I approached him and sank onto the pillows beside him.

"That's better," he said, reaching into the bowl and withdrawing a sphere. His stark white teeth sank into it, consuming half. "You will eat." When he attempted to slip the rest past my lips, I ripped it out of his hands and tossed it across the room.

I grabbed a piece of fruit without Targon germs and shoved it into my mouth. The sweet, sweet flavor made each of my taste buds shoot to life. I found myself reaching out for another.

He sighed, pieces of his amus.e.m.e.nt having returned. "We will have to work on your stubbornness. It is an honor to eat with the king, you know."

"I have to go back to Earth, Devyn."

"Thisis to be your home."

I leaned forward, beseeching with my eyes, my voice. "Please. Give me the necklace and take me back. I have a man, a mission, and Imust get back."

Devyn reached out and sifted my hair through his fingers. The gold strands were beautiful draped over his pale skin. "The man who was shot. Hunter, I think was his name. He is your man, yes?"

"Yes." I clenched the pillows, wadding the material between my fists. "How did you know?"

His huge shoulders lifted in a shrug. "The way you looked at him; the way he looked at you. I'm curious, though. If he is your man, why was he there to buy you?"

I ignored the question. "He's hurt. You saw Jonathan shoot him. I have to help him, get him medical care."

"He is not hurt, angel. He's dead."

Everything inside me frosted with ice. Cold, hard ice. Strong, vital Lucius was not dead. I would have known it, felt it. We were connected in a way that I didn't understand, but now accepted-and was grateful for. I could not, would not, believe he was dead. He possessed too much life, too much strength. He was indestructible.Please let him be indestructible.

"How do you know that?" I said softly, my jawbone so tight it could snap at any moment.

"I saw the blood just as you did. He is human, and humans cannot lose so much blood."

"Humans can survive with blood transfusions. That's why I have to get to him."

"If there was any life left inside him, EenLi would patch him up and sell him as a slave. This I promise you."

Yes, I thought, hope melting the ice. Ever the businessman, EenLi would not let a prime specimen like Lucius die when he could be bringing in a profit. "I cannot let him become a slave. Nor can I allow the other women who were imprisoned in that house to become slaves. I have to go back. I'll do anything you ask if you'll just take me back."

"What does this man give you that is so special, sodifferent from what I can give you?" Devyn's tone was hard.

"He's...mine." It was the only answer I had at the moment.

Hands fisted, he shoved angrily to his feet. He glared down at me. "I will not send you back, because I am not willing to give you up. I have had enough talk of dead men and enslaved women."

We'd see about that. He might be telekinetic, but perhaps if I worked quickly enough, I could defeat him. I kicked out my leg and connected with his ankles. He toppled backward, dropping the fruit bowl with a clang. Blue spheres scattered across the floor as I sprang on top of him, using my weight to cut off his air, my knee in his windpipe.

"I'll kill you if I remain here," I vowed.

Far from being intimidated, he grinned. "I see I will have to bring my guards back. I had hoped you would appreciate the privacy."

I fought a wave of defeat. "You aren't even winded, are you?"

"No." A wicked gleam flittered over his amused expression. "I can put you to sleep with only a blink of my eyes, and then I can do whatever I want to you."

I jerked back my elbow, making a fist along the way. As my hand flew closer to his face, his grin only grew wider...and the muscles in my arm stiffened completely, holding me in place before I ever reached his nose.

"I like your spirit," he said, the words laden with excitement. "You will be my finest possession."

I grated my teeth together so forcefully, I could have made powder. "Let me tell you something, Targon. I will never willingly give myself to you, and if you try and force me, I will carve you into little pieces and feed you to your people."

His lips dipped into a pout. "It will not be force. You are my slave-"

"Itwill be force. Hunter is the only lover I desire."

That angry spark lit once more in Devyn's tawny gaze. "You are my property, and I will not allow you to think of another man."

"I'll think of him and desire him and long for him for the rest of my life," I said, p.r.i.c.king his male pride. "Every time you touch me, I'll pretend it'shim. Thathe's the one giving me pleasure."

Growling low in his throat, he shoved me off him and jumped to his feet. I jumped up, as well, my arm muscles released from his spell. We faced off.

"You are more than you seem, Raka," he bit out, "and I admit I was beginning to like that. You have the courage of a warrior, but you are as foolish as every other woman, andthat I do not like. I am king here, and you will learn not to fan the flames of my anger."

"Please," I said then, desperate. How could I make him do what I wanted?

"Please what? Please touch you? Please be merciful?"

"Please send me home."

A heavy pause erupted, our breathing the only sound. Then he grabbed my hand and tugged me down a wide, open hallway, as white and pure and mocking as a virgin's bedsheets. At the far end was a bedroom, as open as the rest of the house and just as white. Pillows littered the floor, and a pool occupied the far end.

He tossed me onto the pillows. When my back hit, air whooshed from my lungs. I hopped up immediately, panting for breath.

"I told you not to ask to be returned again. And so, your training will begin now." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Training to do what?"

"Pleasure me, of course."

Chapter.

24.

Devyn's gaze remained locked with mine as he stripped out of his only clothing, the black kiltlike skirt. He posed before me wearing nothing more than a smug smile. His skin was pale. His dark hair hung around his shoulders in disarray. He made a striking picture, handsome and strong.

I wanted no part of him.

Unfortunately, he was determined to have every part of me.

My blood boiled at his arrogance and intentions, at his sheer selfishness, and I forced my energy to center. I would have to attack him; surprise would be my only avenue against this Targon. I drew in a deep, cleansing breath. Hold...hold...His attention deviated from me.

I was just about to pounce on him when I noticed the two naked alien women entering through the side doorway, one with thick, silky blue skin, the other with white skin-and five arms.

What was going on?

Devyn waved them over. "Come, ladies."

The first, the pretty, pale-skinned blonde with too many arms, clapped and giggled. The second, the exotic azure one, licked her lips. Both possessed lean bodies and sculpted muscles.

"Watch us," Devyn told me. "And learn."

My mouth almost dropped in shock. He didn't mean to rape me, but merely wanted me to watch how others pleased him? I shook my head, unsure I had heard him correctly.

"Do not think to leave, either, while I am distracted," he said, admonishment ripe in his tone.

In the next instant, my knees buckled of their own accord and I fell onto the pillows. My muscles froze in place. I tried to fight against the paralysis, to no avail. d.a.m.n him.

The two women reached him, eagerly scratching their hands over his body and leaving amber welts in their path. The five-armed woman was able to cover a lot of ground. Not even trying to be gentle, they nipped at his chest with their teeth, drawing little beads of gold blood. They pinched his nipples and tightly squeezed and pumped his erection.

The Targon groaned with rapture. His eyes closed.

This is it,I thought.My only chance. I couldn't move my body, but I could still move my spirit. I concentrated on a spot just beyond his shoulder, focusing my energy inward. I had to risk leaving my body vulnerable. This might be my only chance to find the necklace he'd used to send me here.

Soon my spirit broke from my body, leaving it cold, forgotten, and I was looking down at myself. My eyes were open, and I appeared to be watching the straining, writhing trio. Good. The only thing that gave me away was my blank, unmoving expression, but I doubted Professor s.e.x and his apprentices would notice.

There was no furniture in the room, nothing to search, so I abandoned it. I didn't know how long Targon s.e.x lasted, so I quickened my step. Thankfully, there were no closed doorways.

Devyn hadn't lied when he claimed he'd dismissed his guards. There were no males of any kind-that I could see-inside. There were only women, a handful of humans ranging in size and color, and all of them were naked.

Inside another bedroom, I searched a vanity. Found nothing. I came to a wooden chest. Searched and found nothing but s.e.x toys. Every piece of furniture, every knickknack I stumbled upon, I searched. And found nothing. My frustration grew with every second that pa.s.sed.

Finally, however, I came to a hallway that appeared different than the rest of the house. It was narrow and closed. At each section of the wall was an armed guard. This was it. I knew it. Felt it. The weapon-heavy men (also in kilts) stood sentry to whatever lay beyond the far door. In my spirit form, doors proved no obstacle. I brushed past the scantily clad man in front of the steel-like entrance. Where our bodies intertwined, I tingled. He must have felt it too, because he jumped.

"What was that?" he demanded, gripping his long, sharp blade. His narrowed gaze darted left and right.

"What?" the man next to him asked, stiffening.

Silence, then, "My mistake."

"Bracken," someone muttered. English translation: idiot.

I slipped through the door...and gasped. Inside the new room was what looked to be a doorway straight into the heavens. Black velvet sky, brilliant pinp.r.i.c.ks of stars. It swirled. Beckoned. Was it some type of portal? Did the Targons not need to wait for solar flares? I wanted so badly to touch the liquid, but resisted the temptation. For now, at least. I couldn't risk world travel without my physical body.

Besides, if itwas a portal, I could end up on a worse planet than Targon. I needed that necklace!

I looked around. Towering columns stretched to the domed ceiling, and white stone glistened all around me, leading up, up, up a staircase. At the top rested twelve pedestals. Curious and anxious, but most of all hopeful, I climbed the stairs. When I saw what lay inside each display case, I laughed. The necklace was here! I'd found it. Actually, I'd found eleven others, as well.

Each necklace boasted a different stone, though all were roughly the same size. Did the stone matter? I wondered. What if the stone held the magnetic force? What if the stone decided which planet to carry its wearer?

Which stone would take me to Earth?

I studied each. Blue, red, violet, green, amber. I paused, a memory surfacing. The amber stone had brought me here, which meant amber represented Targon. Nodding, I continued my search. Brown, gray...My attention abruptly returned to the brown, drinking in every detail. It was dull, a bit jagged, flat in color.

Devyn had worn it during the auction. Nearly jumping up and down with my exhilaration, I concentrated a ma.s.s of energy between my hands. The air soon swirled and sizzled, growing heavier, denser. My spirit, too, began to burn. Burn, burn. I grimaced, but didn't stop. When the air held sufficient weight, I used the cl.u.s.tered molecules to lift the necklace from its perch and hover between my hands.

Instantly alarms erupted.

I quickly guided the energy and necklace high above me, and prayed no one looked up. A legion of guards stormed the chamber. They raised spears and blades, and their gazes shot throughout the room. Thankfully, they couldn't see me.

I cast a longing glance to the dappled pool and raced out the open door, taking the path I'd traveled to get here. All the while, the necklace hovered above me. Along the way I must have navigated a wrong turn, because I didn't enter the room that held my body. d.a.m.n it! I raced onward, rushing into every room I found, rushing past the guards headed toward the necklace room.

Finally-thank G.o.d-I found my body. The king and women were gone, but my body was just where I'd left it. I entered quickly and discovered that my muscles were still frozen. The necklace fell from the air and landed on the pillow beside me. If I could move, I could escape amid the confusion. I could hide the necklace.

I just had to move!

I struggled and fought for what seemed an hour, all the while remaining immobile. The king at last remembered my presence and strode back into the room. His amber eyes were narrowed as he knelt in front of me.

"How did you do it?" he asked, the words stilted, halting.

Even my lips refused to move.

"Answer me," he growled.

I glared up at him and flicked my gaze to my mouth. Realizing I couldn't speak, he finally released me from the paralysis.

"Do what?" I scooted away from him. The action sent a sharp ache all the way through me.

"How did you steal the torque? My Earth torque is missing, woman, and only you have an interest in it."

"I've been right here." Hoping I appeared nonchalant, I covered the necklace with my b.u.t.t. "You saw to that. How could I have stolen anything?"

He reached out, intending to search me. I kicked his chest, and he stumbled backward a few feet. A mere second later, I found my arms and lower body frozen again. Dark fury exploded through my veins. I hated how easily he subdued me.

His hands roved over my every curve and hollow, but he found nothing. His frown deepening, he scooped me up and set me aside. That's when he saw the gold band. Scowling, he lifted it and shoved it in my face. "How did you get this?" When I remained silent, he added, "I didn't immobilize your mouth this time. Answer me."

A wave of helplessness joined my fury, swirling together in an escalating tempest. How could I win against such powerful telekinesis?

The answer hit me with the force of pyre-fire.

I couldn't fight him like this, but I could fight him another way. Vulnerability be d.a.m.ned. My lips twisted in an evil smile. "Why don't I show you?"

I centered quickly, and my spirit sprang from my body. In seconds, I was behind him. I focused energy between my hands, then shoved it at him, nailing him in the head. He crashed sideways, but fluidly jumped to his feet. Scowling, he spun away from my body and toward my spirit.

When he failed to see what had hit him, his eyes widened. "What's going on?"

Next I shot a burst of energy dead center between his legs, hitting his precious p.e.n.i.s with enough force to drop him to his knees, groaning in pain. He looked back at my body, then whipped back to search the center of the room.