Mate Abduction (Alien Abduction #9) - Eve Langlais Page 0,8

moon, meaning it sprawled all over the place with transportation tubes connecting the various hubs. After sending over the correct number of credits—a large amount not worth the dirty locale—they were given a docking berth where they could disembark. As he travelled the interconnecting tubes, aimlessly for the most part, he took note of the many species roaming around. Mostly male with a few females either being tightly accompanied for safety or openly wielding more weapons than even he carried.

None made his heart pound. None grabbed his attention. Doubtful he’d find his sykyrah here, and he was beginning to reach the point he didn’t care anymore.

He missed home. Wanted to be with his tree when it exhaled its last. To be there to apologize to it and any who were affected by his failure.

Then, when it was over, and his failure was complete, he planned to get extremely drunk and remain that way until he died in battle—which could be quickly depending on his level of sobriety. It had worked for his great-uncle Phanos.

It’s time I admitted defeat. He’d tell Kryx his decision once they’d concluded their business here.

He already knew his friend would argue because Thyos had asked after the last two stops if they were going home yet. Each time, Kryx replied, “Not until we find her.”

And by her he could have meant the sykyrah for either of them, because Thyos wasn’t the only one looking for his mate. He’d seen Kryx eyeing the females with more than passing interest.

As he pivoted on the moving walkway that brought travelers through the various tube systems, Thyos felt an odd tug. Before he could ponder the sensation, he’d stepped onto solid ground.

He found himself in the marketplace dome anchored to the moon with solid rock underfoot, swept clean of dust. Buildings crowded the area, many with flashing signs advertising their wares—a glass for a tavern, breasts for sex, and a blood splatter for food.

It was the alley between a restaurant boasting the best-tasting rat skewers in town and a massage parlor featuring a nine-armed attendant that drew his attention.

Cloak swirling around his ankles, he approached but didn’t enter the slim passageway. He could clearly see a female of pale complexion, the flesh of her cheeks and nose covered in light spots. A flash of orange turned out to be hair pulled back from her face but loose down her back in a wild riot of curls.

The female needed a tan. Perhaps a good scrubbing. Definitely some more meat on her bones. Not that he cared what she ate.

Thyos couldn’t even say why he kept eyeing her. She wasn’t of a species he’d encountered before, despite being similar to his own with a pair of arms and legs, recognizable facial features, and two breasts like the females of his world.

And nothing else. Not even a pair of sexy horns or stubby sensitive wings. In his youth, he lamented the fact he wasn’t blessed with any, but he made up for it in strength.

As he turned to move away, he noticed a gang approaching, several large males in varying states of rankness, from putrid to possibly dead and not knowing it yet. A quick glance showed them entering the alley where the alien female stood.

He should walk away. None of his business. Instead, he positioned himself to spy on what happened.

The gang confronted the woman, their body language and jeers ripe with promises of violence.

Still not his problem. She was a stranger. A no-one not worth the effort. He couldn’t have even said why he gave her a second glance.

And a third.

There was no denying she intrigued him. His sluggish blood began to pump in his veins. His attention narrowed in on her and the surrounding danger.

If he didn’t act, she would probably get hurt. Maybe even die.

She needed a hero.

She needs me.

Three

“Submit, female,” the fellow with tusks jutting through his chin grunted.

Here we go again. It was a mistake, agreeing to meet Buurg away from the bar. However, when the tusked alien sidled close, his smell arriving before his whispered, “I have info,” she’d been relieved to finally encounter someone with something to offer.

But he refused to divulge anything in the bar, claiming the information was too secret and valuable to discuss in public. And her stupid, desperate ass believed him. Because hey, who didn’t meet in a dark alley to exchange information?

Buurg didn’t come alone, and she didn’t need to see the leers of his companions to realize they weren’t