Chance: An Action & Adventure Romance Novel (Sacrifice)

by A. C. Heller

  There was a period of time she tried to bear the pain of the electric currents pulsing through her, but they only increased the voltage. When they do this, there is always someone in the room that they want her to kill. No matter how many times she says sorry, her heart will always remain heavy with the knowledge of what she has done.

  Just as her thoughts drift towards the terrible depressing realities of her life, there is a loud bang on the roof of her cell as if something heavy was dropped on it. Thinking back as far as she can, she can never remember a time when that has happened. Dora climbs to her feet and stares up at the ceiling as if waiting for it to do something. There’s nothing but silence for a moment and then she hears something strange.

  “Fucking shit!” It sounded a lot like a man!

  Dora has always thought of herself as a rational person so when the bang sounds several more times it doesn’t take her long to figure out that someone is jumping on the roof of her cell. She has always known the walls around her were steel, but she finds herself wondering if whoever is above her is aware of that. The sound of the alarm grows louder in her ears and now she is very sure that there is an unwanted visitor.

  Dora sits patiently on the edge of her bed waiting to hear something from above or even something from outside of her door. She can’t help but find it a little odd that no one has come to get her. Evidently her wardens do not care much for her safety. She is smart enough to know that the likelihood that this intruder is after her is very slim, but she can’t say in all certainty that he isn’t either.

  Distracted by her thoughts, Dora is brought back to the now by a strange hissing noise that causes her eyes to immediately shoot to the ceiling. There’s a red glow in the shape of a square appearing in the steel above her. She backs into the corner of her cell not sure what else she can do.

  There’s a grunt just as the square of metal is seemingly punched and falls from the ceiling to the floor. Dora’s body begins to shake with fear just as she sees a man’s legs hang over the edge of the hole. The black boots remind her of her captors, but it’s the bickering she’s overhearing that is keeping her from being completely terrified.

  “Do not just drop in there, Rip. You do not know what you’re facing.” The man speaking sounds very angry, but his words alone make it clear it’s out of worry.

  “Don’t go gettin’ all soft on me now brother. I’ll be fine.”

  Dora could swear she heard a growl just as a man dressed in all black drops to the floor in a crouching position. Pure fear and adrenaline wash over her but as the man stands up and she gets a good look at him. She finds herself at a loss.

  The man standing before her has to be the most gorgeous creature she has ever laid eyes on. He is wearing those ugly boots, black khakis, what appears to be a tight shirt and a harness of some sort over that. The man’s hair is sandy brown and his eyes are almost the same color. Despite the fact that she was not moving and doing her best to keep silent she swallows and those eyes lock with hers, nearly stopping her heart in her chest.

  The man lowers his head and raises his hands in a placating gesture. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not here to hurt you, I promise.”

  Dora points towards the door and when she speaks her voice comes out as the softest whisper. “You should leave this place. It isn’t safe.”

  The man raises an eyebrow at her as if he thinks she’s crazy. “Darlin’ considering you were locked in this room, I can’t imagine it’s very safe for you either.”

  The man has a point, but that wasn’t the only reason she was in this room. Over the years she has learned that being isolated is the only way to make sure she doesn’t hurt anyone. At least that is what she has been told time and time again by her captors. And knowing her abilities, she knows they are right.

  “It’s best that I stay here.”

  The man shakes his head clearly growing tired with the conversation. “I don’t believe that, and I gotta tell you, I’m not leaving this place without you.”

  A look of pure confusion crosses Dora’s face and she locks eyes with the man once more. “I don’t know anything else.”

  The man nods and takes a hesitant step towards her. “My name is Aiden Ripley. I work for an organization that helps people. The people we help are special. Sometimes they even have special abilities. Do you have special abilities darlin’?”

  Dora simply nods in acknowledgment. She wouldn’t call her abilities special in any way but she knew what he meant.

  “Alright, so what's going to happen is, I’m going to hoist you up and my brother Takeo is going to take you from me. Don’t be alarmed, he is a big guy but I assure you he is a giant teddy bear.” Just as Aiden finishes speaking Dora hears a clipped ‘Fuck off’ from above them. Had she not been so freaked out she may have actually laughed.

  Dora doesn’t move as she tries to mentally process all of this information. “He called you Rip, not Aiden.” Aiden smiles at her and nods, “Indeed he did. When we are on assignment we tend to not use our real names. It’s safety procedure. I’m called Rip mainly because of my last name, but also because I’m very skilled with throwing daggers.” This made sense, so Dora takes a step forward which causes Aiden to raise one of his hands to take hers.

  This would be the first time Dora has ever left her captors. As long as she can remember she has been a prisoner of some sort. Now she finds herself wondering how freedom can really feel free when you are essentially a walking disaster. More excited by the idea of leaving her wardens, she takes the final step forward and places her hand in Aiden’s.

  As soon as Aiden grasps her hand, both of their arms visibly jolt. Dora gasps and Aiden eyes grow wide but neither of them verbally comment. They had both felt the connection, the spark between them. A connection so powerful that it had physically manifested between them as an electric charge.

  Dora pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and looks up at the gaping square in the ceiling. “So, just put my hands up?”

  Aiden is quiet for a moment before he steps up behind her and places his hands on her hips. “Yeah, reach straight up and when I lift you up Takeo will reach down and take you from me.”

  Dora lifts her arms and reaches up and in one swift movement Aiden lifts her light frame above his head. She’s slightly surprised at how strong he is. Not that she is very heavy, but it’s also easy to tell by looking at him that he takes care of himself.

  Strong tanned hands wrap around both of her wrists and she’s pulled up through the hole as if she weighs no more than a feather. Aiden was strong, but this guy is strong. Dora’s small frame slams into a massive chest and a strong arm wraps around her lower back to keep her on her feet.

  “You good, female?”

  Female? Dora really didn’t like being referred to as that but it was typical of Nephilim men to call women that. “Yes, I’m fine.”

  The massive man releases her and takes a step back. At the same time a strong gust of wind comes from inside of her old cell. In that instance Aiden is standing next to them. Takeo is smiling at Aiden, but Dora is just looking between the hole and Aiden trying to figure out how on earth he managed to get himself out without a ladder.

  It must have been obvious because Aiden locks eyes with her just before he speaks. “I have the ability to manipulate air. So with a little effort I can create a powerful enough gust to lift my own body weight.”

  Dora blinks several times before blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. “So you can fly?”

  Takeo bursts out laughing, his incredibly deep voice making the sound reverberate through her.

  Aiden grins and shakes his head. “No, I can’t fly. I can only do it for a short period of time.”

  Dora has always been slightly jealous when she hears about other Nephilim abilities, wondering why she got the short end of the stick, though the thought crosses her mind that this man does not appear to be Nephilim. Aiden presses a finger to his ear and starts’ giving out orders and their location while
Takeo places a hand on the small of Dora's back, leading her up a metal chain ladder that apparently had been dropped into a hole above her cell.

  Once off of the ladder, Dora takes a moment to look around and breathe in the fresh air. It’s been so long since she has been able to see the stars and the moon or the trees swaying in the breeze. Even the smell of the dirt around them is a beautiful thing to her. Suddenly, six large vehicles pull up around them and at least forty men pile out of them all dressed a lot like Aiden and Takeo. Takeo gives the men orders to go down and meet Aiden and places his hand at the small of Dora’s back once more, leading her to one of the vehicles.

  When they reach the car, Dora notices a soldier walk up behind him and stop. The giant man brushes her hair away from her face and presses a large finger to the cut on her temple. She sucks in a breath through her teeth and glares at him, despite his size.

  “Sorry,” the soldier mumbles as he takes the first aid kit that the soldier behind him was holding. It was like they knew they were going to need it. He cleans her wound with an alcohol swab and covers it.

  “Thank you” she whispers and the large man says nothing but he does give her a half smile. She couldn't help but notice that he was kind of cute too.

  Takeo opens the passenger side door and motions for her to slide in. In the driver’s seat is a man that almost makes Takeo look small. It’s hard to tell in the dim light of the vehicle, but it appears the man has white hair but does not look old. Takeo leans down and gives the man a curious look. “Surprised to see you here.”

  The man lifts his eyes to Takeo and his expression turns Dora’s blood to ice. “The danger we once faced because of a golden haired female is nothing in comparison.” Dora watches as Takeo’s face twists in anger and he slams her door closed, causing the vehicle to rock on its wheels. The white haired man starts the vehicle and they pull away into the darkness.

  “Who are you?” Dora asks sounding a little frightened still but uncaring because if this man meant her any harm he would be in for a really rude awakening.

  “You may call me, Damiano. And no, I will not harm you. I am very aware of what you are capable of, Pandora.”

  Dora shrinks down in her seat a little; she absolutely hates it when people call her that. “It’s Dora.”

  Damiano nods but doesn’t respond.

  Minutes later they pull into a large garage and he exits the vehicle leaving her inside. Dora hesitantly opens her door and slides out just as an older woman approaches her smiling.

  “Hello dear. My name is Liza. Please come in and get comfortable.”

  Dora doesn’t answer verbally, but simply follows Liza through the garage and towards a larger building. Just as they exit the garage, Dora sees Damiano leaning against a work bench, staring directly at her.

  Chapter Four

  Aiden scrubs a hand over his face as he watches her enter the compound. The Sapient facility has been mostly wiped out, all critical information moved and only a dozen or so guards left behind. It was always frustrating when they got little results, but this time at least they got Dora. The moment Aiden saw her something twisted in his gut and the air had been nearly sucked out of him. What was such a beautiful woman doing locked in a steel prison cell? Thoughts like that are what have been plaguing his mind all night. Now that he was home all he wanted to do was sleep.

  As he’s walking past the kitchen, Aiden hears a distinctive female giggle that stops him in his tracks. It’s a beautiful sound and even though he half knows who it came from he still has to see it for himself. He walks into the kitchen and on one side of the table is Dora and on the other side are Chasca and Angelo. It looks like Chasca is trying to strangle Angelo. Her tiny hands are at his throat but they aren't quite big enough to actually strangle him. That doesn't stop her from trying.

  “What did he do now?” Aiden asks as he strolls up to the table.

  Dora turns her intense blue eyes to him and smiles faintly.

  Chasca turns towards him and places a hand on her hip. “He has my ring in his mouth! I was trying to show it to Dora and this douche of a man decided to put it in his mouth!”

  Aiden rolls his eyes just as Takeo comes into the room. Takeo walks right over to Angelo slaps him on the back of the head causing him to spit the ring out and catches it in midair. Takeo grins and hands the ring back to Chasca who in turn grins and sticks her tongue out at Angelo.

  Dora giggles and for the first time Aiden gets to see a full smile appear on her face. Magnificent. Aiden tries to keep his face as expressionless as he can while he slides into the booth style seat next to Dora. She scoots over to give him more room and picks up her cup of tea. It’s only then that Aiden notices her hand is shaking.

  “Are you alright?” Aiden asks with genuine concern.

  Dora quickly nods her head and takes a sip of her tea before setting it back down. “I’m alright, just nervous I guess.”

  Aiden can’t say that he’s been in her position before but he can still understand her nervousness. She doesn’t know anyone in the room and her first impression was a couple of commando looking guys dragging her out of a prison cell. Then when she gets here she is subjected to Chasca strangling Angelo. Aiden sighs heavily at how ridiculous they all are and glances at her once more. “We’re really not as psychotic as they make us seem.”

  “I don’t think you’re all psychotic. Everyone seems very nice.” Dora says with laughter in her voice.

  Liza comes over and takes Aiden by the upper arm, pulling him out of the booth. Aiden allows this and stumbles to his feet. He watches as Liza takes Dora’s hand and helps her to her feet. “Come along, I’ve got a room ready for you. You can shower and change. Chasca was kind enough to lend you some of her clothing for tonight. Then we'll take a look at that gash on your temple.”

  Dora nods and allows Liza to essentially drag her out of the kitchen, but the smile on Dora's face tells him she doesn't mind at all.

  Aiden slides back into the booth. It takes everything in him to not groan at the thought of Dora in Chasca’s clothes. The way Chasca dresses has always been a topic of conversation amongst the men, unless Takeo was around, of course. And Dora was a few inches taller than Chasca but just as curvy and absolutely gorgeous. Aiden looks across the table at Angelo who is staring right at him with a huge grin on his face.

  “What?” Aiden hesitantly asks while trying to mentally prepare for the shit Angelo is about to give him.

  Angelo chuckles and shakes his head in disbelief. “Already? Fuck, let her get in the goddamn door first man.”

  Aiden can feel his face starting to heat but he gets it under control by inwardly cursing how good at reading people Angelo is. “Shut the hell up, she’s attractive, what can I say?”

  Angelo slides out of the booth and heads towards the door yelling back to Aiden. “This one is all yours. She’s got trouble written all over her.”

  Aiden watches as the door swings closed while he unhooks his chest harness and drops it on the table. Glancing around the kitchen he realizes he should probably eat something. Rising to his feet, Aiden walks over to the refrigerator and pulls out a leftover container of spaghetti. As the door begins to close, Aiden jumps back in surprise. “Fucking hell! I hate when you do that!” he yells.

  There’s a low rumbling chuckle just before the man speaks. “Perhaps this is why I do it.”

  Aiden shakes his head in irritation and pops the container into the microwave.

  Damiano leans against the island in the kitchen and crosses his arms over his chest, which is something Aiden has noticed he does all the time. He doesn’t speak much, he just seems to take in everything that’s going on around him, at least when his eyes are open. Aiden had no clue what was going on is his head when his eyes were closed, but he wasn’t about to ask either. He knew better. Damiano didn’t talk about himself, ever.

  “Your mind walks fruitless paths.”

  Aiden grits his teeth at Damiano's words. He hates that he can g
et into his head with such ease. “Hey, stay outta my head man. What do you want anyway?”

  Damiano arches his back as if he’s stretching slightly and pins Aiden with a stern look. “This is beyond your means.”

  Aiden's brow furrows in confusion. “Huh? What is beyond my means?” The microwave beeps and he takes his food out. He takes a fork out of the drawer and sticks it into his food before turning back to Damiano. Only when he turned around there was no Damiano, he was alone.

  After Aiden finishes eating he puts his dishes in the dishwasher and heads towards his room. He notices as he’s walking down the hall that all the doors are closed except for his, but he can hear the TV in the living room on. When he enters the living room the first thing he notices is that every light is on, which he finds a little odd. There is a horror movie on the television, something about a house in upstate New York that’s haunted. There in the center of the couch, curled into a protective ball, Dora is watching the movie through her fingers.

  Aiden feels a sharp pain shoot through his chest and it takes everything in him to not physically react to it. Right now his focus is on the terrified beauty on the couch. “You want me to turn it off?” Dora nearly jumps out of her skin when Aiden speaks. He didn’t consider the fact that she had no idea he was there, and now he just feels like an ass. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Dora nods her head and settles back onto the couch. “No, I’m quite alright. I’ve never seen a movie like this before. I suppose I should have picked a… nicer one.”

  Aiden smiles and slowly walks over and sits down at the opposite end of the couch. He can’t help but be curious about her, beauty aside. Her comment has him wondering how long she’d been locked up. “Can I ask you something?”

  Dora glances from the TV over to Aiden and simply nods her head once, but her gorgeous blue eyes never leave his.