Page 1 of Taken By the Alien Triton King

Chapter 1

Samantha

My stomach was in knots when I followed Imogen out of the capsule and onto the sand of a beautiful, alien beach. The air was warm, and the skies were blue—a color I had not seen for so long that I had to blink a few times to assure myself it was real. When last I’d seen a sky, I’d been boarding the USSLegacy, and I’d been stuck in stasis for most of its journey. The sky on Earth had not looked anywhere near as pretty as this one did, but it was a silly thing to focus on when far more exciting things were about to happen.

After an impossibly long journey, we’d finally arrived at a planet capable of sustaining life—a planet rich in water, with skies that were clean and clear, unlike the ones we’d left behind. Our small group had been selected to negotiate with the planet’s leadership, hoping to secure a treaty that would allow us to bring our people down to rebuild the lives we’d lost. I was dying to catch my first glimpse of both alien species and alien flora.

Craning my head, I peered around Imogen’s shoulder and caught sight of Lucy’s distinct brown hair streaked with gray.We were spreading out on the sands, bordered by an azure sea on one side and an exciting jungle on the other. A tent had been erected, and Brooke had bravely accepted the invitation of the tall men in front of it to step inside. I was too nervous to follow her in there and cast my eyes about to look for a distraction.

Were all the aliens inside? From the reading material we’d been given before heading down, I knew they were all species that lived in the water. The ones I could see on the beach were called the Quxon, and they were all tall and imposing and very blue. But there were many more species living on Sanos… Had only the Quxon responded to our request to negotiate?

The other women were spreading out on the beach, but I caught hold of Imogen’s wrist. “Hey, looks like things haven’t started yet, so I’m going to explore, okay?” I told her. She’d been in a stasis pod next to mine, and that made me feel a certain amount of kinship—we’d been neighbors for the long journey. I’d already made up my mind that I’d go into the woods to inspect the plants, but I wanted at least one person here to know where I’d gone.

“Not without me, you don’t,” Imogen said, her eyes sparkling with a smile. Her long brown braid swung over her shoulder as she jerked her chin toward the treeline. “We don’t know what’s in there, but you’re right, we should have a look. We can’t assume we’re safe just because they agreed to a meeting.” We exchanged a dubious glance before turning our eyes to the imposing figures of the aliens and the flimsy tent Brooke had stepped into. Without another word, we strode across the soft sand and slipped behind a bush.

My fingers itched too much as I took in all the lush but foreign vegetation. Imogen was far more professional as she led me deeper beneath the trees. I stopped several times to take a sample and add it to my satchel for later study—not that I knew when or where that would be. Until we’d secured a treaty and could begin to build a settlement, I doubted I’d have access to a lab.

I was still pondering that, lost in thought, when a sudden noise rocked our world. I stumbled, then flung myself behind a tree for cover when I realized it wasn’t just any noise—it was an explosion. The sounds that followed were also very distinct: phaserfire. The beach was under attack.

Imogen had taken shelter against a tree across from me, and she’d pulled out her own weapon, far more prepared for this than I was. What happened next neither of us expected. The bushes parted nearby, and out came two large and very alien shapes. They were on two legs, definitely humanoid-ish. Where one was glittering azure, the other was dark as night. They seemed as surprised to see us as we were to see them, but unlike me, they did not freeze.

The azure one was closer to me, and red crowned his head in jagged shapes. A king, I thought—one of the ones we were here to meet, perhaps. Then he had me around the waist and threw me over his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes. The air whooshed out of me from the force, and, struggling to breathe, eyes stinging, I was hauled deeper into the woods. His arm had my legs pinned to his chest, perilously close to the curve of my ass.

My friend had also been snatched, but she was not going quietly. I could hear her screaming and cursing at her captor. Frantically, I searched for her, but her abductor had chosen a different path. Her shouting faded the farther he ran with his long-legged stride. My stomach ached, each jarring step driving that hard shoulder deeper into me, while panic caused everything to somersault with emotion.

I raised my head, intending to follow Imogen’s lead and fight this disrespectful treatment. And then I saw it—the fire blazing beyond the jungle, the smoke that filled the sky. Holy crap in a handbasket… what the flying pigs was that? Who had done that? Why? This was evidence that someone on this planet did not want us humans to make a treaty—not with anyone. Had those on the beach survived? My mind flashed to Brooke, who’d gone into the tent, which surely had been the target. Emme, Lucy, and the others who had remained on the beach—what had happened to them?

I was not brave and bold like Imogen, and the will to fight faltered in the face of the disaster. What if she and I were the only survivors? I bit my lip, my eyes trailing along the broad back of the stranger who was carrying me rapidly through the jungle on this island. His skin was vaguely humanoid but smattered with a network of azure lines. At a closer look, I realized those were scales, pressing against his flesh as if they were rising to the surface. He wore some kind of sash made of a strange, shimmery fabric around his waist, with a few pouches dangling from a black leather belt that held it all up. His outfit reminded me of the ancient Greeks and their togas, only his “toga” was much skimpier.

At least I could comfort myself with the knowledge that he was humanoid. Two legs, strong feet, muscled calves, and an ass I tried not to notice was hella sexy. My bag of specimens and supplies was still caught with its strap around my body, slapping against his arm—probably in a very uncomfortable fashion—yet he didn’t seem to notice. Then the ground changed from dirt and forest to sand, and I knew we’d reached the beach on the other side.

Oh, I’d frozen again. This was my last chance to act, and Ireallyhad to act because I had no clue whether this guy even knew I couldn’t breathe underwater like he could. “Stop!” I shouted, because my fear of drowning was strong enough, and our distance from the fire and phaser sounds was far enough. He’d already planted both feet in the water, but he jerked to a halt, waves lapping at his knees.

Twisting, I pressed my palm against his warm, broad shoulder blade for balance. Finally, I could see just enough of the back and side of his head to make out who he was—what he was. Short black hair with vibrant strands of blue and silver, a crown of coral in wild, jagged shapes: a little sharp, a little mean. His ears were round and human one moment but began to grow into tall points, fanning like the webbed fin of a fish—blue again, with silver tips. He was Ondrithar, and I knew it doubly so when I saw the trident with elegant symbols on the shaft that he clutched in one fist. It was supposedly their preferred weapon beneath the waves—for hunting and for war.

He twisted his head slowly, his gaze bright blue and inhuman as he met my eyes. A shiver shot down my spine. My belly, already sore, now twisted as if he’d punched me in the gut. At least, I thought that was what it felt like, but I’d never been punchedin the gut, so I wasn’t sure. It certainly felt like the breath whooshed out of me, and now my lungs ached as they labored to draw breath again. “Stop?” he said, his voice a deep, sonorous tone that made my skin break out in goosebumps. It might have been my fear and nerves, but the flash of silver in his eyes made me feel like he was reprimanding me.

Instinctively, I wanted to curl up inside myself, to withdraw. The basic negotiator skills that had been drummed into me for this mission told me not to back down. They clashed, resulting in another frozen moment, but this time, it was while our eyes were locked. A curious thing happened then—an unfurling in my belly, the tension ebbing away like the tide. My body began to feel soft and light, sheltered by his arm around my thigh and his chest against my belly.

“Yes, stop,” I said more firmly. “Who are you, and where are you taking me?” I couldn’t go with him until I knew those answers, but part of me also wondered if letting myself get abducted by this king—for he clearly was one—wouldn’t be helpful. The negotiations were in shambles thanks to this attack, but he was simply taking me to safety the only way he knew how: into the water. If I could work on him while I was in his company, maybe I could secure land inside his territory for the humans still left aboard theUSS Legacy.

It was a plan that was so unlike my quiet, scientific mind that I struggled to consider the ramifications. He could be kidnapping me for nefarious reasons, not to save me from the phasers back at the meeting place. He could be taking me so he could murder me quietly under the water. Now, my head was filling with all kinds of horrible scenarios, and I struggled to keep my breathing even as my heart began to pound anew in fear.

“I am Kaerius,” he said, as if that was supposed to mean something to me. I drew a blank for a long second, staring into his mesmerizing eyes while I fought to recall the names of the kings on this planet. There were many factions and many different species or subspecies, all with their own ruler. Which one was he again? Right—Ondrithar. And yes, Kaerius was the name of the king of that species. I could thank my lucky stars that at least I’d always been good at cramming information into my head and recalling it under pressure.

I’d been quiet too long, and he was clearly done waiting for me. His legs began to move, wading deeper into the lapping waves, and I recalled that I hadn’t warned him I couldn’t breathe underwater. Opening my mouth, I again endeavored to tell him to stop. He didn’t let me speak this time—his patience worn thin, or maybe even completely gone. His arms jerked me down his chest, catching me in a bridal-style grip against the front of his body. Now all I could see was his face and how big and luminous his silver-blue eyes were.

His body had already begun to transform for a swim: azure scales pressing to the surface, his ears like the fins of a fish, pupils large and wide. He was wholly alien now—nothing like the tan, humanoid male from a few moments ago. Even his wide chest was now fully covered in hard scales, while gills sat on either side of his neck—three narrow slits that flared open when I stared at them. Then cold water lapped at my bottom, and I managed to squeak out, “I can’t breathe underwater! I hope you know that!?”

The smile that suddenly tilted his lush mouth at one corner made my stomach flip-flop wildly. That looked sinful, tempting, and the last thing I should be thinking of was kissing that mouth.He was a king, a captor, and ruthless by the looks of it. Nope—bad idea. I shouldnotbe having such thoughts.

The water was icy despite the sunshine and the blue sky. It was up to my chest now, and if he took a few more steps, I’d be submerged. Gulping, I drew in a deep breath in preparation. My specimen kit was waterproof, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t even sure if I liked water or swimming. I’d never done it, never even been submerged completely. All I’d known were rationed water showers—a rarity—and dry foam washing, which was more common on water-polluted Earth.

“Do not worry, human,” Kaerius said, and I wondered if that was a halfhearted attempt to be kind and ease my fear. It seemed to be an afterthought. It also wasn’t lost on me how he’d given me his name when I asked who he was, but he hadn’t bothered to ask for mine—like he didn’t give a damn.

When the water closed over my head, I wasn’t ready for it. It stung my eyes, and my instinct was to scream—which was a very stupid instinct. Precious air bubbled from my throat in a big gulp, and then water rushed back in, and I began to drown. That’s when I started fighting, kicking and twisting in the Ondrithar King’s tight grip. Yup, he was picking the “drown in the water” option. Asshole. I should have known that negotiating with barbaric water kings wasn’t going to be easy. Not a walk in the park, as my ancestors would say. Not that I’d ever seen a park, which was why I was so fascinated with plants.

Thrashing as wildly as I was, panic absolute, I was only aware of the King as my captor—the tight band of his arm around my waist, the coiling of something long and powerful around my legs, pinning them tight. And then, shockingly, the grasp ofhis hand around my throat. Immobile, completely caught, he twisted my head until I was looking at him, at his silver eyes.

---