Page 3 of Controlled

“Screw you! I’m not telling you anything.” She couldn’t if she wanted to. She didn’t know anyone by either of those names.

“Flora,” her grandmother cautioned. “He can and will punish you. Altorian discipline is part of why we left.” Iris looked at the commander and said, “Luna works at a local restaurant and Cara is on a date.”

Flora’s jaw dropped and tension banded her chest. The names were wrong, but Iris had just pointed him toward her sisters. Why the fuck would her grandmother help this jerk?

“Give me your communications device,” Draven told Flora, holding out his hand.

“Why?” Her pulse accelerated and she instinctively glanced toward the door. She had to get out of here, get away from him.

“Because I told you to.” His gaze narrowed, flashes of red sparking in the black.

Iris walked across the room and dug her phone out of her purse. Without looking at Flora, she held it out toward Draven.

“Call the other two and tell them to return as quickly as possible. If you warn them in any way, I will add obstruction to the list of crimes already awaiting you.”

Flora saw indecision in her grandmother’s gaze and tried to capture her attention. They could not deliver Aspen and Raina into the hands of this arrogant asshole. She didn’t care if he was from another planet or not. He was dangerous.

“I am losing my patience,” he growled. “Summon them, now!”

“I can’t.” Iris held the phone, her hand shaking. “Do what you must with me. I will not call them.”

He snatched the phone out of her hand and shoved it at Flora. “Contact them.”

She glared at him then took the phone. She had no intention of obeying his order. “Why do you need all three of us? What is this about?”

“None of you belong here. I am taking you home. Now stop arguing and summon them.”

Averting her face so he wouldn’t guess what she was doing, she called nine-one-one and pressed the phone tightly against her face to muffle the speaker. Her breath lodged in her throat as she waited for the call to connect.

The dispatcher greeted her and asked the nature of her emergency.

“Grandma collapsed.” Infusing her tone with urgency and fear took no effort at all. She was already on the verge of tears. “She’s barely breathing. Get over here, right now. Hurry!”

“You are calling from a mobile phone. Please confirm your current location.”

How could she tell the dispatcher without alerting Draven?Fuck it.“Nine zero two zero Long Run Dri—”

Draven grabbed the phone and snapped it in two then tossed the pieces onto the floor. “Damn it, Flora. This need not be so complicated.” He turned to the other soldiers and ordered, “Go! Take Iris to the ship.”

Her grandmother was hurried from the kitchen by the two armored soldiers.

“You will learn your place, Flora Turin, and it will be my pleasure to teach you.” Snatching his helmet off the counter, Draven grabbed Flora’s arm with his other hand and dragged her out into the backyard.

She struggled the entire way, but his strength and determination easily overpowered her efforts. Panting harshly, she looked around, half expecting to find some sort of shuttle parked in the grass. There was nothing but an overgrown lawn and the shadowy outline of trees. So much for all the inferences that they were aliens. A real alien would—

Reality bent and blurred, and then Flora felt herself sucked through space. She screamed but the sound was swallowed by the distortion caused by whatever force had grabbed her. For one terrifying moment, she could no longer feel her body. There was utter blackness and the staggering rush of energy.

Gradually, something solid formed beneath her feet. Her knees wobbled, threatening to collapse as she gasped out, “Oh, God. What the fuck just… What is happening?” She looked around for her grandmother, but she was alone with Draven in a tiny, featureless room. The walls were pale gray, almost silver, but the inset lights gave everything a subtle blue glow.

Without a word, he caught her elbow and guided her forcefully into the corridor. She blinked and tried not to throw up as her surroundings continued to undulate. A doorway to her right slid open and she glimpsed the room beyond. It was a compact cabin like on a submarine—or a spaceship. Holy shit, she was on a spaceship.

Her stomach gradually settled, but her mind seized. This couldn’t be real, yet everything around her confirmed Draven’s story. He was an alien from the planet Altor—and apparently so was she.

Her thoughts settled enough to ask, “Where did you take my grandmother? Is she even my grandmother or was everything she told me a lie?”

“Iris is unharmed, and yes, she is your grandmother. She is locked in a comfortable cabin by now, which is more than she deserves.”

She eased her arm out of his grasp and was surprised when he allowed it. “If my mother and grandmother fled to Earth, they must have had a damn good reason.”

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