Rita and the raider a sc.., p.1
Rita and the Raider: A SciFi Alien Romance (Alien Abduction Book 18), page 1
RITA AND THE RAIDER
A SCIFI ALIEN ROMANCE
ALIEN ABDUCTION
HONEY PHILLIPS
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Other Titles
About the Author
CHAPTER ONE
I am undoubtedly a fool, Worvak thought as he followed the slave trader down one dark narrow alley and into another. He briefly considered the possibility of an ambush, then decided the space was simply too small to support it. His shoulders brushed against both walls. When it finally opened to a slightly wider space, the sides were lined with wire cages containing a variety of pathetic looking specimens. He let his eyes drift casually over them as he compiled an inventory in his head - several endangered species, two sentient beings, and a rare gensar plant that would soon die from the wrong soil and lack of light.
He found their plight disturbing but his assignment was simple – go in, identify any illegal animals, plants, or beings, and then leave and hand the information over to the Imperial Fleet so they could carry out an effective raid. It was a dangerous job, and he could argue that it was an important job, but it wasn’t what he had envisioned when he agreed to the assignment - hence the foolishness.
Ever since his partner Boxtar had mated with a human female the previous year, he’d found himself growing increasingly restless. He did not think it was associated with his partner's mate specifically – she was a nice enough female - but an overall lack of purpose. When they had been in the city of Almadin to gather some last-minute supplies before the winter seas became impassable, Commander Trogar, a male they had known during their days serving in the Imperial Fleet, had approached him about taking on some undercover work. The goal was to stamp out the illegal slave rings, especially those dealing in stolen females.
He was not an impulsive male. He likes to consider his choices, weigh the options, and then decide. This time he had shocked himself, and he suspected Trogar, by agreeing immediately. There had been some justification for the speed. In a few weeks, they would be unable to travel between Almadin and Sekala, their island home. And if he were going to take this type of assignment, the winter season was the perfect opportunity.
But while he wouldn't go as far as to say that Trogar had misled him, he had certainly implied that he would be doing something more than following seedy little merchants into back alleys and creating lists of endangered animals. The merchant gave him a hopeful look rubbing his hands together.
"Is there anything which catches your eye, Lord V’bal?"
The name always made him smile inside. He had deliberately chosen a name belonging to the families he most disliked on his home planet of Harka.
"They are all rather… ordinary. Perhaps another time."
"Wait! There is something else. Something very rare. Very expensive."
He shrugged, even though for the first time he felt a spark of interest.
“Perhaps.”
He deliberately let some of the gold in his waist pouch click together.
"Technically, the product belongs to my brother, but he can't decide what to do with it. It can be a little… challenging, but I'm sure that a male of your size will have no difficulty.”
He was definitely interested now, but he masked it with a casual nod.
They threaded through an additional set of alleyways before coming to a halt in front of a building that looked like it had once been used to store vehicles. The merchant looked around nervously again, then unlocked double locks before pushing the door open to reveal a murky interior.
"After you."
He shook his head. He had no intention of walking into an ambush.
"No, after you."
Since the male didn't hesitate, he decided that his concern was probably unnecessary and followed him into the dim interior, although his hand remained on the knife concealed in his belt. The place was primarily empty except for some old supplies – used paint cans, an assortment of broken tools, and piles of rags, and he frowned at the merchant.
“This is why you brought me? To see this collection of junk?"
“Oh no, your lordship. I brought you to see her."
His eyes finally adjusted enough to see the female figure chained in the far corner – naked, filthy, and clearly human. He had enough information. He should return to the fleet immediately and send them in. But then the female looked up and he found himself staring into a pale, dirty face. Beneath the dirt she was clearly attractive, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Blue eyes met his, bright, terrified, and fiercely defiant, and he realized in that moment that he would not be leaving her behind.
CHAPTER TWO
Four weeks earlier…
"Are you sure you don't want to change your mind?" Sarah asked, her eyes twinkling as she watched Rita tidy up her classroom.
She laughed and shook her head.
"No, thank you. I have my spring break all planned out."
Her friend rolled her eyes.
"You’d really rather spend the week working on your kitchen instead of enjoying some sun and fun with me and Tammy? Aren’t you interested in a little adventure?"
"Absolutely not. Working on my own home is adventure enough for me."
Sarah sighed but gave her a warm smile.
"I'll be happy to give you a hand – after we get back. Enjoy your painting."
"I will," she said truthfully as Sarah laughed.
She knew her friend didn't understand her enthusiasm, but her mother had been in the military and after a lifetime of changing locations whenever her mother got restless, spending time in her own home was far more appealing than another trip. Especially a week spent getting sunburned and watching as men flocked around her friends.
She took one more look around the classroom to make sure that everything was neat and tidy before picking up her tote and leaving. The small house she’d purchased with her inheritance from her mother was an easy walk, and she found herself smiling as she walked along the familiar streets, exchanging greetings with her neighbors. This was exactly what she had envisioned when she set out to create a new life for herself – a cozy town where everyone knew her and where she knew everyone and a house that she could live in for the rest of her life.
As she walked up the steps of the old 1920s bungalow she couldn't help wondering what her mother would have thought. No, that wasn't entirely accurate - she knew what her mother wouldn’t have been impressed. Sgt. Maj. Leslie Warren had never had much use for small towns or permanent homes. The two of them could not have been more different, in everything from looks to personality. Her mother had been tall, athletic, and outgoing, whereas Rita was short, clumsy, and shy. She had loved her mother very much and she knew that her mother had loved her, but that love hadn’t extended to understanding how difficult it had been for Rita to move so frequently. Would she have been happy that Rita finally had the home she’d always wanted?
Once inside, she changed clothes and went to inspect her preparations. The cabinets had already been cleared out, and tomorrow she would give them a final sanding, then apply the first coat of primer. The paint was already waiting – a soft white that would be the beginning of the cottage kitchen of her dreams. When she had everything in place, she put on her sneakers and went next door.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Alvarez. Is Max ready for his walk?"
Max came charging over to meet her, dancing around her excitedly and they both laughed. He was a golden retriever with a sweet personality and boundless energy. He was totally the wrong dog for her delicate, elderly neighbor, but Mrs. Alvarez's son had given him to her and she was determined to keep him. Rita took him for a walk every afternoon to help work off some of his excess energy.
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Mrs. Alvarez asked, as she did every day.
"Not at all. You know I like some fresh air after being in the classroom all day."
"Well, if you’re sure you don't mind, I’m sure Max would love a walk. And I have some brownies for you when you get back."
"You spoil me," she protested.
"You deserve to be spoiled," Mrs. Alvarez said firmly. "You need a nice young man who will take care of you."
"Oh, I'm just fine on my own," she said cheerfully, and attached Max's leash before her neighbor got started.
It wasn't that she was opposed to love and romance, but it was yet another area where she was the opposite of her mother. Her mother had liked men, but she hadn't liked commitment. She did her best to keep her boyfriends away from her daughter, but that didn't mean that Rita hadn’t been aware of the succession of men. The idea appalled her. All she wanted was a nice, quiet, family man who was happy to mow the lawn on Saturdays and to spend the weekend working around the house or w atching a game on television while she read. Not that she'd encountered such a man yet, but there was still plenty of time.
The park where she walked Max was unusually deserted, and she realized it was later than usual. She'd spent longer than she had intended getting everything ready for tomorrow. The late afternoon sun slanted through the trees and the quiet was almost eerie. Even Max stayed close to her side rather than tugging at the leash.
"What's the matter, Maxie?" A cool breeze drifted across her neck, unusually cold for this time of year and she shivered. "Why don't we go back? I’ll throw the ball for you in the backyard instead.”
An unpleasant stench wafted past her as she started to turn back, and Max suddenly started barking and yanking on the leash. She tightened her grip on it, but there was a sudden sharp pain in her neck and the world started to whirl around her. The sound of Max's barking followed her into the darkness.
CHAPTER THREE
Rita tried not to flinch when the door to her latest prison slammed open. She refused to give these bastards the satisfaction of knowing how terrified she was. She deliberately kept her head down, her body still, but then she heard Garza's voice. He was the brother of the male who had been her most recent purchaser but he was far less sadistic than his brother. He remembered to throw some food in her direction and although he leered at her as all the alien males did, he hadn't touched her.
Then she realized he was speaking to someone about purchasing her, and she couldn’t prevent herself from looking up. Her horrified glance took in the massive warrior accompanying Garza. He was huge, with terrifying ridges of what she assumed was natural armor covering his head. His eyes glowed green and catlike in the dimness while his sleeveless vest revealed arms thick with muscle. A variety of jewel encrusted weapons hung from his belt but she wasn't foolish enough to believe that their adornment made them any less deadly.
But no matter how terrifying she found him, no matter how little chance she would stand against him, she was enough of her mother's daughter not to reveal her fear. She lifted her chin defiantly and did her best to glare at him, even though she was afraid her luck had finally run out – although perhaps luck was not the most appropriate choice of words.
At some point after she'd lost consciousness in the park, she had awakened to find herself confined to a small cell. Two men were standing on the other side of the metal bars. No, not men, she realized with horror. They looked similar to primitive humans with low foreheads, thick heavy brows, and a heavy pelt of hair covering their bodies, but she was quite sure they were not human.
One of them was examining an injury on his arm and scowling at the other.
"You should have let me shoot that creature. He bit me."
Maxie, she thought, her heart skipping a beat at the thought of her silly, brave companion.
"You know the captain would have your balls if you left an unexplained corpse behind. A disappearance is one thing. Dead bodies with unexplained injuries are another."
She had no difficulty understanding what either of them were saying, but beneath their words, she heard another set of low growling noises. They must have fitted her with some type of translator.
The injured male turned and scowled at her.
"You better hope you fetch a good price, or I’ll be seeking payment another way."
He grabbed his crotch, his meaning horrifyingly clear, but the other male gave him a rough shove.
"No you won’t. She's untouched, or close enough to pass. Leave the merchandise alone."
Her heart sank even further as the two males disappeared, the injured one still complaining. Merchandise?
She wanted to call after them, to demand an explanation, but she’d learned a long time ago that demanding answers was rarely successful.
She realized for the first time that her clothes had been removed, replaced by a plain white garment that simply fastened at the top of each shoulder and on either side of her waist. The thin material left very little to the imagination, and combined with the male's comments, she had a sickening feeling exactly why she had become merchandise.
They thought she was untouched? She would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so terrifying.
She had lost her virginity when she was sixteen to a man named Carter, a soldier friend of her mother's. He’d been the first man to pay attention to her and he’d seemed so kind. He was confident as well, unlike the hesitant boys her own age. She had flowered under his attention and when he wanted more, she didn’t want to deny him. Her first time had been… uncomfortable, but she believed his praise, desperate for his approval.
But the approval hadn’t lasted. His kindness faded, replaced by peremptory demands that she satisfy his needs. Then one night her mother had returned unexpectedly and found them together, Rita crying because he’d berated her when she refused to let him take pictures of her naked.
He’d attempted to laugh it off, but her mother had drawn her side arm and marched him out of their small base apartment. Rita had never seen him again and a week later, they were on their way to another post. Her mother had assured her that he would ever bother her again. Then she sighed.
“He wasn’t an honorable man. Someone like you, someone… trusting needs to find a man she can trust.”
“How would I know?” she’d asked bitterly.
“An honorable man won’t break his word. He’ll never try and force you to do something you don’t want to do. And he will never try and hide your relationship.”
Carter had done all of them.
Although she eventually moved on, the experience scarred her. She had never really been able to trust another male. The fact that even the nicest one eventually grew annoyed by her refusal to sleep with them only added to her conviction that they were not to be trusted. But if she had known that her lack of experience would make her a desirable subject for sale, she would have fucked her way through the past few years.
As it turned out, her almost virginity proved irrelevant at first. Her first owner had been a terrifying insectoid male. But despite his rigid shell and intimidating mandibles, he had proven as fastidious as the prissiest old lady. Clearly unfamiliar with humans, he had tried to feed her some regurgitated pulp and she had thrown up all over him. He’d been shocked and disgusted - and immediately ordered one of his servants to arrange for her sale.
He had obeyed, selling her to a tall white skinned male with long white hair and an almost ethereal appearance. Unlike the insect, his intentions had been perfectly clear, and he had ordered her to present herself for his cock. When she refused, he tried to force her, but despite his height, he had surprisingly little strength and she'd remembered enough of her mother's training to fight him off, scratching his face in the process. He’d been horrified by the injury, turning even paler at the sight of his own blood and once again she'd been sold.
That was when she'd ended up in Rasact's hands. He wasn't tall, but he was strong and brutal. She had no doubt that he would have raped her, but the pedigree that had accompanied her throughout her sales made him hesitate. Thankfully he was enough of a businessman to realize that her supposed virginal status would add to her value. His estimation of that value hadn't led to him taking care of her. He’d stripped off the by now bedraggled white shift, and shoved her into this dark shed. She obviously wasn't the first person to have been concealed here she realized as he fastened one end of the manacle chained to the wall around her ankle.
Despite the succession of sales and the horrifying conditions, so far she was still relatively untouched but she suspected that wouldn’t last much longer. This new male wouldn’t be put off by bodily fluids or scratches. She was afraid that her supposed virginity would be a challenge rather than a reason for caution, but she still refused to give in to fear.
