Rogue Warriors of Lorr
Captured By the Alien Chapter 18

Scarlett was thrown into the vehicle with so much force, the air blasted straight out of her lungs. For a few minutes, all she could do was gasp as her whole body trembled under an onslaught of terror.

As they drove toward the airfield, Scarlett recovered enough to start fighting against the bounty hunter. She could tell from his cruel eyes he didn't care about her suffering, but he needed to get her back to the Xoyosans in one piece if he wanted his reward. After she landed a good punch on the side of his face, he pulled the hovercraft over with incredible force, making her hit her head on the window. She trembled, breathless with pain as he lashed her hands together.

The bounty hunter did not speak as he started up the hovercraft and flew to the airfield. She hoped that the royal guard might have been on alert, but her heart sank as he pulled her out of the craft and dragged her toward his ship. They were far from the main docks in a private area with no security anywhere. The Lorr forces couldn't help her now.

Scarlett tried to scream for help and the bounty hunter gagged her with a disgusted look on his face.

"You've been far too much trouble to me!" he hissed. "It's a good thing you're worth a ton of money! I'd beat you senseless just to get out my frustration."

Scarlett was so affected by his words that she stopped fighting, and when he threw her down in a seat behind the cockpit, she didn't move. She just curled up and let tears flow down her cheeks as they took off, powering into the dark sky away from Lorr. Scarlett couldn't stop thinking about Grux. The Jorvlens had hit him very hard, and he'd dropped so suddenly to the ground where he hadn't moved again. She was sure he was dead, and that meant there really was no help coming.

How long would it take before the palace guard noticed they were missing? Would they find Grux, so far from the city on an abandoned road? Even if the blow hadn't killed him, he would surely die if he was left there with his horrible injuries. And I don't think the Jorvlens will give him medical treatment.

The ship swayed slightly back and forth as they picked up speed and Scarlett let herself be lulled by the motion. She was exhausted from the fear as well as the exertion, and she could do nothing else to free herself.

If she wasn't pregnant, she might have been able to attack the bounty hunter and try to turn the ship back. As it was, she was terrified of hurting her baby. She'd already had so many complications and she was sure daring midnight escapes-and capture-were not recommended in the last trimester.

Scarlett realized she must have fallen into a light doze when the landing craft jolted her awake. The bounty hunter did not speak as he hauled her down the ramp, barely letting her get her feet under her. To Scarlett's horror, she realized he had landed right in front of the Flemlars' estate.

I'm back on Xoyosis!

Any vestiges of strength she'd had in her bled away, and the bounty hunter had to practically carry her up the stairs to the main hall. Guards were stationed by the doors and throughout the complex, and Scarlett knew there was no escape, now. The main hall was brightly lit, even though the hour was late. It was disorienting to Scarlett that she'd changed planets, yet it was still dark. Her blurry, tired eyes looked up at the head of the room and saw her jailers standing triumphantly over her. The bounty hunter's hand tightened on her arm. She was pretty sure he'd like to hurl her to the floor, but he didn't dare. Instead, he cut off her bonds and gag.

He wants to get paid too badly.

"My money?" he snapped. When a huge bag of coins was dumped in front of him by a servant, he immediately let go of Scarlett. She stumbled, falling to her knees, only to be caught by a tall, broad woman in warrior gear.

The guard hauled her to her feet and held her up with a tight grip on her upper arms. Through her blurry vision, Scarlett registered the bounty hunter swiftly leaving the house.

Targol and Meshka looked at her disapprovingly. Scarlett couldn't speak. She was so afraid that she could barely breathe. Meshka looked Scarlett up and down, shaking her head.

"Look at that belly," she sneered.

"I know," Targol muttered, as if disgusted.

Meshka stepped forward and held Scarlett's chin firmly, forcing her to look into her eyes. "As soon as that thing is born, we will sell it to compensate us for all the trouble you've caused," she snapped. Scarlett shook her head helplessly. "No, please, no!" Scarlett begged.

Targol shook his head, turning away. "Confine her to her quarters!" he snapped at the guard who still held Scarlett by the arms. "Clean her up, too."

The big woman practically carried Scarlett back to her quarters where she fitted her with an elaborate ankle bracelet. It would cause alarms to blare through the entire castle should she try to escape. "I'll be on your door, as well," the stern guard told her. "I'm your guard now, and I'll be watching you everywhere you go."

Scarlett watched the muscular woman check the anklet one last time, before going to stand at the entrance of the room. She knew she was going to be a prisoner-a slave-for the rest of her life. And now that Grux was dead, no one was coming to help her.

The first thing Grux was aware of was movement. His head ached so fiercely that the slight tossing back and forth of the vehicle felt like nails being driven into his skull. He moaned softly and tried to move. "Hey, our passenger is awake!" someone sang out. Grux groaned.

Jorvlens.

He growled, trying to gather his thoughts for speech. All he could do was mutter unintelligibly. He tried to swing a punch instead, quickly finding out that his hands were tied behind his back.

"Let's ride!" someone yelled. The craft suddenly shot up to high speed and then spun out in circles, making the three Jorvlens whoop and scream. Grux tried to focus on his breathing as his sore head swam under the fierce momentum.

"What do you want?" he muttered. It felt like he'd been hit in the head hard enough to kill him. He was almost wishing that it had.

"Just to take you for a joyride, old pal!" One of the Jorvlens laughed. "Aren't you having a good time?"

"My father will kill you if you hurt me," Grux moaned.

"We know." One of the other Jorvlens chuckled. "That's why we aren't killing you!"

They all laughed like deranged hyenas. Grux tried to figure out a way to get free, but the cords on his wrists and feet were too strong. He vaguely understood that all these Jorvlens intended to do was delay him, and therefore, slow down his father and the royal forces. It was a cruel trick, especially now that Grux was awake and counting every second before he could be reunited with Scarlett.

They drove him around for hours, staying on the outskirts of the city and performing reckless maneuvers that made Grux feel seriously ill as he tried to recover from his head wound. Just as the sun began to light the sky, the Jorvlens gagged and blindfolded him, making sure he didn't know where they were going.

After some time, Grux began to doze. When the hovercraft suddenly pulled to an abrupt halt and he was thrown out, he was so shocked he tried to scream, only to remember he was tightly gagged.

Grux waited. Even though the sun was rising, it was very cold. He couldn't see or cry out, let alone move. He fought the restraints, exhausting himself as he tried to get free.

I have to get to Scarlett.

Grux struggled so hard, he exhausted himself and fell into a light sleep. For a short, blissful time, he was unaware of anything, even the pains in his body. When he heard voices and approaching footsteps, he tried to get up in a hurry, hurting his shoulders and neck as he fought the bonds again.

"Prince Grux?" an incredulous voice asked. The blindfold was pulled from his eyes and Grux's grateful gaze fell upon six members of the royal guard.

"Where the fuck am I?" Grux snapped.

The guards cut his bonds and Grux jumped up, seeing that he was not far from the main courtyard at the entrance of the palace. The bastard Jorvlens had left him so very close to being discovered, but with no way to call for help.

Grux didn't wait, he turned on his heel and raced into the palace. He found his father in the main dining area, just starting breakfast.

"Son, you look frightful. Where have you been?"

"I was kidnapped by Jorvlens!" he roared. "They kept me all night! The bounty hunter took Scarlett!"

His father's face darkened with rage. "When?"

"They took us in the middle of the night." Grux struggled to calm himself down. "The Jorvlens kept me for a few hours so I couldn't raise the alarm, but the bounty hunter took her. She's probably off planet by now."

Grux could tell by his father's expression that the king was angry but controlling himself. Grux considered it a small mercy that his father didn't immediately accuse him of being the cause of this. Of course, all he cared about was political gain, but he didn't like when his plans were thwarted.

If we'd stayed put, she'd be safe in the royal bedchamber, right now.

"They have probably taken her back to Xoyosis," the king said. "To the Flemlars."

"I know," Grux said, taking deep breaths. "I must get her back!"

"Of course, we must," the king agreed. "Put together a guard and take a ship. They cannot keep a pregnant Lorr mate-especially one of royal blood-from us. It's diplomatic suicide."

Grux bit his tongue. Of course, his father wouldn't give a damn about Scarlett's feelings or his son's heart. Grux was prepared to let it go, though. At that moment, he only needed his father's help, not his sympathy.

Grux gathered a team and took a royal airship toward Xoyosis. Because it was official business, he was able to approach the main towers with full imperial rights.

He stood behind the pilot of the ship, watching the shadow of the planet slowly swallow the great, wide windows. Grux stared at it as if the power of his rage could make the ground itself give up his pregnant mate. The Xoyosans have no legal right to hold her. In just a few minutes, I'll know she's safe and she'll be on her way back to me.

"Hail them," he said.

The pilot did, asking permission to dock. "Negative," came the reply. "We see you, Lorr vessel, but you are denied entry."

"Why?" Grux roared, taking over control of the mic. He knew they couldn't refuse without a good reason.

"Quarantine rule," came the smooth voice from the tower. "We aren't accepting foreign ships at all at this time until we can resolve our current security issues."

Grux stared out the window, wishing he could ring the neck belonging to that snarky little voice. It was a flimsy excuse, but it would hold, at least for now. Grux was locked out of Xoyosis.