She could almost feel the invisible tentacles of his charismatic essence sliding into her mind. Into her soul. She would never be free of the alien’s hold on her. Even after he was long gone.
The alien’s warm hand slid up her thigh as she drove, cupped, then rubbed her pussy, sending showers of needy sparks through her core. His very touch was dynamite.
Chapter 20
A red stop light blinked ahead, catching Sorsha by surprise. She stomped on the brake, lurching to a stop a bare foot from the car in front.
She shot Sava a dirty look. “You’re gonna get us in an accident if you keep doing that.”
“Doing what?” He smirked, one finger softly petting her throbbing clit. She didn’t really want him to stop and he knew it.
“What?” She mimicked. “Don’t play innocent. You know exactly what I mean. Stop distracting me.”
“I like making you squirm.”
“Oh, well in that case don’t let me deprive you of your fun.”
“You enjoyed torturing me on the bus. Remember?” Laughing golden eyes flashed.
Closing her eyes in frustration Sorsha leaned back against the seat. No more was she a free, confident person. He controls me now. Maybe I never was free. Not truly.
She was always that feminine half, waiting for her masculine whole. The golden alien was already deeply embedded in her psyche. Without Sava she faced losing part of herself, of who she was in the process of becoming. I don’t know who I am anymore.
“Hey…” He palmed her cheek, his golden-black raptor eyes softer now. “Thank you Sorsha. Thank you for saving my life.” He kissed her, his lips an endless well of warm, giving tenderness. “If only we had more time...”
Too damn soon the light turned green. Sorsha saw it change from the corner of her eye, but she didn’t want to move. Wanted to hold on to this magical kiss. Remember it forever.
The alien broke the kiss. A slight smirk curving delectable lips, he angled his head toward the green light. Sorsha pressed on the gas and the big SUV hummed forward.
He leaned back, staring morosely out the window. The glass mirrored the reflection of his black brows, intently focused over eyes tinged with a haunting darkness.
The sudden, unnerving screech of a police siren cut the air. Sorsha’s hands gripped the wheel. A chilling wave of anxiety biting her innards.
“Just keep driving.” The alien was imperturbable.
Lights flashing, the police car careened out in front of the SUV. Paused a breathless moment, then zoomed on into the night, other prey in sight.
The police will be on my tail within hours after Sava leaves. I have to ditch this car. Then what? Those bloodhounds will track me down in no time. What am I going to do?! Fear and rage at the Arkon’s swift betrayal overcame Sorsha.
“I’m going to prison, maybe even die because I felt sorry for an ungrateful alien who specializes in deceit. And what do I get for it - Dumped by the side of the road!”
“Not true. I’m giving you a stolen car.”
“Oh. Well. What more could I ask? Gawdammit! Wipe that sneaky, snarky smirk off your face!” Sorsha smacked the Arkon’s muscular thigh. “Ow!” She hissed, shaking her hand in pain. She might as well have slapped a wall
Sava smirked even wider - “Oh I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? Ah-h but the sting of your little kitten slap set me on fire. Feel what you did to me.”
Taking her hand, he pressed it against his bulge. Rubbed. Flexed his hips into her hand. Eyes darkened with lust, he wafted more endorphins into her flared nostrils.
“I know what you’re doing. Making me feel sexy and submissive with your scent. Go ahead. Load me up. I need it. I’m having a huge anxiety attack right now.”
“Sorsha, I don’t want to leave you either. Especially not like this. But you don’t understand...WHO I am. What you have gotten yourself into.”
“Oh I know very well the trouble I’m in.”
“It could be worse. You don’t know what Arkons are. What we do to your people.”
“Tell me Sava. I want to understand you.”
“Arkons are Death Eaters.”
“Death Eaters? What does that even mean?”
“We are Strigoi - psychic parasites. Arkons extract energy from pain and death. Human pain. Human death. Our power comes from Molek, God of the Dark Side.”
Chapter 21
“Sorsha, you saved me because you saw me as an innocent victim. But I am a murderer. A stone cold killer.” The Arkon ground out, his voice turned dark. Foreboding.
“You - murder people?” She stared at him. Unbelieving.
But the look in the Arkon’s golden-black raptor eyes affirmed it. The shock was like being stabbed in the heart with an ice pick. She did not know her beautiful Sava at all.
This was the final betrayal. Her first impulse was to pull over. Throw the door open and get the hell out of there. To run and keep running until she couldn’t run anymore. And then to find a great tree and lie down at its base, exhausted...
“Don’t even think about it.” Strong fingers pinched the flesh of her inner thigh. Hard. “Playtime is over Princess. Keep driving.”
Shocked, she stared wide-eyed at the alien. Her brave, passionate Sava had gone away. Now an Arkon Death Eater stared into her eyes, his dark gaze viper-sharp. Hypnotic.
Dr. Carter was right. She realized. A malevolent entity lurked behind the alien’s magnetic facade.
“That’s right, you heard me. I am a cold-blooded killer. Culling your human herd is a duty for Arkon warriors. Murder, drinking human blood - this is our initiation into manhood.” His eyes were dark glittering diamonds, holding her imprisoned.
The chop-chop-chop of a helicopter suddenly pierced the night air with thudding intensity. Sorsha glanced at him, silently asking for direction.
“Just drive normally. They are not looking for us, yet.”
They drove on and the helicopter passed away to the west. Searchlights flashing.
“I created a beguiling image to ensnare your affections Sorsha. I planted ideas, images in your mind of a sexy superman who wants you. I still want you. But below this surface,” The Arkon waved nubile fingers over chiseled features, his golden falcon eyes luminous. “Behind this face, is a black abyss. Are you sure you want to gaze into the Arkon abyss?”
His predatory golden-black eyes fastened on her like a starving wolf, poised to snap up her soul. Her heart took off in a staccato galloping beat. Steady. Don’t panic. Go with the flow.
“Yes. I want to understand you Sava. I want to know the Real You.”
“Then know this - Arkons are conditioned to both give and to receive pain. To hear the cry of suffering and to feel no guilt. No remorse. Pain is just another sensation. Will is master.” The alien’s voice was black velvet. His words poison.
“From childhood we are trained to hunt and kill like the big cats. Silent. Sneaky. The lion is a killer without hate. He kills. He eats. He takes what he wants.” The alien leaned close, his sinful, mesmerizing purr licking at her ear.
“This is how we Arkons conquered earth. Your slave mentality preaches equality, justice, compassion. And that is your great weakness. It enables our agents to infiltrate and control your levers of power.”
“I was 15 when I killed my first human.” The Arkon continued. “By then I had already been in training as a warrior for 7 years. We were sent up to the earth’s surface in groups of three with the names and addresses of our marks. My mark was 17 years old. I saw him as Human prey to sharpen my teeth on. My group came through secret tunnels near a suburb of Seattle. There was no turning back.”
“Why were these young people marked for death? Were they evil?” She asked.
His haunting laugh bordered on madness. “Nay their sin was to be natural born leaders. Not necessarily the most popular in school, the brightest or the best looking. But they had great instincts, energy, moral fiber and loyalty. They would shine forth when most needed by your people.”
&nbs
p; “I surveyed my mark. Noted his habits. He had a friend he liked to visit in the evening. On the way he passed a wooded park. He never suspected. Never saw me. One dark summer night I jumped him from behind. Strangled him with a garotte. He passed out within seconds.” The alien’s fierce, golden eagle eyes glared, trapping hers. Daring Sorsha to protest.
“I dragged him into the woods. Tied him hand and foot. When he came to I had a knife at his throat. The victim must feel terror. The adrenaline surge in the victim’s blood gives us a huge rush.” The Arkon’s voice dripped venom.
“He looked up at me, the garotte was partially cutting off his air so he couldn’t speak …” The alien’s voice faltered. His body quivered as if something was trying to crack his iron will.
“I let him breathe a little to increase the adrenaline rush in his blood. He looked into my eyes. For one sick moment I thought I recognized him. And he recognized me. Maybe we were great friends in a past life? No matter. Now we were born enemies.”
“The victim’s lips moved - `WHY?’ - His eyes begged me for an answer.”
Sava slammed the console with his fist. “I hate that word - WHY?! There is no WHY. No logic. No sense to this world. There are only LIES. Justifications. Rationalizations for random acts of violence. So get used to it!” He glared at her.
Sorsha shrank back against the door. This Arkon entity was not her golden magical Sava but a crazed predator.
“It is our tradition that an Arkon warrior drinks the blood of the first man he overthrows. I cut that boy’s throat, lapped up his hot blood as it pumped out. So you see, you saved a murderer Sorsha. I didn’t deserve your pity, your sacrifice.”
Eyes shut against the horrific inner sight, Sava held his head in his hands, shoulder muscles rigid, as if his inner beast craved to explode. He released an agonized groan.
“I dragged his body into our secret tunnel. There I cut off his head to present to the council. Proof I did my duty. I threw the body into a deep pit. I heard his flesh smack as it hit all the other rotting corpses and bones stacked up below.”
“A few months ago I went back to that Seattle suburb. Next to the park where I killed that boy was a big sign with his picture on it. He was wearing a baseball cap and smiling. His family is offering a $25,000 reward for information on his whereabouts. 15 years have gone by and his family still searches for him. Still hoping. Still praying. By killing that boy I crippled his entire family. But as far as Arkons are concerned, that is an advantageous side effect. The assassinations instill fear, weakening the herd.”
The Arkon’s eyes were a black abyss, down which many bodies had been thrown.
Chapter 22
“Holy Mother of God! How could you murder an innocent boy like that?” Sorsha asked.
“Understand this one thing - Arkon means Ruler. To rule requires the mentality of a Master. Not your weak human Slave mentality, feeling sorry for the oppressed. To rule we must be ruthless. Merciless.” The Arkon’s voice was a hiss of black velvet.
“At my initiation ceremony a child was sacrificed to Molek. The child cried for mercy before they cut his throat. We stood and watched as the dying boy’s blood was drained into a vessel. Each of us cut deep into our left palm, then let the blood drip into the vessel to mix with that child’s blood. We dedicated our lives to serve Molek. Then we all drank the warm red blood.” I almost vomited.
“Living human blood is the most precious gift to Molek. The pain and fear generated during the sacrifice triggers a rush of adrenaline. When we drink that blood, our brains become a conduit for the power of the Dark Side. By His powers do we rule.” The alien’s voice sounded tired, bitter.
He shut his eyes against the vision of dead eyes lying in wait. Dying eyes glinting in moonlight. Dazed, confused eyes, glazed with terror. The eyes of a stupid cow that has just been smashed between the eyes at a slaughter house. Always the cursed Eyes asking the same question over and over - WHY?
“Don’t the police investigate the disappearances of the people the Akon kill?” Sorsha asked.
“Sorsha do you know how many people disappear in the US alone every year?”
“No.”
“On average, 800,000 people simply disappear every year, the majority under 18. The police try, but Arkon agents control the levers of power. IF the media reports it at all, they label it an unsolved murder, a runaway, or simply as `missing’, like that boy I killed. The pat whitewash the authorities give is that most of the children were `kidnapped by a divorced parent’. But there are offer no real statistics on that.”
“Did you want to murder that boy Sava? Do you like to drink blood?”
“Nay. I hate it. All of it.” Vehmently shaking his black-maned head. “That’s why I became a pilot. But I can kill if I have to. Arkons are few. Humans are many. Too many. You infect the Earth, like vermin.”
Sorsha took a deep breath. “Would you kill me? - If it was to your benefit?”
“Never. I would die first. Life for a Life.”
Golden eagle eyes blazed into hers and she saw the unadulterated truth there. At least he’s not planning to kill me. That’s reassuring. Sort of.
“IF the Arkons already rule the world through this `Deep State’, why this constant drive for MORE? More money? More war? Why is it never enough?” She asked.
“Arkons don’t need money. We create your paper `money’ from thin air. Therefore we control your money. Your survival. Money is power.” The alien’s eyes were a frozen lake, deep and black. “Controlling the money supply is simply a means to an end. A way to bend, to break Man to our will.”
“Your weak Christian religion claims Man is made in the image of `God’. This is why we suppress Man. Twist his nature. Kill him. It’s a way of killing your God.” His eyes glinted like barbed hooks, dragging her in. “Molek must reign supreme. All hail the power of the Dark Side.”
Chapter 23
The alien’s fierce raptor gaze softened. “Sorsha - Before I go, there is something I want you to know.”
“Ah, let me guess - You deeply regret that you are unable to whisk me away to a nice safe tropical island where it is always summer?” Her tone sardonic.
“That too.” With a wistful smile he shook his head. “Know this Sorsha - You have the ability to connect with the Force, just as we Arkons do.”
“Oh yeah? Right now all I know for sure is that I am an Idiot.” For helping you escape.
“It’s all a lie, that humans are servile inferiors. Servile yes but not inferior.” His sculpted lips creased in a wry smile.
That special connection between them relighted, warm and twanging with life.
“Hey, I am not servile, I saved your golden hide didn’t I?” She cuffed his shoulder. “You know what hurts most of all Sava?”
“What?”
“I’m not gonna get my spanking.”
“Your spanking?”
“You know, the hot spanking you said I so richly deserve for my disobedience? In a weird way I was excited about that. You know bragging rights and all. `I wuz spanked by an alien’ How many people can say that?”
“Not many.” The alien shook his head, lips pressed in a thin grin.
“Did you hear the joke about the woman who walked into a bar?”
“Tell me.” Anything to lighten the mood.
“Yeah well this woman walks into a bar and she’s walkin kinda funny. You know like her butt hurts. She tries to sit down on a barstool but then she winces and just stands instead. She calls out to the bartender -
`Hey Bartender bring me a Budlite.’
The bartender slaps the beer down on the bar. ‘That’ll be $5 bucks.’
The lady sez - ‘I don’t have $5, but I will give you the privilege of kissing my ass instead.’
The bartender looks her over and sez - `Why would I want to kiss your fat ass?’
The woman pats her bottom and sez - ‘Cause this ass just got spanked by the hottest alien in the galaxy!’ Hah-ahah.”
The Arkon did not even smile. Just stared at her deadpan.
“Funny huh? I made that up.”
“I can tell. I deeply regret that I will never have the chance to discipline your fat, seductive ass. Make you scream in glorious orgasm.”
“Hey - my ass is not fat.” Unbidden, tears welled up in her eyes, began streaming down her face in hot salty rivulets.
“Plump I mean. I love a nice plump bottom.”
They came to a red light. Sava leaned over, wiping the tears from her face with his thumb. “Sh-hh Baby Girl. Come-on, don’t cry. It’s gonna be okay…”
“The hell it’s gonna be okay!” Dashing the tears away with the back of her hand. “Don’t lie to me! You’re leaving me and taking all the light and love and fun in my life with you.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a little overly dramatic? We’ve only known each other a few hours. We’re not even lovers.”
“Dramatic about what - the I’m going to prison part, or the I’m losing the most fun, smokin’ hot guy I’ve ever known part? You have ruined me for any other man Sava!”
“What you feel is simply a chemical brain reaction due to the high powered endorphins I emit. You are artificially bonded to me Sorsha. Your reaction is a primitive fear of separation. It’s a response to chemically-induced emotional bondage.”
“That’s what hurts the most Sava. You don’t Remember. The stars made me for you and you have just...Forgotten.”
Chapter 24
Forgotten her? A pang of guilt pierced deep, but the alien repressed his torn feelings for her. “Stop being such a drama queen Sorsha. Don’t overplay your hand with me it won’t work.”
“Don’t overplay my hand? What hand? Oh you mean this hand?” She flexed her right hand then slammed it down on his bulge. Squeezed. Hard.
OVERMIND (Fallen Drakon Empire Book 1) Page 6