Captured By her Alien Mate by Ava York

Kator

Riley met my eyes as I pulled back my hood so she could see I was a friend.

Relief filled her expression, followed by a second wave of fear. I was taking a risk to show her my face right now, and she still didn’t trust me.

Damn her,I thought, not for the first time.

Was being incredibly frustrating a trait of their species? Why couldn’t she just stay put?

She was lucky I’d been keeping an eye on her. Even though it took me away from my library research, something had told me I needed to watch over Riley. I’d been worried about the king taking yet another action behind my back, but as it turned out, the danger was actually Riley herself.

I shook my head in irritation and secured my hood back around my head. The particularly doltish group of guards still hadn’t sensed a thing. Convenient. Although, if I were in charge, I’d train my soldiers much better.

I launched into action. Snatching a club right out of the nearest guard’s hand, I struck him on the back of the head. Before he’d even fallen, I walloped two more. They all went down like sacks of rocks.

The other two were quicker. One ran at me while the other tried to circle around my back. I kicked out, nailing the first one in the abdomen. His breath rushed out of him as he doubled over. I heard a whistle of air behind me.

Ducking the second soldier's attack, I caught him by the midsection. Bracing my other arm on top of his shoulders, I flipped him into the dirt. He lay there, winded. I crouched, keeping my face averted, and punched him in the temple.

Out like a blown candle.

A weight descended on my back and I staggered. The one remaining guard had jumped on me, and was trying to bash my skull in. I twisted and dropped my hip, sending the guy crashing back down to the ground.

Facing away from him, I placed my forearm on his neck. He kicked as I applied just enough pressure. I avoided his flailing knees and feet and finally, he passed out.

I straightened and saw Riley. She’d made her way out of the fray and was standing on the edge of the open area, gawping.

“I can’t believe how fast you knocked all those guys out,” she said. I felt a frisson of pride but ignored it.

“Shhh,” I cautioned. “I don’t want to have to deal with more of them. Just wait a moment.”

I took out a small stone vial. Making my way from guard to guard, I tipped a few drops into each of their unconscious mouths.

“What are you doing?” Riley seemed to be whispering, but it sounded just as loud as when she’d spoken a second ago.

“Scrambling their memories.” I capped the vial and tucked it back into my shirt. “I’d prefer if they didn’t report this to the king.”

She opened her mouth, probably to ask more questions. I forestalled whatever it was by wrenching the top off the crate of frrili. They burst from the box, flapping dust everywhere as they scattered apart.

Riley jumped away from one headed towards her and ran to my side.

“I do not like those things,” she told me, thankfully keeping her voice low. “Six wings is too many for one bird.”

“But the wings are the tastiest part,” I said, then caught myself. “It doesn’t matter if you like them. They’ll help confuse the guards’ memories and cause a little chaos while we get you back to your room.”

“No,” Riley protested in a hiss. “I’ve come this far, why not escape now? If you’re really helping me, help me get to freedom!”

“I wish I could, Riley,” I told her. “But the wall is heavily guarded, as are these grounds. If we stay down here, we’re going to have to deal with another patrol. Now is not the time for an escape.”

I stared at her, willing her to understand.

“Okay,” she said, and that was all. I waited, expecting more from this talkative human, but she just hung her head and waited.

I started to lead her back to her room, keeping us to the shadows. I’d been unwillingly impressed by the way Riley had navigated them earlier. She’d gone too fast for me to catch up and grab her before the guards would see, so I trusted her to keep up with me.

While I appreciated Riley’s silent cooperation now, I was still fuming a little as we snuck through the darkness. This whole little adventure had cost me almost a full night in the library, when I was itching to get back to it. I’d been through a lot of logs, and I felt certain I was close to figuring out who took my mother captive decades ago.

Being kept from my research was maddening.

I took a deep breath as we reached the door to the tower. I didn’t need to put all my annoyance on Riley. If I’d been her, I would have tried to escape too. She deserved some credit for being brave and resourceful, at least.

As she slipped past me and through the door, I caught a glimpse of her face. What I saw startled me. She looked crushed, almost mournful. I racked my memory. Had I said something cruel to her by accident?

We reached Riley’s room, and I was still wondering what was going on with her. I unlocked the door, and ushered her in. At the threshold, I hesitated. My instinct was to follow her in and talk to her, but, if I left, I could get in a few hours of study.

“Why are you helping me?”

Riley’s plaintive question made the decision for me. I stepped inside and shut the door behind me, keeping it quiet.

“Please just tell me,” she said, her back to me as she faced the window. I hesitated, weighing how much I should share. Then, she turned around.

Her face was open and unguarded for the first time. Eyes wide, she stared at me steadily, but I could see desperation roiling beneath that clear gaze. There was no way I could lie to her right now.

To buy a moment to gather myself, I strode to the window to pull back in Riley’s makeshift rope. I saw no soldiers below, which I hoped meant no one else had seen the evidence of her escape attempt.

I turned with the knotted tapestries in my hands, to see Riley watching me, waiting. I sighed and sat down on the bed. It had been a long time since I told anyone new the truth of my allegiances.

“I’m not Aetamian,” I told her. She blinked in surprise. “Well, I’m half-Aetamian. My mother was D’Tali, captured by the Aetamians. One of the bastards raped her.” I faltered for a second. When I continued, my voice was barely a whisper.

“She escaped the man who captured and raped her. She found safety for a time, with another man, a kinder Aetam. But then she... she died giving birth to me. Her rescuer raised me as his own, a foundling, a gift from the Old Gods, he always said. He raised me on stories of her love for me, her beauty and determination, though he never told me the truth of how she came to live with him. I loved her even though I never knew her.” More than loved her. As a boy I had built altars to my dead mother in my mind, imagined her loving arms around me as I slept, tried to construct the sound of her voice or her smile. “But when he died, I found a letter she’d written me. He’d hidden it away.” I shook my head.

Why do I feel so compelled to tell this human so much of my truth? I saw her softening expression at my words.

“But that is a story for another time. Right now, what is important is that you believe me when I say my allegiance lies with the D’Tali.”

“Oh… wow,” said Riley, stunned. “I thought there was something different about you, but I had no idea.” Throughout my story, she moved closer, her posture more at ease.

“I can understand you because I’m a spy for Vokar,” I continued, figuring I might as well put it all out there at this point. “He had me undergo the translation process, just in case. I don’t want to let him or the other D’Tali down by letting you get hurt.”

“I get it now,” whispered Riley. She slumped down on the bed next to me, her head in her hands. “You really were trying to protect me with the whole fake information thing. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”

“I understand why you’d be suspicious.” I shrugged.

“It’s not just that I thought you were Aetamian,” she said. “I have trouble trusting people in high stakes situations, especially if they’re telling me to put my fate in their hands.”

“Is there a reason for that?” I was curious about her. It wasn’t just that she might be my mate. I could understand the drive to be fully independent.

“I grew up in a rough neighborhood.” Riley squared her shoulders, like she was about to march into her memories. “It was the kind of place where if you let people—men, mostly—promise that they’d be the ones to get you out, you’d never make it. You’d stay there and rot your life away, waiting for someone else to help you.”

“I know what you mean,” I murmured. I wasn’t ready to get into my whole childhood with this woman, but I wanted to offer something back to her. “Growing up, I could only rely on myself too. My whole goal was to do everything I could to get ahead, escape the life I had.”

“Exactly. Being trapped here, even now that I know you’re my ally… it doesn’t feel good.”

“So that’s why you shut down after I said now wasn’t the time to escape.” I gave a thoughtful nod. What had seemed like petulance in the moment had in fact been despondence.

“Was it that obvious,” muttered Riley. I looked down and saw that her hands were gripping each other tightly, her knuckles white. “I... I have this… strange feeling that I can trust you… like a pull,” she said, tapping her chest with a hand. She searched my face.

Without thinking, I reached over and put my hand on top of hers, caressing her clenched fingers with my thumb.

“I’ll figure out a way to get you out of here,” I told her. “I can’t just bust you out or I’ll be discovered as a spy. But I will get you back to the D’Tali. I promise.”

Riley’s hands loosened. I drew one into my own, holding her fingers loosely.

“That means more than I can say,” she said, turning her face to me. “So strange… my mind says I should pull away from you, but, this… this instinct draws me closer…”

My body began to sing, undeniable pangs of the mating bond coursing through me. Being near Riley felt so right, and yet her skin was too far from mine.

I tugged her closer to me. She held my gaze, and I could’ve lost myself in the limpid pools of her eyes.

Instead, I kissed her.