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“Sorry to interrupt, pet,” a deep, yet whisper-soft voice mocked. “I don’t have much time.”
She gasped and sprang up in bed, quickly pulling her hand out of her panties. Her translator implant provided his words in English, but there was an odd cadence to his speech. For a millisecond, the intrusion blended with her fantasy and her desire-drugged mind didn’t register danger. Then she turned her head and saw the male who’d spoken. He was little more than a tall silhouette, yet menace gleamed in his eyes.
Sucking in a breath, Raina prepared to scream. She didn’t know this male.
“Be silent.” He infused the command with compulsion and her throat tightened until she was incapable of making a sound.
He grasped her upper arms, his long fingers nearly encircling her biceps. She struggled, kicking wildly as he pulled her off the mattress. She twisted and punched, but none of it did any good. And through it all not so much as a squeak escaped her paralyzed throat.
Changing tactics, she frantically looked around to see if she could knock something over or do anything that would prompt security to check on her.
The intruder drew her to the center of the room, then wrapped his arms around her. Confusion combined with her fear making her feel week and helpless. How the hell had this creep gotten into the Citadel, much less her bedroom? Everyone knew she was a target until she was claimed. Thus the reason for the bodyguard and all the other security measures.
“Do not struggle or I will punish you severely when we get to my ship.”
Ship?No fucking way was she getting on this guy’s ship.
She redoubled her efforts, pummeling his chest and arching her back.
He slapped her ass hard then fisted the back of her hair. “Stand still.”
Instantly, her muscles seized and she couldn’t move. Was this freak a vampire or something?
The surreal thought ricocheted through her terrified mind as reality faded to black. She didn’t lose consciousness, but it felt similar. Her surroundings narrowed, blinked out for a moment, and then a new scene came into focus.
She stood in the middle of an unfamiliar ship. Larger than most shuttles, the ship had ten forward-facing seats as well as an enclosed area in the aft. There were two rows of four seats with a narrow aisle down the middle, as well as two seats in the cockpit area. She stood in the space between the last row of seats and the enclosed area when her abductor finally released her hair. After glancing around to get her bearings, she focused on the stranger.
Tall and lean, his body exuded strength without appearing brutish. His features were angular, cheekbones sharply defined. Blue-black hair fell to his waist, a red cord spiraling from the nape of his neck to the end of the shiny strands. His skin was light gray with just a hint of blue. And those eyes. There were four concentric rings rather than three and each was a different shade of blue.
She slowly licked her lips and cleared her throat. Her vocal cords vibrated so she asked, “Who are you? Why are you doing this? Where are you taking me?” She paused to see if he’d respond. Even though he said nothing, she finished her thought. “How did you get into my room? The energy field should have blocked a transport beam.”
He paused for a long tense moment, gaze boldly assessing her from head to toe. Then he walked to the front of the ship and sat down, all without uttering a word.
Her heart thudded in her chest, heat spiraled through her abdomen, and her nipples peaked beneath the soft material of her sleepshirt.Not now, she lamented. One of the disconcerting things she’d discovered about herself since leaving Earth was that danger excited her. No, dangerous males excited her. She crossed her arms, confused and embarrassed by her body’s inappropriate reaction. She didn’t care if he looked like he’d strolled off the pages of the vampire erotica she loved so much, he’d kidnapped her! The last thing she needed was to battle her overactive imagination.
Think, Raina, her inner voice urged.His back is turned, his attention fixed on operating the ship.
Could she smash something over his head and—and what? The Citadel was a space station. There was no way this guy had been cleared to dock, which meant the ship was likely in orbit and probably concealed by some sort of covert shielding. So how the hell had he gotten her here?
“Sit.” He paused about three seconds, allowing her time to obey. “Now!”
She glared at his broad back. She would not be ordered around like a dog.
He set the ship in motion and the sudden burst of acceleration sent Raina flying. She slammed into the partition and released a startled grunt. She managed to stay on her feet, but just barely. Her temper surged, burning away her confusion and fear. He’d done that on purpose and she could have been seriously hurt.
He told you to sit down and you ignored him, her annoying inner voice reminded.Next time he gives you an order, obey.The thought made her shiver and her pussy clenched, but she refused to analyze the reaction.
She quickly crossed to the last row of seats and spun one around to face the back of the ship. It was a common feature on shuttles, so she wasn’t surprised to find it here. The only disadvantage to giving him her back was not seeing where they were going. She resisted the need to know for at least ten minutes and then looked over her shoulder. No help there. They were in hyperspace. She’d seen the strange, fibrous-looking streaks during her trips from Altor to the Citadel.
Turning back around, she stared straight ahead and tried to think logically. It would have been easier to give in to the fear and anger hovering on the fringes of her consciousness. It was also much less productive. This was her second kidnapping, so she knew that freaking out was a waste of energy. What she needed was reliable information. Once she had a clearer understanding of her circumstances, she would determine whether or not a royal freak-out was in order.
In the meantime, she reviewed what she did know. Few beyond this star system had ever seen a power triad in action, so it was much more likely that they were headed to Torret, Pyron, or Houkdi. Altor was a possibility too, but the Citadel was run by Altorians. If an Altorian wanted her, they would have opened a negotiation, not kidnapped her.
If she had to choose a planet, Torret would be her guess. And Emperor Jevara would be the instigator. Torret and Altar were at war and Jevara was known for his ruthlessness. A knot of tension formed in her gut as she thought about the conclusion. The last thing she wanted was to be at the mercy of Jevara. Learning about the war, how it started and the current strategies, had been part of her training at the Citadel. Jevara liked to abuse his captives. Physical and sexual torture was frequently the ‘entertainment’ after his dinner parties. But had Raina been kidnapped because she was an Altorian female or because she was a conduit? Her latent power might save her from the horror awaiting other women, but nothing could prevent her from being claimed.
Once the ship was zipping along smoothly, her abductor stood and returned to the wide aisle between the seats and the enclosed area. Without a word, he pulled Raina to her feet and whipped her sleepshirt up along her body. She grabbed the material then bent her elbows, hoping to prevent the garment’s removal. He simply ripped the thin material to shreds and tossed it aside. She gasped and crossed her arms over her breasts. He fisted her hair and tilted her head back until she looked into his eyes.
“You are now the property of Emperor Jevara of Torret. Your life, your gift, and your body no longer belong to you. The emperorownsyou. You have no rights, no opinions, no control. He sent me to begin your training.” To illustrate his claim, he knocked her arm aside and squeezed her breast. “You will obey me or you will be punished. That is all you need to know.”
