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  Taken by the Alien Rebel

  Zocrone of the Seven Galaxies, Book 4

  By Sloane Meyers

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Similarities to actual people or events are entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 by Sloane Meyers. All rights reserved.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Thank You For Reading!

  More Books by Sloane Meyers

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  The world around Toryx Keizer was dying. He only had to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the third floor conference room to see that. Where the view had once been thick, lush rainforest in every hue of green imaginable, shades of brown were creeping in. The once thick foliage had become sparse, and the once plentiful flowers had dried up and withered away. The birds that used to fly about merrily sat forlornly on the branches of trees, as if afraid to fly and waste a single drop of energy. With no end in sight to Zocrone’s severe drought, the once beautiful domed city had become a somber place.

  And perhaps the most somber place of all was right here in this conference room. Daxar, the Chief of Zocrone, stood in front of a large computer screen that was embedded into the wall. On the computer screen was a map of Zocrone, showing all of the water storage facilities inside the city, and how much water each storage facility had left.

  The news was dire. Even though the city had been under strict water rationing and preservation protocols for the last several months, the water reserves were dwindling at an alarming rate. If the windstorms on Zocrone didn’t let up soon and allow supply deliveries to be made, the whole city faced death from a lack of water.

  “The storms have to let up soon,” Nova said, crossing her arms and shaking her head in disgust at the map.

  No one answered her. No one had to. Everyone in the room knew that there was no guarantee that the storms would let up before the water ran out. Toryx glanced out the window again, furrowing his blue-skinned brow. Like all Zocronians, he had deep blue skin with a ridged forehead, and when he was worried the ridges in his forehead deepened even more. His fog gray eyes darkened slightly with anger as he looked at his dying homeland.

  Someone had to do something.

  “We have to attempt to send out a supply ship!” Toryx said suddenly, banging his big blue fist on the table. Beside him, his friend Kromin jumped, startled by the loud noise the fist had made. All around the room, all eyes turned to him. Daxar, Kromin, and Jarmuk—the other Zocronians in the room—all crossed their big blue arms. The four humans—Nova, Maisie, Anya and Evie—didn’t have blue skin of course. But they all crossed their arms and managed to look just as exasperated with him as the others.

  “Trying to fly a ship out of here would be a suicide mission,” Evie said, fixing her steel blue eyes on Toryx.

  Nova nodded. “Evie would know. Trust me. She’s flown through some serious shit.”

  Toryx scowled at Nova and then at Evie. Evie had been the navigator of the Starburst, the humans’ ship that had crash landed on the planet of Zocrone a few years ago. The whole crew of the Starburst should have died, but thanks to Evie’s superior piloting skills they had survived. Evie had become well-known in Zocrone as someone who was willing to fly through horrible storms that no other pilot would dare to attempt, so the fact that even she thought it was too dangerous to leave Zocrone right now was saying something.

  Still, something had to be done. If the Zocronians kept doing nothing and just hoping for the storms to subside, they were going to slowly die off from lack of water. It had been too long, and the storms showed no signs of stopping.

  “Staying here is a suicide mission,” Toryx said, crossing his arms and looking back at the group just as defiantly as they were looking at him. “If we don’t get more water and food soon, our weakest citizens will start to die off. It won’t be long after that that even the strongest of us will start to succumb to the effects of dehydration. We might as well try. It could work. And if it doesn’t, at least we died trying instead of sitting here and slowly fading away.”

  Daxar let out a long, frustrated sigh. “Are you volunteering to fly out, Toryx? Be realistic. I can’t order any of our military guys to fly into certain death, so unless you’re willing to risk your own life, there’s no chance of any flights going out of here.”

  Toryx felt a rush of anger bubbling up from his core. He and Daxar had been good friends since they were kids, but right now he wasn’t feeling very friendly toward his Chief. He glared at the big blue alien, his own dark eyes locking with Daxar’s. “Yes, I’m volunteering. You should know me well enough to know that I’m not afraid to die. Give me a ship and a pilot and I’ll make the supply run.”

  Daxar sighed again, even more impatiently this time. “No. I’m not going to do it. I’m not risking a pilot’s life, even if they wanted to go. And I’m not risking your life.”

  Toryx had had enough. He stood and once more banged his fist on the table. “Then you’re risking all of our lives. Don’t you get it?”

  He pointed an accusing finger at Daxar, letting his finger spikes slide out for emphasis. Zocronians all had spikes on their fingers and tails, but those spikes were normally kept retracted unless a Zocronian was angry.

  Toryx was angry. Very angry. He’d sat through too many of these pointless meetings, discussing to death what Zocrone’s options were. The conversations always went around in the same circles until everyone decided that the only thing to do was to wait for the storms to subside.

  But Toryx was tired of waiting. The storms hadn’t subsided, and they showed no signs of doing so anytime soon. If his hometown was going to survive, he was going to have to take matters into his own hands.

  And as he stormed out of the conference room without another word to his chief, that was exactly what he planned to do.

  He just had to figure out how to convince a pilot to join him on his reckless quest.

  Chapter Two

  Evie bid the rest of the group goodbye and left the city center to start the long walk home. No one in Zocrone used motorized vehicles for transportation, at least not here. There were some vehicles over in the industrial sector, but in the main areas of the city, where people lived and spent most of their time, vehicles weren’t allowed. This was in an attempt to preserve the beauty of Zocrone’s rainforest, but right now that beauty was fading quickly, despite the lack of vehicles.

  Evie looked up at the thinning trees overhead. When she’d first moved to Zocrone, she’d been impressed with how lush the city could be inside this Dome when the planet outside was so inhospitable to life. The planet of Zocrone itself was a stormy wasteland. It never rained, and the temperatures and oxygen levels outside weren’t enough to sustain life in any form.

  But the Zocronians were a hardy, innovative bunch of aliens. They had built a huge, climate-controlled dome on the planet, and all of the Zocronians lived inside that Dome. The Dome served as a giant greenhouse, and the city had boasted one of the most beautiful rainforests in the Seven Galaxies, despite the fact that none of the plants or animals inside the Dome were native to Zocrone, or would have had any hope of surviving outside.

  Since rain never fell on Z
ocrone, and there were no naturally occurring lakes or rivers, the Zocronians relied on outside shipments of water to replenish their City Dome’s supply. The supply runs could not be made as frequently during the heavy stormy season, but ordinarily that was okay. The Zocronians had ample water reserves and sophisticated water preservation techniques.

  But this year, for unknown reasons, the stormy season had come earlier than normal, and it had come on with a vengeance. Not only that, but it had lasted far longer than it usually did. The storms had been so unrelenting that no supply runs could be made, and with every day that passed, the Zocronians lost a little bit more hope that they and their city could be saved.

  Evie paused in her walk and took a deep, shuddering breath. Had she been rescued from her crashed ship all those years ago only to die here of dehydration? That was looking like more of a possibility every day.

  Part of her thought that perhaps Toryx was right. Perhaps something drastic should be attempted, even if lives were lost in the process. Wasn’t attempting to rescue the planet better than sitting around and waiting to die?

  Evie rubbed her forehead, then glanced back through the trees. She could still see the city center in the distance behind her, and for one crazy moment she considered going back and telling Daxar that she agreed with Toryx.

  But that moment passed quickly, and she turned to start walking home once again. She had no real clout here. She was known as a good pilot, yes. But Nova had married Daxar, the Chief. Maisie had married Jarmuk, and the two of them were heroes in Zocrone for their work in saving some miners that had been stranded outside the Dome on Zocrone’s hostile open planet. And of course, there were Kromin and Anya, who were also married and together were the two most prestigious doctors in the city. All three couples had kids now, the first Zocronian-Human hybrids known in the Seven Galaxies, which had brought them another level of fame.

  And Evie?

  I’m just a has-been. A washed up pilot who spends my days pacing inside this Dome like a caged animal.

  “That’s an awfully big frown for someone who just got her way in a meeting with the Chief.”

  Startled by the voice that was suddenly talking to her, Evie whirled around to try to see where it was coming from. How had someone snuck up on her? Her instincts were getting soft. Back in the old days, when she worked as an intergalactic smuggler, no one would have ever startled her. But here on Zocrone, she had little to fear, and so she had stopped paying attention to her surroundings like she used to.

  “Over here,” the voice said with a chuckle.

  Evie whirled to her left, realizing that she’d completely misjudged and thought the voice was coming from her right. She felt embarrassed, and that embarrassment only grew when she saw who the voice belonged to: Toryx Keizer.

  The giant blue alien had barely stepped out of the shadows enough for Evie to see his face, but he had scars across his cheeks that were easily recognizable—traces of a vicious monkey attack he’d suffered nearly a full year ago. He could have had the scars fixed up with plastic surgery, but he preferred to leave them there, saying they reminded him of how lucky he was to be alive. Evie thought the scars made him look edgy and sexy, not that she ever would have told him that. His ego didn’t need any boosting, as far as she could tell.

  “Toryx? What are you doing out here?”

  “Out where? In the dying woods, you mean? Where else should I be? At home, in my apartment that has no water? I’d prefer to at least spend my time outside while I waste away to a slow death.”

  Evie sighed. “Daxar is doing the best he can, you know.”

  “Bullshit.” Toryx stepped out of the forest and onto the path.

  Evie almost laughed at the fact that he’d used the human expression of “bullshit.” The humans had been hanging out with the Zocronians long enough now that the aliens were starting to pick up some of their swear words. Of course, Evie had picked up some Zocronian expressions as well. She was much likelier these day to say “Oh sludge!” than “Oh fuck.” The realization made her both happy and a little bit sad. She had a home now, but was that what she wanted? She had never planned to settle down, and she was beginning to think that being settled and sitting in one place all the time was too boring for her.

  Toryx stepped in front of her, blocking her way with his giant, muscular body. He was wearing a colorful green shirt and loose black pants. His dark hair was a bit of a mess, but it looked strangely alluring as it stuck out every which way. Evie could have admired him all day, if not for the fact that he could be so horribly obnoxious. Why did bad manners always seem to accompany good looks in men?

  “What is Dax supposed to do? Send people to their deaths? I know you don’t agree with his decisions, but you can’t say he doesn’t have a point.”

  Toryx rolled his eyes, then raised a rolled up Nivetta leaf to his mouth. The Nivetta leaf was smoking slightly, and Toryx took a big inhale before blowing a cloud of smoke out in Evie’s face. Evie made a conscious effort not to cough, choosing instead to glare at Toryx. She wasn’t going to show any weakness to him, especially not over a little Nivetta leaf smoke.

  Truth be told, she wouldn’t mind smoking a bit of Nivetta leaf herself. The plant was a popular vice in Zocrone. Evie had smoked her fair share of things—both legal and illegal—and Nivetta leaf had proven to be one of her favorites. It was a mild relaxant that didn’t do too much damage to a user’s lungs. Evie could really use a little relaxation right now. The morning had been stressful, and Toryx seemed determined to make it even more stressful.

  As if Toryx sensed what Evie was thinking, he grinned at her and handed the Nivetta leaf over. “Want a drag?”

  For a split second, Evie considered declining. But then she shrugged and nodded. She did want a drag, and denying that wouldn’t prove anything to Toryx. Besides, at the end of the day they were both still on the same team. They both wanted to save Zocrone, even if they didn’t exactly agree on how to do that.

  “Walk with me,” Toryx said, turning to head down the path.

  Evie frowned, wanting to ask where he was going and why she should walk with him. But then she just shrugged and nodded again. She didn’t have much to do these days, since her job as a pilot was on indefinite hold until it was possible for spacecraft to fly outside the Dome once more. Why not walk with Toryx and kill some time? Especially if it meant she got to share his Nivetta leaf for free. That shit was expensive.

  After they walked about a minute in silence, Toryx finally spoke. “Don’t you ever get tired of just sitting around?”

  Evie raised an eyebrow at him. “I think everyone in Zocrone is tired of sitting around at this point.”

  But Toryx shook his head. “I’m not asking about everyone. I’m asking about you. You went from part of this crazy intergalactic smuggling crew to sitting here on a planet drinking tea and whining about the weather. Doesn’t that bother you?”

  Evie gave Toryx a sharp look that said she didn’t appreciate being relegated to some tea-drinking bore, but she didn’t actually say anything.

  What could she say, really? He was right. She used to be part of smuggling operations that required her to face danger on a daily basis. She had to constantly be alert, and the thrill of getting away with dangerous missions had kept her in a constant state of high adrenaline. Now, the most exciting thing she did was get angry enough in a meeting to cross her arms and glare at someone. Toryx had a point.

  Evie let out her breath in a long, tired sigh. “What do you want from me, Toryx? I’m not going to try to pressure the Chief into ordering people off on a suicide missions, and if you’re trying to get me to do that, you’re wasting your time.”

  Toryx laughed, grabbing the Nivetta leaf from her and taking a long drag before handing it back to her. “Calm down, human. I’m not trying to get you to change Daxar’s mind. I’m trying to change your mind.”

  Evie frowned at him in confusion. “I’m not following you.”

  He stopped walking and
turned to face her, his fog gray eyes suddenly serious, and his deep blue forehead furrowing into a thoughtful, earnest expression. “Do a supply run with me.”

  Evie choked mid-puff, her lungs filling with too much Nivetta leaf smoke all at once. After a few coughs to catch her breath, she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t have a death wish.”

  She’d always liked Toryx, but the drought seemed to be making him lose his marbles a bit. How many times did he have to be told that a supply run would mean certain death for whoever attempted it?

  But when Toryx stopped walking and turned to look at her, he didn’t look like a man who had gone crazy. He looked like a man who had made a serious decision after thinking long and hard about it. His expression was earnest, and his long blue tail flicked back and forth behind him with its spikes sticking out. He was in full-on survival mode, ready to fight for himself and his people.

  For a moment, Evie could only think about how sexy he looked in that moment. She had always been a sucker for the strong, defiant type, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen anyone look as strong and defiant as Toryx looked right then.

  But the moment passed quickly. Toryx was admittedly one of the best looking aliens Evie had ever seen. In fact he was probably the best looking alien Evie had ever seen, with his sexy appearance only made better by his scars. But Evie wasn’t looking for a man right now. Not when simple survival and making it through this deadly stormy season was top priority.

  Besides, even if she had been looking for a man, she would have preferred to find a guy who wasn’t constantly insisting on bucking the Chief’s orders to fly into a deathtrap of a storm.

  Toryx, however, didn’t look like he had plans to back down.

  “It’s not that I have a death wish,” the big blue alien said. “It’s that I have a wish to live. It’s like I told Dax in the meeting. We can sit around and die slowly, doing nothing. Or we can attempt a brave flight out. I’d rather die trying to save the planet than sitting around. And I think, if you really stop and think about this, you’d feel the same.”