by Snow Novels
“Ra!” Andre steps forward and speaks firmly. “It’s over between us, you know it is.”
“I don’t know it!” she spits, then her lower lip trembles and she turns on the waterworks. I can see Andre falter, and he backs down, speaks softer. “Ra. It’s not working… you know it’s not working.” She turns her baby blue eyes up at him, and I see the tears brimming over the edge.
“You’re everything to me, ‘Dre. You know that. I love you.” She slides her body up against his, and I stare in horror as he doesn’t move away… as he reaches down and wipes the tears from her eyes. I can’t take this, can’t watch. I turn and flee, hot tears of shame and anger flowing down my cheeks as I run blindly away from the dorm, back toward the center of Campus.
I find refuge in the quiet of the lab, the slow squeak of the mice running in their wheels soothing me as I sob harsh ragged sobs into the cold tile floor. I swear it’s the last time, the only time, Andre Foeks is going to make a fool of me like this. “It’s me or her,” I vow through gritted teeth as I roll my jacket into a pillow and fall into a restless sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
A loud pounding seeps through my consciousness, and I wake disorientated and stiff, my hair stuck to my face. Someone is beating on the lab door. Andre? My heart leaps before the memory of last night reminds me that Andre is not mine. Was never mine.
The pounding again. Will they never shut up? I shuffle to the door, rubbing my short hair into a semblance of neatness and grimacing at the foul taste in my mouth. “Who is it?” I mumble, peering through the frosted glass. A small shadow moves outside.
“Sareey?” A female voice whispers. I open the door to Jules. She is wide-eyed, her face white, mascara in black smudges. “Oh thank God I found you,” she breathes as she grabs my hand, “Please… you have to come!” She grabs my hand and attempts to pull me down the corridor.
“Wait? What?” I shake her off and back into the lab. “No way, am I going anywhere with you!”
She stomps her foot, looking distraught. “You have to! It’s RaRa… she…” Jules rubs her eyes, smearing the mascara further down her cheeks. “Andre dumped her.”
My heart soars and I can’t stop the giant grin that spreads across my face. “He did?!”
She scowls at my obvious delight. “Yeah, well she’s threatening to jump off the clock tower if he doesn’t take her back. He’s trying to talk her down, but she won’t…” she swallows, her dark blue eyes filled with fear. “He won’t tell her they’re back together.” She stops, looks at me and I suddenly realize my role in this. If RaRa jumps I am at least partially responsible… My eyes widen, and Jules continues, her voice pleading, “I thought if you could talk to her... tell her you don’t want Andre…”
I stare in shock. “Wait!” I ask, as I run back into the lab. I splash cold water on my face, and rinse my mouth. She paces, cellphone to her mouth as I pull my coat over my rumpled skirt and t-shirt.
I pull the lab door shut and nod to her, “Okay, let’s go!
The open area below the clock tower is packed, the silent crowd staring up at a dark figure silhouetted against the floodlights on the fifth story. Andre is standing directly below RaRa, shouting up to her to stop being stupid and come down. It doesn’t seem to be working, and I can see his hair is damp with sweat, curls disheveled. RaRa has climbed out onto the thin ledge that circles the tower, and is leaning over, staring down dramatically into the crowd. I run up next to Andre and grab his hand, he turns to stare at me, his eyes panicked and wide with fear.
“Leave him alone bitch!” RaRa’s scream silences the crowd, as her voice rings out across the Campus. She points at me accusingly, letting go of the parapet with one hand and leaning at an even greater angle. There is a collective intake of breath.
“Ra! Don’t be ridiculous!” Andre’s voice is exasperated. He turns to me, “I can’t do anything, Sarai. She refuses to come down unless I promise to get back with her…” his face turns grim, and he touches my face lightly. “But I won’t do that!” I reach up to brush his curls from his eyes, but RaRa screams again, a melodramatic howl of anguish: “Get your hands off him!”
She rips something from around her neck, and a glint of gold comes flying towards Andre. He ducks, and leans down to pick up the small gold locket.
“You said you loved me when you gave me that!” she sobs, her thin dress pressing against her body in the wind. “Does he tell you he loves you?” she screams at me, “Because he’s lying!”
Jules pushes me forward from behind and I step into the open, look up at RaRa’s tearstained face, grotesque in the shadows from the lights. “Rachel!” I look back at Andre, but his eyes are fixed on RaRa, his teeth chewing at his lower lip. I take a deep breath; this is no good. I need to be up there, next to her. I dash sideways and duck under the cordon of Campus cops that are blocking the tower entrance, throwing the metal security door shut behind me and securing the alarmed bar. I hear shouts on the other side but I don’t stop, run as fast as I can up the stairs and onto the observation balcony.
Three campus security guards surround the door, stun guns pointed as they hold me back. Behind them Prof Reed is holding to one of the wrought iron rails that close the gaps between the tall stone parapets designed to form a mock buttress just below the clock face. Her face is focused as she speaks to someone just out of sight behind the stone. I assess the situation, see the cop’s eyes flickering to each other. They are nervous and untrained how to act in this situation, uncertain whether to let me advance or to block my approach.
“Prof Reed!” I call, and the Prof’s eyes widen as she greets me. The cops nod to one another and back up to let me pass.
“Sarai! What are you doing here?” she asks, but before I can answer, RaRa hears my name and turns, looking back into the balcony from her precarious perch on the narrow ledge.
“Cunt whore! I’ll teach you to steal my man!” she screams hysterically.
Prof Reed looks shocked, as much from the realization of my involvement in this tragedy as from the foul language that is pouring from the cheerleader’s mouth. I shrug my shoulders apologetically at her, and nod towards RaRa. “Can I talk to her?” I ask. She nods and I approach the parapet. I can sense the Prof is right behind me as I lean across the rail towards RaRa.
“Rachel,” I stretch out my hand. “come down. He’s not worth it.”
Her eyes flash, and she spits at me. “You’re not worth it!”
I flinch, knowing old Sarai would agree. That old Sarai would say “Of course, Rachel. He’s all yours, Rachel.” But that Sarai is gone, and the new Sarai blazes up.
“Whether he wants you or not, Andre is not worth your life…” I move closer to the rail. RaRa has her toes on the edge of the three-foot-wide ledge, holding her balance with one hand on the thick wrought iron as she angles her body over the crowd dramatically.
“You’re beautiful. An amazing dancer… you don’t need Andre. There are many other men…” I am almost to her now, almost able to touch her. I can sense Prof Reed and the police close behind me, waiting to move the second I grab her hand. She isn’t listening to me, and I follow her gaze down to see Andre in the crowd below her. I lean forward across the rail to see him better, and the wind whips at my face, look up to the town spread before me, lights twinkling into the distance.
“Ra!” Andre’s voice reaches up from below, “Don’t, please, don’t…” his tone is desperate, pleading.
“Say you love me!” RaRa is firm, determined.
I see his head shake slowly, “You know I can’t do that,” he replies, his eyes locked with RaRa’s.
I see my chance and pull myself over the rail, but RaRa lets go and backs away further down the ledge, her hands now pressed against the smooth stone buttress.
“Ra…”I inch towards her, keeping one leg pressed up against the iron rail.
“No…!” She lunges forward with a guttural scream of rage. I throw my arms around her waist, and we teeter, locke
d together as I lean back, thankful of the leverage from the leg I have hooked around the railing.
Andre’s face swims out from the crowd as he screams up through the wind. “Sarai! No!!”
RaRa laughs, a short bitter cough. “You want her, have her!” She throws her weight forward, and we both slip, my leg pulls awkwardly from the rail and twists as I break free and fall, grasping at the smooth stone as I slip over the parapet.
The gasp from the crowd echoes in my ears as a sharp pain sears across my thigh. I stop suddenly, my fall pulled up short. I can’t look down. I have to look down. Blood oozes from a long gash on my leg, but the same spike that sliced my flesh has saved me. My belt is snagged on the protruding metal, and I am hanging, the leather cutting into my flesh as it strains under my weight.
“Sarai!” Prof Reed is leaning forward, trying to reach me, but she is too far away, and I am scared to look up. Scared any motion will upset the fragile balance and send me hurtling 50 feet to the concrete below. I shake my head imperceptibly, and the noise from the crowd below increases. Something is happening. I see Prof Reeds eyes flicker from concern to fear to horror something flashes past my peripheral vision. The crowd gasps, and a thin high scream echoes through the night sky.
I close my eyes, wait for the sickening thud of flesh hitting concrete. Instead a strong hand grabs me roughly and the pressure on my waist releases as I rise back up. A cheer raises from below, and Andre grins as he lifts me to my feet, his arms holding me safe as we stand on the ledge and gaze down at the chaos below us. I feel sick as I search for the circle I know will surround RaRa’s battered body. But the only circle I see is a trampoline, held by a crew of paramedics. Flashing lights draw my attention to a waiting ambulance, and I spot RaRa being helped inside.
The crowd is still cheering, and I wonder why, until Andre raises his arm and waves. The cheering increases and I smile and wave weakly, feeling like a heroine in an action movie. My hero turns to face me, and I know what’s coming next. I smile as he scoops me into his arms and kisses me softly. I snuggle against his body, held safe as we kiss once more, deeper, longer, and the passion within us crescendos to the roar of the crowd.
THE END
BONUS STORY 4
LOVE IN CAPTIVITY: BBW DRAGON SHIFTER PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Chapter 1
K'mpok K'tar brushed aside some leaves as he stepped into the clearing. Tall, dark green trees lined the mountain all around them. Giant rock structures jutted high into the sky, surrounding them. Some might even have caves. A clear blue stream ran through the middle of it all. It would make the perfect settlement.
He took a deep breath. It seemed so long since they had set their feet on solid ground. Traveling through space had been wonderful when they still had a home to return to, but now it was just an endless journey without a destination.
K'mpok's heart gave one final, longing thud for his lost planet of Duras. The meteor that had destroyed them was not yet gone. It had barely halted in its destructive course after crashing through their planet like it was no more than a cloud instead of the solid rock and iron it had been made of. How their scientists had missed it, he still did not understand. But none of that mattered. This would be their new home. When the same meteor came close to this planet, as K'mpok's people predicted it would, his people would be ready for it. It would not destroy their new home.
"What do you call this place again?" El Raag asked him.
"The Appalachian Mountains," he replied.
"It is beautiful," Raag said. "So much like our beloved Duras, is it not?"
K'mpok nodded.
"What shall we do first?" La' Mantok asked. He heard the excitement in her voice. After so many months drifting in space, they had finally found something real.
He turned to her and smiled.
"Let us radio Darj Kamtav and tell him we have found our new home."
Mantok's eyes brightened as she reached for her speaker. The radio crackled. "Mantok to Kamtav. We have found a settlement."
She heard the excitement in Kamtav's voice as he responded, asking for coordinates.
"What will we eat?" Raag asked, looking for the grain fields and vegetable bushes. "What do they eat?" A deer ran through the clearing, paused and looked at them, then continued on its way.
K'mpok nodded in the direction it went.
Raag made a disgusted face. "You're not serious! They would eat their own animals?" he asked.
"Yes. But we did that once ourselves."
"Not for a millennium."
"Are we certain the people here are peaceful?" Mantok asked.
K'mpok looked at her. He had done the research and knew the answer was not an easy one. "Some are," he said.
"Then some are not?" Raag asked.
K'mpok nodded. "If we settle here," he indicated the clearing in the mountain forest, "we should remain undetected. We can integrate into their society slowly."
"Then they would not accept us as we are?" Mantok asked, her voice losing some of the excitement she had felt only moments before.
"We will be alright," K'mpok told her.
A sudden sound made them all turn. Several Earth vehicles raced through the trees towards them. Men in uniforms jumped off and ran ahead as more vehicles followed closely behind. Every man had a gun, and they were all firing at K'mpok and his crew.
"Back to the ship!" K'mpok shouted. He darted behind a large pine tree that lined his path and watched Mantok narrowly miss a blast from some sort of electric gun that hit the ground beside her and caught the leaves on fire. She turned towards the small scouting ship they had landed amongst a patch of trees and tried to make her way towards it.
Raag was in worse shape. He was surrounded by many men who were firing bullets. Apparently the old expression he had come across during his research, "shoot first and ask questions later," was quite an accurate one for this planet. He wondered whether it would help if he told these military men that his race was a peaceful one. He watched a bullet shatter the bark next to Raag's face and thought not.
"Over here!" K'mpok shouted, jumping from behind his tree and waving his hands in the air. It gave Raag the opportunity he needed to shift. The human-like form he wore faded away as his dragon form took over. Mantok joined him from behind now, breathing fire at the men who brandished their weapons.
K'mpok ran towards his crew, his feet moving quickly over the ground as his legs transformed into the shimmering blue and green scales that were rare even for his people. Most Durasians were one solid color, but K'mpok was a mixture of hues and gradients. His neck elongated and thickened, and in another second he was by Mantok's side, joining the fight.
The Earth military was good, but they were no match for K'mpok's crew. They made it almost to the ship before K'mpok felt something blast his shoulder. He looked behind him too late. Several men with nets dodged out of the trees. A line of darts hit K'mpok's neck. He roared and blasted his fire breath, but felt the world closing around him. He was only dimly aware of Raag and Mantok calling his name.
Before his eyes closed, he thought he saw their ship take off. He had just enough time to wonder what would become of him before the world went black.
Chapter 2
Sophie Noble looked in the mirror, adjusting her clothes. She had tried to hide her curves and voluptuous body under a thick shirt and suit coat, but it was not working as well as she'd hoped. Her breasts were too big to hide and her waist was simply not cut the right way for a jacket like this.
Normally her body was something she prided herself on. At twenty-four she'd always enjoyed the way men's eyes followed her when she entered a room, but today was different. Her father had warned her repeatedly that if she embarrassed him, he would never speak to her again. She wasn't sure that was such a bad thing, considering his temper, but still, he was her father, and the only family she had.
She jumped as fists hammered on the door outside her room. "Sophie! Get the hell out here already! Christ you're slow."<
br />
She heard her father move away from her door and took a deep breath, wondering if she should have stuck with her childhood desire to be an astronaut instead of going into biology.
"Ready," she said, stepping into the hall. It was funny, she had lived with him on the Lextarr base since she was a child, but she had never been inside the building they were heading to now.
"When we get there," he told her as they hurried across the lot. "Act like you're smart." She cringed at his words but said nothing. Sophie had completed her master's in biology from MIT just a few months ago, yet her father was still treating her like she had the intelligence of a two year old.
The Lextarr base was huge, like a giant military base, except most of the people here were scientists. They also had the toughest security force in the country outside of the military. She hurried alongside her father, almost tripping over her heels.
"What the hell are you wearing?" he asked. His voice was cold and threatening, but then that was the norm for him. Her father only had a small handful of tones and inflections that he ever used, cold and threatening were right at the top.
"Um," Sophie said, biting her lip.
"No heels," he snapped. "They make you look cheap." She bit her lip again and tried to stop her eyes from tearing up. You'd think that after all these years she'd be used to his abuse by now, but it never seemed to get easier for her.
Inside the main Lextarr building, her father led her through a security chamber where the guards first put her through a metal detector, then frisked her. They also took some sort of flashing electronic device she didn't recognize and told her they were "sweeping" her, and that if she were hiding anything she best give it up now.
Once through security, Sophie and her father went to a third floor conference hall. The room itself was fairly standard. A long table with chairs all around it. The building itself didn't seem to be anything particularly special. Sophie wondered why there was such strict security for something that appeared to be a basic office building.