The Runaway Alien (The Lost Planet 9)

Evan tossed me a box of cracker snacks and a bottle of water and said, “Eat that. Don’t need you passing out before we get you to the ship. Gonna be a long trip for you.” Evan was the only one who’d actually look at me, but that didn’t mean anything. I’d heard stories of Earth II soldiers and what they’d do to their prisoners.

I didn’t need to ask what he meant by “the ship”. I’d worry about that later. Right now, my aching stomach was at the top of my priorities. Maybe if I put something in it, I’d be able to ignore how sick I was with fear and figure out my next move.

“Come on, Stella,” the soft, seductive voice urges me. I try to ignore it like I’ve been ignoring it since they locked me on this ship, but it’s hard. I’m so scared. So alone. None of the other prisoners are awake yet. Just me. There are still three years until I get to the prison and it’s only me and one of the guards awake. He said it was because he was lonely—like me. But how am I supposed to believe him after he was willing to buy me like chattel?

I shove him away, and then immediately regret it. What if he isn’t as nice as he pretends to be? I’m alone with him. He could hurt me. Or throw me out of the airlock to die instantly in the vacuum of space. “Leave me alone. I told you to put me back into cryosleep like the rest of the women. You’re not supposed to wake me until we get to the prison.”

Prison. Even the thought of it sends fear streaking through me. I’ll never see my parents again—not that it’s such a hardship. They didn’t care about me. No one did. But I’m still leaving the only home I’ve ever known, journeying to a world that’s more dangerous than the one I’ve left.

All I want is somewhere I’ll be safe. Someone I can trust so I don’t have to be alone all the time.

Maybe, maybe I can trust him. Maybe he means it when he says he’ll protect me, rescue me when we get to the prison. I want to believe him so badly. Besides, I don’t have any other options. This man who says such sweet things is my only chance at survival.

His firm hands caress me gently. The other guards on the ship were brutal and demanding when they herded us into the pods where we were to be put into comas for the duration of the trip. But he’s never been like that with me. He’s kind and patient. Gentle. The other prisoners on the ship will understand when they wake up. I didn’t have a choice.

His following words soothe away my worries. Or maybe, I convince myself they do. Fear is a powerful motivator and ignorance is bliss. “We're going to rescue them, too. I promise. But we can't do anything until we get to the prison. Besides, we deserve some alone time together before it happens. We probably won't have any after. That’s why I woke you early. I couldn’t wait to have you until we got there. Trust me, Stella. I’ll do anything to protect you. You have to know that.”

Evan’s touch turns needy, his hands roving over my body in the darkness. I'm afraid to enjoy it, but I do, despite the fear. I enjoy it even though I know there are others in the cells around me. I enjoy it even though I've seen what the guards can do to the other prisoners. I've been a prisoner, too, for a long time. Long enough that the life I lived before my sentence feels like it belonged to someone else.

“You promise you will save them, too?” My head drops back as his mouth finds my neck and my voice sounds breathy and wanton even to my own ears.

“I promise.” The words are said against the skin of my neck.

Because I want desperately to believe them, I do.

And just as desperately, I don’t want to be alone anymore.

With those words lingering in my ear, my gaze hardens on the alien. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the metal bar I’d use to open the door. If all else fails, I’ll kill him if I have to. My fingers twitch against my side. I won’t ever be taken advantage of again.

Not by a man and not by a monster.

“I’m not going to hurt him, Stella—or you. I promise.” His voice is calm and soothing, like he is talking to a wild animal.

Like I’m the monster.

Maybe part of me is.

I promise. But I remember another man who so easily twisted his words, so I don’t back down. “Then do what I say.”