Lilly's King

It took Lilly a moment to register that the alien had just spoken to her… in perfect English.

“I… No, I’m not,” she said, trying to sound forceful.

But it was hard when her mind was moving slower than concrete.

The man didn’t say a word as he moved back, the creatures at her sides falling to the ground around her with a loud thud.

Her eyes instantly scanned the area, knowing that a sound that loud could attract more.

“Why are you out here alone?” his rich, deep voice asked, echoing off the walls of the abandoned town.

“Hush!” she demanded in a low whisper, waving her hand in front of him as her eyes moved over the buildings around them.

When she looked back at him, he had one brow raised and a grin on his face.

“Those things are attracted to sound,” she explained, keeping her voice as low as possible. “They will hear you.”

He shrugged. “If they come, I will kill them.”

Lilly’s mouth fell open. “Just like that? You will kill the hundreds of these…things when they swarm the town because you can’t keep your big mouth shut.”

“Spinners,” he said, thankfully lowering his voice. “They are called spinners.”

“Spinners?”

He nodded.

“And who the hell are you?” she asked, easing her way toward the alley to the side of the clinic. He followed her with a stern gaze, never once moving those amazing green eyes off of hers.

“I am Bor.”

Lilly waited, but that was all the explanation she got.

“A Bor? What the hell is a Bor?”

“No, female. My name is Bor. I am a Torian.”

“Great. More aliens. Just what this planet needs. And thanks for your offer to come with you, but I’m actually all good on kidnappings right now.”

With that, she darted around the corner of the clinic only to skid to a stop when she almost ran into more of the huge men.

Fear coursed through her body at the sight of these massive men blocking her escape.

“Female,” the deep, rich voice called from behind her, making her flinch. She spun around to him, anger replacing her fear, and shushed him again with a finger to her lips.

When a chuckle came from behind her, she turned to see one of the other men move forward, uncaring that his heavy footsteps could draw more of the so-called spinners to them.

“What do you want?” Lilly asked, trying to keep all the men in her sights. The big one from the clinic moved toward her.

When he stopped only feet away from her, Lilly had to swallow as fear raced up her spine.

“Have no fear, little female. We are here to save your race.”

“Save my… What?”

He frowned at her before he turned to the others. He spoke in a language that boggled her mind for a moment before the other one replied, and they both turned to stare at her.

“You do not understand this language? I was informed that this was the language spoken by the people living in this area of the planet.”

Lilly just blinked at him for a few seconds, trying to get a handle on her jumbled thoughts.

“I…I understand you just fine. I just don’t understand what you mean. You’re here to save my race?”

“Yes. We are here to kill the spinners and save as many of the humans as we can. You will come with us to my ship where you will be safe until the fight is over.”

Lilly’s mouth fell open yet again as her eyes went wide. Her mind flashed with the faces of her sisters, Rose, Tulip, and Violet.

“No. I can’t. I need to go.”

She tried to ease away from the intense stares coming from the men in the alley, but as soon as she moved, Bor shot out a hand and gripped her arm.

“You will come with me, female. I will not ask you again.”

Rage filled Lilly’s blood at the demand in his voice. Who the hell did this giant oaf think he was?

“And I said no. Now let me go and leave me alone!”

Another brow rose at her demand and she could have sworn she saw his lips twitch as though hiding a smile.

She tried to pull her arm out of his tight grip, but he only pulled her closer to his wide body, filling her nose with the incredible scent of him.

“I will keep you safe, female. I will take you to my ship and you will stay there until the spinners are dead. I am claiming you, little one.”

Oh, hell no! Lilly thought as she narrowed her eyes at him. She was not going to be some alien…prize or slave or whatever.

She had to get back to her sisters and nothing and no one was going to stop her.

Bor turned to say something to the others in his group and Lilly took the opportunity to fight back.

She raised a knee into his weak spot with such force, it made her feel bad at the pain he would no doubt feel. But her mind was set on getting back to Rose and the others. She had to.

She couldn’t leave them, and with all the noise these men were making, it was only a matter of time before the spinners found them as well.

As predicted, his grip loosened the moment her knee made contact with his balls, and he let out an ear-piercing roar of pain.

She fell to the ground, wincing. She knew that sound was too loud. The spinners would be upon them any minute. And there was no way these Torians could take out an entire horde.

As she heard the scutting, rattling movement of the spinners nearing, she turned and ran.

Knowing she would feel their pincers rip through her flesh at any moment.

She didn’t see Bor stand and watch her go, a grin spreading across his face.

The hit to his balls still sent shafts of pain through his body, but he didn’t care. It was the last thing he had expected from the tiny female.

From the moment he had seen her standing outside the building, the defeat and pain in her eyes and the fear radiating off her, assaulting his senses, he knew he needed to protect her.

His entire body screamed to claim her, to make her his, and to keep her at his side.

The intensity of his attraction to her shocked him, but he recognized the call instantly.

After all these years, he’d finally found her…

He had been shocked when she did not want to accept his offer of safety and assistance. Her planet was being ravished by the spinners, after all.

She had come within a hair’s breadth of being torn apart by two of them, and then, her demands of him to be quiet and the defiance in her stance and eyes had pleased him. She was a fighter.

She had to be, to still be alive.

Why had she run? Why had she fought him?

Did humans not feel the connection in the same way?

“Lord Bor, are you all right?” Korom asked, bending to help Bor stand. The body blow had brought him to his knees in surprise and agony.

“Yes! Now let’s go find her,” Bor growled, shrugging off the helping hand.

Korom looked surprised.

“But Lord Bor, we have to save the whole race, not one female. She’s not worth it,” Korom said.

Bor met the male’s eyes, spots still dancing in his vision.

“Yes, she is,” he growled, glaring Korom down. “We’re going to save her, no matter the cost.”

“Why?” Korom asked, confusion etched across his face.

“Because,” Bor growled, his heart swelling with pride. “She’s my mate.”