“You’re delusional,” Elle dismissed. The fantasy that had played out in her head was all too recent. That didn’t mean the doctor wouldn’t get some kind of idea. It’s not like they were under the burden of government regulations. “He was slamming at the glass to get to me. He probably wants me dead. I did capture him, after all.”
The disappointment on the doctor’s face was palpable.
Larson pushed through the door to the cell, leading a group of amped-up men behind him.
Panic filled her, and it took all her energy to maintain her composure. She knew what was coming. There was no way the prisoner would win this fight.
And the fact he was here was her fault. She was the one who’d brought him to the facility. What happened next would be on her.
The alien’s eyes met hers, and she did the only thing she could.
She mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
“Excellent,” Hanklen whispered, more to himself than her. “We can observe how the creature fights.” His smile worried Elle.
Chapter Four
Why was the pretty Earth human taunting him?
Every day, she came to look at him, staring at him with those brown eyes that mesmerized him into losing the fight against her. She was the reason he was caught in this trap. And she came, every damned day, to look in on him like he was a pet.
Oh, but today had been different. Today, she had looked at him with narrowed eyes and flushed skin. His Galaxy Brides uploads had finally unpacked themselves into his brain, and he knew what seduction meant, knew what deepened breath, pinked cheeks, and pursed lips were an invitation to. Which could only mean she mocked him.
But, fuck, he wanted her. When she pressed her chest to the glass, he wanted to explore these things Earthlings called breasts. Sintazians didn’t have soft globes like that. Their women were hard and muscled. This woman, though she would hold her own against any creature in battle, had softer edges. Curves even.
She made his body vibrate.
Many emotions flooded him as he spent time in the cell. What did they want with him? He’d heard about alien experimentation done by some species. Galaxy Brides had assured them Earth people were not like that.
Galaxy Brides had said a lot of things.
Galaxy Brides clearly could not be trusted.
Did these humans have his brothers? Were Snow and Frost safe? That fear was the most unbearable. He could handle a threat to himself, but his family? He wasn’t sure what to do, so he kept himself very still to lull them into thinking he was docile. He watched them, counted them, looked for any sign of escape. Yet, they merely kept him in this room like an animal. Occasionally, they plunged devices into him to pull out his fluids. Blood, they called it here. And they gave him a strange, pasty substance for food that did not have much taste. The guard had called it oatmeal, and each time he ate they watched him as if waiting for something strange to happen.
Rage had filled him as the woman tried to arouse him. He’d been unable to contain himself as he struck the glass wall. He knew it was a mistake each time he struck, and yet…
The sound of the door crashing open interrupted his fast stream of thoughts. He turned, ready for battle. Better to go down fighting than remain trapped in this tiny room with only a bed and toilet.
Ice didn’t think. He hated being afraid and alone and knew the only thing left was to fight his way out. The first man who charged him had murder in his eyes, all that hate directed at Ice. The feeling was mutual. Ice returned the hateful sentiment as he absorbed the man’s punch to the face. He instantly swept his arm to the side, forcing the man upward so that he struck the glass. The broken rings Ice created had weakened the structure, and the force of the man’s body finished the job.
The Earthling almost hit the seductress and the little man holding on to her. They both scrambled out of the way. Neither of them extended an arm to their fallen comrade as they turned back to watch.
The woman’s lips moved, but no sound came out. He wondered what it was she was doing. Did Earthlings have magic and spells? He knew the words, so they had to be actual things here, but the information was unclear.
He didn’t have time to contemplate as he fought the Earth words flooding his brain. They were like a virus trying to take over his thoughts. There were times he had to force himself to think with the Sintazian language instead. Each time, he clung to a tiny piece of home.
Frustration and fear drove his actions. Even as he knew there were too many of them that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. He punched, kick, threw, even headbutted those who entered the cell. Their warm bodies were merely targets, and their shouts were drowned by the smack of fists and feet.
Though it didn’t surprise him, the end of the battle came too fast for his liking. He felt the familiar bite into his flesh, pumping the electrical current into him. Maybe this was magic, the way the device made him lose all function in his limbs. He tried to resist, but the current forced him to his knees and then onto his back. With that, his small victories came to an end.
His eyes met the woman’s through the broken glass. Those taunting brown eyes didn’t appear happy, and yet she did nothing to aide him. The last thing to go was his eyesight, but the current took that from him too as his world went dark.
Chapter Five
Elle held in her mind the image of the scientists ordering the mercenaries to haul the alien from the damaged cell to another holding facility. They acted as if he were no more than a tranquilized rhinoceros to be carted on a floor dolly from one place to another. Their laughter echoed in her head. They thought it was funny—the alien fighting for his life. They posed with the unmoving body—pretending to hold the alien down, grasping his hands in the air like they were buddies, shooting thumbs-up as they snapped photos on their phones—despite knowing those phones would be confiscated before they left the facility.
This was a game to them. In the eyes of the facility, this alien man was no more than livestock to be hauled from one pen to another.
