“How are you going to locate this woman?” Kahvissar asked.

Drako paced the floor of the main flight deck. “Her government has a price on her head.”

“Exactly. They’ll find her before you do.”

“Most communication on Earth works via satellite. It was easy enough to hack into every one floating in space.”

“And?”

Drako placed his palms on the control counter, the frustration chafing not only his patience, but also his nerves. “There have been a lot of red flags raised, but all false alarms. Fake claims of having spotted her.” He had to find his fugitive. If her own people did, she’d be convicted for her crime, and he didn’t want her punished in a barbarous human way.

“It seems there’s another flag now.” Kahvissar leaned closer to the screen to read the information. “A call from Alexandra to your infamous Agent Evans.”

Drako listened with half an ear. He’d accessed every record on Earth, from Ilse’s address to her listed numbers, but there was no sign of her. She was on the run. He needed a different tactic. The minute he got his hands on Ilse, he was planting a tracker under her skin. He wasn’t going to risk ever losing sight of her again.

“The man says he has the suspect detained,” Kahvissar continued. “Would you like to watch the satellite feed?”

“Why not?” Drako replied listlessly.

All the claims to date had been false. He didn’t expect this one to be different.

Kahvissar manipulated the controls, using the mobile number to pinpoint the caller’s location before zooming in on the area. Drako stared at the planets that zipped past through the outlook window. They couldn’t stay in orbit like this indefinitely. If the search didn’t bring up any results, he’d have to risk moving among humans to conduct a hands-on investigation.

“I have a visual on the owner of that number,” Kahvissar said. “He has a woman with him, but I don’t think it’s your Ilse.”

Drako twirled around, all the nerve endings in his body buzzing to attention. Kahvissar had enlarged satellite images that showed a male and female walking down an alley between temporary constructions. The female’s back was turned to them. She had shorter hair and the color was wrong. Yet, a spark of hope ignited in Drako’s chest. At first glance, she didn’t look like Ilse, but the curve of her hips, the tightness of her ample ass, and her height were exactly right. He leaned closer to the monitor, every muscle in his body going taut. More images from different satellites filled the screen until the human pair was shown from every angle. He held his breath as he fixed his attention on the one where he had a full frontal view. Crute. His fingers clenched on the counter. She’d changed her hair, but it was her. His human. At the sight of the man’s hand around her upper arm, he suppressed a growl.

“Is it her?” Kahvissar asked.

“Yes,” he hissed. “It’s Ilse.”

“How are you going to proceed?”

“I’m going to prepare my pod.”

The technician had ensured him this time it would work. They’d adjusted the technology for the Earth’s atmosphere. He shouldn’t have any problems staying invisible or landing.

“What happens when you get to Earth? How will you maintain discretion?”

“I’m going to construct a dwelling.”

“Using Krina technology?”

“Of course.”

“And then?”

“After a month, I’ll be back.”

A grin spread over Kahvissar’s face. “With my charl, I hope. I’ve always wanted an Earthling companion. I can’t wait to taste her blood. If your turbulent emotions where the woman is concerned are anything to go by, she must be extraordinary.”

Anger slithered up Drako’s spine, although he had no reason to be upset with Kahvissar. Kahvissar was simply expressing his wishes. Still, the idea of Ilse in Kahvissar’s hands evoked feelings of violence.

“I suggest you heed caution,” Drako said, jealousy tainting his voice. “She may not want to be your charl.”

“In that case, she’s doomed.”

Never. He’d never send her to doom. He couldn’t forgive her betrayal, and he’d never trust her, but he didn’t want her in prison, or worse, dead. He’d rather suffer the pain of giving her to someone else than having her life snuffed out.

Without further delay, he stalked to the launch pad where his new pod waited. Less than a Krina hour later, he landed on Earth, near the location where the man was holding Ilse prisoner. He’d chosen a patch of dirt the children used as a soccer field. There was no need to conceal his craft, as it was invisible to both the human and Krinar eye. He moved fast, too fast by Earth standards, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was getting back the woman who was so small she could’ve been a toy. His deceitful, beautiful, false little doll.

The signal on his communication system indicated that Ilse’s captor was keeping her in one of the box-sized structures that consisted of metal, plastic, and cardboard. He stopped in front of the dwelling, his breath chasing with a mixture of excitement and stress. The door was bolted from the inside. Voices reached him through the thin walls.

“Don’t worry,” a male voice said. “Frik will be here soon to collect his prize. I’m sure you’re looking forward to seeing him. As for me, I’m looking forward to the five grand he’s going to pay me. You turned out to be my good fortune.”

Whoever had her was asking ransom from Frik. Darkness blurred his vision. She was still with that cruel Earthling. Tough luck, as the human saying went. She was going to miss Frik, and she’d better get used to it. Impatience ruling over common sense, he didn’t think twice. With a flick of his hand, he swiped away the wall that contained the door. Fury raged in his chest at the sight that greeted him. Ilse was sitting on the floor, blindfolded, her feet and hands bound. A man pointed a gun at her. The man’s eyes flared as the wall, which was nothing more than a metal sheet, fell into the house.

“What the fuck?” The man jumped to his feet, swinging the gun in Drako’s direction.

A female shriek pierced the air, but he didn’t stop to pay her attention. Not yet. Before the man knew what was happening, Drako had grabbed the gun and bent the barrel.

The man stared at the damage with wide eyes. “What the hell are you?”

A backhand shut the man up, sending him flying. He remained motionless where he fell. Drako bent down and felt his pulse. He was alive, although he didn’t deserve to be, not for what he’d done to Ilse. Only then did he turn his attention to her. Her chest heaved. The vein that had seduced him and made him lose all reason fluttered frantically in her neck.

“Frik?” she asked in a high-pitched voice.

He clenched his jaw. No, it wasn’t her lover boy. He didn’t bother to answer. She’d find out soon enough. He took the auto-injector from his pocket and injected it into the muscle of her upper arm. In a second, her body went slack. Before her back hit the ground, he caught her, sweeping her up in his arms. She was small and light, her physical attributes a reminder of her fragility. He stepped over the unconscious man on the ground and chose the quiet roads to go back to his pod. Within seconds, they were air-born. He knew exactly where to construct her prison. At the deserted mine dumps, he touched down, ensuring the invisible feature remained activated. The safest point was the highest one.

With Ilse in his arms, Drako climbed to the top of the mine dump. Krina technology allowed him to construct a comfortable den in minutes. Like the pod, the den would be invisible to any eye. He entered inside with Ilse. The den had everything from an advanced kitchen to self-adjusting, controlled temperature. Stepping into the bedroom, he laid her down on the intelligent bed. He’d tasted her blood and kissed her lips, but he’d not seen her naked. He couldn’t help taking his time in removing her clothes, item by item, appreciating every inch of her skin. Her breasts were round and soft with perfect little nipples. Her stomach quivered as he dipped his fingers under the waistband of her jeans to unfasten the button, as if she was aware of him even in her sleep. He dragged the pants over her hips, her soft skin sliding under his fingers. She was physically perfect and morally flawed, but she was his. At least for the month Altair had granted him. In a month, he’d feed on her body as often as his cock got hard. He’d cure the need in his loins and the lust in his veins. In thirty days, he’d get her and her enticing little body out of his system.