Riley shook her head and pressed back as far as she could against the hard wall behind her. "No, I've seen what happens in the movies. I don't want you. I don't … " Her voice faded as Vox covered her lips with his own in a tender, possessive kiss.
His groan matched hers as he pressed deeper when her lips opened under his. The gentle kiss he planned grew heated as the touch and taste of her swept through him. He stepped closer, raising her arms up over her head so that her plump breasts were pressed against his chest. He deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue through her glistening lips and running it along her smooth teeth. He felt his cock jerk painfully in reaction to her taste. His cat purred and rubbed up against his skin, wanting a chance to rub up against his mate. He stepped closer, forcing her to open her legs for him so he could slide between them and rub his swollen cock against her. He placed both of her wrists together, holding them in one large hand and stroked her with his free one. He ran his fingers lightly over her cheek, wanting to see if her skin felt as smooth and silky as it looked. The soft touch shook him. He had never felt this deep feeling of need, desire, and the overwhelming urge to protect before.
He pulled back enough so he could look down into her dazed eyes. "I claim you as my queen, Riley St. Claire," he muttered passionately.
Riley's brain cleared as his words sunk in. She began to struggle as she realized the perilous situation she was in. She should never have let him close to her. He was an alien. Aliens were bad. Aliens were always bad in the movies, well, most movies anyway. She also repeated her vow that she would not say yes to any guy without a ring on her finger. She decided she'd better clarify that. She would not say yes to any human guy without a ring on her finger, and she would never say yes to an alien.
Remember Aliens. Remember Predators. Remember Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Remember Freddy. Riley shook her head. No, not Freddy. He was a human. Remember … remember …
"No, no, no, no, no!" she said forcefully, focusing back on the alien holding her. "Let me go! I do not belong to you. I do not want to be a queen. I do not want to be claimed. I do not want you!" she added forcefully. "Now let me go, damn it! The only thing I want is to go home."
"Vox, guards are approaching," Lodar said, coming out of the bathroom.
Riley took advantage of his distraction to twist free and duck under his arm. She moved rapidly to stand behind Lodar. Vox twisted around and frowned at her in displeasure. When he moved toward her again, she squeaked and pulled Tor, who was walking out of the bathroom, in front of her as well. She stood peeking out from behind the two tall warriors, glaring at Vox.
"Go do your business so I can get something to eat," Riley snapped out from where she was hiding behind Tor and Lodar. "And I'm warning you, if you try to touch me again I'll pop you on the nose!"
Vox muttered a curse, glaring at her in frustration. He turned away in aggravation to take care of his needs. He glanced down the corridor as several Antrox guards marched down the corridor toward them, and he knew he wouldn't have much time. His observation proved to be correct. When he left the bathroom a few minutes later, ten guards holding stunning rods stood at attention waiting for him. A shiver rippled down his spine. From all the reports he had of the Antrox, this was an unusual number for six prisoners, since each prisoner, save the females, wore an explosive shock collar to control him. The Antrox normally only budgeted one guard for a group of twenty or more. If the guard was threatened or attacked in any way, one push of a button would kill any prisoner within fifteen meters. Without the right tools, if a prisoner tried to remove the collar, it would also explode. Normally, the Antrox paired one male and one female. They discarded the threat that the female would know how to help the male escape. In their case, there were five males and one female. If they could get their hands on the right tools, Vox knew Tor could figure out how to dismantle the collars.
"Darling, I really am going to write a scathing review for this establishment," Riley was telling the lead guard as he came out of the cleansing room. "Your wake-up call is far too early, your idea of bathroom accommodations is horrid, and breakfast hasn't even been mentioned! How do you expect my poor, sweet, fragile mates to survive if you don't feed them? I want the name, number, and address to your corporate headquarters. They are going to hear from me! Why, look at my poor baby. Fred, sweetheart, are you okay? You are definitely looking a little green around the gills," Riley said, pulling the struggling Tiliqua closer to her and petting one of his heads affectionately.
Vox ground his teeth together as he watched her gently stroking Fred. "He is supposed to be that color, and Tiliquas don't have gills," he bit out, feeling jealous of the attention she was giving the little two-headed reptilian pactor dung.
Riley rolled her eyes at Vox's tone, put her hand on her hip, and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You see that?" she demanded of the lead guard. "He is just a grouchy bear! He needs to be fed. How do you expect me to keep him happy if he is hungry? I want a full breakfast immediately for my mates."
Antrox 157 snarled at Riley. He had been sent by 785. It was his job to guard the Sarafin royal and his men until they received the credits promised for disposing of him. 157 had no problems following orders from his superior, but he was having problems with dealing with the bossy female who had started in on him the moment he had arrived. She was making all kinds of demands. He had been shocked to find additional supplies had been given to her yesterday by some of the newer guards. Unlike most Antrox, he did not always follow the rules governed by his people. That was why 785 gave him this position. It afforded him extra credits.
"Silence female," 157 said coldly. "You will keep your mates happy. I only have to keep one of them alive. If you are not silent, I will feed one of your mates each hour to a pactor."
"Well!" Riley growled back. "Somebody woke up with a stick up their ass this morning. You touch one slimy little green nail on one of my boys, and I'll rip it off and feed it to the pactor with the rest of you. No one messes with my boys but me, got it?"
157 looked shocked for a moment before his face became passive. He took a step closer to Riley, trying to crowd her. "One more word and I'll silence you."
"I'd like to see you try, you overgrown piece of cow paddy," Riley snapped back in a temper.
Vox decided it would be in everyone's best interest if he silenced his mate before she got them all killed. He stepped up behind her as she opened her mouth to say something else. Wrapping his large hands around her waist, he almost groaned out loud at the feel of her soft curves under his palms. Instead, he picked her up, ignoring her squeal of indignation, and turned until she was in front of him with her back pressed against his chest.
"I think we will survive without anything to eat for a little longer," he said quietly in her ear. "I would like to keep us alive for a little longer, my fierce tiger. We do appreciate your concern for us, though," he added hastily when she opened her mouth to protest.
"So help me, if that pile of walking sticks pisses me off or messes with one of you, I'll plant my foot up his ass so far it will be coming out of his mouth," she growled, throwing a heated look at the Antrox guard over her shoulder. "You let me at him. I'll show him one more word!"
Vox could hear Tor and Lodar fighting to hold in their laughter as he fought to keep her from turning back and attacking their guards. He shook his head in exasperation. He and his men towered over the female, were known to be one of the fiercest species in the ten known galaxies, and she was ready to kick the asses of their guards because they had not been fed when she wanted them to be fed.
"Come, let us get to work so we can eat soon," Vox muttered.
Riley twisted her hair back up into the ponytail where it had fallen loose again when she bent over to pick up some of the rocks that the men were breaking through. All five of the men had argued that she wasn't supposed to work. She was just supposed to sit and watch as they worked. Like she could just sit around all day. She was already bored out of her mind. So, she ignored all of them and did what she wanted, singing in an off-key voice the song from Snow White when the dwarfs were going off to work. Fred had soon joined her, gathering the rocks alongside her and muttering under his breath.
"So, how did you end up is this delightful shit hole?" Riley asked as she dumped another pile of rocks into the bins used to haul it out.