by S. E. Smith
His eyes flickered to the door when it opened. The corner of his lip pulled up into a sneer. Crawford glanced at him and blanched. The man was nervous as he stepped into the room.
Merrick kept his eyes on the male as he closed the door. He didn’t get up off the bed. Instead, he waited to see what the male wanted. A low oath escaped Crawford and he stunk with fear.
“Listen…,” Crawford began before he stopped to clear his throat. “I know… I think… Hell, can you understand me?”
Merrick watched the nervous twitch at the corner of Crawford’s right eye. The smell of the man and his body's reaction were not something the human could fake. He debated whether he should respond. This was the first time that this human had approached him alone and he was curious as to what he wanted. Merrick finally inclined his head in acknowledgement of the question.
“What happened tonight…,” Crawford paused and drew in a deep breath again. “Listen, you can’t tell anyone about the girl coming in here. The docs… I don’t know what the others might do to her. It is bad enough as it is. I don’t want to be responsible for any more deaths. Hell, I just want to get out of this mess in one piece! I didn’t know that they… who these people were… I just needed a job after I got out of the Army. My girl is pregnant and I needed to earn some money to support us. Shit, this is all a fucking mess.”
Merrick watched as the man cursed under his breath again and ran his hand over the back of his neck. Crawford shot him another look of frustration and worry before he turned on his heel and walked back to the door. Merrick knew he was taking a chance, but it might be the only one he got.
“Release me,” Merrick ordered in a low voice.
Merrick watched as Crawford’s hand froze on the doorknob and he slowly turned around to face him. The human’s face paled when he slowly rose from the bed and walked to the door of his cell. He stared back at the wide, dark brown eyes gaping back at him in shock.
“You speak… you understand...,” Crawford stuttered.
“I learned your language… some,” Merrick replied with a sharp nod. “Release me.”
“I can’t,” Crawford whispered hoarsely. “Hell, I’m going to be lucky to get out of this alive as it is. If I release you, I’m dead. If Weston Wright doesn’t kill me, Markham will. They even threatened my family if I said anything or tried to leave.”
“Then help me,” Merrick demanded.
“Didn’t you just hear what I said?” Crawford asked in frustration. “If I so much as lift a finger to help you get away, not only am I dead, but so is my girl. That was made very clear the first night you were brought in.”
“Call a number for me, then,” Merrick insisted in a low voice. “The human can protect your family. He can send you and your female to a place where neither of these men can harm you.”
Crawford gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. “Are you fucking kidding me? I did my research on these guys after they threatened me! Unless you can send me and Becky to another planet, there isn’t a fucking rock on Earth where they won’t hunt us down,” he retorted.
“You would not be on your world,” Merrick murmured in a low voice. “You would be on mine.”
Crawford swallowed and paled. Merrick knew he had taken the human by surprise with his comment. It was a risk, but it was one he had to take if he was to get free.
“You… you aren’t shitting me, are you?” Crawford whispered. “You really are a fucking alien.”
“Yes,” Merrick answered, staring intently into Crawford’s eyes. “I know that they intend to kill you. Weston has joked about it when they do their tests on me. They do not realize I can understand them.”
Merrick didn’t think it was possible for the human to get any paler than he had been, but he did. He actually swayed for a moment before a flash of anger ignited in the depths of his dark eyes. He knew the moment the human made the decision to help him. His eyes followed Crawford’s hand as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper and a pen.
“You said that there was a human that could protect Becky and me? Do you really think that? Do you think he could send us somewhere that we would be safe?” Crawford demanded in a harsh voice.
“Yes,” Merrick replied calmly.
“Who is he?”
A smile curved Merrick’s lips as he returned Crawford’s intense stare. His fingers curled around the cold, steel bars. Finally… finally, the Goddess had heard his plea and answered him.
“Cosmos Raines,” Merrick said. “You can reach him at this number.”
Merrick sat back a few minutes later on the bed. A sense of expectancy filled him as he watched the door quietly close behind Crawford. Pulling one leg up, he uncurled his left hand again so he could touch the intricate pattern in the center. He closed his eyes and he concentrated on the face of the female. Opening his mind, he waited for the connection born of their bond to connect him with her.
A satisfied smile curved his lips when he felt the link between them connect. He could feel the confusion, fear, and worry coursing through her. He wished that he could hold her and reassure her that she needn’t feel that way. Suddenly, her thoughts cleared and he could ‘hear’ the question resonating through her mind as if she was standing in front of him.
What the…? A clear picture of the same pattern that graced his palm formed in his mind.
The marking shows you have found your bond mate, he answered in a soft, whispered thought.
What… What is a bond mate? She hesitantly thought back.
Merrick could feel the trembling of fear in her thoughts. Frustration gnawed at him. He hated that he could not be there with her. Resentment tempered his response to her.
You are my bond mate. It means you belong to me! Tell me your name, he ordered.
He sent the demand more forcefully than he intended. A sense of regret filled him when he felt her instinctively flinch at the harsh projection of his thoughts. He had forgotten to ask Crawford for her name before he left. Now, he desperately needed it. It was almost as if he knew her name, it would give him the lifeline he needed to remain sane until Cosmos could send a team to free him.
Merrick leaned forward and clenched his fists to keep from howling in rage when nothing but silence met his demand. He tried pushing his thoughts into her head again, but it was as if she was no longer there. Pausing, he drew in a deep breath and released it. It took several minutes before he felt her tentatively reach out to him again. When he met her halfway, she hesitated, but didn’t withdraw.
Merrick's Maiden
The Great Easter Bunny Hunt
The Full Novella!
Alien eggs can only mean one thing – an adventure!
A pile of unusual eggs leads to an exciting Easter egg hunt for the kids and the adults alike in this delightful holiday tale. The children must work together to recover Jabir’s coveted eggs after the Great Easter Bunny is caught taking them away. Can the Dragonlings and their besties save the day?
Chapter 1
“No. It’s not happening, Vox. You can leave me out of any of your crazy missions,” Trelon stubbornly said, shaking his head.
“Don’t be such a wuss, Trelon. It will be fun!” Vox chuckled and slapped Trelon on his shoulder.
“Wuss? What is a wuss?” Trelon asked with a confused expression on his face.
“Scaredy-cat, wimp, coward – you know, wuss. Riley taught me that one,” Vox replied, still grinning.
“I’m not a scaredy-cat – I’m a dragon. This is going to end badly, you do know that, don’t you?” Trelon groaned.
He sank down into the chair in his living room and laid his head back to stare up at the ceiling. If Trelon had known it was Vox banging on his door, he never would have opened it. He had been enjoying a few hours of peace and quiet. Amber and Jade were playing with Spring and Phoenix, Cara was shopping with his mom, and he was finishing up the nursery. Cara was due any day and he wanted everything perfect for their son.
Vox
gently kicked Trelon’s boot to get his attention and sat down across from him. “Asim says it’s essential that we get rid of those damn eggs Jabir brought back from Earth. Have you seen the size of those things? He doesn’t have a clue what’s inside them, but he isn’t taking any chances,” he explained, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.
Trelon lifted his head and glared at Vox. “Then let Asim deal with it! This is not my problem. I’ve had enough adventures to last a lifetime and the girls aren’t even teenagers yet! Do you have any idea of how crazy life is at the moment? Cara is due any day with our son. Amber and Jade are on high alert. They have decided it is going to be their duty in life to make sure he is protected. They have been creating a fortress in his room! It has been a full time job just trying to keep them out of mischief and you want me to help you get rid of a pile of eggs? Just bury them!” Trelon growled.
“We can’t! Pearl has threatened that if Asim harms one egg, she’ll pickle his tail and serve it at the next family meal. Under no circumstances can he be involved with getting rid of the eggs. If that isn’t bad enough, Tina’s chicken, Ruby, thinks the eggs are hers and has been lying on top of them. Viper told me that he and Tina visited last week and now Leo wants to bring home whatever hatches out of them. If we don’t do something, I’ll end up with one of the creatures! Have you seen the size of the eggs? They are huge!” Vox said in exasperation, holding his hands out almost half a meter.
“Again – let Asim deal with it! You know if we get involved, something bad is bound to happen,” Trelon dryly remarked.
“Come on, Trelon. Did I happen to mention that Roam heard Jabir say that Amber and Jade want one of the eggs – each? That means two of whatever hatches,” Vox informed Trelon with a smirk.
“What?! Oh, dragon’s balls! That’s all I need!” Trelon groaned and ran his hands over his face before dropping them to his lap to gaze back at Vox with a look of resignation. “Alright, I’ll help you. I have enough creatures running around the house with just those damn demented symbiots. I swear the girls are still making them. They keep popping up every once in a while.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about; I’ve got the perfect plan,” Vox stated with confidence, sitting back in his seat with a smug grin.
Trelon shook his head. “Why does that sound suspiciously like we are screwed? That, by the way, means trouble – big, big trouble,” he muttered under his breath.
Chapter 2
“Decorated eggs! Has it been a year already?” Zoran exclaimed with a wide grin.
Abby nodded her head and tapped Zoran on his knuckles when he reached for one of the brightly dyed eggs. “Those are for the Easter Egg Hunt,” she admonished.
“Yeah, Daddy, those is for us to hunts,” Zohar stated.
“Then why is your tongue blue?” Zoran pointedly asked with a raised eyebrow.
Zohar glanced at his mom and grinned. Sure enough, his lips, tongue, and teeth were all blue. Abby released a sigh when she saw the remains of the egg shells on the floor under Zohar’s chair. Between father and son, she’d be lucky to have any eggs left for the Easter Egg hunt planned for the next day.
“I has to taste test them,” Zohar said with a firm nod. “I’m tastings just like Mommy does when she cooks them.”
“One… I said one, Zohar,” Abby replied, leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to the tip of Zohar’s nose.
“Yew!” Zohar grumbled.
“Do I get a kiss if I eat an egg?” Zoran asked with a mischievous smile. “I promise not to say ‘yew’ if you do.”
Abby chuckled. “You can get a kiss any time you want,” she promised, leaning up to brush a kiss across Zoran’s lips. “I think you taste perfect the color they are.”
A soft, rumbling growl escaped Zoran before he could smother it. Abby shot him an amused glance before turning away. He gently wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him. Abby smiled when his hand moved lower to protectively cover her abdomen.
“How is he?” he murmured.
Abby chuckled. “You know very well how he is doing. You’ve been connected with me since our dragons shared I that was pregnant again,” she teased.
“What’s preg-ant mean?” Zohar asked, staring back and forth at his parents with wide eyes.
“Uh-oh,” Abby murmured.
Zoran pressed a kiss to Abby’s neck and straightened. “You’re going to be a big brother,” he explained.
Zohar tilted his head and frowned for a moment. “Okay,” he said with a shrug. “Can I colors more eggs?”
“Yes, you can color more eggs,” Abby said with a raised eyebrow at Zoran. “He took that better than I expected.”
“He’s a born leader,” Zoran chuckled, rubbing a hand along Abby’s side before he pulled away. “Can I help him color more eggs?”
Abby laughed. “As long as you don’t taste test them all,” she teased.
“Leo, no!!! Viper, help!” Tina called in exasperation.
“What…? What in the cat’s….?!” Viper exclaimed, walking into the living quarters he and Tina were sharing with Riley, Vox, Roam, and their twin daughters, Sacha and Pearl. “He’s purple.”
“I can see that he is purple,” Tina growled, holding up their young son under his arms. “Can you see if you can wash any of it off while I clean up this mess?”
Leo hissed at his father and tried to swat a tiny paw at him. Viper shook his head and grabbed the small kitten by the back of his neck. Leo immediately went limp, hanging from his father’s hand with a glum expression.
“Aw, Aunt Tina. We were trying to makes Leo look like an Easter Egg. He was going to hide so we could all try to finds him,” Roam complained.
“I told Roam it wasn’t such a good idea,” Bálint said.
“I thought it was cool. They were going to do me next,” Jabir replied with a grin.
Tina’s lips twitched at Jabir’s innocent admission. The sight of her son, shifted into his cat-form and sitting in a large mixing bowl of purple dye with Roam, Bálint, and Jabir holding cups and pouring the dyed water over Leo’s head rose into her mind. At least Leo had been getting a bath – of sorts. Maybe she should have added dye to Leo’s bath water. Lately, he had started hissing and growling at her and Viper until one of them dumped a pile of toys in with him. Of course, having Roam there had also made it easier. The two boys could spend hours playing in the tub if there were enough bubbles and toys.
“I think we’ll have enough Easter Eggs,” Tina promised, grabbing a damp cloth and bending to wipe the floor.
“How can you be sure? My daddy keeps eating the ones Mommy and I makes,” Jabir asked.
Tina glanced at the three boys. “Well, the Great Easter Bunny will bring some more,” she said.
“The Great Easter Bunny?” Roam repeated with a slight awed sound in his voice. “Mommy and Daddy didn’t tell me about the Great Easter Bunny.”
“Mine neither,” Bálint said, sitting down next to Jabir on the floor.
“Mines didn’t either. What’s the Great Easter Bunny?” Jabir asked.
“Well, he’s big – really, really big. He has to be to carry all the Easter Eggs. He has a big, fluffy tail and long ears. His ears help him listen for the sound of children’s laughter. He has to make sure he leaves the Easter Eggs where they can be found,” Tina explained as she stood to rinse the washcloth and dump the colored water down the drain.
“How bigs is he?” Jabir asked.
“Well, at least this tall,” Tina said, lifting her hand up until it was about as tall as Viper.
“Is there just one Great Easter Bunny?” Bálint asked, gazing up at Tina.
Tina shook her head. “Oh, no. There are quite a few of them. It takes a lot of Easter Bunnies to deliver all those eggs – especially the really special ones,” she added in a dramatic whisper.
“The special ones? What special ones? What do they looks like?” Roam demanded.
Tina glanced around, as if to
make sure that no one else could hear her before she bent down in front of the boys. Her eyes twinkled with mischief. She knew that Abby and Morian had been making a Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny costume to surprise the kids. Ariel and Trisha had made some large Easter Egg Piñatas, and Riley, Cara, and she were making up games.
“Well, they are about this big, a really pretty color, and they are filled with all kinds of wonderful to eat treats,” Tina said, holding her hands up to show how big the Piñatas were.
“Wow!” Jabir whispered, his eyes glowing with excitement.
“Okay, he’s clean. He’s still purple, but he’s clean,” Viper said, standing in the doorway with a very fluffy, riled, purple kitten.
Leo shifted back into his two-legged form when Viper set him down on the floor, giggled, and headed for Roam. Roam twisted onto his hands and knees and waited for Leo to crawl up onto his back.
“Horsey!” Leo called out.
Tina glanced back at Viper, and realized that he was soaked. An amused, tender smile danced on her lips. Leo didn’t like to get a bath – until he was in it; then, everyone got one. Viper gazed down at Leo with so much pride and love, it made her heart ache. Standing up, she walked over to her mate, wrapped her arms around his waist, and laid her head against his chest.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Viper’s arms wrapped around her and he hugged her close. “For what?”
Tina tilted her head back and smiled. “For being such an amazing dad and mate,” she said.
Chapter 3
“Whatever you do, don’t get caught,” Asim warned, standing outside of Trelon’s living quarters. He handed a bag to Trelon before he handed another one to Vox. “Be careful. I’ve got them packed in warm grass to keep them from breaking.”
“What is in this thing?” Trelon asked with a frown as he lifted the bag with one hand.