Page 6 of BrOdByc

Turning his attention back to his mate, he reached out along the growing connection. She remained calm. Brode frowned. “I think they have sedated my female,” he murmured.

Bao shook his head. Keeping his voice at a whisper, he said, “It’s the air. I’ve been running an analysis. Our innate makeup provides some protection from the effects of the aroma. Earthers have no filtering system. It probably compromised her physiology.”

“Siluthien Hell.” Brode increased his pace and stepped onto the small balcony that ran along the back of the building. As he moved toward the first door, he caught whispers of her growing alarm. Her mental anguish stung as if small green anets crawled over his flesh.

Putting his hand on the warm metal, he pulled his mind away from his mate... and sent it seeking on the other side of the door. Nothing. Twisting the latch, he grinned back at Bao when he discovered it was unlocked. Carefully, he pushed inward, using sight to verify the room was unoccupied.

It was. The ornate room was large and very luxurious. He noticed the sheets on the bed were almost the same pastel green as his skin... and made of Janatu Silk. They decorated the walls with paintings and inlaid gems. Everything was expensive, rare. He walked around the steaming, sunken tub in the middle of the room and looked back at his brother. “Given the decor in the room, this has to be an elite pleasure station. There should be guards.”

The fierce screams of his mate reverberated through the building. He not only heard her anger and fear escalate—he felt it.

Bao moved to a door that led into the pleasure center. “They probably went to assist the Siloth. Your mate isn’t making this easy for them. Someone removed her gag, or she did.” He cracked the door and looked out into the hall. “Clear for now... doors lining both sides. Where is she?”

Brode closed his eyes. Concentrated. “They’re bringing her upstairs. Toward us. Kak!” He swung around and met his captain’s stunned gaze. Pointing at the oversized bathing tub filled with... something bubbling and hot, he said what they both realized. “Probably to this room.”

Casey

Her eyes didn’t work. Casey couldn’t see. When her eyelashes fluttered and the light blinded her, she realized they were closed. She was too tired to open them. Her head hurt. Her heart.

The ache in her heart was because she was afraid for her sister. And so frustrated because she couldn’t do anything to help.

Why the hell was she so tired? Had the aliens drugged her? Again? Casey knew they wanted to keep her quiet. Compliant. Easy to control. Which meant she should do the opposite. The red jerks carried her away from the spaceship. Away from her sister. She was bound and gagged and held over their heads. And drugged?

Casey’s system was fighting—and sort of winning. The first rush of drug-induced vertigo was easing. Some of the haze cleared. She didn’t remember the aliens giving her a shot. Or making her swallow a pill. Hell, maybe they weren’t doing this.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, she coughed into the gag. The air smelled sweet. Almost too sweet. So maybe there was something in the atmosphere of this planet that caused her lightheadedness. She remained a bit woozy, like she’d had a night out with the girls and downed a few too many margaritas. Her heart rate slowed. It was difficult to move. To resist. And it got harder every time she took a breath.

All she wanted to do was close her eyes and take a nap. No. She couldn’t do that. Cammy needed her. Her sister still hadn’t regained consciousness. Casey needed to help her.

But damn. Whatever drug she was on, it worked. Making her head spin, making it hard to think. She needed to get out of there. Opening her eyes again, she realized she was no longer outside. Time slipped by her. Where the hell was she? Inside. She was in a room. A pretty fancy room with nice furniture and art on the walls. The art was definitely alien porn.

Casey realized she was in the damn outer-space equivalent of a brothel.

There were three alien women in the room. Standing away from her captors, their eyes skittered away from hers. Like they didn’t want to acknowledge she was in the room. One female was tall, very thin, with what looked like feathers for hair. She was scowling at the furry aliens. But she didn’t seem shocked to see Casey tied up and held over their heads.

Next to her was a short, sort of round, and fluffy woman with horns sticking out of her head. Her thin lips pressed together. She looked angry. Whether that anger was targeted at Casey or her kidnappers, she couldn’t tell.

The third female looked human, except her skin was bright pink, and she had what looked like fur on her head instead of hair. She seemed younger. When she looked at Casey, she shook her head and dropped her eyes to the floor as if she were sad.

Casey didn’t make the mistake of believing these women would help her. When the red freaks snarled at them, they backed up.

The alien carrying her demanded, “Where is the Andaran?”

The thin, birdlike woman replied, “He hasn’t arrived. She is to be placed in the compliance pool. It is upstairs.”

For a moment, Casey was confused. The woman’s voice was low. She hadn’t expected to hear English coming out of the female’s mouth. And she didn’t. It also wasn’t the same language the red apes used. Her language was a strange succession of soft clicks and grunts.

But eventually, the meaning behind the words was interpreted by her translator. Compliance pool. Oh, hell no.

Casey solidified her resolve and kicked out with all her might. She ripped her hands upward and tore out the damn cloth gag. She swore the fabric tasted like someone had wedged it between the ass cheeks of one of the big red apes before they stuck it in her mouth.

That’s what the creepy aliens reminded her of—the old Planet of the Apes movie. Ape men.

Casey took a deep breath and let out an ear-piercing scream for help. The alien holding her dropped Casey to the floor. She scrambled to her feet, still screaming, and backed right into the arms of another red beast.

The second red creep wrapped all four arms around her and squeezed until she stopped screaming and struggled to breathe—the fight crushed out of her.

Silent tears streamed down her face when he picked up Casey and carried her to the stairs.

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