Alien Mate (6 page)

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The annoying sound that would not stop had Kor pull his head away from her body and the delicious things he was doing to her nipple through the fabric of her top.

Diana pulled at him to come back, and with a groan he came back down to crush her lips with his own. But Alphie’s intrusive voice dowsed them like a cold shower.

“Kor, I hate to interrupt, but this is important.”

Kor, with a heavy sigh, rolled onto his back. “Alphie, I am going to unplug you.”

Diana giggled as she traced patterns on Kor’s chest, her body still aroused, hoping Alphie would go away so they could continue their sensuous exploration. And once they got naked, what the heck, maybe get bonded.

“Kor,” came Alphie’s unrelenting tone.

“Fine,” grumbled Kor, standing up and giving Diana a hand. “Let me take care of this, and then, perhaps, we can resume where we left off,” he said to her with a hard kiss.

Bemused, Diana wandered down the hill to the water’s edge, while Kor dealt with whatever it was Alphie had deemed so important. The violet-hued liquid sparkled in the light of the three red suns. A rustle on the other side had her looking up quickly only to see the cutest floppy-eared pink bunny ever! Of course, the bunnies back home only had two ears, 22

not four, and their tails weren’t as big as their heads, but still the little critter was adorable as it regarded her with big eyes.

Looking back at Kor, Diana saw him talking up to the sky—Alphie no doubt trying to give him pointers—and she shrugged. She wouldn’t go far. Besides, having Kor come find her could be fun. In the movies she’d watched back home, a lifetime ago, a man chasing a woman usually tended to end in torrid outdoor fun.

Diana hopped across the stones that glittered like diamonds in the water—
could they be
giant diamonds?
—and landed on the other side.

The little bunny creature stared at her, whiskers twitching.
Oh my God, it is so cute!
Diana crouched and put out her hand, but this movement startled the fluff ball, and it bounced off.

Diana giggled and followed it, not too worried because Kor was, after all, just behind her, and he had told her that nothing dangerous inhabited the planet.
Well, unless you count him
.
He
looks like he could be plenty dangerous—yum!

The pink bunny hopped behind the thick trunk of a tree, a gnarly, twisted mauve specimen that looked like something Dr. Seuss dreamed up. Diana rounded its trunk and stopped in astonishment. She’d found her bunny but wished she hadn’t as it twisted in the grip of a large, hulking brute who, even from three steps away, stank to holy heaven.

“What have we here?” He leered at her.

“Nothing,” Diana stammered, her heart suddenly racing in fright. “I’ll just be on my way now. My friend is waiting.” Diana whirled to run back to Kor but came face-to-face with a broad chest wearing a studded bandolier. Swallowing because she already knew it wasn’t Kor, she looked up to see an ugly, ogreish face that grinned at her, the black spaces of missing teeth and the two intact sharp incisors giving him a sinister look. He reached out calloused hands and grabbed her upper arms tightly.

“Let me go,” she said, her voice wavering in fear.

“I don’t think so, me pretty,” he said, his fetid breath washing over her. He tightened his grip on her while someone behind her pinched her rear.

That’s when Diana screamed really, really loud.

23

“This better be good,” grumbled Kor.

“Stolen vessel spotted on the other side of the moon. Could be some contraband inside.

Shall we disable it?” said an eager Alphie.

“Not now, Alphie,” said Kor, distracted, watching Diana saunter down to the water. He turned away from her, trying to control his urge to chase her down and make her his.
I am a
warrior. I have control over my body.
Kor repeated this mantra to himself, but his body didn’t seem to be listening.

“Come on, Kor. She won’t even know,” the computer whined.

Frustrated with himself for not being able to resist her allure and with Alphie for continually interrupting, Kor almost snapped. “Alphie, if it were any other time, I’d say go after it, but I am so close to getting her to bond, I can’t risk it.”

“You are no fun,” said Alphie in a distinct pouting tone.

Kor, about to respond, instead jolted into action when he heard Diana let out a piercing shriek.

Looking around, he realized she’d wandered off out of sight, not something to be worried about on this gentle planet and one of the reasons he’d chosen it. But Alphie’s inopportune call made him think of the stolen vessel hiding behind the planet’s moon.

Under normal circumstances, Kor would have hunted the stolen vessel down because of possible pirates. Could Diana have run into some of the vessel’s crew? Or had some cute and cuddly critter jumped out to scare her?

He heard her shriek again, followed by gruff, snorting guffaws of laughter.

Pirates!
He’d found the stolen vessel’s crew—or rather, Diana had.

Kor cranked up the speed and ran down to the water’s edge. He leapt over the babbling brook to land with sure feet on the other side. Up ahead, he could see the hulking figures of the space pirates—not to mention smell them on the breeze—and he felt his heart stutter.

And here he came to challenge them weaponless. Thinking with his groin instead of his head, he’d left his daggers and blaster back on the ship, a fact he now cursed.

“Unhand my mate,” he bellowed, seeing Diana struggling, her face fearful as they bounced her among them like a child’s ball.

“She bears no band of mating, so she’s free for the taking,” said a one-eyed brute with a smirk, and then, instead of waiting for Kor to wipe the smug smile off his face, the pirate thumped the communicator on his chest, and they were gone.

Kor skidded to a stop and cursed. “Alphie!” he bellowed.

He’d no sooner said the ship computer’s name than he found himself on board.

“Follow that ship discreetly. And I want the plans for their vessel. I am getting Diana back.” Kor bubbled with a dark rage at the effrontery of these beasts who thought to take what was his. And for that they would pay. “And while you’re at it, explain to me how in the silvery moons you managed to miss their life signatures when you scanned the planet.”

“This planet gives off inconclusive readings because of its sentient nature. I will have to revise my programming in the future to take that aspect into account. I apologize, Commander. It won’t happen again.”

“It had better not. Now status!” barked Kor, more mad at himself than Alphie.

“Ship plans located, Commander,” said the computer, all business now. “Enemy vessel still located behind the moon. Now what?”

“Now,” said Kor in a menacing tone, “I rescue Diana and punish her kidnappers.”
Very
painfully
, he thought.

24

* * * *

Diana’s mind spun. Things had happened so rapidly. Only seconds ago, she’d watched Kor running for her, his face grim and his eyes flashing. A moment later, she found herself in a dank room that smelled bloody awful. Her captor let go of her, and Diana rubbed her arms where he’d gripped her, trying to erase the slimy feel of his touch. Diana looked about frantically for a place to run—any kind of refuge—but found herself surrounded by loud, hulking creatures. The crew of dubious origin—although judging by some of their porcine features, she could guess—leered and grunted at Diana. The unpleasant aroma of unwashed alien and something even more rancid tickled her nose as they swarmed around her. The foulness in the air made her stomach churn.

Diana tried to take shallow breaths, not much better, as she could almost taste the filth.
I
wonder if they’ll let me go if I puke on their feet?
But judging by the grime on their boots, that had been tried before, and she didn’t think they cared.

Grubby fingers pinched her chin and turned her face from side to side, inspecting her like a potential buyer. Diana clenched her teeth and reminded herself she was outnumbered and that it would be best not to antagonize them ’til she knew what they wanted. But even knowing that, she had an insane urge to kick her captor in the shin or other sensitive parts.
I
wonder if he’d squeal like a pig?

The lug pinching her chin stepped back and gave her a partially toothed grin. “I can’t believe the stupid Xamian didn’t bond with this fine piece. A virgin with plump flesh like hers will fetch a pretty price in the market.”

Diana couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out.

“What’s so funny, girl?” asked her captor, narrowing his eyes at her.

“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not a virgin.” Too late Diana realized she should have kept her mouth shut, as several pairs of eyes now swiveled to look at her with interest. “I—

um, can I take that back?” Diana wanted to kick herself.
Dummy!

“Not a virgin, well then there’s no reason not to test the goods before we sell them then.”

“What? No testing the goods. Not a good idea,” Diana stammered, panicked.

But the brute in charge just pinched her boob with rough fingers, making Diana wince.

“Well, my crew, it seems we’re going to be entertained tonight.” A flurry of grunts and snuffles accompanied this announcement. “But first let’s get out of this space system in case the moon warrior decides he wants her back.”

Diana found herself rudely thrust into a cell with the door slammed shut and locked. She ran at the door and pounded on it with her fists, screaming, “Let me go! Right now. You can’t do this to me.” Dead silence answered her. Pacing the confines of the room—it didn’t take long as it measured only about four feet by four feet—she looked for a way to escape or, barring that, something she could use as a weapon. The scratched and stained walls were seamless and the room devoid of furniture of any type. She couldn’t even find a crack big enough to squeeze a mouse through. Diana sank to the floor and huddled her knees to her chest, the seriousness of her plight finally sinking in.

I can’t believe I went from almost making love to the man of my dreams to being the intended victim of a
gang rape by smelly ogres.
She wished she could rewind time and not been so prickly with Kor.

Had she bonded with him in the first place, they would have never gone to that planet, and she wouldn’t have been kidnapped.

But at least she wasn’t alone. Oh no, she had misery for company.

25

* * * *

Kor, using his people’s advanced technology, teleported onto the pirate ship with them none the wiser. They’d messed with the wrong Xamian. Alphie had managed to locate a schematic for the stolen vessel, and Kor had memorized it. He’d arrived in an obscure part of the engine room that he doubted they manned. On silent feet, he edged out around the ship’s energy core, disappointed to find the room clear.

Kor had been angry since Diana’s abduction, and he really wanted to hurt something to help ease some of his temper. Alphie thankfully hadn’t tried to talk him out of this insane rescue attempt. For one, he knew what Kor’s answer would have been—no. Besides, Alphie was well aware of Kor’s training in the guard. After all, it was his high rank and commendations that had made him eligible for a mate in the first place. Only the best were rewarded.

Kor peered out of the doorway of the engine room into the corridor and found it still empty. He padded on silent feet down it, anticipation rising when he heard the murmur of voices around the bend.

Drawing his blades—only idiots used laser weapons on board a sealed vessel in space—

he dropped into a roll and went around the corner, his unexpected arrival allowing him to gut the two crew men before they even had a chance to realize death had arrived.

Kor wiped his blades on the tunics of the downed creatures—although judging by the filth staining the cloth, the blood might have been cleaner. Impatient to find Diana, Kor carved a path of violence through the ship, pausing only briefly once to question a crew member on the whereabouts of his mate—an interrogation that involved a lot of squealing.

Discovering the captain planned to enjoy Diana first before handing her over to the crew, Kor made his way quickly to the captain’s quarters.

Kor intended to be on hand before anything happened to his chosen. The only taste the captain would be getting tonight would be that of his own mortality.

Kor crouched in the captain’s quarters, his eyes glowing in the darkness and his teeth bared in a vicious grin. In a grim silence, he waited to execute the beast who’d dared lay hands on his mate.

* * * *

Stupid, stupid, stupid. I have got to be the dumbest earthling to ever leave her planet. Absolute brilliance
telling them you’re not a virgin. Hey, why not send out invitations for rape?

Diana huddled dejectedly in a corner of the cell with tears prickling her eyes as she thought longingly of Kor and his strong arms.

It’s my fault I’m here instead of with Kor. If I’d only been a little less stubborn and done the mating
thing with him, we wouldn’t have even been on that planet. Hell, it’s not like I don’t want him. He’s nice,
gentle, thoughtful, not to mention the hottest thing since wing night at Kelsey’s. But I just had to fight it, and
now instead of making love to a hunky blue alien, I’m gonna be . . .

Diana hiccupped in tears and fright. She really deserved a Darwin Award for this.

Diana heard the lock in the cell door turn and looked up hopefully. A foolish part of her had entertained a faint hope that Kor would come to rescue her like a damsel in distress from a romance novel. But seeing the big ogre the others called captain enter, she slumped dejectedly. Kor would be insane to try to rescue her. After all, what could one blue man do 26

against a horde of nasty brutes? He’d probably just go to the Oracle and ask for another mate—one not so reluctant and argumentative.

“Get up,” grunted her captor.

Diana sat in complete apathy, hoping he’d just leave. That turned out to be a slim hope.