Chapter Three
Really, Allik should have predicted what her response would be, but the moment he spoke the words you’re mine with uncharacteristic recklessness, the young woman in his arms went wild. She struggled furiously, kicking her legs out and throwing her head back in an attempt to knock him off balance. If it wasn’t for his concern that she might hurt herself, he’d have been amused by her impassioned, but ultimately futile efforts.
“Stop that,” he commanded.
She paused for a second as though considering whether to obey him and then began to struggle once more.
“I can see that I’m going to have to bind you for this first part of our journey.”
At that, he felt her whole body tensing, her chest swelling as she drew in a deep breath preparing, no doubt, to let out a scream. He couldn’t allow her to attract any unwanted attention. It would be hard to explain the unconscious security guard on the floor without getting her into serious trouble. Then there was his own presence within the walls of the High Council’s headquarters to account for. Although Taar-Breck still maintained diplomatic relations with Earth, things were tense and he knew he shouldn’t have entered the Town Hall without an invitation.
Before the little human could make a sound, he pulled a gag from his pocket and pushed it between her conveniently parted lips. The thick leather bit filled her mouth, making speech impossible. He drew together the magnetic fasteners that would secure the gag in place until he chose to release them. Muffled sounds streamed from her mouth and although no discernible words were formed, he knew that she was cursing him out. He’d take her to task for her foul language and any further misbehavior she indulged in once they were safely on board the transport ship.
For now, his priority was getting her away from here safely. Taking two thin metal bands from his belt, he snapped one around each of her wrists and then drew her arms back behind her. Immediately, she tried to pull away. Although he was impressed by her strength, it was no match for his. Activating the magnetic force in the metal cuffs, he shackled her with ruthless efficiency. With a faint amusement, he watched her trying to wrench her wrists apart. It was useless and she seemed to quickly realize it. Only he would be able to release her from the cuffs and he had no intention of doing so until they were safely on board the military transport vessel that would carry them to Taar-Breck.
Wasting no time, he spun her around and hoisted her over his shoulder. He carried her quickly through the corridors and down the back stairs toward a side exit where a vehicle would be waiting for them. As soon as he’d realized she was heading toward the Town Hall, he’d anticipated trouble and summoned a driver from the Taar-Breckian embassy to assist him in making a quick getaway.
As he strode toward the exit, he could hear the deep breaths his little captive was taking, presumably in a bid to calm her fears. He was pleased that she was acting sensibly and had not continued to fight with him once she’d been gagged and bound. Most women he knew would have kept on struggling, probably to the point where they injured themselves. Victoria, however, had clearly decided that it was a battle she would not win and had acquiesced.
She really was a most unusual female. Allik had not been able to believe his eyes when he had found her hovering over the unconscious body of the security guard. Lying on the floor nearby was some sort of art object. Straight away, Allik put together what had happened. It was clear she’d had to defend herself against this larger human male. It must have come as a shock to her when the man fell but, rather than collapsing into a sniveling mess at what she’d done, she’d appeared so composed. All he’d experienced of these high-born human women had taught him that they were fairly useless creatures but Victoria was different. It was obvious that she could take care of herself in a pinch. He needed that from his mate. The woman who would stand by his side would have to possess real inner strength.
When he came out through the side door of the municipal building, an inconspicuous grey vehicle was waiting. He recognized the driver as Saran, a member of the diplomatic staff who would be able to claim immunity from prosecution if they were arrested in their attempt to remove Victoria from the planet without permission. Although two Taar-Breckians could easily fight their way out of any altercation with members of the human security forces, protocol demanded that they surrender instead. Then it would be up to the diplomats to sort it out and that could take a long time.
Their best bet was to slip away with as little fuss as possible. There were very few cars on the streets of New Cambridge so he’d instructed the embassy to send one of their more modest models so they wouldn’t stand out as they made their way through the city. Opening the back door, he carefully lowered Victoria onto the back seat. He placed her on her side so she was facing toward the rear of the vehicle. As he stepped back, he couldn’t help but notice the way the thin fabric of her dress molded to her beautifully rounded buttocks, just ripe for the punishments he would administer if—no, make that when—she stepped out of line.
“Do not move,” he commanded, the fierceness in his tone a cover for the intimate thoughts he was already beginning to have about this woman. “Things will go badly for you if you try anything. Nod if you understand.”
Her head jerked in a motion that indicated she understood him. It pleased him that she was being so compliant but he was under no illusions that it would last. He had seen a glimpse of the fire that raged inside her. Still, he was satisfied that, for now, she would do as she was told, so he closed the door and got into the passenger seat, next to the driver who’d been sent to assist him. As the vehicle drove along the quiet streets, Allik allowed himself a moment of self-congratulation. Despite things happening somewhat differently from the way he’d planned them, they would soon be heading for Taar-Breck, where the High Council would pose no further threat to Victoria. By the time they got there, he hoped that she would have accepted his protection and all that entailed.
* * *
Victoria listened in horrified fascination as the man who’d taken her prisoner spoke of his plans with his colleague who was driving the car. She couldn’t quite believe what was happening. When he had gagged and bound her, she hadn’t struggled because her mind had frozen with the realization that a part of her welcomed the restraints. It was, after all, what she’d been fantasizing about for months. She couldn’t say she liked the gag particularly, but there was something about the way the metal felt around her wrists that seemed right somehow. It was strange and bewildering to want to be free and yet captive at the same time.
From what the men had said, they were making their way to a shuttle that would take them to a military transport vessel. It would then carry them across the galaxy to Taar-Breck. Getting as far away from here as possible was probably a good idea right now. The punishment for striking that security guard would be severe. Perhaps being snatched by an alien was actually fortuitous, especially since he oozed masculinity from every pore.
She was curious to know what her captor intended for her once they got to Taar-Breck. One thing was for sure, though, there was no way she was going to swap her life of restriction here on Earth for a similar fate on an alien planet. If this big brute thought she was going to sit back and allow him to take over her life, he was in for a surprise. She just had to choose the right moment to act.
As the vehicle slowed, she knew that they were coming to the end of this first leg of their journey. She had not yet had a proper look at the man who’d abducted her. She had only a vague impression of jet black hair and tanned skin. If nothing else, she knew that he was well built. She was tall but, even so, he towered over her. As she’d fought to free herself from his grasp, she’d felt the enormous muscles bulging in his arms and his chest was like a brick wall. He was certainly an impressive figure of a man and she found herself rather wistfully wondering if he had those same violet blue eyes as the other Taar-Breckian warriors she’d seen.
Suddenly the car stopped and she heard one of the doors opening. Before she knew what was happening, she found herself being pulled from the back seat and thrown over that solid shoulder once more. Still rather stunned at being manhandled like this, she simply hung there as she was carried up the steps into the shuttle and dumped on a large leather sofa.
Still, she did not get a good look at her captor as he moved toward the front of the small craft to key coordinates into the instrument panel. She supposed she should be grateful that he had, at least, left her in a seated position this time.
Nerves began to flutter in her chest as the engines fired. As the shuttle moved off, soaring into the air, her stomach lurched. Nausea rose up inside her and she started to panic that she was about to throw up. With the leather filling her mouth, she would surely choke. Her hands were still bound behind her back and she had no way to free herself or remove the gag from her mouth. Eyes widening in horror, she sucked deep breaths in through her nose. Terror took a firm grip of her and she feared she was about to pass out.
Then, suddenly, she was aware of a presence in front of her. Before she knew what was happening, the Taar-Breckian warrior reached around and released the gag and cuffs that bound her. Gulping in air, she fell forward to rest her head on her knees. To her surprise, the alien crouched in front of her and took her small, delicate hands in his. Callused fingers found the pulse points in her wrists and massaged gently.
“Steady now.” His tone was soothing, conveying a gentleness that surprised Victoria.
She looked up to find a pair of intense indigo eyes staring back at her. Sitting back, she made a careful study of him. There was a look of concern softening his brutal, blemished features. Even without the scars marking the left side of his face, pinching in at the side of his mouth, he would look severe. He was certainly handsome still, but there was something forbidding about him. Victoria wondered whether he had grown his hair a little longer than usual to try to mask his scars.
As she continued to stare at him, he scowled, his features darkening. Everything about this man screamed unapproachable yet Victoria found herself drawn to him. There was something magnetic about his presence, his closeness to her sending shivers of delight through her body. She wanted to know more about him, to learn what he’d suffered. She wanted to ease the pain she could see deep within his eyes. It was as though she was connected to him somehow, a feeling she found disconcerting.
“The sickness will pass,” he told her.
Victoria nodded, the movement causing an even deeper wave of nausea to wash over her. She groaned as she felt the color draining from her cheeks.
“You’ve never flown before?”
Victoria shook her head. Few women had. Travel was a freedom granted almost exclusively to men and, even then, they had to apply for special permission from the High Council before they could leave Earth’s orbit. Exploring the universe was something Victoria had always dreamed of. Now, though, with her stomach roiling and her brow sweating, she wasn’t so convinced it was for her.
“If I’d known you suffered motion sickness, I would have given you something to ease it before we boarded.”
“You carry medical supplies on all your abductions?” Victoria could not prevent the sarcasm from spilling out.
“Not as a rule.” Either he had failed to pick up on the hostility in her tone or he was choosing to ignore it. Keeping hold of her hands, he rose to his feet, looming large over her. “Just take deep breaths. The journey will be over in a few minutes.”
“What about the rest of the trip?” She saw the look of question pass across his face as she glanced up at him. She let out an unladylike snort. “I do have ears, you know. I heard you and your friend talking about a military transport ship.”
“Ah.” He nodded, seeming to appreciate that she had kept her wits about her. “You need not worry about that. You will not sense its motion in the same way so there should be no problem.”
He must have seen the doubt on her face as he added, “Our larger ships are steadier than these shuttles. They are intended for long distance travel. You may not find your surroundings luxurious, but you will be comfortable.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.” The certainty in his voice made Victoria smile despite herself. This was clearly a man who was used to things going his way. “You will be fine.”
As he let go of her hands and turned to go back to the controls, Victoria reached out and grabbed his arm. The surprise at her touch was evident in his expression as he turned to her.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Allik.”
“Allik,” she repeated, liking the way his name felt on her tongue. “I’m Victoria.”
“Yes,” he replied. “I know. In fact, I know a great deal about you and your friends, Victoria Louise Walton.”
As he moved away from her, Victoria slumped back in her seat. He knew who she was? That was a bit of a shock. When he’d snatched her at the Town Hall, she’d not really had time to process what was happening, but she had assumed it was a random abduction, that he was taking advantage of the situation he’d discovered her in. It hadn’t occurred to her that he’d targeted her specifically and that threw up a thousand questions that she doubted he would answer. She thought about the words he’d whispered in her ear—you’re mine—and a tingle ran down her spine. Did this alien warrior think she was some sort of object he could just take into his possession? If he did, he was in for a shock. Whatever fantasies she might hold about being bound by a dominant male like him, what she wanted in reality was quite different. She had no intention of becoming a subservient little woman with no will of her own. No matter how she yearned to feel his touch, she would be a slave to no man.
* * *
Allik disengaged the autopilot and steered the shuttle toward the designated docking bay aboard the transport ship. He’d done this a thousand times before, could do it in his sleep if necessary, but today he found he had to give every last ounce of his concentration to maneuvering the small spacecraft onto the larger military vessel. As his hand hovered over the steering panel, he was amazed to find it was actually shaking. He needed to get his mind off the young woman sitting behind him, huffing quietly to herself. She’d surprised him once again. When she’d looked at the terrible ruin of his face, she hadn’t even blinked. There was no horror on her expression, nor, thankfully, was there any hint of the pity he so dreaded seeing.
She had studied him closely and he’d seen the questions in those vivid green eyes of hers, but she hadn’t intruded as so many people did, by demanding to know what happened to him. She’d simply appraised him with a quiet calm he found remarkable, given the acute distress she’d been in just moments earlier. As he’d thought about how she’d struggled for breath, he mentally chastised himself for not considering that she might not be accustomed to shuttle travel. These small craft took off at high speed and that could be unsettling for someone who’d never experienced it before. If he hadn’t recognized that she was having trouble breathing and gone to her aid, he hated to think what might have happened. If she was hurt on his watch, he would never forgive himself.
As he brought the shuttle to a halt, he took a deep breath. The arrangement he’d made for their journey to Taar-Breck was for this young woman to share his quarters. His rooms on board were modest, designed for a single man with simple needs and it was just starting to dawn on him how small the space was. They would be practically on top of each other the whole time. It had been part of the plan, of course, that he should take Victoria as his mate, but he’d intended to move slowly. He knew that his disfigurement made him less desirable and honor dictated that he should not force himself upon her. He’d intended to give her time to accept that she was now his, something that went against all his instincts as a Taar-Breckian male. Men of his species were accustomed to acting more decisively when they wanted a woman. Now that he had seen Victoria up close, he knew it was going to be a struggle to suppress his baser instincts. He wanted to bend her over the seat and claim her with a long, hard fucking she would not soon forget. At the very thought of her creamy thighs spread wide for him, his cock sprang to life. He blew out a slow breath. Two weeks on board the ship, sharing close quarters with a woman he so strongly desired? It was going to be hell.