Choosing Riley: Sarafin Warriors Book 1 by S. E. Smith

all the doors open. I
have to tell you, you’d better hurry. Those spaceship thingies are
really flying out of here fast. I don’t know if there are going to
be any left if you don’t get your asses up here now. Uh oh, I don’t
think those two know how to drive one. Oops, nope. They
didn’t.”
    Tor shuddered as the loud sound of screeching
could be heard followed by an explosion. “She must be in the
control room. Let’s get out of here!”
    Vox didn’t wait for his second-in-command to
repeat himself. He turned and took off as fast as he could. He
could hear Fred encouraging Bob to hurry. The little Tiliquian
could keep up with them but the Gelatian were not known for their
speed. Vox yelled out a tense order for Banu and Cross to stay with
Bob. The two warriors nodded, falling back to cover the large male
who was struggling to follow them.
    “Go,” Bob groaned out. “Go, I will remain
here.”
    “We have our orders, my friend,” Cross
laughed as he swung around to watch as a group of Antrox tried to
escape several former prisoners who were not in the mood to let
them go. “Besides, something tells me if you are not on board the
spaceship there is no way in Gods that we will get the female on
board it.”
    Bob thought of Riley’s beautiful sad eyes
last night and knew she didn’t plan on being on the same ship that
they were on. His huge body shuddered as determination swept
through him. She was a remarkable female! She had chosen him even
though she didn’t have to. She had befriended him and cared for him
when even the females of his own species wouldn’t have thought
twice about casting him aside for a stronger male. And, she had set
not just him and her other mates free but every prisoner on the
mining asteroid. If she could fight for what she wanted, could he
do any less for her?
    “I have a mate to get out of here,” Bob
mumbled out, picking up speed ever so slightly.
    The sound of an automated voice suddenly
sounded around them. “Self-destruct has been activated. Countdown
is set for ten-point-two-nine and counting. Evacuation of all
personnel is recommended immediately.”
    “Then, I suggest we do not let her wait, my
big green warrior,” chuckled Banu. “Onward to freedom before she
kills us all.”

Chapter 8
    Riley shot two guards the minute she exited
the medical unit. The leathery, red skinned healer had been coming
down the corridor from the control room. The second he saw her
shooting, he turned his wacky self around so fast he actually fell
down. Riley took off as fast as she could, pulling her big, pink
suitcase and shot his ass as he was entering the control room. She
had quickly disposed of him and the three guards inside. Normally
she would have had second thoughts about killing anything. Hell,
she was known for rescuing and nursing the injured lizards back
home before releasing them back into the wild. Since she had never
had to save a praying mantis before, she decided those miserable
creatures didn’t count and the healer was just too freaky to let
live. Those thoughts helped ease her conscious so she could
concentrate on trying to figure out what in the hell to do
next.
    “One of these days, girl,” she muttered out
loud to herself. “You are going to have an actual plan before you
start shooting.”
    Riley’s nose turned up in disgust as she
shoved the last of the dead bodies outside the door. There were
some things she could handle, being in a room with dead guys was
not one of them. She cursed again when she couldn’t figure out how
to close the door to the room so she stood back and shot the panel
out. Her loud moans filled the air when instead of closing, it
remained frozen opened.
    “Oh for crying out loud!” She groaned in
frustration. “It worked in the movies, damn it all to hell!” There
was nothing she could do about the door except shoot anything that
tried to come through it now.
    She turned and looked at all the lights
flashing on the console with a