The ship is gone. The girls are safe—at least for now—but where does that leave me?

My training kicks in.

Being a wilderness guide comes with a lot of helpful knowledge about what happens if you get lost. Stay where you are. If you have to move, look for a river and follow it downstream. Change your voicemail greeting to your last location and what time you got lost.

The basics.

But as a woman, I also know that if you’re ever kidnapped, you almost never want to get to the second location. That’s where the true danger lies.

On those long hikes, when I trained to get my wilderness guide license and explored countless national parks, I spent too much time listening to true crime podcasts for that little tidbit not to sink in.

I need to fight. I need to get away from this alien before he gets me to whatever hovel he’s taking me to. To eat me, to torture me. I shiver in his arms as I shove the thoughts out of my head.

As if he felt me tremble, he slows a bit and lowers his gaze.

This is my chance.

I rear back and launch my fist forward into the front of his throat. My fingers smash into his corded neck and my alien kidnapper drops me instantly, choking and coughing for air. My bare feet hit the damp ground with a thud and I scramble to get away, my heart pounding.

Do I run back to the ship?

No, I can’t go back there and put the other women in danger.

The alien is still coughing, doubled over trying to catch his breath when I take off. I sprint toward one of the massive trees, my heels pounding across the soft, slightly mushy ground.There’s nowhere to go. I’m lost. I’m disoriented. My head is pounding and as I turn around to look behind me, my alien is sprinting after me with a speed and grace that steals the breath from my lungs.

I can’t run from him. Especially not without my boots.

I can only hope to delay my fate.

I keep sprinting, pumping harder and harder. My muscles are screaming to stop as his footfalls grow nearer. I’m struggling to breathe as I get closer to a tree. If I can just get there…

If I can just make it…

A strong arm wraps around my waist and yanks.

I scream as I’m torn off my feet but my legs tangle with his and suddenly we’re sideways. I squeeze my eyes shut and prepare for impact, but it doesn’t come. All I feel are his arms around me, protecting me as we hit the ground.

A deep, guttural grunt sounds from his chest and my stomach flutters in response.

I open my eyes and he’s there, looking me over with his head cocked. His amber eyes are wide with curiosity, his full lips parted as he speaks to me in a language I can’t understand.

It’s too aggressive. Too rough for my ears. But something in the look in his eyes makes me wish I could understand him.

He hovers over me, the patterns on his chest shining brighter than I’ve ever seen them. His scent hits me again as he breathes me in, leathery and delicious.

Wait. What the fuck?

With all my strength, I shove at his chest but he doesn’t move a damn inch.

Then, his expression changes. His brows pinch on a frown as he pulls me up and lifts me again, this time with one arm under my back and the other holding my legs like a baby. Like he can’t trust me.

I scoff.

How embarrassing. He’s literally the one who kidnapped me!

He maintains a firm hold on my body as he takes off running again, heading straight for the mountain. When we get close enough, I realize he’s taking me toward a slit in the cliff wall, a crack just wide enough for his broad shoulders.

We duck inside and things are completely dark. I blink over and over again to try and acclimate, but it’s no use. I’m blind down here. Soft noises fill around us—voices maybe?