Page 1 of His Fierce Fugitive

1

IRIS

The big silver alien is staring at me again.

To be fair,allof the aliens in the cell next to mine have stared at me at one time or another since I was thrown in here. I’m guessing because I’m the only female in this holding area, separated out from the rest of them, dressed in mere scraps of fabric. And I’m definitely the onlyhuman.

But that silver one—he can’t keep his eyes off me.

It’s a little unnerving.

Truthfully,mygaze drifts over to him more often than it should. There’s something about him, and it’s not just his towering height, chiseled muscles, or shimmering, metallic skin. It’s those piercing electric green eyes—they stand out like a beacon in this wretched place.

Oh, and did I mention his hair? In that same metallic silver and down to the middle of his back. It’s absolutely wild. All together he’s like some buff intergalactic Tin Man combined with the lead singer of a 90s metal band…with tall elven ears.

So…yeah.Aliens.

They’re real.

Being abducted by those slimy, lizard-like aliens that crashed my boss’s wedding, then delivered to the ‘collector’ who’d purchased me was bad enough. But even then, my troubles were just beginning. My so-called ‘master’—a crusty old multi-limbed being with a drooling problem and a sick fascination for exotic creatures, was the stuff of nightmares. This skimpy outfit I’m in (oddly quite similar to what Jabba the Hutt made Princess Leia wear) is a testament to his depravity. The things he planned to do to me…

I shiver.

No way was I going to let him touch me. Ihadto escape.

As soon as he got close, I kicked him square in his nasty face, then snapped three of the creep's arms before making a run for it. I’d left him howling in pain as I made my way through the maze of corridors in his house. But once I fled into the nearby forest, and out the other side, local law enforcement captured me.

Freedom had been fleeting, to say the least.

Now, here I am, on a prison planet, in some distant galaxy, waiting in this high-security dungeon for my fate to be decided.

By who? Fuckif I know.

I shake my head. It’s all so ridiculous. Every damn bit of it.

I should be plotting my next move, formulating an escape plan. My two best friends, Gwen and Lacey, who’d been at the same wedding had to have been abducted along with me. I’m assuming we were just taken to different places.

Figures women can’t catch a break from men.Even in space.

Regardless, I’ll find my friends, if it’s the last thing I do.

And that means getting out of here before I’m locked away for good.

Or worse…

The holding area of the prison is overseen by a couple of guards. I call them Brutal and Ruthless. They don’t take shitfrom anyone. The big no no for us is talking. They rarely talk to us, unless to bark orders, but communication between prisoners—forget it. The punishment is severe. They carry these tasers that not only zap you into submission, but burn your flesh to a crisp if you disobey. And that’s if they’re in a good mood. If not, they chop off a limb and cauterize it with said tasers so you don’t bleed everywhere.

I learned this watching an inmate lose his hand for a mere whisper. And the silver guy was responsible for it. He’d provoked the other alien. Why, I’m not sure. But I got a sense there was more to it then met the eye.

The stench of unwashed bodies from all over the universe hangs heavy in the air as I see the guards enter with the evening slop. We get fed twice a day, a bland porridge-like substance that I can barely keep down. God knows what it’s made out of…but I figure most alien life requires similar nutrients, so I choke it down to stay alive.

Meal time is usually a hostile ritual; tensions run high. But today, as Ruthless saunters over to our cells, his smug expression met with glares from the hungry captives, something seems off. The prisoners, including Silver Guy, approach the gate to retrieve their food.

With lightning fast reflexes, the silver alien springs forward and grabs Ruthless from behind the bars, plunging what looks like a sharp bone into his eye.

Chaos erupts.

The guard screams in pain, as luminescent blood squirts from his eye socket. The prisoners grab hold of him, all of their arms and hands, reaching through the bars. They find the taser on his belt and tase him until he’s flopping around on the floor. Burnt flesh wafts over the room as his body convulses.

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