“Yeah. We have to disassemble it, move it, and reassemble it. After that we will put on a show for the owners and managers of the field.
“That shouldn’t take long at all,” Ash said as he traded forms allowing his beast to come out. He grew taller until he was able to reach the top of the structure.
“Everyone, careful of your claws,” Sergey said before he swapped his form for the form of his beast.
The rest of the brothers came in and soon they were all in their other form working to take the waterfall apart and package it for transport. Dante’s brothers never changed, they worked on the lower part. Dante was also missing which seemed odd.
“Lorali,” Tori leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Why isn’t Dante here and why aren’t his brothers changing?”
Lorali shrugged and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I was wondering the same thing about Dante. He rarely misses a get-together. I have never seen him or his brothers’ change before. I asked Sergey about it once, he said they didn’t change unless necessary.”
“We can hear you. Aliens with exceptional hearing over here,” Julian called out.
Tori blushed at being caught. Lorali just laughed and winked at him. Sergey let out a low roar that made them all laugh.
“Let’s go inside and get something to drink while the males finish up.”
Tori nodded her head and followed Lorali into the house. Lorali poured lemonade into the glasses Tori pulled out.
“Lorali, this is excellent. Did you make it?”
“I keep telling you, I can burn water and I do mean water. Sergey made it, he’s an excellent cook. I’m pretty sure he could give Dante a run for his money.”
“Did I hear my name?”
They both jumped and turned to see Dante leaning against the doorway to the kitchen.
“I would ask how you got in here without either one of us hearing you, but I know it would be useless. Instead I will offer you lemonade.” Lorali pulled a glass out for him.
“I have to taste this lemonade that will give me a run for my money.” He gave them both teasing smiles before taking the glass Lorali held out for him.
He took his time savoring the drink while the females looked at him. “I keep telling Sergey he has natural talent. All he needs to do is let me mentor him. But no, he prefers to keep an eye on the government and catch bad guys. Wasted talent.”
Lorali laughed at him. “What brings you here?”
“I wanted to give you an early wedding present.”
Lorali clapped her hands like a child. “Present. Give me.”
Dante’s smiled got even wider. “Come here, Lorali.”
She walked over to him looking for a wrapped package.
“Presents come in more than one form. Like a quilt or in this case, like a pair of hands. Give me your hands, Lorali.”
She held out her hands looking at him with a questionable gaze. He took them in his and held on tightly. They were surrounded in a white beam of light making it impossible to see. A soothing warmth entered her hands and traveled up her arms until her whole body was covered in it.
What felt like an eternity later, she could see and Dante was sitting on the other side of the room.
“What happened?”
“I gave you an early wedding gift,” he said before he rose and left the kitchen.
“What did he mean?” Tori asked.
“I have no idea.” Lorali turned to look at her and nicked a finger on the sharp edge of a knife.
“Oww.” She put her finger in her mouth and started sucking on it.
Her eyes got big as she took her pinky out of her mouth. It was the pinky that never had much feeling no matter how much she was around Sergey.
“Tori, I can feel. I mean I could always feel, but not a hundred percent. It’s all back and more. I can feel.”
She ran out the kitchen leaving Tori behind. Tori managed to get outside in just enough time to hear Lorali squeal and throw herself at Sergey. She let out a sigh of relief when Sergey caught her.
Hale walked over to Tori. He was back in his humanoid shape. “Are you coming with us to the field?”
“Yeah, I want to do some last minute checking, make sure I got all my measurements correct. How will you get the waterfall back together?”
“The field will lend us ladders. Don’t worry, all they will see is human’s doing a job.” She nodded her head as they began to carry the pieces out to an oversized truck.
*******
A wedding. On his world they would have called it a Toric Bonding. Where two gathered together and exchanged toric, a fluid they produced, forever becoming one.
He sat at the highest point of the field. He was careful to make sure the wind was blowing in the opposite direction of the Created putting together a huge structure. They were entertaining the humans who were watching. Soon those same humans would die as they screamed running in the streets.
A wedding. He could just make out the female who would be marrying Sergey; he would make sure she never took those vows. He would make sure each one of them paid for what they did to him.
He closed his eyes allowing a pair of yellow gold eyes to take over his vision. He still remembered the first time he met her. He had just gone through the transition. He was now a man, how proud he felt. His grand destiny was finally in front of him. The elders, a useless throwback to when they were a warrior race, assured him he would bring peace to his people.
They began to be invaded by other races that wanted their inventions long before he was born. Now he, Yaksim would be the one to bring peace to his people. His chest swelled up. He was destined for greatness, as it should be.
He went to the celebration the town was having for all the young who transitioned. The celebration was large, and he was one of the honorees because of the word he received. There was laughter and drinks were flowing, the ones they were forbidden to touch until they transitioned. He was drinking deeply with his friends when he saw her walk in.
He knew the moment she walked in that she was his. One day he would exchange blood with her. His friends wanted her the minute they saw her, but he threatened each one of them. His warrior roots taking over, no one would touch her but him.
She smiled at him and then agreed to dance the night away in his arms. Brie, was her whispered answer when he asked her name. From that moment there was no one for him except her. It was understood that one day they would bond. But neither of them wanted to do it before they brought peace to the planet.
Brie was the one who fought to change the alien DNA used. She even spearheaded the program. He was so proud of her even though he disagreed with her. He wanted to continue to use the ones they had. Killing them after they fought worked for him.
With new sets of DNA they made new Created. Dante and his brothers were the first set. He should have killed them right after they were born. A’rouk, the name whispered through his mind sending shards of dread through his body. She wouldn’t hear of it. He at least demanded no more be created until they received a different set of male DNA.
It was close to a thousand years later before Aran and his brothers were created. He knew there would be problems when Aran was born as two instead of one. They were separated. On his planet the only thing done in two’s was the paring.
He hated them on sight, but not Brie. She thought it meant they were favored to win their wars. Win they did. The more the Created won the more distant she became.
When the wars were finally over and they could kill all the Created, she fought for them to be allowed to leave. It was their reward for unwavering service. The counsel, those imbeciles, agreed with her.
He went to her abode the night before the last of them were to depart. He wanted to make plans for the joining. Instead he found Aran’s twin with her, touching her. Promising his undying protection.
She told him she was leaving with that monster and she was never coming back. No amount of pleading would sway her. That same night he inject
ed himself with the alien DNA. It would take a monster to beat a monster; they would all pay. Then he would track down his beautiful Brie after he conquered the galaxy. He would show her that he could be exactly what she needed.
It was time to make his final plans.
Chapter Twenty Five
“Your wedding is going to be perfect,” Tori said to Lorali. “I can already picture you in your wedding gown standing beside Sergey as you repeat your vows. The waterfall will make it look like you’re on a private island. The pictures will be great too.”
Tori glanced at the huge structure that looked just right in the open field. She ran around and finished arranging the chairs. The guest list wasn’t big when you considered the venue, five hundred guests wouldn’t even make a dent. All the employees at Dare Securities were invited. They closed the business for the day so they would all have the chance to come if they wanted.
Several government officials were also invited. Sergey called it being polite. Lorali called it networking. Other than that there were several other random names on the list. Friends made in times of trouble. That’s what Lorali called them, and the rest of the women smiled and agreed with her.
Looking around, Tori realized everything was done. She took a seat, it was time for the demonstration. The field held not only her new family, but all the officials who were busy making plans on how to advertise the newest attraction. Sergey wanted them all to see the waterfall in action.
“Ash.” Sergey’s voice rang out causing everyone to look at him. “We need water.”
*****
“On it.” He turned around to look at everyone present. He gave a sigh and jogged out going to the main maintenance room where the valve would be located.
He tried not to see each of his brothers smiling at their mates. As long as Hale had not found his, he didn’t feel alone. Now that wasn’t the case, he not only found her, they had already mated.
Stepping into the room he found what he was looking for and turned it on. He booted up the screens that were not off, just asleep and watched as the water came on. The water fall and the pond they created was self-sufficient; once it was filled it would not need any more water. The water would reproduce itself. Wonder how long before the humans realized they had something special in their possession?
The scene was spectacular. As the pond at the base of the waterfall began to fill, the chemical they added cleaned the water. It looked like water from an undiscovered island it was so clear and crisp. He watched for signs of the water reproducing. There it was, the subtle blue-green glint. He turned the water off and watched as it filled with no additional help.
An unseen mechanism pushed the water up before it flowed over the fall. He had to smile at the wonder reflected on the faces. It was there even on the faces of his brothers and friends. Sergey deserved something special and from what Ash could tell Lorali was special.
He felt his other side shift in his mind. He was lonely. They were lonely. Saturday mornings weren’t spent playing video games to keep each other company. The get togethers, while still fun and mandatory, only served to remind him that he was alone. Aran demanded they all get together at least once every two weeks. He didn’t care that they worked together every day. They were a family and families got together. Ash felt like an outsider even at his own family functions. He was thankful Dante and the rest had shown up more often lately. That at least gave him other unmated Created to be around.
He left the maintenance room to head back towards the open field. He turned right instead of left something was tugging at him. Besides he could wait a while before he had to face all the happy couples again.
A whiff of something foul hit him. The tainted one? He followed the smell even as it began to dissipate. A tantalizing smell tickled his nose overpowering the last trace of the tainted one, this aroma called to him. Taking the steps two at a time he reached the level with the luxury boxes. Ash walked down the corridor until he saw a door slightly ajar.
He went in quietly to see a female leaning over the railing looking at the waterfall.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” she said in a soft voice that slid under his skin.
“You heard me come in?”
“I’ve had years of fine tuning my senses.”
He walked to her. “Can you also see out of the back of your head?”
She gave a soft laugh that had his body responding in ways he only dreamed of.
“If I don’t look at you then I can get a more accurate picture of you.”
“What do you see?”
“You’re tall. Much taller than me, but I can’t see your hair color. What is it?”
“It’s red. Some call it flame red.”
“It’s beautiful. I can picture it as it lays on your shoulders.”
“What else do you see?”
“You’re sad, but not the sadness that comes from being betrayed or losing something. This sadness comes from yearning for something you never think you will find.”
“That’s a lot to know about someone you haven’t looked at yet.”
“Why don’t you tell me what you picked up from looking at me?”
“You’re shorter than I am, but you’re not really short. Maybe five six.”
“That’s the easy stuff you have to try harder than that.”
“A challenge, I like it. Ok you’re not turning around because you think I won’t like what I see. Your shoulders are humped over like you’re at cross roads in your life. The way you flinch at sounds in the hallway makes me think you’re running from someone. You’re still young, but your stance reminds me of someone twice your age.”
“You’re pretty good at this.”
“Won’t you turn around so I can see you?”
“I will in a minute. Tell me, do you have a name to go with your flame red hair?”
“Ash.”
“Do you burn hot, Ash?”
“I would love the chance to find out,” he responded.
“I think I like you, Ash.”
“What is your name?”
“Brooklyn.”
“It is a beautiful name for a beautiful female.”
“You may want to rethink that.” She turned around to face him making sure her grip on the railing was solid.
He looked at her. She had light brown skin. It was smooth and creamy paired with beautiful lips. He wanted to reach out and taste them. He tightened his control as his other side roared mate. Her coal black hair sat on her shoulder in waves. Her eyes had a film other them obscuring her view.
“Your eyes.”
“I am legally blind. Soon, according to the doctors, I will lose the complete use of them.”
“What is wrong with them?”
“I was born with some obscure genetic issue. No cure, at least not in this century. You can run away now.”
“I am not going anywhere.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Then would it be ok if I touched your face?”
“Please do.”
He walked closer to her and guided her hand to him. Her fingers were soft and her touch was light. Every place she touched lit a firestorm deep in his veins. The more she touched the more he wanted her to touch. His other side was already rolling around in ecstasy.
He heard the heavy pounding of feet before she did. His first thought was to grab her and run. Taking a deep breath he stood still, watching as she finally heard the same sounds.
“I have to go.”
“Brooklyn.”
“Please, Ash.” The pleading in her voice had him backing up.
“Ok, when can I see you again?”
“I…I don’t know.” Her voice trembled as the footsteps got closer.
“I have to see you again.”
“Monday. I will come to Water Works on Monday, if I can get away. Look for me at Uncles Sam’s around one.”
“Alright I will be there.”
“I have to go. Pleas
e don’t follow me, they can’t see you.”
She slid out the door and ran in a different direction. He blended in and followed her.
Four huge men surrounded her. His beast growled, but he stayed silent.
“You have to stop giving us the slip, Brooklyn. Your parents are concerned about you,” one of the men said.
“My parents want the perfect daughter for social functions, but we all know I am no longer perfect.”
“Come on, it’s time to go.” A different man spoke.
“I say we cage her up and only bring her out when her parents want to see the freak.”
“Maybe you should shut up and enjoy the job you have.”
The man smirked and opened his mouth, nothing came out. He seemed to trip. He went flying down a flight of stairs.
She turned her head to look at Ash as if she could see him. Her lips quirked and her head gave a subtle nod. The coil in his gut eased. Her acceptance of the fact he had indeed made sure the man fell saved the guys life.
“I think I broke my arm.”
“Then you better get to an Emergency room. Oh and you’re fired,” the one who originally told him to shut up replied.
They left him sitting on the steps. There was a black limo waiting for them outside.
He watched her leave holding onto the knowledge that he would see her on Monday.
Chapter Twenty Six
“Is it all over, Hale? The danger, the looking over my shoulder, the fear.” She was laying with her head in his lap as they watched a stalker movie.
“Not yet. The human danger is over, but we still have to deal with the Created.”
“Maybe he will just leave us alone.”
“Wishful thinking. He will make his move soon and we will be ready for him.”
“Let’s hope it’s after the wedding. Lorali deserves a beautiful day.”
“I agree.”
Hale ran his hand down her back distracting her from both the movie and her questions.
“What are you doing?” Her voice sounded a little breathless.
“Just giving you a back rub, do you like it?”
She nodded her approval and turned a little so he could have better access. Sighing, she used his hard thigh as a pillow.
Hale: Love Me Harder - Alien Paranormal Romance Page 16