Alien Prisoner

by Honey Phillips

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Other Titles

  Alien Prisoner

  Alien Invasion Book 2

  Honey Phillips

  Copyright © 2019 by Honey Phillips

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author.

  Disclaimer

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Pro Book Covers Studio

  Edited by Nikki Groom @ Indie Hub Editing Services

  Chapter One

  Rachel stared at the ceiling of her bunk and ignored the order to assemble for a meal. Five minutes later, a grey, heavily muscled arm slid the privacy panel enclosing her area aside, and an alien guard scowled down at her.

  “Female, eat,” he ordered. His heavy brows drew together, bringing the massive black horns that curled back from his forehead into further prominence. Even without the horns, he would have been immediately obvious as an alien. A heavy bone structure with a blade-like nose and sharply angled cheekbones surrounded reptilian eyes with slit pupils.

  She continued to stare at the ceiling, and he growled in frustration. His hand came crashing down on the bed beside her, an enormous hand with three fingers and sharp black claws. Barely able to suppress a shudder, she kept her gaze focused upward even though her muscles tensed. So far, none of the guards had laid a finger on her, but part of her still assumed it was only a matter of time. The guard gave a frustrated sigh, but he didn’t grab her this time, either. Instead, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

  “Female, wash,” he ordered this time.

  Keeping her face impassive took more effort with his second command. The unpleasant aroma she was cultivating was having the desired effect. As soon as she had realized that all of the women confined with her were young and attractive, she had decided to make herself as unattractive as possible. Three weeks had passed since she had been imprisoned and even though she cringed internally every time she noticed her own odor, she wasn’t about to spoil those efforts now.

  The guard tried one last time, roaring his annoyance at her, but she had expected that. The Yehrins roared a lot, especially at her. As long as it wasn’t followed by a physical attack, she could handle the noise. As soon he turned and left, she sat up. Since the bunks were obviously designed for the massive aliens, she had plenty of room to move around. After a quick glance to make sure that the guard had departed, she scuttled in the other direction. Each of the bunk room corridors terminated in a shared bathroom. Even though the white-tiled space was clean and modern, she hated using it. She could never escape the feeling that she was being watched as she took care of the necessities.

  After a quick pee and a longing glance at the shower stalls, she headed back down the corridor between the bunks. Pausing just outside the main room, she took a quick survey. Most of the women were gathered around the tables where the meal had been set up. Her stomach gurgled as the smell of food hit her, but she ignored it. She didn’t trust the alien food and she had no intention of cooperating with the aliens, even in such a minor matter. Fortunately, their captors were generous with the food, bringing a hot meal three times a day. In between, they left fruit and plain crackers. She avoided the strange looking meals and grabbed packages of crackers when no one was looking, storing some under her mattress for her eventual escape. Because she would escape; she had no other option. Fighting down the inevitable surge of panic at the thought of her younger brother Benji being dependent on their worthless mother, she studied the room.

  The spacious area was centered between the four bunk rooms where the women slept. On one end was a large viewport with a breathtaking view of Earth far below, but her attention focused on the other end. As always, a guard stood next to the door. During the day—or at least the period when the lights were on—one guard was always posted there. Currently, a second guard stood with him, probably the one who had brought the food. They made an imposing display. Tight-fitting, sleeveless black uniforms revealed impressive musculature and their curling black horns added to the threatening picture; however, her focus was on the belt that encircled each trim waist. A number of devices hung from the wide leather strip. If she could just get hold of one of their weapons…

  One of the women wiggled her way over to the guards. Rachel recognized her. A sly blonde with the improbable name of Bambi, she liked to make cutting remarks about Rachel and had gathered her own little mean girls’ clique. All the women had been provided with clothing consisting of loose white pants and matching shirts that wrapped at the waist. Rachel had, of course, refused the new clothing and was still in the baggy pajama pants and oversized tee shirt which she had been wearing when she was taken. Bambi was also wearing the clothes she had been captured in—skintight jeans, a low-cut red blouse and heels. Heels, for God's sake. Rachel rolled her eyes. The flooring in their pod consisted of a dark grey spongy material and most of the other girls, including Rachel, went barefoot.

  Bambi was right in front of the guards, certainly close enough to grab a weapon, but she didn’t seem to have escape on her mind. Instead, she trailed a seductive hand along the massive forearm belonging to the alien on the right. He immediately bent down to her and the other guard growled at him. The two began a heated exchange of words.

  “What does she think she’s doing?”

  Rachel jumped, annoyed that someone had snuck up on her, and turned to find Sarah standing there. The other woman smiled cautiously. A pleasant looking brunette in her early thirties, Sarah was the oldest member of their small group and had assumed a motherly role toward the other women. She was also one of the few who bothered to speak to Rachel anymore. Once her fellow prisoners realized that she didn’t eat, wasn’t going to bathe, and had no interest in meaningless conversation, they either ignored her or sneered at her.

  “Looking for favors is my guess,” Rachel said, her dislike of Bambi overcoming her usual reticence.

  “I don’t think she’s going to get anywhere with those two,” Sarah said doubtfully.

  Rachel studied the trio by the d
oor. Bambi still had her hand on one guard’s arm and looked positively thrilled by their argument. “I don’t know. The one she’s got her hand on is in no hurry to remove it.”

  “I just hope she has the sense not to try it when the commander is here.”

  Both women shuddered. Commander T’ngorzul made a weekly inspection visit, accompanied by Sub Commander T'judin. Each woman was ordered to stand in front of them while they walked around her, discussing her in Yehrin while they leered at her body. They had not actually touched anyone—yet—but each week they seemed to get closer. It was the only command that Rachel obeyed. The thought of being trapped in her bunk while she was inspected made her skin crawl.

  The argument by the door escalated. The right-hand guard suddenly tugged Bambi against him, his arm around her waist. Her eyes went wide with shock, and she started pushing frantically at his massive arm. The other guard growled and smacked a button on the wall. Within seconds, the door opened, and another alien stepped inside. Both guards froze instantly. Even though he was slightly shorter than the other two, the new alien carried an air of command that sent a shiver up Rachel’s spine. His face fixed in an expressionless mask, he directed one look at the guard on the right, and the guard promptly released Bambi and stepped back. For a moment, Bambi looked as if she was going to throw herself on the new warrior, but the hard look on his face apparently dissuaded her.

  “I am Commander T’chok,” he announced as he stepped further into the room. Despite a slight accent, his English was impeccable. The low rumbling tones caused an unwanted response low in Rachel’s tummy. “You are now under my supervision. Do not approach my warriors again. If you have a request, I will be making daily inspections and you may address it to me at that time.”

  Rachel heard Sarah’s soft gasp at the announcement, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off the commander. Like all the Yehrin, he was heavily muscled, but he moved with a predatory grace that belied his massive bulk. Harsh, inhuman features should have made him unattractive; instead, she found herself focusing on his surprising sensual mouth. Slight flecks of silver in his close-cut hair indicated that he was older than the other warriors she had seen, but that only made him more compelling to her.

  As he finished his announcement, he scanned the room, making sure he met each woman's eyes. When his gaze settled on her and their eyes met, it literally felt like a punch in the stomach. She had to hold back a gasp of shock. He held her attention for several seconds before moving on. Her knees trembled and she had to force her expression back into its usual flat stare.

  “Any questions?” Commander T’chok asked. None of the women responded. After one lightning fast glance in Rachel’s direction, he departed, taking the right guard with him.

  “What was that about?” Sarah asked.

  “What do you mean?” Rachel refused to look at the other woman, but she had a terrible suspicion that she was blushing.

  “The way he looked at you.” Sarah sounded awed.

  “He didn’t look at me any differently than anyone else.”

  “Sure he didn’t,” Sarah replied, arching an eyebrow.

  Rachel took a quick look around but no one else was looking at her, except for Bambi. Great, all she needed was for that bitch to suddenly become observant. Resolutely pushing all thoughts of the Commander aside, she turned away from the main room and the excited chatter which had begun.

  “I’m going back to my bunk,” she told Sarah, and escaped. As soon as she climbed up into her space and closed the panel, she buried her face in her hands. The way the situation had escalated had frightened her more than she wanted to admit. Despite knowing that they were helpless against the size and strength of the aliens, seeing how easily that guard had constrained Bambi made it all too real. Any hope she had of escaping seemed impossible. Refusing to give in to tears, she took deep breaths until she could harden her resolve. She had to get out of here; her brother needed her. Somehow, she was going to escape.

  Chapter Two

  When the Yehrin first appeared in the skies over Earth six months ago, they had promised assistance in taking the planet into a new era of technological advancement. After the first shocked reaction that they were not alone in the universe, most of the people in Rachel’s small Montana town had shrugged and accepted it. Mainly ranchers and farmers, their lives revolved around their land. Their cattle didn’t care what was happening in the cities and neither did they. Rachel hadn’t been interested, either. Her mother had lost another job and Rachel was working two shifts at the diner to earn enough money to keep a roof over their heads. In the few minutes of spare time she had, she studied for her online graphics degree.

  Then the alien embassy in New York had exploded. Overnight, a Yehrin Supreme Commander had taken jurisdiction over Earth and alien warriors were in command. Her neighbors had gathered their guns and prepared to fight—despite the overwhelming evidence broadcast over every television and internet channel showing how fruitless such efforts would be. However, no aliens bothered to appear in Gold Creek, Montana, and no one could maintain a state of armed readiness forever. After the Yehrin terminated all resistance with swift, brutal efficiency, the world settled into a new normal and so did the town. With a shrug—and a rifle in easy reach—they went back to work.

  By the time Benji went back to school in September, the aliens were just another part of life. They had released several technological improvements to assist the human race, but Rachel was more concerned with finding enough money to buy school clothes for her brother. He had just turned ten and seemed to have shot up a foot overnight. As usual, her mother hadn’t noticed. Since their father had died right after Benji was born, their mother had descended into a state of paralyzed grief that left little room for her children’s needs. Rachel had been nine when Benji was born, but she became his primary caretaker. From diapers to bottles to school clothes, she had been the mother that their own mother was incapable of being.

  Benji caught a chill within a week of school starting, and his asthma flared up. The night Rachel was taken, she had discovered that their mother had forgotten to refill his prescription.

  “I’m sorry, darling,” she murmured in her usual helpless manner when Rachel confronted her. “I wasn’t feeling very well, and Tom suggested that I should take a walk with him and get some fresh air.”

  Rachel gritted her teeth. Tom Cummings was the owner of the Triple D ranch, and their new landlord. She had been appalled when her mother told her they were leaving the small rental house in town and moving out to the guest house on the ranch. Unfortunately, her mother was still Benji’s legal guardian. The fact that the rent on the guest house was considerably less than the house in town didn’t help Rachel’s position, although she had no doubt that Tom had an ulterior motive for giving them such an attractive price. Phyllis Redtree was still a very pretty woman with a slender figure, long dark hair, and big dark eyes. Her air of fragility appealed to a certain kind of man.

  “I’ll get it tomorrow,” Phyllis promised.

  “Mom, he needs it tonight.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Tom says he just needs to toughen up.”

  Rachel’s fists clenched. Tom made very little attempt to hide his disdain for Benji. He thought her brother was weak because he hated seeing the cattle sent off to market. It didn’t help that he was more interested in mechanics than horses, and his quiet intelligence didn’t impress the big rancher.

  She tried to keep her voice calm, but it was a losing battle. “He doesn’t need to toughen up; he has asthma and this cold has made it worse. A cold that he caught because he had to stand outside before dawn to catch the school bus since we’re so far out of town.”

  Her mother’s lips trembled, and Rachel bit back an exasperated sigh.

  “I’ll go into town and get it,” she said, and began pulling on her coat.

  “But it’s almost dark.”

  The aliens had declared a curfew, and no one was allowed out after dark unles
s they had a legitimate work excuse. White lights swept down from the sky at random intervals throughout the night, searching for violators. Rachel shivered, but looking at her brother, his thin figure huddled in one corner of the couch, she knew she didn’t have a choice.

  “I’ll be fine, Mom. You know they don’t pay much attention to us up here.”

  Crouching next to the couch, she brushed Benji’s hair back from his face. He was the spitting image on their mother, from fine dark hair to pale skin to thin frame. Rachel shared their dark hair, but she had inherited their dad’s darker skin tone and sturdier build.

  Benji’s eyes were still too bright in his thin face.

  “Don’t go, Rach,” he whispered, but she could hear the wheeze already starting in his lungs.

  “Don’t worry, bug. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  He still looked worried, so she gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t you remember how old Herman Bennett drove around all night last Friday, waving his gun at the sky and yelling? If they didn’t get him, they sure aren’t going to notice me.”

  A reluctant grin finally crossed his face, and he nodded. She gave him a quick hug, a surge of love sweeping through her as it always did when he wrapped his thin arms around her neck.

  “Try and get some sleep.” Standing up from the couch, she gave her mother a stern look. “Stay with him.”

  “Well, of course I will,” Phyllis protested, looking hurt. Rachel wished she could believe her, but there was no point in arguing. The sooner she went to town, the sooner she would be back.

  Despite her assurances to Benji, her heart thumped uncomfortably the whole way into town. Fortunately, Mr. Holman still had the pharmacy open. She picked up the prescription and headed home as quickly as possible. Darkness had fallen while she was in the store, and now only the headlights on her old truck broke the gloom, picking out fence lines and an occasional cottonwood tree. She made the final turn onto Triple D land and breathed a sigh of relief—just as the first light swept down from the sky.