"You are mine, little kitten," Vox responded gently. "You will accept what the gods have given you. Come to me willingly or come to me fighting, but come to me you will."
Riley shook her head and tightly pinched her lips together in determination. "Sorry, dude, I’ve seen enough alien movies to know that it never turns out good for the supporting actors. Since I’ve never been a heroine, this is a no-win situation for me. I’d just as soon go down fighting."
Vox’s grin widened. "I always did like a good fight before I fucked," he said, reaching to grab her off the rock.
"Your choice," Riley muttered, holding her breath as she held the small cylinder up and depressed the button.
Vox’s roar filled the small room as the pepper spray hit him in the face. Riley stood frozen on the rock, pressing her hands over her ears as his loud curses and pain-filled roar continued to echo. He fell back several steps, grabbing at his face, before he fell to his knees in agony.
"What did you do?" Lodar asked in horror as he tried to help Vox who was rocking back and forth on his knees emitting low mewing sounds of pain.
"It will stop hurting if he washes his eyes out…I think," Riley whispered. "I’ve never actually had to use it before, but that is what the directions say to do."
"You’ve never used this weapon before?" Tor said as he gripped Vox’s shoulder and tried to see what was causing his friend so much pain.
"Well, I warned him!" Riley said defensively. "It’s his fault for not listening."
"Female," Vox hissed out painfully. "I’m going to strangle you when I can see again."
"If you even think of it, I’ll…I’ll…" Riley threatened back. "I don’t know what I’ll do but it is going to hurt you more than me!"
"Not if I can help it," Vox groaned as Lodar laid a cool, damp cloth over his burning eyes.
Hell, he needed one for his nose, throat, and mouth as well. When she had raised her hand he had thought she was just trying to warn him to stay back. He had not expected her to have anything in it. Both of her hands had been empty except for the rope she was trying to hand the Gelatian just minutes before. He had made sure she didn’t have anything in them after the first time. Where in Guall’s balls she got her hands on the device she used on him he didn’t know, but he was going to be damn careful the next time he got near her! Gods, his eyes, nose, mouth, and throat burned!
"Just…just keep away from me, and I won’t have to hurt you again," she muttered before turning to the Gelatian and the Tiliqua. "Come on, guys, help me get this wall built before Saraprick gets on his high horse again."
Riley glanced at the green, gelatinous being and smiled when he shook and moved backward instead. "It’s okay, darling. It won’t take but a moment. I won’t hurt you, you tub of gorgeous green."
"He is not gorgeous," Vox growled out hoarsely, trying to glare at the female through blurry, burning eyes. "You will not speak to him like that. I am your mate!"
Riley glared back at the huge, seething male who was glaring at her with watery red eyes. She felt her pulse rocket at his deep growl, and that just made her madder. She would not let her body react to some overzealous, pompous alien, no matter how cute he was! She brought to her mind the last five alien movies she saw and reminded herself that not a one of them ended well for the humans. Just look at what happened to Sigourney Weaver. She not only had that alien bursting out of her—she became one! There was no way that Riley was going to take a chance of that happening to her.
"I don’t believe I was talking to you," Riley growled back. "Now, go bother someone else for a little while. Bob, honey, get your green body over here this instant. I think I feel a headache coming on, and I want to rest in peace for a little while."
"Female"—Vox bit out in warning, wiping at his eyes—"If you need help, I will give it."
"My name is Riley. Riley St. Claire from Denver, Colorado, not female. Don’t forget it." Riley sniffed indignantly and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she tried to balance on the rock without falling off it again. "Now, let Lodar help you. He seems to know what to do. And quit making that god-awful growling noise. It is beginning to get on my nerves."
* * *
Vox lay on his back and wiped at his eyes again. They were still tearing from earlier, but thankfully the worst part of the burning had faded. He turned his head and glanced at the wall of blankets separating the two sides of the narrow cavern they had been given. Fred was curled up in a ball in the corner as far from Vox and his men as possible on one blanket. Bob was asleep standing up in the other corner. Vox, Lodar, and Tor were stretched out on the hard floor. He listened as the female rolled over on the bed behind the curtain again and released a soft sigh that tugged at his cock as if she had her hand wrapped around him. She was driving him and his cat crazy!
"How are we going to get out of here?" Lodar asked quietly. "As long as we have these collars on there is no way we can get by the guards."
"If I had some tools, I could get them off," Tor responded quietly. "Problem is, I don’t think the Antrox are going to leave any tools that would work lying around."
"I’m going to kill that Valdier royal when I get my hands on him," Vox growled out softly. "The Antrox receive shipments every couple of days. We need to track when those shipments arrive. We’ll figure out a way to get these damn collars off and steal a ship. Kill as many of those emotionless insects as you can on the way out. I want them to know they better not mess with a Sarafin warrior again."
"Tomorrow begins our first shift," Lodar said. "We can look for tools when they take us to the mines."
"What of the female?" Tor asked, looking over to the blankets where Riley’s soft sighs could be heard. "We will need to watch her. I’ve heard of what can happen to females in the Antrox mines. If the Pactors don’t attack them and kill them, other prisoners often try to steal them or a trader will offer credits for them. They kill the males if another female doesn’t take them or another is not available."
Vox looked at the shadow of his mate as she turned over again. He watched one of her arms rise up briefly before she turned over onto her stomach. A small grin pulled at his mouth. There wasn’t a part of his body that wasn’t sore thanks to her. He had never been brought to his knees before, not even in battle except for the time he was poisoned. His mate had done it not once but twice in the same day.
"She is to be protected at all cost. Kill any who try to take or harm her," he ordered. "She is your new queen."
Tor chuckled softly. "I don’t think she is going to be too happy with her new title," he said, fighting back another laugh.
"I don’t care if she likes her new title or not; she is my mate and the queen of our people," Vox said with a grin of his own. "I have to admit I’m looking forward to seeing how she handles it. Just remind me to make sure I check her hands before I get near her again." He turned so he could stare at the curtain and imagine what she looked like lying on the narrow bed.
"You don’t think she would have any tools with her, do you?" Lodar asked curiously. "She has been surprisingly resourceful so far."
Vox snorted. "She is a female! Why would a female need tools?" he said dismissively. "No, our best hope is if we can find some that the Antrox haven’t accounted for."
"Like that will ever happen," Tor grunted out. "They inventory every item as the prisoners go into the mines and again coming out."
Vox bit back the curse on his lips. "I want off this asteroid. If we can’t find the tools we need, then we will have to find another way to get them. Get some sleep. It will be a long day tomorrow."
Both men grunted their agreement as they rolled over, trying to get comfortable on the hard surface. Vox stared at the shadow of his mate again. He would get off the asteroid, and he would kill the Valdier royal who drugged him and his men. But first, he needed to make sure that he marked his mate in case she was taken from him. He would find her, no matter where she went, but he wanted everyone to know she belonged to him.
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Chapter 4
Riley turned around to stare at the strange creatures passing their small group in the long corridor. They had been woken up way too early for her. She was not much of a morning person. In fact, until she had a decent breakfast, several cups of coffee, and it was past ten in the morning, no one even bothered to talk to her. To top it off, she had to make do with just a quick cloth bath to refresh herself. The "bathroom" was a large open area shared with other prisoners, male and female. Vox, Tor, and Lodar had stood guard in front of the door when Riley had refused to go in as long as there was anyone else in the room. Even Bob and Fred had lent a body to help cover the opening to give her privacy. She had quickly done her business and cleaned up as best she could. She decided she’d better dress appropriately if she was going to be working in a mine. She wore a pair of her favorite faded jeans that had a hole in one of the knees, a soft, long-sleeved Denver Broncos jersey, and a pair of tennis shoes. She wasn’t about to ruin her designer boots working in the dusty mine. She quickly piled her hair up into a messy but chic ponytail. She touched her lips with a bit of lip gloss before quickly tossing the items she had worn to sleep in into the carry-on she had. She slid her designer handbag over her shoulder and straightened her shoulders in determination. She was NOT going to be a big baby and cry because she wanted to go home. She was going to find a way to get back to Earth, even if she had to kill someone to do it.
"Next!" Riley said as cheerfully as she could this early in the morning. "Fred, would you be a dear and run this back to our rooms? I’d hate to have to carry it all day."
Fred reached out and gripped the bag. With a muttered snort, he took off at a run. Riley couldn’t help but be grudgingly surprised at how fast the little guy ran for having such short legs. She looked at Vox, Lodar, and Tor.
"Well, go on," she said. "We don’t have all day!"
Lodar chuckled but turned and entered the bathroom. Tor shook his head before following. Vox stared at Riley, letting his eyes roam over the bright orange and blue top with the number eighteen on the front. His gaze moved further down to her blue jeans-clad legs before settling on her white-and-blue tennis shoes.
"Why do you dress like that?" he asked curiously. "You should be dressed like you were yesterday."
Riley sighed heavily. "I am not about to ruin my good clothes working in some nasty-ass mine! These are much more comfortable and will do just fine. Now, don’t you need to take care of business?"
Vox frowned. "What business?"
"You know," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Whatever guys do in the morning. The three S’s."
"The three S’s?" Vox asked confused. He was focused on the shimmer of Riley’s lips as she pressed them together.
"Yes! Shit, shower, and shave," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "Bob can watch me while you go do your thing."
Vox chuckled as her meaning sank in. "I have never heard of that before. I will wait until Lodar and Tor have returned before I go do my ‘thing.’ You can always join me while I do my business," he suggested teasingly before he remembered to glance at her hands to see if she had anything in them.
"I don’t think so." She sniffed and shrugged indignantly.
Vox took a step closer to her, forcing her backward several steps until she was pressed against the rock wall behind her. Riley swallowed nervously. Her eyes darted around, looking for any type of distraction she could use. She cursed the fact that she had left her pepper spray under her pillow. She could never think straight in the morning. If she could get her hands into her handbag she could probably find something to use as a weapon. She had everything but the kitchen sink in it. Hell, she even had multiples of items like the Leatherman and Leatherman Micro that was in the bottom of the damn thing somewhere. One had scissors while the other had pliers. She was always needing one or the other. Right now, she could really use the knife on one of them.
"What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly, looking up into his determined eyes. "You need to just stay back! Remember what happens when you get close to me. I don’t want to have to hurt you again."
Vox reached out and gripped her wrists in a tight but tender hold. "Then, don’t," he whispered huskily. "I plan to kiss you, Riley St. Claire of Denver, Colorado. I plan to mark you so that there can be no doubt that you belong to me. And finally, I plan to claim you as my own."
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, t
he 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.
Captured Boxed Set: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys Who Will Capture Your Heart Page 86
