Dating Outside Your DNA

by Karen Kelley

  Air rushed around and through her as she was pulled back inside her body, but before she was sucked into the glass cage, she saw Banyon coming toward the room. As her spirit rejoined her body, she sat up with a gasp.

  Wow, that had been a different experience, but she didn’t have time to think about what she’d just done. She quickly lay back on the hard floor and closed her eyes. Just seeing Roan had given her renewed determination not to go down without a fight.

  Almost immediately, she could feel the density of the floor, and became one with it. Seconds later, she heard the swish of the door to the room as it opened.

  “Guards!” Banyon screamed in his nasal voice.

  If nothing else, she was proud of that punch. Her knuckles were still sore, but it was so worth it.

  She heard heavy footsteps as the guards came running into the room.

  “Where is she?” Banyon screeched. “You have let her escape.”

  “No, Majesty. No one has come inside the room. She couldn’t have escaped.”

  “Then tell me where she is?”

  Silence.

  She didn’t dare peek to see what they were doing, but she bet the expression on Banyon’s face was priceless.

  “Find her now or you’ll pay with your lives!”

  Again, she heard footsteps as the guards ran out of the room. She only hoped Banyon would unlock the door. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the key inserted in the lock, then the door opened.

  “There’s no way you could have escaped,” Banyon said. “Are you hiding beneath the pillows?”

  She peeked. The door had closed and he was bent over the pillows, tossing them to the side, one by one. She jumped to her feet. He whirled around and screamed. She used his moment of shock at seeing her become solid to smash her fist in his face.

  His scream was garbled as he grabbed his face and quickly turned away from her.

  She raised her foot and shoved it against his butt as hard as she could. He plunged headfirst into the glass and crumpled to the cushions.

  She was getting so good at kicking ass.

  The door opened. She spun around. Instead of guards, Roan slipped into the room. She started to run toward him, but knew that would have to come later. They still had work to do. She grabbed the key out of Banyon’s pocket, then partially covered him with the pillows before leaving the cage and locking the door behind her.

  “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Roan said as he came up behind her.

  “You broke the glass,” she said as she turned and flung her arms around his neck, giving in to temptation.

  “How’d you know about the glass?”

  “It doesn’t matter. We need to get to a spacecraft or something before the guards return.”

  “You can’t go running through the halls dressed like that.”

  She looked down. He was right. There wasn’t much of her that was hidden beneath the nearly transparent fabric. She hurried to Banyon’s closet and flung the doors open. She could wear something of his. It was a good thing he had a small frame.

  “Now this is what I call a closet.” It was bigger than the cage she’d been stuck inside the last few days.

  “Can we hurry?”

  God, he was so sexy when he was anxious. She was a whole lot giddy that they were together again, but she knew they were far from being out of danger.

  “What’d you do to Banyon, anyway?” he asked as he began to open drawers and dig through the contents.

  “I punched him in the nose, then when he doubled over and turned, I shoved him into the glass, and knocked him out.”

  “That’s going to leave a mark.”

  He held up a small knife that would probably only make someone mad if he were to use it, but she guessed it was better than nothing. She watched him slip it into his pants pocket.

  She grinned. “Yeah, I know. I hope he has to look at scars every day for the rest of his life.” She pulled the diaphanous gown over her head and tossed it to the side. His indrawn breath drew her attention. She arched an eyebrow. “Have we got time for a quickie?”

  He mumbled something unintelligible.

  “I didn’t think so.” She pulled on a pair of black pants and a dark black tunic top. She had to roll up the legs and the sleeves, but they were better than what she had been wearing. His shoes would be too big so she didn’t even bother with any.

  She faced him. “How does this look?”

  His swift glance swept over her. “Naked was better, but since we’re trying not to draw attention, I guess this will do for now. Once we’re safe, I’m going to steal you away, and I’m going to make love to you all week.”

  A ripple of pleasure burned through her. “I like your plan.”

  They eased out of the closet. Banyon hadn’t stirred.

  “You do have a plan, right?” she asked in a low voice.

  “Yeah, don’t get caught.”

  She pursed her lips. “I could’ve come up with that one.”

  “Great minds think alike. Come on.” He hurried to the door, then eased it open. “All clear.”

  She took a deep breath. Her heart beat ninety miles an hour. He glanced over his shoulder.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded, even though she wasn’t that sure. They didn’t have much of a choice. To stay would be certain death. Beyond this room, they at least had a chance.

  “Stay behind me, and if we meet anyone, don’t make eye contact. They don’t put much value on women here. If they think you belong to me, we might make it out of here alive.”

  She cocked an eyebrow.

  “They’re idiots.”

  She agreed. There was no one in the hall. Roan went to the left. She grabbed his arm and pointed to the right. “This way.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “And you know this how?”

  “I’ll explain later.” There’d been a docking station not too far from where they were being held. When they were back on Earth, she was going to look into this meditation thing. It could be pretty useful.

  Someone turned the corner and started toward them. She looked at her feet, and shuffled behind Roan. As they passed, she saw the scars from the chains the person had once worn. A former slave that had quit trying to escape.

  They could’ve been that person. Still could be.

  “There are guards searching the north side and coming this way,” the man said.

  She glanced over her shoulder, but the man who’d just passed didn’t stop. What must his life be like? A shudder swept over her.

  They turned south at the corner, going away from the docking station, and traveling down a shorter hall. Dark and dismal didn’t begin to describe the hallway. They turned another corner, went down another hall that led to stairs.

  “Do we go up or down?” Roan looked at her.

  “Up? I’m not sure.”

  “What does your gut say?”

  “That it’s hungry so I don’t think it would be much help.”

  “Then we’ll go up.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not sure of anything.”

  “I think the docking station was on the lower level.”

  “Then we’ll go down.”

  God, she hoped she was right.

  They went down the stairs. There was a door at the bottom. He pushed a button and the door opened. She took a step back. They must be at the back of the castle.

  “Wrong direction,” Roan said beneath his breath.

  “This isn’t good,” she said as she stared at row upon row of people in chains and men wielding whips. God, it looked as though they’d stepped back into the dark ages.

  He reached toward the button and started to push it, but voices sounded behind them.

  “Now what?”

  “We don’t have a choice.” He grabbed her hand and stepped outside.

  Chapter 29

  The only light came from the quarter moon. Dark gray shadows hid in the corn
ers of the courtyard. There was a metal platform in the center of the open area. People milled about as if a party was about to take place.

  Roan noted there were different species. Some he knew—Roverts, Adnams, Eidojs, and even a couple he suspected were earthlings. Some he didn’t know. They skirted them all, keeping a safe distance.

  An Eidoj walked over to one of the men in chains. The Eidoj species were stunning—alluring, auburn-haired delicate beauties—if you didn’t mind them having three eyes and a short tail, kind of like a lizard, and the fact they could change from male to female at will.

  She slipped her hand between the man’s legs and squeezed, then smiled and nodded toward her companion before returning to her place as someone stepped to the platform.

  “What’s going on?” Lyraka whispered.

  “Slave auction.”

  “You’re serious?”

  The door they’d exited was flung open and three armed Roverts stepped out.

  Roan pulled Lyraka back farther into the shadows until their backs were against the wall.

  The Rovert guards looked around, then one motioned for the others to go back inside. Roan and Lyraka were safe, for now, but they might have to wait for the end of the auction before they could leave.

  An Adnam waddled up on the stage and began to shout in a garbled sounding language that Roan couldn’t understand, then again in English.

  “How come they know our language?” she whispered.

  He leaned closer, caught the scent of her hair, and almost forgot what she’d asked.

  “I think there have been aliens living on Earth for thousands of years. They stay pretty low key. No one is going to believe their neighbor is from another planet. Strange maybe, but not from another galaxy.”

  “So, they—we—merged with society.”

  “And some returned to their home planet and took back knowledge of Earth.”

  “I think I would’ve noticed him.” She nodded toward the stage.

  “Joe was involved in Area 51 for years. They tried to monitor the aliens. When the public started getting wise, they split their investigation areas into smaller sections so they could work below public scrutiny. But what Joe is doing, actual space travel, is limited because of the resources. Some don’t think we should be involved.”

  “Will the team come for us?” she suddenly asked.

  He hesitated. “I don’t know.” He wished he did.

  Guards pulled some poor sap up on stage. He downed his head, not even moving when the Adnam jerked away the white cloth that covered the lower part of his body. The bidding was fast and furious. It slowed, then stopped, and the man was led off the stage.

  Another Adnam laughed, then grabbed the guy’s chain and raised it in the air showing his triumph at having won the bid. Not that he was able to raise it that high. Most Adnams weren’t more than four feet tall.

  Roan scanned the area, figuring they were safer staying in the shadows. He might be able to mingle, but he wasn’t so sure about Lyraka. Women usually didn’t travel to Rovertia—unless they were Eidojs.

  They would have to go back the way they came. The guards had already checked the area so maybe they wouldn’t return.

  “When the bidding starts, let’s try the stairs again.”

  Lyraka seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Roan knew how she felt. He’d only been on a few planets. Some were okay, some not. He’d never landed on Rovertia and that was fine with him. Some called it a trip to the dark side. The Sodom and Gomorrah of the universe. Anything you wanted, you could find it here—drugs, slaves, a hired gun.

  Rovertia was one reason the elite teams were formed, but they were spread thin. For that very reason, he didn’t know whether a team would come after them or not. Roan and Lyraka might be on their own.

  A female was pulled on stage, head lowered. His gut clenched, but he knew there wasn’t a damn thing he could do right now. He silently vowed that ending slave auctions would be a top priority.

  “Come on, let’s go.” He grabbed Lyraka’s hand and started to turn away when the woman on the stage raised her head. He froze. Lyraka ran into his back.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He pulled her back into the shadows. “Look toward the platform.” Maybe his eyes were deceiving him.

  “Oh my God, that’s Alesha.”

  “What the hell is Alesha doing in a slave auction?”

  A Rovert stepped up on the platform and grabbed her breast. Alesha kicked him in the balls.

  “Touch me again you slimy Rovert and you’re dead meat!”

  The Rovert quickly backed off the platform as everyone burst out laughing.

  “The team must be around here somewhere.” Roan scanned the area.

  “Do you think they were all captured?”

  “I don’t know.” The team was green. It was possible they discovered who’d taken Roan and Lyraka and attempted a rescue mission. Damn, everything was a mess. It would’ve been hard enough to get Lyraka out safely. He had no idea how he was going to get a whole team off this godforsaken planet.

  “I bid three shuckas!” someone yelled out and everyone laughed.

  “What’s a shucka?”

  “An insult,” he said, then looked at her. “Stay here.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Try to save her.” When she looked as though she’d follow, he continued. “Trust me.”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it. “I trust you. Just be careful.”

  He moved out of the shadows, hoping his plan would work. As he weaved through the crowd, he slipped the small knife out of his pocket. He stumbled against an Eidoj, and smiled down into her face at the same time that he cut the strings on the pouch that hung from her waist. He caught the pouch in his hand without blinking an eye.

  She smiled, batting her lashes, and biting her lower lip. Looking at someone with three eyes was really weird. He winked and moved farther into the crowd, thankful for the Christmas his aunt had given him a copy of Oliver Twist.

  He opened the pouch, then dumped the contents into his hand. Three large diamonds, two rubies and an emerald. He knew the Nerakians had gems on their planet, but they were hard to come by on others so they were still worth something.

  “I like spitfires,” an earthling said. “One diamond!”

  “You’ll never have me,” Alesha said.

  “I want to see her breasts,” the man sneered.

  The earthling was fat, his teeth rotting and yellowed, and it didn’t look as though he’d bathed in a very long time. The only ones not keeping their distance were the Adnams.

  The Adnam on the platform grabbed the length of chain that held Alesha’s wrists and tossed it in the air. It locked against an overhead bar. The Rovert who had reached for her earlier grabbed an ankle chain, someone else grabbed the other. Even though Alesha wiggled, her movements were ineffective. The Adnam reached for her robe.

  “No! I don’t think she’s been bought and paid for yet and I don’t like to display my slaves.” Roan met Alesha’s look of gratitude.

  “But then, you haven’t bid, either.” The earthling turned back to the platform. “Strip her!”

  “One ruby and one emerald!” Roan called out and hoped the earthling wasn’t rich.

  There was a hush over the crowd.

  “And a diamond,” Roan added.

  Roan glanced at Alesha. She was biting her bottom lip and looking worried. He felt as though he was in a poker game and a friend’s life was on the line. In this case, that pretty much summed it up.

  The earthling opened his pouch, then looked up. “Three diamonds, three rubies and an emerald.”

  Roan’s gaze jerked to Alesha. She must have known by the expression on his face that he’d just been outbid. Her expression turned to resignation. The earthling laughed, sensing he’d won.

  “Five rubies, four emeralds, and three diamonds,” Ray said as he stepped forward. He was sporting a bruise under one eye and a swollen lip,
and carried a pouch that looked a lot like the one Roan had lifted.

  “You can’t bid!” The earthling argued. “It was between me and that guy.”

  Ray walked over and clamped his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Is that so?”

  The man cowered. “I didn’t want her anyway.”

  Force always ruled in places like this and Ray didn’t look as though he’d mind beating the pulp out of anyone who overbid him. Just to make sure, he looked at the crowd. No one offered to dispute his claim.

  Ray walked over to the payment desk and dropped a pouch on the table, then strode up the steps of the platform to claim Alesha. He reached up and unhooked the chain from the overhead bar, then glared at the Roverts who still held her ankle chains. They immediately backed away. They didn’t want to sport any bruises or broken bones that Ray might inflict.

  Alesha glared at the crowd as she followed Ray down the stairs, then she looked at Roan. “Thank God, you’re alive. Lyraka?”

  Roan looked in the general direction of where Lyraka was still hidden, and keeping his voice low, he said, “Over there. I don’t suppose you have a ship close by.” She’d trusted him, and not gotten involved. Pride swelled inside him. That, and fear. They still had to get the hell out of here.

  “We have a ship at the docking station,” Ray told Roan.

  “Then let’s go. Lyraka knocked Banyon out, but I’d be willing to bet he won’t be unconscious long. He’ll turn this place upside down looking for us.”

  “I know a shortcut,” Alesha said.

  “Figures.” But Roan was smiling. “I’ll get Lyraka.” He hurried over to where he’d left her. “Same game plan. Head down. Don’t make eye contact.”

  “I really hate being subservient.”

  “I’ll let you be in control when we get home.” When she bit her bottom lip, he knew she was envisioning exactly what she would do when she had complete control.

  They returned to Ray and Alesha.

  “Behind the platform is a door in the wall that should take us a different route to the docking station,” Alesha said, keeping her head lowered.

  “That’s how we missed each other,” Ray told Alesha as they headed in that direction.