Free Taken (Warriors of Karal Book 3) by Harmony Raines

if he had books, she couldn’t find them and doubted they would be in English anyway.
    So she went through the kitchen, looking at the different implements and trying to guess what they were for. Then she tried all the different foods, using a sharp knife to cut pieces off fruit, trying to figure out if she was supposed to cook them or not. This game lasted for half an hour, until she tried something that looked like a mango, and tasted like a chili pepper.
    A large cup of water, followed by using her finger to scrub her tongue clean, was the only way to get rid of the burning sensation. Foods might be better tried under the guidance of Malik, because, as she should have figured out before, she might try something poisonous that was alright eaten cooked but deadly eaten raw.
    What now? Going through the rest of his rooms was out of the question; she didn’t like to pry. In the same way she hoped he would respect her privacy; not that she had anything to hide, but it was just how she wanted their relationship to be. Trusting.
    Finding herself sitting on the sofa and totally bored, she was relieved and a little nervous when someone knocked on the door.
    Feeling stupid, she asked, “Who is it?” Because whoever it was, she wouldn’t know them; she was on a planet filled with strangers.
    “Hi, Chrissi, it’s Reja and Tikki. We have some clothes for you,” a female voice said.
    Who cares if she didn’t know them, they were from Earth and they were women. Chrissi flung the door open and tried not to look too excited. “Oh my goodness!” Chrissi exclaimed. “Is every woman on Karal pregnant?”
    “It feels that way,” Reja said, her hand going to smooth over her baby bump. “Which is good for you, because between us we have plenty of clothes that don’t fit us, so we brought them over for you to try.”
    Reja was so pretty: her hair was long, her skin tanned, so unlike the white faces of the people on Earth, and she glowed; they both glowed. Impending motherhood suited them.
    “Thank you,” Chrissi said. “This is so kind of you.”
    “Nonsense, it makes up for you having to go straight back out into space. You haven’t even had time to see the sights,” Tikki said.
    “Malik said he would show me around when we got back,” Chrissi said. Seeing Tikki and Reja looking so happy and relaxed was amazing. It gave her hope, made her believe that there could be a happy ever after for her on Karal, with Malik.
    “How is he?” Reja asked. “Darl came home all in a panic a couple of days ago because the other warrior’s match was ill. Her tag showed she had a terribly high temperature. So he had to do a quick scan for a match for any of the other warriors. He couldn’t believe his luck when you had entered.”
    “It was a last-minute decision, chance really. I never wanted this,” Chrissi said, looking at the dresses Tikki had placed on the bed for her to look over.
    “But now you’re here?” Reja asked. “I know Darl thinks he has got it exactly right, but Darl always gets carried away by his own plans. He didn’t give you that bruise, did he?”
    “No. That was from when I was on Earth.” Chrissi said, putting her hand to her chin. Then she said, “I love it. Everything, the air, the food, the animals…”
    “The aliens,” Tikki said and laughed, sensing Chrissi didn’t want to discuss the bruise. “I am so happy Okil brought me here.”
    “Oh, so you are with Okil?” Chrissi asked.
    “Yes, and that is why I am so pleased you are here, because we need the missions to go ahead. Okil wants to give humans a fighting chance at survival. This one, I think,” Tikki said, holding up a blue dress against Chrissi. “Try it on.”
    “Are you sure? It’s so pretty,” Chrissi said, admiring the small flowers that had been embroidered on the blue fabric.
    “Yes, of course. Celia did the flowers; she never knew she had a gift for sewing until we came here. There’s so much we can do, so many