Page 41

I feel like a plump, delicious mouse surrounded by three hungry predators. These aliens are wild beasts. I assume they’d have the same reaction toanyhuman female in their company – I shouldn’t consider myself special in the eyes of these lust-filled beasts – but it’s still exhilarating, in a very unfamiliar way, to be the object of near ravenous desire by three impossible huge, imposing,sexycreatures.

I remember the way my voice almost seemed tohurtOtho when I spoke. I suspect – with a strange certainty in my mind – that my voice alone effects these three creatures; as if just speaking to them drives them to the brink of lust and hunger.

It’s a strange power that I seem to have over these three hulking, alien warriors. I’ve never felt this way before – thispowerfulbefore.

I suddenly realize that these Aurelians gagged me to avoid being pushed over the edge by the sound of my voice. They’re facing not just my father’s inevitable retaliation, but also fighting with themselves not to descend into the mating rage.

It’s both terrifying and elating. These Aurelians might be lawless muscle – breaking the sacred laws of their Empire to capture me and use me as leverage against my father…

…but they’ve stopped short of unspeakable crimes – of taking me against my will, even though I canfeeltheir desire humming like electricity beneath their marble-white skin.

This shows these Aurelians have some notion of honor – of decency…

Realizing that, I push the thought to the back of my mind – satisfied with my answer, and what leverage it provides me to outwit these dangerous, gorgeous bastards.

The shuttle banks, and I feel myself lurching along with it. Before I can stumble, though, I feel the steely grip of Brennan - taking my arm and holding me upright.

His huge hand encircles my entire bicep effortlessly. I feel sosmallnext to this towering warrior – and the fact that I can’t even see him right now just makes the heat, and raw presence of him feel even larger.

The ship levels off, but Brennan doesn’t let go of my arm – and I don’t pull away, either.

He feelssteady. I now understand why he’s the leader of this triad. Even though I can’t even see him, I know it’s his hand curled around my arm, and his comforting presence so deliciously close to me.

I shiver, trying to focus on something other than the enticing, intoxicating proximity of this towering alien. I need to think rationally, dammit!

So, these Aurelians will take me somewhere hidden – I know that much. Somewhere off the grid.

They aren’t planning on telling my father that they have me right away – that much I also know for certain. As long as my father hasn’t reported the kidnapping yet, it’s still a secret to the greater society of Marn. With so many hungry rivals, my father will want to keep it that way until he has a plan in motion.

As for the Aurelians? Well, their motivations are unclear. I assume they want my father to agree to their offer to sell his mines – but they’re not sticking to the well-rehearsed playbook of kidnapping etiquette. The fact that this isn’t all buttoned up yet – that they haven’t even told my father that they have me, or provided their demands yet – means this could be a significantly longer kidnapping than I’d been expecting.

I try to keep track of how long we’re flying. It’s hard, without seeing the ground moving below us, or being able to look at a clock. Without knowing our speed, I can’t estimate the exact distance – but I think we’ve been flying for at least fifteen minutes. That means we’re out of the rich part of the city, at least, and somewhere a little more isolated.

Where would I take me, if I was them?

How do they even know themselves? The Aurelians haven’t said a word to each other during this entire trip. They just seem toknowwhat the others in their triad are doing – and that weird realization becomes even more vivid when one of them grunts:

“Good. That works.”

It’s Otho’s voice – responding to a question that I didn’t even hear asked.

Otho says it out of the blue – and in doing so, it’s so jarring – as though I’m only hearing one side of a holo-vid conversation.

It takes me a moment, but eventually I put two and two together – and only again prove something that I’d previously only read about in my books: Aurelians are psychic.

The speculation inOn Aurelianswas that Bonded triads possessed some means of telepathic communication – transmitting their voice into the minds of their battle-brothers like a radio.

Not good.

That’s another advantage they have over me – not just their ruthless nature, massive strength, and all these resources to rent penthouses and hire shuttles. It seems fate is against me – but I won’t give up. I learned that much from my father. If he’d have given up searching for his fortune, we might not be in this mess right now – but as he always likes to say to me: “It’s better to choke on greatness than nibble on mediocrity.”

My memory recalls the vivid vision of Brennan’s pants, straining to contain his raging erection.

I can only hope greatness is the only thing I’ll be choking on.

Suddenly, Brennan grabs my arm harder, and I flinch. My stomach lurches as the ship swoops downward, and then I feel the lurch as the air brakes kick in. The shuttle touches down with a jolt. Where? I have no idea.

The doors hiss open, and I breathe in through my nose. I’m greeted by a hot, metallic smell.