Choosing Riley

Chapter 4-2

Riley twisted her hair back up into the ponytail where it had fallen loose again when she bent over to pick up some of the rocks that the men were breaking through. All five of the men had argued that she wasn’t supposed to work. She was just supposed to sit and watch as they worked. Like she could just sit around all day.

She was already bored out of her mind. So, she ignored all of them and did what she wanted, singing in an off-key voice the song from Snow White when the dwarfs were going off to work. Fred had soon joined her, gathering the rocks alongside her and muttering under his breath.

“So, how did you end up is this delightful s**t hole?” Riley asked as she dumped another pile of rocks into the bins used to haul it out.

“My older brother sold me to a trader,” Fred responded with a grunt as he pushed the large rock he was carrying into the bin. “He did not want me in his way.”

Riley paused in horror. “Why would he think you were in the way?” she asked as she walked back over to the ever-growing pile of rocks the men were creating. “Hell, even my sainted sister won’t sell me, no matter how much I piss her off, which is about every time I open my mouth.”

“I am the second oldest. My older brother is not good with our father’s business. I am very good, and my father decided I should take over instead of my older brother. He paid credits to some traders to take me. Now, I will die here,” he said, disgruntledly.

Riley stopped from where she was lifting another large rock. “Like hell you will! I’ll take care of you. You are not going to die in this s**t hole. We just have to escape,” she responded confidently. “Do you know how to fly one of those spaceships?”

“No,” Fred replied sadly before perking up. “But the cat warriors know how. They are known for their fighting skills, and their warships are renowned for their speed.”

“Cat warriors?” Riley asked as she walked back over and dumped the large rock in the bin with all the others.

“Yes, your mate is their king. I have heard about him. He is very scary. He kills those who defy him,” Fred said, struggling to lift a particularly large rock over the side.

Riley frowned as she bent to help him. Why the hell does he keep calling them the “cat” warriors? I thought they’re called Sara-something.

She stretched once the rock was in and rubbed her aching back. She was exhausted, and they had only been at it for about two hours. She really needed some coffee. A nice latte would be fabulous, right about now.

Fred must be mistaken, she thought as she looked over to where Vox, Lodar, and Tor were swinging the strangely shaped, curved pickaxes.

All three had muscles out the yin-yang, and their bodies glistened with sweat as they worked to clear another section of the cave. They didn’t talk while they worked. Bob was working on another section and appeared to be having problems holding the ax correctly because his pile of rocks was miniscule compared to the others. The Antrox guards were stationed at the different exits leading into the area they had been brought to and were ignoring them.

She turned back to study all three men carefully for a moment as they worked. Each had a different pattern of spots on his upper body that ran down his chest and back before disappearing under the low waist of his pants. She felt a shiver of apprehension run through her as she remembered their eyes. All three had similar eyes, but what caught her attention the most was that their pupils were slits instead of round like a human’s.

A bad feeling began to sink in as she noticed other differences. They had no problems seeing in the dim corridors. She would have walked into a wall or tripped a dozen times as they were marched deeper into the mine if it hadn’t been for Vox. They moved lightly on their feet just like the old cat she had when she was a kid.

Half the time she couldn’t even hear them walking. And Vox had roared like a wounded cat when she sprayed him with the pepper spray. He sounded a lot like that lion that came on before a movie from MGM studios. Other details came back as well. She remembered the way his chest rumbled when he was kissing her, as if he was purring.

“s**t!” she said as her eyes widened as the pieces fell into place.

Fred looked at her, puzzled. “You have need for the cleansing room? I can ask a guard to escort you if you have a need,” his left head said, looking at her in concern.

Riley looked down with dazed eyes at Fred. “Can they— Can they change into cats?” she asked in a hushed whisper.

Fred looked at her before turning one head to look at the three warriors working steadily. “Of course not,” he said, not understanding Riley’s sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness for that,” Riley murmured before Fred finished his sentence.

“The shock collars prevent them from shifting. But if the collars were to be removed, they could,” he finished with a twist of envy coloring his voice.

Riley’s sigh of relief turned to a gasp of horror. I am stuck in a freaking science fiction-shifter-romance novel nightmare!