Tina’s heart thundered as screams and smoke filled Deranti Station. The lights flickered as a spasm in her chest sent her into a coughing fit that left her bent over struggling to draw in a breath.

She looked left, then right at the intersection of corridors, before spinning in a circle. Everything looked the same. Which way should she go? Had she come from that corridor or that one?

She’d only been on the station for a week, and she’d only been doing her job for five days, which were five of the best days of her life. All her training, all the waiting to see if the Alliance would accept her, was it all down the drain?

It had been a dream come true when they’d accepted her as one of the first one hundred women allowed into space. She’d dreamed of studying aliens and working in a medical centre in space ever since she was ten years old.

Oh, come on! It was only one floor! Which way did she turn after lunch? Damn it, she should have paid more attention on the station tour the day she arrived.

Tina spun in a circle, again. The emergency stairs are—can’t see!

There wouldn’t be any pods left by the time she found them if she didn’t hurry. Every minute she spent trying to find her way, her heart pounded harder and her breath wheezed out.

Her soft-soled shoes squeaked on the shiny plate floor as she moved closer to the walls. It took until she almost had her nose pressed to the wall before she could make out the writing. Heat bloomed in her cheeks as she checked every wall. She must look so silly standing so close to the walls, but she continued until she found the one that led to the stairs. The small white lights at regular intervals imbedded in the centre of the floor acted as beacons to guide her way until the lights flickered again and went out.

Tina froze in the middle of the corridor. Oh god, no! She bit back a whimper. She hated the dark—it terrified her, ever since she was a kid. Unable to move, fear freezing her to the spot, she felt every breath rasp out of her, each one more painful than the last.

From the cries of the other residents of the station, it was clear nobody knew what was happening or who was attacking. Everyone was rushing for the escape pods, intent on saving themselves.

The emergency lights flicked on, not enough to completely light the corridor, but enough for Tina to see where she was going. All her concentration was focused on following the lights, so by the time she realised something was following her, it was too late to run. The heavy thudding footfalls and sharp click of claws of a much larger creature were right behind her.

Tina rushed forward, but in her haste to get away she tripped on her own feet and started to fall. Something grabbed her upper arms from behind and held her steady, startling a scream from her that echoed down the corridor. A hot humid breath blew across her cheek pulling a gasp from her.

“What are you?” A harsh voice growled in her ear.

“Human,” Tina replied as she tried to control the tremble that had started in her legs.

“From Earth?” The growling voice didn’t wait for her to respond. “You are a very long way from home, little female.”

Something hot and wet slicked up the side of Tina’s neck, leaving a damp trail behind and a shudder rocking her in the alien’s hands, and not the good kind of shudder. Ugh, how disgusting.

“What are you doing?” Tina demanded, but her voice came out sounding weak.

A cruel chuckle blew hot breath against the wet side of her neck. “Tasting you. Checking for compatibility.”

Steel shot down Tina’s back, snapping her spine straight. She’d had a very thorough briefing on compatibility. It was part of the study materials of every human allowed to leave Earth. Along with the briefing on compatibility, the Alliance of Federated Countries—Earth’s ruling body—explained that it frowned on sexual fraternisation with another species. They liked the idea of having a presence in space, and they valued the security of being part of the Coalition, but they didn’t want any little half humans running around the universe. Any child of mixed genetic material would never receive citizenship on Earth.

The human males who had been in space for the last fifty years had mostly avoided fathering half-breeds. One heard a rumour now and then, but there were no substantiated claims.

The men who came to the stars to work and experience something different returned home far better off financially than if they had stayed on Earth. For Tina, it was an opportunity to learn and have the freedom she was never allowed back home.

After years of careful planning, she had no intention of letting some alien ruin her future.

“Like fuck you are,” she said. “Let me go, asshat. I’m not interested in your compatibility.”

Another deep chuckle blew hot breath on her neck. “But I’m very interested in you, little female. You have a strong spirit, and you taste good.”

Another wet stroke up her neck made Tina shiver again. Not because she found the sensation pleasurable, but because the male left a wet, cold trail behind. Why did he keep doing that? She wasn’t a freaking lollipop.