The Alien’s Seduction by Zoey Draven

Chapter Three

The tunnel stairs led them down to a small exit at the very base of the towering, black mountain. An exit with no one in sight, in a secluded alcove at the very back of the Luxirian city.

Crystal’s legs shook from the seemingly endless amount of stairs they’d traveled down, barefoot nonetheless, and when they emerged from the darkness, the suns’ light nearly blinded her. But she was relieved to see sunlight again. The oppressive darkness in the mountain had been terrifying and she’d never been one to fear the dark. Not when there were so many others things to fear.

Their captor hadn’t spoken one word to them. He wasn’t big on talking apparently and something about him made Crystal think he was used to being alone. But when they emerged from the mountain, she watched as his eyes immediately fastened onto Erin. She watched as his shoulders seemed to relax.

Crystal had an ugly suspicion about his strange behavior around the brunette and she knew that Erin did as well. They’d all heard the stories about Luxirians’ Instincts. It was, after all, why four of the women from their group were now gone.

However, Beks, Cecelia, Taylor, Lainey—and even Kate—all claimed that they’d felt something when they’d first seen their ‘fated mates.’ A connection, they’d claimed. A indescribable one.

Crystal felt momentary relief. Erin seemed to only feel irritation and dread from being captured again, not moonstruck. Perhaps she wasn’t this Luxirian’s fated mate after all.

“In,” their captor grunted, jerking his head to something that resembled a hovercraft. A very run-down, patched up one that didn’t even look capable of flying.

“And if we don’t?” Erin asked, her voice still quiet. “What will you do?”

Their captor stiffened. He took a step closer to Erin and growled, “You do not wish to know, female. In. Now.”

“Erin,” Crystal said softly when the brunette wrinkled her nose, about to respond to his threat. The male made her nervous and she didn’t want to see what would happen if he was angered. “Let’s go.”

Erin cut her a look, but then seemed to remember their predicament. The brunette nodded and Crystal climbed onto the hovercraft, though she struggled with bound hands. Erin followed behind her and the Luxirian came up last before walking over to the control panel. The hovercraft hummed to life…but then died.

Her relief was short lived. The male tinkered with something underneath the control panel and the engine sputtered to life once more. Before both women even had time to brace themselves, the hovercraft shot off along the black sand, hurtling away from the Luxirian city.

Crystal and Erin hurriedly gripped anything they could to keep from falling off. It wasn’t a hovercraft at all, she realized shortly. It didn’t fly. Instead, it bounced and glided and skimmed off the black sand, making them lurch and bounce wildly with every mounded hill. It was like a boat, bouncing on waves of sand at high speeds.

With a nervous glance at the mountain, she realized they were already far away. Soon, it would fade into the landscape and they might be lost in it forever, at the mercy of the unpredictable male who’d taken them.

Erin pressed her lips into Crystal’s ear and said over the wind, “We might not have another chance. His back is turned.”

Crystal looked at her wide-eyed. What was she saying? She wanted to jump? Or try and get a jump on him?

Erin jerked her head at their captor, manning the controls, answering her unspoken question.

Was she crazy? He was easily twice their size, four times their strength, and not to mention a little unhinged.

“We have to try,” Erin said, her jaw clenching when she pulled back.

Crystal blew out a breath. With another look at the mountain, she saw it was even further. It was now or never and Erin was right. They had to try.

They both unfurled from their crouched positions along the side of the hovercraft. Erin jerked her head to a pile of supplies close to them. There was a large sack that they could probably swing at their captor.

Crystal grabbed at it with both of her hands. The sack had to weigh at least fifty pounds and felt like it was filled with sand. They would have to try and swing it at him together.

Quickly, before he turned around to check on them, they both clenched the sides of the sack and hefted it up between them. They crept closer and then on Erin’s nod, with a swift swinging motion, they heaved the sack back and then using the momentum it gained, swung it forward with a solid blow aimed at the captor’s head.

It hit.

Except their captor was too tall, so the sack only made contact with his upper back. Even then, he barely flinched, despite its heavy weight. He was built like a boulder.

What he did do, however, was slowly turn around. When he took his hands off the controls, the hovercraft slowed to a stop. The sudden quiet from the lack of wind felt strange and eerie. But Crystal knew it was their chance, perhaps their last one before they ventured too far from the capitol.

She looked at Erin…and then they bolted before the Luxirian could react. Quickly, they jumped off the back of the hovercraft...

But what they didn’t realize was how deep and soft the sand truly was. They both fell flat on their faces and scrambled with their bound hands to get back up again. There was sand everywhere. In their tunics, in their mouths, in their hair, in their nostrils.

Breaths heaving, Crystal kicked up wildly, Erin doing the same, and they managed to get a few feet from the hovercraft when their captor jumped down, sand billowing out from his impressive form.

Even though Crystal was lagging behind Erin, the Luxirian went after Erin first. With dread, Crystal watched as he heaved a struggling Erin over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing at all, her bare ass on display when her tunic rid up the back of her thighs.

“Crystal, run!” Erin yelled, still struggling and wiggling in his hold, kicking and punching, obviously trying to slow him down for Crystal’s benefit.

But Crystal hesitated. Her instinct told her to run, but at the same time, she wouldn’t leave Erin behind, just like Crystal wouldn’t leave her own sister behind. It just wasn’t an option.

That moment of hesitation cost her and before she knew it, the captor was upon her. Lunging for her with surprising grace, he grabbed her bound wrists and forcefully tugged her into place beside him, Erin still thrashing and yelling her frustrations over his shoulder. The expression on his face almost seemed like he was bored, only mildly irritated by their terribly executed escape plan.

He brought them both back to the sandcraft. Without saying a single word, with Erin still wiggling on his shoulder, he hooked Crystal’s bound wrists into a slot that jutted from the side of the hulking piece of junk, tugging on her restraints tighter to make sure they stayed in place.

Then he returned to the control panel, stooping down to pick up the sack they’d thrown at him and tossing it to the side like it was as light as a feather. Once he was situated back at his post, he allowed Erin to slide down the front of his body and he encased her between his arms, her belly pressed into the metal of the control panel, her back pressed against his chest.

“You stay here,” he growled.

Erin craned her neck around his massive body to look at her. Relief went through the brunette’s eyes when she saw Crystal was unharmed, only tied up.

“I’m okay,” Crystal mouthed. “Are you?”

Erin nodded hesitantly but then tilted her chin up to give their captor a withering glare.

“Turn forward, female,” he barked.

Erin’s jaw set, but after a moment of defiance, she did as he said and Crystal lost sight of her behind the Luxirian’s massive bulk.

Crystal’s shoulders sagged, but she wasn’t surprised. At least they’d tried. And if another opportunity presented itself, they would try again. Because there was no telling what this Luxirian’s plans were for them.

Who was he?

Helplessly, Crystal watched the mountain city grow smaller and smaller in the distance as the male revved up the engine again and they began racing across the black sand once more.

An idea came to her. A small one, but one worth a try regardless. Maneuvering her fingers against her ties, she managed to grip the bottom of her tunic and pull off an uneven, large strip. With a quick peek to make sure the Luxirian hadn’t heard, Crystal began ripping the material into little strips.

Then she let one go into the gusty winds filling the hovercraft. With bated breath, she watched it flutter in the air, dancing wildly, going this way and that way, before landing in the sand, far behind them.

She breathed a small sigh of relief. It was something. And maybe someone would find it. Eventually.

With her hand clenching a fistful of breadcrumb strips, Crystal prayed that someone was even looking for them. She prayed that someone would find them before it was too late.