by Lauren Wood
“Who do you think you are to demand sanctuary in the midst of an execution?” The man sounded angrier than he had before if that was even possible.
“I am Leadership Officer Zed. I have traveled here from Moal to retrieve this man.” Zed reached down and plucked Xam up off the floor.
He staggered for a moment trying to gather his bearings. I ran to his side and held on tight.
“This girl is from Earth.” Zed started.
A hush fell over the room. Every prison guard and inmate held his or her breath in anticipation for what Zed might say next.
“She has been able to penetrate the barrier between our galaxies and has come to teach us her knowledge of Earth. This entire arrest has fallen in fault of misinformation to The Leadership. We are trying to rectify our mistake however we cannot do so without your confirmation and acceptance.” Zed cleared his throat. It echoed` through the room. “This could mean big things for Ceban.”
Applause erupted through the room. I looked up to see the inmates above us hanging over the railings, cheering. They pumped their fists in the air, clapped, and shouted for the guards to release Xam.
“That is enough!” The eyeless man bellowed, silencing the room and everyone in it.
He stepped down from his podium and stormed his way across the room quickly closing in on Zed, Xam, and me. The closer he got, the more terrifying he was. Even without the use of his eyes he seemed to know exactly where we stood.
“You are playing with fire, Officer Zed.” His voice lashed, his tongue as sharp as his teeth.
“All I ask is that you grant me fifteen more minutes of this man’s life and your time.” Zed pleaded but remained regal.
“I don’t do anyone any favors, you hear me?”
“I am not requesting a favor. I am simply vying for a few minutes of your time, sir.”
I was so proud to have Zed in my corner. He was a reasonable and stoic man. I would owe him majorly when everything was all said and done.
“Five minutes.”
“I accept.” Zed winked at me.
“Thank you.” I mouthed inaudibly.
Zed and the eyeless man headed to the right back down the long corridor that had brought me here. Just before they disappeared out of sight, the eyeless man braked in his tracks and turned toward us.
“In the meantime, separate them.” He pointed at Xam and me.
“Please, no!” I begged and dropped down to my knees in desperation.
Two of the five guards in the circle scooped me up and pulled me away from Xam. They followed down the same corridor as Zed and the eyeless man.
I squirmed under their grip in attempt to find Xam. I needed to know where they were taking him but it was too late. He was already gone.
The guards forced me into the corridor where Zed and the eyeless man were waiting for us.
“Let me go!” I shrieked. I clawed at the prison guards and threw my weight around hoping they would lose grip and drop me to the ground.
“That is enough!” The eyeless man slapped me across the face with the back of his hand. On his index finger he wore an iron-plated ring with an eagle perching. The eagle tore through my flesh like a razor blade. The nerves on my cheek caught fire and I could feel blood coursing out of the gaping wound.
Zed threw his elbow across the man’s chest and pinned him up against the wall so that he could see face him at eye level.
“You touch her again and you’re done.” Zed motioned across his throat.
I grabbed at my cheek in attempt to slow the bleeding.
“Are you alright, Kate?” Zed propped himself in front of me on one knee.
“I’m alright. Just the blood.” I looked down at the floor. I was standing in a vibrant puddle of red.
Zed tore off a piece of his shirtsleeve and pressed it against my cheek. “Hold this tight. We will be right back.”
Considering that every time I had been instructed to do something in the past and didn’t listen, everything seemed come crashing down around me. I couldn’t bare another set back in my life and I wasn’t about to toy with Xam’s fate. So this time, I decided to quietly obey.
Zed and the, now frightened, eyeless man disappeared into the room across the corridor. The heavy door swung closed follow by a large bang.
With the door closed, their conversation was muffled. I could, however, pick up on the tone of the conversation.
It started out loud as each man attempted to out-smart and out-alpha the other. I knew that if this was the case, Zed was absolutely a shoe-in.
Cutting through the muffled noises I was catching from behind the metal door, another sound flooded my head. It was the sound of someone moaning and calling out in pain.
I recognized the cries. It was Xam.
I leaned back against the cinderblock wall and slid down to the floor. I couldn’t bear to hear his cries of pain for one more second. But what could I possibly do that would jeopardize this entire plan?
I brought my arms up to my face and buried my head between my knees in attempt to block out the sound.
Even still, it rang sharp in my ears.
My mind circled the possibilities. What would I do if Xam were denied sanctuary? What would I do if he were granted sanctuary?
All of these questions soaring through my mind were a reminder as to why I used to live the way I did. The less I cared about anyone, the less likely I was to get hurt. Now, here I sat, on this cold concrete floor, hurting more than I had ever thought possible. Not only was I in pain from the gash in my cheek. It was the internal pain that claimed center stage. My heart was hollow and my mind soggy. The thought of Xam being ripped out of my life was absolutely unbearable to me.
I couldn’t let that happen.
Silence surrounded me and screamed in my ears. Xam’s wailing had stopped. There were no longer inmates chanting in the cells. The conversation in the room behind the metal door had seized as well.
Uneasily, I got to my feet and paced three steps across the hall toward the door. I pressed my palm against it. The metal was cold and smooth to the touch. I placed my swollen cheek against the surface. The iciness brought instant relief to the fire burning beneath my skin. I leaned in resting my weight on my cheek. I could have cried it felt so good.
I heard the doorknob squeak, someone was about to open the door. Before I could step back I fell head first into the room right at the eyeless man’s feet. He looked down on me in pity and stepped over me.
Scrambling to my feet, I locked my eyes on the man as he marched himself down the corridor back toward the circular room.
Next out the door was Zed. I searched his face for an answer or a sign. Anything. But he was stone faced and illegible.
The guards followed in pairs falling stride with the eyeless man toward the circular room.
Zed watched after them but I kept my eyes fixed on him.
When they had disappeared out of sight, Zed turned to look at me. I could have sworn I caught a twinkle in his eye but his expression wasn’t giving anything away.
“Tell me Xam is safe.” Tears flooded my vision. My heart pained. I wanted this to end.
Zed pulled me and hugged me tight. He rubbed my shoulder trying to calm me down.
I could hear footsteps approaching us in the distance. I rubbed my eyes and looked up at Zed, hopeful.
He winked.
It was Xam.
I pushed off and ran faster than I ever had before down the corridor toward the echoing footsteps. By the time Xam came into view, I was soaring. Seeing him set my heart free and I moved faster, faster until he was within my reach.
Xam picked me up and twirled me around through the air. He ran his hand through my hair and pulled me into his lips. I wanted this kiss to last forever.
“Are you ready to go home?” Xam offered me his battered hand.
I smiled, I was going home.
THE END
WILD ALPHA BEAST
Chapter 1
The snow
blanketed the ground outside and continued to fall from the sky. She sipped her coffee and frowned. Trust her mother and stepfather get stranded at the airport three states over. Now she was alone on Christmas.
A knock at the door startled her. With excitement, she bounded down the stairs. She’d just spend her first semester away at college, and she was so excited to talk to her mom about it. “You made it!” she said as she flung open the door.
Her drive instantly changed when she saw who was at the door. Despite the freezing cold temperatures, his wore a leather jacket that was still unzipped at the neck, and of course, he wore nothing to protect his head.
“Cade,” she said with a frown. “What the hell are you doing here?” She crossed her arms to protect herself. Her body always betrayed her whenever her stepbrother was around.
He stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “It’s Christmas.”
“I know, but my mom and your dad flew to Pennsylvania to spend time with your family.”
“Erin, it’s freezing out here. Can I come in before we debate about why I’m not allowed to spend Christmas here?”
She rolled her eyes but stepped aside. Cade brushed the snow off his jacket and filled the doorway as he entered. “Thanks, sis,” he said wryly.
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “Why aren’t you in Pennsylvania?”
Her fingers tingled as he stripped his jacket off. As he lifted his arms, she could see just an inch of so of his torso, and her mind immediately flashed back to when she’d spent some time at the beach with him. Six-pack abs. Tanned and smooth skin that was virtually hairless. Perfection.
“If you’d remember anything that came out of my mouth when we were together, you would know that I live here now. I’m starting a business, and New York is the best demographics. Where is Dad and Susan?”
“Pennsylvania,” she said as she crossed her arms. “Because of the snow storm, they’re stuck for at least a few days.”
“So, you’re alone here? No babysitter?”
“Cade. I am nineteen years old. I haven’t needed a babysitter for ten years.”
He smiled at her. “That’s right. You’re at NYU. How was your first semester?”
“It was awesome. My roommate is kind of a bitch, but I think she’s going to fail out next semester anyways. My suitemates, on the other hand, are awesome.” She continued chatting as she followed him into the kitchen and watched as he opened the refrigerator door. “What are you doing?”
“I’d like to feed myself. Maybe we can order Chinese.”
“You’re staying?”
Cade peeked over the kitchen door and shrugged. “It took me two hours to make the twenty minute drive, so I’m not exactly ready to drive back. And besides, it’s Christmas. It wouldn’t be very brotherly of me to leave you on Christmas.”
“You’re not my brother,” she snapped.
“No,” he said with a slow smile. “I’m not.”
Erin Silva shook away the memories and stared at her editor. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”
Leila frowned. “Erin, you haven’t written anything worthwhile in over a year. I know you wanted to take a hiatus after the veteran’s piece, but you can’t keep surviving off travel blogs. You’re a human interest writer, and The New York Monthly is begging me to get you to write up his profile.”
“Cade Marquis? You want me to do an interview with Cade Marquis?” Erin stared at her friend. “Are you insane?”
“No,” Leila said slowly. “I thought you’d have an issue with the project, not with the subject. What’s going on? Do you know Cade?”
Just thinking about him made her chest tighten. “Yes, I know Cade. And no, I’m not writing a piece on him.”
“That’s going to be a problem.” Leila followed her through the kitchen. “Erin, if you don’t writing again, people are going to forget about you. You have the write this piece. I already told the magazine that you’d do it, and I’ve already informed Cade’s publicist. He agreed to it.”
“The publicist or Cade?” Erin snapped as she whirled around.
Leila halted. “Does it matter?” she said nervously.
“Yes, it matters,” she said tightly. “Who agreed?”
“Cade did. He called me last night and told me it was a great idea. He needs more exposure, and he says he likes your style of writing.”
“Did he now?” Erin rolled her eyes. Trust Cade to sweet talk Leila. For all she knew, he was probably pulling the strings at the magazine as well. Obviously, he’d decided his life was empty without tormenting her.
Leila reached out and grabbed her arm. “Erin, this is a big opportunity for you. What the hell is your relationship with Cade?”
What was her relationship with Cade? “He’s my stepbrother,” she said softly. “His dad, Richard, married my mom when I was sixteen. He was twenty.”
She stopped talking for a moment as she tried to figure out what to say next. “Okay,” Leila said. “So he’s your family. That’s even better. You’ll be able to easily intertwine his past struggles with his present success. What, was he an obnoxious stepbrother?”
Erin snorted. “Please. Cade was too old to bother with me at first. But then, things changed.”
“How so?”
Leila had been her friend since college, and Erin had never told her the story. Mainly because it was too personal, and also because it hurt too much to talk about. “When I was nineteen, I gave Cade my virginity,” she said softly.
“What?” Leila’s mouth dropped open. “You told me Chase Hartfield took you virginity. You lied to me?”
“I lied to Chase too,” Erin said with a wry smile. “It just sort of happened over Christmas one year. Our parents were stuck in Pennsylvania during a snowstorm and couldn’t get home. Cade didn’t get the memo, and came over for Christmas. We were alone for a week before my mom made it back.”
“You spent a week in the bed of Cade Marquis? Your stepbrother? You dirty girl.” Leila perched on a bar stool and leaned over the counter. “Tell me everything!”
Erin rolled her eyes. “Leila, it was six years ago. It didn’t just happen last night.”
“So? That doesn’t mean it’s not forever burned in your memory. God, Erin, Cade practically became a billionaire over night. His consulting business is a huge success. Companies all over the world are trying to hire him. And you spent a week in his bed. I have to know everything.”
Erin stared out the window. “Actually, I don’t really remember it. There was a lot of alcohol involved.” She smiled. “You remember how I was back then. But I do remember that by the end of the week, Cade turned into a complete asshole. He became engrossed in his business, and I started dating Chase. We haven’t really seen each other since then.”
“So it’s not a big deal that you guy spent a week together?”
“Not a big deal,” Erin confirmed with a smile.
“Excellent. Then you won’t have any issues interviewing him. I’ve set up your first meeting for Monday at three. You can spend the next few days doing some background research on him. The Monthly wants the story for next month’s edition which means you have three weeks to interview him and write it.”
“Wait...”
“I’ve got to go, Erin. It’s going to be great. Let me know if you have any questions!”
Her editor blew her a kiss and sailed out of the room, leaving Erin with her mouth hanging open. How had that backfired on her?
***
Erin propped her long legs up on the couch arm and leaned back as she munched on her lo mein. “This was a good idea.”
Cade stared at her. Every single voice of logic in his head was screaming for him to get back in his car and drive home. It was far safer for him to battle the blizzard outside than to spend even a few hours alone with her. He was twenty-three, about to start his own business, and a hair’s breath away from getting Sasha Oliver to go to dinner with him. He’s been pursuing her for a year. That was the girl h
e needed to be spending the evening with, not his nineteen-year-old stepsister.
But there was something about her that was undeniable. Her long dark hair practically reached her waist, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his fists in it and…
“Earth to Cade.”
He tore his eyes away from her slender body and blinked. “Sorry, I spaced out. What were you saying?”
“I was asked you about you business. Didn’t you say you were setting up shop here?”
He cleared his throat. “It’s a consulting business. I would help others with their own businesses.”
She frowned. “You’re going to start a business to help other people with their businesses? Isn’t that what, like, sixty year old men do?”
“I worked for Simon and Grant for four years,” he pointed out. “And they’re backing me on my business. I’ve got a good mind for business and marketing, but I don’t want to come up with a product. I’d rather market my services, and consulting is what I’m good at. While I was at Simon and Grant, their sales went up seven percent. Do you know how big that is? I was twenty.”
“Okay, I get it,” she laughed. “You don’t have to be so defensive. You’re a guru of business.”
He smiled. He was getting a bit defensive. He wanted to look good for her. “So what are you majoring in?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I love some of the social sciences. I think anthropology and psychology would be fun. I also love history and literature. Right now I’m just taking the core classes while I talk to advisors.”
Her mother used to complain that Erin was all over the place. When she got what she wanted, she grew bored with it several months later. With that kind of track record, it would take her forever to make up her mind about what she wanted to do for a living.
She sat her box down and swung her legs over the side. “I’m going to get a drink. You need anything?”
“Another beer would be nice.” He frowned. “And don’t drink any of it. Your mother will have me castrated if she comes home and you’re drunk.”