"So you are not mated to any of them?" Mondu asked with a satisfied curve to his lips.
Riley nervously pulled her hair away from him and scooted over as far as she could without falling out of her seat. What was it with these guys? Sure she got the occasional stare or comment back home but these guys were like in your face, here I am—not the nice wolf whistle she could shoot a bird at.
"No, I’m not mated to any of them," Riley said in exasperation, waving her hand at him. "Listen, do you mind—like—sitting back. You are crowding me, and I don’t like it when people get in my space and all."
Mondu chuckled but leaned back in his seat. "What do you like?"
Riley looked over to where Carmen was picking up a tray full of food. "I like food that I don’t have to cook, warm beaches, good movies, and"—she paused to look at Mondu with a dimpled grin—"shopping for great deals."
Mondu’s chuckle turned to a laugh as he picked up one of her waving hands. "What do you not like?"
Riley tilted her head as she tugged unsuccessfully to remove her hand from his grasp. "Spending my own money, liars, murders, and cheats, but most of all," she said with a pointed look in her eyes, "pushy men who don’t know their places."
"Like me?" Mondu asked with a lazy grin, while he caressed the back of her hand with his thumb.
"Like you, if you don’t let go of my hand," Riley replied with another tug.
"What if I don’t want to let it go?" he asked, raising it to his lips.
"Then you die." A dark snarl sounded behind him.
Riley looked up startled to stare at Vox’s dark face. Dark wasn’t the word for it. Truthfully, she didn’t know a face could be that frightening. Mondu slowly released her hand and stood, turning to face the furious ruler of the Sarafin. He appeared to be relaxed, but Riley could tell from his stance that he had moved into a defensive pose. Vox must have realized it as well because a menacing growl escaped from him as he focused his narrowed eyes on the huge male standing between him and Riley.
"Move away from my mate, or I will kill you," Vox demanded, flexing his fingers.
"The female says she has no mate," Mondu replied calmly.
Vox’s eyes narrowed, and he took another step closer. "I have claimed her. She wears my mark."
Mondu glanced over his shoulder at Riley, who was looking back and forth between the two of them with huge, bright, wary eyes. "Show me his mark," he said.
"What?" Riley asked, puzzled.
Vox glared down at Riley. "Show him my mark before I kill him, Riley."
Riley stood up and glared at Vox. "Which one? You frigging left bruises all over me, you big ape! I am not in the mood to deal with your mangy ass right now, especially if you think you can talk to me in that tone of voice after what you did to me."
"What did he do?" Carmen demanded, dropping the tray on the table with a loud bang. "Did he hurt you?"
Riley’s eyes brightened with furious tears. She was so not having this conversation with everyone staring at her. This was worse than the high school dance because this time she had been the idiot who said "yes" to going behind the building instead of remembering her dear Grandma Pearl’s words of wisdom. She angrily brushed a tear that escaped down her cheek, turned on her heel without another word, and strode out of the dining quarters.
Vox took a step to follow, but Carmen stepped in his way. "I don’t know what you did to her, but you need to step back now before I put you on your ass," she hissed out in a cold voice.
Vox looked down in surprise at Creon’s mate. Her eyes glittered with a deadly promise of retribution if he should try to move around her. "She is my mate," he explained quietly. "I will see to her needs."
Carmen shook her head. "Right now what she needs is a little breathing room." She looked over his shoulder at Calo, who was glaring at her. "You guys don’t realize we Earth girls aren’t used to all this claiming bullshit. It can be a little overwhelming. Just back off for a little while and give her time to collect herself. She would not appreciate you breathing down her neck right now."
Vox swore darkly under his breath. He nodded briefly to Carmen before looking at Mondu. He would only tell the Curizan male once more that Riley was his. If he saw the male near her again, he would kill him.
"Stay away from my mate," Vox growled out in a low, cold voice. "Let the others know she has been claimed and that I will kill any who touch her."
Mondu studied Vox for several seconds before bowing his head in respect. "Your claim will not be challenged by me, my lord."
Vox turned back to Carmen with a frown. "You will go to her?"
Carmen raised an eyebrow and stared at the huge male in front of her. Nodding her head, she couldn’t resist making a jab at Calo. Creon had assigned the twin brothers to be her shadow despite all her protests. Calo was on duty today. She had a feeling Riley might be able to help her figure out a few phrases she had missed calling them. If nothing else, it would give her something else to think about.
"Yeah, me and Fido will make sure she is okay," Carmen said before grabbing the tray she had dropped. "Come on, boy. That’s a good boy, come on."
"One of these days, Carmen…" Calo muttered darkly as he followed her out of the dining quarters. "One of these days…"
Vox listened as Carmen laughed at the huge male following her. He shook his head in wonder that such a small, delicate creature could be such a big pain in the ass. He couldn’t help but marvel what his family was going to think of his mate. Or what his mate was going to think of his family.
"Do you think there might be more of them?" Mondu asked, coming to stand next to Vox.
Vox gave a dry chuckle. "Gods, I hope not. I’m having a hard enough time with the one I’ve got. I can’t imagine what would happen to our worlds if there were more of them."
* * *
Riley stared out the viewport without really seeing anything. Her mind and her body kept drifting to a certain irritating fur ball that had gotten not only under her skin but into her heart. Every movement of her body reminded her of his touch. She had to admit it had been an incredible night, but it would have to be the only incredible night. She couldn’t take a chance of letting herself fall any further.
"Are you all right?" Carmen’s soft voice asked as she entered the small conference room she had been directed to thanks to Calo’s inquiries.
Riley wiped at her face to make sure her cheeks were dry and quickly put on her I-don’t-give-a-damn mask. She had learned a long, long time ago how to perfect hiding her feelings. No one cared anyway. Even her Grandma Pearl said feelings were for drunks, weak men, and wimps. None of those were allowed in their house when she was growing up.
Riley turned with a grimace and a shrug. "Yeah, hate it when I’m PMSing."
Carmen set the tray down on the table near the viewport and sat down. "We never did get a chance to eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving."
Riley gave a short laugh and nodded. "Me too. So, how did you end up in the Twilight Zone?"
Carmen looked around and shook her head in amazement. "My sister and my best friend were piloting a client of the Boswell’s back to California along with another friend who was a mechanic for the company. I hitched a ride. The client, Abby, was kidnapped by the local sheriff who had the hots for her. Trisha, Cara, my sister Ariel, and I took off after them with the hopes of rescuing Abby. Turns out her boyfriend was not only hot but out-of-this-world hot," Carmen explained with a grin. "I don’t remember much. I had been stabbed a couple of times and was pretty much dead by the time Zoran and his brothers got there. They transported me and the others up to their ship after toasting the bad guy. I woke up, and the rest is history," she muttered before taking a big bite of her sandwich. "What about you?"
Riley picked at her sandwich, not really sure she was hungry anymore. "I found out my boss and his daddy were running drugs and guns among other things. When my boss made a pass at me, I clobbered him," she smirked at Carmen. "He probably wil
l never be able to give himself a hand job or have kids. Anyway, I had found out they also had a dead guy buried under the shed out back. I decided it was in my best interest to get out of town before I ended up joining him. Needless to say, my car broke down, I got in a truck with a major asshole, and the lights did not belong to the dwarf biker gang as I had hoped."
Carmen choked at Riley’s vague explanation of events. "So, how did you end up with five mates?" She sighed heavily when Riley lifted her eyebrow at her. "I promised Creon I’d find out."
Riley chuckled. "You lose?"
Carmen nodded. "I never should have taught him how to play poker," she said before a rosy blush swept up her cheeks.
Riley sighed before she looked up at Carmen. "Will you help me get back home?" she asked nervously.
Carmen stared into Riley’s eyes for several minutes before she nodded. "If that is what you want, I will do my best to see that you get back home."
Riley looked away as tears burned her eyes again. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. Between the sudden hot flashes and the emotional roller coasters she was about ready to go postal on someone’s ass. She was too damn young for menopause.
"I have family back home," Riley said clearing her throat. "I have a grandmother and a baby sister. Not much, but it is all I have. Plus, I need to stop Dudley Dipshit and Daddy Dumbest from killing anyone else. I took the files and photos that would put them away, but it doesn’t do a damn bit of good up here."
"I’ll talk to Creon and see what I can do. By the way, I love your descriptions. You wouldn’t have a few you could share on a couple of Bobbsey twins that have been practically parked up my ass, do you?" Carmen asked humorously.
Riley’s eyes glittered. "Darling, you are talking to the Queen of Mean. The mouth from Denver. The Bitch Extraordinaire. Give me a little background, and we can make them beg for a transfer."
Chapter 14
The next several days passed in relative quiet, at least after the first night. She had talked Carmen into helping her find a temporary place to stay until she could sort out her feelings and deal with what had happened. Vox had not handled the new sleeping arrangements very well. He had left deep gouges on the outside of the door when she refused to open it. According to Carmen, he had gone ballistic when he returned to their living quarters and found her things gone. He had roared, hissed, and snarled for over an hour before he realized that she was not coming out and he was not going to be allowed in. Riley shivered as she thought about his parting words. He had vowed that when he got his hands on her, she would never get away from him again.
Lucky for her, she had a few hidden resources he wasn’t aware of, namely a couple of guys who were having way too much fun at his expense. Thanks to them, she had gotten really, really good at hiding from him. If she didn’t know better, she would think they were enjoying his discomfort. The first clue she had was when Creon’s face lit up with a huge grin as he showed her to her new living quarters, then proceeded to show her a half dozen times how to override the system so she could seal it from the inside. The second clue was when Ha’ven had come trotting up to her early the next morning with a cool little device that showed Vox’s exact position at all times on board the Horizon. He had even shown her how to switch to a map that would display ways to get away from Vox should he get too close. She had eyed the two men with a cynical look, but all they did was grin and slap each other on the back a lot. She had even approached Carmen about it, but all her new friend did was roll her eyes and mutter something about little boys and payback.
She spent most of the day with Carmen or exploring the ship. Her favorite time was when she and Carmen went to visit with Mel and Cal, two other humans on board. They had been abducted in much the same way as she had been and sold to the Antrox as well. The biggest difference was Mel turned out to be Melina. Riley just shook her head in disbelief that no one else appeared to see through the oversized clothes and the grandson references. One look at the way Melina walked and the soft sound of her giggle was enough for Riley to figure it out.
She had been relaxing with Carmen and Cal when she put two and two together. She finally answered Carmen’s question as to how she had ended up with five mates instead of the one. That was when Melina had given herself away.
"So, who is the scarecrow?" Riley asked Cal.
"Scarecrow?" Cal repeated confused.
Riley jerked her head toward the cargo crates where Melina spent her time hiding whenever anyone came into the repair bay. "Yeah, little miss Priss. Does she think I have cooties or something?"
Carmen’s soft gasp told Riley she had let the cat out of the bag. "Granddaughter," Carmen murmured. "That is why she stays hidden and doesn’t talk."
Cal had called out to Melina to join them and slowly explained why they had decided to continue the ruse. Cal mentioned that Creon promised that he would return them to Earth with the understanding that they could never tell anyone about what happen to them. Riley’s brain froze on those softly spoken words. Cal and Melina were going to be returned to Earth, so that meant she would be going as well.
Riley listened absent-mindedly to the conversation going on around her. A part of her was interested as Cal relayed story after story of the past four years of their lives on the mining asteroid, but it was only a small part. She was overwhelmed with sorrow at the thought of never seeing Vox again. Sure she had been avoiding the big pussy cat, but she always knew where he was thanks to Ha’ven’s neat little device. She casually slid it out of the pocket of her skirt and glanced down at the mark showing Vox was back in their living quarters.
His, Riley reminded herself. His living quarters, she thought sadly as she watched the tiny speck on the screen. I wonder if he misses me as much as I miss him.
She was just sliding the device back into her pocket when the door to the repair bay opened and the other twin who protected Carmen walked in. Melina jumped to her feet and scurried back between the crates before he had taken more than a few steps inside. Riley’s eyebrow rose in wonder as she saw the dark hunger and confusion in the male’s eyes before he shielded them.
Somebody is not happy, Riley thought with a curve of her lips. And somebody doesn’t realize that Mel is really Melina if the confused look is any indication of his feelings.
Life, it would appear, was about to get very interesting for Melina if Riley had to make a guess. She had seen the same expressions on the other twin’s face. She wondered how long it would take before they figured out Mel was a girl. She also wondered if they would discover it before Cal and Melina made it back to Earth.
"My lady, your mate wishes to see you," Cree said in a low voice to Carmen before he cleared his throat and looked carefully at Riley. "Your mate as well, Lady Riley. Lord Vox said, quote, ‘Tell her to get her beautiful ass to our living quarters now.’"
Riley snorted and tossed her heavy mane of blond hair over her shoulder. If he thought trying to be sweet while still bossing her around was going to work, he had another think coming. It didn’t matter anyway. Now that she knew for sure they were heading back to Earth, she would do whatever she had to resist. Deep down, she admitted that if Vox ever got his hands on her again, she might not let him take them off.
She shivered as another wave of heat started flaring inside her. She was already wearing lighter clothing. Ever since Vox had made love to her she had been having blasted hot flashes. They were getting worse, especially at night. Not only that, she felt like there was something weird going on with her skin. She could swear something was moving underneath it. It was really beginning to freak her out. If it didn’t stop soon, she might have to ask Carmen for help again.
No, Riley thought dismally. I need to stick with my plan. Staying away from him is definitely still the best for everyone, especially me.
Her mind might rebel against the idea, her body might protest it vehemently, but it was the safest plan for a supporting character like her. That was one reason why she had made herself wat
ch all the science fiction movies she had on her iPad again. She was not about to take a chance of having anything exploding out of her or morphing her into some disgusting creature that ate people.
Riley drew in a deep breath before she responded to Cree with a determination born out of desperation. "Tell him, quote, ‘My beautiful ass is quite comfortable where it is, and he can shove his…’" Riley almost broke off when Cree made a choking sound during one of her really descriptive-filled sentences. She finally took pity on him when she realized there was no way he could remember everything she said anyway. "Oh, never mind. Tell him I’ll be there when I’m damn well ready," she muttered instead, in resignation.
* * *
Vox ran his hands through his hair and groaned as he bent over. The pain he was feeling was not just mental anymore but had manifested in the physical as well. His cat needed his mate as much as he needed his. The fact they were one and the same didn’t matter. His cat was clawing at his insides until he felt raw. The one night that he had with Riley would never be enough. He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat; he could barely function. He knew Creon and Ha’ven were having fun at his expense. He would have done the same thing to them if given half a chance. The problem is they didn’t understand how devastating it was for a Sarafin male to be separated from his mate, especially during the transformation. Riley would have begun feeling the changes almost from the very first. The problem was that the symptoms she was experiencing would gradually get worse. It could become dangerous to them both if he was not there to support her.
Go get mate, his cat roared furiously, slashing at him again. You should have kept her with you.
Vox grimaced at the fury in his cat. How in Guall’s balls was I to know she would get a hair up her butt and hide from us?
Need mate. Can feel her, his cat hissed back, pacing inside him.
Captured Boxed Set: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys Who Will Capture Your Heart Page 97