The Regent's Rapture: (An Alpha Alien Romance Novel) (Lords of Zanthar Book 1) Read online

Sylvie stared. "You... you speak English?"

  The being stared back but did not answer. A sly smirk crept across its face, and damn if she didn’t giggle. She wasn’t the type of woman to giggle – ever. Shock was starting to take hold of her sense of reason. Too much, too fast.

  Grabbing her arm, it spun her around. He spun her around. Although she hadn't done a thorough scientific investigation, her instincts were telling her that the brute was male. He pulled both arms behind her back, then bound them.

  She started to sputter in indignation as he clasped a collar around her neck. He connected it to bindings around her wrists so that when she tried to pull her arms apart, it tightened on her throat, cutting off her airway.

  Sylvie had always considered herself to be completely rational, not prone to flights of fancy, and never hysterical. Yet as she considered the ridiculousness of her current situation, hysteria seemed right around the corner.

  Trapped on a distant planet, her only way home at the bottom of an alien sea. Taken prisoner by beings with electrical current running through their skin, who at any moment could send a million volts through her. Beings that somehow spoke English.

  Sylvie was pulled through hallways, struggling to keep up with the wide strides of her warden. She tried to take in her surroundings, but they blurred past so quickly she could make out very little besides long, curved hallways that reminded her of the inside of a seashell.

  There were too many turns to count, and when her limited strength gave out, her captor dragged her along the smooth floors. He yanked her outside of an opaque door that resembled the walls of her cell.

  The being put a fingertip to the surface of the door and it let out a tiny spark. The opaque surface trembled, flashing blue then returning to a smoky white.

  "Enter."

  A thin line appeared and her captor used his hand to widen the opening. He stepped through, pulling Sylvie after him.

  The chamber was similar to the hallways; sleek, with a finish that was like cream swirled with caramel. Like her customary morning latte.

  Her stomach growled again, and she couldn't help but let out another giggle.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  The being pulled her in front of him, then forced her to her knees with one large hand pressed against her shoulder. He pulled on the binding behind her back, forcing her head up.

  The figure before her was taller and more muscular than the one who'd dragged her in. His skin was a deep maroon color, and his dark hair had a slight wave. It fell just beneath his well-developed shoulders. He was staring at a display that rose out of what looked like a natural formation of coral to the height of his chest. Sylvie watched as he batted the display away and it disappeared, the coral going dark.

  "This is the creature?" he asked.

  "Yes, Minister. This is the organic one. The inorganic one is already being dissembled in our labs."

  Inorganic one? Fido!

  "Hey!" Sylvie yelled, trying to turn around to confront the alien behind her. "Don't take him apart. He saved my life!"

  Her captor pulled hard on her bindings and she slipped, her chest hitting the floor and knocking the air from her lungs.

  "It certainly has spirit," the one referred to as 'Minister' said. He knelt before her, lifting her face to peer at her. "Explain what you did to our defense shield."

  "Defense shield?" The air was suddenly so hard to breathe. It was as if she were a mile into the sky where the air is thin and dry. Maybe the atmosphere of this planet was--

  "Answer me!" The Minister pulled hard on her collar, yanking her back to her knees. "What did you do to our defense shield? Who sent you?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know how you're speaking my language!"

  The Minister growled and let go of her collar. "How stupid does this creature think we are?"

  The being behind her spoke up. "It's from Earth. They're the stupid ones."

  Sylvie bit back the urge to protest.

  "Their species barely developed faster-than-light travel two cycles ago. Even the most basic translation matrix is beyond them."

  "Then how did that tiny craft it came in take down our entire planetary defense shield?"

  "Unknown, Minister. It may have been accidental."

  The Minister bent to her level again, grabbed her chin, and turned Sylvie's face to and fro. "It's an intriguing creature. But if it doesn't know what happened, then I have no use for it."

  He released his hold and stood up, once again activating the display. "Get it out of here."

  Her captor grabbed hold of the bindings and lifted Sylvie to her feet. "Permission to perform tests to determine if something in its composition could have affected the shielding?"

  The Minister gave a curt nod. "Granted."

  "Tests? Wait--" But it was too late. She was already being dragged out through the opaque doorway and back into the hall.

  "Let's be reasonable. You can ask me anything. You don't need to do any tests on me."

  Her captor ignored her, but she noticed his color shift, going from mint green to something lighter, with a faintly pinkish cast.

  Two aliens moved toward them as they stopped, her captor holding up his hand, palm open, in salute. The others returned the gesture just the same.

  "What have you got there?" one of them asked.

  "An Earthling."

  "Is that thing responsible for the shield failure?"

  "Yes, and the Minister's gone maroon over it."

  The trio talked for a minute more, her captor releasing her binding in order to mimic the Minister's demeanor as part of the conversation. She didn't waste a second before bolting.

  "Stop!" her captor shouted, but she ignored him completely.

  It was difficult to keep her footing on the slick floors, and as she rounded a corner she slid, losing her balance. Just before she hit the floor, a pair of strong arms grabbed her.

  Sylvie's head shot up, eyes wide. The arms lifted her until her face was level with the being who'd caught her.

  His eyes were black as midnight, a golden rim encircling them that glowed. A strong nose led to plump lips that verged on feminine. His lips seemed to be the only soft thing about him. She shivered in response to his closeness, awareness of his masculinity causing her to shrink back.

  "What have we got here?" he asked, his voice like steel-covered silk.

  "Please, let me go." Sylvie started to flail, her dangling feet kicking at the creature's shins. He made a noise that sounded like laughter.

  "I'm sorry, Supreme One!" her captor yelled as he jogged up. The other two beings followed closely behind him. "It slipped away. Won't happen again."

  "An Earthling," the Supreme One said, his lips twisting up into a half smile. "A female. In the flesh."

  "Yes, Sire. I was just taking her back to the labs."

  A dark eyebrow quirked over his fathomless black eyes. "On whose orders?"

  "The Minister of Defense."

  Sylvie watched as his face tightened. "So this is what my brother has been keeping from me."

  He set her down, releasing his hold. Chill bumps broke out along her arms, his touch having caused her to react in the oddest of ways.

  Her warden grabbed her bindings and started pulling her down the hallway. "Apologies again, Sire."

  Panic rose in her stomach as the distance between them grew. There was something about this one, something that said he might take pity on her.

  "Wait! Please!" But the alien turned his back and strode off down the hallway in the opposite direction.

  Chapter 5

  Xivthar Rasveen, Supreme Regent of Zanthar, didn't bother to signal politely at his brother's door. Instead he raked his finger down the opaque surface and it opened immediately for him. His brother was staring at a display of the inner workings of their planet's defense shielding, a scowl painting his features.

  "You've gone maroon, brother. The underlings will see it."

  "The
re are bigger problems than that," his brother responded. "You'd be maroon too if you knew what we were potentially facing."

  "Then tell me," Xivthar said, joining him in front of the display. "Stop trying to hide things from me like some mimicfish and tell me what in Noruma's name is going on."

  Drak'Karren Rasveen, his brother and appointed Minister of Defense, gave a loud sigh. "The defense shield is down."

  Xivthar frowned. "I'd gathered as much from the talk in the halls. And an Earthling has something to do with it."

  "You know of the Earthling?" Drake scowled. "Accursed gossip."

  "It wasn't gossip. She ran into me while trying to escape."

  Drake slammed a fist into the coral desk, making the display flicker. "She's the reason I've kept quiet. I know your fascination with Earth culture. Especially Earthling females. I didn't think you could be even-minded about the issue."

  "Even-minded?" His skin began to flush yellow as he didn't bother to hide his anger from his brother. "I'm your Regent, your Supreme One. How dare you presume to hide something like this from me?"

  His brother didn't back down. "Because we can't afford you being distracted right now."

  "I don't understand. The Earthling's craft hit the shield and disabled it somehow, but she's not a threat. Earth doesn't have a space armada. This is one of only a half dozen faster-than-light ships they have. What's got you so afraid?"

  "We can't discount the Earthlings as a threat. They could be working with our enemies."

  Xivthar frowned. "That makes no sense. I doubt the Hareema even know about Earth."

  The Hareema were much too self-sufficient to bring Earth into their plans. They were a planet of leeches, sucking the life out of each and every galaxy that they moved through. Zanthar had pushed back against them for as long as Xivthar could remember, but the Hareema were resilient if nothing else.

  Drake shook his head. "Not so. The latest intelligence reports I received indicated that their agents may have infiltrated that backwards planet. They could be working together with the Earthlings, knowing that we'd never see Earth as a threat before it was too late."

  Xivthar now realized the source of his brother's maroon color. If the Hareema had infiltrated Earth, there was a real chance that the loss of their shield was deliberate. Even now, a Hareema attack force could be on their way.

  "I want all our forces watching for any sign of invasion. And I want that shield repaired immediately."

  His brother nodded. "The entire military is on standby and the Ministry of Science is working on the Earthling ship." Drake gave his brother a charged look. "And the female."

  Xivthar reined in his temper and his skin bled back to green. "I will question the female myself, determine if she knows anything."

  "That isn't a good idea."

  Once again he didn't bother to keep his anger from showing. His arms and chest glowed yellow as small flashes of electricity raced up and down his skin. "Keep your opinions to yourself. I'm the Supreme Regent. I think I can handle a puny Earthling female."

  His brother shrugged. "Suit yourself, oh Supreme One, but if your urge to mate gets in the way of our survival, I'll be the first one calling for your blood."

  Xivthar nodded. "I'd expect nothing less."

  Chapter 6

  Sylvie sat in her cell, watching the shadows walking past the walls. Thankfully the bindings on her wrists and neck had been removed. She attempted to chew her thumbnails, but both were already down to the quick. She started chewing the nail on her left index finger instead, a nervous habit of sorts.

  What kind of tests are they going to do?

  As an astrobiologist, she'd done her fair share of tests on so-called "lower" life forms. Although she hadn't been able to experiment on any extraterrestrial organisms, she'd done plenty of work on terrestrial ones to hone her skills. At the moment she regretted every nick, cut, and slice in the name of science.

  Especially if she was about to experience the same.

  Don't think about it, she told herself, and rummaged through her thoughts for a distraction.

  An image of the being who'd cut off her escape popped into her head and she allowed it to linger. He might be considered handsome by some, even though he was an alien. He'd been wearing a sarong of woven seaweed that left his muscular chest exposed. He had no nipples, but for some reason, it almost seemed fitting not to disrupt the swell of his pectoris.

  Perhaps the dominant species on this planet hadn't evolved from mammals as had happened on Earth. Her scientific mind tried to conjure the reasoning behind his anatomy, but she couldn’t seem to access it. A buzzing sound had started in her ears, and she felt increasingly lightheaded. Something about the atmosphere might be affecting her system.

  Or she was going into shock. Maybe she'd hit her head during the crash.

  She breathed deeply, hoping to clear her mind of anxious thoughts.

  Don't worry about that now. Concentrate on the hot alien.

  "Supreme One," her captor had called him. He must be in charge of something. The way he had looked at her had been different from the others. She thought she'd seen compassion in his expression. Maybe she could convince him to help her?

  She had to do something. She couldn't take the suspense of just sitting there anymore.

  "Hey!" she started to yell, standing up and walking to the wall of her cell. "Let me out of here!"

  She tried to bang her fist against the walls but couldn't quite hit them because they weren't exactly solid. No one responded, which was less than surprising.

  "Go get your Supreme One! I want to talk to him!"

  Still nothing.

  Sylvie continued to shout, even as her head grew fuzzier. Panic climbed high in her chest, wrapping around her like a cloak as she continued to vie for attention. At any second the wall could split open and her captor could come back, ready to complete his tests.

  The irony of her situation caused her to giggle again. The sound was silly and far more feminine than she was comfortable with.

  "Take me to your leader!" she shouted, then collapsed back on the cushion, surrendering to a fit of laughter. She laughed until tears blurred her eyes. She laughed even as a seam appeared in her cell wall. It's time, she thought, and laughed harder.

  Her eyes were filled with tears by the time she lifted her head to see who had come for her. All she could make out was a tall form with light green skin through the blurriness of her vision.

  "Little green men," she muttered to herself, then laughed even harder.

  "Little?"

  She recognized the voice immediately. "Supreme Ruler! Please, Your Majesty, or was it Majestic One? Whatever it is, don't let them experiment on me."

  "You're shaking," he said, reaching down to lift her face up to meet his gaze as she sat up as best she could. The room was growing darker as her eyes drooped. The glow of his eyes brought her back to reality as a jolt of awareness went through her. Was it fear that made her heart beat faster, or simply him?

  Sylvie couldn't puzzle out her own reaction. She was a respected academic, an accomplished woman, and here she was, laughing like a schoolgirl and willing to get on her knees to save her life if she had to. How undignified.

  The thought made her laugh again, and once she started, she couldn't stop. She laughed until her face was red, until tears soaked the top of her flight suit.

  "Something's wrong with you." The alien cupped her face with one huge hand. His thumb brushed over her cheek as his black eyes bore into her. "The laughing sickness."

  He turned to face the wall and spoke hurriedly, “Bring a tincture of four parts marine grass and three parts serpens bacteria. Now!"

  "Laughing sickness?" More giggles. "What an appropriate name."

  He smiled and shook his head. It was a nice smile with even white teeth. At least they didn't look razor-sharp from what she could tell. Another alien entered the cell and handed the Supreme Leader a small device with two prongs on the end, and then left.<
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  The handsome alien looked stern. "Now hold still."

  Sylvie's eyes widened as the hand cupping her face tightened. Panic shot through her like wildfire.

  "Let me go!" she shouted, attempting to shake loose from his grip.

  "Stop!" His voice was commanding, and for a second she froze. It was all the time he needed to place the device into her nostrils and activate it.

  A cold mist shot up her nose and into her sinuses. She reeled backward, but he grabbed her before she could hit the cushion.

  "Calm yourself," he said, pulling her into his arms. "You have the laughing sickness. Too much nitrous oxide in the atmosphere for you. It's becoming toxic."

  Too much nitrous oxide. Laughing gas. No wonder.

  "Th... thank you," she muttered, her head beginning to clear for the first time since she'd crashed on this crazy planet. "I wasn't myself for a moment."

  "Indeed." The Supreme Ruler gave a subtle grin.

  Before she could stop herself, she smiled back. Glancing down, she realized that he was still holding her. It felt good and almost comforting. Heat rushed up her throat and covered her cheeks as she glanced away from him, hoping like hell that he wouldn’t understand her reaction.

  "I'm feeling better. You can let me go now."

  Now it was his turn to laugh. It was a pleasant sound. He set her on her feet, and Sylvie craned her neck to meet his gaze. His dark pupils were surrounded by a bright glow, giving his eyes a certain hunger. Her eyes flicked away as if scalded, landing on his muscular chest. His skin had taken on a faint hint of mauve. Interesting.

  She was distracted by the subtle hills and valleys of his musculature. He was lean but still extremely toned. Her gaze traveled from his defined pectorals, down the ripped abdomen and the little trail of dark tendrils thin as human hair but seeming somehow softer. And lower...

  His body was truly magnificent. Maybe it was safer to focus on his face again.

  Sylvie moved her gaze upward and focused at a point between his eyebrows, one of them lifted as if questioning her intent. She cleared her throat and tried hard to respond with her most studious tone.