an example. They gave me an ultimatum that if I didn't, they would torture the creature. When I refused once more, they poked her eyes out. I can still hear its screams as I was forced to watch. It was the first time I saw the cruelty of the Engineers."
A'stea stopped, turning away from Kaail. Her emotions were all over the place. The anger came and went, replaced with despair. Forcing the tears from coming out, she hugged herself and slumped.
"I killed it . . . ripped its heart out, still beating in my bare hands. I had no choice."
Kaail couldn't believe what he was hearing. And I thought I got the worst of it. Hearing that she'd been through so much . . . even he couldn't comprehend it. He stood up from his spot and walked to her, staying right behind her.
Her voice began to calm down. "Ever since then, I realized that everything is wrong. Whether you call it a conscious or something else, my eyes were opened for the first time. Ever since then, I've been fighting them . . . holding whatever piece of myself I had left. Eventually, the Engineers had enough and sent me to the Amengi, which is no different."
A'stea swallowed but the dry air made her throat itch. "I still have nightmares about it over and over again. There are days when I can't get any sleep or I'm afraid to do so. The suffering is unbearable. I don't want anyone else going through what I've been through."
"So that's why you're trying to free the Hish."
Kaail understood now . . . why A'stea was so protective of the servants . . . why she was willing to fight against an enemy far greater than herself . . . why she's so headstrong. It all makes sense now.
She nodded in response. "I want them to know what it's like to be free. Or at least, I'm trying to save a piece of myself that is left. I'm such an asshole."
Kaail closed his eyes for a moment. It was a lot to take it but everything was coming together. He remembered his resistance as a pup but yielded to the masters after thinking they were too powerful. But A'stea didn't. She never gave up regardless of the pain she endured. It made him feel inferior to her. She was far stronger than himself but she was also vulnerable.
Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her shaking body. A'stea tensed against him but didn't pull away or push him off. He lowered his chin on her forehead and closed his eyes, purring. "No. you're stronger than you think. But I'm here for you, whenever you need me."
They stood there for a moment as A'stea relaxed. The purring he gave was soothing and the hard feelings she had faded, replaced with Kaail's warmth. Her heart raced in anticipation, tensing like a tight string ready to break. The desire for him was overwhelming.
Without warning, she pulled his arms away. Kaail felt a sting in his chest that she didn't want to be near him. But as he was stepping away, A'stea turned around and pressed her hands against his chest. He froze in shock, feeling her fingers graze over his skin. He closed his eyes when the tingling sensation came back, stronger than ever. His toes and fingers twitched along with his mandibles. Holy pauk.
He opened his eyes and saw the want in her hazel eyes, drawing him in. The same could be said for A'stea. Both were locked on each other, hesitant to make a move until they couldn't hold it in anymore. Their hearts pounding to be released. They leaned towards each other, wrapping their arms around each other as they finally came together.
They closed their eyes as their mouths connected, sharing a kiss.
Hi everyone!
Thank you all for being patient with me. It has been a difficult journey and still is to this moment but I hope you enjoy this.
So a lot has happened in this chapter. Each telling their story about the past, giving us a glimpse of what they endured. To be honest, I feel A'stea got the worst of it, being forced to kill so that the Engineers can test her obedience . . . much like the Amengi. It sucks to feel like it's your fault and then sent to somewhere worse when you became nothing but garbage.
In some ways, Kaail understood and tried his best to comfort her. Well . . . he did more than just that. Could this become a moment between them? :O
Find out when Chapter 41 comes on Wednesday (8/19/2020)! The reason being is that I have my last final exam next week and I'm so excited that I'll be done with my Master's degree. A little solace to look forward to after this shit of a week. I hope all of you can wait for it.
Thank you for the reviews (Anonymous-E, Mariah, Larita1976, and IanAlphaAxel)! They are very important for me and I hope I see more readers posting as well. All opinions are welcomed. I hope you keep on reading! ;)
And thank you for your support. :)
Happy Hunting! :))))