Big Bad Claws

by Michele Mills

  Big Bad Claws

  The Fever Brothers Book 2

  Michele Mills

  Big Bad Claws

  He’s big. He’s bad. His claws are epic.

  Frantic to avoid detection, Lila hides for the night in a condemned outbuilding on the edge of town. She checks each bunk for comfort and rests on the one with a strangely enticing scent and falls into an exhausted sleep.

  One problem—this place isn’t abandoned. Miners actually live here. And she’s chosen Zayzon’s bed. The loudest, tallest and sharp-clawed out of a band of tragically messy Xylan brothers who can’t clean to save their lives. And he keeps standing much too close. And sniffing her hair. And muttering something about mating compatibility.

  Whatever.

  She’s just that desperate, so she offers to become their housekeeper if they’ll let her stay. The brothers accept, and Lila cleans up their freaking mess, relieved to have somewhere safe to live. Meanwhile, Zayzon keeps insisting that she continue to sleep on his bunk. And she keeps accepting! Because it’s getting harder and harder to deny her attraction for his possessive gaze, razor-sharp claws and his large… um, personality?

  But Lila can’t fall for anyone, even a scary male who turns out to be cuddly. Not when demons from her past are about to return for their down payment.

  Can a human save an alien miner’s life, without breaking his heart?

  Copyright © 2020 by Michele Mills

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Artist: Mayhem Cover Creations

  Editor: Aquila Editing

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Newsletter

  About the Author

  Also by Michele Mills

  1

  Bitter wind whipped Lila’s long, dark hair into a knotted mess.

  Ridiculous amounts of rain lashed from the sky.

  Then she tripped over a curb and dropped onto her ass in a puddle of water. “Dammit.” She sat there for a second, totally shocked at her circumstance, then spit water out of her mouth and resolutely pushed herself into a standing position, trying to ignore her freezing wet butt. The precipitation here was crazy, and she couldn’t be more unprepared for it if she’d tried.

  Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed across the dark alien sky. Lila jumped with fright. “Holy crap, that was loud.” This whole damn situation was basically her worst nightmare.

  She clenched her fists, trying to ignore the tell-tale signs of heightened anxiety and took even breaths, trying to loosen her chest. She glanced furtively up at the sky, knowing her fear of Hurlian snatching was irrational, but still unable to control the reflex. What if she had a panic attack out here, alone in the wide open, in this unknown location? What if…what if something or someone dropped down to try and capture her? How would she survive, without any help?

  She sobbed with dismay and ran over to shelter beneath an overhang, shivering in the cold and dripping wet, with no idea what do to next. Her pink pajamas were useless in this storm, acting more as a sponge than a repellent. And her slippers—her most prized possession—were already soaked and filthy. She whimpered as they squelched with each step.

  Lila glanced around the shadowy streetscape. She’d been shoved onto a transporter disk, the dissolution sequence initiated, and now she was…here. Wherever here was.

  Maybe this was a dark rainforest world? It was hard to tell, considering the nighttime thunderstorm that was making it hard to focus on details, but it looked like a modern city with actual buildings and streets. At least there was that. What if she’d ended up on a planet with an atmosphere that didn’t support humans? Or in the wildlands with predators and biting insects? That would’ve been awful. The only thing she hated more than the outdoors was the wildlands.

  She shook her head, trying to process the crazy chain of events that had led to her unexpected removal from her safe, comfortable home and her random placement onto an alien world.

  She’d dressed for bed that night like usual, pulling on her favorite pajama set and tucking her bare feet into the slippers with darling kitten faces stitched to the top that mom had bought prior to her death. It was the same routine as every evening—alone in her gated mansion, the household staff gone for the night.

  She lived alone in echoing luxury. Mom, Dad and her brother Kevin had all passed away in the last few years and she was the last of her immediate family, living alone with their memories, trying her best to carry on and make sense of this new life without the people she loved.

  Chai tea and snack cheese had been kindly arranged left for her on a tray by the housekeeper, and a brand-new, ridiculously expensive “original planet” contraband erotic romance ebook waited to be read on her tablet. Both of her precious kitties were asleep in their matching pet beds. She’d sat on her favorite chair, making herself comfortable, propping her feet on her ottoman and pasting a fake smile on her face.

  Living alone wasn’t so bad, she told herself. This was going to be a nice evening.

  Nice. Evening.

  And then a shadow darted across her room and a scream flew out of her mouth. A freakishly strong arm shot out and jerked Lila to her feet.

  “Remain quiet and I’ll make this fast and painless,” a strong voice ground out, sounding distinctly feminine. And human.

  Lila swallowed hard against the blade pricking at her throat, her heart beating furiously. Was she going to pass out before she was killed?

  The assassin pressed the blade harder, nicking it against Lila’s skin…and then huffed out a disgusted breath and loosened her grip. “Dammit, I can’t do it,” she snarled. The female shoved Lila forward a step and sheathed her blade.

  Lila gulped back a flood of tears.

  The intruder turned, revealing a gap in her black face mask that exposed flashing blue human eyes. The swells on her chest and the curve of her hips under her skin-tight dark clothing betrayed her gender. “I can’t do it,” the surly assassin growled. “I can’t kill Bruce Garabedian’s last living child. I thought I could, but I can’t. You’re so…so small and defenseless. I didn’t know you’d be so young and frail. I can’t kill you. But she will send others in my stead and they’ll kill you if I don’t.”

  “She?” Lila croaked as she rubbed a hand against her sore neck. “She who?” Who would want her dead? She didn’t even know that many people.

  “Your stepmother, Daniela Garabedian, hired me to kill you because I’m the best assassin on New Earth, but I have rules. I don’t kill innocents. Others in my profession won’t have this unnatural compulsion. One of my peers will find you and complete this task.”

  “My stepmother is trying to kill me?” Lila shrieked. “Daniela sent you to kill me? No, that’s not possible. You’re lying. This is all a big mistake. We’re close friends. She was here in the house this morning, having breakfast with me. Daniela was married to Dad. She loved him. She loves me. No…no…”

  “Yes, your stepmother is trying to kill you. And I don’t lie,” the assassin growled. “She placed an unusually large amount of currency on proof of your death. If I leave you here alone, you’ll be dead within the n
ext diurnal.”

  Oh gods. Lila’s nose started to sting, and she gripped her hands. “You’re sure it was Daniela? Maybe you think it was her, but it was actually…”

  The assassin frowned and pulled out a tiny glass tablet; she swiped the screen and tilted it toward her. “Look for yourself.” And sure enough, there was the mark of Daniela’s official code, requesting the death of one Lila Garabedian, human.

  “She didn’t even bother with anonymity. She’s that certain your death won’t affect her.”

  Lila stepped back and placed a hand over her chest, trying to keep her breaths steady. The woman she thought of as her best friend was trying to kill her? There was only a small group of people she was close with, and Daniela was at the top of the list. It couldn’t be true and yet it was. Her stepmother wanted her dead.

  She glanced up and met the harsh gaze of the killer standing in her bedroom. “Wh…what should I do?” she asked with a rough voice. “How can I get out of this and stay alive?”

  The female crossed her muscular arms and examined her with narrowed eyes, obviously calculating the odds. Then she let out a grunt, seeming to come to some sort of conclusion. “Come with me,” she announced. “I have an idea.” She grabbed Lila’s arm and yanked her out of her bedroom.

  Oh wow. Her feet flew down the sweeping staircase. “Wait, my tablet,” Lila gasped. She couldn’t go anywhere without her tablet. Not even downstairs, or simply to the next room.

  “Leave it. The other assassins will just use it to track you.”

  Dammit. True.

  At the base of the stairs they cut toward the grand foyer and stopped at the imposing front doors. And suddenly it all became clear. This assassin’s plan involved taking her outside. Out-side. In open spaces without cover. Of course it did. Of course. Why didn’t she see that from the first? Holy crap. Lila let out a squeak of dismay and dug in her heels. “B…but, what about my cats?” she asked, trying to stall the inevitable.

  “You can’t bring them with you. Everyone in this domicile, including the pets, are safer with you gone. If you’re not here, then the assassins won’t come here either.”

  She tried to pry the female’s iron grip from her arm. “You don’t understand,” she choked. “I’m terrified of being out there. I never go outside.”

  “You do now.” The assassin pulled the heavy door open and tossed her out.

  “No.” Lila cried, then bit her lip, trying not to have a full-blown panic attack. The dark sky loomed overhead, a grim reminder of how it was possible to lose her freedom in an instant, when she least suspected it. She did her best to hide her panted breaths, trembling hands and the roil in her stomach as the nameless assassin dragged her into a waiting vehicle. She sat still, breathed the fresh air and avoided looking at the boundless wide-open space as the vehicle pulled away from the house. It was the first time in over a year she’d been beyond the sprawling grounds of her own mansion. It was unbelievably scary.

  But she could do it. She could. She glanced at the assassin’s profile. Snatching didn’t always come from Hurlians dropping from the sky, did it?

  And this was what she’d been working toward with her virtual therapist—this upgrade from the crippling panic attacks that kept her locked inside the mansion. It was just all happening much faster than planned.

  She focused on her breaths, and on keeping her thoughts in control as they quietly drove to the Singapore Transport Station; the very same station her father had built and owned prior to his untimely death. The station she was about to inherit. At least the floor plan and schematics were familiar. She’d studied them for hours on end, fascinated with this new technology. It was closed at this time of night, but they were able to bypass security with her handprint and retina scan.

  “What’s the plan?” Lila asked, trying to hide the tremor in her voice as they walked the halls. “Why did you bring me here?”

  “Your father once saved a desperate girl from the streets,” the assassin answered, “and gave her honest work, when no one else would, and plenty of food to eat. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be long dead. Therefore, I can’t kill his daughter.”

  “Aah, now I understand,” Lila whispered. This suddenly all made sense. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard a story like this—her father was well-known for his tireless work saving children from both starvation and abuse. Dad might’ve had many faults, but he’d also had a very big heart. This was his greatest legacy, and the acts of which she was most proud.

  The grim female stepped into the nearest transporter room and Lila followed.

  She might be the heir to the corporation, but this was the first time she’d been inside this station. She glanced around, secretly proud of herself for being here at all. And why was she here? The only reason to be at the transporter station was to go off planet. Her eyes widened. “Is this really necessary?” she asked. “Can’t I just hide from the other assassins somewhere on New Earth?”

  The female stepped in front of a panel of screens and began powering up the transporter. “Nope, not good enough. I’m going to repay Bruce Garabedian’s kindness by helping his daughter, and to help you, I have to get you off planet. You have to immediately leave New Earth and go somewhere where even I don’t know where you are. Hide from me, hide from everyone, and when you get to your new destination, don’t tell anyone who you are. Make sure you’re off the grid.”

  Off grid? Off planet? It felt as if a stone lodged in her stomach. No, no, no. She could barely handle stepping out of her home and traveling to the immense transporter station her family owned. How was she going to handle a foreign location filled with strangers?

  Plus, this assassin needed the protection of Garabedian wealth and power. “What will Daniela do to you when I’m gone? Are you going to be okay? Won’t you be in trouble for helping me?”

  “Don’t worry about me.” The assassin glanced over. “Why does your stepmother want you dead? I thought you said you were friends.”

  “I don’t know. I thought we were friends. My mother and older brother died in a vehicular accident three years ago. Dad was remarried to Daniela less than a year ago. Three months later he died of a sudden stroke. I’ve been living here alone for the last six months because Daniela moved out after his death to get her own place. When I turn twenty-one, at the end of this moon cycle, I’m set to inherit everything. Daniela was an employee of the company who was hired after my mom died, that’s how she originally met my Dad. And now that he’s gone, she’s in charge of our corporation until my birthday, and then the control and the fortune passes to me. I didn’t realize she was so mad about it. She does a great job of pretending it’s all a burden and she’s relieved to hand the business over to someone else so she can retire. She’ll have an extravagant inheritance that’ll keep her comfortable her entire lifespan. But apparently that isn’t enough.”

  “Heh,” the assassin grunted. “Your stepmother is power-hungry. And you’re obviously a shut-in. So, you’ve been an easy target for her plans for domination.”

  “Apparently,” Lila answered, tearing up over the female’s blunt, spot-on assessment of her situation. Her entire relationship with her stepmother had been a lie. A big, huge fucking lie. None of it was real. Had she ever loved Dad? Lila sucked in a deep breath and thought of the employees who relied on her to keep the company afloat. And all the times her cousin Gerard and the CFO, Roberto, had tried to warn her that something wasn’t quite right. But she’d blown them off because of her blinding loyalty.

  And she thought of that bitch who’d betrayed her and was betraying Dad’s legacy. Oh hell, no—Daniela wasn’t getting away with this.

  “Stand on the disk,” the assassin ordered.

  Lila forced herself to step onto the circle of light. The disk hummed with energy. It was this or death. Her entire body trembled with fear, but there was only one choice if she wanted a chance at survival.

  Where would she go?

  The assassin paused. “Your st
epmother sent this mark out to the entire assassin network, offering a ridiculous amount of currency for your death. One of them will find you. Your only hope is to hide somewhere no one expects.”

  Lila blew out a breath. “Okay. Where do you think I should go?”

  “Hide for one moon cycle,” the female continued, “until you are legally in charge of the corporation and your fortune. And then come back and give her hell. Make her pay for what she’s done.”

  A tremulous smile tugged at Lila’s lips. “I will.”

  The female met her gaze. “You can do this.” Then she hit the transport initiation sequence.

  “Wait,” Lila gasped. “What are you doing?”

  “I set it to random,” the assassin calmly informed her.

  “No.” Lila shouted over the noise. She hadn’t expected that. At all. “I might be arrested. They won’t be ready for—”

  But it was too late. The room dissolved. In seconds Lila was painlessly disassembled in a scatter of atoms and whisked across the universe to coalesce onto a light disk on an unknown transporter station on the other side of the four sectors.

  2

  Lila kept her eyes firmly closed and her fists clenched.

  This could be anywhere.

  She could be on Chronos, or Hurlia, or some obscure sex trafficking space station…anywhere. She might be standing someplace safe, or she could be one step from unrelenting abuse that would only end with the sweet release of death.

  Dear gods, her life was a complete fucking mess: