Abducted: Alien Mate Index Book 1: (Alien Warrior BBW Science Fiction Paranormal Romance) (The Alien Mate Index) (35 page)

“What the
fuck?”

The big blue guy spun around, moving much faster than anyone that huge ought to be able to. He took one look at me and the empty drink in my hand and grabbed me by the front of my shirt.

“The
Hell
do you think you’re doin’?” he growled in a deep, menacing voice. Up close I was surprised to see that he had horns like Sarden’s—only his were thicker and curled like a ram’s horns—also they were jet black. There was a curving black tattoo that grew up from one muscular pec to encircle his thick neck in a pattern that reminded me of thorns.

But the weirdest thing about him was his eyes—it was It was as if they had been reversed. The whites were jet black and the pupil and iris were outlined in white.

“Oh, I…I’m so sorry,” I gasped, tugging at the bottom hem of my shirt. Al had yet to manage to synthesize me a working bra and I was afraid that if the blue alien pulled my shirt up much further, my bare breasts would be exposed.
That
would certainly blow my cover. Nothing like flashing your titties at an alien bar to let them know you’re human.

“The fuck did you throw your drink at me?” he demanded, his white-on-black eyes narrowing and his lips peeling back in a snarl. Great, he had two short, sharp fangs to go with the weird eyes and black horns.

Some people are just blessed, I guess.

“I…I didn’t! I mean, not on purpose!” I exclaimed breathlessly. “He shoved me! He…” I looked around for the two headed alien but he had conveniently disappeared.

“He,
who?”
the big alien demanded, shaking me.

“The two-headed guy. He was just here—he was really drunk and he shoved into me and tried to pick a fight.”

“Right. Tried to pick a fight while you were busy listenin’ in on my conversation,” he growled. “What are you, anyway?” His nostrils wrinkled. “I can tell you’re not really Grubbian.” He pulled me closer and took a deeper sniff. “And you’re not male either. So who in the Scalding Hells…”

“She’s with me,” Sarden said, suddenly appearing behind the blue alien’s massive shoulder. His eyes were glowing molten gold with rage and his voice was a deep, angry growl. “So put her the
fuck
down or suffer the consequences.”

The blue guy whipped around to face Sarden with me still clutched in his fist. I was sure at any minute my shirt would rip open or pull all the way up to my neck and then the whole bar would see my fun-puppies. But when he caught sight of Sarden, his expression suddenly changed from one of irritation and anger to pleased disbelief.

“Sarden?” he asked. “Sarden de’Lagorn?”

“Gravex? Grav N’gol? I don’t believe it!” Sarden put out an arm and the big blue guy grasped it, his hand closing over Sarden’s forearm as Sarden’s hand closed over his. “How long has it been?”

“Too long,” Sarden said, positively grinning now. “I haven’t seen you since our time on Vorn 6 when you, well…” He trailed off, looking extremely uncomfortable.

“You can say it,” the blue guy whose name was apparently Grav rumbled. “Since I was tried and found guilty in the High Court.”

“Listen, for what it’s worth, I never believed you did it,” Sarden said earnestly.

“But I
did
do it.” Grav grinned, flashing his short, sharp fangs. “Which is why they sent me away to triple max detention. But I’m out now, as you can see.”

“All I can see is that I’m about to be exposed here,” I said, breaking into their conversation. “I hate to interrupt your reunion but if you guys are friends, could you
please
put me down?”

“Oh—sorry.” Grav set me on my feet and I smoothed down the front of my shirt, relieved not to be exposed. He pointed a thumb at me and looked at Sarden. “Who is she anyway and why is she sneakin’ around listening in on other people’s conversations?”

“She’s with me.” Sarden pulled me close, draping one arm around my shoulders protectively.

“Yeah, you said that but who
is
she?” Grav’s nose wrinkled. “
What
is she? I’ve never smelled anything like her—so fuckin’
sweet
.”

“She’s
not
available.” Sarden’s voice went from friendly to a menacing growl so fast it made my head spin. Apparently his trust in his old friend only went so far.

“I didn’t think she was,” Grav rumbled, frowning. “Hell, I can smell your scent all over her, Sarden. I was just curious—that’s all.” He frowned at me. “Curious the same way your little female was about me. Why do you have her skulking around this fuckin’ place anyway if you’re so protective? It’s not very damn safe, you know.”

Sarden sighed and seemed to relax a little.

“I know. But she insisted.” He gave me a look which I returned with interest. “The truth is, she’s here helping me gather any information we can get about Sellah.”

“Sellah? Your Eloim blood-sister?” Grav frowned as he grabbed a napkin looking thing from the bar to swab at the back of his head which was still dripping with my drink. “What about her?”

Sarden took a look around the bar. Nobody seemed to be listening but he still frowned.

“Let’s take this reunion someplace a little more private,” he muttered. “Come on.”

“Sure.” Grav shrugged amiably and the three of us went to find a dark corner—of which there were plenty in the dim, smoky lounge. Walking between them, I felt like a little kid between two adults—they were both so freaking
huge.

I wondered if Grav was part Vorn like Sarden. His horns were a little different and his eyes and skin color were completely unlike Sarden’s but they both had the same big, muscular build and confident way of walking.

We finally got settled in a booth with extremely high sides and a gauzy curtain at the entrance to keep prying eyes out. Apparently the regular patrons of the VIP lounge valued their privacy. I sat beside Sarden, who kept his arm around me, and across from Grav. The table of the booth was so high, it was almost up to my chin, though both guys rested their brawny forearms on it easily.

“So what happened to your sister?” Grav asked, frowning. “Is she all right?”

“I don’t know—I hope so,” Sarden said grimly. “She was kidnapped and sold to a wealthy Gord merchant—Tazaxx. He has a compound on Giedi Prime where he keeps his private exhibit—beautiful and unique females from all over the galaxy. Some he keeps but some—”

“He auctions off. Right.” Grav nodded.

“So you know about him?” Sarden leaned forward eagerly. “What can you tell me about the situation?”

“Probably nothin’ you don’t already know. That he keeps his ‘treasures’ as he calls them, hidden away and it’s fuckin’ impossible to get in to see them unless you’re a wealthy investor who might buy one at an exorbitant price.”

Sarden nodded. “I know all that. I’ve smuggled several shipments for the bastard but he’s never once offered to let me see his private collection, even though I’ve been in his compound twice.”

“Excuse me,” I said. “Not to interrupt but if he sells his, uh, exhibits sometimes, why not just
buy
Sellah back? I mean…” I lowered my voice and spoke in Sarden’s ear. “Don’t you have enough money, er,
credit
from selling all that medical-torture stuff to Count Creepy? Especially since you didn’t have to pay to have the ship’s panels replaced?”

“I thought about that but Tazaxx won’t sell to me.” Sarden sounded frustrated.

“What? Why not?” I asked.

“Because…” He sighed. “We had a…dispute over the last shipment I smuggled for him. Terrinian quarthogs. He wanted to pay less than he’d offered in the first place so I offloaded the whole lot to another merchant. Once you piss Tazaxx off, he’ll never deal with you again.”

“But what about…I thought that was why you got
me
in the first place?” I said to Sarden. “So he would deal with you. Make a trade with you.”

“That would have been different—a trade doesn’t involve credit changing hands,” he said. “It’s not the same thing to a Gord.” He shrugged. “But even so, I don’t know if he would have gone for it. He hates me—he’d be glad to cause me pain by withholding Sellah just because I want her back so badly.”

“My employer is in the same situation,” Grav rumbled. “He offended Tazaxx and now he’s paying the price. Gords never forgive an offense—they hold on to a grudge like it’s fuckin’ credit.”

“Wait—your
employer?”
Sarden raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t strike me as the kind who goes to work for a regular paycheck, Grav.”

“Oh, I don’t—contract work only. I’m too much of a son-of-a-bitch to work with on a regular basis.” Grav grinned. “I’m a Protector now.”

Sarden’s eyebrows went even higher.

“You? A
Protector?”

“I’m fuckin’ hurt.” Grav put a hand to his broad chest. “You don’t think I’m Protector material?”

“It’s just…surprising, that’s all.” Sarden shrugged. “But of course a male has to do what he wants with his life.”

“Excuse me,” I said, butting in again. “But what’s a Protector and why shouldn’t your old friend be one?”

Sarden looked uncomfortable but Grav answered me without hesitation.

“A Protector is a sentinel for hire—I shield my wards from harm or in some cases, like my current job, I retrieve them when they’re in danger. I put my life on the line to keep them safe—but the position requires them to trust me completely.”

“Oh,” I said. “So, kind of like a bodyguard slash rescuer?”

He inclined his massive head. “In a way.”

“But…” I shook my head. “I still don’t understand why you think Sarden thinks it’s odd for you to be a bodyguard…er,
Protector
.”

“Probably because I’m also a murderer.” Grav spoke matter-of-factly, as though it was no big deal. I threw Sarden a glance from the corner of my eye and saw that his facial expression hadn’t changed. But his hand on my shoulder tightened and he drew me a little bit closer to his big body.

“Ooookay,” I said at last, when the silence that had fallen between us was getting really uncomfortable. “Well,
that’s
not awkward.”

“Just answerin’ your question.” Grav shrugged.

“So who are you protecting now?” I asked. “You said it’s some guy who crossed Tazaxx like Sarden did?”

“No, my employer isn’t my ward—he just pays the bills. In fact, I don’t ward males at all.”

“You don’t?” I asked.

Grav shook his head, the polished tips of his horns gleaming in the dim light.

“Fuck no. Any male who can’t protect himself doesn’t deserve my help. I work strictly for females—I ward and protect those in danger—especially if they’re being threatened by a male.”

He cracked his knuckles menacingly, making me suddenly glad I had girly parts. I wouldn’t want to be the guy he was after for mistreating a female, that was for damn sure.

“That’s…very chivalrous of you,” I said, my throat dry. “But if you’re not protecting your employer, then who—?”

“It’s my client’s granddaughter—only twelve cycles old. I warded her for over a year and then her grandmother decided to take her on a trip without me—something about the mysteries of femalehood…becoming a woman—I don’t know.” He shook his head in disgust. “Anyway, pirates attacked their ship. The grandmother was killed and my ward was snatched up and sold to Tazaxx for his damn zoo.”

His face had gone cold as he told the story, the easy good humor disappearing from his white-on-black eyes and leaving them hard as stones.

“Only twelve years old?” I whispered, feeling a surge of pity for the girl. “That’s awful! Is she…is she all right? Did they…?”

“I don’t know exactly
what
they did to her.” Grav’s voice was a low growl. “I have to get her back first to find out.
Then
I’ll punish the ones who took her. And believe me, if they laid so much as a finger on her before delivering her to Tazaxx…”

He seemed to grow bigger somehow, if that was even possible, and if I had thought he was scary before, well, he was freaking
terrifying
now. I wouldn’t have been the pirates who had captured and sold his ward for all the world. They were going to be in a universe of pain if Grav caught them and something told me he wouldn’t stop until he did.

“And you think Tazaxx has her—your ward—in his exhibit?” Sarden asked.

Grav nodded. “I
know
it. But getting in to find her is a problem.”

“But…if there’s going to be an auction, couldn’t your, uh, employer just buy her there?” I asked. “And the same for Sellah—couldn’t you just buy her at the auction?”

“Of course—
if
we were sure that Tazaxx had them marked to go to the auction,” Sarden said. “We don’t know that. We don’t know what he plans to do and he’s sure as hell not going to share his plans with
me
. He told me last time we spoke that he never wanted to see my face again.”

His words sparked something inside me—an idea. It might be a really stupid idea, I wasn’t sure—but that didn’t keep me from speaking up.

“Why does he have to see your face?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” He frowned at me.

“I mean, you said that he sells to wealthy investors sometimes, right? So why not pretend to be one and get in his compound that way?”

“That’s a damn good idea,” Grav rumbled. “
If
you’ve got technology that will defeat his facial scanning software. If he recognizes you, you’ll be out on your ass before you even step foot in the door.”

“Will this do it?” I asked, pointing at the Grubbian mask I was wearing. “I mean, can you use the smart-fabric to make something that will fool his tech and get you into his compound?”

Sarden frowned. “Well, technically yes, the smart-fabric should be able to do it. That’s the reason it’s illegal almost everywhere.”

“Well, then—that’s it!” I was starting to get excited about my plan. “Just have Al synthesize you a mask and go in pretending to be some wealthy entrepreneur with a taste for exotic females. You could buy Sellah and the other girl—what’s her name?” I looked at Grav.

“Teeny,” he said promptly. “Teeny Kiv’orop.”

“Right. Buy Sellah and Teeny right there and get them out before the auction,” I said.

“It’s not that easy,” Sarden growled. “He won’t let just
anyone
in. Gords are very
selective.”