Irresistible: A SciFi Alien Mail Order Bride Romance (TerraMates Book 9) (31 page)

* * *

T
ERRA

"I've got bad news, Terra," Daniel said. He had caught up to me in one of the tunnels of the outpost's caves. We stayed here with part of the resistance.

"What is it?" I said, my heart dropping. I tried to harden my feelings so additional losses wouldn't hurt as much. "Have they found Mom and Dad? Are they alive?"

"No," he said, forcefully. "I'm sorry to have worried you. It's not that kind of bad news. The Surtu have captured more Earth women. They plan to have a grand light bonding ceremony. Surtu males will join with many women simultaneously."

"Oh, no," I said, thinking of Lucina and Kalij. An asshole Surtu had claimed my friend, and being light bonded to him would have been a living hell. Although Kalij was dead now, there were other human women destined to be light bonded. Their mates would be aliens they didn't love. Many human lives would be ruined forever because the Surtu were a dying race, and their females couldn't bear children anymore.

"We have to stop it," I said.

"We will. That's why I brought it to your attention," he said, his face solemn.

"Where will it be held?" I asked, and Daniel named a city.

"Speaking of Mom and Dad, we have found them, in a way. The Surtu are holding them in the same town as the light bonding ceremony. Once we accomplish our mission, we can begin the search for our parents."

I couldn't speak as my heart filled with emotion. I thought with longing of the mother who had kissed me goodnight and simultaneously trained me to be a warrior. I hadn't seen my parents for a long time, but I would find them and rescue them, no matter where they were in the city. Once we saved the women, I wouldn't let anything deter me from my quest.

* * *

O
ur ships set
down in the woods. The sweet smell of the forest calmed me as I prepared my mind for battle.

"Let's go, Terra," Bellona said. "You're with Juventas and me."

"I'll tag along too," Kylu offered with a smug smile. "Human women work best with a Surtu protecting them."

Bellona looked him up and down with disdain.

"The boy can come," she said to me. Then she looked directly at Kylu. "Try not to slow us down too much."

She stalked away into the fading light. She disappeared in an instant, always the assassin.

Kylu raised his eyes at me.

"Who was that?"

"That," I said, poking him in the chest. "Was the Red Assassin. You don't want to piss her off. Don't kid yourself - we don't need your protection."

"You could use a big strong guy like me, cupcake."

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, Kylu. You might come in handy. You can heal us if we get injured. Prepare yourself. The battle is about to begin."

My offhand remark was incorrect. We missed the fight altogether.

As we stole into the city, there was no sign of any ceremonies. We learned from a member of the network — the Surtu who were helping the humans escape — that the light bonding ceremonies took place the day before.

The members of the resistance gathered in a park, just as we planned it. We wore civilian clothes. Some of us were in groups, looking like we were having parties or picnics. Couple sat on benches and individual people read or lay on the grass staring up at the sky. We all had concealed weapons and were ready to fight.

Today, there would be no battle. "But we were told explicitly that the ceremonies would be today," I insisted. Our contact shrugged.

"I guess you got some incorrect information."

Bellona and I looked at each other. We slowly looked at all the members of the resistance and came to the same sickening realization.

Instead of being liberators, we were going to be conquered. It was a trap.

I gave a signal to retreat. My party started heading towards the entrance to the park. Slowly, to prevent attention, people began to leave. I knew they would continue a slow exodus over the next few minutes. Without drawing any notice to themselves, we would retreat, and meet back at a rendezvous point.

As we reached the entrance to the park, it suddenly filled up with Surtu soldiers. At the front was someone I had hoped never to see again.

It was Captain Fore, the man who had enslaved me.

* * *

"
T
erra Lynch
. You're a difficult woman to find, but we managed to track you down. And you're with my son. I hope you're finally coming back to the right side, boy."

"Never," Kylu said, his voice tight with anger.

"I tried," Captain Fore said mildly. Then he ordered, "Take them out."

The Surtu had blasters, but we had numbers on our side, and my warrior sisters of the Fortuna were ready to fight. I was confident our combat training could turn the tide in this battle.

Without warning, the resistance fighters prepared for battle. They revealed hidden weapons and the Surtu had a fight on their hands. I was glad I would have a chance to draw blood. I had been hiding for too long.

I engaged with an unarmed soldier, and we engaged in combat. I thrust a dagger into his ribs. He died looking surprised, but I didn't spare him a thought; I was already looking for my next victim.

As I glanced around, I realized we were winning, and Fore was nowhere in sight. Perfect. The Surtu were quickly becoming overwhelmed by the resistance fighters. When I scanned the park, I saw groups of people fighting. Time after time, the battles resulted in resistance fighters defeating their Surtu foes.

Unfortunately, our victory was short-lived. Within a few minutes, more Surtu reinforcements appeared on all sides. Daniel called to me and ordered a general retreat. There were too many of the enemy. We would lose good men and women if we continued this fight. By strategically backing away now, we would survive to fight another day. I watched with satisfaction as my comrades began disappearing into the surrounding forest and streets.

I looked for an escape route for myself. Through the chaos and fighting, I had noticed a small hover bike entrance to the park. It was narrow and passed through a high hedge that blocked the park from the street. I began to run, feeling sweat pouring down my face.

When I reached my escape route, I found it blocked by soldiers. When they fired at me, I dodged and avoided their shots. I needed to find another way out. I changed course and headed for a spot where resistance fighters clambered over a fence. There were too many of us trying to flee the same way, though, and I began to panic.

My last resort was the main entrance. I would run as fast as I could, fight my way through, and escape. I did not want the Surtu to catch me again.

I darted between pockets of soldiers and resistance fighters, making my way towards the gate. I was almost out when I ran straight into the chest of a huge Surtu male. I estimated he was four inches taller than Jidden.

The soldier grabbed me and would not let go. I was in trouble.

"Don't let her out of your sight. She's dangerous," a voice said, and the sound sent a shiver of fear down my spine.

It was Captain Fore.

I struggled to break free, but my attempts were futile. Someone put small prism-shaped restraints on me and put a bag over my head. I was a prisoner of the Surtu once again.

* * *

W
hen they took
the bag off and freed my limbs, I was at the top of a basement. It was the closest thing to a dungeon Fore could find on Earth. The stairs were rickety and creaked under my boots. A musty smell wafted up from the depths, and I heard a rustle of movement when my guard turned on the light.

The source of illumination was an ancient, dust-covered light bulb. It flickered, but I could see my dark, dank new home was empty. A counter covered with junk ran along one side of the room. Whatever had made the scurrying sounds stopped moving when the light came on. I wondered if the creatures would be my only companions. I had no fear of rats, but I didn't want to get bitten.

The Surtu soldier didn't ask me any questions. He looked around the room briefly and gave me a cruel smile. He climbed the stairs. The door shut behind him with a slam.

I immediately shoved the debris off the counter and climbed on top, whispering a prayer to Nelti. I would need help to escape and keep the lights active. There was no way out of the basement except the stairs; I didn't see any windows or doors.

Despite my best efforts to keep hope alive, I felt defeat creep into my head. To be caught again, and by Fore no less, was nothing short of a total disaster. I had tried to forget the bruises, the swollen lips, and the pain I endured from the Surtu beatings, but it was a losing battle, just like the one at the park today. Even though I was a warrior, sometimes I was merely a woman. Fear overwhelmed me at that moment. I pulled my feet up on the counter, laying my head on my knees.

* * *

I
could not tell
how much time had passed in the basement, but I was unable to sleep, and it felt like the Surtu had trapped me in a night that would never end.

The sound of rodents was constant. Their scampering feet became louder and braver the longer I remained in the basement. I had no weapons to kill them. All I could do was make loud noises, which scared them away for only a moment. They quickly regained their courage, each time making more noise as they brought more friends to their party. The thought of getting a disease from them made me sick to my stomach. There would be no Surtu healing nearby.

When the door finally opened, I was relieved. I wondered if it was morning, and I was ready to get out of the room for any reason. Even if they planned on leading me to my execution, I would have a better chance to escape there than locked in a basement.

As it turned out, it was not morning, and I was not going anywhere.

"Terra," Captain Fore said as he descended into my prison. He was by himself. He brought a light with him and set it on the counter, illuminating the room.

"I'm not glad to see you," I said, eyeing him with disgust. I tried to radiate a combination of confidence and disdain, remembering I was a sister of the Fortuna and that I had been raised to be a warrior. I would not cower before this man.