Holiday Abduction (Alien Abduction Book 6) (2 page)

“If you want it, take it.” The first rule from the most stolen book in the universe, The Fine Art of Acquisition. A must read for all serious collectors.

Vhyl wondered why he bothered to follow the barbarian female. It certainly wasn’t because she offered food. He’d already eaten before embarking on this planet-side mission.

He couldn’t have claimed it was out of fear. Vhyl feared nothing, especially not a female sporting archaic combustion-based weaponry, not to mention his surface exploring garb was fabricated of material capable of resisting most missiles and laser fire.

So why did he follow the wiggle of her hips and the dark, curly hair that bounced down her back?

Because he wanted to.

And Vhyl wasn’t one to question or deny himself anything.

If he coveted it, he took it. If he admired it, he stole it. If he wanted to delay his current mission slightly to follow an intriguing barbarian female into her abode and admire, at greater length, her dual mammary glands encased in the tight thin fabric that did nothing to hide the erectness of her nipples, then he would.

If she intrigued him enough, he might even take her with him when he left.

They didn’t call him the Black Hole of Aressotle for nothing. If Vhyl admired it, then he acquired it by any means necessary, and once he did, whatever he coveted disappeared into his well-guarded treasury, never to reappear again.

His mother was so proud of his accomplishments and his sister so jealous of his reputation. As for Vhyl, he knew he was on the path of fame and success given they both plotted his demise to inherit his fortune. What more could a male warrior ask for?

Well, for starters, I could ask that the human bend over again.

Arriving in a room lined with cabinetry and smelling pleasantly of chocolate—a delicacy he’d indulged in on more than one occasion, despite its high price at the Obsidian market—the female had briefly pushed her posterior in the air as she opened a hinged metal portal. A blast of heat wafted out, and Vhyl placed his hand on his sidearm, only to relax as she withdrew a flat metal sheet sporting brown-spotted blobs atop it.

She slid the tray on a countertop before turning to face him. Once more he got to study her intriguing features.

Skin the rich brown color of a Jkinja tree in bloom. It appeared silky and blemish free. He wondered if the rest of her flesh was covered with the same smoothness.

Unlike the males of her kind—which he’d familiarized himself with by briefly studying humans and their history on his way to this distant solar system—she didn’t sport any facial hair, but the crown of her head did spill an abundance of dark locks. Curly and springy hair that he could easily imagine digging his fingers into as she knelt presenting her padded posterior. With buttocks like that, she was made to cradle a male’s thrusts. And, yes, they were sexually compatible, another thing he’d learned on his voyage over.

Lusciously full lips pressed tight together at his perusal while big brown eyes, light in color and flashing with suspicion, stared right back. A female with fire and a backbone.

His intrigue level rose a notch higher.

“Would you like a freshly baked cookie?” she asked, waving her hand at the unappetizing lumps with the dark spots.

“I am not here for your baked goods.” It almost made him shudder to realize this world still cooked with raw ingredients. Everyone, except unenlightened barbarians, knew replicators were the only way to eat decent food.

“A shame, because they’re really quite good. I use Grandma’s secret recipe.” Despite the heat radiating from the blobs, she grabbed one and blew on it.

Did she realize the sensuality in her gesture? Did she do it on purpose in an attempt to rouse him?

Whatever the case, it was working. It almost distracted him, but he’d trained well and managed to remain focused. He was also cognizant that she seemed a little too calm given the situation.

“You seem awfully composed. I was given to understand your kind is prone to fits of hysteria, especially when faced with strange phenomena.” And he knew enough of her world to understand his arrival and presence fit in that category.

She shrugged as she bit into the blob, a rumble of content purring forth from her. Whereas before he might have rebuffed her offer, he now found himself interested in a taste—from the lips where a drop of chocolate lingered. The tip of a pink tongue emerged to clean it, and he could have groaned.

She really seemed determined to rouse his lust.

“Panicking isn’t going to do me any good. But I’ll admit I would like to know who you are. Or should I ask, what are you?”

A request for information. Just how much could he tell her? Did he dare give her his real name? It wasn’t as if she would recognize it, but at the same time, his self-imposed mission was supposed to be a secret, which begged the question, why did he land in front of her home and show himself to her? What happened to stealth?

For one, according to his vessel’s readings, the artifact he was seeking hid inside this house.

So close.
Almost mine.

Secondly, he’d caught a glimpse of her on his video stream during his approach and found himself intrigued by his first true glimpse of an earthling. A female one. A female who might have a clue that would lead him to the artifact and was still waiting for him to reply.

He stuck to the simplest answer he could think of. “I am an alien.”

Given Earth had yet to join other planets in the galactic union, because they were considered little more than barbarians who had yet to achieve the right level of progress, he expected some shock on her part.

Wrong.

His declaration met with her sighing and rolling her eyes. “Duh. Any idiot with a pair of eyes can see you’re not from this planet. So where are you from? Mars? Venus? The Milky Way? And what are you doing parking yourself on my front lawn? You’re not some kind of vanguard to a larger army on a mission to conquer Earth?”

“No.”

“Damn.”

Odd how she seemed disappointed.

“Are you planning to kill me?” she inquired as took another bite of her concoction.

“Not at the moment. But that could change.” Violence didn’t bother Vhyl. Actually, he reveled in it. Chaos, too. He was the model son, or so his mother boasted to all her friends.

“Is it your intent to kidnap me?”

“For what?” He had no need of the money one of her kind would bring at auction. Nor did he have a use for organic attendants, not when he had all kinds of bots to do chores for him.
But I could use a new bedmate.
He’d broken his pleasure droid with his vigorous technique, and there wasn’t a clean bordello in this sector.

“I thought aliens were supposed to abduct us for probing experiments.”

“If you insist on probing, I could indulge you, but it won’t be an experiment, more an experience in pleasure.” He showed his teeth in a pointed leer.

She snorted. “I see alien men are just as convinced of their prowess as human ones. Sorry to disappoint, but I’d prefer you kept it tucked in your jumpsuit. So if you’re not here for murder, pillage, rape, or world domination, what does that leave?” She seemed genuinely puzzled.

She did raise some valid points.
Most of my missions involve mayhem of some kind.
In this case, unless she suddenly decided to use the gun she’d lowered, he’d simply have to find the treasure hidden in her home and depart. But he could hardly tell the female he was here to abscond with one of her possessions.

“I’m here for cultural education?” Even he couldn’t help the querying note at his reply. As answers went, it wasn’t his best, but what other reason would anyone have to visit this backwards world?

“You’re here to check out Christmas?” Her nose wrinkled, and while on some species that would prove unattractive—such as the Balenjga tribe, who shriveled their nose before regurgitating for their young via their nostrils—in her case, her puzzled countenance proved most becoming.

Odd how his past studies of the barbarians on Earth never properly conveyed how attractive some of them were.
Perhaps her suggestion of abduction and probing should make my list of things to do while planet-side.
Sure there were laws against meddling with humans. And, yes, it could cost him his life if caught or discovered.

Danger? Law breaking? Wild sex with a new species?

Things were looking more and more promising.

“Earth to freaky alien dude who still hasn’t answered my question,” she said, jolting him from his musings.

He frowned. It wasn’t like him to be so easily distracted. “Yes, I am here on a mission to learn more about Kris-mass.”

“It’s Christmas, eh.”

“Kris-mass, eh.”

“No, Christmas. Say it slowly, with a hint of a t and less s at the end. Roll your tongue.”

He’d roll his tongue all right and tie hers in a knot if she didn’t stop vexing him. He’d pronounce it any damned way he pleased. He wasn’t actually interested in any pagan holiday. “Don’t make me revise my mission and change it to murder,” he growled as he adopted a menacing mien.

To his shock, she giggled. “Ha. Nice try at scaring me. I grew up as the only girl with eleven boy cousins and a Grandma who believed in tough love. If that’s your mean look, it needs work.”

“Where I come from, females respect their males. Or else.” He made sure to give her his ominous voice.

She ignored it. “Or else what?”

“They are punished.” Although, honestly, he’d never seen or heard in what fashion. All he knew was his father would yell, his mother would sometimes yell back, they would stomp off and slam their bedroom door and not emerge for a long while. But when they did, his mother seemed properly chastised, or at least quiet, and his father boasted a grin.

She didn’t seem impressed with his threat. “Touch me, purple dude, in a way I don’t like and we’ll have a problem.”

“You really shouldn’t be testing my patience this way. I’ve killed for less. Where I come from, my reputation alone is enough to make all but the most stalwart tremble.”

“Your big, bad act might work on guys, but I’m not a guy, and I can see you’re a softie. Anyone interested in Christmas isn’t going to hurt a defenseless woman.”

“Given you greeted me with a weapon, one could argue you aren’t defenseless.”

The smile curving her lips made her much too attractive. “I like to think of myself as prepared.”

“Is your world so dangerous that you must have a weapon at all times? Where is your male? Your guardian? He should be here protecting you.”

She outright snickered. “Sorry, oh misogynist one, there’s just me.” Too late she realized her admission and she sealed her lips shut.

His turn to smile. “All alone. Excellent.”

“Not quite. I have my trusted friend, Problem Solver.” She patted her projectile weapon.

“You gave that clunky artifact a name?”

“Don’t tempt me to show you how efficient it is.”

“Efficient is my sidearm.” He pulled forth his favorite weapon.

Once again, he was treated to her laughter.

“That teeny tiny thing? Well, at least you’re not trying to overcompensate for a lack of equipment elsewhere.”

It took a moment for him to filter her meaning. “Are you implying I’m less than adequately endowed?”

A red hue brightened the cheeks of her face. “Um, no. I guess I shouldn’t have said that.”

“If you require a visual demonstration of my appendage, which given your earlier inquiry as to my intention to possibly probe you, then please, let me know. I will gladly clear up any misconceptions you might harbor about the size or virility of my reproductive system.” The translator made his words emerge more properly than he would have liked. He really needed to upgrade to the newer slang version.

“You can keep your big dick to yourself. I’ll take your word for it. Besides, I’ve no need of a lover.”

“Lover? Who said anything about affection? Any demonstration of my virility would not involve emotion, just bodily satisfaction.”

“Still not interested. Now can we get off the topic of sex and back on track?”

“If you insist. As I recall, we were discussing the fact that you have no guardian or mate.” Not that it would have mattered. Vhyl had no issue with eliminating competition.

“Listen, purple dude—”

“My name is Vhyl.” He chose to give her his shortened name. It wasn’t as if she could do anything with it.

“Vile? Why am I not surprised? I’m Jilly, in case you care. Now, I don’t know about where you come from, but on Earth, women don’t need guardians. We are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves.”

How preposterous. “What of your defense?”

“Against what?”

“People like me.” As he spoke, he moved, crossing the rectangular counter space that separated them. Landing on the other side, he smoothly plucked the weapon from her with one hand while the other wrapped around her curvy frame and drew her against him.

Her breath caught in a startled gasp, and her eyes widened as she stared at him. “Let me go.”