Seized by the Alien: A Scifi Alien Romance (Fated Mates of the Titan Empire Book 3)

by Tammy Walsh

  None of these dresses looked right. They were no different from the ones I had at home already. I figured I ought to go for something more sophisticated.

  I came to an expensive-looking boutique with fancy dresses in the windows. Cleb, already bored to tears, fell into a chair and swung his legs.

  “I promise we’ll be done soon,” I said. “Do you want some new clothes?”

  Cleb screwed up his face. I guess not.

  “Can I help you?” the assistant said.

  He was tall and a little rotund—about as fat as they came for a Titan. Still, he looked devilishly strong. All Titans were made using the same mold.

  “I’m looking for a dress,” I said. “I’m going to a fundraiser tonight and I need to wear something that won’t make me stand out.”

  “My lady, with your beautiful bone structure, I’m afraid to say you’re always going to stand out,” the assistant said.

  It paid to be a charmer when you were a sales assistant. Still, what woman didn’t like to hear a compliment like that?

  He ushered me toward a rack of dresses. I flicked through them and came out with three the assistant suggested.

  I glanced over my shoulder and found Cleb lying near-horizontal in his chair, bored to tears. I felt sorry for him and came up with a cunning plan.

  “Excuse me for a moment,” I said to the assistant.

  I took a seat beside Cleb and whispered hurriedly to him.

  “I’ve got a new secret mission,” I said, glancing left to right as if someone might be eavesdropping.

  He snapped to attention.

  “What is it?” he said.

  “You know this event I’m going to tonight with Traes? It’s not just a social gathering. I’m there to look for undercover spies.”

  His mouth fell open.

  “But you’re an undercover spy…” he said.

  “Yes, but I’m a good one. I’m looking for the bad ones. It’s really important I fit in at this event. If I stand out, they’ll notice me… And maybe I won’t come back.”

  “They’ll take you?” Cleb said, genuine fear painting his face. I hadn’t meant for him to take it so seriously. He wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t go!”

  “I won’t go anywhere,” I said. “My commanders said we’re doing a really good job. They want to make sure we stay here and keep doing what we’re doing. But to do that, I have to go to the event tonight. I need you to help me pick the best dress. Can you do that?”

  Cleb wiped his nose and nodded.

  “Yes,” he said. “I can do it.”

  “Okay. I’m going to go change,” I said. “When I come out, I want you to tell me which dress looks best.”

  He nodded his head and this time sat upright. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on me as I entered the changing rooms.

  I came out wearing the first dress. It was a short, sexy little number. Cleb clapped his hands excitedly when he saw me. I performed a turn and extend my arms out to either side.

  “Gorgeous!” the sales assistant said, joining in the applause.

  I headed back to the changing room and emerged in the next dress. Cleb held up both thumbs again. It was white, beautiful, and elegant but the train made me nervous. If somebody else didn’t tread on it, I certainly would. The last thing I wanted was to embarrass Traes.

  I put it in the Maybe pile.

  The final dress was red, with frills around the chest and hem. Cleb clapped his hands excitedly.

  “Well?” I said. “Which one do you think is best?”

  “All of them!” he said.

  I kissed him on the forehead.

  “You’re very sweet,” I said. “But I only need one.”

  Cleb pursed his lips and bit his bottom lip. As he thought my life depended on this decision, I wasn’t sure it was best for him to choose.

  I turned to the sales assistant, who said, “You look gorgeous in all three…”

  “But?” I said.

  “If I may, I would suggest the black dress,” he said. “It goes beautifully with your skin tone and if you wear a little makeup around your eyes, I think it would really draw people in. May I also suggest you rent some jewelry? A nice simple diamond or white gold necklace would stand out.”

  He certainly knew his business. Lure the customer in with a dress and make them upgrade with jewelry. What girl didn’t like jewelry?

  I changed into my original clothes and placed the white and red dresses back on their hangers.

  I drifted over to the small jewelry case in the corner. The assistant came out with a simple white gold necklace that shimmered brilliantly.

  “Mined from our very own planet,” he said with more than a hint of pride. “Cleaner white gold you will not find anywhere in the galaxy.”

  It did look exquisite.

  “How much is it?” I said.

  “Rented for a single evening?” he said. “Fifty credits.”

  I had no idea how much that was but I took it anyway. Traes did say I could buy whatever I needed, didn’t he?

  I wanted his jaw to drop open, for him to stumble and flounder in her adoration. Okay, so maybe that was a bit much to ask but a little appreciation would go a long way.

  The assistant placed the items in a bag and handed them to me.

  “That’s three hundred and fifty credits,” he said.

  I handed him the credit coin. The assistant’s eyes boggled at the sight of it.

  “You didn’t intend on buying the entire store, did you?” he said.

  “No, why?” I said.

  He shook his head and waved his hand.

  That single credit could buy this entire store? Now I wished I bought the other two dresses.

  “Okay,” I said, turning to the chairs where Cleb waited. “We can now go. How about we go to the candy store—?”

  The chairs were empty. Cleb wasn’t there.

  I peered up and down the aisles to either side. No sign of him.

  That was strange.

  “Excuse me,” I said to the assistant. “Have you seen the little boy I came in with? He was sitting on those seats but it appears he’s wandered off.”

  “No, I’m afraid not. He might have wandered into the changing rooms looking for you. Children do that sometimes.”

  He moved into the changing room area and pulled the curtains back. He came out shaking his head.

  Cleb wasn’t there either.

  Okay, now I was beginning to panic.

  “Cleb?” I yelled at the top of my voice. “Cleb?”

  I moved through the store and checked every nook and cranny.

  No sign of him.

  I ran out into the street. My heart thumped loudly in my chest.

  I had one responsibility. Ensure he was safe. That’s all. I never should have left him by himself. What was I thinking? I should have kept him close to me at all times.

  “Cleb?” I yelled.

  I was getting the attention of passers-by. I didn’t care.

  I ran down the road, checking the nearest alleyways.

  I froze.

  There, Cleb stood staring up at a store’s front window.

  “Cleb!” I yelled.

  I ran to him, dropped to my knees, and embraced him.

  “Don’t you dare run off like that again!” I said. “I thought something bad happened to you!”

  I wanted to shake him, smack him, anything that would stop him from doing something like that ever again. Instead, I buried my face into him.

  “It’s okay,” Cleb said. “I wasn’t alone. This man said he wanted to buy me some candy.”

  “What man—?” I said.

  My eyes trailed up to peer at the face of the mysterious man.

  And my heart seized up.

  The man stood semi-encased in shadow at the entrance to the candy store.

  “I said I would find you,” he said.

  Asshole was even uglier and more sinister than I remembered. His clothes sported more holes and the f
amiliar stench of dirt assaulted my nostrils. He glared at me with a twisted grin on his scarred face.

  His hand lashed out and grabbed my arm. He yanked me to my feet.

  “You’re coming with me, girly,” he said. “And your little friend.”

  “We’re not going anywhere with you!” I said, standing my ground and yanking my arm back.

  Asshole pressed a hand to my face.

  “Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be,” he said.

  Cleb burst into tears. His scream got the attention of passers-by in the street.

  That was it, I thought. That was our chance of escape.

  I bit my teeth down on his dirty hand.

  He pulled his hand away. Anger spiked in his face and I knew what would happen next.

  He would beat me. And then he would do the same to Cleb.

  Not on my watch, buddy.

  I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  Everybody on Main Street, including the traffic, came to an abrupt standstill and turned to look at us.

  “Help me!” I yelled. “Help me! I don’t know this man! He’s trying to kidnap us! Help us!”

  Half a dozen Titans jogged down the street toward us.

  Asshole turned to me and growled.

  “This isn’t over,” he said.

  I yanked my arm free, grabbed Cleb by the hand, and led him away.

  Asshole raised his hands in surrender as the Titan men confronted him.

  “Are you all right?” a broad-chested Titan said.

  “We’re fine, we’re fine,” I said.

  And despite Cleb’s wailing cries, it was true. It had just been a shock, that was all.

  “We don’t know who this man is,” I said. “He’s trying to kidnap us.”

  “Don’t worry,” the Titan said. “We’ll take care of him from here.”

  As Asshole argued with the Titans about who he was and what he was doing there, I took the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat.

  I gripped Cleb’s hand tight and took him home.

  “Find him and have him brought to me!” Traes said.

  He barked the order at his guards, who saluted and marched from the room.

  I had just told him what happened in town and he wasn’t pleased. He knew about the man who lured Cleb away and attempted to kidnap us, the locals who stopped to help us, and our mad rush to get home safely.

  I thought it best to leave out some of the less… necessary information. He didn’t need to know I had met the stranger before. Or that he was my former master. That he once attempted to force himself on me.

  I regretted I had to mention anything about Asshole, and if I’d been on my own, I never would have. But Cleb was still shaken by the event. He sat with his legs folded on a large armchair in the front room, calm and surprisingly in control of his emotions.

  I expected Traes to question him about what happened, which was why I confronted him earlier in the taxi on the way home.

  I held his hand and held him close. I wiped the tears from his cheeks and brushed his hair soothingly the way he liked. After he calmed down a little, I raised his chin so he looked at me.

  I could see in his red eyes there was no way he could pretend he wasn’t affected by Asshole. So, I came up with a story.

  “You know that man back there?” I said.

  Cleb nodded, and a fresh stream of tears threatened to spill down his face.

  “He’s one of the bad spies I told you about,” I said.

  Cleb sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

  “Really?” he said.

  “Yes,” I said. “He’s the worst one. He’s a very bad man. I hope you never have to see him ever again. It’s really important Traes doesn’t know I’m an undercover spy. If he does, the bad spy will escape. Do you think you can help me?”

  I was asking him to help me before I even told him what I needed him to do. And Cleb, God bless him, nodded without any hesitation at all.

  “When we get home, I’m going to tell Traes everything that happened,” I said. “Well, almost everything. I’ll tell him how the bad spy said he wanted to buy you candy. That’s true, right?”

  Cleb nodded.

  “And then I’ll tell him about how you went with him,” I said.

  “No…” Cleb said, embarrassed he’d wandered off the way he had.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “Traes won’t be mad at you. I promise. He only cares that you’re safe. I’ll tell him I lost you, just for a few minutes, but I found you right away. And when I did, I realized the bad spy wanted to kidnap us and take us away somewhere. That’s true too, right?”

  Again, Cleb nodded.

  “And then you got scared and cried, making lots of noise,” I said. “I was scared too. That’s why I shouted for help. Some kind people came to help us and we escaped. That’s true too, isn’t it?”

  Cleb nodded.

  “But we can’t tell Traes I’m an uncover spy,” I said. “It might put him in danger. We need to keep it to ourselves. Okay?”

  Cleb nodded.

  “Okay,” he said. “What about tonight? When you go to the party?”

  “What about it?” I said.

  “Won’t they attack him? What if they try to hurt Uncle? Or take him away?”

  “They won’t. They know he’s not a spy. They only want you and me. That’s why it’s important we keep this to ourselves and don’t let Traes know. We need to be careful.”

  Cleb nodded. He sniffed and then hugged me tightly. I hugged him right back.

  And now, sat in the chair in the front room, the little boy stuck fast to our story. It was the truth, mostly. He sat quietly, calmly, as if the whole event was washing over him without incident or effect.

  At least, I hoped that was the case.

  “Don’t worry about the event tonight,” Traes said. “You and Cleb are much more important.”

  “We can still go,” I said. “I know how important it is for your business.”

  “It doesn’t feel right,” Traes said. “We shouldn’t leave Cleb here alone after what happened today.”

  “We won’t be leaving him alone. He’s surrounded by friends. Trust me. Everything will be fine.”

  Traes studied my expression and reached the same conclusion.

  “If you’re sure,” he said.

  “I’m sure,” I said.

  I refused to let his business suffer because of Asshole. I didn’t want that guy to have any negative impact on Traes.

  Least of all because of me.

  “It’s getting late,” I said. “We should get ready for tonight.”

  I took Cleb by the hand and led him up the stairs.

  “You did great tonight,” I said. “The commander will be very proud of you.”

  He smiled at me but his face was lacking in genuine happiness. Maybe Traes was right. We shouldn’t leave him alone tonight.

  “Do you think you’ll be okay by yourself?” I said. “We could stay home and play games and eat delicious food instead.”

  Cleb shook his head.

  “The commander needs you for the mission,” he said. “I’ll be okay with the others.”

  I dropped him off at his room and hurried back to mine. I took a shower and scrubbed myself hard. Maybe if I did it long enough, I could remove the past few hours of my life.

  Then, suddenly, without warning, I burst into tears. The hot water was nourishing and washed away many woes, but it could never fully ease my soul. I wept into the water and wrapped my hands around my elbows.

  I would allow myself this moment of weakness, this one time to remove the searing anger I felt at seeing Asshole today. It’d been quite a shock. There was always the risk he would show up one day, always the chance he would turn up uninvited and reveal himself to Traes. Or attempt to kidnap me as he had today.

  In all those scenarios, I never thought even he would stoop so low as to kidnap a sweet little innocent boy. He had no part in this. It was between
me and him.

  Now I saw the dark depths to which he would go to reclaim me.

  It angered me. I wanted to reach down his throat and tear his heart out. But I’d need the strength of a Titan to do that.

  I finished showering and stepped out of the booth. I dried myself with a soft towel. The anger melted from my bones as I stepped into my room, and dressed in my fancy new dress, already tainted with the memory of Asshole.

  How had he found me? Had the ticket worker at the station given him my details? Not if she thought he was my abusive boyfriend, she wouldn’t. Then perhaps another worker had done the deed? Maybe he had a friend of his that worked there? Or he knew someone who could hack into the system? It hadn’t taken him much time to find me, so it couldn’t have been difficult.

  Once he reached Arcturon Prime, I could imagine vividly how he might have picked up my trail. Once he arrived at the spaceport, he’d have asked around, flashing my photograph at anyone who would look. He might even claim I was his daughter.

  Eventually, he would have reached the diner. Waitresses famously had good memories for faces. One glance at my picture and she could have recalled me and what I’d done while I was there. She might even have recalled the job I applied for.

  Then the potential road he took grew a little murky. He might have followed me here to this house or camped out in town, waiting for me to show my face.

  And I did, stepping into his trap when I came looking for a new dress. Now he would know where I was. He would stop at nothing until he had me.

  If I told Traes the truth, how would he react? Would he forgive me? Or would he blame me for what happened to Cleb?

  Was it better for me to leave sooner rather than later? To collect my earnings and beat it to the nearest neighboring planet? It would buy me some time, but would it buy me enough?

  Traes was a rich and powerful man. Maybe he loved me enough to make my problems go away.

  Or maybe I could opt never to leave the house again, to stay there and live like a hermit until Asshole ran out of money and he was forced to return to his shithole home without me.

  And even if I did leave and return to Earth, would he follow me there? Did I want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulders?

  So many options, so much to think about.

  I wouldn’t come up with the solution now. I would get the event tonight out of the way and then work out the best course of action.