Page 8 of The Alien's Stolen Rebel

Ascells went, I’d just escaped a worse one.I looked around, panting for breath, taking in the luxury of an imperial yacht for the first time. It was wild. Rich colors everywhere, deep purple and bright gold and warm red, with the imperial crest—a firebird clutching a planet—on everything. I can’t do it justice. Whoever designed the decor was a genius, able to make it feel imposing, intimate, and welcoming all at once.

The bed, big enough for a dozen people to share, was the room’s centerpiece. Sunk into the floor, it looked more like a cushioned pool than any bed I’d seen. Jade attachment points surrounded it, making me wonder if it was designed more for fun than for sleep. Vehn imperial nobility had a standard for decadence to uphold, and even a racing yacht doubled as a party pad.

Bolted to the floor, three deep, comfortable gravitychairs waited to protect the occupants from high acceleration. The fitted wardrobe was empty, but large enough to fit my bedroom back home on Mars. An attached bathroom was an enigmatic, bare white cube. I wondered how it worked and hoped I wasn’t stuck here long enough that I needed to find out.

A slot on the bedroom wall held a maker’s output nozzles, but I saw no controls. Talking to it didn’t even get me an error message, let alone food or drink, so voice commands were out. I wondered where to find the control board but didn’t bother searching. Without tools, I had no chance of getting access. So, nothing to eat or drink. Wonderful. I turned to examine the door, wondering if it was safe to leave the room.

If anything showed the state of the atmosphere outside, I couldn’t identify it. My parents raised me with a Martian’s respect for vacuum, so I refused to risk opening the door. Eventually, the pirate who’d saved me would let me knowit was safe to leave. Until then, I was stuck here, so I flopped down into the nearest chair. Might as well take advantage of the luxuries I was trapped with.

The ship thrummed, and I recognized the subtle vibrations of the primary engine powering up. I swallowed, clutching at the armrests of my chair tight enough for my knuckles to go white. The soft, red padding swelled to grip me tight andthen the ship jumped forward, accelerating hard enough that it felt like someone kicking me in the chest.

It didn’t last long, less than a second, I think. Thenthe thrust died, the lights flickered, and the chair relaxed its grip on me. I frowned, trying to work out what was going on. I’d expected that thrust to last until the ship was far enough out to make a jump.

Had the pilot given up already? Had they shot out the bridge, killing him? Or was there was a security cut-out he couldn’t bypass?

I was so wrapped up in the circle of what-ifs that I missed any warning signs, leaving me utterly unprepared when the power died, taking the gravity with it. The lights, too. Grabbing blindly for the chair as I floated above it, I almost got a grip when the ship jerked forward again, sending me flying into the wall with enough force to drive the air from my lungs. Aside from my gasping for air, the room was deadly silent. No sound, not even the omnipresent hum of the airmaker that no one notices after a few days in space.

Its absence, though,thatyou notice. I scrambled for purchase on something, anything, trying to work out where the door was. The cabin’s air would last awhile, but I didn’t want to find out how long.

Without warning, the lights and gravity came back on, dumping me into the bed pit with an undignified squawk. A second later, the cycle repeated itself. This time I was quick enough to grab hold of a jade fixture and didn’t drift far.

When the gravity returned, I hit the ground running. The room wasn’t a prison; it was a death trap. Every Martian colonist has a healthy terror of theairmakers falling silent and drilled-in instinct screamed at me to get out.

The door slid open as I reached it, and I ran straight into the broad, muscular chest of an alien. The impact knocked me back, and I stumbled, falling on my ass. The giant loomed over me, silhouetted in the open hatch.

Oh fuck.

“You!”

We spoke at the same moment, after we’d stared at each other for far too long. That I recognized him from the party meant nothing. How many silver-skinned, muscular hunks had I seen in my life? Just him.

But that he recognized me made my heart flutter.

Idiot, fool, who cares?I swore at myself.I need to run, not obsess over whether the hot guy remembers me!

Oh, and I’m still wearing the wedding dress. Of course he recognizes me. Idiot.

Yeah, sometimes I’m not very nice to myself, but in my defense, I deserved it.

“I need to get you off this ship.” His voice was a low rumble I felt in my soul.

“Nope, you’ve got to get me away from here. I can pay.”

Frowning, helooked me up and down, evaluating me with an intense scrutiny that made me squirm. Those powerful eyes didn’t look like they’d miss a single detail, as though he looked at my soul as much as my body.

He was definitely looking at my body, though. His intense gaze followed my curves, lingering a little here and there. From most men, I’d have objected. From a few, I’d have tolerated it.

This was the only man from whom I wanted it. And I didn’t even know his name!

“What are you doing here?” He snarled his question, ignoring my offer. I put my hands on my hips, glaring up into his eyes.

“Like you’re supposed to be on board.” It was a gamble, but not much of one. Frax’s guards wouldn’t be shooting at him if he was supposed to be here. “Who the hell are you, anyway?”

My guess paid off. The silver-skinned alien snarled something but asked no more questions. Instead, he grabbed me and lifted me over his shoulder, turning and running for the bridge. His speed and strength knocked the breath from me, but his touch did more than that.

It felt electric. It felt like a wave of fiery passion. It felt incredible. We’d touched before, when I ran into him, but this was different. Bouncing off his muscles didn’tcompare to the fierce power of his deliberate touch. I bit my lip, forcing down an embarrassing groan.

I resented how short the distance to the bridge was,though I was glad when he set me down in another seat that molded itself to hold me. Neither of us had time to get distracted, no matter how enjoyable it might be.

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