Rogue Warriors of Lorr
Stolen by the Alien Prince Chapter 13

Gianna paced, unable to remain still. The knowledge that she had come here to save her brother and had now condemned him was too much to bear. Will I ever see him again?

For so long, all they'd had was each other. Gianna had spent her whole life looking out for him and now she'd killed him.

She was prepared to do whatever it took to change the situation and save him. When the D'Narvius returned, she was cold and determined, even through her fear.

The tall, thin one with a commanding presence stood in the doorway with his huge bodyguards. Gianna didn't waste a second.

"My lord," she said, trying to sound respectful. "I would like to offer a deal for your consideration."

The D'Narvius gave her a curious look.

"My name is Oxxaro, but I do quite like being called 'my lord.' Please, my dear, tell me your proposal."

"In exchange for my brother's life, I offer myself," Gianna said. Her knees were shaking, but her voice was steady. "I will be your personal slave if you just let Gabe go." Oxxaro's eyes gleamed. She could tell the idea appealed to him. He gave a quick, impatient gesture, and turned to walk away. After a glance at his bodyguards, she followed.

They went down a few bare, brightly lit hallways. When they came to a wide door, Oxxaro opened it and stepped inside, waving her forward.

Gianna looked around the room, feeling sick with horror. It was worse than she'd imagined.

It was a bedchamber. Oxxaro's bedchamber, no doubt.

"Why don't you just relax here," Oxxaro said. "Since we are going to be very good friends for quite some time, you should get comfortable." Gianna did not like the glint in his eyes or the cold turn of his lips. Alien features or not, it seemed a leer was still a leer on any face.

For a brief moment, Gianna panicked so badly, she almost passed out. It was entirely possible her brother was already dead, and he'd intended to use her for his own amusement anyway. If that is true, at least I have some control. It's better than having him throw himself on me in the torture chair.

While she stood there shivering, Oxxaro headed back toward the door. She followed him with her eyes, wearily waiting to see what he would do.

"I must go and cancel the hit on your brother," he said, smiling that cold, snake-like grin. "As I said, you make yourself at home. I look forward to seeing you on my return."

He left the room. It only took a quick peek under the door to confirm he had left a bodyguard there. Gianna turned around and looked around the room, hoping to find a weapon.

She didn't see anything she could use to hit him or stun him. It was quite a big room with a massive bed and a few chests of clothes but nothing that could become a weapon. Gianna stood next to the bed, shivering as she looked at the expensive, beautifully embroidered sheets. It seemed like a comfortable place to have her soul destroyed. She knew Oxxaro was high up in the D'Narvius crime organization. She had no doubt that if he called off the hit, her brother would be safe.

But will he call it off?

That was the question. She might be offering herself up for no reason. She shook her head a little as the full reality of the situation began to sink in.

I said personal slave... Why can't that mean scrubbing toilets or doing dishes? Why does it always have to be s*x?

A noise at the door made her jump. Gianna whirled around, fixing her eyes on Oxxaro as he came through. He was holding a silvery, thin piece of fabric in his hands.

"Here you are, my dear," he said, holding it out to her. She realized he probably didn't even know her name. It didn't look like he cared, though. "What is it?" she muttered.

He handed it to her. "A dress, dear girl. Put it on for me."

Gianna grabbed the flimsy piece of fabric that looked more like a hair net than a dress and ran to the bathroom. Oxxaro laughed heartily.

"Don't be shy, sweet treasure! I'm going to see it all sooner or later."

Gianna struggled into the tiny gown. There was no underwear, no shoes, just the short, thin dress. When she walked back into the room, she fought the urge to cover herself, and he took her clothes, passing them off to the guard. He clearly didn't want to give her the option to cover herself.

Oxxaro murmured in appreciation, rolling over on the bed to switch on some music and grab a small bottle of liquor. Gianna stood at the end of the bed, terrified about what was about to happen.

"Dance, sweet girl," Oxxaro said. "Dance for me."

Gianna listened to the throbbing, alien beat resonating from the speakers by the bed. As she began to swish her hips, Oxxaro watched, his eyes locked on to her.

Maybe if I can mesmerize him with my dance, he'll get too drunk to fuck!

It was a vain hope, but it was all she had. Gianna threw herself into the dance, undulating her body to make her breasts bounce and her hips jiggle. She knew the tiny dress was showing her off, but instead of being embarrassed, she flaunted her assets. Oxxaro sipped the drink, watching her intently. Even as Gianna's limbs began to tire and her breath burned in her throat, she kept dancing.

She kept a close eye on her captor as she twisted and shimmied. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like he was falling asleep.

Gianna threw herself into the routine even harder. Every beat of the song was now her lifeline.

If I can just keep dancing, maybe I can get the hell out of here!

For a few moments, Kozien struggled in the duct. The metal groaned around him, buckling, and denting against his strong muscles. Even though he got out some of his anger, he was no closer to escape.

I have to get free.

The grate leading to the abandoned lot out back was probably the best place, but then he'd just be stuck outside again, trying to get in. If he had to make a messy exit from the duct, he wanted it to be in the building.

With no other option, he crawled back toward the other door. The whole time he checked out the creases of the duct and ran his hands along the walls and floor, looking for faults he could exploit.

In one section, he found a small vent, and his heart soared with hope. It was high on the ceiling and easily removed, but once he had the grate off, he realized he would never fit through the opening.

Grumbling, Kozien set back to his slow crawl. The cramped space was really starting to get to him, and he knew he couldn't take much more of this.

He felt like he'd been stuck in the duct forever by the time he made it back to the inner door that had blocked his progress the first time. He was in no mood for finesse now. The rage and frustration building in him had to be satisfied. Kozien leaned back, bracing on the floor, and kicked at the grate as hard as he could. It made a tremendous racket, so he paused and listened.

No one came.

Kozien realized the grate could come out in a service area, such as a storage or machinery room. If that was true, he might be able to make as much noise as he wanted, and no one would notice.

He began kicking the grate again, smashing it with the full force of his powerful legs and then pausing to listen. After a few minutes, he could feel the grate beginning to buckle.

Groaning with exertion, he turned himself around again, so he could grab the grate. It came away from the door in pieces and he tore the twisted metal away so he could get to the door on the other side.

As hard as he tried, he couldn't get into the right position to rewire the control panel. His frustration was so bad now, he felt like he could happily punch through the wall, but he kept himself in check.

Instead of wasting time on the panel, he moved to the other side and began working on the hinges. Most people forgot a door could be opened from either side, and hinges were a lot easier to deal with than control panels. Even though it was still bolted in place on the panel side, the hinges would give way with enough physical force for him to slip through.

He had pulled off three hinges and was ready to tear out the last one when he heard someone coming. Kozien froze, waiting to see what the other person would do. If they came inside, he prayed they couldn't see what he'd done to the door.

After a couple of seconds, the footsteps moved away, and he let his breath out in a long sigh. With a grin of triumph, he twisted the last hinge off the door.

When he shoved on it, the door didn't fall out of the fitting as neatly as he'd hoped. It fell and the corner smacked the floor noisily. Kozien winced, waiting for the footsteps to return and for the D'Narvius to discover him.

He heard no sound except the nearby rumble of fans and air conditioners. Just as he'd hoped, he'd found himself in a service area. It was unlikely anyone would come down here unless their precious air-con was interrupted.

Even then, they'd send a slave. That's probably why they locked the outside door. Someone thinks they're playing a joke on a diminutive race!

Kozien stretched as he paced across the room. He'd been shoved inside that duct, coiled up and doubled over for so long it felt like his muscles were locked up all over. He allowed himself the luxury of a few stretches, breathing much easier now that he was free. Carefully, he picked up the grate and slid it back into its place. It wasn't stable at all, but at a casual glance it would appear nothing was wrong.

Kozien's heart beat faster as he thought about seeing Gianna. He'd been so afraid he would never see her again, and now he was so close. He believed she really was here, and he hadn't just been following her wrist-comm.

That would be a fine way for the Jorvlens to trap me.

He had no time to ponder the disturbing thought. The great weight of what he was doing threatened to crush him for a few moments as he contemplated what true war would look like.

And all of it will look like a three-year-old human having a tantrum if I lose my mate!

Kozien knew it was true. He'd tear apart both nations to protect her. Nothing else mattered.

He crept to the main door and peeked out the hallway. It was deserted. Kozien wrapped his hood around himself-not that it would do much as a disguise now-and slipped out into the hallway. She was here. He was sure he could detect her scent now. Nothing would stop him now that he was this close.