Chapter 1

 

Molly Sandrian

 

The ship lurched all of a sudden, and I was jostled out of my reverie, making me dig my nails into my seat. I had been replaying in my mind that night my life changed completely, wondering how I could have ever ended up here.

A loud boom resonated all around us as the spaceship drove downward, spiraling out of the sky.

Oh my God, we’re going to die! I thought.

The three human women beside me screamed as well, holding tightly onto their seatbelts to keep from falling. They had been abducted by the aliens around the same time I was, and we have since become very close friends in our brief time together. The two aliens piloting the ship were frantically manning the consoles in front of them, desperately trying to keep the ship steady.

“What’s happening?!” Amy shouted.

“Where are we?” Betty yelled, and I shook my head.

“I don’t know, I think the ship blew something!” I said as we clung onto the seats we were strapped into.

“Oh my God!” Emma cried.

“Just hold on!” I shouted.

The cabin began to fill with smoke, and I could hardly see the girls as we all coughed and gagged. My eyes were stinging from the smoke when—

Bam!

Everyone screamed as we hit the ground. We were jolted forward hard, with the belt digging into my shoulders and chest before we were slammed back into our seats.

“Okay,” I huffed. “That wasn’t so bad, huh?” I said, turning my head to look at the others, who all stared at me like I had grown a second head. “I mean, we survived, we’re alive!” I shouted.

“Everyone all right?” a booming voice asked as someone entered the back of the ship. I looked at the alien Leruk and nodded. He was very tall and looked almost like a human male, except for a few differences.

His eyes were clear blue, and had a vertical pupil, similar to a cat’s eye running down the middle of it. His skin was smooth and assorted in colors. From his right shoulder down to his hip where his trousers were, his skin was a dark purple. Everything above that, including his face, left shoulder, and arm was a lighter shade of lavender.

It was both startling and beautiful to behold.

“I think so,” I answered, coughing a bit. The other women also nodded and confirmed they were alright.

“We have to get you out of here,” Leruk said, beginning to help us out of our seats. I was grateful for the help.

“We flew right in the middle of a battle!” Axon, another male alien, shouted as he ran from the front of the ship toward the back.

“Damn it,” Leruk cursed under his breath. “It must be the Compiers. We came down right into a clash without knowing it!” he turned towards us again. “We have to go now! Go! Run for cover!” he shouted as he pushed me toward a hole on the side of the ship.

“Go! We are right behind you!” Axon shouted at me as he pointed at the hole. It was very small, but I was able to squeeze my five-foot frame through it, and then fell on the grassy ground.

I could hear weapons being fired in the distance, but the blasting sounds kept coming closer and closer.

“Hurry up! They’re close!” I shouted back inside the ship.

“We are going around! We can’t fit through here!” Leruk shouted back.

“Oh shit,” I gasped as I realized they were leaving me alone. I looked at both ends of the ship, each spanning more than twice the size of a 747. I ran along one side before I heard a loud whistling sound. I stopped and looked up in the air, thinking whatever was making that sound was right on top of me, and then I saw it: a large metallic ball arching across the sky, and headed straight for the ship.

“Bomb!” I yelled, running across the yellow field of grass. There were large trees in the distance, and I dove straight for them, not quite making the full distance.

Suddenly, I felt strong hands wrap around my waist, picking me up as though I was as light as a feather, and before I could say anything, I was thrown over the shoulder of a massive alien. I assumed it was either Leruk or Axon, but regardless I was thankful as he ran straight for the trees and jumped into them. As he let me go, I tumbled across the ground, just as a loud explosion rocked the entire field. I buried my head in my arms, and pushed myself into the lush environment.

A moment later, the heat from the blast vanished, so I picked my head up and noticed the alien who rescued me. He moved quickly to his feet, and my eyes widened as I realized it was not Leruk or Axon.

“What the hell were you doing in that field?! This no place for human females!” he growled, glaring at me. His large muscular chest was heaving up and down, and it was obvious he was upset. His eyes were a light orange with the same vertical black pupil in the middle. His hair was dark black, long and rugged, and he towered over me like the rest of his alien kind. He was very muscular, with hard ripped abs visibly pronounced on his stomach. He was not wearing a shirt, only skintight trousers that were more like latex, tucked into his large boots. He also had a very large belt hung around his waist with many gadgets and weapons on it. It was exactly how Leruk and Axon dressed as well.

“You could have been killed!” he continued. “You human females are so dumb and careless!”

I narrowed my eyes at him in anger.

“I am not here on purpose!” I seethed. “You should be apologizing to me! I was abducted from my planet and taken here!” I shouted at him.

He just gave an arrogant sneer, as his lips moved sideways in a snarl, revealing his bright white teeth.

“Ugh! You arrogant jerk!” I shouted at him as I jabbed my finger into his abs. They felt more like a plank of wood instead of a firm stomach.

“Commander Jaider Katon!” I heard another voice shout. I turned to see Leruk and Axon running into the trees in front of us with Amy and Betty over their shoulders.

“Leruk! Axon! What are you doing here?” Jaider asked.

“That was our ship,” Leruk answered. “We just re-entered Harpo and landed straight into battle. What the hell is going on?”

“The Compiers is what’s going on. They mounted an attack,” Jaider explained.

“Where is Emma?” I asked, interrupting their talk as I noticed she wasn’t with them. I peered toward the burnt wreckage of the ship, but she wasn’t anywhere near it or in the field as far as I could see.

“She was taken,” Leruk said, his voice low and his face ashen.

“What do you mean ‘taken’?” I asked, fearing for the worst.

“She was picked up by one of them,” Axon said, raising his hand and pointing up as a small silver bullet-shaped ship rocketed across the sky. “Those are the Compier scout ships. She ran far and fast from the bomb in a different direction, and when we were heading over to her after the blast, she was picked up by them in a flash. We couldn’t help her.”

“No! We have to get her back!” I cried.

“No, we can’t. We must get out of here first. Look over there,” Jaider said, pointing to six silver ships hovering over the burnt wreckage. “They are looking for survivors. Quick, this way!”

“But Emma—,” I protested.

“Damn it!” he cursed, cutting me off as he picked me up again and threw me over his shoulder.

“Put me down! We have to find her,” I cried out, but it was no use. He was running, and Leruk and Axon were running after him with the other women in tow.

Even though I struggled, it was useless. I could not break free from his extreme strength.

“My ship is over here,” he shouted.

“Just stay low and get us back to the village,” Axon said.

Soon we were climbing the ramp into a very small ship. It was more like a very large truck compared to the massive one we were just in. I was thrown to the floor with a thud. That large brute was treating me like nothing more than a sack of potatoes. I raised my head up and glared at him.

“Everyone strap in,” he ordered, moving to the front of the ship.

“How dare you,” I barked at him.

“Axon, keep this one quiet, will you? I need to concentrate if I’m going to get us out of here alive,” Jaider said. Axon moved over to me, and I raised my hand to stop him, shaking my head.

“No need. I’m getting in my seat,” I said.

“Let’s go!” Leruk shouted.

The ship jolted forward, and then we were speeding so fast, the outside view was just a blur. I looked over at Amy and Betty, who were terrified as they held onto their seats.

“Did you see her? Did you see Emma get taken? What happened?” I whispered to them. Both shook their heads in reply.

“I didn’t see,” Betty said.

“Me neither,” Amy added.

“Damn,” I cursed under my breath. I was really upset no one was trying to get her back. I kept thinking what would’ve happened if I had been the one taken. Would they abandon me too? I would want them to at least look for me…

“We’re almost to the village. It doesn’t seem to be under attack,” Axon said.

“It was just a convoy of supplies in the Nimfields that was attacked,” Jaider replied. “The Compiers would not dare attack the village. They would lose and they know it.”

Compiers? Nimfields? I truly was on an alien planet.

I thought there was a chance I would somehow make it back to Earth while in the ship, but now realizing I’m on the soil of another planet, my panic started to really overtake me.

It was hard to comprehend. Just a week ago I was sitting at my desk in Los Angeles working my boring receptionist job at a law firm. I mean, I know I complained about it, but even with my tedious work and boring life, I wasn’t expecting this as a way out.

But then again, the male lawyers I worked for were all pit bulls and womanizers. They were extremely hands on and wealthy, and none of them ever paid any attention to me. The other women I worked with, they were just as ruthless.

I could still remember that one time.

“Good morning, Molly. Nice blouse,” Angie complimented too sweetly. “Did you borrow it from your mother?” she snarked, walking past the main receptionist desk on the first floor. It was the last Friday before I was abducted.

“No, I did not,” I told her bluntly. I thought my white blouse with a maid collar and bow tied at the neck was cute, but it was nothing compared to the little black, curve-hugging dress Angie wore, with her cropped blazer and stiletto heels. Her minion, Lisa, was at her side laughing.

“Can I help you two?” I asked robotically.

“Yes, can you hold all calls for Mr. Travers?” she asked. “We cannot be disturbed for at least an hour.”

“You slut…,” Lisa whispered in her ear with a nudge, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Did she really think I wouldn’t hear them?

“Yes, I will do that,” I said, annoyed. I knew what she was doing, and why she was acting like such a cold bitch.

The entire office knew she had a mad crush on Mr. Travers. He was the most powerful and attractive man in the firm. He had jet-black hair with heart stopping blue eyes, and a tall six-foot fit hot body. He was the total package.

Of course he never noticed me in any flirty or sexual way, even though he was a known womanizer. And now Angie was letting me know she was about to go fuck him in his office and she was rubbing it in my face.

“Anything else,” I asked as the phone rang. Angie and Lisa giggled before walking away toward the elevators.

That was the incident that made me want to get away for the weekend. It was midnight on a Saturday when I decided to go sit on the beach and watch the full moon flicker on the water. The last thing I saw was a dim green glow hovering nearby when I was abducted. Now here I am on an alien planet, and there is nothing I can do about it.

“We are here,” Jaider announced.

“Come on, humans,” Leruk said to us. We took off our seatbelts and stepped off the ship to look around.

“Holy crap,” Betty whispered.

“This isn’t real,” Amy said.

“Where are we?” I said breathlessly.

I looked around at a vast village spread out in front of us. It was beautiful, with colors so vibrant, they were almost blinding. The giant purple and yellow trees towered over the village. The grass was blue, and the village itself was made up of many painted stone-like buildings. There were pink walls, blue walls, and a variety of other colors. It sort of resembled what I imagined a fake backdrop to a movie set would look like.

“This is Nosiva, our village,” Leruk said.

“It’s breathtaking,” I whispered, taking it all in.

“Get them to the quarters. I have to report this to my Captain,” Jaider said.

“Yes, Commander Katon,” Axon said.

“You can’t leave! You must find Emma,” I said, running up to Jaider and blocking his retreat.

“Get out of my way, human. We are not going to risk good warriors to save one human female. We have many in our village already,” he said, scowling and trying to go around me.

“Oh, now I get it. You’re too scared to go! You are a coward!” I taunted. He stopped moving and let out a low growl.

“Do not say that word to me, human. I am no coward. I am a great warrior. I am Commander Jaider Katon, and if we were alone, I would have snapped you in two for saying such a thing,” he sneered at me.

His words sent a chill down my spine, but it wasn’t because the words scared me, but rather his dominance was…just a little bit sexy. Having this beautiful alien in front of me with piercing orange eyes, and unusually colored skin was both fascinating and dangerous, and releasing an adrenaline inside of me.

I refused to back down, though. I took a step closer so I was only inches away from him, fixing him with a glare.

“Then if you’re not a coward, go and get her,” I dared, trying to stand as tall as I could and still be intimidating.

“Leruk, take her away. I am tired of this one,” he spat. “She will need to learn like the others that she is here to mate and nothing else,” he brushed past me and walked away.

“Yes, Commander,” Axon said, pushing me on the back and leading me down a ramp from the spaceship landing area.

“Did he just say ‘mate’?” Amy whispered in my ear.

My eyes widened and I looked at her, realizing I had overlooked that part in my concern for Emma.

“Yeah, he did,” Betty answered as we walked together on the village’s blue grass.

“No, that can’t be right. I mean, why would they want to mate with us?” I whispered back to them.

“In here. You will be brought food and water. For now, you wait,” Leruk ordered as he pushed us inside the bungalow, locking the door from the outside.

“Wait, don’t go! I yelled, wrapping my hands around the bars.

“I think we’re in jail,” Amy said as she looked around.

“This can’t be happening,” I said, walking over to the other two women who sat down at a long table.

“Which part, the one where we were abducted by aliens from Earth, or the part where they want to mate with us?” Amy asked dryly.

“All of it,” I replied.

I sighed. The long hours of waiting in here are going to be excruciating.