Alien Interludes by Tracy St. John Read Free Book Online Page A

and she was unable to make out the features of the man. She did see a familiar flash of red. He wore a Royal Guard’s uniform. Her breath froze.
    “The idiots screwed up with the paralyzing compound. She’s moved herself down to the end.” The bulk of the traitor slid into the vault, reaching for her. Jessica cringed, but she had nowhere to go and not enough strength to fight him off. A hand closed over the back of her neck, puling her towards him.
    She was able to turn her head. His forearm was right there, and she clamped her teeth on it, biting down as hard as she was able. Blood poured from the wound. The Kalquorian growled, and she saw a flash of fangs as he yanked her out into the open. He flung her to the cold, hard floor. Jessica barely registered the dul thud of pain that reverberated through her body before she scrabbled desperately to escape her attackers. Her heavy body tumbled a few inches before she was yanked into the air and slung over a muscled shoulder.
    “Let’s toss her into the shuttle and sedate her quick. Then we’l get out of here.”
    Jessica’s fury at the attack helped her to reach up and snarl her fist into the man’s long hair. She yanked for al she was worth, kicking weakly in an effort to get loose from him.
    The man’s voice was a tight growl. “You wil stop fighting or be hurt very badly, Earther.”
    “Fuck you,” Jessica’s voice finaly offered a thin hiss of sound. She yanked again, but her strength was failing once more. She steeled herself for one last burst of energy, for one last attempt.
    He carried her outside into the sunshine-drenched loading dock. Shouts of angry Kalquorians exploded in the air.
    “Stop right there!”
    “Halt or be shot!” Bevau’s infuriated roar was the sweetest sound ever.
    Sudden impact knocked the Kalquorian carrying Jessica out from under her, and she spiled onto the stone surface of the dock, her momentum roling her onto her back. She finaly clearly saw the abductor as he crouched over her. He indeed wore the red formsuit of the Royal Guards, and his ferocious face was vaguely familiar to her though she didn’t know his name.
    One of her sworn protectors had attacked her. It was a bad sight to see.
    The Nobek was showing his fangs to Bevau, who stood only a few feet away. Her clanmate also snarled around rattlesnake-like fangs, his body tensed for attack. Jessica wondered why he didn’t let the Guardsman have it for an instant before realizing her would-be kidnapper held a dagger inches from her chest.
    The Guardsmen went for his blaster with his other hand.
    Rage and fear burst through Jessica. Without thinking, she drew her knees up and pistoned her feet into the man’s crotch. A strange cry whistled from his throat; it almost sounded like a baby’s thin wail.
    He dropped to his knees over her, and his dagger clattered to the floor by her ear.
    With a roar, Bevau barreled into him, knocking the guard backwards and away from Jessica’s prone body. The next instant, Lidon grabbed the emperor by the colar and jerked him off the other man before he could kil him.
    “No, my emperor! We need to interrogate him to find out who’s behind this attack.”
    Bevau snarled, but he regained his composure. “Get that gurluck out of my sight then. The other one too.” It was only then that Jessica saw the unconscious bloodied form of the other man who had tried to take her out of the hospital. Lidon had apparently taken care of him right away.
    Bevau knelt at Jessica’s side. “My love, what did they do to you?”
    Before she could attempt an answer, Egilka appeared at her other side. “Can you speak?” her Imdiko mate asked.
    “Not realy,” she breathed. Thank goodness for sharp Kalquorian ears or they would have been forced to read her lips.
    “I’l try not to enjoy that too much,” Egilka smiled, his relief obvious. He waved a handheld scanner over her body to check for injuries.
    “Ass.” She managed to get more volume in that