the stream and swimming to the other side would slow him
down.
She rushed into the forest, her mind racing as she
compared the natural markers to the map of the Grab zone.
She realized how close she was to freedom. It spurred her
onward. Her entire body ached but she pushed through the
pain. Better to endure one night of discomfort than a
lifetime of misery with that monstrous man.
She burst through the tree line and spied the roped-off
area denoting the safe zone in the distance. Hope exploded
in her chest.
I’m going to make it!
In the next instant, all that hope was dashed.
Somehow, her would-be captor had caught up with her.
He grabbed her again, this time taking her to the ground
with finesse. His soaking-wet clothing hadn’t slowed him
down much.
Now the cold wetness seeped through her thin shirt and
shorts. She fought him every inch of the way to the grass.
Even when he pinned her smaller body beneath his, those
strong thighs clamped on either side of her waist, she
twisted and snarled. She tried to slap him but he was too
quick. He snatched her wrist and yanked her arm above
her head. He hastily secured her other wrist in the same
big hand.
When he leaned forward, she held her breath, certain he
was going to hit her. She’d heard the stories of their
brutality. After the way she’d fought him—and nearly won
—she supposed she’d probably wounded his pride. Eyes
closed, she waited for that first strike, certain the pain
would be unlike any she’d ever felt from her father’s fist.
But it never came. Instead, the most shocking and
unexpected thing happened.
He laughed.
Her eyes popped open at the rich, rough baritone. He’d
tossed back his head as he laughed, his neck elongated and
the smallest hint of a tattoo peeking out from his shirt
collar. When he gazed down at her again, it wasn’t with
derision or anger. It was amusement that glinted in those
pale-blue eyes. He stroked her cheek with his fingers, the
rough fabric of his black gloves rasping her skin. “My
god, but you were worth the chase.”
Hallie didn’t know what to say to that. He was glad
she’d almost beaten him?
“I’ve never felt more alive in my life,” he admitted. He
lowered his face until it was mere inches from hers. He
studied her intently. “You’re so beautiful.” Then with a
twitch of his lips, he added, “But I think you’re going to
cause me a great deal of trouble.”
“Let me go,” she begged.
“Never.”
“You don’t want me. I’m not the docile kind of woman
your people prefer.”
“Oh, I know.” His lips ghosted across her cheek.
“You’re exactly what I want, though.”
She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the strange heat
blossoming in her lower belly as his lips moved across
her skin. Keenly aware of his strength, she tried to remain
perfectly still. So far, he seemed amused with her. She
didn’t want to anger him.
“Look at me,” he ordered, his voice gruffer now.
She didn’t dare ignore him. He pulled something from
his pocket.
Hallie shuddered in revulsion at the sight of the simple
white collar with its silver latch. “No. Please.”
“Sh,” he whispered. His lips, surprisingly soft and
gentle, pressed against hers in a chaste kiss. She tried to
struggle beneath him but he was just too powerful. The
collar encircled her neck, not very tightly, and locked into
place. Silent tears dripped from her eyes and spilled onto
her cheeks as his lips hovered near her ear.
“Mine.”
Vicious had never known such excitement or happiness.
In all his life, moments of true joy had been few and
fleeting. He’d been born and bred for the hard life of a
soldier. From the earliest age, he’d experienced only
violence and austerity. Now, many years later, he’d finally
been given his reward.
And what a thing of beauty she was! He gazed at her
sweet face, her cheeks and ears still ruddy from exertion.
She had the softest brown eyes, their color reminiscent of
the alcoholic drink he sometimes enjoyed in the evenings.
She had nice curves and lean muscle. Her small breasts
strained against her damp shirt. He normally preferred
women with ample breasts and big hips but he decided he
liked this woman’s thinner frame just as well.
Those short legs of hers were something else! He’d
never seen a woman run so fast. She was small and lithe,
her movements so graceful and sure. Clearly she’d been
training for this. The uncertainty of the chase had excited
him. He’d been expecting a slow-moving race. He’d never
considered they would get more than a few hundred yards
into the woods, yet this little rabbit had evaded him for
nearly two miles. They’d long since left behind the other
participants.
Watching her leap over downed trees and hop from
boulder to boulder had reassured him that she was exactly
the kind of woman he needed. He’d experienced a great
deal of worry when she’d grabbed that rope to swing
across the stream like some kind of jungle creature. He’d
known real panic when he’d fallen. It wasn’t that he was
afraid he’d be hurt. He’d taken much worse falls in battle.
No, he’d been certain his mistake would make it easier for
her to reach the safe zone—and then what?
From the moment he’d first spied her, he’d known no
other woman would ever come close to surpassing her. He
couldn’t simply enter another Grab in another of the
planet’s villages or The City and find a different bride.
This little one was it, even though she was nothing like the
imaginary woman he’d conjured in his mind as a potential
target. He’d come to her planet, a place renowned for its
docile beauties, in search of a blonde-haired buxom
woman of a certain age.
Instead, he’d been ensnared by this dark-haired pixie.
Before the Grab began, the women chosen by the lottery
had been penned in the town square. The day’s race route
had been pasted to a kiosk there. She’d been the first
woman to leave the penned herd to study the boundaries
and find the safe zone. Unlike the handful of women who’d
joined her, she’d actually had plans in motion. The others
stared at the map in confusion and fear. Not this one,
though. He’d recognized the focused expression on her
face as one he and his comrades had often worn. She was
strategizing in much the same way he had when looking at
battle plans.
In that moment, he’d recognized her intelligence and
ingenuity. Choosing a bride by looks and from a distance
had its hazards. Most men picked a woman who was sexy
or attractive in some specific way and followed her into
the woods. For a man like Vicious, his needs were a bit
more complex. He could get a pretty face at any sky port
brothel. No, he needed a woman capable of breeding
strong, intelligent children, especially sons to fill the ranks
of the Harcos forces.
He’d always assumed a blonde woman close to his
height and in her late twenties to early thirties would be
his ideal mate. Instead, he’d claimed the absolute
opposite. He supposed there was no denying the call of
biology. Something in him recognized this dark-haired
sprite as his match.
Vicious fingered the collar he’d placed around her
neck.
Mine.
He’d never really owned anything in his life.
For the first time, he had something that was truly his
alone. No one could take her from him. No one could
touch her without his consent—and that would never be
given. Some men allowed their friends to share their mates
but not Vicious. This creature was precious to him. Her
body would know only the touch of his hands and his
mouth, just as he would know only hers from this moment
forward.
The tips of his black gloves slid through the shiny
wetness spreading across her cheeks. It pained him to see
her crying but he wasn’t surprised by it. Not all women
reacted with enthusiasm at being Grabbed. The lottery
system supporting the ritual made it difficult to weed out
the women who truly wanted to be here and the ones who
were forced.
As a warrior, he could understand the pain of being
conquered. Though he’d never been captured, he’d seen
the defeat in the eyes of the insurgents and even some of
the more primitive, monstrous aliens he’d bested. His
little mate, so brilliant and sweet, had fought so bravely
but lost to a superior opponent. There was no shame in
this, but she wasn’t battle hardened and didn’t understand
such things. He would allow her this moment of sadness.
He sat back on his heels and studied her small form. He
caressed her arms, his gloved hands gliding up and down
her sweat-slicked skin. The thin fabric of her shirt
bunched up around her shoulders as he swept his hands
along her arms. He wasn’t sure what to say that would
make her feel better. He’d claimed her and there was no
going back. “What’s your name?”
“Hallie.” Her voice wobbled. Her hands now free, she
wiped at her face. “And you?”
He wrapped some of her silky brown hair around his
fingers. She wore her hair a bit shorter than most women
on this planet, the wavy locks only reaching her shoulders.
“Vicious.”
“Oh god.”
Her eyes widened in terror. He tried not to chuckle at
her unfounded fear. The name he’d been given at his
pinning ceremony had been one bestowed upon him by the
staff of the military academy and wasn’t of his own
choosing. Every graduating class had a theme of names.
His year had been a particularly violent theme.
He touched her face again, his black gloves so stark
against her paler skin. “Don’t fear me, Hallie. I may be
vicious on the battlefield but you will never know that
side of me.”
She eyed him warily. She didn’t believe him. That much
was clear. Vicious vowed to show her that he could be
kind and gentle.
She worked up the courage to ask, “What happens
now?”
He reached down, grasped her by the waist and hauled
her off the ground. She stiffened when he draped her over
his shoulder but didn’t fight him. Her submission pleased
him greatly. He rubbed her lower back and settled his arm
across her thighs, clamping her in place as he carried her.
“We go home.”
Chapter Two
Hallie officially hated her new home. She struggled
against the cuffs holding her in place but it was futile. The
cold metal table under her back was just so hard and
unyielding. She tried to shift and find a more comfortable
position but it proved impossible. Resigned to her fate,
she let her limbs relax as much as possible.
After being allowed a quick five-minute shower, she’d
been placed on this table in a darkened room in his
quarters. A leather strap across her neck and another
across her waist restrained her to the table. The one at her
neck wasn’t very tight but the one across her waist had no
wiggle room left in it. Vicious had placed cuffs around her
ankles and wrists. Her arms were now secured straight out
to her sides. Her legs were up in the air. The ankle cuffs
had been attached to metal poles that could be raised and
lowered along the sides of the table.
She tried not to think about why she’d been placed in
this ridiculous position. Naked and vulnerable, she was
completely at the mercy of Vicious. Whatever he wanted
to do to her, she couldn’t fight him.
Vicious. What the hell kind of name was that? Wasn’t it
fitting? When he’d carried her back to the processing area,
everyone had given him a wide berth. She’d seen the looks
of fear in the eyes of her village councilors when they’d
seen the man who had caught her. She didn’t blame them.
One look at him and she wanted to cry.
Oh, he was handsome enough. She’d grudgingly admit
that to herself. He had the strangest blue eyes. That white
hair he wore so short seemed odd against his tanned skin.
He had a strong jaw and chiseled features. She supposed
his roguish good looks were some small comfort. It was
easier than being carted off by someone as ugly as