They were like something out a movie. Robots come to life. Aliens. Something definitely not human.
Clyde blasted one of them with the shotgun as I grabbed my camera and scrambled beneath the kitchen table, headed for the back door. My head pulsed with pain but I knew these men—or whatever the hell they were—were not here for a friendly visit. If they wanted Clyde, they could have him.
The buckshot bounced off their armor, splattering in a wide pattern throughout the room. I clenched my teeth to remain silent as I felt a piece of buckshot embed in my leg, another in my shoulder.
I’d had worse and compared to the pain in my head, it was nothing.
I was crawling out onto the back patio when I heard Clyde start screaming. Heavy footsteps moved toward me, the thud of metallic boots shaking the hardwood floor beneath my knees as one of the monsters came for me.
Giving up all pretense of stealth, I scrambled to my feet and ran, my planned escape route now coming in handy, not to flee the scene with my recording, as I’d originally intended, but to run for my life.
Clyde continued to scream in agony, but I didn’t turn back. I ran, one of the creatures right behind me. It didn’t matter how many times I turned, how many shortcuts I took, or places I tried to hide. He kept coming, as if I had a homing beacon…
Shit. I lifted my fingertips to the scars on the sides of each temple and cursed fate, God, and the alien prince who’d abandoned me. They did have a tracking device. It was supposed to be a fucking language translator! The crackling sound had faded, but it was still there, and I realized it was their language. True to Warden Egara’s promise, as I heard more, their words became clear. Except they weren’t speaking aloud, like normal people, but through some kind of broadcast frequency my new implants could pick up. It wasn’t English, but I understood it perfectly.
“Find the woman. We must take her to the core.”
“She is approximately seventy-two feet from our position. We will capture her in twenty-three-point-five seconds.”
“The human male is dead. Get the female. We need to get off this planet before the coalition tracks our ship.”
“Nineteen seconds at current position and speed.”
“Increase speed.”
“We will increase fifteen percent.”
I briefly thought of Warden Egara and her claims regarding the implant’s language mastery. She was right. If I survived this, I’d have to send her a thank-you note.
Nineteen seconds until that thing had me? I ran faster than I’d ever moved in my life, thankful for once that I forced myself to work out five days a week, and ran straight into a giant chest. Stunned, I looked up, way up, saw silver flesh, and screamed.
Chapter Four
Prince Nial, Earth
The woman in my arms took one look at my face and screamed as if she had landed in the arms of the Hive hordes. She struggled, kicking and fighting my grip as relief flooded my body. I knew her face from the bride protocol files that Dr. Mordin had received prior to her transport. Prior to her failed transport. This was my mate, my bride. There was no doubt. Besides a visual confirmation, I knew she was mine. And she was terrified, but alive. And very, very beautiful.
The iron-rich scent of her blood reached me, causing rage to flood my body, battle rage like I’d never felt before. But then, I’d never before been protecting my mate. She was scared, and had been injured. I had no idea how badly. I would need to strip her of her clothing and inspect every inch of her body as soon as possible.
The thought of touching her, of exploring her curves, made my cock harden in response. I remembered the mating ceremony dream and knew instinctively what she needed, but now was not the time. Already pushed to a near frenzied state by the danger to her, I did not welcome my body’s automatic response to the sweet scent of her skin and the flowery fragrance of her shining golden hair. The long strands were not dark gold, as many of my people had, but a pale color, like liquid sunlight. My personal light in the darkness. I knew only she would be able to tame the monster my cyborg implants would tempt me to become.
Speaking of monsters, the creature that pursued her would not be breathing much longer. I could hear the Hive scouts inside my mind, chattering with each other in that strange language of beeps and noise that sounded like buzzing insects inside my skull.
I had not missed that sound, but I was grateful for it now. Their noise had led Ander and me straight to them, and to my mate.
I leaned down and caught her gaze with my own, her eyes like the pale blue skies of her home world. “Jessica Smith, do not be afraid. I will not allow anything to harm you.”
“How do you know my name? Are you one of them?” Her eyes wide, she stopped fighting and her gaze quickly took in the black t-shirt, pants, and leather jacket I had acquired to hide my small cache of Earth weapons. I would not need those weapons, not for the cyborg scout running toward us at full speed. I would rip him to pieces with my bare hands. In fact, I eagerly awaited his arrival.