Rogue Warriors of Lorr
Captured By the Alien Chapter 7

Afew weeks later Scarlett finally began to crack.

wane.

It started with something simple enough-breakfast by herself in the morning in the room she'd been sleeping in ever since she'd gotten to Lorr. She'd see Grux only in the evening, and the constant changing of staff in and out was starting to make her patience She didn't want to seem ungrateful that Grux had brought her here and given her a safe haven until he and the king figured out how to get her back to Earth and to her parents. However, the longer she stayed cooped up inside of the castle, the more anxious she felt.

With each passing day, it felt like her residency here was beginning to become permanent. She'd been coaxed into a gilded cage-either unknowingly by herself or with Grux's help.

She knew he hadn't done it on purpose. If anything, he'd been more than accommodating and had been trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible. He was the only thing that felt constant through all of this. Her rock that grounded her and kept her from actually going insane.

Scarlett only wished she could see him more than brief dinners at night. She wished she could wake up to hem lying next to her in bed or actually have a full day with him without him being called away by his father.

It was all starting to come to a boiling point where she didn't know how much longer she could take the situation.

She missed her freedom. She missed her stupid little job at the bar. She missed being able to walk around without dozens of eyes following her and making sure she stayed safely within the castle walls.

She felt a sob working its way up her throat and quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes stung from holding back her emotions as they rolled along the surface of her control, ready to burst through at any moment.

"Miss Scarlett?" One of the servants walked over, noticing her hunched over her breakfast. "Is everythi

She tried to nod, swallowing back her tears.

to your liking?"

She needed to pull it together before everyone started to think she was actually losing it. She didn't want them to feel the need to lock her up any more than she was already. If they thought she was getting hysterical, it was only a matter of time. Plus, Grux didn't need any more on his plate than he already had.

"Miss Scarlett?"

Leaning back from her plate, Scarlett swallowed the bile rising in her throat and pushed her plate bac

"Sorry, I'm not very hungry."

She tried to ignore the sound of her stomach grumbling. The truth was, she was actually starving. But no matter what she ate lately, it all seemed to want to come up the second she forced it down. She had no idea what was wrong with her or if something about the food in Lorr seemed to not agree

er stomach. But whatever it was, it was making her feel nauseated all the time.

Scarlett pushed her chair back and stood, trying to give the servant a small and reassuring smile. Clearly, it wasn't convincing because she tried to get Scarlett to sit back down again. "Can we get you something else? Perhaps a different style breakfast?"

"No... I'm all right."

Scarlett could tell that she wanted to argue or put her foot down about refusing their food but was either trying to be polite about it or didn't want to scare Scarlett away by doing so. Instead, she put a hand on Scarlett's back and guided her over to the small lounge at the foot of her bed so she could sit there instead.

"Can I do anything else for you, miss?"

Scarlett put a hand over her stomach, it aching in pain.

She hated feeling ill. Now that she was on Lorr, a strange planet she'd never been to, it'd be hard to figure out what medicine would work for her. When she'd been living on Xoyosis, it took the Flemlars forever to figure out how to treat her wounds and illnesses over the years. Most of the time, they just let her suffer.

"I don't know..."

The servant glanced down at the hand over her stomach, a strange look passing over her face.

"Why don't I go grab you some broth? It may help get something in your system for the time being."

Scarlett nodded. She was grateful for how much the staff here seemed to care about her well-being. Even if it was only because she was a guest of the crown prince and king.

As the servant stepped out of the room, Scarlett turned and kicked up her feet to lie lengthwise on the lounge. For the past few weeks, she'd had this growing pit in her stomach that seemed to not want to go away, no matter what she did. She didn't want to think that being on Lorr had somehow made her sick. Or worse, homesick.

She didn't want to think about what that meant-if she was actually homesick. Would it be for her life back with the Flemlars or Earth? Either way, it only meant to pull her further and further into sorrow the longer she stayed here on this planet. She must've fallen asleep for a while because one second, she was staring at the lush carpet lining her suite, and the next, she was jumping up from a hand shaking her shoulder gently to rouse her. "Oh, careful, miss."

Scarlett put a hand on her chest and looked over at the servant, a small cup balanced on a tea plate in her hand. "Sorry..."

"That's all right. Here." The servant handed her the plate and small cup as well as a spoon on the side. "Drink that up first."

Scarlett nodded and dipped the spoon into the broth, sipping it slowly and letting it soothe her aching gut. Broth was a good idea. Why didn't she think of that two days ago? Probably because she'd been too preoccupied with feeling sorry for herself. She couldn't help but gobble it down, going so far as to practically lick the cup clean. As soon as she was done, the servant took it from her and smiled.

"All right, miss. Why don't you follow me to the bathroom?"

Scarlett blinked. "Bathroom? Why?"

"To take a test." A test? For what? "I'm sorry. I'm confused."

The servant waved for her to follow, turning around before Scarlett could ask any more questions, and walked toward the other side of the room. She set the empty cup and plate down onto the breakfast table before heading over to the bathroom. Scarlett rose slowly and curiously.

What's in the bathro-

She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Miss?"

"Why... why are you taking me to the bathroom..."

The servant folded her hands in front of her waist, gesturing with her head for Scarlett to head inside.

She couldn't... there was no way...

"Miss, I think to be sure, we should check."

On shaky legs, Scarlett slowly made her way over. She knew the bathroom had a biometric mirror, and although a pregnancy scan was never a function she used, she was sure the mirror was capable.

"Go." The woman smiled at her. "Just to be sure."

Scarlett nodded and moved into the bathroom, shutting the door behind herself. She flicked on the light and stared at her reflection across from her, seeing the dark circles under her eyes and the sallowness in her cheeks.

Hell, she looked just as much of a mess as she felt. No wonder someone thought she could be pregnant.

Reaching out a hand to press the menu on the bottom corner of the mirror, Scarlett drew in a deep breath to steady herself.

"I can't give you a ship."

Grux couldn't help but let out a frustrated growl. "I've made her wait long enough, Father. She deserved to be off this planet and back to her home planet where her family is."

The king shook his head. "Not until we secure a meeting with her family." He grinned. "I've finally found them, Grux. Her parents are well-protected from other races, which is why it took so long. Her father was the Supreme Leader of Earth. Now, her brother has taken over after his father retired, and they have all but blocked my communications, which take ages to send that far."

The king gave him a stern look. "It will take a little while longer. I've sent a message that I have his sister. I apologized for it taking me so long to find them, but I'm sure they know how much they've blocked out the rest of the galaxies. I just have to wait for their response. We can't let a connection like that go to waste."

Grux wanted to chew on those words and spit them out onto the floor. He didn't like that his father was trying to use Scarlett for his own political gain. They all knew how miserable she was residing here with nothing to do but stare out at the busy streets below. Grux didn't want to cause her any more discomfort than he already had. With the delays in diplomatic contact, as well as the king's schemes surrounding how best he could use the opportunity to his advantage, it was no surprise to anyone that weeks had passed by with little progress.

But he knew as frustrated as he was, Scarlett must feel ten times worse.

Shaking his head, he stepped away from the files opened on the surface of his desk, which was only a large display screen for digital access. He didn't want to look at any more documents or try to help devise more schemes in order to sway the Terrans. All he wanted was to help Scarlett return home safely like she wanted.

"Where are you going?"

"A walk, Father."

Ignoring his huffs of protest, Grux headed out of the strategy room and made his way down the hall toward the palace's living quarters.

The least he could do was take Scarlett on some kind of walk outside. Get her the fresh air that she was most likely desperately craving. It wouldn't be as good as being able to send her home, but it would do for the time being. Getting back to her room, Grux knocked before opening the door.

"Hello? Scarlett?"

A few of the maids looked up, mid-tearing her bed apart to refresh the sheets.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness."

Grux rubbed the back of his neck. Since coming back, he'd realized that he'd become unaccustomed to the formalities of living in the city. There, no one knew who he was, and if they did, they certainly didn't give a shit.

"Did, uh... any of you see where Scarlett went?"

The maids exchanged looks, one of them turning to him.

"Last we saw, she was heading down to the palatial lands."

That made him blink. "Oh."

While he said she could go anywhere in the castle's lands, she usually didn't leave the palace itself. The palatial lands were a bit far if something were to happen.

"Is something wrong, Your Highness?"

Shaking his head, Grux turned out of her room and headed back down the hallway at a jog.

If she was going that far, he hoped like hell no one had decided to bother her. Or that no one had come around to collect the bounty that was no doubt hanging over her head from his failed mission. The lands were practically touching the city, and other Lorrians would be able to see her! Damn it. I should've come sooner.