She attempted to yank his shock stick away, but other guards rushed forward. Avoiding capture was impossible as four of them surrounded her. Two grabbed her arms as she kicked and screamed, bucking in their hold. Cold metal locked around her wrist from a third guard. Electricity brutally shot through her entire body, coming from the bracelet.
The fourth guard held the remote, his finger pressed to a button as he smiled viciously.
Kelsey nearly passed out, going limp. The bracelet was far stronger than the shock sticks. Blackness edged at her but she fought to remain conscious. The two guards who held her aloft passed her to someone else. She was tossed over a shoulder, the body beneath her cold, and her skin brushed against rough scales.
The guards had given her to the Cristo buyer…and he was walking away with her.
She took a few deep breaths, playing possum. Her long blonde hair blinded her as it curtained around her face, but she listened carefully. The loud voices of the buyers faded as a door slammed behind her. The asshole who held her made noisy footsteps as he stomped down a dim metal hallway, probably taking her to his ship.
She opened her eyes, turned her head a little, and stared down at his tail. She clenched her teeth, took another deep breath, and grabbed it.
It was as thick as a climbing rope, but she managed a firm grip and yanked upward on the tail as hard as she could.
The alien made a high-pitched squeal that hurt her ears and his sharp nails dug into her leg. Then the bastard threw her. One entire side of her body hit a wall before she landing painfully on the floor. She shoved her hair out of her face and jumped to her feet, quickly noticing that they were inside an empty, narrow hallway.
The Cristo rubbed at his tail. “You will suffer, female.”
“Fuck you!” Kelsey grabbed the other end of the thin chain attached to the band locked on her wrist. He’d released his hold on the chain as well when he’d thrown her.
She swung it toward his face. The handle at the end hit near one of his black eyes, and he flinched away.
She ran at him, twisted to the side at the last second and bracing for impact. She threw her elbow right into his crotch, since he had to be seven feet tall. It felt like she’d nailed a balloon. There was something squishy there.
He squealed again, falling over.
Kelsey managed to stay on her feet. She glanced around, still not seeing any guards. She could make out two closed doors on each side of the long hallway, and one at the very end, where they seemed to have been heading.
The alien started to struggle to his knees, trying to rise.
She got behind him, used the chain as if it were a rope, and wrapped it around his thick throat. She braced her knee against his scaled spine, wrapped the chain around each hand, and leaned back, pulling with all her might. She needed both hands to choke him with the chain. Her palms ached due to the tight chain, but she ignored the pain.
The male threw an arm over his shoulder and tried to punch her in the face. She leaned back farther, keeping the chain tight against his throat, hoping against hope that she could strangle him. A quick glance down his big body didn’t reveal any weapons that she could snatch.
The door they’d been moving toward at the end of the hall was suddenly yanked open and a big, shadowy form rushed toward her.
Kelsey didn’t let up on trying to choke the alien though, praying he’d pass out, even though she expected to be attacked at any second.
However, it wasn’t another snake/crocodile alien that came at her, or a guard. It was a feline alien similar to the one who’d been outbid. He had black hair, rather than blond, and the feline eyes on this male were blue in color.
He pulled a weapon and aimed. She flinched, still not willing to let go of the chain choking the Cristo who’d bought her. A soft zip sound filled the small hallway—but nothing hit her.
Instead, the scaly alien she was braced against jerked. Then his entire body went limp.
She struggled to free the chain to keep from being pulled down by the bulky Cristo as he collapsed to the floor. She just managed.
“Come with me, human. I’m rescuing you.”
She realized the big feline alien had holstered his weapon. She was also was stunned that he spoke perfect English.
“Whoever wins the next slave will be walking through here any second. We need to leave. It’s probably going to be one of his hatch mates. I’m taking you to other humans.”
She started wrapping the six feet of thin chain around the arm that the bracelet was attached to. Her hands hurt from holding onto it so tightly, and she knew her wrist was bleeding. “Why should I trust you?” she hissed.
“My name is Crath, and that was my cousin, Raff, bidding on you in there. We came to rescue you.”
She still wasn’t sure what to do when he suddenly moved, lunging toward her before she could react, almost plowing into her middle. His arm wrapped around the back of her legs and suddenly she was hanging over another shoulder.
He spun so fast that it made her dizzy, and then he ran.
“Hang on, princess. I’m being your white knight by saving you from the evil aliens.”
She was too stunned by his words to fight back. He burst through the far door, and shouts immediately sounded. He fired his weapon at something. There were screams and hisses. She turned her head, glimpsing dozens of aliens. There were in the space station’s marketplace, running past various storefronts.
“Make path,” Crath roared. “My slave injured!” That wasn’t in English.
“Stop!” a stranger’s deep voice bellowed.
Kelsey closed her eyes and blindly reached out, grabbing hold of the feline alien’s pants while trying to keep hold of the chain, too. He didn’t have a scaly tail, at least.
She had no idea why he was taking her or what he planned to do to her. But it had to be better than having killer eggs forced inside her body.
There was a loud whoosh sound and something slammed into her back.
Then blackness took over.
Chapter Two
Kelsey felt super cold, despite the fact that it felt like someone had wrapped a blanket around her. She opened her eyes to slits, then wider, looking around. Staring at a small room bathed in pale green light. The source came from the walls to either side of her, near the ceiling.
She tried to move, only to realize two belts held her in place upon a mattress. One ran under her breasts, across her rib cage, and the other over her hips.
“Don’t move around,” a husky male voice urged.
Then she saw him. The black-maned alien approached and hovered over her. It was bright enough in the room for her to see those blue eyes, which sat in a handsome face. She also spotted a scar on the left side of his neck. It looked as if someone had tried to slit his throat at some point in his life.
“I was able to make it to a shuttle, princess. I had to steal it. Station security cut off the dock where I’d parked mine. They were firing on us and determined to catch me. Unfortunately, they hit you twice with a stunner. With your body covering me, I was able to keep running and get us out of there.”
She tried to swallow but her throat felt dry. She reached up, fumbling with the blanket, and touched her neck.
He moved out of view but quickly returned with a pouch. “Drink. It’s not drugged. Just a nutrient-filled liquid. Water and vitamins, I think you would call it. I’m Crath, if you didn’t catch my name before.” He grinned, his expression making him more handsome as he continued, “Your savior. You’re free now. What’s your name?”