"My older brother sold me to a trader," Fred responded with a grunt as he pushed the large rock he was carrying into the bin. "He did not want me in his way."
Riley paused in horror. "Why would he think you were in the way?" she asked as she walked back over to the ever-growing pile of rocks the men were creating. "Hell, even my sainted sister won't sell me, no matter how much I piss her off, which is about every time I open my mouth."
"I am the second oldest. My older brother is not good with our father's business. I am very good, and my father decided I should take over instead of my older brother. He paid credits to some traders to take me. Now, I will die here," he said disgruntledly.
Riley stopped from where she was lifting another large rock. "Like hell you will! I'll take care of you. You are not going to die in this shit hole. We just have to escape," she responded confidently. "Do you know how to fly one of those spaceships?"
"No," Fred replied sadly before perking up. "But the cat warriors know how. They are known for their fighting skills, and their warships are renowned for their speed."
"Cat warriors?" Riley asked as she walked back over and dumped the large rock in the bin with all the others.
"Yes, your mate is their king. I have heard about him. He is very scary. He kills those who defy him," Fred said, struggling to lift a particularly large rock over the side.
Riley frowned as she bent to help him. Why the hell does he call them the "cat" warriors? I thought they're called Sara-something.
She stretched once the rock was in and rubbed her aching back. She was exhausted, and they had only been at it for about two hours. She really needed some coffee. A nice latte would be fabulous right about now.
Fred must be mistaken, she thought as she looked over to where Vox, Lodar, and Tor were swinging the strangely shaped, curved pickaxes.
All three had muscles out the yin-yang, and their bodies glistened with sweat as they worked to clear another section of the cave. They didn't talk while they worked. Bob was working on another section and appeared to be having problems holding the ax correctly because his pile of rocks was miniscule compared to the others. The Antrox guards were stationed at the different exits leading into the area they had been brought to and were ignoring them.
She turned back to study all three men carefully for a moment as they worked. Each had a different pattern of spots on his upper body that ran down his chest and back before disappearing under the low waist of his pants. She felt a shiver of apprehension run through her as she remembered their eyes. All three had similar eyes, but what caught her attention the most was that their pupils were slits instead of round like a human's. A bad feeling began to sink in as she noticed other differences. They had no problems seeing in the dim corridors. She would have walked into a wall or tripped a dozen times as they were marched deeper into the mine if it hadn't been for Vox. They moved lightly on their feet just like the old cat she had when she was a kid. Half the time she couldn't even hear them walking. And Vox had roared like a wounded cat when she sprayed him with the pepper spray. He sounded a lot like that lion that came on before a movie from MGM studios. Other details came back as well. She remembered the way his chest rumbled when he was kissing her, as if he was purring.
"Shit!" she said as her eyes widened as the pieces fell into place.
Fred looked at her puzzled. "You have need for the cleansing room? I can ask a guard to escort you if you have a need," his left head said, looking at her in concern.
Riley looked down with dazed eyes at Fred. "Can they-Can they change into cats?" she asked in a hushed whisper.
Fred looked at her before turning one head to look at the three warriors working steadily. "Of course not," he said, not understanding Riley's sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness for that," Riley murmured before Fred finished his sentence.
"The shock collars prevent them from shifting. But if the collars were to be removed they could," he finished with a twist of envy coloring his voice.
Riley's sigh of relief turned to a gasp of horror. I am stuck in a freaking science fiction-shifter-romance novel nightmare!
Vox frowned as his mate moved her plate of food away from his and went to sit down between Bob and Fred. For the past couple of days, she had done everything she could to avoid him. She spent most of her time dancing around the huge Gelatian or keeping the small Tiliqua between her and him. Hell, she had even used Tor and Lodar as shields but only when the other two couldn't get away from her. Both of his men had noticed how skittish she had been around them after the first day in the mine. It had grown worse after they had finished their first work shift. They had been escorted to the eating room shortly after their shift ended. The skittish distance had turned into a frigid ice block by the time they were done.
On the third day Vox discovered he, Lodar, and Tor were not the only Sarafin warriors held prisoner. His best friend and cousin Titus, a member of the lead council who had disappeared over a month before, was among the prisoners, as well as his younger brother, Banu. There was also one Curizan warrior and one Valdier warrior Vox recognized. Both of them had been working undercover to bring down Raffvin and Ben'qumain's rebellion. Titus explained he had found some damning evidence of his own against several of those inside the Sarafin palace who were working with Raffvin. They were the ones behind his and his brother's kidnapping and subsequent imprisonment.
"Who are they?" Vox growled out in a low voice.
"Two are females who share your bed," Titus said quietly. "Eldora and Pursia. They were relating information to Bragnar, a male who works in the kitchens."
Vox turned to look at Riley when she sniffed loudly. He frowned when she gave him a deadly stare before turning to look the other way and focusing on what Bob and Fred were saying. He had reached to touch her hand, but she jerked it away from him before he could even get close to it.
"Who is the female?" Titus asked curiously, watching their interaction with interest. "She is much more pleasing to the eye than the one who selected me," he said with a dismissive nod toward the slender purple figure sitting on his other side.
"She is my mate," Vox said, perplexed at his mate's sudden quiet behavior.
"As in she chose you or as in you chose her?" Titus asked. "Because if I had to guess, she doesn't look any happier with you than mine is with me."
"Both," Vox said grumpily. "She chose the five of us, but I knew the moment I heard her voice she was my mate."
"What species is she? I don't think I have ever seen one like her before," Titus said, picking at the items on his plate in disgust.
"I don't know," Vox admitted reluctantly. "I forgot to ask her. We need to get off this asteroid as soon as possible," he said changing the subject. "I have a Valdier royal to kill."
"You and me both," Titus said, throwing down the few pieces of his food that were left. "Supply ships arrive every seven days. One came today," Titus murmured quickly before standing up as an Antrox guard came over to order him and his mate back to their quarters.
Vox nodded before turning his attention to the other warriors sitting across from them. They each nodded in return before rising as a guard called out to them to stand. He returned their nod. They would be off this rock in seven days if he had his way-which he always did when he put his mind to it. His eyes turned to the stiff, defiant figure of his mate sitting next to him.
Yes, he thought with a small smile at the frozen face of his mate. I always get my way when I want something.
Now, he wondered how he was going to be able to fulfill his promise. Over the past six days, all five of them plus Titus, his brother, and the other two warriors had zero luck in getting their hands on any type of tool that would work to remove the collars around their neck. Something was telling him that they didn't have much time left either. He paced the room. They would be escorted to their evening meal soon. Tomorrow another supply ship would arrive, and Vox's gut was telling him it would be their only chance of escape. He growled out in frustration as he paced back and forth in the narrow room.
"Those damn insects are organized, suspicious bastards," Tor said with a sigh. "They make sure there are no tools available that might work on removing these damn collars," he added with a wince as he received another small shock when he ran his fingers around the edge of it.
"I've got burn marks almost all the way around my neck from the damn thing," Lodar complained, touching his tender throat.
"Do you need some medicine for it?" Riley asked from where she was laying on the bed, reading on her iPad. "I've got all kinds of stuff."