Page 23 of Trak (Virilian Mail Order Mates #1)

The first chill of evening brushed her skin as a new ship appeared in the sky above.

It made a vertical descent from the sky.

It wasn’t as quiet as the other alien ships that came and went from Earth these days.

The Baylans had been the first to visit, and claim mates, but now a few others came for trade and curiosity, including the Virilians.

The story was, these people had lost most of their females to a virus.

Consequently, they were facing extinction.

The program created to match human women with Virilian males had been controversial at best. Some saw it as an abomination, but others saw it as an opportunity. Madison just saw it as a way out.

The Virilian ship was the size of a large house, somewhat tear-shaped with enormous thrusters, which were cool just then, and overburdened with various weaponry. It was a fierce, aggressive-looking vessel.

It hovered three feet above the ground. A ramp slowly folded down, and a female emerged, assisted by two male Virilian attendants.

Madison heard the collective inhale at the sight.

The males were magnificent. At nearly seven feet tall, they were beautiful creatures of muscle and strength.

Their faces alone would elicit sighs. Each had the bone structure of a Greek god, with a commanding jawline and stunning, bright eyes.

They wore snug leather pants and thick straps that crossed their broad, tattooed chests.

They each had a long blue tail tipped with a cruel-looking barb.

However, it was the female Virilian who commanded attention with her presence and power. Long white braids hung almost to her thighs. Jewelry clinked at her throat and wrists. Her eyes were milky white.

Madison heard this female was the Great Sage Ferias, who chose the human mates.

The sage was technically blind, but had some special power that allowed her to know the perfect match for the males on her list. She held a collection of necklaces, each set with a different stone, and would dole them out to the women.

It looked like she held about a dozen gold chains.

Two hundred women but only a dozen placements. Most would not be chosen. Madison swallowed through a dry, tight throat.

The female held her chin high as she walked down the double line of women.

Her gait was slow, deliberate. The chains jingled from her fingers.

The males at her sides walked with stoic, impassive faces.

Their gazes never wavered as they stared straight ahead.

Their shoulders just brushed Ferias’ as if gently guiding her.

It didn’t appear the female needed guidance.

She stopped almost immediately to give a necklace to a dark-haired woman who accepted the chain placed around her neck with zero emotion.

Madison held her breath as Ferias made her way down the aisle.

So many necklaces were being handed out.

Only a few were left. She clenched her teeth and willed the female to stop at her.

If her heart could speak, she would be screaming, “Take me!”

But Ferias passed by Madison.

It felt as though a brick had been dropped on her chest. Her one chance at escape, gone.

But then, the female alien paused. With a movement as slow as the setting sun, Ferias turned and faced Madison.

Her smooth lips curved into a smile, revealing sharp eyeteeth.

Those milk-white eyes didn’t seem so blind as they moved over Madison.

The female spoke to her in a language Madison didn’t understand, and instead of giving her one of the gold necklaces she held, she reached into the folds of her cloak and removed a silver one with a red stone.

The necklace was warm as it was fastened around her neck. One of the male attendants raised his eyebrows—the first show of emotion from either of them. The female gave Madison’s cheek the softest of touches, and then she moved on.

She couldn’t believe it. Madison’s hand closed around the heavy stone just to make sure it was real— it was . Her knees weakened with relief. All she could hear was her own thudding heart and the hiss of wind over the sand.

This was it . She would be free. She would start again and leave the nightmare of her past behind.

The last of the necklaces were distributed.

The women leaving without one were escorted to the waiting vehicles to be brought back to their homes.

Those with necklaces were being shown to their ships.

No one came up to her. Madison stood there as people moved around her, talking, directing, whispering.

She clutched the necklace. It was not a mistake.

Several of the human guards and military-types who were facilitating the selection were on phones. One of them cast a furtive glance at her and spoke in hushed tones. It was then that Madison knew .

No place on Earth was out of his reach. Madison had tried. And failed. Now it appeared she had failed again.

Even here, he had contacts, spies, allies. She knew she’d been followed to the airport. It wouldn’t have been hard for his people to figure out where her helicopter was heading. Fear gripped her throat like a vise.

She looked around frantically, searching for her escort to the ship that would take her to her Virilian lover.

The Sage and her escorts were engaged in conversation with a slim, middle-aged human man wearing a suit and glasses and gesturing to a tablet lit up with messages.

Madison wondered what language they were speaking.

She knew they were talking about her. The silver necklace wasn’t on the list of those to be given out today.

Twelve women were supposed to be chosen.

Madison made thirteen. Her fear spiked to panic.

They weren’t going to let her go.

She turned to the sound of a roaring in the distance. A great plume of dust and sand kicked up behind a fast-moving vehicle. Its massive wheels and bright lights cut through the evening.

Everyone still present turned to see the figure of a dashing man alight from the vehicle. He strode toward her in an impeccable suit, perfect black hair, a pair of mirrored sunglasses to frame a ruthlessly handsome face.

Madison’s hands fisted. “Don’t come near me,” she snarled out.

“Madison McGurdy.” His voice was crisp and deep as he ignored her request. “I am very disappointed in you.”

She had no words. She was angry and devastated and knew it had been hopeless to even try to escape him.

“Where do you think you’re going, my love?” He gripped her upper arm and gave it a sharp yank. “You know I still have your passport locked in my safe.” He tugged her forward, toward the rumbling vehicle. Toward her doom.

“She doesn’t need a passport where she’s going,” said a voice. It was the suited, bespectacled man with the tablet. “This woman is scheduled to depart with her Virilian escorts.”

“She is not leaving.” The man holding her tightened his grip, making her wince.

The man in the glasses gave her a quick wink, then held up his tablet. “Sorry, but she signed a binding contract. Unless she changes her mind, no one can stop her from leaving.”

The man who had controlled Madison’s life for two long years drew himself up to his full height of six-foot-two and assumed his most arrogant posture.

“I am Michael DeLoray, owner and CEO of Pinross Enterprises,” he said loftily.

“This woman is very ill and must be released for the sake of her own well-being. She lacks the mental capacity to make any decisions for herself. I can show you documentation from a licensed psychiatrist, if you wish.”

Fury rose in Madison. “What? I’ve never been to a psychiatrist,” she fumed. “You’re lying. There is nothing wrong with me.”

“Really?” Michael raised an eyebrow and retrieved a folded piece of paper from his breast pocket. “Even your parents agreed you haven’t been in your right mind. This paper grants me total custody of you.”

“You can’t do that,” Madison said, but maybe he could? She felt a numbness crawling up her limbs. That her parents would do this to her…

The man with the tablet and the glasses cleared his throat.

“Sir, I am Voif Hikko of the Tipua-9 System, hired as a facilitator of this project.” He waved a hand when Michael gave him a blank stare.

“It’s far away. You haven’t been there. This woman has endured enough examinations, testing and analysis to be considered perfectly healthy in every way.

I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to release her and step away. ”

Madison couldn’t believe her ears. This Voif person was an alien, and he was calmly telling the all-powerful Michael DeLoray to step away. Those were words she was sure Michael had never heard in the whole of his overprivileged life.

She watched her former boyfriend’s face transform from his handsome, genial public facade to the cold, arrogant one she saw all too often in private. His grip turned brutal.

He snapped the paper in the air. “This says she is mine.” Then, as if to emphasize this, he reached out and moved to rip the necklace off. Instead, the chain held and Madison was jerked forward.

In the next instant, one of the Virilian males who had escorted Ferias appeared beside Madison.

With narrowed eyes, he lifted Michael DeLoray’s hand off the necklace and squeezed.

Hard. There was a sickening pop and Michael made a cry of pain.

He released her arm and staggered backwards, cradling his injured hand to his chest.

Madison backed up, knowing she would be the likely recipient of his anger.

But in doing so, she bumped right into the other Virilian male’s broad chest. His hand came up to steady her, then dropped away.

Michael’s glare melted to a sad, imploring gaze.

“Madison. Madison …” he said in a broken voice.

“I love you. You must know I’m nothing without you. ”

Yeah, she’d heard that before. She wouldn’t be falling for it again. This time, with that custody paper—was it even legal?—she’d be spending the rest of the foreseeable future locked in a room, right where he wanted her.

This Voif fellow, who was not a human like he appeared to be, spread his hands. “You can choose to stay or leave, Ms. McGurdy. The decision is yours.” The cunning smile curved Voif’s mouth again. “Not his.”

Madison reached back and grasped the Virilian male’s wrist to keep them from leaving.

Her worst fear was that these Virilians would change their mind and depart without her, but they did not budge.

The one at her back held still and did not pull from her grasp.

The one who had injured Michael’s hand stood partly between her and the sadistic man she’d been unable to escape for two years.

“I’m leaving.”

“That settles it.” Voif nodded and tapped something on his tablet. “Madison McGurdy confirmed for departure.”

Michael took a step forward.

Voif shook his head and made a tut-tut noise with his tongue.

“I would get back in your silly vehicle and leave, Michael DeLoray.” Madison caught a glimpse of the alien’s eyes, which flashed black and red before settling back to brown.

“If you think your hand hurts, it’s nothing compared to what you would feel if I had to restrain you. ”

The threat must have registered, because Michael eased back. “When you come back, I will find you, Madison. I will wait, and I will find you.”

Madison gave him a faint smile, feeling free for the first time in several years. “No, Michael. You won’t.”

She wouldn’t be returning to Earth. Not to him, not to the parents who wanted her to stay with Michael and endure his controlling behavior because of the status, and not to the system that allowed men like Michael to do as they liked.

She turned her back on the man, the people, the world she would never set eyes on again.

The Virilians moved to either side of her. One gestured toward a ship, but she hesitated. That couldn’t be right. It was the Sage, Ferias’ ship. She looked up at the Virilian with questioning eyes.

He nodded and gestured again toward the Sage’s ship. Well, it had to be right. She walked up the ramp with the two males and did not look back. The ramp closed, shutting out the last rays of the evening light and the sound of Michael DeLoray bellowing her name.

“Well, now,” said a heavily accented, feminine voice. Ferias stood before her, hands folded and chin high. She spoke English! “Are you ready?”

“I’m really going with you?”

“You are.” The female held herself with the air of royalty, which she probably was. It would have been intimidating had Madison not grown up being relentlessly groomed to know how to behave among these sorts of people.

Madison nodded, light with relief. “Where are we going?”

“The planet Virilia.”