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  Time to fetch his brother, even if he wasn’t ready. He sidestepped a Drexian with a leggy blonde hanging on his arm and inhaled a cloud of perfume fitting the floral decor. The sooner he got off this space station and away from human females, the better. He stepped out of the reception room and looked down the corridor to where Bridget had been standing.

  She wasn’t there, but his eyes dropped to the broken glass on the floor. There was no way she would have simply dropped her glass and walked off. His stomach clenched, and his heart began to pound as he ran down the hall.

  Chapter Three

  Bridget rubbed her head as she sat up. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was a sharp pain in her neck. She put her fingers to the side of her throat. She couldn’t feel anything, but she felt sure she’d been drugged. Why else would she feel so drowsy?

  As she began to focus on her surroundings, her stomach clenched. Definitely not the Boat. She felt a sudden longing for the alien space station, which was odd, since she hadn’t had any idea it—or the Drexians—had existed until about a week earlier. As cheesy as it sometimes was, Bridget would have given anything to be tossing back a cocktail at the Boat’s tiki bar, instead of sitting on a strange, hard, steel bench.

  She wished her head didn’t feel so fuzzy. Her last memory was of being the maid of honor at Mandy and Dorn’s wedding ceremony. Come to think of it, it had been right after the ceremony when everything went blank. She recalled pushing Mandy and Dorn inside Mandy’s dressing room so they could get that sex-starved look out of their eyes. She’d been sipping bubbly and guarding the door, when her shoulder had been grabbed and there was a sharp pain.

  She rubbed her arms, and wished she had something to throw on top of her dress. The spaghetti-strapped gown wasn’t anywhere close to warm. The small room was cold, and little more than a cell—with all the charm to go along with it. Gray, metal walls surrounding a bench and a solid door. No windows. Nothing soft. No way out that she could see.

  She stood and pressed her weight against the door, but it didn’t budge. She hit her palm against the metal until it stung. “Hey! Let me out of here!”

  No response. Either they didn’t hear her, or they were ignoring her. Neither was good.

  Bridget could feel a low rumbling beneath her feet. Her gut told her she was aboard some sort of ship. Were the Drexians returning her to Earth? Somehow she doubted it. Even though she hadn’t met her Drexian warrior yet, she knew the Drexians valued the tribute brides above almost all else. And even if she didn’t get paired off, it was well known that no woman was ever returned to Earth.

  No, this wasn’t the Drexians. Her mouth dried up as the engines shifted. They were slowing down, which she assumed meant they were arriving at their destination. After a minute or two, the ship shuddered to a stop, as did the hum of the engine.

  Bridget edged away from the door. She’d been curious about where she was and who she was with before, but now the thought of finding out only made her shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself and backed up against the wall as she heard loud footsteps approaching.

  The door slid open, and she saw the silhouette of a hulking figure in the dark hallway. The Drexians were big—tall and broad—but this figure was even taller, and she noticed him duck as he entered the room.

  If she could have pressed herself into the wall she would have, as the massive creature with black armor straightened up and stared at her. Bridget was too terrified to speak. He was the Kronock fighter who’d boarded their Drexian ship during the attack on the space station. She remembered the way he’d looked at her then. It was the same way he looked at her now. Like he was sizing up a meal before devouring it.

  “I am General Krav. You will come with me.” Black, scaly armor covered his torso, but his thick, gray legs and clawed feet were bare. Even though her universal translator implant made it possible for her to understand him, his voice sounded guttural and choppy to her ears.

  Bridget shook her head even though her voice quavered. “I don’t think so. Not until you tell me why you kidnapped me off the space station, and what I’m doing here with you.”

  Krav didn’t blink, but did tilt his elongated, hairless head at her. “You are here because you are needed to enhance the biodiversity of our species.”

  “Say what?” Did this guy think he’d captured a scientist, or something?

  “You will add human DNA to our species, which will make it easier when we assimilate your planet.” He took a step closer.

  “What do you mean, I’ll add DNA?” Her voice cracked.

  Bridget had picked up enough information about the Kronock to know they were a species that invaded other worlds and decimated them, stripping the planets of natural resources, and enslaving or killing the population. It was this enemy the Drexians had been protecting Earth from for over thirty years. She also knew that in the passing decades, the Kronock had secretly developed their technology to rival that of the Drexians and had added artificial intelligence and robotics to their fighters. She’d seen other Kronock soldiers with computerized panels riveted into their eye sockets. This technological advancement had been a secret until the Kronock attack on the Boat only a few days earlier.

  He looked her up and down, his black beady eyes flashing. “We might have superior technology to you, but we are still. . . organic.”

  Bridget had been around enough men in her life to know what that look meant. Great. It didn’t take more than a second’s glance at the codpiece of his armor to see he was fully equipped. She returned her eyes to his and glared at him. “Back up a second. What did you mean, you’re going to assimilate my planet?”

  Krav took another step closer. “Your planet has been a target for us for many years. We have been waiting and planning our invasion. Your biodiversity will be valuable to us, once we harvest your world for its resources. It is inevitable. As is your role, female.”

  She pulled her arms in tighter and tried to keep herself from visibly shaking. No way was she going to let these creeps lay a hand on her. Or destroy Earth. She didn’t know how, but she needed to get away and warn the Drexians so they could warn Earth. As he took a step closer, she lifted one leg high and kicked out, her heel landing a direct hit to his chest.

  He staggered back and let out a rough laugh. “Good. I will enjoy watching you fight me before you submit.”

  Bridget coiled her body to strike again; glad for the years of training that had made her muscles hard and powerful. “One thing you should know about me. I never give up.”

  “Neither do I.” He made another move to close the distance between them and she leapt to the side, dodging his arm and swinging her leg around to land a blow on the back of his elbow.

  Krav grunted and clutched his arm. She spun behind him and kicked at his back, sending him forward so he had to brace himself not to hit the wall. Bridget turned toward the open door and swallowed hard when she saw the second Kronock blocking her way, his red, robotic eye flashing at her. She was too close to land a high kick, so she pivoted and kicked low, but her foot did nothing to the alien when it made contact with his thigh. He stepped closer, and the bulk of the two aliens took up most of the room, leaving her little space to move. Her heart raced, and she was sure they could hear it. Adrenaline coursed through her, and her breath was ragged.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” she yelled, trying to pump herself up to go at them again.

  Krav turned to face her with a syringe in his hand. Not this shit again, she thought, a second before he plunged it into her neck.

  Chapter Four

  The pounding of Kax’s boots reverberated off the floors as he made his way onto the command deck of the space station. He still wore his dress uniform from the wedding, and noticed a few raised eyebrows as he entered. He ignored them and tried to focus on the task at hand as he approached the captain, pounding his fist on his chest in salute before having one returned to him.

  “What do we know?” he asked the Drexian,
with streaks of silver in the temples of his dark hair.

  Captain Varden crossed his arms. “Not much more than we did an hour ago. The Kronock managed to jump a small ship—probably not even as large as a fighter—next to us, then get through our shields by simulating a power outage for only a few seconds. Once they were through the shields, it seems they powered down and drifted in undetected. I don’t know how, but whoever was on board managed to attach to the hull, slip onboard, capture the tribute bride, and leave within ten minutes.”

  “Grek,” Kax muttered the curse under his breath. “They’ve been busier than we thought.”

  The Kronock had been engaging them in easily repulsed attempts at the outskirts of the solar system for decades. In all that time, they’d never shown new technology or strategic progress. The attack on the space station had changed that perception. The Drexians had learned the hard way that the Kronock were significantly more advanced than they’d let on, and posed an even more serious threat than imagined.

  Captain Varden grunted his agreement. “We have some security footage of the actual abduction. It’s clear this Kronock knew the layout of our station, and exactly where to go. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had the ability to tap into our computers remotely.”

  He instructed a crewmember to play the footage, and Kax watched on one of the wide overhead screens as the hulking Kronock appeared from a passageway and walked down one of the wide hallways of the Boat unnoticed. Kax narrowed his eyes as he studied the figure, and his stomach clenched when he recognized him. It was the fighter who’d escaped after boarding his ship during the attack. Kax tightened his fists as the Kronock on the screen walked up behind Bridget and jabbed something in her neck, making her go limp. She dropped her glass, which shattered silently on the screen. He’d then ducked down a passageway with her and vanished from the feed.

  “Did he do anything else while he was onboard?” Kax asked, looking away from the frozen image on the screen. “Damage systems? Set explosives?”

  “My security team has been sweeping every hall he walked. From what we can tell, he came on board, grabbed the female, and departed just as quickly. We detected his ship accelerating as he jumped out, and by then we’d determined the power outage was manufactured, so we were able to track him until he jumped again. Unfortunately, by the time we realized what had happened, we weren’t able to pursue.”

  Kax waved a hand. “We know where he took her. We have her tracker.”

  The captain nodded but made no further comment. It was no secret they placed a tiny tracker in the arms of tribute brides when they arrived on the station, along with a universal translator implant behind their ears.

  “We’ve never had a tribute bride taken,” the captain said. “What does High Command want our response to be?”

  Kax had already spoken to the other members of the Drexian High Command, and knew their thoughts were the same as his. “We get her back with as little bloodshed as possible. It’s clear the Kronock have more sophisticated weaponry than we’ve seen from them before, and we don’t want to engage our fleet in all-out war. At least, not yet.”

  “They’re counting on us coming after her,” the deep voice came from the doorway as Dorn entered the room. Though Kax’s brother was darker in both coloring and temperament, both men had green eyes that sparked when they were excited or angry. Dorn’s eyes flashed as he strode toward the other men. “Don’t you know it’s a trap?”

  Kax fought the urge to sigh as he studied his brother’s intense face. “Of course, I know it could be a trap. You aren’t the only warrior with command experience.”

  “We can’t send in our fighters.” Dorn’s shoulders were bunched as he spoke. “From what I’ve seen, they’ll be outmatched.”

  “Agreed,” Kax said. “If this is an attempt to draw our forces, they’ll be waiting for us. That’s why it needs to be a stealth mission. One man. One ship. Just like they used to take her.”

  Dorn nodded, his mouth set in a line. “I’ll do it.”

  Kax put a hand on his brother’s shoulder and angled his head at him. “You’re still recovering from your injury. Besides, you’re officially on your honeymoon.”

  “Mandy would understand,” Dorn said. “She’s very upset her friend was taken. I have to get Bridget back. For her, as much as anything.”

  “I understand, brother, but I can’t let you risk your life. You were just bonded with your mate.” He leveled his gaze at him. “Your place is here, for now.”

  Dorn frowned, clearly not in agreement. “If I don’t go, whom would you send? No one else has my experience.”

  Kax ran a hand through his choppy hair and let out a breath. “You forget I worked in military intelligence.”

  “You?” Dorn’s mouth gaped. “That was years ago. You haven’t been out in the field since . . .”

  “Since my mission to locate and destroy the Kronock weapons transport,” Kax finished the sentence for him. The brothers rarely spoke about the near-fatal mission that had changed his life forever. Not only was it a painful subject for Kax, since he was the eldest son in the family and tasked with carrying on the family name, but it had been the reason Dorn had been taken from his command post and assigned an Earth mate. It now fell to the younger brother to carry on the family’s legacy, and the mantle rested uneasily on his shoulders.

  Dorn shifted from one foot to the other. “Are you sure you’re ready to go back? Years sitting on the High Command doesn’t exactly keep you battle ready, brother, and this mission to get Bridget will take you into the belly of the beast.”

  “He’s got my vote.”

  Both men swiveled their heads as Mandy, Dorn’s mate, walked onto the bridge. She still wore her ivory wedding gown, with her chestnut-brown hair spilling down her shoulders in waves. The contrast with the dull-metal interior of the bridge and the dark uniforms of the crew was stark. She seemed to almost glow in the outline of the arched doorway.

  “How did she get here?” Kax asked, swinging his gaze back to his brother.

  Dorn’s cheeks tinged the tiniest bit red. “She insisted on coming with me.” He gave her a pointed look. “But promised to wait for me outside.”

  “You know how bad I am at following orders,” she said to her new husband, slipping her hand in his as she took her place by his side. “Besides, Bridget is my friend, and I want to know what you’re going to do to get her back.”

  The captain had stepped back while the two brothers argued, and now turned from where he leaned over a console and raised an eyebrow at the bride on his command deck.

  “I’ve very aware you don’t take orders.” Dorn’s voice was a low growl. “But I thought we’d cured you of your disobedience.”

  Mandy shrugged. “Guess not.” She looked at Kax. “So, you’re going after Bridget?”

  Kax nodded, deciding to use his new sister-in-law to convince his brother of his plan. “They’re expecting us to retaliate with an attack. I’m suggesting I take one of our smallest stealth vessels—a shuttle—so I can sneak aboard the ship where they’re holding her and get her out unnoticed.”

  Mandy tapped a pink-polished nail on her chin. “Isn’t that how they got her off this station?”

  “Yes,” Kax admitted, “but we think they did it to provoke a military response. The vessel I’ll be taking won’t even have serious weapons.”

  “That’s suicide,” Dorn said. “You’ll be a sitting duck if they detect you.”

  “Sitting duck?” Kax gave him a questioning look.

  Dorn cleared his throat. “An Earth phrase. Their language is quite colorful.”

  Mandy smiled up at him and leaned in closer.

  “I promise I will not be one of these ducks. They’re not going to detect me, precisely because I won’t have any weapons signature,” Kax said. “Before I sat on the High Command, I was known for slipping in and out of places undetected to gather information.”

  “You were a spy?” Mandy asked, her eyes widening. />
  “Why not let someone else do it?” Dorn asked, before Kax could answer Mandy. “Someone who’s been in the field more recently?”

  Kax hesitated before speaking. “Bridget was taken right out from under my nose. I must not have been fifty feet away from her, and I had no idea it was happening. I was the best man. I should have protected her.”

  “That’s actually not one of the traditional best-man duties.” Mandy put a hand on his arm. “You can’t blame yourself. We were only a few feet away ourselves.”

  Kax let his gaze flit to his brother’s. He knew exactly what the couple had been doing inside the dressing room, and for a moment, he enjoyed watching Dorn squirm. “Even if it wasn’t my fault, it’s as good a time as any for me to return to field work.”

  Dorn’s own eyes grew big. “Field work? Since when?”

  “I need to do more than sit on the High Command and give directives. Now that you’re settled and our family is secure, I can return to work that challenges me.”

  Dorn’s frown turned into a scowl. “Your missions are dangerous. You barely returned from your last one.”

  Kax clapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “The perfect work for a single man.”

  “You don’t want to be matched?” Mandy asked, looking him up and down. “I know a lot of women who’d kill for a big, strapping guy like you.”

  Kax’s face contorted for a moment, then he managed a smile. “A mate is not in my future, but I can help my people in other ways.”

  “Like serving on the High Command,” Dorn said.

  Kax gave an abrupt shake of his head. “I’ve already resigned and been reinstated with military intelligence. It’s a done deal, brother. Now are you going to continue to argue with me, or help me plan my strategy to rescue your mate’s best friend?”

  Dorn agreed begrudgingly. “Only because my mate is insistent on helping with her wedding planning. The sooner I get that insane wedding planner, Serge, out of my life, the better.”