Seized

by Tana Stone

  Trista sighed. “I’m glad I’m not to only one who thought she was going crazy.” She looked from Mandy to Bridget. “Were you two homesick?”

  Bridget shook her head. “I didn’t have a home to miss, so no.”

  “At first I thought I missed things about Earth but I realized I really didn’t,” Mandy said. “My family kind of sucked, so I didn’t miss them. What were you homesick for?”

  Trista shrugged. “Nothing in particular. Just odd things, like the smell of freshly mown grass, and the sound of a crickets chirping at night.”

  “You lost me there,” Mandy said. “I’ve always lived in LA, but I do miss the sight of all the city lights at night when I’d drive up high on Mulholland.”

  “And I’d love to hear the hum of South Beach at night again, when all the clubs and restaurants were packed,” Bridget said. “It’s funny the weird things you miss.”

  All three women nodded, momentarily lost in their memories.

  “No family or friends?” Bridget asked, clearing her throat.

  Trista shook her head abruptly. “No one.”

  Bridget saw something flicker across the woman’s face, then disappear. “Then we should toast to new friends.”

  Mandy raised her nearly empty wine glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

  “What are we drinking to?” Reina asked, as she worked her way toward them holding a bowl and a full glass over her head to keep from spilling.

  “You’ve really embraced cocktails lately,” Mandy said, scooting over so Reina could sit next to them.

  “Vexlings are normally very dedicated to their work,” Reina said, lowering herself and folding her long legs up underneath her. She passed the bowl filled with some sort of chips to Bridget. “We’re what you on Earth would call workaholics, but I figure even I need a bit of a break.”

  “You do,” Bridget said, plucking a dark-purple chip from the bowl. “I can only imagine how hard it is to handle a bunch of human brides.”

  “And work with Serge,” Mandy mumbled into her drink as she also took a chip.

  “It’s not that I don’t enjoy my work,” Reina said, sipping her drink, her impossibly long pinky finger extending up as she drank. “But I’d like to do more than just escort humans around.”

  Mandy patted Reina’s leg. “You’re much more than an escort.”

  Reina smiled. “I hope so. I recently submitted a proposal to overhaul the tribute bride selection system, based on the feedback from you girls.”

  “Us?” Trista looked at the other two women.

  “We’re hardly girls,” Bridget pointed out, munching on the salty chip and wondering if she wanted to know what it was made from.

  “You are to me, sweetie,” Reina said. “I’m over a hundred of your Earth years.”

  Mandy almost dropped her glass. “A hundred?” Her eyes went up and down Reina. “You look amazing.”

  Reina patted her blue hair. “Vexlings live a few hundred years, so I should look good.”

  Bridget turned slightly, so the warmth of the fire would reach her face, and took another chip. “So what about us ‘girls’ inspired you?”

  “I realized after your reaction to our game show and some of the elements of the station inspired by your pop culture, perhaps we were in need of some updates.”

  Mandy held the stem of her glass between her hands as she pressed her palms together in prayer. “Please tell me you’re getting rid of the cheesy Dating Game set.”

  Reina nodded. “That’s my suggestion. Its purpose was to ease the transition with something familiar, but I think it’s only more confusing.”

  “Since it’s not the 1970s anymore?” Trista said, taking a small handful of chips from the bowl.

  “So what will replace it?” Bridget asked, eyeing the addictive purple chips. “How will you match up tribute brides with Drexian warriors?”

  “Mandy tells me dating choices are made on earth now by computer programs and by swiping left and right,” Reina said.

  “You’re going to create a Drexian hottie app?” Mandy’s eyes shone. “I could definitely help you test that. I know all about which dating apps are the best.”

  “Not exactly,” Reina said, “I did some research and discovered many individuals on those apps are already mated or are deceptive in their images.”

  “You mean you discovered people are using Tinder and Grindr to cheat, and they’re using fake photos to pretend to be hotter than they are?” Mandy said, her tone sarcastic. “You don’t say?”

  Trista giggled. “I’ve never gone on those.”

  “You missed exactly nothing,” Bridget said.

  “I did suggest we use a computer system to sync up interests like one of your online dating services on earth,” Reina continued. “We already use an algorithm and mine date from your governments to locate potential brides. This will just go deeper.”

  A brunette Bridget recognized from Mandy’s bachelorette party leaned over from the nearest chair. “I wondered how you picked us.”

  Reina’s pale-gray cheeks flushed as more faces swiveled toward her. “I don’t know if I should be sharing this.”

  “Come on,” Mandy nudged her. “It’s just us girls.”

  “I didn’t write the algorithm,” Reina said, “and I don’t have anything to do with running it. That’s all done in our data and selection center. All I know is it narrows down women who are orphans, only children, or are distant from their families. From there, it eliminates anyone with a close circle of friends or a romantic relationship, although bad romantic relationships don’t count.”

  Mandy laughed. “So if you have a crappy boyfriend, you can get picked just as if you didn’t have a boyfriend at all?”

  “Yes,” Reina said. “We’ve rescued many women from bad relationships, abusive relationships, or men who were going nowhere.”

  “I think the Drexians have it all wrong,” Bridget said, munching on a chip then taking a sip of the sweet and spicy drink. “If you let the world know you could save women from dead-end relationships and match them up with a big, strapping aliens, I think the females of earth would welcome you with open arms.”

  Reina shook her head so hard her hair flopped down over her forehead. “Oh, no. We can never tell.”

  “Just kidding.” Bridget patted her arm. “Your secret’s safe with us.”

  One of the blond twins on the couch sat forward. “So tell us about one of the latest tribute brides? You are still bringing up brides, right?”

  Reina tapped a finger on her knee. “We paused for safety reasons right after the incursion attempt, but there is one female the data and selection team are considering making an exception for because of her connection to the program already.”

  “What kind of connection?” Bridget asked. “I thought the whole point was to pick women without connections.”

  Reina gnawed at her lip. “This woman has a connection to one of you, but you don’t actually know her.”

  Trista dropped her voice. “Like a long lost sibling separated at birth?”

  “Like a photographer who’s a suspect in Mandy’s disappearance,” Reina said.

  Mandy choked on her drink. “Wait, what? Me? Someone noticed I was gone?” She shook her head. “Why would a photographer have anything to do with it?”

  “This woman published a photo of you taken right before you vanished, so the police think she may be involved.”

  “That’s bad luck,” Bridget said.

  “We feel awful an extraction has had unintended consequences,” Reina said. “We work hard to prevent that from happening.”

  “You can’t let her go to jail because they think she kidnapped me, or worse,” Mandy said, standing. “You have to bring her here.”

  Reina looked unsure. “A final decision hasn’t been made.”

  “I’ll talk to Dorn,” Mandy said, a determined look on her face.

  Reina’s face dropped another shade. “You can’t. If anyone finds out I told you
about the inner workings of the tribute bride selection process…” Her words trailed off.

  “I’m guessing it wouldn’t be good?” Bridget asked.

  Reina’s sagging shoulders and pinched face were all the answer she needed.

  Mandy huffed out a breath. “I can’t believe you told me this. I’m not even on Earth anymore, and I’m causing trouble.” She headed for the balcony, wrenching open the sliding door and stepping outside.

  “Oh, dear,” Reina said, wringing her hands. “I never should have said anything.”

  “It’s okay.” Bridget stood and pulled Trista up with her. “We’ll talk to her.”

  Bridget hated that her friend was upset, but talking people off emotional ledges had become one of her specialties. Dancers lived with constant rejection and criticism, and she’d talked more than one friend out of giving up. Besides, dealing with Mandy’s problem was much better than having to dwell on hers. She’d do just about anything to keep from feeling like her heart was breaking in two.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The sound grew louder as Kax rolled over in bed, pulling his pillow around his head to muffle the pounding. It took him a moment to determine the noise wasn’t coming from his head, which was a miracle, considering how much he’d drunk the night before. It came from the door to his room, but a room where? He tossed the pillow to the floor, watching as it landed on the smooth, black surface.

  Propping himself up on one elbow, he spotted the empty bottle of Noovian whiskey on the nightstand, and the sight of it made his stomach churn. The squat rocks glass next to the bottle still held traces of the green liquid. Kax inhaled deeply and caught a whiff of the potent alien drink, the sharp scent making him taste bile as he slammed a hand over his mouth.

  The hammering on the door had not stopped, so he swung his feet to the floor and staggered across the darkened room. Who needed him so badly they were dragging him out of bed in the middle of the night? He waved a palm over the door’s side panel and groaned when the door slid back to reveal his brother.

  Dorn gaped at him before clamping his dangling mouth shut. “I came to get you for a meeting with the captain.”

  Kax realized he wore nothing but a snug pair of black underwear and assumed he looked as rough as he felt. “In the middle of the night?”

  Dorn crossed his arms and gave him a crooked grin. “It’s halfway through a space station morning cycle.”

  Even though Drexian days were considerably longer, the Boat had been designed to replicate the day and night patterns of Earth. A sunrise and sunset were simulated on the promenade, and lighting throughout the station’s corridors and common spaces dimmed in the evening so the humans’ body clocks weren’t thrown into chaos.

  “Morning?” Kax rubbed his temples and waved Dorn inside. “Are you sure?”

  Dorn followed him into the room and coughed. “As sure as I am you shouldn’t be drinking Noovian whiskey.” He picked up the empty bottle and eyed his brother. “I take it this is about Bridget?”

  Kax didn’t answer as he peeled off his boxer briefs and strode into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar while he touched a panel to activate the shower. Warm water cascaded from the ceiling, and he stepped underneath, the sting of the jets waking him further.

  “This isn’t like you,” Dorn called in. “Drinking alone? Sleeping through meetings?”

  Kax leaned his head back and let the water hit his face. He dragged both hands through his hair, trying not to think about the shower at the colony and sharing it with Bridget. He stepped out and shut off the water. Everything he did reminded him of her. He needed to get her out of his mind or he’d go crazy.

  Kax toweled off as he walked from the bathroom to the dresser in his bedroom, ignoring his brother leaning against the black desk. After pulling on his uniform pants and jacket, he turned and managed a smile.

  “A lapse that won’t happen again,” he said.

  Dorn didn’t look so convinced. “If it’s too soon for you to go back out there, we can find someone else. No one will fault you for wanting a break after your rescue mission.”

  Kax shook his head and passed Dorn on the way to the door. “And stay around here watching her with him?” His lip curled as he thought of Karsh. “Should I attend their wedding, as well?”

  Dorn followed into the corridor, the door to Kax’s quarters sliding closed behind them. “When you put it that way, maybe a mission is just what you need. I know nothing improves my mood like battling the enemy.”

  They walked without speaking; the echo of their heavy boots the only sound in the pristine hallways. Both nodded when they passed a Vexling bustling along next to a tribute bride, and pounded a fist to their chests when they passed fellow Drexian warriors in uniform. The rode the inclinator in silence, or as close to silence as they could get with faint instrumental music wafting overhead.

  “I forgot to ask earlier,” Kax said when they reached the wide doors leading to the bridge. “Do I look presentable?”

  Dorn waved a palm next to the door. “A question you probably should have asked me before now.” He gave a backward grin as he walked through the sliding doors and onto the bridge.

  Kax cursed his brother under his breath and followed, throwing back his chest and hoping confidence would make up for his less-than-polished appearance. The dark interior of the station’s bridge was a welcome change from the bright lights of the hallways, and he watched officers standing and moving around ebony-colored consoles.

  Captain Varden crossed toward them, his own uniform boasting sharp creases, and the streaks of silver at his temples adding to his air of authority. “Commanders, thank you for coming.”

  Kax and Dorn followed him over to a large, computerized star chart. Lights blinked and blue-arced paths indicated orbits and trajectories on the clear panel. Kax squinted as he tried to make sense of the dots and lights.

  “You said it was urgent,” Dorn said.

  The captain nodded. “Since the incursion and the abduction, we’ve been on high alert. As you know, it’s been decades since any sort of contact with the Kronock this close to Earth. To be honest, our defenses weren’t ready, and it’s taken some work to get our systems up to a level I’m satisfied with.” He pointed to Earth on the chart and the curved lines extending from it to the red dot indicating the Boat. “We’ve resumed our tribute bride transports, but added significant security measures. Our fighter pilots are flying a consistent orbit around the station, and we have long-range ships patrolling between us and the outskirts.”

  Kax cleared his throat. “That all seems good.”

  Captain Varden clasped his hands behind his back. “For now. I’m concerned about what happens when the enemy comes at us with a full attack.”

  “If you’re telling me you don’t think the attack on the station was a full attack,” Dorn said, “then I agree.”

  “We’ve gotten reports from Inferno Force that the Kronock are moving ships to the outskirts,” the captain continued. “Battleships. Lots of them.”

  Kax’s stomach tightened. He’d seen the enemy’s new battleships, and they were impressive. It had only been with luck and some guerrilla tactics that they’d been able to destroy them during the last battle. He didn’t like thinking of a fleet of battleships coming for them.

  “Do you want Inferno Force to engage?” Dorn asked. Inferno Force was the fleet he’d led before be summoned to the Boat to take a mate. They were considered the roughest and toughest of the Drexian warriors, and also the most victorious ones.

  “Not and be blown out of the sky,” Kax said. “You saw the new battleships, brother. If they have an entire fleet of them, Inferno Force, as good as they are, will be outgunned.”

  Dorn scowled, clearly not pleased to think anything could outmatch his warriors, but he didn’t argue.

  “We still have stealth technology the Kronock don’t seem to posses, although I suspect they are trying very hard to acquire it,” Captain Varden said.

&nbs
p; “Why do you say that?” Kax asked.

  “We just got word they captured a Drexian science vessel. Luckily, the science team had nothing to do with stealth technology or military research of any kind, so the information remains safe.”

  “And the Drexians on the science vessel?” Kax asked, bracing himself for the answer.

  “Dead,” the captain said. “The Kronock ripped the ship apart and then slaughtered the entire crew when they realized it wasn’t what they’d been searching for. We know this because one security officer managed to hide and get off a transmission before he was found.”

  Dorn balled his hands by his sides and emitted a low growl.

  Kax tried to keep his rage in check. “So we still have the advantage of stealth cloaking, but we don’t have the army to match the one they’ve been building?”

  “And as soon as our stealth ships fire, the advantage is eliminated,” Dorn reminded him.

  “The Kronock commander who was after…” Kax paused, “the tribute bride, said they intended to attack Earth. We know this for a fact. Since he seemed to want human DNA to somehow aid with their invasion, I’d hoped his failure to harvest it would have slowed down the timeline.”

  Dorn rocked back on his heels. “Do we know he didn’t get it?”

  Kax swung his head around. “What?”

  “Bridget said she thought they didn’t get anything from her, but she admitted she was sedated twice,” Dorn said. “And you reported you saved her from a research building. Who’s to say they hadn’t already harvested her human DNA?”

  “Then why did they come after us?” Kax said, but he knew the answer to his own question, even if he didn’t want to admit it to the others. It was because Krav had developed an obsession with Bridget, beyond using her for their military plan. He’d seen it in the creature’s face and heard it in his voice. He wanted her in the same way Kax wanted her.

  Dorn shrugged. “Because they’re animals.”

  Kax forced himself not to think Bridget could still be in danger. “So what do we do? We can’t let the Boat fall into Kronock hands, and we can’t let Earth be invaded.”