“He deserves to be maimed!” he snarled.
Alice rested a soft palm on his cheek. “I agree, but right now he’s our best chance to free those women. I need to talk to him, and I need for his head to be attached to his body when we get to the cabin. If you honestly believe you can keep your temper in check, you can come with me.”
Luka wasn’t entirely sure he could keep himself from killing the abhorrent male, but he couldn’t leave her alone. Blood rushing in his ears, he nodded. She searched his face for a moment, then began walking toward Helas, who was bringing up the rear of the group along with a large armed guard Luka had never met.
When Helas caught sight of them, his brows rose and a courteous smile curved his mouth. “How nice to see you both again.” Eyes roaming over Luka, he added, “Covering those marks, are we?”
The urge to rip off his paint and rub the male’s nose in his marks roiled through him.
Luka decided the easiest way to keep his temper in check was to focus on the one thing that grounded him. Alice. Never taking his eyes from her, he saw her small frame grow stiffer and stiffer until she stood, muscles bunched, mere feet from one of the vilest males he’d ever met.
Alice fell in line beside them as they walked and without pretense said, “I have some questions for you, and I want answers.”
“Is that so?” Helas laughed.
She clenched her jaw and, without warning, stood in front of them, halting their progress.
She addressed the guard. “Hey, what’s your name?”
The large, older male, glanced to Luka in confusion before answering, “Traef.”
“Traef, do you know what he did to me? To hundreds of others?”
Traef swallowed, his expression growing cold. “I do.”
“Great!” she said, her eyes flashing angrily to Helas, who still appeared amused. “Then you’ll have no problem giving him a little shock with that electric prod thing if he refuses to answer me, right?”
The guard stared at a disbelieving Helas for a moment. “I cannot.”
A smug grin spread over Helas’ face.
“I do, however, have permission to zap the prisoner if he doesn’t move fast enough.” Traef held Alice’s stare until understanding lit her features.
Moving aside, she kept pace as they walked deeper into the dark forest, light from the moons illuminating their path. Helas glanced from Alice to Traef, and Luka couldn’t help but grin as he saw the male’s gaze grow concerned.
He could only hope Helas refused to answer her questions.
***
“What happened after I was taken from Earth? Why can’t I remember anything?” Alice demanded.
When Helas only smirked, Traef slowed his steps, the cuff around Helas’ neck forcing him to slow as well. From his side, the guard retrieved and activated the shocker, allowing Helas to see the crackling weapon.
With the metal stick only an inch away from his thigh, he finally sputtered, “You were held in stasis.”
The guard picked up his pace again, and Alice swore to find a way to thank him. Peering behind her, she saw Luka a few paces back. His body was stiff, and anger and frustration radiated from him. She had to get through this quickly. It looked like this was killing him.
“Yes, but why was I in stasis for so long?” she questioned.
Helas grimaced but explained, “The Cae were tasked with finding two suitable females. Once they grabbed you, they didn’t know how long it would take to find another, so they put you into stasis. They delivered Jade first, and when she escaped, I told them to hold on to you and leave our orbit until I sent further instructions. They ended up leaving their ship cloaked on an uninhabited planet and taking a jumper to a nearby trading port. The pishot revealed too much to the wrong people at a bar and were captured, I’m assuming by your mate’s brother, although I can’t prove it.” Helas’ eyes narrowed on Luka then returned to her. “It took us quite some time to find the cloaked ship and retrieve you after we lost communication.”
Stranded? She’d lost five months of her life because her captors had decided to go out drinking and ran their mouths? Part of Alice was relieved.
“Why did they pick me? Or Jade? What made us suitable?”
Helas’ eyes brightened, and Alice knew she had him on the hook, ready to brag about whatever clever but dastardly way the Insurgents had been able to pluck humans from Earth for this long.
“I perfected the technique, actually.” He grinned. “We choose an area we know to be developed, with an intact healthcare system, and then we hack into their records and search for fertile, single females of a certain age with minimal health issues, or at least ones we’re able to cure. And…” his eyes twinkled evilly “no emergency contacts. Once we have a list to work from, whoever we’ve hired to execute the abduction surveils the females and takes any who live alone and can be snatched without attracting attention.”
Alice’s steps faltered. Her mother was the only family she knew, and before she’d passed away had always been her emergency contact. When Alice had gotten sick last year and had to visit a new doctor in her new town, she hadn’t had an emergency contact to put down, so she’d left it blank.
“Why would you care about whether we have emergency contacts? It’s not like our family could follow you into space and retrieve the women.”
Helas rolled his eyes. “We aren’t monsters. We studied Earthlings enough to know that your people remain, more or less, in family units. Taking unattached females seemed the most humane.”
