"One million." Jonathan.

"Two." The Targon.

"Five." Lucius. He relaxed in his seat, growing more a.s.sured of his victory. Whatever monetary capital was needed, he would pay. Or pretend to pay, I should say.

The Targon countered. "Five million Earth dollars, plus two Targon warriors."

"Done." Grinning, EenLi clapped his hands. "The woman is yours."

"No." In a dark, fluid motion, Lucius jumped to his feet.

EenLi's eyes narrowed to tiny slits. "I will find you another Raka, Hunter."

"I wantthis one." He pointed to me. "She's mine. She was promised to me. Findhim another."

"Actually, she was promised to me." Jonathan gripped his cigar so tightly it snapped in half.

"Please tell me you were not foolish enough to think I'd save her for you, Jonathan," EenLi said, repeating the man's earlier words to Lucius. "I already own your soul. What need have I to keep you happy?" To Lucius he said, "I respected your father, and I will be happy to work with you in the future to secure you another Raka. As for this one, a better offer came along."

"She's mine, G.o.dd.a.m.n you," Lucius growled. "This is bad for business. What will your other clients say when they realize you aren't a man of your word?"

Another silence erupted, this one heavier than the last.

EenLi's skin pulsed a dark crimson. "Do not make me your enemy." His lips pressed together, providing only a tight slit for his words.

Lucius stalked toward the screen. "Let's talk about this."

"No."

As I listened, I realized EenLi had always meant to sell me to the Targon. What better way to gain an alliance with such invincible warriors? After losing Mris-ste and discovering he himself was a government target for elimination, EenLi probably saw this as his opportunity to acquire an impenetrable shield. Or two.

"I want to talk," Lucius insisted. "Man to man. Face to face.

"Ha. You're angry enough to try and kill me right now."

I knew what he was doing, trying to draw EenLi out, and I approved. However, I didn't want to be taken from this building until the women below were safe. I'd have to put up some kind of fight, perhaps race down there. Then...what? I guess we'd find out. I stealthily inched my fingers toward the small blade strapped to my back.

The Targon eased to his feet, his eyes watching my every move. I'd never seen eyes like his. Like molten flames of gold, glowing hotly, almost hypnotically. His clean-cut features were lit with amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Come to me," he said, even his voice layered with a hypnotic quality.

Oddly, I was compelled to obey. Something deep inside me heard and responded to his voice, wanting to do everything in my power to please him. The rest of the room faded until I saw only the Targon. My thoughts scattered, realigning around his beautiful image.

"Come," he said again.

Focus, Eden. Focus. Do not listen to his voice. Think only of what you need to do.Fight. Yes, I needed to fight, to save the women. With that thought, I snapped out of his spell. Where was he vulnerable? His neck? His chest? I'd never killed a Targon before.

"Come," he said for the third time.

I moved toward him, sliding my blade out of its strap. I used my wrist and arm to shield it from his view.

Lucius jumped in front of me and faced the Targon. "Since Wayne is refusing to meet with me, I'll deal with you. Let me buy her from you. I'll pay you whatever you want."

"She is no longer for sale," the other-worlder said with a hint of irritation.

"You're not taking her off this planet."

I touched my fingers to Lucius's back, silently letting him know I knew what I had to do andwould do it. He didn't step aside. I knew he'd felt my touch, however, because his muscles clenched at first contact.

The Targon raised his brows. "If you plan to stop me, human, I suggest you not even try. People tend to get hurt when they annoy me."

"Now that our business is concluded," EenLi interjected, as someone approached his image from behind. "I will leave you alone to collect your prize. I expect those Targon warriors on my doorstep tomorrow morning, Devyn."

The holoscreen went blank.

Jonathan reached toward Lucius, but Lucius grabbed his arm and twisted, snapping the bone. Jonathan howled in pain and dropped to his knees. Then Lucius sprang at the Targon. Without ever moving an inch, the other-worlder somehow forced Lucius to the ground beside Jonathan.

I too sprang forward, my knife raised and ready for insertion. But in the next instant, my feet froze in place and the knife dropped from my hand. I couldn't move. Could barely breathe.

"Do not panic, little Raka." The Targon sent me a gentle smile. "I'll release you from the paralysis soon enough."

The b.a.s.t.a.r.d was controlling me with his mind. Panic coiled inside me, but I fought against it, trying to erect some sort of shield against him. His power proved too strong, however.

Still grinning, he flung a gold torque at me. Like a snake, the band wrapped itself at the base of my throat, not tight enough to choke, just tight enough to ensure it stayed in place. I flicked a horrified gaze down; an amber gem stone winked up at me. I wanted so badly to tear at the band, but couldn't. I returned my gaze to Lucius, staring helplessly at him, just as horrified.

Since hitting the carpet, he'd had yet to move.

"What did you do to him?" I demanded.

"He merely sleeps," the Targon said.

Proving the other-worlder's words, Lucius moaned. His eyes opened, and he weakly raised his head. When he spied me, he attempted to crawl to me, to protect me.

"I think he needs to sleep permanently," Jonathan said, whipping out an old gun. I couldn't do anything but scream, locked in place as I was, as he fired. A bullet lodged itself just below Lucius's left shoulder, causing his entire body to spasm. In his heart?

Cold rage slashed inside me. The Targon removed his focus from me and frowned down at the now-bleeding Lucius. His inattention released me from paralysis. I immediately picked up my blade and, without a second's thought, hurtled it at Jonathan. The sharp metal sliced into his throat. His eyes widened, and he gurgled as his knees gave out and he sank to the ground. I leaped forward and was just reaching for the blade when a dark cloud covered my mind. Sinking...sinking...I fought past it, cutting with mental claws.

Unexpectedly, the fog lifted. "What's happening?" I asked, dazed.

The Targon blinked in surprise. "You have mental shields, though they are not very strong." He sighed, and I froze in place once again. He withdrew a small vial from his pocket, pushed my hair out of my face, and forced the contents down my throat. I choked it back, but it was too late to spit out the bitter liquid. I knew the moment the taste of it hit my tongue that it wasn't an opiate like Cologne had given me.

This man had done his homework on Rakas. He knew the human medicine called antihistamine, when mixed with alcohol, knocked us out every time. When lethargy hit me, it hit swiftly and full force. The last picture to drift through my mind was of Lucius, covered in his own blood.

Chapter.

23.

The image of Lucius's strong vibrant body, b.l.o.o.d.y and lifeless, slammed past a black fog of lethargy and into my mind. "Lucius!" I screamed. The sound of his name echoed all around me.

"Welcome to Targon," whispered through my mind.

Targon. No. No! My eyelids popped open. My breath was coming in short, erratic pants, like I'd just run a marathon uphill. I searched for another person, but saw no one. Had I been dreaming...a nightmare, perhaps? No. I bit my bottom lip, creating a sharp sting and a bead of blood. Lucius had really been shot. I remembered the auction for me and the booming sound of Jonathan's gun being fired, remembered the metallic smell of human blood.

Lucius, I thought, a wave of panic overtaking me. I had to get to him. He was now injured and defenseless in a house full of EenLi's guards, and no one knew he was there but me. I wouldnot allow myself to think of him as...No, I wouldn't.

The women, too, were helpless. I had to save them.

I jerked upright, taking the soft white comforter draping my body with me. My gaze shot throughout the room. Unfamiliar. Wide and open. White gauze billowed from the many windows and doors. I was seated on a white pallet of velvetlike cushions. There were no guards posted that I could see.

Where the h.e.l.l was I?

Targon...

I wasn't sure if the isotope I'd ingested had traced me here, and there wasn't time to find out. An other-world rescue seemed impossible, anyway, since we did not have all the facts about solar flares. No, I'd have to free myself. Quickly.

G.o.d, I needed to get home.

I shoved my way out from the covers and stood. My legs were shaky, making me wonder just how long I'd been asleep. At least the Targon hadn't stripped me. He'd left me in the pink harem costume. I reached up, but the necklace he'd thrown at me was gone. I needed it to pa.s.s through a solar flare. Where was it?

Breathing a deep inhalation of sweet, flowery air, I scanned the s.p.a.cious room again. Would he have hidden the necklace in a fruit bowl? No. Empty. A drawer...maybe he had tucked it inside. I bounded forward, but skidded to a stop when I heard him speak.

"I am so happy you are, at last, awake," his rich, sensual voice said from behind me.

I spun around. The Targon leaned against one of the large entryways, white lace dancing from the windows and over his bare legs. His eyes swirled with a life all their own; his dark hair flowed around his shoulders, the sides hooked behind his ears. I could see that his ears were pointy, like the magical Fae in children's stories. He wore some type of black Scottish-looking kilt and no shirt.

"Give me the necklace and take me back," I demanded.

Hetsked under his tongue. "We haven't been properly introduced. You are Eden Black, other-worlder interpreter and government agent. I am Devyn Cambrii, king of this land."

King.The freaking king. I knew a little about Targon history. A king was appointed not by birth but by telekinetic strength. A thousand tiny knots twisted my stomach. I was weaponless, and my opponent had the power to freeze me in place. How the h.e.l.l could I fight him?

"Please," I said, the word escaping through scowling lips. "Take me back."

"It has taken EenLi over a year to find me a Raka," he replied. "I'm sorry, sweet angel, but the only place I will be taking you is my bed."

My fists clenched at my sides. "And if I refuse?"

His lips twitched, and amus.e.m.e.nt twinkled in his too-amber eyes. "Your refusal will not be a problem."

No, it wouldn't, I thought darkly. He'd already proven his ability quite nicely. If he decided to freeze me and rape me, there would be nothing I could do to stop him from doing so. I refused to show him an outward reaction to that comment, however. If he thrived on female fear, he might become aroused.

"Why a Raka?" I asked to keep him talking. I lifted my chin. "There's nothing special about my race."

"Oh, I beg to differ."

"Because of the gold?"

He chuckled richly. "I am not human. Gold means nothing to me."

"Then why?"

"I've never tasted a Raka. There are so few of you on Earth because those silly humans are greedy. And outsiders are not allowed on the planet Raka. Which is a shame, really. I could have feasted for months had I been allowed entry." His voice lowered one octave. "I've wanted to taste a Raka for a long, long time."

I arched a brow, feigning nonchalance. "Tasted in pa.s.sion? Or as dinner?"

He laughed again, his features softening. The woman in me appreciated his masculine beauty, his male sensuality. But he wasn't Lucius. I would have no man but Lucius. In our short time together, I'd learned to respect and like him. I'd desired him constantly. He meant something to me. What, I didn't know. I just knew that hedid matter.

"Pa.s.sion, of course," the Targon said. "I've sampled women from across the galaxies. I'm in need of something different. Something unique." He straightened and slowly moved toward me.

"Stop," I shouted, bending my knees and preparing for battle.

Surprisingly, he did. He remained a safe distance away as his gaze traveled the length of me. "I only wish to know if you are as soft to my touch as you look. Surely you will not deny me a simple touch."

"I deny you the right to even breathe in my direction."

"Your resistance is adorable, so I will grant your request and not touch you. For now."

"Thank you," I said, my tone dry.

"You are welcome." He grinned at me. "I am glad to add you to my collection."

"Your collection?"

"Oh, yes. I love women, you see. I love their softness, their complexities, their scents, and have decided to sample a woman of every color, race, and size."

"And it doesn't matter to you that some of these women might not desire you?"

"They may not desire me...at first." His grin widened. "I always change their minds."

"I don't want you," I gnashed out. "I want another."

The Targon merely shrugged. "You, too, will change your mind." He sounded so confident, so completely certain of my capitulation. Watching me through those too-amber, amused eyes, he renewed his path toward me. "I could begin changing your mind right now," he said, but he switched directions and stopped at a bureau. He lifted the white stone fruit bowl. Having searched it, I knew only small, azure spheres were inside.

I didn't move when he closed the distance between us, though my every instinct demanded I attack. He merely brushed past me. Our bare shoulders met, skin to skin, his surprisingly cool, mine hot with desperation to leave. He eased atop the mound of pillows. The scent of exotic spices followed him and lingered in the air. He leaned back, a.s.suming a lazy, seductive pose, and patted the seat beside him.

"Is this part of changing my mind?"

"So suspicious, little Raka." He popped a fruit into his mouth and chewed. "Alas no, this is a getting-to-know-you moment. If you prefer, we can jump ahead. I am not picky. Come to me."

I considered refusing his demand. I didn't want to get to know him better; I didn't want to sit next to him and play his silly game of seduction. The need to get to Lucius and the women intensified with every second that pa.s.sed. d.a.m.n it! I'd never felt more helpless.

"Come," Devyn said, his tone firmer and harder than before. The amused sparkle faded from his eyes, going flat with expectation.