Rogue Warriors of Lorr
Stolen by the Alien Prince Chapter 1

Gianna had paced for more than forty minutes. Back and forth, she walked in front of her bed, clutchi She'd run across it when walking by the marquee that held the farmers market. She had been trying to Reading the words of the investigation service, she scoffed. She couldn't afford the price of hiring a p staring at the flier, nibbling her lower lip.

She didn't have the money to hire anyone to replace her brother. Heck, she didn't have much to her name So, she had entered the open space and walked toward the bulletin board in the back. In the mess of Gianna surveyed the shop before she slipped back out to the streets. Suddenly, she felt a little hope t She had walked home and, upon arriving, had the urge to call the number. She had clutched the card But she couldn't.

Instead, she paced back and forth in front of her bed as she second-guessed whether she should call She typed out the number and quickly hit call before she could stop herself. She stopped pacing as it "This is PAPS private investigation service. Kozien speaking. How may I help you?"

Gianna stood frozen, unable to answer. She opened her mouth but snapped it shut when she realized wanted to do for free?

ittle card in her fingers like her life depended on not letting go.

er brother and was scanning the area. She didn't expect her eyes to land on the little flier taped to the tent. nvestigator. She was going to walk away until she noticed the bold letters right below it that read PRO BONO in all caps. She stood an extra few seconds

But she needed help, and if it was pro bono, she wasn't saying no. She'd beg if necessary.

nd cards tacked to the wall, she found the same one from out front and grabbed a card with the name and number of the investigative service. had a possibility of replaceing her missing brother.

was gold the entire way, so it was only natural she made the call.

It was odd to replace a flier with an offer like this. She knew that, yet it had to be true. She prayed it was true. nce. Twice. Three times.

in't know what to say. How did she make herself sound trustworthy enough for this person to believe her? How did she make herself sound like a case he

"Hello?" The man on the other end spoke up again, causing Gianna to sputter for something to say. "Hello," she said too loudly. "Yes, I'm, um..." She looked down at the card, quickly searching for the right words. "My name is Gianna, and I just found your flier out at the marquee. Where they have the local farmer's market?" She wet her lips, "and it said pro bono below it." The ensuing pause made her wonder if he had hung up. She glanced at her phone, seeing that the call was still connected. "I called the right number. Right?"

"Yes," he grumbled. "Yes, you did. Sorry, you caught me at an odd time. Yes, we certainly can do that. Can't miss it."

Gianna nodded, a smile bursting over her lips. "Yes, that's perfect. I'll see you then."

"Sounds good. I'll wait for you in the back corner."

nk that this would be better if we talked in person. Could you meet up, say Thursday at Stardust at three? It's on the corner across from the farmers market.

She nodded again, ending the call. A burst of happiness hit her, and she squealed. She was one step closer to getting her life back on track, and that's what mattered.

Three days later, Gianna went down to Stardust. She entered the small bar, taken aback at the place's busyness. She shook it off, wanting to hold on to her happiness. She was a step closer to replaceing her brother. All she had to do was convince this person to take her

case.

She stood by the entrance for a moment, looking over the crowd. She tried to envision what the man would look like by his voice, but she knew voices could be deceiving. She lived on a planet with aliens, after all.

But her eyes landed on a person sitting in the back, away from the crowd, and she suddenly knew that was her guy. And to her surprise, he wasn't at all how she thought he'd look.

He was a Darzios alien, indicated by his violet skin color and bulkier build. Scales covered his body, catching her attention. They were eye-grabbing for sure.

Ram horns curled out from his dark silver hair, and his bright purple eyes scanned the room. His aura certainly demanded attention, and several people were glancing at him as he sat there.

She felt intimidated, too scared to approach him, but at the same time, her legs moved on their own. She strode up to his table, watching as his gaze landed on her.

She swallowed and tried to harden her voice. "Hello." She held her hand out. "I'm Gianna, and I called you for the meeting today."

His eyes took her in before he shook her hand, and she felt her body grow intensely hot.

She slid into the chair opposite of him and crossed her legs, feeling like the air had been kicked out from under her. She didn't know what it was, but the way his eyes bored into her twisted her up inside in a way she never thought possible. Kozien Lorrz was sure he was seeing things wrong. The person he talked to the other night didn't match the girl standing in front of him. On the phone, she sounded strong and confident, but she was only a fragile human.

Yet, when she spoke, her voice sparked something deep inside Kozien, setting his entire body aflame. His heart ached like someone had grabbed hold of it and ripped it to shreds.

"Hello, I'm Gianna." She held her hand out, giving him a bright smile. "And I called you for the meeting today."

He blinked, feeling all the air kicked out of his lungs. He couldn't speak, so he pointed toward the chair opposite him.

She slid into it, giving him a bright smile as she set down her purse. She stared at him, taking a deep breath before she started talking once more. "Thank you for agreeing to even hear me out. I honestly expected you to hang up when I called. That's what people would normally do."

All her words went straight over his head. Kozien didn't understand what the hell was going on with him. He was flustered, and he didn't get flustered, certainly not by someone like her.

She was the plain Jane everyone saw on the streets, pale from lack of sun with freckles that littered her face. Her regular brown hair ran long past her shoulders. She was taller than the average girl with a little more curve to her body-ample breasts, a tapered waist and flared hips that he ached to grab as he-

He mentally shook his head and dashed away that line of thinking.

Honestly, he could have seen her a million times and never would have guessed it, yet staring at her now, he felt he was in the presence of a goddess. She was making his heart skip a beat.

Her hair seemed brighter, auburn even in the low lights of the bar. Her freckles were perfectly placed dots that made her brown eyes pop. They also made her face light up when she smiled.

And her outfit. God, no one could wear a plain shirt and jeans and make them look like they were spun from gold. She'd caught his attention as soon as she entered the bar.

Kozien shook his head, realizing he hadn't said anything since she sat down. He looked like an idiot.

"Well, sorry to hear that. People are assholes sometimes. How about you tell me a little about the person you're looking for to kick this off."

"My brother." She gave him a weaker smile. "His name is Gabe Clay. He went missing.... Well, I don't know exactly when he went missing. We were in touch, and then we weren't. I know my brother, and he wouldn't ghost me for this long." Kozien nodded, taking in her words. "Is there a chance he's just ignoring you? Maybe busy. Sometimes siblings can't stand each other."

"No." She frowned. "He wouldn't ignore me this long. We're close. We grew up struggling, so we leaned on each other. I'll admit we did stupid stuff growing up to survive. Humans aren't always treated like people off Earth, if you catch my drift."

He understood exactly what she was saying. Humans were viewed as parasites rather than people on Noxxa. If she was saying they did stupid stuff, he wouldn't be surprised if she meant stealing. They were the top criminals because everyone treated them like dirt. They would be promised a better life, but once they arrived on this planet, they were shoved face first in the dirt and told to figure it out. Not exactly a welcome wagon one would want.

She placed her hands on the table. "I've asked people and looked around, but no one is willing to help me. I'd either have to fork over my liver or spread my legs to get anyone to even bat an eye at me. So, please say that you can help me. You're my last hope to replace him."

He gave her a nod. "I'm willing to help you, but I must warn you this will not be easy." That was putting it mildly. This would turn into a shit storm as soon as his brothers caught wind. "These things take time, and when I tell you to do something, you need to do it without pause. I can make some calls around and see if I can get any intel. I also will need whatever information you can think of for where he might be."

She nodded quickly, a smile spreading over her face. "Yes, of course. You have no idea how grateful I am. Honestly, this is a lifesaver for me. I swear I will somehow repay you for this."

That was what he wanted to hear. He had been trying to convince his brothers that taking pro bono cases every once in a while would bring in more clients, which they needed. It wasn't that they were struggling for money because they weren't, but other people

were.

That and he wanted to prove to his brothers that lending a hand occasionally was simply good in general as well as being good for the business. His brothers were firmly against the idea.

He gave her a smile, hoping in some way to calm her. He watched her shoulders relax slightly, and she seemed to be relieved. "Good. Now I'm going to have some questions for you to answer." Kozien wanted to prove to his brothers that he knew how to run things just as well as them. He didn't want to be a smug a*s, but sometimes he just needed to.