Page 10 of Sold to the Nalgar (Stolen From Earth #3)

S he hung in the restraints, wrists and ankles aching with the strain. Her skin was raw where the cold metal bound her, a thin line of pain curling along her limbs. Her chest rose and fell in ragged, uneven breaths, every inhale a bitter struggle.

Everything was silent now.

Too silent.

There was no more shuddering. No alarms screaming in her ears. Just the faint, persistent hum of distant power systems and the dull thumping of blood rushing through her head.

She waited. For what, she didn’t know. For the green one to return. For the faceless beings to come marching back: silent, efficient, unfeeling. But no one did.

She was utterly alone.

Minutes passed—she had no sense of how many. Her muscles ached with impending cramps. The air pressed down on her, either too thin or oppressively heavy, making her dizzy with possibilities.

Did the ship land? Was it crashing now? Was that an attack?

Are they all dead?

Am I?

Her throat tightened painfully, constricting her breath.

Until…

She heard footsteps.

They echoed in the quiet. Heavy boots, steps deliberate and measured.

Not the soft, quiet steps of the masked ones.

These footsteps had purpose, authority. Each step reverberated through the floor, echoing in her bones.

No rush, no clamor. Just a quiet certainty that made her certain of one thing: someone, or something, was coming.

And they weren’t in a hurry.

She tensed, every nerve alive. Her heart threatened to leap from her chest.

She couldn’t move. Couldn’t hide. She was pinned like some rare insect under glass, exposed for inspection.

The footsteps closed in, drawing nearer.

Then, suddenly, they stopped.

A hiss.

Not the clatter of a door, nor the grind of a sliding panel. It was an almost silent opening, as if the ship itself unwillingly parted for whoever approached.

A rush of cool, dry air filled the space, tinged with a sharp, metallic scent and a hint of heat.

Cecilia slowly turned her head, her pulse pounding against the collar around her throat.

That’s when…

She saw him.