Yce: Alien Abduction Romance (Captured By Aliens Book 3)

by A. G. Wilde

  “The outpost,” she breathed, as she struggled to pull her feet out of the loose sand and put one foot in front of the other. “How far is it?”

  “A few days’ walk.”

  Great.

  At this pace, it may be a few months’ walk.

  She was happy, however, to see that she wasn’t the only one struggling in the sand. He was wearing boots, though—that made things much easier for him.

  “The Elysium will sleep while we are away. The sandstorm will cover her and when it is safe I will return,” he said.

  Diana nodded, though she knew he couldn’t see the response with his back turned.

  Well, he’d be doing that alone.

  As soon as she could get to safety, she was staying there.

  Chapter Four

  As she trudged behind him in the sand, Diana shaded her eyes and adjusted the bag over her shoulders.

  Glancing up at the alien leading the way, she watched his white hair sway as he walked. It was long, reaching below his hips.

  It was rare to find people on Earth with hair that color. But that wasn’t the only strange thing about him. The white tattoos all over his body seemed to be embedded underneath his skin. She couldn’t be quite sure…she’d have to go up close to see and she wasn’t doing that.

  Apart from that, he had that large gem in the middle of his forehead and she wondered what that was used for.

  Gripping the bag a little tighter in her palm, she frowned slightly.

  It was strange that she was willfully following an alien to God-knows-where after being abducted and treated like a slave by other aliens.

  What made this one so trustworthy?

  She wasn’t taking any chances and she wouldn’t be letting her guard down.

  She could still remember it as if it was yesterday.

  She’d just left the jiu-jitsu gym, having changed into sweats and a sports bra, her red hair in a bun and hard rock blaring in her headphones as she’d trekked home.

  She liked to walk home after a good workout. It was a nice way to let her muscles cool down after the pressure she’d put them through.

  It had been late and she’d just crossed the parking lot of her California apartment when she’d fainted.

  At least, she’d thought that’s what happened. Next thing she knew, she’d woken up in a room, a cell, with a slug-like Isclit and a guard that looked like an alligator walking upright.

  They’d implanted the translator behind her ear, verified that she was female, then thrown her into a huge glass box—a terrarium.

  She’d met the other female humans there and something else—a frickin’ T-Rex and a saber-tooth tiger.

  Then she’d been auctioned and thrown into another cell.

  Somehow, she didn’t remember much of what happened after that. She vaguely remembered wondering if the other women were alright and somehow knowing with clarity that they were okay.

  She’d been all alone in that cell…well, that’s what she remembered. It all seemed foggy and there was a distinct feeling as if she hadn’t been alone. But she didn’t—couldn’t—remember anyone or anything else being in the cell with her.

  Staring now into the back of the alien in front of her, her frown deepened.

  Why did she feel as if this wasn’t the first time they’d been alone together?

  It was ludicrous but she couldn’t explain it.

  Her brain had felt foggy ever since the Isclit ship was stormed by the members of Restitution and she and the other women had been rescued.

  Sighing, she pushed the thoughts away.

  She could only deal with the present and the present right now wasn’t very positive.

  Well…it could be worse. They could have died.

  Glancing ahead, she realized she was lagging behind. She was fit, but the sand was quite loose. Added to that, the fact that she was barefoot wasn’t helping.

  “Do you need me to carry you?” Yce’s voice reached her ear and she realized he had stopped further ahead and was frowning at her.

  “I most definitely do not!”

  He either did not hear the annoyance in her voice or he was ignoring it.

  “We need to make haste,” he said, and she realized he was somewhat annoyed. Well, big whoop. He’d just have to deal with it.

  “And here I was thinking we were on a leisurely stroll.” She cut him a look.

  He blinked at her.

  “We are not safe. This isn’t the time for leisure.”

  This time, Diana rolled her eyes.

  “Let me guess, sarcasm isn’t very common where you come from.”

  “Sarcasm?”

  “Yes. You know, saying something when you actually mean the opposite…” She finally caught up with him and huffed as she looked up at him. As her eyes met his, she was momentarily silenced.

  The gem in his forehead pulsed with a soft yellow and blue as he frowned at her.

  Blinking, Diana looked away, suddenly feeling small beside the hunky alien.

  And she was no small lady. Standing at five feet eleven, she’d always been proud of her height. Her long legs had been a great tool when she used to kick-box and they looked damn good in skinny jeans.

  This guy though, he was towering over her. Just how tall was he?

  “Why not just say what you mean?”

  His question brought her back to the present. He seemed genuinely interested in her answer, which surprised her a little.

  “Because sometimes sarcasm is funnier,” she said, plopping down on the sand.

  He seemed to consider that for a moment.

  “What are you doing?” he asked after a while.

  “Well, you’re complaining that I’m slow but you are wearing boots,” she answered, feeling in the sack for the towel she’d put in there earlier.

  She watched his head bend slowly as he looked down at his feet.

  Pulling out the towel, she tried to rip it in two while trying not to pay attention to the blue giant that was now stooping beside her.

  Dropping his cloth bag, he reached for her foot.

  The contact of his skin against hers made her jump and pull her foot away, causing him to cock his head to one side.

  “Just what are you doing?” She looked at him incredulously.

  “Your feet,” he said, his white gaze falling back to her feet as he reached for a foot again.

  This time, she let him take her foot into his hand.

  He turned it over from side to side before looking at the sole.

  “It’s bruised,” he said matter-of-factly, raising his eyes to hers.

  “Just the way I like it,” she said, as she bit the towel, still trying to rip it. It was made of some kind of material that wouldn’t frickin’ budge.

  He seemed concerned by the bruises but Diana chose to ignore him. The sand was coarse like sharp grit so she wasn’t surprised her feet were protesting.

  Glancing at him as he released her foot, she noticed he was frowning slightly again before the frown disappeared.

  “Sarcasm?” he asked.

  Diana breathed out a short sigh. “Yes, Spock.”

  He blinked as his frown returned.

  “My name is Yce,” he said.

  Rolling her eyes, Diana let out an exasperated growl at the fabric.

  Outstretching his hand, Yce took the towel from her and ripped it in two easily.

  “This is what you wanted to do, yes?” he asked, his white eyes focusing on hers.

  “Y-yes.” Diana frowned, taking the halves of the towel away from him begrudgingly. She didn’t like it when their eyes met. His white irises were unnerving...yet, at the same time, they were so very interesting.

  “Why rip the fabric?” he asked as he watched her size up the ripped towel.

  “I need it for this,” she answered, as she wrapped the first half around her bruised foot. It would provide little protection but it was better than nothing.

  He seemed to realize what she was doing and
stood, surveying the area.

  “We head west,” he said.

  “Ok,” she answered, tying the towel tightly around her other foot. “How do you know which way to go?”

  He didn’t answer and she glanced up at him to realize he was pointing at his head. No, actually, he was pointing at the gem in his head.

  “Ah, I see. I left mine at home,” she said as she stood.

  He stared at her for a moment before she saw a shadow of a smile pass over his features.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  “Lead the way.”

  Pausing to glance at her feet, Yce raised his eyes to hers and stared at her for a second. He looked at her strangely, but it lasted for only a second before he turned and began walking again.

  Chapter Five

  He’d been right.

  There was a sandstorm, and it was heading their way.

  Glancing behind her, Diana cursed underneath her breath.

  It looked like a scene from The Mummy, only without the face coming to devour them whole.

  It was a wall of thick, brown sand heading their way, and it was coming fast.

  Ahead, Yce was pushing forward and she realized that was all they could do. As far as she could see, there was no shelter anywhere.

  This planet was shit.

  It only took a few minutes for the sand wall to catch up to them and, when it hit, it was like a swarm of minuscule bullets swarming around her and hitting her from every possible direction.

  Muffling a growl of frustration, Diana swallowed hard and focused on trying to see ahead. But the sudden brunt of sand in the air made it difficult to see anything.

  Stretching one hand forward to guide her, she pushed on, only to feel her hand land on something hard—something hard like muscle.

  Realizing her palm was pressed right against one of his pectorals, she made to pull her hand away when her wrist was grasped and she was pulled forward.

  Time stood still for a little, with sand swarming all around them, as she landed against his chest.

  Moving his head to her ear, Yce shielded his mouth with a hand and spoke.

  “You cannot handle this weather. I will carry you,” he said.

  Oh no, he wouldn’t.

  Aware he wouldn’t be able to see her expression properly, Diana stood on tiptoes, gripping his biceps for stability and leverage as she raised herself high enough to return the favor and whisper in his ear.

  “Don’t you fucking dare,” she whispered.

  * * *

  She suddenly wished she hadn’t ripped the towel and placed it over her feet. At least, she could have used it now to wrap around her head and shield her face from the sand.

  She could hardly see anything in front of her; it was all just swirling sand. If it wasn’t for Yce’s stark white hair, she was sure she wouldn’t even know which direction to follow. She could just about make him out amidst the brown particles thickening the air.

  What’s more was that the sand stung as it hit her skin. She was sure she’d be bruised all over later.

  She wondered what he would think about that.

  She knew he didn’t like the fact that she was there.

  Well, she didn’t like the fact that she was there either. Who would have guessed?

  At least, he was trying to be civil about it. Nevertheless, his constant offers to carry her made her want to slap him pink.

  She could take care of herself, thank you very much.

  She knew taking up his offer would only cement the fact that he thought she was a liability.

  She was a lot of things, but she definitely wasn’t that.

  She was trudging behind him, one hand holding the cloth bag tightly while the other shielded her eyes as she tried to make him out ahead, and, for a second, he disappeared.

  Cursing underneath her breath, Diana pushed forward, hoping to see the telltale white hair amidst the brown swirling sand. But as she moved further, she couldn’t make him out.

  Out of nowhere, a strong hand enclosed around her arm and pulled her to the side.

  Instinctively, she grabbed at the arm and was about to do one of the take-down jiu-jitsu moves she’d learned when she landed against a hard, blue, chest.

  Momentarily at a loss for words, she stared up at him in shock.

  This dude really gotta stop doing this.

  One thing was immediately noticeable; they weren’t in the sandstorm anymore. They were in some sort of cave.

  Diana stepped back from his grasp before clearing her throat, her eyes immediately scouring the cave’s dim interior.

  Just outside, the swarming sand whistled and hissed.

  “We rest here,” Yce said.

  The cave seemed to go back a bit but the further it went, the darker it became.

  “This is an abandoned sand-cat cave. We should be safe till nightfall,” Yce said as he dropped his sack and began rummaging in it. “We have to travel at night time. So, rest now.”

  Staring deep into the cave’s darkness, she knew it was best not to go exploring. Instead, she stepped to the other side away from Yce.

  The cave was small, he was still just an arm’s length away, but the distance would be enough. Sliding to the floor, she took a second to take a breather. Trudging through the sand was hard all on its own without the disturbance of the sandstorm.

  With the storm, it was like treading through deep water in the middle of a hurricane. She was happy for the little rest.

  “Why travel at night?” she asked absentmindedly as she watched him. He’d taken a long blade from his bag before sitting on his haunches.

  “This planet’s inhabitants tend to hunt at night. It is better to be awake when they are, lest you become dinner.”

  Just grand.

  This planet was definitely not in any space tourism magazines.

  Well, she didn’t just fall from space in an extremely damaged ship and brave a sandstorm to be eaten for dinner. If anyone was eating dinner, it would be her eating one of them instead.

  She dared them. She fucking dared them.

  “What type of inhabitants?” She watched curiously as he ran the blade across a smaller one and realized he was sharpening it.

  “Sand cats. Zehmips. Those are the two we have to worry most about for now.”

  Diana nodded as if she knew exactly what those were.

  She watched him work in silence and as the minutes ticked by, it was almost as if he was in the cave by himself. Yet, that same sense of familiarity she felt before returned.

  There was something incredibly familiar about him. How? She didn’t quite understand.

  The first time she’d seen him was when the members of his team had stormed the Isclit ship.

  Xul, a bull-like alien and the leader of his squadron, had been there along with Athena, a human who’d ended up turning her circumstances and joining the rescue attempt. They’d camouflaged themselves, infiltrated the ship, planted bombs, then rescued the rest of the team, as well as the humans, from the cells.

  The members of his team had fought phenomenally…but Yce…there was something about Yce. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

  He wasn’t looking her way and she took the opportunity to stare at him intently, thoughts swirling in her head.

  What was it?

  In a way, she was glad he seemed so absorbed with his task. It meant she didn’t have to put up with useless small talk or other conversation. He was focusing on the blade and the sound of the metals scraping together permeated the sound of the sandstorm just outside the cave.

  As she watched his big hands move, she frowned. Yes. He did seem familiar.

  Seeming to sense her focused stare, he finally looked across at her.

  “You should rest,” he said.

  “And you too,” she replied.

  “I will keep watch.”

  “Then so will I.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly and Diana raised an eyebrow.

  If this
was a battle of wills, she would win. He had no idea how stubborn she could be.

  There was a pause as she regarded him, her eyes roving over his tattoos and then finally settling on the gem in his head, frowning as she did so.

  “Why do you seem so familiar?” It was a thought that manifested itself into speech.

  He continued staring at her, then blinked once.

  Again, his white gaze was unnerving. She wanted to look away but couldn’t.

  “I feel like we’ve been in a situation like this before.” She pushed on. “I feel like I’ve been around you before. It sounds stupid but…”

  “You have,” he said, uttering the two words so suddenly that his admission surprised her.

  Diana’s eyelids fluttered. “I have?”

  “Yes. On the Isclit ship. You were placed in my cell.”

  Her brows furrowed immediately. As far as she could remember, she had been in the cell alone.

  But then something one of the other human women had said just before the Elysium was attacked came back to her.

  “It almost seems like a dream,” she’d muttered to Piper, one of the other human abductees. “I was in a cell alone.”

  She remembered Piper frowning as she’d looked at her strangely. “No, you weren’t,” Piper had said.

  “What do you mean I was placed in your cell? I don’t remember being placed in a cell with anyone.”

  “I know,” he answered, his face unreadable.

  “You’re confusing me.”

  The pants he was wearing rustled as his arms brushed over the fabric. Resting the blades to his side, he looked at her intently.

  “I am an Arois,” he said.

  Diana’s frown deepened. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

  “I suppose not. Your planet has not explored much as yet.”

  Diana waited for him to continue, feeling her impatience grow.

  “I…” He seemed to pause for a second as if he was trying to find the right words to say. “My abilities can alter one’s memories and one’s perception of reality.”

  She could feel her brows diving slowly toward her nose. Just what was he getting at and what did he mean by his…abilities?

  When he didn’t continue, she raised an eyebrow, her face stern. “Abilities?”