DangerouslyForever

A.M.
Griffin

Loving Dangerously, Book Five

Being kidnapped by a deadly—and
dead sexy—brothel slave wasn’t exactly what Kiehle Xochis signed up for. His instructions
had been simple: Watch over the human female until his brother and his mate arrived
to rescue her. Instead, the slave has decided to liberate
herself
. She’s
proving to be more than Kiehle can handle—and he kind of likes it.

Allysan Miller has gone through
hell since being taken from Earth during an invasion. She’s finally found a way
to escape the latest, and worst, of the brothels she’s been sold to. Now if Ally
plays her cards right, she could gain both freedom
and
love…if she can learn
to trust the dangerous male she’s chosen as her hostage.

Inside Scoop:
Ally suffers
her share of abuse at the hands of a brothel owner’s guards. But don’t worry.
The feisty female warrior gives as good as she gets.

A Romantica®
SciFi erotic romance
from Ellora’s
Cave

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all the readers. May you all find
your happily ever afters

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all the readers and the fans of this series.
There’s nothing better than having people who love my characters just as much
as I do. Thank you to Ryan, Jori, Myles and Mia for understanding why I put in
the long nights at my computer, and supporting me every step of the way. Thank
you to my wonderful friends Lea Barrymire and Danica Avet for loving Ally and
all her trigger-happy ways.

But most of all, a big, humongous thank you goes out to Lauren
Seiberling, Ilona Fenton and Mina Gerhart for playing along with me. The planet
Hagion, featured in
Dangerously His
, was named by Lauren. Ilona named a
new species, Gysoni, that was also featured in
Dangerously His
, and Mina
came up with the name Saurene, for Kiehle’s home planet, featured in both
Dangerously
His
and
Dangerously Forever
. A big hug to all of you!

Taken: Year Three

Allysan Miller stood in the holding tank with the other
women in the belly of the Loconuist vessel. On high alert—she was always on high
alert—she scanned her surroundings.

This isn’t good.

It never was when the Loconuist corralled them in here. It
meant that soon the double doors would open and some other alien species would
come through and pick out which humans they wanted, and take them away.

Everyone thought the
Loconuist
were ugly, but some of
the things that passed through the doors were horrific in comparison. But
regardless of looks, no one ever wanted to leave with the aliens who passed
through because of the unknown factor. Living on the Loconuist vessel was bad,
but at least there was food and water, and the Loconuist themselves rarely
bothered with them.

Ally looked through the crowd of frightened and confused
women. Their numbers were steadily dropping.

How many of us are left? Seven hundred—maybe?

They meandered about, everyone on edge. Loved ones and
friends stuck together, clutching each other. If there was going to be a
“taking”, as everyone had begun to call it, by other aliens, it was best to try
to go together.

It had been roughly three years since the invasion on Earth,
since Ally had been trapped on the Loconuist vessel.

Three.

Long.

Years.

It was only natural that many of the prisoners had developed
close bonds with each other, after all they’d been through. Seen. Done. They’d
bonded under the worst possible circumstances. Some bonds had been forged here,
others prior to the invasion on Earth.

The thought of Earth seemed like a distant memory. Almost as
if the time before now never existed.

A dream.

Ally shook the invading thought from her head. Bringing up
old memories would only serve to make her sad. There was no time for sadness
right now. She kept her eyes focused on her surroundings, alert for anything
out of place. Not all aliens stomped through the holding bay during a taking.
No, some were sneakier than that. Some would mimic humans, observing before
making their selections.

Everyone had a look of panic on their faces. No one seemed
suspicious. They all anxiously waited to learn their fate.

What’s taking them so long to come?

Usually when the women were corralled, the taking took place
soon after. But now, the minutes ticked by slowly. As time went on, the noise
from the women became louder, more unbearable. There was crying, praying,
shouting, talking and whispering all around.

There was no point in trying to block out the sounds. The
walls echoed and voices projected.

“I wish they’d get it over with already,” Ally said.

“Me too.” Eva, her best friend, was by her side. She was a
petite woman, but a force to be reckoned with. She stood about five-foot-four
and weighed no more than a hundred pounds. When they first met, Eva’s black
hair had been cropped short, but over the years it had grown and now fell to
the middle of her back. On first glance, she could easily be mistaken for a
teenager, and not her thirty-plus years.

Ally was as different from Eva as night was to day. Because
of the lack of sunlight, both had pale skin, but Eva’s was still a lot darker
than hers. Eva had been given up when she was young and didn’t know her
heritage. She thought maybe she was mixed, African-American and Caucasian, or
perhaps American Indian.

Ally was taller, standing five-foot-seven. Her blonde hair
had always been full, long and wavy, but now appeared thin because of a lack of
proper nutrition. And while Eva had crisp blue eyes, the kind you could never
forget, Ally’s were a dull light blue—not memorable at all.

They came from two different worlds. Eva had worked hard for
everything she had, while once upon a time, Ally had doting parents and a
husband who’d made sure all her needs were met. She hadn’t been spoiled or
anything. She had gotten good grades in high school, had gone to a decent
college and gotten her dream job as a computer programmer at a Fortune 500
company. She’d never wanted for anything—not like Eva had when she was growing
up.

No matter their differences, they were best friends and they
stuck by each other, especially during times like these—they didn’t want to be
separated during a taking. They’d seen families ripped apart. That wouldn’t
happen with them. Eva was a kick-ass martial artist and Ally had spent the last
few years training under her direction. She had lost her plump frame a long
time ago. The hours she used to spend sitting in front of a computer developing
programs were now spent sparring with Eva. Ally knew she couldn’t fight as well
as her friend, but she also knew enough to leave her mark on anyone—any
thing
that tried to take her.

“So what do you think will happen when there are no more
buyers? Do you think the Loconuist will keep us?”

Eva kept her eyes fixed on the doors. “I really don’t think
that’s an option. They’ll get rid of us. Eventually.”

“I hate feeling like we’re in a pet shop.”

Eva nodded. “You and me both.”

“I’m not going to be
anyone’s
pet willingly,” Ally
growled. The sound vibrated in her chest.

Eva sighed, probably feeling just as frustrated as Ally.
They’d been trapped on the vessel for three years. The first taking had been a
chaotic, emotional mess. The Loconuist had rounded up everyone, ushering them
from the common living areas to multiple rooms much like the one they stood in
now. Not only had there still been men onboard at that time, but children as
well.

Jim, her husband, had died just before that first taking. It
hadn’t been the result of anything the Loconuist had done—or hadn’t done. But
she hated them just the same. He’d died in his sleep. He’d been very sick since
before the invasion, so she’d been expecting it, but it hadn’t made losing the
love of her life any less painful.

“What’s the plan with this round? Are we going to try to get
picked or try to stay here?” Ally asked.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to leave the ship yet. I vote
that if they try to take us, we fight and stick together. Same as always.”

“Right. And if we get separated?”

“We won’t,” she said matter-of-factly.

We can’t.

Just as Ally finished that thought, the sirens sounded to
alert them that the doors were opening. The voices in the room quieted to small
whimpers. Ally stiffened and Eva became instantly alert. They both had their
eyes trained on the doors, waiting to see what would come through.

Xenaris, Torus Galaxy

Ally’s arm and leg were all that could fit through the slats
of the metallic fence. She tried to wiggle her body through the narrow space
but couldn’t make it fit.

Eva needed her.

Three of those alien bastards had come into the gated area
where all the women were being held and separated Eva and Ally. Eva hadn’t gone
willingly. No, there had been blood and mayhem. And Ally had been powerless to
help her. While a short and stocky alien sat on her chest, the others had
dragged Eva out kicking and screaming.

Now Eva faced a pair of aliens alone on the platform. If she
could just get to her, Ally could help her kill the motherfuckers.

It was something out of a nightmare. While Eva continued to
fight, there were aliens surrounding the platform, watching. They screamed and
cheered. What were they saying? Ally didn’t have a clue, but one thing was for
certain, they seemed to enjoy the melee. The smiles they wore as they yelled
confirmed it.

Eva didn’t pay any attention to the crowd. She focused only
on the two stocky aliens she was fighting. As she snapped one of their necks,
killing him, the crowd erupted in a deafening roar, and when she knocked the
other one down, the noise almost ruptured Ally’s eardrums.

We have a chance.

Eva jumped off the platform and sprinted back to the
enclosure where Ally and the others were being kept. Ally sucked in her breath,
and with it, her stomach. Painful as it was, she worked more of her body
between the metal bars. Her pubic bone scraped against the metal. Her breast
was flattened to one side. Her ears and skull throbbed against the unrelenting
material.

She couldn’t fit.

Not without help.

“Take my hand,” she coaxed, reaching out as Eva came closer.

Almost here. Faster. Please.

“Hold on, I’ll get you!” Eva yelled as she ran as fast as
she could.

Just as the tips of Ally’s fingers almost touched Eva’s, her
friend stopped dead in her tracks, dropping her arms to her sides.

“What are you doing? Don’t stop. Grab my hand! Help me!”
Ally struggled, willing her body to slip through the fence.

Eva didn’t move a muscle, but her eyes widened with fear.

Just a little closer.

Ally held her breath again. This time she would get through.
No matter if it killed her.

She couldn’t budge.

“Push me,” Ally yelled to the women cowering on the other
side of the pen. They could do what she couldn’t. When no one touched her, she
yelled, “I said, push me!”

Still, no one helped. She imagined them sniveling and
crying, some even stepping farther away. They were going to let Eva die out
there all by herself.

“Fuck you all,” she muttered angrily, focusing her attention
on Eva.

I can do this. I have to do this.

She grunted.
Harder.

Nothing.

Ally reached out again. “Eva, snap out of it,” she begged.

A tear formed in Eva’s eye and dropped down her cheek.

No.

Ally peered over Eva’s head to see one of the bastard aliens
less than twenty feet behind her. In his hand was some type of device and he
had it aimed at Eva’s back.

Stun gun? Taser?

It didn’t matter what that asshole held. If she couldn’t get
to Eva, she could bring Eva to her. Eva was smaller. She could fit through the
slats. If she could just get ahold of her, Ally could pull her through the
fence and they could hide and…and…

What? Get to safety? That was a joke. Ally didn’t think
being inside the enclosure was any safer than outside, but at least they’d be
together.

A half an inch more and I can grab her.
“Please,” she
said. “One more step and I can get you.”

Motionless.

Eva’s eyes spilled over with more tears. Sorrow and despair
were written in their depths as she stared straight ahead, unblinking.

“Don’t do this to me. We have to stay together. You
promised. One more step,” she cried.

Eva dropped to her knees with a thump on the hard dirt, her
arms still loose at her sides. Her jaw went slack, saliva spilling down the
side of her mouth. She swayed, losing all control of her body.

The roaring of the crowd outside the holding gate rose to a
fever pitch.

Ally slammed the palm of her hand on the gate, making it
vibrate. “No! Get up! You’re stronger than them.”

Eva’s eyes rolled up and then fluttered closed. She fell to
her side, sending sand and dust billowing out from beneath her.

“No. Eva,” Ally yelled. “Please help! Somebody, please.”

The bastard alien advanced on Eva, grinning, his leathery
skin stretched across his unappealing face. As he came closer, Ally struggled harder,
willing her arm to lengthen to reach for Eva.

“Help me,” she yelled to the other women behind her.
Pleading with them to do something—anything.

No movement. No one rushed to her side. What had she
expected? They were scared.

Screw them.

No matter how much she tried, Eva remained just outside her
grasp.

The bastard continued toward Eva. “Stay away from her, you
motherfucker,” she yelled at him.

The alien stopped and looked back at the crowd.

He’s distracted by something. A little more time…

Her fingers skimmed the top of Eva’s hair, just enough to
reach less than a handful. Ally wrapped her fingers around the strands and
pulled. Eva didn’t budge but her hair pulled out at the roots.

She didn’t care. Eva could complain about her missing hair
after she was safe.

The alien turned again. Ally reached.

And reached.

And reached.

“Wake up, please,” she cried in a whisper.

The onlookers hushed as another being approached—a giant.
Like everyone else, Ally watched the exchange between the two aliens. They
spoke in harsh tones, using words she couldn’t understand or comprehend.

The bastard alien flicked his hand at the larger one and
walked toward the gated entrance.

A third alien approached, just as large as the second.

The bastard alien opened the gate door and eyed her. “Don’t
come over here, asshole,” she yelled. “Bring Eva back.”

She turned to look at the giants standing over Eva and
talking. “Leave her the fuck alone,” she screamed at them. “Touch her and I’ll
rip your hearts out.”

Without so much as a glance her way, one of the giants
leaned down, scooped Eva into his arms and tossed her over his shoulder as if
she weighed nothing.

“Stop! Where are you going? Where are you taking her?” she
called after him. She pried herself from between the gate slats and followed
the trio along the fence as far as she could go. “Put her down. Bring her
back,” she yelled.

Neither alien gave her a second look.

No. They can’t take her.

She turned and ran toward the entrance. The bastard alien
was there. Without stopping, Ally picked up speed and lowered her shoulder. He
was the only thing that stood between captivity and saving Eva.

She ran into what felt like a brick wall. Her shoulder and
neck crunched from the impact.

“Shit,” was all she could say as she hit the ground.

He grabbed her by the waist and hauled her to her feet.

“
Nonono!
” She kicked and hit him, trying to free
herself from his hold. “Where are they taking her?”

She didn’t understand his answer. All she could do was
scream as the giants disappeared through the crowd with Eva.

She had to appeal to the alien bastard. “Please, let me go
with them,” she begged as he pulled her to the platform. “Don’t separate us.”

He didn’t even acknowledge her.

That didn’t stop her from begging and crying. When they
reached the steps, he pulled her up, dragging her hip against the stairs. She
struggled to her feet, making the bastard stumble.

Perfect.

Catching him off balance, she rammed her good shoulder into
his groin, lifting him off his feet and tossing him to the ground behind her.

No time to waste.

She ran up the remaining steps and jumped over the alien
that Eva had killed earlier. She allowed herself one second to scan the crowd.
The aliens who took Eva were huge. She had to find them.

There.

She spotted the tops of their heads as they were leaving the
area. Eva bounced unconscious across the shoulder of one.

“
Krack so’in loque
,” the bastard alien said as he
lumbered to his feet.

She didn’t know what he said, but it didn’t sound good. She
jumped off the platform. Getting lost in the crowd was the only option now.

I have to get away.

Three steps into her flight and she was grabbed. A
transparent humanoid alien smiled down at her, licking his purple lips with a
black tongue. Grunting, he pulled her close and palmed her butt.

She pushed against him—
it
. “Let go of me.” She
stumbled back and fell into the grasp of another waiting alien. It wrapped its
tentacles around her waist. She swiped at the appendages frantically. Each one
left a slimy coat in its wake. But no matter how fast she worked, the tentacles
were replaced with others.

How many does this thing have?
she wondered, right
before something wet slid up her chin into her ear.

“Argh.” She wiggled out of its grasp, only to find herself
surrounded by more aliens, extending hands, tentacles and even claws out to
her.

Bile rose in her throat. She circled, trying to find a way
to escape.
Please God, get me out of here.
The group closed in on her.
She dropped to her knees and scrambled between legs, shaking off any hand that
reached for her.

She kept her eyes forward and focused. She could do it. She
could escape.

An opening.

She crawled faster.

Almost free.
Then to find Eva.

A hand wrapped around her ankle and pulled her back. Her
knees and palms scraped against the ground. “Fuck,” she yelled, looking behind
her to find that she’d been caught by the bastard alien again.

When he readjusted his hold on her, she turned to her butt
and pulled her leg back, aiming it at his thick face. With one fluid movement,
she planted a fierce kick to his nose.

Crack.

In the brief time it took him to scrunch his face and yell
out in pain, she had turned around, trying to get away.

She didn’t get far. His hands were on her shirt, lifting her
off the ground. She flailed, trying to grab something…anything. Finding
nothing.

The bastard wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a
bear hug. He whispered something in a low hiss in her ear. The aliens
surrounding her whooped and hollered. She could only imagine what he’d said.

“Fuck this.”

Ally snapped her head back, connecting her skull with his
face. With a grunt he loosened his hold, giving Ally the opportunity she needed
to let her body go limp and slide down his leg in an effort to get away. As she
fell, he grabbed her hair, pulling her back to her feet.

“Let me go,” she yelled. She clawed at his fingers, trying
to get him to release her hair. She could feel strands being ripped from her
scalp. Her eyes watered in pain.

She had no choice but to stumble along as he led her back to
the platform and up the stairs. She tried one last attempt to get away and he
countered by twisting his hand deeper into her hair.

“Holy fuck,” she cried, as tears streamed down her face.

He tried to make her stand but she dropped to her knees. She
didn’t pay any attention as the bidding began. She didn’t care.

The very thing she and Eva had vowed would never happen was
done. They had been split up.

She directed her cold stare on the crowd. “I hate you. I
hate you all,” she said through clenched teeth.

* * * * *

“Ally, you have to eat,” the middle-aged woman, Inga,
coaxed.

“No,” Ally said. She couldn’t even stand to look at Inga, or
anyone else on the ship for that matter. She turned on her side to face the
wall.

Inga humphed. “I’m just trying to help you.”

Ally wrapped her hands around her knees, bringing them
closer to her chest. “Just like you helped me save Eva? That’s the kind of help
I could do without.”

Inga sighed and dropped down to sit next to Ally. “There was
nothing we could do. You saw them. If
Eva
couldn’t fight them,” she
shrugged, “what do you think
we
could have done?”

What could she have done?
Ally searched her mind for
the answer but came up short.

Ally finally turned. She’d known Inga and the other women
who’d been purchased from the gated prison since being taken from Earth. “We
could have tried to do something—anything.”

Tears filled Inga’s eyes. “I lost two sisters during the
takings. The only thing that I can do is pray that they’re in a better place.
I’ll say the same prayer for Eva.”

“Do you honestly think those giant aliens took her to a
better place?” Ally’s gaze swept around the cramped compartment. “No, I think
wherever she is she’s facing the same fate as us. But the difference is that we
have each other while she’s all alone.”

Inga looked around as well, seeing the same thing Ally saw.
They were trapped in another ship—this one a lot smaller than the Loconuist
vessel. “Eva will be okay. She’s a survivor.”

Ally pulled her brows together. “I have to figure out where
she was taken and try to get to her.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Inga asked in a hoarse
whisper. “Huh? We don’t even know where we are or where we’re going.” She ran
her hand through her tangled red hair. “For the time being we need to focus on
trying to stay alive.”

Stay alive?