Raff (The Vorge Crew Book 4) Read online

  He crouched down with less than a foot of space between their bodies. The device in his hand wasn’t something she’d ever seen before. Of course, not much alien technology was available on Earth and if it was, it sure wasn’t in her price range to own. He gently used his free hand to take her wrist and pushed the cool metal against the inside of her arm just under her elbow.

  “You’ll feel a wet spray sensation but that will be all. Hold still. It won’t hurt.”

  “What’s it going to do?”

  “Take a small sample of your blood to see what drug you were given.”

  She jerked a bit when the cold spray hit her skin but it was fast and painless. Her gaze locked with his golden eyes. His eyelashes were blond, matching his hair. They were thick and long. He really did remind her of a cat man though with the shape of them and the odd color they were. As strange as they looked, she really did find them mesmerizing. He was handsome for an alien. She tried to think of anything else besides his looks.

  “Your cousin is really married to a human?”

  “Yes. Cathian loves Nara. They are very happy together.”

  She let that sink in. Someone like him had married someone like her. She knew of at least two alien races that could breed with humans. The exploration teams had first found a human male married to a green alien female on the second planet they’d visited. Two children had resulted in their union. On the fourth planet, that team had met a human woman married to a big blue alien. They had a daughter.

  It had been a hard thing to understand why a human would be attracted to an alien. Then again, she hadn’t seen whatever Raff was before though. He was hot and kind of sexy, albeit a bit scary.

  The device made a very low hum and he removed it from her arm, peering at it. Symbols flashed on a screen of the scanner but it wasn’t a language she could read. Her gaze lifted to his face to watch his reaction. A low growl burst from him and he tapped the screen, scooting back a few feet.

  “Am I contagious or something?” It was the first explanation that popped into her head with him inching away.

  “No. They injected you with Narortion, probably to counteract the sleeping drug that is also in your system. Thankfully, it’s only trace amounts or they could have killed you by overdose. I hate the Rexis.” He sounded furious as he tapped the device with his finger, more like stabbing at it. He lifted it then, staring at her. “Hold still. I’m going to have it scan you for any wounds.”

  “It’s just my lip, my face, and my knee.”

  “You could have internal injuries. Hold still.”

  She did but that didn’t mean she couldn’t ask questions. “What is Nortona or whatever you just said?”

  A faint white light came out of the device. It had a wide beam. He pointed it just over her head. “Hold still. It’s going to scan you.”

  She froze, not even daring to breathe, but she did close her eyes. A flash of white showed through her eyelids. The urge to peek became impossible to resist. He ran the light lower down her body, all the way to under her toes. He fell forward, going from a crouch to resting on his knees.

  “What does it say?”

  “It’s processing the information. It will tell us in seconds.”

  “Was that light like an ultrasound?”

  “I don’t know that term. It will see your body on the outside and inside.” The device made another hum and he lowered it, reading the display. That time he held still though, not retreating more. He finally looked up.

  “Cuts and bruises but nothing serious.” His golden eyes locked with hers. “You weren’t sexually assaulted. I’m grateful for that. They didn’t tag you with a tracker.”

  That first bit of information was something she already figured since she wasn’t hurt to indicate someone had messed with her while she was drugged. The second part stunned her. “A tracker?”

  “Yes. Some slavers install them to retrieve runaways.” He rose to his feet, walked over to the med kit, and bent. He rummaged inside and held a small container when he straightened. “This will heal you. I can’t do anything about the drugs in your system.”

  “You never told me what that M drug is.”

  “I’m hoping the sedative, as little of it that remains in your bloodstream, will counteract the other.”

  He was avoiding her question and it pissed her off. “Look, Raif.”

  “Raff,” he corrected, crouching in front of her.

  “Raff. Sorry. My research vessel was attacked, I watched a few of my co-workers being murdered by aliens, and those bastards threw me into a cage. If that wasn’t traumatic enough, they hit me with something that looked like a shock stick to knock me out every time I woke. I don’t know where I am, what happened to the rest of the crew, or if I’m the only one who survived. I’m hoping that others were taken too and are still alive. I woke up to be told I’d been bought to work in a brothel and to take off my clothes because someone had paid to fuck me. I had to fight my way out of there and then, well, you know the rest. I just want you to tell me the truth. I deserve that. What was I given and am I going to die?”

  Something close to sympathy softened his features. “You will you not die. It’s a drug given to stimulate activity in a person and make them feel good under bad situations.”

  She let that sink in. “Good? Can you be more specific?”

  His gaze left hers. “Happy. Calmer. It dulls your fear in alarming situations.”

  She mentally reviewed what he said, trying to understand. “You’re saying they shot that is like a happy pill? To change my mood?”

  He nodded. “They must have given it to you in hopes of waking you more but they didn’t want you to have negative moods when you became fully aware of your situation.” He cocked his head. “You still fought them and escaped. I’m impressed.”

  “I’m not um, feeling happy. I’m just tired and feel a little drunk. It’s probably from shock.”

  “Good.” He held up the tiny bottle. “May I treat your injuries?”

  She closed her eyes but nodded. It was all too much. Everything. The attack. Seeing her co-workers die when those aliens had shot them down in cold blood. One of the bastard aliens had grabbed her when she’d tried to run, tossed her over his shoulder, and taken her to a cage on another ship. The alarms on Bax had been blaring. She’d heard screams and people yelling. Her worst fear was that they’d murdered everyone but her. She wasn’t sure how to live with that kind of guilt.

  No, she told herself. They stole me to sell to alien men. Those bastards had to have taken others too for that same purpose. She wasn’t important or special. Her job wasn’t even vital. There had been four other data collectors on Bax. Even as far as being in shape and attractive, she was just average. Leslie, her team boss, would be the type of woman they’d want to sell. She was gorgeous, tall, and slender. Leslie had been on break when the attack happened. She had no idea what had happened to her. Please don’t let me be the only survivor. Please.

  A cool spray hit her lips and she startled.

  “Easy. It will heal your injuries. Don’t lick it. It won’t harm you but it doesn’t taste good.”

  She felt her skin tingle but it wasn’t unpleasant. He sprayed some on her cheek next where she’d been hit. It was tough not to protest or jerk away when he moved her robe, exposing her knee. She opened her eyes to look down. Her skin there was scraped and bloody. He sprayed that too. It was amazing to watch as it began to heal in seconds.

  “It works on humans.”

  “I see that.” She forced her gaze up, staring into his golden eyes. “Thank you.” He’d saved her. She understood that. “Once we’re off this planet and your um, ship, comes, can you return me to Earth?”

  He sighed, watching her, blinking. “No.”

  Panic hit. “Why not?”

  “Earth is on a list of banned planets to visit.”

  “Why?”

  “Most recently, they began to sell their females.”

  “That can’t