Page 5 of Guardian's Soul (Space Guardian's Mate #2)

HANNAH

I was out of my mind in horror, fear, and revulsion. Taking the despicable alien's cock in my mouth and biting a good chunk off of it was the most humiliating, revolting, frightening moment of my twenty-six years of life.

The spray of blue blood and the alien's screams got me on my feet faster than my barely functioning arms would have allowed me to do had I not been running on sheer adrenaline. The rest of my self-control was lost the moment his blood hit me. Now I was nothing but a hysterical, screaming mess, running for my life. Realistically, I knew there was nowhere to run, but any sense of realism was far from my brain right then. My entire mind's state was reduced to that of a primal being on the run for her life.

It was a small miracle that I didn't tumble down the stairs, especially given their alien nature. They weren't like normal stairs at all but had rounded edges at much steeper intervals than regular steps.

I didn't see anything, didn't notice anything until the moment a strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me off my feet and swinging me in a circle .

A deep voice grunted, "Not so fast."

A sob escaped my throat, and my legs began frantically kicking out, trying to find purchase, but all I hit was air.

"Put me down. Let me go," I scream-sobbed.

"Get her out of here and be gone," a smaller alien ordered.

I couldn't see the one holding me with my back pressed against his massive chest and would have clawed at his arm had my fingers worked.

"Hold still," the same voice demanded.

Like hell I would. I wanted out of here. Away from these aliens. Away from this hellhole. I wanted to go home!

As if I weighed nothing and wasn't kicking and screaming, the man threw me over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes and began walking. Somewhat relieved, I noticed that it wasn't up the stairs. I didn't think my heart would have survived going up the stairs again. It was already thundering inside my chest, making me dizzy. Or maybe I was getting dizzy from the man carrying me and my head hanging upside down. I didn't know. Nor did I care.

Doors opened, and I had to close my eyes at the brightness outside. Outside! We were outside!

Two large, orange suns burned down on my unknown abductor and me. Or was he rescuing me? I had no idea. I was too confused and rattled to figure it out.

I remembered the Cryon prodding me down this way. I would have loved to feel the relief of going the opposite way now, but I had no idea what this alien's intentions were as he moved us through a narrow street, walled in on both sides by tall, metallic-appearing buildings.

As soon as we were out, he adjusted me in his grip. His hand rested on my ass, and I felt the heat of it all the way down into my core. Despite being too rattled to feel arousal or desire, I was keenly aware of his hand.

While I bobbed up and down his shoulder, I noticed he was walking with a slight limp but dismissed it immediately from my mind. I had way too many other worries to care about than his possible limp. Starting with where he was taking me.

Renewed panic set in when we reached the end of the narrow alley and entered a large open area filled with mingling aliens of all kinds of species. Each one stopped and stared at us.

"Help me," I screeched, hoping somebody would. Surely, these aliens had to have something similar to a police force around here. I mean, they were sophisticated enough to have tall, high-rise buildings, taverns, and fucking space flight. "Somebody help me!"

I wiggled harder. The man grunted. His hand on my butt lifted and… came slapping down on my ass. Stinging it like hell.

"Quiet down," he advised.

Those words renewed my ire. How dare he? My legs began to kick out, and when my right foot connected with a hard muscle, and his body jerked, satisfaction rushed through me, so I kicked again—earning me another hard slap against my ass. How dare he?

"Put me down!" I yelled, moving my legs up and down, hoping for another lucky kick.

"Quiet down, female," he snarled, followed by another sting. WTF?

"Putmedown, putmedown, putmedown," I screamed so fast I didn't even understand what I was saying.

Nobody was more surprised than me when he actually did. I turned to run, but he grabbed my wrist.

"Look around. There is nowhere for you to run," he stated calmly.

For the first time, I saw his face. His right eye was swollen shut, and blood crusted his nose. I didn't get a clear view of him in the dark corner, but I recognized him as the man I'd noticed before. Not that it mattered.

Getting used to his silvery skin would take some time, yet even with the swelling and cuts on his face, he was still a very handsome man. His tight, auburn uniform only accentuated a muscle-ripped chest and abdomen. I had already felt the bulge of his biceps when he had carried me, but seeing them now? Good God, they were as thick as my thighs, probably thicker.

Black, short, cropped hair framed a strikingly angular face. Black eyes stared at me unnervingly without any discernable sclera, pupils, or irises. His sensual mouth was twisted in something resembling an ugly sneer as he took me in.

"You humans are the most querulous people I have ever encountered. I'm trying to save you, and you're kicking me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you say you're trying to save me?" I had no idea where my sarcasm or the energy to verbally spar with him came from, but there it was. "Why didn't you just say so?" I yelled. Who was this person using these words? My normal happy-go-lucky attitude seemed to have completely vanished—or had been abducted by aliens. I had never done anything like this in my life. Normal me would have thanked him. But instead, this bold, furious version of me took charge—and I liked her. It felt incredibly freeing.

He crossed his arms over his massive chest, looked down at me with that same awful sneer, and let out a soft grunt as if it was asking too much of him to talk to me and use words like other civilized beings.

Had I not been bathed in alien blood and at the end of my emotional rope, with my heart beating in my throat and nausea creeping up in my stomach, I would have… would have… I didn't know. Because what did you do to an over six-foot, silver alien hulk? Kicking him in the balls would have probably only served to infuriate him even more. At five-two and weighing a hundred and twenty pounds, I didn't think there was much I could have physically done to him.

Running appeared just as useless .

Because I hated to admit it, but he was right. Where would I go?

Dejected, I stared at my surroundings. Alien buildings, alien people, and alien spaceships were all around me.

All I could do was stand there and glare at him.

His features relaxed slightly. "Come," he said and began walking.

I sent a disbelieving stare at his retreating back. Just like that?

Tears gathered in my eyes, giving everything around me a blurry shape. Still, it wasn't hard to see the other aliens whispering to one another and staring at me. With a sigh and more tears rolling, I hurried after the hulking, insensitive bastard who had saved me, cursing him with every step. Otherwise, I would have simply broken down and lost it in the middle of the street.