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The door was open, but rough hands grabbed her, and a gun was pressed to her head.

She kicked back, fueled by anger and adrenaline. Her wounded arm was yanked back, and fingers dug into the bullet wound.

“Keep fighting, bitch, and you die,” a harsh male voice hissed in her ear.

A foot slammed into the back of her knees, and she went down. She was spun around and came face to face with the ugly bastard who’d been barking orders.

“What are you looking for, a date? Sorry, I don’t date dickheads,” she said.

He slammed his hand across her face, and she saw stars.

“I didn’t know they kept Humans on this planet,” one of the aliens said as Eden was dragged into the center of the room. “She’ll fetch a nice price at the right auction.”

“I’m not yours to sell.” Eden spat blood on the ground. “You’re not taking me or any of these animals.”

“Shut your mouth. You have a gun against your head, and you killed a lot of my crew. There’s no reason for me to keep you alive.” The head Pecket’s eyes blazed with anger.

“We should take her, boss. Alleviate the boredom before we make the transfer.” Another Pecket inched closer, a lecherous gleam in his eyes.

“She’s not worth the hassle. She’ll only fight you.”

“I’ll keep her under control. I’ll even share her when I’m done. And Olark likes Human flesh. We can eat her when we’re bored with her.”

“Screw you,” Eden said.

“That’s exactly what I’ll do to you.” The leering Pecket laughed along with his buddies.

“Get her on her feet. If she causes any problems, kill her.” The boss turned and strode away. “I need to fix this mess.”

Eden was dragged to her feet by the leering jerkoff.

He smeared his thumb across her mouth. “You’ll make a great prize. I’m glad I came on this mission now. I fucking hate these animals, with all the weird smells and noises they make. But you’ll make it worth my while.” He grabbed her ass.

Eden reared back and punched him in the chest.

He staggered back before grunting out a laugh. “Easy now. That’s no way to treat your new master.”

“You’ll regret saying that,” Eden said.

“And you’ll regret using that smart mouth on me. I’ll have to punish you. Now, move.”

Eden glared at him, but she had no choice but to obey him when he shoved a gun in her face. She turned, her body slick with sweat and her limbs shaking as the rage faded and fear flickered to life.

They headed outside, and Eden spotted a ship partially concealed by a bank of trees near the sanctuary.

How the hell had that slipped past the planet’s security?

Her gut tightened, and her eyes widened. There were several dozen animal pens being taken onto the ship. The animals were stress crying and trying to get free, but none of them could escape. And she was trapped right along with them.

“Do you want to go in a pen like the rest of the animals, or shall I take you straight to my room?” The large, leering Pecket said.

“I’ll choose the pen and the animals over you any day,” Eden said. “They smell nicer.”

He bared his teeth at her. “Don’t push me, or I’ll hand you straight to Olark for his next meal. He has a fun kink when it comes to Humans. I like to fuck them. He sees them as food. You could be both.”

“I’ll keep pushing you, dickhead. You’re not getting what you want. I’d rather die than let you have me.”

“That can be arranged.” He kept a tight hold on her as he looked around.