Page 3 of Cherished By the Alien Outlaw

The rest of the Veerenads tackled me. They tied me while I bucked and snarled out my rage.

A blow to my head and . . .

Chapter 2

Talia

“Ilocked the front door,” I said as I leaned against the open doorway to my sister’s office. “And I finished mopping. Tidying. The works.”

“Cool. Cool.” Maggie looked up with a smile, and I admired my sister’s high cheekbones and deep brown eyes all over again. I’d inherited the same facial structure, yet on her, it all worked. On me? I wasn’t completely sure.

“Everyone’s gone, then?” she asked.

“Yup.” I’d wrapped the last class of the day at our co-owned dance studio,Elevated Expressions, a half an hour or so ago. We’d come up with the name when we finally found the right place to rent on the fifth floor of a former warehouse that had been renovated for offices. The attic space had been left untouched, but with lots of work, we’d turned it into one of the most sought-after places to study various forms of dance here in our magnificent city. With our success, we were able to buythis level, and there was nothing better than owning something rather than just borrowing it from someone else.

Maggie handled the paperwork, though she also taught ballet, and I took care of the cleaning and the pole and expressive dance sessions. If one of us felt off on any given day, the other was quite capable of stepping in to teach just about anything.

It worked, though I would be grateful when our business was doing well enough to hire someone full-time to handle the cleaning. That time was coming. We were operating in the black, though we were sinking all our profits into advertising for now. And new equipment to replace the used stuff we’d bought when we first got started. Both of us had worked for another business in a city forty miles from here, and we’d scrimped and saved until we had enough to jump off the cliff and move into the attic of this place. A year later, and after plenty of hard work, we’d opened this business and took on our first clients. Three years later, our classes were full, and we had a waiting list. There was no ceiling we wouldn’t soon nudge past, and I couldn’t wait to sit back, take a deep breath, and savor the success we’d worked so hard for.

A bang rang out from somewhere nearby.

Maggie looked up, a frown creasing her face. “What was that?”

I shrugged. “Someone on the level below us partying too loudly?”

“It’s after seven. They’re closed. Theyshouldn’t—”

Stomps rang out from the hallway behind me, and my guts froze.

I turned and peered into the hall, my eyes widening. “Robocops?”

Maggie stood so fast, her wheeled chair flew backward, smacking against the wall.

A few years ago, a billionaire entrepreneur introduced robocops to general society. The company he started ran commercials for them at all hours of the day and night. I saw them so often; I could pretty much recite what they said.

Robocops are the future of law enforcement. They’re designed for unparalleled protection and efficiency. They don’t rust. They don’t break down. They’re indestructible, tireless, and incorruptible. These state-of-the-art units work 24/7 without fail. Say goodbye to human error and hello to perfect justice! Ensure your community’s safety with your own fleet of robocops—where high-tech technology meets trust.

And now three of them were marching down the hall toward Maggie’s office.

“Sis,” I barked, backing out of her office and into the hall, placing myself between them and my twin. “Hide,” I added with a hiss.

“Fuck that.” She grabbed a letter opener off her desk—the funny one I’d bought her and slipped into her stocking for Christmas. We’d laughed as she slashed the tiny sword through the air, then vowed to use it forever.

A bead of red light hit my chest—directed by the lead robocop. They kept coming, stomping toward me as I yelped and yanked Maggie’s door closed. I hoped shelocked it, I hoped she slid under her desk and held her breath. And I hoped they left her alone.

“I didn’t do anything,” I whimpered, lifting my hands and backing down the hall. “You’ve got the wrong place.”

Would they kill me outright? I’d never heard of robocops coming after someone who’d done nothing wrong. These devices were supposed to be trustworthy—right?

Not these ones.

They must’ve gone rogue.

While one stopped at Maggie’s door and opened the door, stepping inside, the other two slammed forward and tackled me, flattening me on the ground. They quickly bound me while I screamed and arched my body up against them.

Maggie’s bellow rang out, and she appeared at the entrance to her door, her hands grasping the frame. The robocop hauled her back into her office, and she cried out in pain.

My sister. I had to get to my sister!

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