Stolen By Them: Read online

  Something banged against the walls and Raf shouted something in Trad, just before the ship turned to its side until the only thing keeping me in my chair was the seat belt.

  “Hold on!” Vuk shouted, but then we were facing down, things were flying through the air, bangs against the hull, sounds, screams, and darkness.

  This time, nobody was there to welcome me back to consciousness. Silence surrounded me as I slowly came to. My whole body ached but I was getting used to being in pain. There was no stabbing agony though and my mind was clear enough to think. That was good. I could work with that.

  The smell of smoke filled my nose, making me want to sneeze. I opened my eyes. Lights flashed all around, red and white, blinding me. I blinked and looked around. I was still on the bridge, but no longer in my chair. I’d been flung to the very front of the room, right where the screen touched the floor. Debris was all over the place, cables hanging from the ceiling, sparks flying. It was a miracle the place wasn’t burning yet.

  We were no longer flying, which meant we were either floating in space or we’d crashed onto something. Neither option sounded particularly appealing.

  With a groan, I turned and slowly pushed myself onto my knees. My body felt like one big bruise. “Vuk?” I asked but the smoke made me cough. The iron taste of blood filled my mouth. Hopefully I’d only bitten my tongue or cheek and this wasn’t coming from my lungs.

  “Raf?”

  No reply. I sat up to take in more of the room. There they were, still, unmoving. Raf was still in his chair, his head on his chest, blood all over his head. Vuk was on the floor closer to me, half of his body buried under debris.

  I dragged myself towards him until I was close enough to see his chest move. Thank goodness, he was still breathing. I grabbed his shoulder and shook.

  “Vuk! Wake up!”

  Nothing.

  Panic was starting to rise up in me. I was on a spaceship with two unconscious aliens. I had no idea where we were. I couldn’t fly this thing even if it was still functional. And there may still be Athions out there aiming to kill the Trads.

  Zut. That word totally fit the situation.

  Something banged against the hull. Probably another asteroid. So that meant we were still in space, floating aimlessly. It might only need one more space rock to completely destroy the Phoenix. I wished I’d stayed unconscious; that would have been a better death.

  Another bang.

  Voices.

  How could there be voices in space?

  Bang.

  The screen exploded into thousands of tiny shards, raining down on me like lethal raindrops. I covered my face with my arms, curling up to make myself less of a target. Pain erupted in my back as shard upon shard hit me.

  Through the pain, I dimly registered more bangs until the voices were suddenly loud and close by.

  “Don’t worry, we’ve come to rescue you.”

  I turned to see the dark blue Athion stepping through a hole in the wall. Light shone into the ship, sunlight. I blinked, my vision going foggy.

  He held up something metal, glinting in the light, and pointed it at Vuk. It took me too long to realise what it was, but when I did, I threw myself at Vuk’s prone body with the last strength I still possessed. Something hot hit my side just as I landed on the Trad.

  Pain exploded in me like fireworks.

  The last thing I felt was Vuk’s warm breath against my cheek.

  THE END

  Wren’s story continues in Guarded By Them, the second book in the Between Rebels trilogy.

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  About the Author

  Skye MacKinnon is a USA Today & International Bestselling Author whose books are filled with strong heroines who don't have to choose.

  She embraces her Scottishness with fantastical Scottish settings and a dash of mythology, no matter if she's writing about Celtic gods, cat shifters, or the streets of Edinburgh.

  When she's not typing away at her favourite cafe, Skye loves dried mango, as much exotic tea as she can squeeze into her cupboards, and being covered in pet hair by her two bunnies, Emma and Darwin.

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  Also By

  Find all of Skye’s books on her website, skyemackinnon.com, where you can also order signed paperbacks. Many of her books are also available as audiobooks.

  The Mars Diaries (Sci-fi RH linked to the Drowning series)

  Alone

  Hidden

  Found

  >> Box Set

  Catnip Assassins (urban fantasy reverse harem)

  Meow

  Scratch

  Purrr

  Hisss

  Lick

  Daughter of Winter Series (Paranormal reverse harem)

  Winter Princess

  Winter Heiress

  Winter Queen

  Winter Goddess

  >> Box set

  Mother of Gods (prequel)

  Demon’s Revenge (spin-off)

  Samhain Goddess (spin-off in an anthology)

  Seven Wardens (Paranormal RH co-written with Laura Greenwood)

  From the Deeps

  Into the Mists

  Beneath the Earth

  Within the Flames

  Above the Waves

  Under the Ice

  Rule the Dark

  Prequel: Beyond the Loch

  Spin-off: Through the Storms

  Claiming Her Bears (Post-apocalyptic bear shifter RH)

  Rescued by Bears

  Protected by Bears

  Craved by Bears

  >> Box set

  Between Rebels (sci-fi RH set in the Planet Athion shared world)

  Stolen By Them

  Guarded By Them

  Chosen By Them

  Defiance (contemporary dark RH)

  Abandoned Heart

  Broken Princess

  Stolen Soul

  Infernal Descent (paranormal RH based on Dante’s Inferno, co-written with Bea Paige)

  Hell’s Calling

  Hell’s Weeping

  Hell’s Burning

  Academy of Time (time travel academy standalones)

  Norsemen Academy

  Pandora’s Academy

  Highlander Academy

  Queen’s Academy

  Standalones

  Song of Souls – fairy tale retelling

  Their Hybrid – steampunk RH

  Highland Butterflies – lesbian romance

  Anthologies and Box Sets

  Hungry for More – charity cookbook

  Kilts and Kisses – a Skye MacKinnon starter library