THREE
Beks stared at the spot that the large, scarred alien had occupied just moments before and then she let out a sharp exhale, her limbs slowly unwrapping from around her body.
The alien was…intense. That was an appropriate word to describe him. Her hand trembled when she reached out to touch the shirt he’d left on the edge of the bed and remembered the feel of the shifting, thick muscles of his chest. For some reason, his obvious strength comforted Beks. If he had wanted to hurt her, he would have already. Instead, he’d stayed far away in an attempt to ease her.
Beks’ gaze shifted around the room she was in. The room was small. The size reminded her of her old dorm room in college, but somehow it didn’t seem crowded. The bed, she estimated, was a little larger than a full-sized bed and three-feet longer, no doubt to accommodate the sheer bulk of the alien. Anything less and he’d be falling off.
The walls were bare and made of a silvery metal material. There were no windows that she could see out of and the door seemed like it was activated by a keypad that Beks didn’t even want to try to access, even though she worked in the tech industry. Her inner nerd was immediately wary.
Gingerly, she got off the bed. She eyed the shirt, scooping it up as though it might bite her, and walked through the door the alien had pointed to.
There was a clear, vertical tube set against the far wall, which she assumed was a shower of some kind. After fiddling with the pad imbedded into the glass, and perhaps through sheer luck, she got it to work. A steady stream of water poured down from the ceiling and she stepped eagerly into the spray. Beks almost moaned. She didn’t remember the last time she’d bathed…the night before she’d been abducted, most likely, and the timeline for how long she’d been captured was still a little fuzzy in her mind.
There was no soap, at least none that she could see, but the hot water was enough. For now. Even though she wanted to scrub her skin raw, to erase that cage, that lizard alien’s fingers on her bare skin, by the time she’d stepped out of the stall, she felt slightly better, albeit tired.
She wanted to sleep, but she was afraid of what might happen if she let her guard down. She tried so hard not to think about what had almost happened back in that room, right before the scarred alien had killed the other with his bare hands. Beks squeezed her eyes shut, her hands trembling as she pulled the borrowed shirt on. It fell to her knees and the sleeves came to her elbows. She was dripping in material, but picturing the size of the scarred alien, she figured it might even be a little tight on him.
The material was airy and light, the softest material she’d ever felt, but it was the scent that made her nipples bead. She almost gasped out loud, she was so surprised by her reaction.
The shirt smelled like a minty musk, oddly enough. Masculine and unexpected. She knew it was the alien’s scent. Dimly, when he’d carried her out of that room where she’d been kept caged for so long, she’d smelled him.
She cursed her reaction, even as she lifted the front to inhale more deeply. Heat bloomed between her thighs and she dropped the shirt, embarrassed. Beks had never been prudish about her sexuality, but finding herself physically attracted to an alien, with dark curling horns and muscled shoulders that made her toes clench, was dangerous. Especially after everything she’d experienced. Her attraction to him didn’t make any sense. She was confused, obviously. It was much better if she simply ignored it.
Beks shivered, sitting back down on the bed.
Where are the others? she wondered, staring at the door. Were they safe?
She hadn’t even thought to ask when the scarred alien had been there. There were a lot of questions she’d wished she’d asked, now that she could get her mind working. Like, what were the new aliens’ plans for the women? Where were they taking them? What would they do with them?
So go demand answers, she thought. That was what her old self would’ve done. Her old self, pre-capture, would’ve marched around wherever she was, raising hell, until she got what she came for. Relentless. That was what her best friend, Kate, had always called her.
A pang of loss hit her. Kate had disappeared over a month ago…or had it been two months now? Beks shook her head, frustrated and sad. Two peas in a pod. Kate had been the sister and family that Beks had always wanted…and she had a sneaking suspicion that Kate had been captured like she had, by those aliens.
It physically hurt to think about what might have been her best friend’s fate. Was she even still alive?
A sudden burst of anger took her by surprise and it made her shoot off the bed and march to the silver keypad on the wall. She was tired of not knowing, of allowing others to control what happened to her. Back on Earth, Beks never let anyone get in the way of what she wanted. And right now? She wanted some damn answers.
It took her ten or eleven tries to finally get the door to swoosh open, but the lost time hadn’t dulled her determination. The corridor where the room was situated was empty and she decided to take a right and follow the hall, hoping it would lead her to someone who could direct her to the scarred alien. The alien who hadn’t told her his name, even though she’d told him hers. The alien she was sort of, kind of—okay, definitely—attracted to, which had trouble written all over it.
Even though she felt a little silly roaming about in a shirt with no shoes, with no idea where to even go, she finally came across an alien. He wasn’t as broad as her alien, but he still towered over her. At the sight of Beks, his brows shot up and he approached her warily. An urge to laugh bubbled in her throat. This alien looked like a spooked animal and yet he easily had a hundred pounds on her. It eased her nerves, at least. He didn’t seem like he’d hurt her.
“I’m looking for…” she exhaled sharply, wishing that damn alien had just told her his name. “The alien who…” she trailed off, wondering if he took offense to the word ‘alien.’ She cleared her throat, “To the guy who brought me on the ship. He’s about your height…with a scar on his face. I need to talk to him. Right now.”
She realized just then that it was foolish of her to assume he spoke English.
He studied her and then went to a silver pad on the wall, keying in some code, before speaking in the same rasping, lilting language that she’d heard the scarred alien speak. She wondered what they called themselves, what they called their language. It was odd, but for the first time, Beks realized that all of the species she’d seen had different cultures and customs, just like the people of Earth had. Until now, she’d been so preoccupied with escape, with getting back to her home, that she hadn’t even realized the implications of alien life, the enormity of it.
A voice came through the keypad after a lengthy pause and then the alien turned to her and said, in heavily accented English, “You may follow me, female.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, voice hesitant, as she fell into step beside him. Had it been a mistake, being this bold? She didn’t know what their plans for the human women were, after all.
“To the command center of the vessel.”
Well, alrighty then, Beks thought.
It was a short walk and Beks kept a wary eye on the towering alien next to her. When they came to a stop in front of a large set of metal doors and with one last sideways glance at Beks, her alien escort opened them, typing in a code.
Inside was a whirlwind of activity. But that only interested Beks for a brief moment…because there was a large, clear panel of glass—huge panel of glass, really—that showed…space. Honest to God, real life space, the kind she’d only ever seen in pictures or movies.
So many stars, she thought in awe, her mouth hanging open, too stunned to realize that almost every single alien in the command center had turned to stare at her.
The scarred alien stepped in line of her view and her lips parted, remembering in a brief flash her physical response to him. The alien crossed his arms over his massive chest and Beks felt a tingle travel from the base of her neck to the tips of her toes.
“You should be resting,” he said to her, a small, impassive frown on his features. Over his shoulder, he bit out an order in his language and the rest of the men returned to their work, ignoring them.
Beks wondered if he was the captain of whatever this was. The men seemed to listen to him at least and there was no denying his strong, authoritative tone, even in his different language.
He continued to stare at her, as though expectant. “I was told you needed to speak with me,” he prompted.
Suddenly, she remembered why she was there. Looking at him had temporarily fried her brain, but, almost without realizing it, she said, “I want to know your name.”
His frown deepened and he widened his stance, his tree-trunk sized thighs spreading. A flash of heat made her sharply intake a breath and she saw his nostrils flare.
“You broke out from my quarters and came here to ask me my name?” he questioned, his voice deep, raspy, but unreadable.
The only thing she could say was, “I didn’t realize I was being kept prisoner in your quarters.”
His chest stiffened and he shifted closer. But Beks wasn’t afraid. Even though he could kill her easily with his sheer strength alone, Beks didn’t feel threatened. He wouldn’t hurt her.
How she knew that, she didn’t know. It was just a feeling.
Something that sounded like a purr rumbled from his chest and Beks’ heartbeat fluttered in response. God, that sound…it was like a purr crossed with a growl. It was both calming, yet…primitive. She felt it reverberate down her spine and spread to her nipples.
“Lihvan,” he said, inclining his head to her. “My name is Lihvan, female.”
Lee-von, she whispered in her head. Lihvan.
Beks cleared her throat, thrown again by the surge of something that passed through her body at the sound of his voice, at the knowledge of his name. “Well…I—uh…I have some questions for you, Lihvan. Questions that I want answered,” she said, her eyes sliding up to meet his. She added, “Right now,” just in case he didn’t take her seriously enough, not like it would do much.
His eyes seemed to flash the moment she spoke his name. A purring rumble once again sounded from his chest but he cut it short, like he didn’t want her hearing it.
Interesting, she noted. She wondered what that response meant.
“Right now,” he repeated, his frown growing even deeper, his eyes and face still unreadable, “is not a good moment, female. You should go rest back in your quarters.”
“You mean your quarters,” she reminded, taking a step closer. He seemed startled by her sudden movement and took a step away from her before he scowled at himself. Female awareness spread to the tips of her fingers and Beks cocked her head to the side, wondering if the alien was either threatened or wary or attracted to her. Or all three.
Beks was no stranger to picking up subtle cues from men. She was no stranger to navigating the dating pool, to decoding vague text messages, to playing games. She was damn good at it too. And even though she preferred being single, a part of her missed that intricate little puzzle between sexes, that push and pull, those first moments of nervous excitement.
Beks eyed the tall, bulky alien in front of her and wondered if he would like the games she played with him. It might even be fun to see his serious, intense facade break a little under her flirtations.
A challenge was something Beks had never been able to resist. And she had an attractive, sexy, seven-foot-tall challenge standing directly in front of her.
Besides, after her capture and subsequent captivity, maybe she was due for a little bit of enjoyment, a little bit of fun. It was potentially dangerous, and more than a little reckless, but she needed a well-deserved distraction from her thoughts.
And she could get her answers from him in the meantime.
“You’ll make time to answer some questions I have,” she murmured, her eyes connected with his gaze. He had pretty eyes. They were strange, like cat eyes, but the color was the softest of blues, a surprising contrast for so severe a male.
His spine straightened at her words, making him seem suddenly inches taller. His brow twitched as he said, in a dry tone, “You think to order me about, female? I am the one in command here.”
“So you are the captain then,” she replied. Well now…she’d always loved a man in uniform. She pursed her lips, thinking, as her eyes roamed the command center deck. “Fine, I can compromise. When will you be free to talk with me, captain?”
Lihvan stared at her, the scar that ran down his cheek pulling a little. Just when she thought he wouldn’t answer, he bit out, “Once my duties are seen to here and we are a safe distance away from the planet’s surface, then I will come speak with you, but not a moment before. Unless you wish to remain within firing range of the planet we just pulled you from…”
Beks lips pressed together, but she gave a curt nod, her eyes straying briefly to the vast expanse of inky blackness and stars just behind him. She’d been outmaneuvered by her scarred alien, but a part of her loved it.
Her chin tilted up. “That sounds reasonable.”
“Then if there is nothing else, female…” Lihvan looked behind her, motioning for the alien that had escorted her to the command center, no doubt ready for her to depart as quickly as she’d come.
Beks could take a hint.
But Lihvan was just within reach and Beks couldn’t resist. Before she turned to leave, she reached out and brushed her fingertips over his forearm. His skin was cool to the touch, the muscles hard as stone beneath his intriguing, shimmering, mirage-like flesh.
“Until later, captain,” she said softly, her lips curling at the corners.
The scarred alien’s jaw clenched so tightly that, for a moment, she was afraid it might shatter.
Game on, Beks thought.