Possessive Alien Mate(Savage Martians #2) - Sue Mercury Page 0,17

would be awake by now.

Had he discovered her missing yet?

She repressed a shudder as she considered his reaction, but she also tried to convince herself that all would be well. She was safe now, finally out of his reach.

And soon, she wouldn’t even be on Earth anymore.

But the bus came to a sudden stop, and she braced her hands on the seat in front of her. Once she recovered her senses, she peered out the window. This wasn’t a bus stop and they weren’t even passing through a town at the moment, but traveling in between cities out in the wide-open countryside.

Why had the bus stopped?

An uneasy feeling spread through her when the bus driver opened the door. Tyra glanced at the other women aboard the bus, all of them mail order brides like her, but none of them appeared concerned. They were all reading, sleeping, or quietly conversing with their seatmates.

Why didn’t anyone else think this was strange?

Suddenly, she heard heavy footsteps as someone approached the bus, though she couldn’t see the person as she scanned the roadside. When she returned her attention to the front of the bus, horror filled her as she made eye contact with her uncle, who was now standing at the front of the aisle. Fury glinted in the depths of his dark eyes and she felt abruptly cold, chilled to the bone.

As he approached her, she tried to will herself to move, to bolt out of her seat and take the emergency exit in the back, but she couldn’t make her legs work. She couldn’t even stand up.

He approached her, a menacing smile upon his face. Once he reached her, he offered her his hand, nodding for her to take it. She managed to shake her head, but even that brief movement left her exhausted.

“Happy Birthday, niece.” His grin widened, revealing several gold-capped teeth.

Panic gripped her. It was indeed her birthday—her twenty-first, to be precise. The birthday she’d been simultaneously dreading and looking forward to for years.

It signaled the age at which her uncle’s nefarious scheme for her would come to fruition, but it also heralded the age at which she could legally apply to become a Martian’s bride.

It was the magic age that would allow her to leave forever.

But now he was here and her plan was ruined. Tears burned in her eyes but she blinked rapidly, not wishing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her tears. Even when she’d been a little girl, he had usually laughed at her or belittled her whenever she cried.

“Take my hand. You’re coming with me.” His jaw tightened.

“No, Uncle. I’m no-not going an-anywhere with you.”

“You don’t have a choice.” He sneered. “The auction takes place this evening and the event has already sold out.”

She shook her head again and pushed herself against the window. This couldn’t be happening. She had been so careful. Except, maybe she hadn’t. She’d revealed to her friends on more than one occasion that she planned to apply to become a mail order bride.

Had one of her friends betrayed her?

This thought caused a tear to cascade down her cheek. Before she could wipe it away, her uncle chuckled and his eyes lit up with glee.

There was something seriously wrong with him, for him to enjoy the suffering of others. She had always thought so, had even hinted of her worries to her aunt on numerous occasions, only for her aunt to plaster a smile on her face and dismiss her worries. Aunt Tammy always dismissed Tyra’s worries and turned a back on her husband’s reprehensible dealings. The only time Tyra ever saw a glint of emotion in the older woman’s eyes was when she was faced with evidence of Uncle Sebastian’s cheating—namely, when he came home late reeking of perfume.

A haze began to hover around Tyra. She felt as if she were growing weaker, as if she were about to fall asleep. She still couldn’t force herself to stand up. Her uncle hovered above her, his head now thrown back as he laughed at her. When he finally quieted, he sat next to her and roughly grabbed her thigh, digging his fingers deep into her flesh. She winced in pain and tried to escape his hold, only for him to grip her more harshly. Fresh tears sprang to her eyes.

“You’re good for one thing only, niece, and that’s the prize between your legs.” He flashed her another broad smile. “You knew this day would come. I’ve raised you since your