She considered the man who didn’t like her. “Well, Elroy. Maybe it’s time for you to consult your magical stones. Or whatever it is you use for security around here, because it’s been officially breached.” Alex unfolded her arms and placed them on her hips instead. She hadn’t bothered with her jacket and was only wearing her dirty tank top at the moment, but she didn’t appreciate the man’s disapproving scrutiny.
“Maybe we should take you in for questioning. It seems a little too coincidental for something this violent to occur almost as soon as you arrived.” Elroy’s suggestion echoed around them.
No one else reacted.
Alex yanked the blaster from its holster and rushed him before anyone had a chance to stop her. She didn’t even skim the puddle of blood before she had the barrel pressed against his temple. She motioned at the mess near her boots. “Are you accusing me of doing this?” Anger simmered beneath her skin, making her breath come in spurts. “If I was going to kill someone, I wouldn’t need to get my hands dirty. As you can see”—she jabbed the end of her blaster harder against him—“I handle myself pretty well with a weapon. So, why would I tear someone apart when I can use my blaster, huh?”
The man didn’t move. He just kept his beady eyes glued on hers.
Anger and determination rushed through her. She wasn’t going to let this asshole accuse her of something so barbaric.
For some reason, he obviously didn’t like her. She didn’t care about who liked her or not, but she wasn’t going to put up with anyone’s crap.
Elroy lifted an eyebrow, but he didn’t even wince. “I’m merely stating the obvious. Since you arrived, strange things have started happening...”
“Elroy!” Damon stood up and reached her in seconds. He pressed a hand to her shoulder. “Alex had nothing to do with this. She’s been with me the whole time.”
She had to admit that she liked knowing Damon was ready to back her up, almost as much as the warmth radiating from his palm. Boy, this man sure could do some weird and wonderful things with his hands.
“It’s too coincidental,” Elroy repeated.
“I said she was with me the whole time. Why don’t you just drop it?” Damon’s voice was low, calm. “Alex, put the gun away. He’s not worth it.”
“I think you’re blinded by the lure of her body,” Elroy spat, but a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead betrayed him. So, he was affected by the proximity of her weapon, after all.
Good to know.
There was always something comforting about that. At least her father had been right about a few things in life. He’d told her most people were afraid when a weapon was pointed at their heads, no matter how much they tried to convince you otherwise.
Alex pressed the blaster tighter against Elroy’s temple before withdrawing it.
Damon cut in front of her, and his right fist connected with Elroy’s mouth. The man didn’t just fall back. His feet actually lifted off the ground, sending him backward. The wall stopped him, helping him land on his feet. As he wiped the blood dripping from the side of his lip with the back of his hand, he glared at Damon and grinned.
“If you ever say something like that again, I’ll hit you harder!” Damon’s chest rose and fell violently, and his hands were still squeezed into fists. “Don’t you have any respect?”
Wow, he packs quite a punch!
When Damon took her hand, she could suddenly feel his heartbeat echoed in hers, as well as the way his blood boiled with rage. Something freaky pounded between them, and she didn’t trust it. Even if it excited her enough to remember what he’d done with just a touch of palm-to-skin.
What the hell is he doing to me? Why is he affecting me this way?
“If I were you, I’d stop using magic to power my every move.” Elroy took several calculated strides until he was settled beside Aleena, who’d been silently watching the exchange. There’d been a change in the Priestess’s demeanor. She looked distracted.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Damon spat.
“Please. Elroy, Damon. Stop this nonsense!” Aleena finally stepped between them. “Elroy, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your useless thoughts to yourself. Alex is a guest in our village. She’s lost and has no way of getting home. I will make it my mission to ensure all her comforts are met…no matter what they may be.” Her gaze turned to Damon. “Please, Damon. You know violence is not tolerated within these walls. If I see such a display of anger from you, again, I will be forced to punish you.”
Both men lowered their heads and nodded.
“Alex, please accept my deepest apologies for having to endure this most uncommon situation. Believe me when I say that we are a peaceful civilization.”
Alex responded with a small nod. She didn’t feel like adding any more to this strange confrontation. She found Elroy’s very open and verbal attack to be peculiar. From her experience, consorts were usually seen but not heard. They kept their mouths shut and only provided opinions or comments behind closed doors, usually after personally pleasuring their leader. She knew her own mother had never paid any attention to a consort, even if they’d induced an orgasm worth remembering.
The thought repulsed her. Her mother repulsed her. She’d always been so inappropriate, sharing details about her sexual relationships when Alex didn’t want to hear about them. I hate that woman. What did she do to Daddy? There was no doubt in her mind, and she suspected Lorraine had something to do with Louis’s disappearance. One day, I’ll finally be ready to confront her about it.
Of course, that’s if she ever got off this crazy planet.
“Damon, is there anything else you can ascertain from this body?”
He faced Aleena and answered, “I can’t get any residual reading from the person’s spirit, but it’s Mony Lin. I was able to connect with his spirit, which probably means he moved on right away.” He stopped for a second. “Whoever did this to Mony had a reason for it. The trace of violence still lingering is so strong, it’s making my skin crawl. I can taste hunger, craving, excitement, jealousy, and even lust.”
“What should we do?” Aleena asked, obviously distraught. “How do we ensure this doesn’t happen, again?”
“For starters,” Damon said, “I don’t think anyone else should find out about this. Who found the body?”
“A young girl,” Aleena answered.
“Did she see anything?”
“I’m not sure. We haven’t been able to get her to talk.”
“What do you mean?” Damon asked, as his brow furrowed.
Aleena shrugged. “Exactly what I said. She hasn’t spoken a word since she alerted Elroy and Levi of the whereabouts of the body.”
“She’s probably in shock. I wouldn’t be surprised if she interrupted the attack. There’s a whole section missing from the corpse, which might mean the attacker consumed some of the flesh.” Damon hesitated, as if he didn’t want to continue in case he pushed any of them over the edge of sickness.
“I suggest you go see her,” Aleena said. “Go to the girl, and see if you can get her to talk. If you can’t, see what you can read from her.”
Damon nodded. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea, Priestess.”
“Make sure you keep your outsider with you at all times,” Elroy cautioned with distaste. “If you can’t personally account for her whereabouts, and something else happens, I’ll have no other choice but to bring her in.”
Damon turned a dark look toward Elroy.
Alex sighed. This guy’s attitude was starting to grate on her nerves.
“Elroy, please. You are in charge of security, not of running the place! That’s my job.” Aleena rolled her eyes. “Come on. You and I need to discuss a few things—one of which includes manners.”
Elroy held out an arm, and Aleena hooked hers around it. “Damon, I want some answers. I won’t allow a tendril of violence to penetrate our society. Figure this out, quickly. The new moon is less than a day away, and according to the
prophecy, it’s when the space traveler’s power needs to be harnessed for the ritual.” She smiled at Alex before continuing down the path and being swallowed by a long line of trees.
What ritual? No one had mentioned anything about a ritual to harness anything. She turned to ask Damon, but he was too busy handing out instructions.
“Levi, can you clean this up, please?”
“No problem, Damon,” the teenager said with a small nod. He pointed at the only other person who’d remained. “I’ll get Milo to help me.”
Milo nodded. The scrawny man with long, blonde hair didn’t look much older than Levi, and he hadn’t spoken a word during the entire ordeal. He also avoided looking at anyone but Levi.
Damon smiled. “I appreciate it. Please, make sure there’s not a single bit of blood left behind.”
“Sure. We’ve got it under control,” Levi said.
“Great, thanks.” Damon turned away from the corpse and reached for Alex’s hand. He led her away from the bloodied mess and the unfortunate two who’d been charged with cleaning it up.
“Are they going to be okay with the clean up on their own?”
“Yes. Levi’s very thorough, and Milo’s good at following instructions. Once they’re done with it, no one will ever know someone was killed on this spot.” His green eyes darkened, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he was angry or sad.
“What if someone does see them clean up?”
“They won’t. Come on.” Damon encouraged her to move forward.
“How do you know for sure?”
“There’s a perimeter sectioned off around the gardens. No one will venture this far until they’re advised it’s okay to do so.”
“Aren’t they a little young to be doing this, anyway?”
“No, they’re not. Both of them turned twenty just recently. That’s old enough to take care of things. Besides, age means nothing around here.”
She continued to walk beside Damon but took one last glimpse over her shoulder. Levi and Milo both looked so young...
Anyway, she had other things to worry about at the moment.
“Is this how you deal with problems around here? By covering them up?” She couldn’t help but ask the question. It had been nagging at her.
Damon sighed and shook his head. “No, there’s usually no need to cover anything up. It’s just too risky to share this news. If anyone else found out about this, there might be widespread panic. That’s the last thing we need right now.”
She pulled on his hand, forcing him to stop. “It’s because of me, isn’t it? If you start telling everyone that someone got mauled in the gardens, they might turn against me, right?”
Damon shook his head as he stood close. “To be honest with you, I don’t know what they would say or do. I just think it’s better not to find out.”
“So, you don’t think everyone else would react like that jerk did? What’s his problem, anyway?”
Damon rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, sending an instant jolt between her legs. Yep, it looks like any skin-on-skin connection with this guy is going to be orgasmic.
“You don’t need to worry about Elroy. I can take care of him,” he said. “Even if I think that you did a pretty good job of putting him in his place.” His smile widened.
“Why doesn’t he like me?”
Damon looked into her eyes. “It’s nothing personal. He just doesn’t like change, feels threatened by it. You don’t need to worry about him.”
When Damon cupped his other hand around her cheek, she gasped. “Whoa.”
“What’s wrong?”
She closed her eyes for a second, letting the crazy sensations filter through her body—afraid she would climax again. “You sure know how to touch a girl.”
He laughed, and his breath played over her face. “Look at me, Alex.”
When she opened her eyes, his lips were mere centimeters from hers.
“Are you going to make me feel this way every time you touch me?” If it meant he had the power to wash away all the horrible things she would see during her life, then she welcomed it. It could get in the way when she needed to keep her wits about her and concentrate, though.
“It looks that way,” he said. “Is it a good thing or a bad thing?”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s definitely a good thing for me, though I don’t know how appropriate it’s going to be if you make me come every time you rub your fingers over my skin.”
“Oh, of course,” he said, teasing. “I see how that could make things a little awkward for everyone else.”
Alex sighed. It makes things awkward for me, too. She’d never experienced anything like this before. “So, maybe we need to set some ground rules. How about you hold my hand, but don’t go out of your way to make me feel like I’m about to become a puddle of goo every time you rub my skin?”
He leaned over, covered her mouth with his, and kissed her with so much fervor, he stole her breath away. “I agree.”
She stared deep into his emerald eyes, unable to say anything for a few seconds. As weird as it felt to be doing this after what they’d just witnessed, she couldn’t stop herself.
Alex cleared her throat. “Okay, I’m glad we got that cleared up.” She let the last speck of desire seep out of her system. “You must be a very popular healer around these parts.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Well, if you have this effect on everyone you touch—”
“No, actually I don’t.” He shook his head, and the dreadlocks stirred like snakes around his face. “You’re the only one who reacts this way to my touch.”
Alex swallowed. What the hell do I say to that? Why would she be the only one he could affect in such a sensual and powerful way? He’d seemed to know exactly what he was doing back in the room. Still, the last thing she wanted to do was ask him. He might start talking about the magic he’d mentioned he sensed in her and other similar nonsense.
She chose to change the subject. “So, we’re going to see the girl?” She still felt a little breathless, and her heart was beating a little too fast.
For a second, she almost told him about the way she’d felt his heart and mood echo inside her earlier, but she decided not to confuse everything more than it already was.
“Yes.”
“How will you get her to talk?”
“I’ve got ways.”
“Care to share any of those ways with me?”
“I think it might be better if you see it for yourself.”
“Okay, let’s go then.” Alex stepped away from him, turning toward the path ahead of them. “Oh, and by the way. I appreciate you sticking up for me, but like I’ve told you before, I can take care of myself.” She winked at him.
“I appreciate you telling me that, but while you’re here, I’ll continue to protect you when I think you need protection.” He caught up to her and grabbed her hand, as if to force his point.
This guy’s stubborn and almost impossible to reason with. I like him.
Maybe, Damon was just what she needed right now: a challenge. The same thing Ulric used to be before he decided to simplify everything.
Chapter Twelve
Rage surged through Ulric, making his blood boil and skin itch.
His neck twitched. He watched them hold hands and walk away as if they’d been together for years.
Alex had never shown this level of familiarity with him. She never held his hand or kissed him in public. She mostly enjoyed being tucked away inside his personal quarters, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the population. Almost like a secret. Is that how she’d thought of their relationship—as a hidden affair?
Who was this man who dared to touch Alex when she belonged to someone else? Why had he kissed her? More importantly, why did she let him?
No one should be touching Alex, but me. She’s fucking mine!
Yet, he’d witnessed the intimacy between them.
Ulri
c snarled and felt it rumble deep in his throat. He dropped onto his back legs, digging his claws into the dirt beneath him.
After crossing into this enclosed fortress, he hadn’t been able to avoid the moon’s glow. Even ducking behind a bush or shrub wasn’t enough to conceal its influence and keep the moon’s invisible fingers from caressing the beast out of him.
He used the tip of his tongue to pick a piece of meat from between his teeth. Blood had dried on his snout, but he didn’t care. Killing a man with his own hands and then chewing into him should have horrified the human side of him, but it didn’t.
All Ulric could focus on right now was Alex—how she was slowly slipping away from him, and that another man seemed more important to her than he did.
Had she even thought about him once, since crash landing here? Did she care about what he’d confessed to her back on Anteris?
He stayed in the shadows behind the row of trees, as he made his way back to the area where he’d killed the man and discarded him like a lump of meat after being interrupted. The corpse might be cold, but hunger was once again starting to make Ulric’s stomach tense.
The corpse wasn’t there, though. Just two guys kneeling over the area, scrubbing the concrete path.
He watched their very methodical way of cleaning for a while and found the swooshing noise of their scrubbing brushes and the constant motions lolling him to sleep.
With half-lidded eyes, he watched the two guys get to their feet and stare at each other. For the longest time, they didn’t say a word—just stood facing each other like statues. Until the shorter man took a step forward and closed the distance between them.
What the hell?
Ulric’s eyes widened when the guys started kissing, but he decided he didn’t want to watch them any longer.
Instead, Ulric lowered his body, burrowing himself deep into the underbrush. Enough to feel the fur slowly recede into his pores as the moon’s influence slowly subsided.
Pain tore through him as he tried to catch his breath. Shifting only seemed to hurt when he changed back into a human. It felt as if the moon wanted him to remain a monster by making him realize that becoming a man would hurt him a hell of a lot more.
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