Stolen for the Alien Prince

by Leslie Chase

  Stolen for the Alien Prince

  Leslie Chase

  Stolen for the Alien Prince

  Cover Design by Aria Tan of ResplendentMedia.com

  Editing by Sennah Tate

  Copyright 2018 Leslie Chase

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences. All names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. Hope

  2. Xendar

  3. Hope

  4. Xendar

  5. Hope

  6. Xendar

  7. Hope

  8. Xendar

  9. Hope

  10. Xendar

  11. Hope

  12. Xendar

  13. Hope

  14. Xendar

  15. Hope

  16. Xendar

  17. Hope

  18. Xendar

  19. Hope

  20. Xendar

  21. Hope

  22. Xendar

  23. Hope

  Epilogue

  About Leslie Chase

  Sci Fi Romance by Leslie Chase

  Paranormal Romance by Leslie Chase

  1

  Hope

  In my defense, the sunset alone was almost worth what happened next. It was gorgeous, a beautiful red sky that faded slowly into a velvety night, the stars coming out as I watched. Whenever something big happened in my life, I came out to the cliffs and watched the sun dip beneath the sea. It was soothing, a little reminder that whatever had happened to me, there was still beauty in the world.

  This time it was a boy called Greg. Stupid, charming Greg who'd almost convinced me to get into his bed before I found out that he'd been working that same charm on at least two other girls. That stung; worse because he was the only guy I'd had any interest in these past six months. So now here I was watching the sun go down and wishing that something, anything, would change.

  "Damn you, Greg," I muttered to myself as the stars twinkled above. "Why does every guy I meet have to be an asshole?"

  The stars looked down, uncaring, and I shivered as the heat of the day faded into the night. My car was a ten-minute walk away and I'd left my jacket there — planning ahead was never my best trait.

  With one last look at the sky I pulled myself to my feet, wrapping my arms around myself and turning away from the drop. Now that the sun was below the horizon, the trees looked a lot closer and more menacing than they had on my walk out.

  You'd think I'd be used to that, but it took me by surprise every single time. At least I had my phone to use as a flashlight if I needed it. And honestly, the spooky walk back to the car was part of the charm.

  That was when I saw the light. Brighter than the stars, and larger, it moved against the wind slowly. Silently. It couldn't be a plane, not with the turns it was making. A helicopter? I was sure I'd have heard it in that case. And it was moving against the wind, so no kind of weather balloon.

  Whatever it was blotted out the stars as it moved, and that gave me a sense of scale. Whatever it was, it was big and round. I couldn't help thinking that it might be saucer shaped, which made me smile.

  Thanks for giving me something else to think about, I thought silently as I pulled out my phone and flicked it over to camera mode. I wasn't likely to get a good picture, not in this light, but I might as well try. It would be better to have something to show when I told my UFO stories, rather than having my friends think I was making it all up.

  Not that they'd believe it was an alien ship. I didn't either, to be honest. Deep down I expected that there would be a simple, rational explanation for the weird light in the sky. The light that was definitely getting closer by the second...

  Watching it move across the dark sky, I had the unnerving feeling that it wasn't just coming closer. It was headed towards me exactly, jerking this way and that as it homed in. Licking my lips, I took a step back and then another, slowly backing towards the road and my car.

  A ten-minute walk, but I bet if I ran I could make it quicker.

  "Hope Alexander, you are not running away from a light in the sky," I told myself firmly. I might not know what it was, but I was sure it wasn't actually after me. Well, ninety percent sure, anyway. I wasn't going to run.

  A brisk walk was okay, though.

  Taking another couple of snaps with the camera, I started to make my way back. Dividing my attention between the light in the sky and the rough path at my feet wasn't easy, but at least it distracted me from the cold. Soon they were getting between me and the shape in the sky, and irrationally that made me feel better. As though being out of line of sight meant that I was safe.

  That feeling lasted until I heard movement in the trees. A branch snapped and I almost shrieked, looking around wildly. I couldn't see anything but that was hardly a surprise in the dark.

  For a moment all I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears. Then another crack, and a voice called out in a language I didn't understand. It didn't even sound like it came from a human throat.

  Screw it. Running from a light in the sky was one thing, being caught alone out here was another. I ran, flicking on the phone's light to avoid tripping over a branch. Part of me worried that I was making myself easy to spot in the darkness. I was more worried about breaking an ankle, though.

  Hearing noises close behind I spun and saw my pursuer. The beam of light from my phone caught him, just for a second, and that was quite long enough. Low to the ground, crouching and scuttling towards me, his skin was a dull gray and his huge black eyes gleamed. That's not human. There's no way that's human.

  Fortunately, those big eyes didn't seem to like the light. With a high-pitched squeal, he flung his hands up in front of his face and ducked off the path. It happened so quickly that I almost doubted my eyes. Maybe I'd made it up? Maybe I was seeing things?

  Didn't that make more sense than the idea that I was being chased by a freaking gray alien?

  It didn't matter. Whether he'd been real or not, there was someone out there in the dark and I wanted the safety of my car. Turning back to the path I ran, every noise around me frightening me as I sprinted. It occurred to me that someone should market this — I'd never been able to run this far and fast without being chased.

  Maybe the alien costume is a bit much, though, I thought as I reached my car and, panting for breath, unlocked it. Now that I was here I felt safe enough to make light of the situation. Either that or I was in shock. My hands were shaking as I turned the key in the ignition, and I couldn't be sure that I was safe to drive.

  But I wasn't going to wait around here for someone to catch up with me. Pulling away, I drove as carefully as I could, putting some distance between me and... whatever that had been. As I went, I started to feel sillier and sillier.

  I'd let my imagination get away from itself again. That had to be it, didn't it? I'd seen something odd in the sky, and my brain went from 'strange light' to 'UFO' to 'alien chasing me in the woods' without a break. Just because I wanted something interesting to happen.

  Even if there had been something out there, I'd left it far behind by now. And I had a way to check. Pulling in by the side of the road I took a deep breath and looked down at my phone.

  I'd been recording the whole time. Whatever I'd seen, it would be caught on my phone. Feeling silly, I looked back through the video. The beginning was disappointing — it wasn't a great phone, and the camera wasn't good enough to show the light against the night sky. That could have been anything.

  I flicked forward, through the
run in the woods, bracing myself for what I'd see. Probably some dogwalker had let their pooch off the leash and it'd been trying to say hello. That was it. Sure.

  Or maybe it had been entirely in my mind.

  The last thing I expected was what I saw. Exactly as I remembered it, there was the gray creature, its huge eyes caught in my phone's light. Only for a second, and most of it was a blur, but it was unmistakable.

  I nearly dropped the phone.

  "Okay, so what do I do now?" I said out loud. "Aside from start talking to myself, I mean? There's got to be someone you tell about these things."

  The Air Force maybe? Or the FBI? On the other hand, I wasn't sure that I wanted visitors in black suits and mirror shades knocking on my door. Maybe keeping it quiet was best.

  But I couldn't keep this to myself. It was far too big. Someone had to know. There's only one person I could trust with something like this: Jackie might laugh, but she was my best friend. I could count on her to at least listen to me.

  "Come on Jackie," I said as the phone rang. And then cut out. Frowning, I checked. Where a second ago I'd had four bars, my phone showed no connection. Great.

  Then the light struck. A hellishly bright beam surrounding my car, making me reel back covering my eyes. For a moment I wondered if it was the alien getting his revenge for my blinding him. It should have been a funny thought, but I couldn't see the humor in it.

  Groping blindly for the ignition, I managed to get the car started again as I blinked back tears. The light was definitely coming from above, and beyond it I could just about make out movement. Something — no, somethings plural — was out there, scampering towards me.

  Cursing, I stamped on the gas and pulled out. I wasn't trying to hit the figure in front of me, but between the blinding light and him dodging into the way I couldn't get around him. He bounced off the hood of the car and smashed into the windscreen.

  It was a gray. Of course. Humans make first contact with aliens and I run one over. Just my fucking luck.

  Long skinny fingers clutched at the car and somehow it stayed on as I tried to accelerate away. Between it and the light, I couldn't see anything, but I didn't let that stop me. Better to crash than to get caught, I figured. Admittedly I wasn't exactly thinking straight. The fear filling my mind didn't leave very much space for rational thought.

  The gray thing clinging to the windshield reached down to the belt that seemed to be all it was wearing and drew some kind of tool. I tried to swerve, to shake it off, but its grip was too strong. And then the tool was pointed at my face.

  A bright flash of light and everything went dark.

  When I came ‘round, my first thought was that I'd crashed. The second was that I'd had a nightmare. My head rested on the steering wheel and the windshield was cracked, but at least I didn't feel hurt. Groggily I raised my head to look around, wondering if I'd driven into a tree.

  Nope. No such luck.

  My car wasn't wrapped around a tree, it wasn't even damaged as far as I could see. But it was inside a room of some kind. The walls were decorated in bright gold on a deep dark red background, and to one side were a half dozen of the small gray creatures working with some controls. One looked over at me and despite its blank expressionless face, I thought I could see hatred in its eyes. Oh great, I managed to piss them off.

  I didn't know where I was, but I could guess right away where I wasn't. This had to be the spaceship, and I wasn't on Earth anymore.

  Mouth dry, I looked around for a way out. There was a doorway, but no way to know where it went. Did I really want to get out of the car?

  There was a sense of safety from staying inside, but I knew it was false. If they'd wanted to remove me while I was unconscious, they could have done it easily. Instead, they'd left me where I was to recover. Did that mean that they weren't going to hurt me? Or just that they were in a hurry and taking the whole car was quicker? I had no way of knowing.

  If I was some kind of action hero, I'd have a gun in here or something. For a moment the fantasy of shooting my way free appealed and I managed a shaky smile. Stupid as the idea was, at least it would be something to do. Unfortunately, I didn't have any weapons, and even if I did the plan would be worse than useless. Shooting my captors wouldn't help if I crashed the ship, and that was the best outcome I could think of if I tried to fly it.

  Better to forget the idea entirely.

  Picking up my phone, I glanced at it. No signal, of course. My shitty carrier didn't work in tunnels, of course it wouldn't work in space. At least I could record my encounters until the battery ran dry, though. If I ever saw Earth again I'd have some evidence of where I'd been.

  Unfastening my seatbelt, I slowly, cautiously, opened the door and got out. My torso felt like one giant bruise where the belt had dug in, so I must have crashed after the gray shot me. But it didn't feel like anything was broken. For once I was glad that my father always insisted I fasten my seatbelt every time I got in a car. That habit might have saved my life.

  The floor under my feet was soft, almost but not quite like a deep carpet. It was unsettling somehow, and I didn't want to look down at what my feet were sinking into.

  The grays watched me, chittering in their strange language, and one of them spread its (his?) hands as though to show that he was unarmed, harmless. Yeah, right.

  "Where am I?" I asked, trying to keep my rising fear out of my voice. It sounded like a stupid question, even to me, but I had to start somewhere. "What are you doing to me?"

  More chittering, an eerie rising and falling sound behind it that made my teeth ache. One of the aliens stayed focused on the control panel, but the others spread out and moved towards me. I backed away. They followed.

  "What do you want?" I meant it as a demand, but it came out as a frightened squawk.

  The lead gray chittered something meaningless and drew a device from his belt. The same thing that had knocked me out earlier? I couldn't tell, but I didn't want to find out, so I did the only thing that I could think of.

  I threw my phone at him.

  It caught him full in the face, edge on and hard. The impact rocked him back and sent the stunner flying from his hands, and for a moment I felt a fleeting sense of triumph. Then they rushed me.

  There wasn't even time to feel surprised. Once they were moving, the little gray bastards were faster than they had any right to be, and they hit hard, carrying me down to the floor. Now I was glad of how soft it was, but the impact still drove the air from my lungs and the aliens held me pinned. Their long, spindly fingers were surprisingly strong and the painful way they gripped me told me that I'd managed to piss them off again.

  Better that than just giving in, I told myself, hoping that I was right. It wasn't easy to convince myself of it as they clamped cold metal around my wrists and ankles. The cuffs tightened and froze in place, leaving me helpless and pinned on the ground.

  The leader stood over me, a dark mark on his face where my phone had hit. There was still no expression on his face, but those big black eyes looked down at me with a rage that seemed almost physical. Before I could do or say anything, he grabbed my chin and pulled a knife from his belt.

  Okay, maybe throwing the phone hadn't been my best idea. I tried to say something, to apologize, but the words wouldn't come.

  "Cho!" A new voice snapped from the direction of the doorway and the aliens froze. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the newcomer. To my surprise and relief, he was human, a severe-looking man wearing a ridiculously colorful outfit. Somehow, he managed to look dignified in it, despite the fact that he had a cape on. His entrance should have been comical, but the anger in his voice as he shouted at my captors was anything but. They scattered away from me, scampering back. The cuffs on my limbs relaxed, letting me cautiously get to my feet.

  The man spoke again, words meaningless, but tone exasperated as he looked me up and down. I shook my head and shrugged, trying to make it clear that I didn't understand.

  The man sn
arled something at the aliens and strode forward, hand resting on the hilt of a sword at his belt. A sword? My mind couldn't quite grasp what was going on, and I backed away nervously only for one of the grays to press a button on his belt. The cuffs froze in place again and I was trapped as the old man approached.

  I didn't know what to expect from him — he might have saved me from the aliens, but he didn't look friendly. There was a cold, calculating look in his eyes as he examined me that made me squirm. It wasn't even like he was some lecher. I'd had enough men stare at me like that to know the expression. No, this was more like he was examining a second-hand car.

  "Look, do you speak English?" I asked. If not, this was going to be a long and difficult conversation. Aside from English, I had a few words of Spanish and that was it as far as languages were concerned.

  He shook his head curtly, holding up a gloved hand. A hologram appeared above it, an image of me surrounded by complicated displays that moved too quickly for me to follow. Whatever it told him, though, the man seemed satisfied. He barked another order at the grays and one of them pulled a syringe from a compartment in the wall. I tried to pull away, but it was futile. All I could do was squirm uselessly in the immobile cuffs as the alien stabbed me in the leg. A cold feeling spread through me as I struggled, but no one paid me any attention. The leader of the grays chittered at the old man angrily.

  To my shock, I started to be able to make out words.

  "Chitter— in face," the alien said, rubbing the mark I'd left. "Hurts. Cut her, see how she likes."