Daughter of the Alien Warrior - Honey Phillips Page 0,1

baby cried. A sudden, wild hope filled her heart. Could it be…?

Her eyes sprang open and she sat up, her hand still clutching the empty holster. Disappointment washed over her as she saw Ashley cradling her baby, trying desperately to quiet her as she shot a nervous look behind Jade. Of course. It would have been foolish to assume the kidnappers took her directly to her daughter. But perhaps she was one step closer. She surveyed her surroundings anxiously, looking for any clue as to her whereabouts.

Both she and Ashley were perched on narrow cots. Naomi sprawled on a third one, her son tucked in her arms, both of them sleeping. Clear plastic containers floated next to each cot, and white metal walls formed three sides of the room. The fourth wall consisted of a single glass panel and on the other side of the glass were two men in black suits. Or rather, two beings…

As she studied them closer, she realized that they were most definitely not men. Matte black hair topped skin as white as if they had applied the thick makeup her grandmother had worn on ceremonial occasions. But this wasn’t makeup, and her sobo never had glowing red eyes or six fingers on each hand.

Their presence, combined with the metal walls and the banks of strange-looking equipment in the corridor behind them, led to only one impossible conclusion. Aliens. Her daughter had been taken by aliens. No wonder the police she had hounded constantly and the leagues of private detectives she had hired were unable to find a trace of Hana.

Her initial dismay—she now had an entire universe to search—was replaced by determination. She was closer to her daughter now than she had been for the past year.

“Kwaret appears to be correct. The product is less troublesome when stored with the breeders,” one of the aliens said begrudgingly.

Although she could hear a faint clicking noise beneath their words, she understood them perfectly. Good. Hopefully, that meant they would also understand her. She rose and went to the panel, ignoring how weak her legs felt.

“I’m looking for my daughter. You took her a year ago. Where is she now?”

The alien who had spoken gave her a disinterested look, then ignored her and turned back to his companion.

“I’m not as sure about his suggestion to provide all of them with translators. I have no desire to hear slaves address me.”

Slaves?

“His argument is that it will make it easier to have them obey our commands.”

“I’ve always found a shock collar to be an effective training tool.”

“But it also causes damage, and they fetch a higher price when they are undamaged.”

If they thought she was going to obey some strange alien’s commands, they had another think coming. She smacked her hand against the glass, smiling when one of them jumped.

“I said I’m looking for my daughter. Where is she?”

“Breeders are to be seen and not heard,” the alien said disdainfully.

Her fist clenched, longing to smack that supercilious look off his face.

“Breeder?” the other alien asked.

“If she is looking for a child, then she must have produced one.” He scanned her again, sneering. “Although I admit she looks to be past her prime breeding years. Still, a fertile female is worth more than a non-fertile one. Commander Kadica will be pleased with the potential for extra profit.”

Fertile? She bit back a derisive retort. It had taken ten years and hundreds of thousands of dollars before she had been able to become pregnant.

“You mean you hope he will forgive you for bringing her on board rather than eliminating her.”

The two males exchanged a nervous glance.

“If you two assholes won’t listen to me, take me to your commander,” she demanded.

“You would be well served if I did so.” His hand went to a small box attached to his belt, but the other alien reached out and stopped him.

“Kragan, you can’t do that. You know his temper. If she shows no more respect than she has done so far, he will punish her. If she’s lucky enough to live through it, she would be too damaged to bring in more than a modest amount of credits. We only have the five of them to sell this time and I want to get as much profit from this trip as I can.”

Kragan’s hand dropped away. “I suppose you’re right. The more credits we bring this trip, the more sponsors we will have for the next one.”

The next one? Jade stared after them in distress as