Zovak: Worldwalker Barbarians: Sci-Fi Alien Shifter Romance Read online

  Zovak

  Worldwalker Barbarians

  Juno Wells

  Leslie Chase

  Contents

  1. Emily

  2. Zovak

  3. Zovak

  4. Emily

  5. Zovak

  6. Emily

  7. Zovak

  8. Emily

  9. Emily

  10. Zovak

  11. Emily

  12. Zovak

  About Leslie Chase

  About Juno Wells

  Also by Leslie Chase

  Also by Juno Wells

  Cover Design by Kasmit Covers

  Editing by Sennah Tate

  Copyright 2016 Leslie Chase

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences. All names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  1

  Emily

  Emily Jackson stared at the ad in her hand, wondering if it could possibly be serious. $1000 to take part in an experiment? That sounded crazy — the coffee shop's noticeboard often had ads posted with ways to make money, but they were usually obvious scams or not worth the effort. This looked too good to be true.

  Dr. Hughes beamed at her, picking up his coffee. "Interested? I'm sure we could fit you in. Or if not, can you put it up on the noticeboard? I'm sure we'll find someone who wants to help out."

  Picking up his coffee, he headed out into the falling snow. He was the last customer for the evening and Emily sighed with relief as Mr. Hendricks locked the door behind him. Another day over, or nearly. She looked back at the advert, shaking her head.

  Dr. Hughes was a regular at the coffee shop, and he'd been friendly in his absent-minded professor way. That was the only reason that Emily wasn't more suspicious, but it still seemed too good to be true. This wouldn't be the first time someone from the local university advertised for subjects at the coffee shop, and Emily had made $20 here and there filling in questionnaires. But $1000? That would actually make a dent in some of her debt. Maybe even leave some money to spare.

  "Emily!" Her boss's shout interrupted her dreams. "I'm not paying you to stare at that, honey, get back to work."

  She bit back a sarcastic comment about how he wasn't really paying her at all. Mr. Hendricks wasn't in the habit of paying for someone to work late closing up the shop, but the last time one of the staff had brought that up she'd been fired the next day. Emily wasn't going to risk that happening to her.

  Today the shop had been busy right up until closing time, and there was a lot of mess to deal with. Emily's feet ached from standing all day, and her smile had worn thin after the third time a customer had tried to cop a feel in the crowd, and there was nothing she wanted more than to be out of there and on her way home.

  No point in grumbling, she told herself, sticking the ad to the notice board. Grabbing a cloth, she set about wiping down the tables with an annoyed frown. She was sure the assholes who'd been in last had spilled their drinks deliberately, but maybe that was just because she was tired and cranky. Whether that had been deliberate or not, she still knew they were assholes: they hadn't left a tip.

  At last they were done. Or rather she was, Mr. Hendricks had only emptied the cash register and tidied up the counter. Other than that, his part of closing was watching her work and complaining about how long it was taking. Emily had always dreamed of telling him that it would take half as long if he took a turn, but that was the kind of talk that could get her fired.

  And bad as this job was, it let her pay the bills. She needed it.

  "Finished at last, Emily?" Mr. Hendricks asked as he surveyed his domain critically. He always liked to find one last thing for her to do, but this time she seemed to have passed even his standards. Or maybe he just had somewhere to be. "Took you long enough. Come on, let's get out of here."

  On her way past the noticeboard, Emily glanced at the advert again and paused, thinking about how useful the money would be. She was already juggling bills, trying to keep everything paid up. It seemed too good to be true, and long experience had taught her that meant it probably was. That didn't stop it being so very tempting.

  Mr. Hendricks was waiting impatiently at the door, tapping his foot. Impulsively, Emily pulled the notice down and stuffed it into the pocket of her coat as she hurried outside.

  "Off to see your boyfriend, hey?" he asked with a leer as he set the alarm. Emily blushed, keeping quiet. Her last boyfriend had left her months ago, running out with a load of her possessions and a woman she'd thought was her friend. She didn't want to tell Mr. Hendricks that, though. The idea that she was in a relationship seemed to be all that kept him from propositioning her, and she didn't want to find out how he'd take rejection.

  So she nodded, a little ashamed of the lie.

  "I'll see you next week, boss," she told him. She was looking forward to having a day off after the week she'd just had. The chill wind bit into her on the way to her car and she wished she had a thicker coat. But that would have to get in line behind the other things she needed to pay for. Food, bills, and rent were all more important.

  At least the car gave her some shelter from the cold, and she rubbed her hands to get some feeling into them before she turned the key in the ignition.

  The only result was a horrible grinding noise. Swearing under her breath, she counted to three and tried again. The grinding noise again. Fuck.

  Emily looked around at Mr. Hendricks getting into his car, a shiny new SUV. I bet he never has any trouble getting that monster to start, she thought bitterly, wondering if he'd give her a lift. She didn't want to spend more time with him, though, and she really didn't want to owe him a favor. He was bad enough as it stood, and giving him leverage... no, that would be an awful idea.

  Anyway, I'll need the car tomorrow. It was too far to walk easily from home, and there wasn't a decent bus route either. Without a car, she couldn't see how she could keep her job. Okay, so, new priority. Get the car fixed asap, and everything else can wait.

  It was a good plan, but she didn't have much money to do it with. Not unless... She pulled the flier from her pocket and unfolded it, reading by the light of her phone.

  I could do with the money. No, I need the money. Guess I have to risk it being a scam. If I can get paid tonight, maybe I can get the car fixed by tomorrow. It was a desperate hope, but at least it was hope. The alternative was to sit there and cry.

  It was awfully late to call, but the advert didn't say anything about office hours and Dr. Hughes had just bought a coffee. The worst that could happen was that he wouldn't answer. She dialed the number and listened to it ring.

  "Hello?" Dr. Hughes sounded tired but at least he'd taken the call. Emily crossed her fingers.

  "Hi Dr. Hughes, it's Emily. I'm phoning about the ad," she said quickly. "You know, the one for a research subject? I'm sorry to call so late."

  There was a moment's silence on the other end of the line, and when Dr. Hughes spoke again, he sounded much more alert. "Oh no, don't worry about that. No problem at all. When can you come over to the lab?"

  "That depends. I mean, I'm kind of short of cash and I could use it as soon as possible," Emily said, realizing that she was starting to babble. She made an effort to calm down. "I'd be happy to start as soon as possible."

  "Tonight?" the man said, sounding excited now. "Would you be able to come in for an hour now? We have the experime
nt all set up, you see, and—"

  "That would be great!" Emily interrupted, trying to keep her hope from being too overwhelming. There was still every chance that there was something wrong. "Where do you need me to go? I, um, I might need some help to get there, my car's broken down."

  "We'll pay for the taxi, don't worry about that," he answered, reeling off an address almost too fast for her to take in. "Just be here as soon as you can and we'll sort the rest out."

  He hung up too distracted to even say goodbye. Emily shook her head. The town had a few private research places, and in the coffee shop she saw enough of the scientists that she recognized the type. He wasn't being rude, just lost in his own thoughts enough that he'd forgotten about her as soon as he'd given her the information.

  That made going along with this feel a little safer, as did the fact that the address was for one of the private labs on the edge of town. Emily called for a taxi, and then left a message with her neighbor, letting Lisa know where she was going. Lisa worked early, so she wouldn't get the message until morning, but at least someone would know where she was if there was a problem.

  When she arrived, the lab itself was reassuringly professional looking. Dr. Hughes met her at the door, leading her inside eagerly. His excitement amused and reassured Emily. Perhaps it was the fact that he looked like a poster of Einstein with his wild white hair. It made him look like a mad scientist, but not in a frightening way. More a harmless, wholesome way.

  "So what is this about, anyway?" she asked as she followed him into a room full of complicated instruments and machines. It looked more and more like a scene out of some science fiction film. Not an expensive one, though: everything was kludged together with duct tape, and loose wiring ran along the walls.

  "Teleportation," the man said excitedly, gesturing her to a chair at the center of the room. Emily sat gingerly, looking at the coiled wires overhead with a touch of nerves. The scientist didn't seem to notice. "We’ve had a break-through in matter transmission over long distances, you see. There's a quantum variable..."

  Emily tuned out his explanation, immediately regretting the question. Dr. Hughes kept talking, but none of his words made any sense to her. A minute later, when he showed no sign of running down, she interrupted, making her best guess at what he was saying.

  "You mean like in Star Trek or something?" she asked, and Dr. Hughes looked crestfallen as it sunk in how little what he'd said had meant to her.

  "I suppose that's close enough," he answered. "It's not really like that at all, though. Anyway, what I propose to do is test it on you, film the results, and that's that. It won't take more than an hour, even with a quick interview afterward."

  "And for that I get a thousand dollars?" Emily couldn't quite believe that, but Dr. Hughes nodded.

  "I'll write you the check right now," he said. "But it does include a release for the video, and a confidentiality agreement, that kind of thing. I'm not just paying you for your time."

  Emily nodded dubiously. As if sensing her reluctance, Dr. Hughes smiled and pulled out his checkbook. "This is my life's work, Emily, and I'm on the brink of a great discovery. There's no reason for me not to be generous — when this goes public, it'll be worth a fortune."

  If it works, she thought. But it didn't matter, did it? She'd get paid either way, and that was the important thing. Though she hoped that the nice old man's machine did work, for his sake and because it would be quite a story to tell.

  He passed her a clipboard with a consent form on it, and she was about to sign when she hesitated. "This is safe, right?"

  "Of course it is," he said, sounding offended. "I've tested it hundreds of times, just not with a human subject. It'll move you from this chair to the one next to it. Henry here has made that exact trip a dozen times already."

  Dr. Hughes gestured to the mouse sitting in a cage on his desk. He looked happy enough, Emily thought, nibbling on his food without a care in the world. Emily signed the papers without any more questions. This was a sign of her luck turning around, and she wasn't going to question it more than she had to. She didn't want to risk talking herself out of the $1,000. Not when she needed the money to stop her world collapsing around her.

  "Okay," she said, signing the forms quickly. "Let's get it done, then."

  Before my nerves give out.

  Dr. Hughes took the clipboard back and handed her the check, which she tucked into a pocket of her jeans carefully. Then he was at work, closing switches and starting up a generator with an ominous hum. Emily sat very still as he worked, chewing on her lip nervously. The coiled wires above her gave an eerie whine and she started to feel a tingling across her body, like static.

  Emily clutched at the chair nervously as the machinery crackled and whined. Trying to distract herself from her fears she thought about what this would pay for. Settling her credit card debt, fixing her car, buying a new winter coat. Her thoughts turned more fanciful as the charge built around her, imagining where she could go if this worked. Somewhere warm, somewhere she wouldn't have to worry about the whims of Mr. Hendricks, maybe even somewhere she could meet a man she could trust.

  She shut her eyes, trying to imagine that future and ignore the scary reality as Dr. Hughes flicked the final switch.

  An intense, blinding light surrounded Emily, a shock of electricity blasting through her. Her muscles spasmed, sending her tumbling out of the chair as a noise, loud as thunder, rocked her. She fell forward onto the hard floor with a gasp, her eyes squeezed shut and head spinning.

  At least the noise has stopped, she thought. Either that or I've gone deaf.

  After how loud that sound had been, she wouldn't have been too surprised by either. Shaking her head, she cautiously pulled herself to her knees, opening her eyes slowly. The room was dark, far darker than she'd expected. Maybe the lights had blown? Something must have gone wrong, anyway. Dr. Hughes would have warned her if that was what was supposed to happen.

  "Doc?" she asked, pleased that she could hear her own voice. Not deaf, then. That's something. "What happened?"

  Silence.

  Unsteady, Emily pulled herself to her feet and tried to blink away the afterimages that the blaze of light had left behind. The room was only dimly lit, but it seemed larger than it should be. Larger and emptier. Now that she thought about it, the floor had been cluttered enough that she should have landed on something when she fell from the chair.

  "This isn't funny, Doc," she said, fumbling out her phone and hoping that it still worked after that shock. Luck was with her, and the screen lit up. In the pale light it gave off, she could see more clearly.

  The room was huge and empty, circular, and very empty. There was no sign of Dr. Hughes or his lab except for the chair standing alone in the middle of the chamber. The floor was red stone rather than the tiles of the laboratory. Emily almost dropped the phone in shock as she turned around and around, trying to get her bearings.

  Where the Hell am I? What did that idiot do to me?

  She looked at her phone again, hoping for some clue. But the only thing it could tell her was that wherever she was, she had no signal. Figures. That didn't exactly narrow it down — her phone and her contract were both crap, and she didn't get signal in a lot of places.

  Hoping that she'd have better luck outside, she stumbled to the only doorway she saw. It was a huge opening, large enough to drive a car through, and from beyond it she felt a warm breeze. There was a staircase leading up to the right, and she saw light at the top of it.

  Following that and hoping it led to an exit, Emily climbed the stairs. It was a long way up and she was out of breath by the time she came to the source of the light. It looked as though something had smashed through the wall, leaving broken stone scattered on the stairs and a hole large enough to clamber out through.

  Outside, nothing looked like it should. The town was gone, along with the woods around it, and Emily looked out at a barren plain of red rocks and sand that rose to hills and mountains i
n the distance. The heat was unbearable, and shading her eyes to look up, she saw that there were two suns in the sky above her.

  Did I hit my head when I fell out of the chair? She couldn't think of another explanation that made any sense, but her head felt fine. There was no pain, no bump, no blood. No dizziness or other sign that she ought to be hallucinating. Blinking, she looked at her phone again, but there was still no signal.

  On the horizon, something moved. A dust trail rose, getting closer. She couldn't make out what, but something, or someone, was moving across the wasteland. Emily pulled herself outside, wondering if she could find some help there. Staying inside wasn't really an option, not without food or water. Putting off the question of what had happened and where she was, she waved frantically, trying to attract some attention.

  It seemed to work. A few seconds later, the dust trail changed course until it was headed straight for her. Emily swallowed nervously, hoping that she had made the right decision, as she heard a horn sound. Another answered it, and then a third.

  Whoever had seen her, they weren't alone and they were coming for her.

  Swallowing, she looked around, hoping for some sign of where she was. The building she'd emerged from towered over her, a long-abandoned ruin with fallen towers and torn walls. There were no clues there, no writing, but she tried to tell herself that it could be anywhere. Mexico, maybe? There were ruins in the desert there, weren't there?

  Really, Emily? A more sensible part of her answered. You know that's not right. Not unless Mexico got a second sun and it didn't make the news.

  Just thinking about that made her feel dizzy, and she had to lean back against the wall of the building to recover. Ahead of her, she could make out the running figure at the head of the dust cloud. Shading her eyes against the sun she looked closer and swallowed fearfully.

  It wasn't a man heading for her. It was wolf. At least, she thought it was a wolf: she'd only ever seen them on TV, after all. This one was big, much larger than she'd expected, and with red fur that blended into the rocky plain. Glancing back at the pile of rubble she'd clambered over to get out of the building, Emily wondered if she could get behind it before the wolf reached her.