Page 3 of The Alien's Stolen Rebel

“I do not care what you intend. My lord speaks warmly of you, and I dislike that. You will not replace me as his favorite, and if I believe you’re trying to, I will scar, maim, or kill you. Won’t I, Lady Mishoni?”

The Vehn woman nodded, lips tight. Whether by accident or design, the light caught her cheek just right for me to see a long scar, artfully concealed by her makeup. I shuddered.

“I don’t even want to marry him,” I said, trying honesty. A desperate move, but nothing else had worked. “He kidnapped me!”

Both women looked at me as though I’d gone mad, and I had a sinking feeling that neither thought that was at all relevant. That settled things.

If I married Frax, I’d die. Either at his hands if I pissed him off, or his wife’s if I didn’t. So the marriage was off. I just had to find a way to tell him that without dying.

2

KREEL

The human female’s body language was tight, controlled, and hard to read. I knew what I’d seen in her eyes, though. Fear, almost panic—she hid it behind a mask of calm, but it was unmistakably there.

I tore my eyes away from her. Giving Frax a reason to pay attention to me was the worst possible idea, and staring too long at his newest bride might excite the warlord’s jealousy.

It would be stupid to get myself killed over a supposed intent to steal her. I’d give Frax plenty of genuine reasons to want me dead before the day was out.

The station’s promenade was filling up, a crowd of guests drawn from the sector’s underworld talking under a cloak of fake friendship. Here, under the watchful eyes of Frax’s warriors, none of them would dare act on their rivalries. Crime lords and mercenaries,pirates and gangsters, all took the rare chance to make deals or plans with those who were usually their enemies.

I tried to pay attention. Just seeing the unlikely alliances forged here might be useful or valuable, and if I overheard the details of the deals being worked out in the nooks behind the hologram statues showing off Frax’s treasures, who knew where that might lead?

But my mind would not let go of the human, and my eyes kept drifting back to her. She looked so tragic and beautiful, standing alone in the spotlight as though she was one of Frax’s treasures rather than a participant in the ceremony. Her white dress clung to magnificent curves, emphasizing her seductive appeal, flowery lace panels hinting at the soft skin beneath. Red hair tumbled down her back like a waterfall of flames, and her jade green eyes looked down at the guests. Meeting her gaze had shaken me—there was an infinite well of sadness behind them, along with the fear. Frax’s latest bride wasn’t happy with her situation, though she’d managed a credible smile for the occasion. Those full red lips, crying out to be kissed, showed none of the pain, sadness, or anger I saw in her gaze.

I stole another glance in her direction, ignoring the Liil warmaiden trying to flirt with me. Normally, her grace and intricate ritual scars would have intrigued me, but now she was just another distraction. Only one woman in the room held any appeal.

Perhaps only one woman in the universe.Void take it, Ido notneed this. Not now.

The low, heavy sound of a gong interrupted my thoughts along with those of everyone else, and I turned to see Frax standing on a balcony above the milling crowd, flanked by his two current wives. The warlord looked every inch the proud warrior-king he wanted us to see, with no hint of the thug who’d dragged himself up from the gutters. His Drangan wife looked exactly like you’d expect a gang boss’s mate. Expensive clothes poorly chosen, and far too much jewelry.

His other wife, a Vehn, made a better show, despite the muted tones she wore. Though that might just be the fact that the last few centuries had taught the entire sector to think of her species as royalty.

Focus on the job you’re here to do, fool,I told myself, but it was impossible. My mind kept trying to imagine the human female alongside those two and failing. She did not belong.

“Greetings, friends.” The low rumble of Frax’s amplified voice shook me from my thoughts, echoing through the space with enough force to shake the decking underfoot. “Welcome to Caliban station on the day of my marriage to the beautiful and enchanting Princess Ra-Kell. May you take with you some of the joy you bring me, and may we all gain from our encounter.”

The warlord bowed, lips forming something that might, generously, be called a smile. Menace filled histone despite his friendly words, and nothing about him hinted at passion for his bride or joy at their union. No, this was all status to him, nothing to do with the person he married.

I hoped for her sake that he would treat her well, even if his reasons were selfish. No man who mistreated his women was worthy of respect, and this woman? She deserved far better than him.

Frax had married often, though, and I remembered the fate of his other wives. Lady Astara was his first wife and the only one to have survived two years at his side. A low growl rose in the back of my throat, and the people beside me gave me more space, unconsciously moving away from danger.

“I give today over to arrival and refreshment,” Frax said, finishing his welcome speech. “Enjoy yourselves, mingle, be merry! Tomorrow comes the wedding ceremony, and after that, I have an offer for you, my friends. One I am sure you will like, one where we all profit beyond measure.”

I didn’t like the sound of that one bit, but it hardly mattered. Whatever Frax planned for the fleet he’d gathered, I wouldn’t be here to listen. If all went according to plan, I’d be long gone by then.

At that thought, my gaze landed on the prize I’d come here for. Like most of his treasures, Frax displayed a hologram instead of the real thing. A wise move, given he’d invited all the criminals in the sector, but in this case, it was also practical. The sleek wedge of gleaming black, looking more like ablade than a spaceship, would never fit on the promenade.

TheStarshadow.Imperial yacht, priceless relic, and the biggest payday a pirate like me could hope to steal in a dozen lifetimes. The prize I’d been planning to take ever since it had reappeared in Frax’s hands. It was all I’d dreamed about for the past year, and a prize I was certain would win the annual competition with my brothers. The chances of them stealing anything this impressive were near zero.

And yet, I felt the temptation to abandon it because of the sadness in a pair of green human eyes.

Custom-builtfor the Last Emperor of the Vehn, theStarshadowmight be the greatest ship ever produced by the foundry of Brenias-Alcar. To call it a luxury racing yacht was like calling a galaxy a collection of stars—technically correct, but dangerously misleading.

The forge-mistress had crafted its hull from a single diamond, reinforced with an intricate structure of hullmetal. No ship its size had stronger armor. Not for combat, though it would serve there, but to handle the immense forces generated by the engines that made up half its length.

Despite its origin as a pleasure craft, it was no slouch in battle. A pair of warp cannons made theStarshadowa formidable opponent for anything it couldn’t outrun.

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