Kofi growled, diving towards the two bodies. Rocki screamed, gripping him as tight as she could. The man holding Aley turned, a snarl on his face when he saw the winged creature approaching. He ducked when Kofi reached for him, avoiding the outstretched hand ready to throw him off balance.

The brunette cried out as she almost fell from her flying captor's single-handed grip, scrambling to keep her hold tight against him. Don't fall. Don't fall. Don't fall.

"You're too late, valicaran," snapped an unfamiliar voice. Rocki whimpered as five more men jumped from Aley's apartment. They all had grey skin and tight black clothes. "Now give us the other girl."

"Never," snarled Kofi, tightening his one arm around her back. He held out his other hand and fired a blast of plasma-like substance at the band of unearthly people. They all dodged as the fire burned a black spot into the pavement. Each creature brandished their wrists, and a slew of blades came flying at Rocki and her captor.

She shrieked, clinging to him, as he dodged the razors that had come out of nowhere, glasses almost slipping from her face. He growled again, shooting another blast of whatever-it-was at them as he flew back. One of the other creatures was not swift enough to jump out of the way, taking the blow on his shoulder.

"You can't win, valicaran. Give it up, hand the sister over," said the creature holding Aley, who was wriggling in his arms, doing her best to make his job difficult.

The brunette stopped, however, when she heard his words. Her eyes met Rocki's for a split second as the opposing forces watched each other warily. "Rocki!" she screamed, beginning to struggle against him again. "Let me go, you—you—freak!" She kicked his kneecap, instinctively making the man flinch. She almost escaped in his moment of weakness, but he renewed his grip. The woman shrieked angrily.

Her captor grimaced beginning to back away. "Get the other girl," he said to his troops. "I'll secure her."

"Aley!" called Rocki, twisting in Kofi's arms as she reached out toward her sister. They were close enough to the ground she didn't think it would hurt her too badly to fall. "Put me down! I need to get my sister! Don't let them take her!" The man holding her sister tossed her over his shoulder and began running, stealing Aley farther and farther away with every moment.

The flying alien hesitated, undecided. While he contemplated, the band of other monsters threw another round of blades at him, one almost clipping his wing. With a snarl, he twisted around and flew away from their attackers. His wingbeats were heavy and desperate, carrying them quickly away from the battle.

"What are you doing?" Rocki cried. "I have to get Aley! Stop!"

"Sorry, blue eyes," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "It's more important that we have at least one of you rather than risk losing both. We will get your sister, just not now."

Rocki whimpered, holding on for dear life as they zipped over houses. "You have to take me home. I have to get Aley. Please." She tilted her head back, trying to get a look at his face to see if he would cave—not that she would be able to tell by his facial expressions since she wasn't the best at reading people. But even with her terrible reading skills, she could see he wasn't about to fold.

He glanced down at her. "Sorry, tiny." A blade soared past his head, startling both of them. He flipped around to shoot the plasma at their pursuers, wings heaving them higher into the sky. "Freaking sariuns," he muttered, black eyes watching them, ready for their next move.

They're too far away, Rocki thought, almost relaxing as she realized it. They can't hurt us all the way up here.

In rapid succession, each creature brandished the wrists, shooting a blade at Rocki and her winged companion one at a time instead of all at once. Despite his quick dodging, two of the blades pierced the bottom of a wing, making Kofi growl, although they didn't stick. He shot another plasma blast to warn them away and started flying again, flapping hard to take them higher and faster. A flurry of razors followed them, but none found their mark.

Soon, the aggressors were far behind, leaving Rocki with only her captor as he continued flying even with the wounds on his wing.

Finally, they approached a remote beach that was closed in by steep mountain walls. A bulky vehicle with wings was resting on the golden sand, its black form illuminated by the setting sun.

A ship, Rocki thought, staring at it as her kidnapper slowly circled the beach. He's taking me to his ship. Where are we going to go? She began wiggling as soon as they grew close to the sand, desperate to get away from him before he could drag her into the craft.

"Settle down, plasma blast," he muttered, holding her tighter as they landed. "You're going to be fine."

"Let me go!" she shouted, thinking that there were perhaps people around if there was a beach on the other side of the rock wall. "Help!"

He shrugged, opening his arms so she could stumble back. "There's no one around, sweet. No one is going to hear you." His voice was light, but the words were ominous to Rocki's ears.

There is no reason to believe him. He just doesn't want me to call for help. I wish I hadn't thrown my phone. What a stupid reflex. Rocki pushed her glasses up her nose, slowly backing away from her kidnapper while eyeing him carefully. Every instinct wanted her to turn and run, but if he was anything like an animal, quick movements would make him chase her. She hadn't seen any ramps or stairs, manmade or natural, when they swooped in, but she hadn't seen much of anything other than the ship, which still shone portentously behind the strange creature that had taken her.

Her eyes slid to each side of the walled-in beach while taking careful steps back, the sand sliding softly against her unshod feet. The rocks were bumpy, probably great for climbing, but Rocki had never attempted rock climbing in her life, and her kidnapper could fly so he would be able to grab her before she got too far up.

Flying makes him so much faster. She eyed his dragon-like wings. He grinned, stretching them out for her to see, then winced. He is still injured. It didn't seem to be bothering him before, but maybe that was adrenaline. Can he fly now? My only two options seem to be to run for the water or the cliff behind me. The water goes right past him and his ship, which makes it a more dangerous option, but there is always the chance he is averse to water. The cliff is closer, but I have no idea if it will have any way for me to quickly get to the top. There might be a tunnel or an opening to another beach back there though.

While he glanced at his hurt wing, she took the opportunity to look at the wall behind her. It was still about fifty feet back and looked as sheer as the other two. No openings that she could see.

I don't have anywhere to go. Her heart sank, causing a nauseating feeling in her stomach. Her stomach ... She had to steel herself from putting a hand over it. He doesn't need to know there will be three of us on this trip.

"As much as I would like to give you more time, precious, I really have to get you home," Kofi said, taking a step toward her.

Rocki jumped back. Home? No... his home. Not mine. "Don't pick me up again," she said, watching him carefully.

He shrugged. "I won't have to if you get on the ship yourself." He drew a remote from one of the several pockets his tan pants had and pressed a button, opening the ship. He gestured towards it like it was the most luxurious pleasure trip Rocki would ever take rather than an accessory to kidnapping.

Her blue eyes flickered to the sea. Just pretend to go onto the ship peacefully, then make a break for the ocean. I can only pray he dislikes water. She slowly walked towards the ship, edging around Kofi. Her feet relished the familiar feeling of warm sand between her toes. I hope this isn't the last time I feel it.

The creature fell in just a touch behind her, putting his hand on her lower back. Rocki pushed it away, expecting him to be peeved, but he only chuckled under his breath. She wouldn't have wanted to risk his wrath, but his hand on her back could potentially make it easier for him to grab her when she made a break for it.

She waited until she was just a few steps away from entering the craft, then broke into a run, dashing towards the ocean with her feet kicking up sand. Kofi made a surprised noise, then took off after her, but he wasn't quick enough to catch her before she plunged into the sea, making tremendous splashes as she struggled through the water. When it was deep enough, she submerged her body and started swimming, finding it faster than wading through the small waves. She had been swimming her entire life, so every stroke came naturally as she set farther out, although her sight was impaired as her glasses got splashed with the salty water.

But even with her familiarity with the water, she wasn't fast enough. It didn't take long for Kofi to fly overhead and pluck her out of the water by her armpits. "Come on, baby. I promise it's not as bad as it seems."

"Put me down!" she demanded as he flew her back to the ship.

"I wish I could—you're all wet." He made a disgusted noise as they landed in front of the open ship, and he adjusted her body to be pressed against his more securely. "But I can't let you get away. You're entirely too valuable." He picked her up, so her feet hovered a few inches above the ground, and hauled her into the ship despite her struggling.

"No!" There was very little she could do as they boarded. With her feet dangling, she couldn't scramble to make him stop or try to break away, so she resorted to wiggling and slapping whatever parts of him were within her reach, even kicking him a few times. Her glasses almost fell off, but she pushed them back up, elbowing him in the arm in the process. There is still a chance someone is around and can hear us. "Help me! Somebody please help!"

Kofi huffed, slamming a button to bring up the ramp and shut the entrance behind them as he dragged her further into the ship.

"No!" Rocki twisted sharply, almost succeeding in getting out of his grasp.

"Listen," he grunted. "As much as I like having you twisting in my arms, you need to settle down." He flung her into a chair, placing his hands on the armrests as he leaned over her.

Rocki met his gaze for a moment, heart violently beating inside her. How can I get out of this? Her eyes shifted around, searching for anything that would assist her as her mind worked overtime processing hundreds of different thoughts about escape and captivity. Kick him—Find the button—Everything is black—Where is—right in the shin—Protect the baby—I can't let him—Don't just—Take care—get away with—Punch him—baby—sit like a hobbledehoy—I can't—I have to—How to—

"Hey. Eyes here, tiny." He tapped the side of her glasses, grabbing her attention. Her mind briefly considered surging out of the chair now that his arm wasn't blocking the way, but he put it back on the rest before she could process the idea properly. "You have to stay in this seat, understand? No wandering the cabin, or I'll make you sit on my lap the whole way. Not that I would mind, but, you know, fair warning." He grinned, then locked her into the seat via two crisscrossing straps that came from the shoulder of the chair. He patted her leg before walking up to what appeared to be the captain's seat and sitting down.

There isn't an escape, her mind whispered. Even if I get out of this ship before he can grab me again, there is nowhere to go. He's too fast. If I try to escape again, I might make him angry, and that's worse than... whatever mood he's in now. I need to appease him, keep him happy with me, and escape when I find a better opportunity. She gripped the armrests tightly when the ship started with a loud purr that made her heart jump. But what if he's an alien? What if he's taking me away from Earth? He said, 'you're going to help me save my planet.' He didn't say Earth. He didn't say 'our planet.' If we go off world ... how will I get home? She shivered. I'll just have to figure something out. You're smart, Rocki. Use your mind, not your emotions.

"Here we go," said Kofi as the ship started to rise. "You had better hang on, lammta."

Her long, clean, nails dug into the soft fabric of the armrests as she tensed for whatever the ship may do next. The aircraft continued to rise until it was well above the beach and rocky walls, then began moving forward and upward, slowly gaining acceleration as they rose over the ocean and into the sky.

Rocki was pushed into her seat by gravity, chest heaving as they shot upward. She had flown in planes before to visit Oregon, her parents' home state, but it wasn't the same as taking off in an alien spacecraft, unsure of whether she would survive or not. She had confidence in the statistics that show just how few airplanes crashed, but there were no numbers for surviving space travel in an unknown ship. She didn't even know if he had oxygen for her to breath.

A thought invaded all the others that were screaming in her mind, rising above the rest to dominate her brain space. Is it safe to be pregnant while in space?!