The Regent's Rapture: (An Alpha Alien Romance Novel) (Lords of Zanthar Book 1)

by Liza Probz

  "The council has said otherwise. When I showed them proof of your condition, they moved swiftly. I've been declared the Acting Supreme Regent."

  It was part of his plan, wasn't it? So where did the arrest fit in?

  "I don't understand," Xivthar said, getting closer to the new acting regent. "I thought you would wait until after the frenzy took me."

  "There can be no waiting in a crisis, and the Ministry of Defense has slapped you with a very heavy charge. I have to take you into custody."

  "On what charge?" he barked as the man slapped the restraints on him.

  His brother, Drake, the Acting Regent of Zanthar, gave him a fiendish smile. "Treason."

  Chapter 36

  Sylvia watched with a biologist's eye as the shape-shifting alien began to change form. Despite the fact that she was bound and about to be marched to her doom, it was riveting to witness as the Hareema operative displayed its unparalleled skill.

  The alien's skin became translucent and started to melt. For a moment she could see the cherry red color of what she assumed was the thing's real form, but it quickly morphed into something else. Another Zantharian. An officer, judging by his garb.

  The operative had started by imitating the body of the Supreme Regent, who also happened to be her lover. She'd woken up in its arms, but had quickly discovered that it wasn't X, but an enemy agent who'd stolen his shape.

  Unfortunately, the real X wasn't as clever. He was being tricked by another Hareema who looked exactly like her. The thing had him sprawled out on a bed and wasn’t wasting any time in mating with him properly.

  It looked like he'd been loving every second of it.

  It was hard to blame him, since the creature looked and sounded just like her. Still, it rankled her. Him thinking that she'd start exposing herself in a laboratory that was undoubtedly being watched was ridiculous. There was no way in hell.

  Wait... if the operative could pull up the feed from the other laboratory, then footage of the setup must exist.

  There had to be a recording of when the Hareema agents had moved her to this virtually identical laboratory and taken the shape of X, didn't there? And they were probably being recorded right now. More evidence. But how did she get her hands on it?

  And if the Hareema were so willing to change shape on camera now, what did that mean? They must have infiltrated the highest levels of government to move with such impunity. Even if she could get her hands on the recording, she probably wouldn't be able to use it, not with a Hareema pulling the government's strings.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a tug on her bindings. The enemy agent pulled her toward the doorway. She didn't know where she would end up, but it wouldn't be pleasant.

  The agent had already demonstrated how easily it could take the form of the Supreme Regent. Now that X had fallen into their clutches, distracted by the fake-Sylvie, the enemy could easily replace him, keeping him prisoner while the fake regent paraded around, setting the planet up for invasion.

  I've got to escape. Sylvie pulled hard against her bindings, but it only seemed to tighten them around her.

  I'm the only one who knows what's going on, and I'm the one person that no one on this planet trusts. Except X.

  The corridor outside was empty, but a loud commotion caught her attention. Something was going down. Sylvie's mind raced with the need to solve the puzzle and save the day, and her man. The laboratory they'd stashed her in was almost exactly the same as the one she'd been working in with X. Until they'd fallen asleep.

  A mysterious, all of a sudden slumber. They'd piped in some kind of drug into the chamber. She knew human labs that had been outfitted with modified ventilation systems with security overrides that could spray gas into the chambers if needed. Since they would have had to move her to the new lab, and there wouldn't have been much time, it was likely the other laboratory was nearby. Perhaps that other lab was the source of the commotion. If she could just get to that lab and alert X, they'd have a fighting chance.

  The only problem was that the Hareema agent was leading her in the opposite direction. She had to move quickly if she was going to try to get free.

  Sylvie dropped to the ground and onto her stomach, letting her body become dead weight. The Hareema was tugged backwards, almost slipping on the polished floor.

  "Knock it off," the alien said in a harsh whisper. "Get up."

  Instead of following orders, Sylvie started to roll. Her wrists were tied behind her back, connected by braided seaweed to a collar around her neck.

  This is gonna hurt. She jerked as hard as she could sideways. She made it around to being on her back, and didn’t hesitate to kick out at the Hareema as hard as she could, trying to force it to let go.

  The Hareema in Zantharian disguise grunted, but didn't let go. She kicked it again, pushing all of her weight off of its form this time to try and break its hold. It worked.

  Before it could grab her, she rolled onto her stomach and pushed to her feet. It was no easy task with her hands tied behind her back, but she managed to get to her knees and then to her feet. Not sparing a glance for the enemy agent, she ran as fast as she could, down the corridor and around the corner.

  There was a large crowd gathered around the doorway of a nearby chamber. Many wore the uniform of Zantharian scientists, but there were others there too whose rank she wasn't able to tell by their clothing. It didn't matter. If she could just get to the crowd, get their attention, maybe she could—

  The Hareema agent grabbed her by the braid that ran from her wrists to her neck and pulled. Her plan was over before it had started, it seemed. She wouldn't give up, but already she was slipping backwards on the smooth floor.

  Then she spotted a familiar face. On the edge of the crowd was the major, she guessed still positioned beside the door as he'd been while they were working. The crowd must have moved him back, but he hadn't left his post. Although she knew he didn't approve of her relationship with X, he was still a loyal Zantharian guard. And he might be her only chance.

  The clamor outside the laboratory door was growing. Something was happening inside, raising the noise level, making the mob outside crowd closer to the entrance. Still, hoping against hope, Sylvie started to yell.

  "Major!" she shouted.

  No effect.

  "MAJOR! HELP!" The Hareema slapped a hand over her mouth. He jerked back on the rope that held her, making the collar dig sharply into her neck. Pain raced from her neck over the top of her head as she cried out.

  She was being dragged back around the corner and out of sight. The major's head had turned in her direction, or so that seemed to have been the case.

  Dammit! I've got to get loose. Something's going on in that laboratory, and it can't be good. X could be hurt. Or worse.

  The Hareema agent strode down the hall, dragging her behind him like a sack of potatoes. Sylvie was doing all she could to slow him, but nothing was working. She'd fallen to her knees, but he'd tugged her back up, putting even more pressure on her injured throat. The pain had forced her back to her feet, but she refused to give up.

  The corridor split in two directions, and the Hareema took the left fork. Soon they were striding down a familiar hallway, one that was lined with cells where the Zantharians kept their live specimen before they dissected them. Her pulse jumped, terror climbing up in her chest and pressing down like some horrible monstrous presence.

  No. Not again. I won't let them strap me to a table and cut me open.

  She dropped once more to her knees, then all the way to her bottom, concentrating on being as heavy and immovable as she could be. The Hareema pulled her hard but she didn't give in, even though her throat was on fire and her wrists were aching against the bindings.

  He dragged her down the hall as tears fell from her eyes due to a combination of pain and panic. The Hareema stopped at the entrance to a cell and lifted his hand to enter, pausing only because of a loud voice from behind them.

  "Stop!"

&
nbsp; Sylvie's head whipped around to see who had spoken. The major! She almost cried out in delight, but her throat wouldn't cooperate.

  "Where are you going with the Earthling?" He hurried down the hallway with a grimace on his handsome face. "And how did you get possession of her? She's been locked in the chamber with the regent for hours."

  The Hareema scowled. "I have orders to confine her. Mind your own business."

  Little flecks of yellow popped up on the major's green skin. Anger.

  Chapter 37

  "Listen here, corporal, you will show me proper respect." The major was only a few cells away. Relief flooded her, but it seemed preconceived.

  The Hareema's eyes narrowed as his hand moved to the back of his sarong. He had to have had a weapon of sorts.

  “Look out!” she called out as loudly as her injured throat would allow.

  The Hareema whipped his arm around, holding some kind of blaster. He had it pointed at the major in mere seconds, but it wasn't fast enough.

  Quicker than Sylvie had witnessed before then, the major was charged up with energy. He threw himself at the Hareema agent, pressing his hand against its chest and sending a huge burst of electricity through the creature.

  There was a low moan, and then the Zantharian disguise fell away, leaving the towering rectangle of jelly. The Hareema's real form. Incredible.

  Additional waves of electricity flowed over the major's skin as he seemed to be charging up for another blast. He clearly meant to kill his enemy, and Sylvie couldn’t blame him. But if the Hareema was taken out, they wouldn't be able to question it.

  “Wait!” she croaked, but it was too late.

  The major let loose another blast of electric energy right into the gelatinous creature. There was a popping sound and then the jelly became liquid, turned brown, and slid into a puddle on the floor. Dead.

  “An infiltrator,” the major whispered in awe. “Right here on Zanthar.”

  “And this isn't the only one,” Sylvie mumbled painfully. “We have to go back to the lab and get the regent. He's in danger.”

  The major picked up the blaster and tucked it into his sarong before turning toward her. “How did you get out of the lab? I could have sworn you were still inside.”

  “I was taken. They must have drugged us, because we both fell asleep. When I woke up, I was in another laboratory, one almost identical to the one we were working in. I woke up next to what I thought was your Supreme Regent, but it didn't take me too long to figure out he was an enemy agent.”

  The major's eyes narrowed. “How can I trust you? I just caught you with a Hareema infiltrator. You could just as easily be one of those things, trying to trick me into betraying my government.”

  Sylvie sighed. That was the problem with a shape-shifter invasion. No one ever knew who to trust. She honestly didn’t either.

  “You can shock me. Fill me full of volts and watch. I won't change shape.”

  He cocked an eyebrow at her. “It’ll hurt like hell.”

  “I know, but it's the only way to tell for sure, and I need an ally badly. Make it quick. I’m worried about your regent.”

  The major nodded, and Sylvie steeled herself as she watched the familiar waves cover his skin. He put a hand against her arm and sent a powerful pulse through it.

  She fell to the ground, twitching as her teeth pressed tightly together. The shock was painful, but not nearly as bad as the ones she had experienced from X. Maybe she was building up a tolerance to it. Was this what it was like for a patient in electroshock therapy? Best not to think about it.

  The major grabbed her arm and helped her to her feet.

  “So you aren't a shape shifter, but you could still be working with them. This could all be part of an elaborate plan--”

  “Look,” she cut him off. “They've definitely got an elaborate plan, and I was probably part of it. Mostly a distraction, I think, one that has paid off. But I promise you that I've not once taken any action on their behalf deliberately.”

  She chafed against the bindings, but didn't bother to ask him to remove them. He didn't trust her yet. She had to try and make him understand, because if he didn't help her, she wouldn’t be able to engineer X's rescue alone.

  “I've done nothing since I've landed here to indicate that I'm working with the enemy, or that I'm disloyal to your regent. I took out two Hareema agents on my own and saved the regent from a kidnapping attempt. I stopped my ship from self-destructing and killing the regent. And now I'm begging you to help me rescue him once more.

  “I believe now that there must be Hareema on Earth, although I don't know to what extent or what their plans there are. I think they must have known about this mission, and timed it to coincide with their actions on Zanthar. I don't believe my ship was responsible for taking down the planetary defense shield, but I think someone on the inside here made the shield malfunction at the precise moment that I entered the atmosphere, making it look like it was my fault.”

  The major eyed her, but nodded. “I've heard that they haven't been able to figure out anything on your ship that could have caused the malfunction. You could be right.”

  Sylvie let out a breath of relief. She might be able to convince him. “The Hareema must have taken the place of at least one high official within your government. That's the only way they could have masterminded the entire set-up.”

  “You still haven't told me how you got out of that lab.” He lifted an eyebrow at her.

  The major seemed stuck on how he might have failed in his own duty more than anything else.

  “I don't know. I was unconscious. Did anyone go in or out while we were in the lab?”

  The major shook his head. “No. No one went in or out. There was a delivery about an hour or so ago. A cart holding some kind of equipment that you'd requested. The attendant just unsealed the door and pushed it in, but he didn't go in himself. Said you didn't want to be disturbed.”

  A cart with equipment? She didn't remember that. It must have occurred while she was sleeping.

  “Is the cart still in the room?”

  “No. A few moments later, the regent pushed it back out into the hallway, saying it was the wrong piece of equipment. The attendant returned a couple minutes later and wheeled it off down the corridor.”

  “What did the equipment and the cart look like?” Sylvie had an inkling of an idea, but she wanted more information before sharing.

  The major squinted into the distance, attempting to remember the details. “The cart was just a regular cart. It had some kind of sample case on it, about a meter square. The sample case was tinted, like the ones they keep phosphorescent samples in, to block out their light.”

  “I think I know how they did it.” Sylvie couldn't believe how easy it was for shape shifters to achieve their goals.

  “How who did what?” He appeared loyal, but perhaps lacking in critical thinking skills.

  “How the Hareema got me out of the room and their agents in.”

  The major frowned. “We followed protocol. When the attendant approached, we initiated an energy exchange to confirm he was Zantharian. He was.”

  “The attendant was probably just following orders, which seems to be a very popular action here on your planet. The attendant had nothing to do with it.”

  The Zantharian officer gave her a blank stare, so she continued, trying to maintain her patience.

  She sighed. “You're missing the point. The cart wasn't a cart. It was a Hareema agent. And another agent was hiding in the sample case.”

  The major's mouth fell open and Sylvie could tell he didn't understand. “Hareema can become anyone, right? And your government has protocols to prevent their infiltration, such as energy exchanges. While that might work for Hareema posing as Zantharians, it doesn't account for shape shifters taking the form of inanimate objects.”

  She moved through the event, point by point so the major could follow. “The attendant pushes the cart in and leaves, as he's been instr
ucted to.”

  “Instructed by whom?” the major cut in.

  “By whichever Hareema put in the orders. It could be that an agent took the shape of the regent and put in a request for the equipment. The fake regent could have said he was busy and didn't want to be disturbed. He tells the attendant to push the cart in and leave, nothing more. So the attendant pushes the cart in, not noticing that we were unconscious on the floor because he's been told to leave the cart and go. So that's what he does.”

  Sylvie played the scene through in her mind as she talked. “The agent hidden in the sample case morphs into a copy of the regent and picks me up, making sure to grab my restraints as well. Then he sticks me in the sample case and closes the lid. I'm small enough and flexible enough that I could be folded into a meter square, I think. Especially if I was limp and unconscious at the time. The Hareema masquerading as the regent pushes the cart back out the door, telling you that the equipment is incorrect.”

  Sylvie could see it all so clearly in her mind. “The agent goes to the console and calls the attendant, telling him that he wants the sample case moved to a laboratory down the hall. Then he changes shape again, taking my form, and waits for the regent to wake up.”

  She tried to block out the sudden memory of the Hareema mimic in X's arms. It wasn't easy, but she pushed the image away and continued. “Meanwhile, the attendant moves the cart into an empty lab that is very similar to the original one, and then leaves. The cart, which has really been another Hareema agent the whole time, changes shape, taking the form of the regent, and pulls me out of the sample case.”

  Sylvie frowned. “They didn’t intend for either of us to notice a difference, but I did. I realized the creature with me was not the regent. I don't think the real regent was so quick on the uptake, though.”

  “So you're saying the regent is with an enemy agent right now?” The major’s eyes widened as little streaks of red appeared in his green exterior. Fear.