Page 1 of Soliv Four
PROLOGUE
BANG!
The split second, the starting gun sounded; Angie set off sprinting through the jungle. Run! Run! Run! Her feet pounded the dirt path, and her arms pumped in rhythm with every stride. A quarter span head start didn’t mean much when they were sending four burly males, each vying to claim her as their own.
Two of them only bore a passing resemblance to humans. They were reptilian and blue with tails. Number three had a face like a bulldog with a lion type mane and a heavily muscled body covered in short, smooth fur. He had been salivating as he raked her curvy body with his eyes.
Number four, Mr. Sexy Eyes looked human, and it did things to her insides when their gazes met. What were the chances he would find her first? One in four?
She kept running, veering off onto side paths of the jungle maze. Angie was sweating profusely within minutes in the humid tropical heat.
She ran until each breath felt like a stab through her chest, and she nearly doubled over from the stitch in her side. Stopping to listen, she could hear pounding footfalls from the way she had just come. She had to hide. Those big, fearsome males would catch up to her in seconds if she stayed on the path.
No way was this what she signed up for. The way they had looked at her was sinister. The looks passing between three non-humans, just before she left on her head start, made her think they had made a pact together… to share if one of them caught her.
She couldn’t catch her breath enough to run anymore, and she felt slightly nauseous. Something wasn’t right. Her head felt like she had a hangover, she was queasy, and she felt… Horny? Her female parts clamored for attention.
They did this to her, those assholes who set her up for a one-way trip to this hell hole. Whoever caught her first would probably fuck her on the spot. The mere thought of release made her almost want to let it happen.
Angie mentally shook herself. She wasn’t a xenophobe. Lizards and dogs just didn’t appeal to her sexually.
If she could stay hidden until the clock ran out, she would pick her mate. IF…
Carefully parting the thick foliage, she slipped into the jungle off the dirt path. The hard-packed earth was trampled over so many times, just that day; her pursuers might not notice she had gone off the trail. If she crept inside and didn’t disturb the plants near the path, no one would be able to see her a few feet in.
As she moved slowly further into the foliage, she breathed in and out as quietly as possible, fighting the urge to gasp repeatedly. The air smelled of wet earth and vegetation, so humid that she was surrounded by a fine mist. She kept pushing through the thicket until she could go no further.
Sitting down amid the plant life to rest, Angie used her forearm to wipe the sweat from her brow. She sucked in air and blew it out as quietly as possible, hoping what sounded like birds chirping high in the canopy would cover the sound.
One or more of the males would catch her eventually. They gave her a knife, supposedly to defend herself. What a joke! She was a biotech. What did she know about fighting?
The hunt was utterly barbaric. Worse, people all over the sector actually paid to watch the games the warden and keepers played with the prisoners. This one was immensely popular.
She would belong to one of them by the end of the hunt. Angie didn’t know anything about them except they were convicts. All of them had been there more than a star span without female companionship. If she could evade them for the three spans allotted for the hunt, it would be her choice. She wasn’t counting on that.
There were no rules that would stop those males from raping her on the spot when they caught her, or all taking turns. It may have even been encouraged for better ratings. Strangely, she felt her nipples tighten, and her pussy clench at the thought. But she didn’t think of it as rape; it was three of them giving her pleasure.
Damn, she wished she hadn’t gone there. The need for release throbbed in her nipples and her clit. For a moment, everything around her became distorted and a little blurry for a few seconds. She had no doubt she’d been drugged with a powerful aphrodisiac. Why would they do such a thing? The only reason she could think was so she would be amenable for what was coming.
She squirmed and squeezed her legs together. The ache there was getting worse.
Hoping she had covered her trail well enough; she finally caught her breath. Uncertain how long she had been there, she heard rustling through the thick foliage coming toward her. Angie stood and took a giant step into the undergrowth, then turned to see that it closed after her. She took two more and stopped to listen, leaning against a green tree trunk.
The rustling sound was getting closer. Angie froze and took slow breaths as quietly as she could, listening. The movements sounded softer, but it was hard to tell if they were moving away or not. She still didn’t see anyone.
A scaled hand clamped over her mouth, and she was pulled tight against a hard chest. She bit his hand and screamed when he grunted in pain and pulled away. She tried and failed to break his iron hold around her waist.
“Let me go! Let me go!” she screamed and twisted, kicking at his legs.
“Stop fighting, or I will hurt you,” he rumbled in her ear. Then he held a knife up so she could see it.
Angie shuddered. Reptilians were OK from a distance, but she didn’t want to mate one even though her body betrayed her.
No, no, no, no, no! This wasn’t happening. It had to be a dream. Wake up now. But she knew it wasn’t, even though it was like a nightmare that started when she boarded the ship for Soliv Four.
Then, as suddenly as the alien had grabbed her, he grunted and let her go. She bolted, crashing through the jungle without bothering to hide her trail. The one she was leaving was so obvious; a child could follow it. After several minutes, she stopped and listened. The only sound was the chirping in the canopy.
Angie started moving again, parting the dense greenery carefully and taking a giant step ahead, letting it close behind her, barely disturbed. She paused to listen every few feet and resumed picking her way through. Finally, she broke through the thick vegetation to one of the dirt paths of the maze.
