Dor looks up. She has a strange expression on her face. “Nevvi?” Her voice is casual. “Who’s that? A girlfriend?”
The translator in my ear explains the strange word. Girlfriend. She thinks Nevvi and I are bedmates? Does Dor not understand that she’s my mate? No other woman matters.
But she doesn’t know. She’s from a different world, one with different customs. She does not know the weight, the importance, the significance of the Draekon bond. “No,” I assure her. “Nevvi’s not a bedmate, and she’s never been. We’re just friends.”
“Not to mention she likes Tarish,” Zlatin adds. “They’ve been bedmates for years, though neither likes to admit it. Every year, they meet for one week in a remote outpost near Gaarven.” He turns to Dor. “You are our mate,” he says. “No one else. It is a thing we take seriously.”
“Okay,” she mumbles, her cheeks flushed.
Zlatin turns to me. “You’re going now? Do you have a comm?”
“No. Too risky.”
He looks worried. Dor surveys us. “Why don’t the two of you go?” she asks. “I’ll feel a lot better if I know you were watching each other’s backs.”
“I’m not leaving you unprotected,” Zlatin replies at once. “We only killed one of the scientists. Travix and Kal’vi are still out there, and they’ll be looking for you. They can’t allow you to escape. It’s a death sentence if the Triumvirate finds out they abducted someone from a neutral world.”
“We weren’t followed to the safe house, right?”
I shake my head reluctantly. Finding a ship shouldn’t take too long. Nevvi will come through for us, especially now that Tarish has sanctioned our return, but I agree with Zlatin; I don’t like the idea of leaving Dor alone.
“Look.” Dor’s voice has a tremor in it. “You guys just told me I couldn’t go back to Earth. It’s a lot to take in. I just need to be alone for a bit.” Her gray-green eyes swim with tears. “Please?”
I exchange a glance with my friend. I don’t like the idea of our mate in distress. If there’s anything we can do to alleviate it...
“Very well.” Zlatin looks as hesitant as I feel. “We’ll be back in two hours or less. Don’t go outside. We’re in the city of Ryki, and there will be people on the streets. You can’t be spotted.”
Zlatin and I quickly change into the gray robes of the lowborn and pull the hoods over our faces. It’s an effective disguise; no one will approach the lowborn on the home world. Then we leave to find a fast shuttle to get us to Obiko Sector.
I’m willing to swear we haven’t been followed. There’s no logical reason for the sense of unease that’s lodged in my heart.
Chapter Thirteen
Dorothy
Once they leave, I make a beeline for the shower. There, I cry for about ten minutes. Mostly, it’s shock. The thought that I might never go back to Earth? I just don’t know how to deal with that.
So, for ten minutes, I allow myself to make a list of all the things I’m going to miss.
Pizza. Coffee. Burgers. Cereal with sugar in it. Chocolate. StarShip Wars. My red Chucks, which I had on when I was abducted but are now lost forever in the laboratory of hell.
Then I go over my list, and something strikes me. All I’ve got is food and video games. There’s not a single person I’m going to miss. I cared about nobody back on Earth, and nobody cared about me.
That’s kinda pathetic.
I’m pretty sure Tin and Cro want me. Am I on board? Hells, yes. Tin and Cro have shown me they can be trusted. In the lab, Tin could have jumped me, but he didn’t. Last night, I’d have been ready for anything, but they’d held off on satisfying their own needs, choosing instead to bring me to one amazing orgasm after another. I’m absolutely positive the sex will blow my mind.
Come on, Dor. You always wanted to travel. Well, you’re now on an alien planet. Here’s your chance. Embrace it.
My gloom lifts. Okay, there’s still a lot I don’t know. Will this Tarish dude want to get rid of me? Can I get a job? What will I do with my life? But for the first time in a long, long time, I feel change in the air. The way ahead is filled with possibilities.
I giggle as the invisible hands do their soap magic, and I resist the urge to scratch at the sore spot on my wrist. Water pounds in my ears, and it drowns out all other noise. I don’t hear the creak of the front door opening. I don’t hear footsteps marching into our safe house. Lost in my own happy thoughts, I step out of the shower.
Only to see four soldiers there, along with the male scientist from the lab.
He smiles widely, his eyes glittering with malice. “Did you think you’d seen the last of us, foolish human?”
They tie me up to a chair, still naked. “What are you doing?” I ask the scientist, who’s clearly the one in charge. “You saw what Cro and Tin did to your lab. Remember your friend? The one that Tin barbecued to a crisp? You must be really stupid if you’re willing to risk that happening again.”
He laughs in my face. “Oh, but I’m willing to wager you haven’t mated yet. We’ve been studying your planet, human. The obvious thing to do would have been to mate as soon as possible. Any other species would have done what was necessary, but you humans are so stupid.” He snorts in disgust. “Your Draekons cannot transform, and they won’t mount a rescue attempt. They can’t risk hurting you.”
Damn it, he’s absolutely right. I should have slept with Tin and Cro. It doesn’t take Mensa-level IQ to realize that fire-breathing dragons are far more useful in a fight. “What do you want with me?”
“You’ll go back to the lab,” he says. “The Draekons shifted when they saw you, which makes you a valuable test subject.”
“So why not move me now?” I’m not even panicking about what’s going to happen to me. That’ll come later. Right now, I’m just freaking out about Cro and Tin.
“Your pet Draekons took something from us,” he spits. “A log of our experiments. I can’t risk that going public. If the spymaster finds out that we went to Earth...” A shadow passes over his face. “They say she personally watches each execution.” His voice is low and dark. “I have no desire to find out if the rumors are true.”
He seems to pull himself together. “Your mates will give up the vid in a futile effort to save your life,” he says. “But I have reinforcements on the way, and Draekon or not, I’m pretty sure that they can’t beat an entire squad of elite Zoraken.”
Not. Good.
Not. Good. At. All.
Chapter Fourteen
Zlatin
The first words out of Nevvi Catel’s mouth: “You’ve got trouble.”
“So what’s new?” Crothyr asks easily. “I’m surprised you stuck around on the home world, Nevvi. I thought you hated it here. I’d have sworn you’d have been on a ship off-planet as soon as those guards nabbed me.”
She heaves a sigh of exasperation. “Crothyr, will you stop talking for an instant? My people intercepted a com from a scientist called Travix to his brother Stravix. The scientist was approaching a safe house in Ryki, and he asked Stravix for backup. Stravix,” she adds, staring at the two of us, “is a Zoraken captain.”
Fear seizes my heart. “Dor. How did they find her?”
“My best guess? She has a tracker.”
Bast. I am a fool, and my stupidity has put my mate in danger. I removed my tracker. I should have realized that they would have planted one on her too.
“Don’t worry,” Nevvi adds, correctly reading my expression. “Your mate is unharmed. The scientist will force you to surrender the laboratory vid-log to ensure her safety.”
“Done,” Crothyr says promptly, his face tight with tension. “Dor is far more important.”
“And when you’re exchanging the log for the woman, a troop of Zoraken will move in and capture you. There is an empire-wide alert for the two of you. Stravix will be a hero.”
Crothyr’s hands clench into fists. “We have to get her out, Nevvi.”
“I have a w
ay,” the crime lord replies. “But it will not be cheap.”
I’ve seen Crothyr spend hours haggling in a market in the tent world of Kraush, drinking endless cups of hochi, exchanging war stories with the stall owner, for the sheer pleasure of the hunt. “Anything,” he says now, his voice urgent. “I just want her safe, Nevvi. Whatever you want, I will pay.”
Nevvi’s face softens. “We will discuss the price later. My team is already in place. There are six guards with Travix. They are not Zoraken. I assume that handling them will not be a problem for you?”
As worried as he is, Crothyr rolls his eyes. “Please, Nevvi. Let’s not be insulting. The day I can’t take on six guards is the day I’ll walk up to Tarish and volunteer for latrine duty.”
“I’ll let him know,” she says dryly. “Very well. The moment you move into the house, my team will set off explosives at the main port of Ryki. Stravix won’t be able to ambush you. His company will be required at the port.”
“I don’t want deaths on my conscience,” I say flatly.
“There will be none,” Nevvi assures me. “Don’t worry, Zlatin. This isn’t the first time my team’s done this, and it won’t be the last.” She turns to Crothyr. “There’s a shuttle outside. It’s Zorahn-made, not Adrashian, but it’ll get you to the rendezvous point in a few hours.” She holds her tablet to his, and the two devices sync. “That was the address to another safe house,” she says before we can ask. “Take your woman there. The city will be on high alert all day. Take refuge in the safe house, and do not leave until dark. Understood?”
“Perfectly. Thank you for your help, Nevvi.”
Her eyes glitter with amusement. “You won’t be thanking me when you see the bill, Crothyr. Now, go rescue your mate.”
They hurt Dor once, and I could do nothing. I’m going to enjoy tearing them to pieces for daring to try again.
Chapter Fifteen
Dorothy
I wait for what seems like hours for Tin and Cro, staying as quiet as I can, hoping to hear the two Draekons return. I have to warn them.
The scientists can’t risk anyone finding out they took someone from Earth. The Evil Space Creeps holding me don’t need to say the words; the odds of my survival are not high. Once they’ve got what they need, I’m assuming I’ll end up in an alien dumpster.
But Cro and Tin don’t have to be captured. They can still escape, and I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen. Tin protected me in my prison cell. Cro busted me out. This is my chance to return the favor.
Finally, I hear a scuffling outside. The guards stiffen to attention, and the scientist rubs his palms together in anticipation. That’s my cue. “Tin, Cro,” I scream at the top of my voice. “It’s a trap. Run!”
The door explodes, and Cro and Tin burst into the room in a blur of motion and a swirl of gray robes. Bodies go flying everywhere as both men hurl the guards across the room. One of the men turns his gun toward me, but that’s a mistake. With an inhuman snarl of rage, Cro charges him. He aims a flying kick at the man’s throat, and there’s a sick, crunching sound as the guard crumbles.
The ground is littered with fallen guards, but more of them advance, their weapons drawn. One of them approaches from behind and puts his left hand on Tin’s right shoulder. Tin grabs his wrist and brings it over his head, and the guard screams in agony as his wrist bends at an angle nature never intended.
Another soldier tries to grab Tin’s front. “Don’t kill them,” the scientist screams. “Stun only. We need the vid first.”
Tin laughs out loud and throat-punches the hapless soldier who tried to grab him. In the meantime, Cro hurries to my side and quickly undoes my bonds. “Are you hurt, Dor?” he asks. “If they touched you...”
“I’m fine.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tin pivot, jamming an elbow in the midsection of the guard he’s still holding by the wrist. “It’s a trap,” I say urgently. “A bunch of soldiers are going to arrest you.”
“The Zoraken have been taken care of,” Cro reassures me. He pulls a gun of some kind from his robes and hands it to me. “If someone tries to hurt you, shoot them. Can you aim?”
Can I aim? Top Five in the world on StarShip Wars, baby.
“Yes.” Even though I’m still naked, I feel much better with a gun in my hand. “Go help Tin. I’ll be fine.”
Tin doesn’t need much help. He’s advancing on the scientist, his eyes burning with rage. “Please,” the man pleads, his voice quavering. “I’m just following orders. Please don’t hurt me.”
Tin doesn’t stop. “You held me prisoner for three hundred and twenty-seven days,” he says, his voice low and lethal. “You killed fifteen innocent women because they weren’t my mate. You murdered the last one in front of me. Remember what you said to me then? Let me remind you. ‘Sooner or later, we will find someone that will activate the mating bond. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. It doesn’t matter how many women die. We will succeed.’”
He moves closer. “You don’t deserve to live, Travix. I’m doing the universe a favor by killing you.”
My heart breaks for Tin, for how much misery he went through at the hands of the scientists. Cro steps in front of me as Tin grabs the scientist. “Don’t watch.”
I don’t want to. Even gaming, I’ve never been able to play the shooter games that involve blood. As much as I’m on board with Evil Scientist dying, I don’t have the stomach to see it happen.
When it’s done, Cro and Tin throw me a gray robe, like the ones they’re wearing. “Get dressed,” Tin says urgently. “The scientists know this location. We need to go somewhere more secure.”
“The tracker,” Cro reminds him. “Dor still has it.”
“Bast,” Tin swears. He crouches next to me. “Sweet one, the scientists put a tracker in your arm. That’s how Travix was able to find you here. We need to cut it out.” His voice is gentle. “It will hurt.”
My wrist. The dots finally connect. I’ve been itching at it for the last two days. I hold it out toward my two Draekons. “There’s no scar,” I marvel. “How is that possible?”
Cro looks puzzled. “Why would a tracker leave a scar?”
Right. Superior alien technology. The Zorahn gave us the cure for leukemia. Of course they’re going to be able to implant a tracker without leaving a trace. “Take it out.” I scrunch my eyes closed so I don’t see the blood.
A set of lips kiss my skin. Cro. Then there’s a prick, one that grows into a burn as Tin cuts the skin at my wrist. I focus on the warmth of Cro’s shoulder, on the feeling of his hand holding mine, and then it’s over. Tin crushes a small golden sphere about the size of a pinhead under his heels and wraps a cloth around my wound, and then we set off to the other safe house.
A loud burst of noise greets us as soon as I step out the door, the two Draekons flanking me on either side. “Nevvi’s distraction seems to be working,” Cro mutters.
Tin and Cro have referred to Ryki as a sleepy backwater city, so I’m prepared to see some kind of dusty Tatooine-type dusty settlement when I look around from under my hood. But what I see makes my mouth drop open. The city of Ryki seems to be carved into the sides of tall yellow-brown cliffs. The red sky is crowded with shuttles. Large pennants hang down from the rocks. “House markings,” Cro explains in a low voice as he hurries me into a shuttle, about the size of a large SUV, but significantly sleeker. “The city is ruled by the House of Rykiel.”
“We should have never left you,” Tin says as soon as we’re in the shuttle. “I’m sorry, Dor. We have failed you.”
I hug him tight. “You did no such thing. You guys saved me. Again.” I kiss him hard and run my hand over Cro’s thigh. “Do we have far to go? Because I’m dying to thank you.”
Tin kisses my neck and runs his fingers over my nipples. Cro moves my palm over his erection. He’s hard. Ready. Huge. My insides twist with pleasure. I can’t wait.
* * *
All I notice about the new safe house is that the be
d is much larger. Large enough to fit all three of us. Very nice. I whip the robe over my head and sit back on the bed. “Join me?”
The guys have told me that we’ll need to wait until the twin suns set before we set out for Tarish’s drone ship. We have a few hours to kill, and I know exactly what I want to do with the time.
Somewhat predictably, Tin perches at the edge of the bed and gives me a searching look. “Are you sure, Dor?” he asks hesitantly. “Earlier today, you learned that it might not be possible to return to your home planet. You seemed upset.”
I can see the outline of his cock through the jumpsuit. There’s no doubt that Tin wants me, but in a little over a day and a half, I’ve learned that Tin does what’s right, not what he wants.
Fortunately for my raging hormones, I’m pretty damn sure I want them. “I’m not going to lie,” I reply. “I was in shock this morning, but when you were gone, I had a chance to think.” My lips twist. “My life on Earth was pretty dismal. I was desperate to escape it, but I couldn’t see a way out. I didn’t have enough money to finish my degree. I was stuck in a dead-end job. But this...” I spread my arms wide. “I’m not saying I dreamed about being abducted by crazy alien scientists, but I’m on a different planet. A whole new world has opened up to me, and I’m going to embrace it.”
“She seems quite certain,” Cro says. His eyes rake over me, lingering on my breasts. He strips off his robe and leans back on the bed, crooking two fingers at me. A smile curls his lips. “Come here, Dor.”
I get on my hands and knees and crawl to him, adding a deliberately exaggerated sway to my ass to tempt Tin into moving from ‘nice guy’ to ‘hot alien sex god.’ It works. As I move toward Cro, Tin smacks my ass. “You want us, Dor?” he growls, his voice possessive and dominant.
Alien Alphas: Twenty-Three Naughty Sci-Fi Romance Novellas Page 35