Rogue Warriors of Lorr
Stolen by the Alien Prince Chapter 2

The hunky, purple-skinned alien continued to look at her as if he had just delivered divine wisdom, and she should be falling at his feet in awe of his intelligence and wit. Gianna held a breath tightly in her throat so it wouldn't come out as the world-weary sigh she so desperately wanted it to be. She barely refrained from rolling her eyes, knowing that either of these expressions would infuriate Kozien. She had serious doubts that anyone so self-absorbed could help to replace her brother. It looked like Kozien could only replace his own head because it was shoved so far up his a*s.

At least he'll never lose his head, so long as it stays there.

Gianna suppressed a giggle. Even though she was extremely worried about Gabe, she still had to think rationally, and this guy was not giving her the vibes she needed to put her trust in him.

He was talking loudly, making hand gestures as he stared right over her head as though he was taking direction from the ether itself. Gianna had stopped listening some time ago.

She couldn't help noticing how his muscles bulged beneath his smooth, violet skin. Every time he moved, he showed off firm, curved biceps or a flash of his broad, flexing pecs. His hands were beautiful and strong with long fingers. Kozien also had remarkably deep, shimmering violet eyes that seemed to have a hypnotizing draw if she looked too long.

So, I won't look too long.

"Are you listening to me?" he demanded suddenly. Kozien rapped his knuckles on the table as if he knew damn well she had not been listening.

"Of course," she responded, smiling. "Wouldn't miss a single word." Gianna was still trying to hold in the sigh, but by now it might have even become a yawn. "What was I saying?" Really?

"You were telling me that you are a much better seeker than your brothers." Gianna looked him right in the face so she didn't roll her eyes. She wasn't exactly sure he'd been talking about his brothers, but it had been a common theme so far and most likely a safe bet.

"I was," he muttered, narrowing his eyes as if he didn't believe her. "They are fools, really. Compared to me, they have no skill. I truly am the best man for this job."

Gianna stared at him and nodded, a little unnerved by the way his big, purple eyes were fixed on her. She was feeling an intense draw toward him, especially when he met her gaze like that.

I'm not on a fucking date. I'm here to hire a private investigator!

She was seriously beginning to wonder if Kozien could stop talking about himself long enough to see anything except his own superiority.

Or me. He seems to like looking at me.

Gianna shut those thoughts down. She wasn't here for romance. It was pretty clear Kozien was in a very serious relationship with himself anyway.

"I'm not saying it will be easy." Kozien made careful gestures with those lovely hands. "I'm actually saying quite the opposite. This is precisely why you need me. Given the types of creatures that hang out on Noxxa, it could take me a while." "That's definitely not what I want to hear," she muttered.

Kozien nodded, his expression serious. "I'm afraid anyone else you might think of hiring will tell you the same, but I can guarantee you, I will replace him. Others won't be able to give you such a guarantee."

Gianna narrowed her eyes. "How can you be so sure you will succeed where no one else can?"

Kozien straightened, practically puffing out his chest. She noticed the way he angled his head as he raised his chin, as if he was going to butt something with his curved horns.

"Because I am not like any of the others. I thrive in such dangerous conditions. I'm worth every single credit you don't have."

He was starting to grow rather cocky the longer they talked, and Gianna found she kind of liked it. Wait. No. No romance, Gianna!

"Normally, I'd charge a significant amount up front," he said, leaning forward and looking into her eyes. "I'm just that good at what I do. I know I can demand a high price. But, as you mentioned on the phone, I'm considering a little pro bono work. Just to help out the little guy and beef up business."

She knew he had seemed a little sympathetic at first, but the more he questioned her-and talked about himself-the more he was starting to sound like everyone else. She had already told him how she didn't want to fork her body over, yet he seemed to be implying something now.

"Thank you for seeing me." Gianna attempted to sound firm but polite. "I appreciate you taking the time to listen to my case. I'm not sure this is what I'm looking for, though."

Kozien narrowed his eyes, an expression of confusion dancing across his features. She didn't want to hang around and replace out what was behind that look. She was already sick of hearing him talk.

Gianna was wary of him, and the more she thought about it, the more she disliked the fact that he was a Lorr warrior. Those guys were known for getting things their own way, no matter what, and she didn't think anyone so arrogant could actually replace her brother. I have to get out of here without offending this big-headed, short-sighted fool!

Even with all his talk about loving the charity side of his work, Kozien was starting to get worried. As Gianna tried to back out of the deal, he knew she wouldn't be able to offer him anything. He had talked up the pro bono work, but he was starting to doubt himself, wondering how this would ever help business.

He struggled with himself, just a little. He should just let her walk away and replace a well-paying job that his brothers would respect. The thing was, she was just too enticing. No way could he let her go.

"So," Gianna was saying. "As much as I appreciate the meeting, I think I should go now."

"No," Kozien snapped. "Wait. You need me. I will replace him. I promise you that. Even though I'm doing this pro bono, I'll still replace him."

Gianna stared at him, her wide, dark-brown eyes regarding him with quiet stillness. Her expression was carefully controlled. He knew he hadn't convinced her, not yet.

"If you walk away from me, you'll never replace him," Kozien assured her. "I swear it. We're wasting time right now. Valuable time. He could be in terrible danger."

He saw something flash through her eyes, and he realized he had hit on one of her worst fears. A part of her was worried her brother was in real, mortal danger, and every second wasted could mean his life.

"Okay," she said hesitantly, "but I wasn't kidding that I don't have any credits to pay you."

Yes, he doubted she had any credits to give, and what few she had were too precious to waste.

"As you like," he nodded. This pretty much confirmed his suspicions that she couldn't pay. "Come and meet my brothers. They aren't necessary for the mission, but it's always good to have backup when you're heading into dangerous territory."

Kozien rose and headed out onto the street. Gianna followed, the late afternoon sun reflecting off her dark hair in ruby red glints. He couldn't take his eyes off her, and he knew his infatuation with her was a very bad sign.

I might be signing up to this for all the wrong reasons. It's not like I can help myself, though.

He found his brothers not far away at a different bar, which was far more reputable than the one where he'd met Gianna. Grux and Trigg were setting up to play a game with a group of other patrons, something to do with throwing darts at a nearby target. When they saw Kozien approach, they beckoned him over, but their faces fell when they realized the human was with him.

"Kozien, what are you doing with that human?" Grux muttered. "Come on inside and get ready to play against our friends here. We could use a third."

"No, no." Kozien held up his hands. "This is more important. Gianna, this lovely young lady, has a missing brother, and she would like to hire our services to replace him."

There was a moment of intense silence as Grux and Trigg looked between Kozien and Gianna's faces. Then they burst out laughing at the same time.

"Are you out of your mind, brother?" Grux cackled. "She can't pay. Even you can see that."

"No way am I working for free," Trigg wiped his eyes. "What the hell are you thinking? Don't waste our damn time."

Kozien fought to control himself as tension ran through his arms and shot up into his neck. He couldn't believe his brothers would dare to speak to him like that.

"It is a good mission," he muttered. They laughed even harder.

Gianna took a step back. Even though Kozien didn't blame her, he couldn't let her leave.

"Wait!" He spun and gently grabbed her arm. "Don't listen to them. I don't even need them. I was asking them simply to be polite."

Behind him, his brothers tried to regain control, but they couldn't stop chuckling. Kozien sighed and ignored them.

"If you are willing, Miss Clay, I can help you without them tagging along to slow me down."

He heard his brothers attempting to hold their giggles back, but they weren't doing a good job.

"I don't know," she muttered, her dark eyes full of confusion. He saw a lot of fear there, too. She was genuinely worried about her brother.

"Just you and me." Kozien pressed his fingers into her arm just a little. "No one else. I can do this, and I can do it far better on my own."

His brothers had settled down now, even though one of them still chuckled. Kozien could feel their eyes on him as they watched the action, no doubt ready to judge him and give him hell for his decisions, no matter which way it went. He may be their leader on paper, but they were his brothers and quick to jump on any perceived weakness.

"I..." Gianna looked around uncertainly and then back into Kozien's eyes. She focused on him, her mouth setting into a straight line.

"Just you and me?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Just us. No one else."

Even though she still didn't seem sure, he saw a look of determination cross her features. Gianna kept staring right at him as if she was blocking his brothers out of view.

"Okay," she said. "I really need to replace my brother. If you say you can do this, I believe you." Gianna reached out and took his hand, squeezing his fingers gently. "I trust you," she said. "I'll go with you-alone."

Kozien stared into her eyes, not quite believing what he just heard. He couldn't wait to be alone with this woman, and for the first time in his life, he wasn't bothered by what his brothers might say.

Gianna tilted her head a little and smiled at him. A flare of excitement lit in Kozien's belly, igniting his heart. This was turning out to be a very interesting day.