Alien Romance: Astral Mates Complete Series (Book 1 - 4): Scifi Alien Abduction Romance (Alien Invasion Romance, Alien Romance)

by Chloe Joel

  Unfortunately, her shirt was also tangled by this point. Beginning to panic, Ashley tried to yank herself out of the mess. She was successful in getting free, but she had used too much force. As her foot twisted, she ended up rolling down a short slope. With a deepening sense of horror, Ashley believed she heard a snap that was not related to the breaking bramble or sticks around her.

  “Well, well, well, look what just came crawling back. Reckon you started to see just how rough the real world is and realized my decisions are the best way to go.”

  She knew that voice. It was the reason she was here, the reason she was running through a dark forest in late fall. It was far beyond her worst nightmare. Ashley couldn’t believe her stepfather was so desperate to sell her to one of his so-called best buddies.

  As she stared up at him, her heart hammering, she felt like a complete idiot. The unfairness of everything ignited something within her. She was not going to go with them, even if it meant dying out here, she was not going to let her step-father use her like this.

  “No! You are not going to sell me to pay your debts!” Ashley yelled at her stepfather. “I don’t belong to you! I am not yours to sell!”

  He simply laughed. Even from this distance, Ashley could smell the alcohol. It had been a part of his smell for as long as she had known him.

  There was no doubt he was drunk, but he was also a sadist, a cruel man who loved to watch her suffer. It was obvious that she was in no state to run now. Fighting down panic, Ashley was determined that she wasn’t going to go quietly. Whatever she could do was worth the effort.

  “Fire,” she yelled. They may be in the woods, but she knew they weren’t too far from some of the homes on the outskirts of town. Someone was bound to hear, and the threat of fire at this time of year was not something people would ignore.

  Her stepfather stepped forward, leaned down, and backhanded her. “Be quiet now, my little darling. Darren doesn’t like his women mouthy.” She saw the threat in his eyes, but she knew there was nothing worse than what he was trying to do to her. His threats couldn’t possibly frighten her more than the promise he had made to Darren.

  “You are not selling me! You don’t own me.” She was repeating herself, but she didn’t care. Ashley tried to stand up, but she had twisted her ankle and it wouldn’t support her when she placed pressure on it while trying to take a step back. Her lip was bleeding from where the man had struck her. Suddenly, she felt an arm around her.

  “I will do as I please with you, Ashley. Your mom left you in my care, and I can’t think of anyone as willing to take care of you as Darren. After all, it’s been a while since any man has been willing to have anything to do with you. Isn’t that right?” He gave her a cruel smile.

  “At least he’s willing to take care of you for the night. It’s not anything you haven’t done yourself. Who are you to deny him what he wants? And I do own you. If I hadn’t been taking care of you for the last decade, I would have been wealthy by now. You are the reason I am the owner of a rundown bar and not a casino.”

  It was one of the biggest lies the man had ever told. Ashley was the only reason they had any customers, and she had never sold herself for anything. She had loved Chad, and it had nearly broken her when it had become obvious that his love was not unconditional.

  Not caring that she couldn’t run, Ashley shoved her stepfather away from her. She toppled to the ground and began trying to crawl away. The other man was laughing, but one look at her stepfather’s face and Ashley began to cower. It was impossible to overcome a year’s worth of conditioning in a single night.

  “How dare you, you little bitch.” His voice was low, almost a growl. The man had never been the nicest person, but over the last year since her mother had died, her stepfather had become completely cruel. When she was a teenager, he had largely ignored Ashley, except when it came to the housework.

  Once she was able to serve drinks, his entire attitude changed. The man had scared off Chad, proving that men loved only as long as it was convenient. After that, her stepfather refused to let any man get close to her.

  It had been an eye-opening realization for her, a tough lesson to learn so young, but men generally did not want to deal with a woman with those kinds of problems. Her stepfather’s attitude to would-be suitors was entirely unnecessary after Chad had abandoned her.

  Over the last year, any hope that she would be saved had entirely disappeared as her stepfather stooped to even lower acts than before. Ashley had known that her mother wasn’t entirely happy, but she had always pretended that her husband was just rough around the edges. Before she died, Ashley’s mother had confessed that she had stayed hoping that Ashley would be safe.

  Her stepfather wasn’t such a bad guy, he just needed a woman to calm him down. Ashley soon learned that her mother had been fooling herself for years. Ashley had ended up working in her stepfather’s bar without pay, had cleaned the bar and his house, and in almost everyway, he had treated her like a slave.

  A couple of times, he had forced her to entertain bar patrons with dancing, even trying to pull of her shirt as the men around them whooped and cheered. Ashley had been so emotionally upset that the other patrons had agreed it wasn’t worth it, which had temporarily saved her from that kind of attack again.

  Her stepfather had come up with the brilliant idea of poker for entertainment instead, although it was illegal. It brought in a large number of sleazy men, and that was when Darren had become a regular. Ashley knew the man cheated to win, she had even tried to catch him at it because her step-father was becoming nastier as his losses grew.

  Her stepfather wouldn’t believe a word she told him. Even worse, he had decided to refute the claims the next time Darren had come into the bar. At first Darren had looked nervous thinking that he had been caught, but soon he realized the owner didn’t believe what Ashley told him. After her stepfather had moved away to talk to the other patron, Darren told Ashley that her bitchiness needed to be put in check, and he was just the man to do it.

  Apparently, this was how Darren had decided to take his revenge. When her stepfather’s debt reached $20,000 later that night, Darren had said he would make a deal to wipe out the debt. One night with Ashley, and he would forget what was owed. Her stepfather had laughed at the “justice” of the suggestion.

  Ashley had run out the door as soon as she heard the proposal. She heard her stepfather eagerly agree to the terms as she quietly opened the door and began running. Unfortunately, the men had seen her running under the streetlights and had been quick to pursue her.

  With only a slim head start and a long week’s worth exhaustion, Ashley had stood little chance of getting far. They lived in a town where people believed that you didn’t interfere with other people’s business, no matter what that business was, so she knew she wouldn’t find any safety in the homes of the people she had grown up with. Her only choice was to try to lose them in the woods. And that had failed.

  Ashley felt a sharp pain in her arm. Looking down, she was mortified to see that her stepfather had a syringe.

  “That should make things a lot easier. Sorry Darren, I’m afraid she won’t be very energetic.”

  The man who had been standing to the side for the whole time just laughed. “That just means I can do anything I want.” Ashley’s vision blurred as the loathsome man stepped toward her.

  “I’ve never gotten to have things all my way before. Women are so insistent that they can say no when it is perfectly clear that they are yours. Why else would we bother with them?” Both men laughed like that was clever. Darren leaned down. His breath smelled of decay and booze, and he was almost right in her face. “Who knows? I may even owe you at the end of the night.”

  Ashley tried to glare at the man, knowing that in her current state, her look was not even remotely scary. “Women always have the right to say no. You never own them. And there’s no reason,” she panted as she tried to keep breathing, “Why anyone should be bothered by an…a
ss like you.”

  Her stepfather moved as if to strike her, then realized she was already bleeding. That made him leer down at her. As her stepfather reached down to pull her up, Ashley tried to move away. Her arms and legs were not responding as they should, and the world around her was a hazy blur.

  Darren stood up and laughed as her stepfather roughly grabbed her arm. “What’s wrong with you? Are you a complete idiot? You’ve been doped with enough stuff to knock out a man twice your size. You keep this up and I’ll be inclined to just leave you here.”

  “I-I-I- would prefer….you did,” she panted out. It felt like her whole body was shutting down. Breathing was difficult, and her vision was starting to narrow. The dark forest had turned black on the edges of her vision.

  Her stepfather yanked her up, causing her to tip forward and fall on her front. Her arms wouldn’t reach out to stop the fall, and her head smacked a nearby tree limb. She felt a new wound open up and the blood began trickling down her face.

  “Hey! Watch it Frank. If you damage the goods, that slate may not be as clean as you would like.”

  “Sorry Darren.” Ashley could hear the difference in her stepfather’s voice as he spoke to anyone other than her. It was like the voice of a completely different man. “I’m just frustrated, that’s all. Ashley’s a lot heavier than she looks.” She listened to the labored breathing of her stepfather as he tried to haul her up.

  His large stomach was in the way, making it difficult for the man to get a proper hold on her. Despite being out of shape, the man could still make good time when it was in his best interest. So many people had found themselves on the losing end when they underestimated his ability and his cruelty.

  “Is that so?” Darren was not in any better shape, but he was a bit taller. He had told everyone at the bar that he had been a boxer when he was young, which would mean that there was muscle under all of that fat.

  To Ashley’s horror, she felt another pair of hands on her body. She somehow managed to hit both men in the chest. The shock at her strength despite everything stunned both of the men, and they released her. Ashley fell backward, landing in a sitting position before turning and trying to drag herself away from them.

  Darren had started laughing while her stepfather hurled curses at her. Suddenly, she heard one of the men gasp. Thinking a wild animal must have been hiding in one of the branches, Ashley turned to see the second man fall.

  There was no blood, but it was clear from the vacant expression in both men’s eyes that they were dead. Through the confusing haze and fading vision, Ashley saw a man holster something that looked like a weapon out of a sci-fi movie.

  He stepped toward her, and Ashley could see something in his eyes, an inhuman brightness that was very cat like. Her fear and the drugs were probably mistranslating the situation, turning a mountain lion into a man. There was no way a man could have snuck up so quickly and quietly, especially one that tall.

  No more than 5 seconds had passed, and no one had been nearby when she had pushed herself away from the two men that were now lying dead just a few feet from her. She yelped and started trying to drag herself away from this new threat. Facing her stepfather had caused her to feel a sense of anger and injustice at her situation.

  This new problem ignited pure fear and the animal instinct to flee. Unfortunately, all she could manage to do was fall onto the thick layer of leaves, and she was unable to push herself back up.

  She watched as the stranger moved closer, eyes shining brightly. Ashley closed her eyes for a second, fully believing that the cat was pouncing on her.

  “It’s ok. You’re safe. I’m not going to hurt you, although I am going to have to carry you. Is it alright if I pick you up?”

  Ashley opened her eyes as the man leaned toward her. His face appeared in Ashley’s narrow range of vision. She had been correct in believing him to be tall, but now she could see every detail of his face. He was the most beautiful human she had ever seen, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the striking features.

  His cheekbones were high, his eyes the color of leaves in early spring, and his mouth a nearly perfect heart shape. The man’s thick black hair was about an inch and a half long, and it swayed with the breeze. He looked like a rugged cowboy straight out of a 1950s western movie. Beautiful and unreal.

  I’m dying and an angel has finally come to take me away from it all. Never would have guessed that angels could look like cowboys, but guess it goes with the place where I’m dying. I would have preferred if he had come in shiny armor. That would have been more fitting. Although cowboys are the American version of a white knight.

  She grinned as her thoughts ran round and round, losing logic and perspective as she felt the drugs dragging her into unconsciousness.

  Ashley closed her eyes and allowed her head to fall back.

  “No!” There was genuine concern in the voice. “No, don’t go! Hang on! Just hang on, please! I can’t lose you now. Please, please.” She felt something go into her shoulder, but it didn’t hurt.

  There was a pleasant sensation of peace as Ashley tried to hold on. Something in the way the man pleaded with her made her want to listen. She did not want to disappoint an angel.

  The man was still pleading as he slipped his hands under her. The sound of desperation seemed out of place in that warm, confident voice. One of the last things she remembered was the feel of strong arms wrapping around her and pulling her close.

  She wanted to snuggle into the warmth, but found that she didn’t need to. The man was holding her as close as he could as they moved. For the first time since she and her mother had lived alone, Ashley felt safe and warm.

  This is what flying feels like, she thought as the man moved at an unnatural pace. With that, she blacked out.

  Chapter 2

  Groggy, Ashley stretched out her arms and moved her legs. Shaking her head from side to side, she tried to remember …something. There were flags being raised in her mind, but she couldn’t remember enough to understand what the flags meant.

  Ashley felt she should be alarmed, but couldn’t seem to understand why. She rubbed her eyes and tried to open them. Her mind was slowly shifting through a bunch of images and emotions that she couldn’t seem to quite process in any way that was logical. What had happened?

  Rolling over, the young woman tried to look around, but dizziness overtook her. Despite that, Ashley could tell something really wasn’t right. The bed was too comfortable. Her mattress hadn’t been new when her stepfather had bought it 15 years ago. The springs poked up into her back and it squeaked under the weight of her breathing.

  When she moved while lying in her bed, it sounded like someone was sitting on a cat. However, this bed felt like she had always imagined clouds would feel. As Ashley rolled over, the only thing she could hear was the beating of her own heart as she began to wake up and feel the first sensations of panic start to settle. Everything was wrong.

  The sheets were soft and inviting, making her want to get comfortable and get back to sleeping. They weren’t as old and smelly as her sheets. No matter how often she washed her own sheets, the smell of smoke and alcohol never seemed to wash out.

  Of course, her sheets gave her a sense of belonging and were comfortable to her, like a safety blanket, but they didn’t feel nearly as comfortable as the sheets now rubbing against her as she moved in the unfamiliar bed.

  Ashley’s eyes flew open as her mind processed the fact that nothing was as it should be. The things that were wrong went far beyond just the bed. The smells were all wrong. Instead of the musky, dingy smell she was accustomed to, her bedroom was fresh and fragrant. She could hear birds outside.

  Her stepfather should be yelling at her to wake up – she rarely got to wake up on her own. Now that he would get up, the man would shout at her from his bed, demanding breakfast and that she get to work.

  Her mind started to take in what she was seeing. The sun was much further in the sky than she was accustomed to
seeing it when waking up, which meant that it was late.

  As soon as she realized that, Ashley’s mind began to race. Failing to take in the rest of her surroundings, the young woman slung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to race to the door. Her ankle wouldn’t support her. Ashley tipped forward and fell, smacking her bicep on a pile of blankets on top of a dresser.

  Ashley looked at the blankets as they tumbled to the floor. If it hadn’t been for them, she might have broken her arm.

  “You aren’t ready for this much excitement. Good thing, I’ve added some padding around the room,” Ashley was shocked as two strong arms lifted her up. She felt like a child as the stranger from the night before smiled down at her. Gently he carried her back to the bed, his green eyes flashing in the bright light of day.

  Like a cat’s, the thought just hit her and startled Ashley. Despite the thought and a second of fear, she felt the same sensation spread through her that she had felt the night before. Everything felt right and she wanted nothing more than to cling to her savior.

  She closed her eyes and nuzzled against his neck. “Thank you for saving me. I don’t have money, but I will repay you.”

  There was a warm laugh that struck a new chord in her heart. It was the most open and inviting laugh she had ever heard. She had to hear it again.

  “I’m wealthy and have things that you couldn’t even imagine existing. Payment is not necessary.”

  Ashley looked up into the man’s face and found it difficult to swallow. He was every bit as handsome as she had thought him to be the night before. Her drugged mind had not imagined that at all.

  He pulled the sheets up over her legs and sat down on the bed close to her. She had to fight the urge to place her head on his chest. He wore a button down shirt with the top three buttons undone. The man’s body was every bit as exquisite as his face, and it was clear he kept himself in perfect shape.