Held captive, all Raine could do was watch as the three aliens stealthily entered the building where Tayla and Piper were waiting for her. Hearing startled screams come from within had Raine turning in her captor’s arms, trying to gouge his red eyes out. Fury provided the fuel she needed at the unexpectedness of her attack. If she had to maim him to provide the opportunity to reach Tayla and Piper, she was willing to be as vicious at it took.
Startled, he released her, and at the suddenness of his loosening hold, Raine found herself sitting on the broken sidewalk. She immediately jumped to her feet and started running toward the building just as Piper and Tayla came out, walking awkwardly, as if they were puppets on a string. At their unusual gait, Raine couldn’t understand why they weren’t running when the men she had seen sneaking into the building came striding out, holding something in their hands that was pointed at Piper and Tayla. Spotting something blinking on the front of their shirts, she had a sinking feeling they were under the men’s control.
“Let them go!” Raine screamed as they continued pointing at the women, who had come to a stop.
“Quiet her, Skars! The Olggan and Ferajorin are nearing.” The shout had come from the side of the building as a fourth man appeared.
Raine realized the name of the one who she had helped after his beating must be Skars when he attempted to grab her again. Feeling the material of her top tear, Raine managed to jerk herself away before he could touch her again. The other male aliens quickly did something to the devices they were holding, instantly silencing Tayla’s and Piper’s screams.
Running toward the first one she came to, Raine raised a fist to strike the device out of his hand when a long arm came to the top of her head to hold her back.
“Skars, control your woman.”
“I’m not his,” Raine spat. “Let them go!”
All the men laughed at her.
Confused and angered at their amusement, Raine moved the trajectory of her aim to strike a hit to his face. Stymied at not being able to reach the gloating face, she switched methods. Being held at arm’s length didn’t prevent her from kicking out, and Raine prayed the aliens basically had the same anatomy as human males as she drove her foot into where his groin should be. Satisfied to see the alien sink to his knees like lead, she snatched the electronic device out of his hand and pressed the buttons she could see were lighted. Piper started screaming and jerking the object off her chest to throw it into the air, as if frightened it would latch on to her again.
“Go!” Raine shouted, throwing the electronic device at an advancing Skars.
Without waiting to see if Piper was following her order, Raine turned her attention to the alien holding Tayla’s device. What little she could see of the alien’s face from the alien skin he was wearing didn’t bode well for her success.
Witnessing how she had attacked his friend, he cast her a warning glare with his red eyes. “Wife of Skars, Bjorn and Skars may make allowances for you, but I will not. If you strike out at me, I will return in kind.”
“Let her go, and I won’t hurt you!” Flushed with her success so far at taking the aliens on, Raine was too furious to care about the warning.
Preparing to kick the alien, she found herself snatched up again by the one called Skars.
“Is this the only way you can get a woman? By sneaking up on her?” Raine yelled, swinging her fist upward and aiming for the side of his face.
“Ulf means what he says, wife. We do not seek to hurt you, nor your friends.” His attempt at calming her failed.
“If that’s true, then all you had to do was talk to us, not grab me or put electronic dog leashes on my friends,” Raine countered.
“We wanted to get you safely secured on our ship. I have been searching for you for many days. I didn’t want to take the chance of you slipping away again. There are many Olggans and Ferajorins in the area,” Skars countered. “We were concerned for your safety first, unlike you, who are shouting loud enough that they will be able to hear from twenty paces away.”
Her arms pinned under his, she used all her strength to raise his arms high enough to bite him. Sinking her teeth into his flesh as hard as she could, Raine let herself go limp until she was able to slip out of his slackened hold. To hell with talking; her only focus was on distracting the aliens so Piper could get away.
Picking up large chunks of rumble from the ground, she started throwing them at the back of the head of the one chasing after the young girl. Raine gave it a mean glare when it turned back to her before giving the one holding her a fake smile.