Page 3 of The Alien Warrior's Mate

This had to be her crazy subconscious.

She closed her eyes. Sucked air through her lungs. Counted to three.

One.

Another breath.

Two.

Before she could get to three, she saw a syringe flying at her. The needle plunged into her neck. Her knees went limp and her world collapsed into darkness.

Two

Sara

Sara woke with a start.A cold breeze blew across her skin, tugging at the straps of her tank top and pajama pants.

She was sure the whole alien abduction thing had been a dream.

Totally sure.

But, just in case it wasn’t, she wanted to stay in the darkness for a little longer. At least here she could pretend she was in her bed, enjoying a little R&R before her early morning shift at her aunt’s bakery.

Here, in the darkness, no strange alien creature could choke her or tranq her.

She was safe.

Or was she?

As awareness spread over her, she heard strange sounds.

The thump of feet.

Hurried whispers.

Strange languages mingling together.

Sara carefully opened her eyes and sat up. Her limbs throbbed with pain when she moved. She must have been restrained somewhere because there were thin, sharp lines around her wrists. Hissing from the sting, she massaged the injured area and glanced around.

Shockingcreaturesfilled the room. Some had green skin and hunched backs. Others had five eyes that blinked slowly, their lashes as long as her hand. Some had wings and others had horns.

She rubbed her eyes and blinked.

No change.

This was real.

Alienswere real.

Fear stung the currents of the air. Gazes were dim with hopelessness and resignation. Wherever they were, the aliens in the room didn’t want to be there either.

A guard clomped down the aisle. Sara inched back, her heart beating double time as she gazed upon the huge lion-like thing. He had leathery skin and a large head covered in a thick, orange mane that was made of metal. He walked on his two feet like a human, but his beady eyes and snout told her he wasn’t. At his side, he carried what looked like a glowing sword.

She tore her eyes away from the guard and studied the female he dragged toward her.

Another human.

Sara clamored to her feet and stared at the newcomer. The woman had brown hair and pale skin. She wore a tunic that stopped at her thighs and revealed her long legs. In another setting, she might have looked like a model. Even with the mascara tears running down her cheeks and the fear skittering through her eyes, she carried a sophisticated elegance.