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What also blew my mind was the fact she was speaking in English. My mouth dropped open in shock.

The red-skinned female chuckled and took a step back.

“I speak galactic common,” Joele’s voice echoed through the room. “I have a translator implant which allows me to understand many alien languages.”

“Who would have thought?” I said with a quick release of breath.

My nervous laugh made the others chuckle, which made me feel slightly more at ease.

I shook my head and crossed my arms. Not only was I in a room with other abducted humans, something I never imagined I would say, but here I was standing before a stunning yet unfamiliar alien. I was at a loss for words.

My body trembled without a doubt because of adrenaline more than anything else. Why aren’t I more afraid? Shouldn’t I be scared shitless?

Maybe I was in shock like Olivia appeared to be.

I lifted one of my hands to look at it, shaking like a leaf.

Yet I wasn’t afraid. Not really.

Having seen my fair share of awful things in the emergency room, it took a lot to freak me out.

In my line of work as a nurse, I had attended to both knife and gunshot wounds more often than I could count.

With fewer people, the Earth should have become better, but violence persisted and life was harder than ever. The way humans treated each other no longer shocked me.

But aliens?

Quite surprising since I never thought I’d see one in person.

I was frowning and my jaw tightened as I thought.

Whatever my expression, Joele’s forehead creased as she tilted her head, watching me.

“I am not a threat to you. And I will not harm you.” Her tone was no nonsense. “Unless you give me a reason, of course.” One corner of her wide mouth curled.

Fascinated by Joele’s unique features and surprised by the lack of fear I felt toward her, I grinned.

“I’m not afraid. Just surprised. I’ve never met an alien before.”

Turning to look at the others I saw them watching me with a hint of surprise. If they expected me to be crapping myself in fear, they were out of luck. I had never been, nor would I ever be the helpless damsel in need of saving. Life had taught me to look after myself and not rely on anyone.

I’d learned a long time ago that I was better off on my own because People...usually men, lied to get what they wanted.

However, I saw myself as someone who was emotionally sensitive and felt lonelier than I wanted to admit.

In my heart, I secretly hoped to find someone to love me back.

Running my hands up and down my arms I asked, “How long have you been here?” Joele took a step closer and put her hands to her hips. For the first time, I noticed a slender red tail with a pointed tip, curled around her leg.

“I was taken after a diplomatic meeting on Targus 4. I have been here for many rotations, but uncertain how many.” She looked somber.

“Rotations?”

Riley put her fists to her hips. She looked at me as she spoke. “A rotation is sort of like a day, I think. Who the heck knows? They’ve fed us a few times while I’ve been here.”

Avery scoffed. “You can’t call that slop food.” She sighed, her shoulders slumped.

Riley put a comforting hand on Avery’s shoulder. “We can’t give up. We will get out of here.”

“Where are we?” I asked Joele, hoping she had some answers.

“We are possibly on a slave planet. We likely aren’t in Alaran space, which is why the Protectorate has not yet found me.”

I tensed. “Wait, what do you mean by slave planet?” Bile rose in my throat. Not only had I been abducted, but now I was going to be a slave to some alien?

This time I did feel afraid.

It wasn’t the excitement I had in mind when I dreamed of going to space.

Joele’s face remained devoid of emotion as she explained. “The Zinids...the one’s you called pig aliens...are holding us on what appears to be a planet’s surface...not a ship. They will sell us as slaves. Eventually.”

“You said something about someone coming for you? Do you really think there is a chance we could be rescued?” I asked, feeling hopeful.

“The Protectorate Alliance patrols Alaran space in an attempt to stop Krilex attacks and their purchase of slaves in their section of space.

But it’s rampant throughout the galaxy and difficult to stop. The warriors will be searching for me. We can survive this, but we will have to be smart and stay together.” She paused and her tone grew ominous. “And hope that the Protectorate warriors arrive before the Krilex do.”

I chose in that moment to focus on the sliver of hope that someone was coming to rescue us and not the idea of being sold to these unknown aliens she called the Krilex.

I stood back and surveyed the entire room this time. A few dirty blankets were scattered on the stony ground. A hole in a corner of the room gave off the odor of urine, telling me it was likely the alien version of a toilet.

There was no running water to be seen and no windows.

The only exit was a sliding door located 10 feet away. I pointed at it. “Has anyone tried to go through that door?”

Avery rolled her eyes. “We would, but there’s just the minor problem of the fucking force field in front of it,” she snapped.

I gulped. This keeps getting better .

Force field?”

Avery’s nose scrunched up in a sneer. “Yeah, the assholes have an invisible force field keeping us in here. A couple of us have experienced it firsthand.” She glanced at Joele who narrowed her eyes at her in what seemed to be a silent warning.

Goosebumps rose on my skin as a shiver ran up my spine. Okay, so there might be a reason to be afraid it seemed.

If Joele couldn’t get out of here, how the hell could I expect to?

DAYS SEEMED TO DRAG on with very little sleep and even less food. I felt dirty and exhausted, and Avery’s short temper began to grate on me.

I wished for the peace of my tiny home back on Earth, but tried not to let desperation take hold of me.

Not knowing when the Zinids were going to come for us left all of us feeling tense and worried.

Olivia and I had been spending the most time chatting about our lives on Earth. She was a kind and gentle soul who seemed more sad than afraid.

Something about her demeanor made me want to look out for her like the little sister I never had. Comforting her proved easier than convincing myself I would get through this.

I desperately needed a distraction.

While I stood talking to Olivia, the voices outside suddenly came closer to us, making me anxious about what would happen next.

Their voices rose as they approached our little decrepit building.

We all stopped and stared at the only door beyond the force field.

I swallowed hard. My eyes darted around the room, wishing there was another way to escape.

Riley and Avery changed their stances, as if preparing to fight.

Olivia clutched at my arm, gripping it tight. I patted her hand and held my breath.

Joele released a threatening growl, extending her claws as she positioned herself defensively in front of us.

The door slid open with a thud, causing everyone to snap to attention.

I rooted to the floor, my breath catching in my throat.

My skin prickled with unease as the two Zinid aliens inched closer to the force field, their menacing gazes fixed on our group.

The stench of their foul-smelling bodies permeated the air.

Olivia and I huddled together and watched as one of them put his hand to the wall next to the door.

There was a brief zapping sound as the force field disappeared.

He motioned with one stumpy finger for us to step forward.

Joele marched toward him, her fists clenched. Her tail lashed back and forth, slicing through the air.

Riley and Avery followed, tense and ready to take on anyone that ventured near them despite being hungry and tired like the rest of us.

One of the smaller Zinids stepped forward. “Tes ru dra zok” he growled, holding up a long baton in his pudgy hand.

I cringed as it arced with sparks, recalling the horrific torture the stick could inflict.

Joele put her arms out to her sides, gathering us behind her like a mother hen with her chicks. “They are taking us to the Krilex. Stay close,” she said.

She kept her eyes on our captors.

Olivia and I got closer to her, and one of them suddenly went for her, but she grabbed onto me in fear. Her nails digging into me.

I moved closer to Joele, avoiding getting hit by her angry, moving tail.

Riley and Avery both yelled at him, waving their arms but staying back far enough not to be reached by his pain stick.

I tensed my leg muscles, ready to run as soon as I could.

My heartbeat was thumping in my ears. I squeezed my hands into tight fists, digging my nails into my skin.

Joele roared and swung her clawed hand at the alien who was still gripping Olivia’s arm. The second Zinid darted forward and flung his shock stick toward Joele.

In the blink of an eye, she disarmed him and held the stick in her hand. The brave female struck the aliens face hard. The thwack of skin on skin rung out and the alien flew back, hitting the wall hard before falling to the floor.

When a series of blasts shook the building, I felt the vibration through my entire body.

The alien’s ugly face dropped. Ignoring us, he hastily left without reactivating the force field.

The cacophony of voices and clatter of footsteps outside grew louder with every passing moment.

Olivia trembled, and I put my arm around her shoulders. “We’ll stick together. It’s going to be okay.”

I wished to hell I could believe it myself.

As another immense blast echoed, the building shook so fiercely that the walls vibrated. The air in our small space was heavy with dust and dirt. Worsening the already unpleasant smells.

I coughed. The taste in my mouth was already unpleasant, but the gritty texture of sand made me cringe and long for a mouth rinse.

Chunks of the ceiling and wall rained down around us, causing Olivia’s face to go pale.

I ground my teeth together, determined to suppress the rising fear in my chest.

“What’s happening out there?” Olivia cried. Her eyes were saucers.