The Beast In The Castle

by Daniella Wright

  In in a split-second decision, everything clicked. I couldn’t turn this man in. I loved him. “I’m in,” I said decisively, knowing I was sealing my fate. I had picked my allegiances and I could never go back.

  Zander smiled as if he had expected it all along. Passionately, he leaned down, cupping my face in his hands and kissing me roughly. Our lips danced together as if this was our final goodbye. I held onto him tightly, my heartbeat quickening, knowing how dangerous this would be. Finally, he pulled away, gazing into my bright green eyes, sending a shiver down my spine. “You heard the lady, let’s go!” He took hold of his steed’s reins and snapped them like a whip. His feet dug into its back and we shot off like lightning, barreling toward the contingent.

  The officers looked shocked at first glance, standing there like statues before they picked up their weapons, aiming them at us. A few bullets flew dangerously close to my head, but we still rode on, trying to get close enough for our revolvers to be of any use. “Now!” Zander called out. In a flash, we all started firing, aiming at the officers.

  I made quick work of a few, shooting their weapons right out of their hands. The sounds of gunfire echoed through the canyon until it was deafening. My heart hammered in my chest as Zander effortlessly guided his force closer to the front line. A rush of exhilaration washed over me, and I got up, balancing on the saddle.

  Zander’s eyes grew wide as he saw my brass move. Like this, I was nothing more than a moving target. “Come and get me, boys!” I called out, cupping my hands around my mouth, haphazardly holding my gun in one of my fingers.

  A volley of shots came my way and I grinned as they all missed their mark. I felt invincible. “You’re going to have to try harder than that!” I was about to take aim when I felt Zander standing next to me.

  We were both standing on his horse’s back as it rode on its own accord, well-trained enough to know where to go and what to avoid. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close, his hot breath against my neck. He took hold of my hand, helping me aim and together, we shot at the nearest officer. He collapsed to the ground, holding his busted hand. It would heal with time, but for now, he was out of commission and that was exactly what we wanted.

  I laughed as we continued to hit our mark every time. Zander pulled me closer and I felt butterflies form in my stomach. Through pluck, luck, and lots of courage, we managed to shoot our way through most of them. That is until they brought out the big guns. At one point, they had managed to call for backup and now, a large cannon was being rolled into the mouth of the valley. Zander quickly pulled me down onto the saddle. He whistled as loud as he could, signaling his men to retreat. There was no way we could go against that thing and hope to see another day.

  As the men started to load the cannon, we shot off as fast as we could in the other direction. I breathed hard, holding on to the steed’s mane while Zander’s arms held me tight, making sure I didn’t fall off even as he pushed his horse to the limit, spittle flying between his teeth.

  A cacophony of sound was heard behind us. I looked back, seeing a convoy coming our way. “They’re gaining on us!” I said.

  “Split up!” Zander shouted. Obediently, every one of his men went off in a different direction, forcing the contingent to split up as well.

  It was just me and Zander now. I kept looking back, seeing the vehicle getting closer and closer. “Give me your gun!”

  He didn’t respond for a moment so I had no choice but to reach down into his pants and pull it out myself. I turned around in the saddle, straddling him. I had to sit on his lap in order to see over his shoulder. The officers made eye contact with me, their guns aimed right at us. I tried to focus my breathing, my fingers shaking. I knew Zander only had one bullet left. I had to make it count.

  I closed one of my eyes, taking aim. I used his shoulder to steady myself, my body pressed against his. Our heartbeats hammered together. I unlocked the safety and held my breath, bracing myself. I pulled the trigger.

  A soft bang emerged from his gun as the last bullet left the chamber, heading straight for the vehicles’ wheel. It spun out of control, crashing into a nearby ditch. Smoke billowed from the wreckage and I laughed in success.

  “Nice shooting,” Zander said, his hand on my ass, giving it a firm squeeze. I giggled and sat back down, kissing his lips as we continued to ride.

  “You owe me for saving our skins.” I teased him, my arms still around his neck.

  He chuckled and kissed me again, letting the passion he felt for me come to the surface. I melted into it, eventually resting my head on his chest as he held me close. His horse was getting tired, but we pushed on, determined to put as much distance as we could between us and the people that had tried to capture us.

  We rode long into the night, running for freedom, knowing if we were captured, we would both be put on the chopping block. Finally, we stopped at a small lake. We looked at each other and smiles spread across our faces. We had made it! Together.

  Chapter 10

  We dismounted and started to set up camp. Once the fire was going, we couldn’t stop ourselves. We were so overjoyed we had managed to escape with our lives that we had to celebrate. Zander grabbed me by the hips, pulling me closer. I looked up into his eyes, mesmerized. His lips found mine, his handsome body shadowed by the fire, giving him a mystical look that just aroused me further. I felt my thighs quiver in desire and my hormones rush out of control.

  He seemed to feel the same because he picked me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. I rested my hands on his chiseled body, moaning softly as he kissed my neck, allowing his slightly pointed tongue to run along my flesh. I tilted my head back, giving myself to him. His mouth moved to the hollow of my neck, gently sucking on it.

  His hands started to move to my backside, giving it a squeeze. I wiggled in his embrace, pressing myself closer against him. Fueled by a lust I had never felt before, I took hold of his face, pinning it between my hands and kissing him harder than ever. My tongue made its way into his mouth and my breathing became ragged, but I didn’t care. I never wanted to pull away. I never wanted him to stop holding me. Zander smiled into the kiss, his fingers running through my thick hair.

  Suddenly, he stopped and pulled away. “You’re so beautiful.” He whispered, his eyes running over my full figure. “Your every curve… your every inch… is perfect.” He murmured, his head now nuzzled against my bust, his fingers interlacing with my own. He laid like this for a moment, taking in the sound of my heartbeat.

  I squeezed his hand, enjoying the moment, knowing I never wanted to be with anyone else. I leaned down and kissed the top of his head ever so softly. This seemed to rouse him and he looked at me, his eyes filled with joy. He pulled my shirt open, leaving behind a trail of kisses down my body. He took his time undressing me as if I were made of porcelain and he could break me at any moment.

  I melted in his tenderness, feeling his soft touch and gentle kisses. Eventually, his hands wrapped around my thighs, spreading them apart. Between his legs, his cock was already free, standing at attention. I reached out and grabbed hold, caressing him. A moan of pleasure escaped his lips, causing me to do it a little while longer until he was rock hard in my hand.

  Suddenly, he pulled my hands away, pushing down on my shoulders until I laid down on the soft dirt. Our eyes came together and the whole world seemed to stop. I could feel him probing at my entrance and I held my breath, bucking my hips ever so gently in his direction. His fingertips dug into my flesh before he gave a well-aimed thrust.

  I cried out, feeling like every inch of me was being filled to the brim. I arched my back and he pushed himself into me even further, hitting my womb. I clawed at the dirt in pleasure, my every nerve ending feeling alive with energy. “Zander…”

  He just kissed my lips, keeping me quiet as he continued to make sweet, tender love to me, our bodies rocking together in perfect sync. Our hips moved in a slow, erotic dance, building up the tension until it was too much
for us to handle. My whole body exploded with euphoria and I collapsed into Zander’s arms. He held me tightly and kept thrusting into me, but moments later, I felt him lose control.

  We fell back into the dirt, holding each other, the fire keeping us warm. “Promise me you’ll always stay with me, Aliza.” He whispered, running his fingers through my hair. He picked up my cowboy hat that had fallen off in the beginning of our intimacy and put it back on my head, pinning a strand of my hair behind my ear.

  “I promise,” I said naturally. “But you have to promise that we’ll defend each other until the very end. I put my neck on the line for you today and I expect you to do the same in the future.” He laughed.

  “Like I wouldn’t already do that.” He teased, kissing my nose and tightening his arms around me. “You know I’d do anything to protect you.” He paused. “I love you.”

  My eyes grew wide for a moment as I stared at him. Had he really said he loved me? My heart fluttered in response before my whole face lit up. “I love you too,” I replied happily. We kissed, letting our love speak not through our words, but by our actions. Our lips locked together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces that had been searching for each other for a very long time. As we continued our kiss, I felt like I had given up a little piece of my soul to him, but in return, life now seemed complete.

  Zander ran his fingers up and down my spine, holding me close as he looked up at the nighttime sky. “I can’t believe out of all the planets, star systems, and galaxies in the universe, I was lucky enough to find the girl of my dreams.” He whispered, playing with the tips of my hair.

  I chuckled at his comment. “I can’t believe I was commissioned to kill you and now here I am, picturing the rest of our lives together.” It was true. I knew that we were now inseparable. People would know us far and wide. They would whisper rumors about us like wildfire. But none of it mattered because through it all, I knew we would always have love on our side.

  Trapped With A Monster

  ~ Bonus Story ~

  An Apocalypse Alien Romance

  Macie

  My name is Dr. Macie Larkson and I’m the only human left alive in my town. Because of our corrupt President making a stupid decision, Earth is now in all out war with a neighboring planet, Toria, and at the current moment, we’re losing the battle.

  Scared of being found, I spend my days hiding in an underground shelter below my clinic, alone, but safe. But that all changes when I fall for a Torian warrior. He’s bold, cocky, and drives me mad with both passion and anger. Only problem is, we’re enemies from two different worlds, literally.

  Xanrun

  I’m a Torian warrior who will stop at nothing until I have gained revenge on everyone who had a part in destroying my planet’s capital. But when I realize the errors of my people’s ways, I make a stand and find myself injured and near death. When my Angel finds me, I realize that revenge isn’t the only thing at stake now.

  Love is.

  But can a human and an alien truly find happiness during an invasion?

  * * *

  Chapter One

  (Macie)

  My name is Dr. Macie Larkson, I’m twenty-eight years old, and approximately two weeks ago, aliens invaded my planet. No, I’m serious. Actual, real-life aliens, only these aliens don’t look like the creatures you see on TV or in movies. No. These creatures look just like you or I—which makes them much worse than the monsters you see on TV. It’s near to impossible to know who is friend, and who is foe. The only real difference between our races is their eyes’ irises, which glow naturally.

  Well, natural for them. For us, it’s downright freaky.

  Before the invasion occurred, I was working in my clinic, and had over twenty employees. The neighborhood was thriving with business and there was people moving into the community daily, but now, I’m the only one alive in a five-mile radius.

  How’s that possible?

  Simple. I was very lucky that day. The clinic was closed on the day of the invasion, and I was cleaning the underground shelter Blake—my older brother—inhabited. Blake has schizophrenia, so when I bought this clinic a little over a year ago and found this underground shelter, I knew it’ll be perfect for my brother and I. Here, I could go to work without having to worry about Blake and if he had a meltdown, I was always close enough to aid him.

  But on the day our world was taken over, I convinced Blake to go into town to buy some more non-perishables and other miscellaneous supplies for the shelter—which truly wasn’t necessary, considering Blake had that place jammed packed with enough food and medical supplies for two people to survive underground for several months. But I requested he go anyway, as I did every couple of weeks, to make him leave the shelter so he could slowly conquer his fears of the outside world. He always thought something like an invasion would happen, but I never believed him, discounting his theories as nothing more than paranoia. Until his worst nightmare came to life within hours.

  Blake set a high-tech security system outside the clinic, so when the invasion occurred, the alarms alerted me about the danger that lurked just outside and all the safety locks secured the clinic, so no one could get in. I tried to leave the clinic, but when the alerts go off, no one, not even the person inside, could leave until the threat is gone. And when I glanced at the chaos outside, at all the people being killed by the glowing eyed monsters, I ran back to the shelter and locked myself in until the threat was gone from our area. I managed to search for survivors around several days later, but I found no one still alive.

  I looked at countless bodies, but I didn’t see my brother amongst them.

  Now Blake’s missing, probably dead, along with all the other people in our town, and I’m alone.

  And this all happened because one man thought he could rule the world by destroying another.

  Our country’s leader, President Trancy, declared war on a neighboring plant—Toria—without the approval of Congress, and that is what started this mess. We have known about planet Toria since 2060, about ten years ago, and President Trancy knew full well that we shouldn’t engage in violence with them—considering they’re technically more advanced than us and physically stronger—and yet, he gathered an army and sent them to Toria to destroy their capital.

  Not a week later, Torian warriors invaded Earth and now we’re in an all-out invasion.

  I eye the canned food, located on a metal rack near the far left side of the room, and tears form in my eyes. All the cans are neat and tidy, thanks to Blake’s extreme OCD, and the foods are all in alphabetical order. I haven’t eaten today, not feeling well, but I know I need to eat something. I also probably need to take some vitamin D, since I haven’t been outside in almost two weeks. It’s amazing to realize how many things a person takes for granted, such as standing outside in the sun, soaking up the warm heat.

  Shaking off my internal thoughts, I grab one of the various soups from the shelf, and then promptly drop it when I hear a loud crash upstairs in my clinic. I’m frozen in place, shaken to the core, and utterly terrified that the Torians finally found my secret shelter. And after several minutes have passed by, I gain enough courage to grab my pistol from the drawer next to Blake’s bed, climb up the ladder, open up the trap-door that connects the clinic to the underground shelter, and peek my head up to make sure no one is in the room in which the shelter is hidden under. When I hear no noises nearby, I climb up the last few steps of the ladder, climb out, and open the coat closet that hides the hidden trapdoor.

  CRASH!

  I jump up and make a tiny squeak. Covering my mouth, my eyes are wide with fear that they might have heard me, but the silence that follows tells me that they hadn’t. Taking deep, even breaths, I step out of the closet and creep up towards the door of the room and open it slowly. Once again, I poke my head out and look from left, to right, but I see no one and there’s no noise indicating where the crashes came from.

  I go left, which leads to the front of the clinic, and I gri
p my pistol in my hand harder. Although I’m terrified right now, the gun in my hand gives me a sense of calm and grounds me right now. I know a Torian warrior will have more advanced weaponry than I, but still, knowing I have some way of defending myself makes me feel less afraid.

  I know I should stay in the hidden shelter and lock myself in there until a few days have passed and I know for sure I was safe, but the possibility that Blake somehow made it back, safe and well, has my feet moving closer and closer into the unknown. Plus, I have a lot of equipment and medicine in this clinic that I would not want to see get into the hands of the Torians. I refuse to aid them in their quest for world destruction, and I’m willing to die fighting for my planet.

  But, hopefully, it won’t come to that.

  A moan comes from the front of the building and I know I’m getting closer to seeing if this person who broke in is friend, or foe. I reach my hand out to the door that connects the reception room up front with the examination rooms in the back and quickly open the door.

  What I see isn’t what I expected.

  A man, with hair as dark as night, and skin as fair as the moon itself, lies on the marble ground of the clinic and his blood—which is coming mostly from his head—is turning the white titles on the ground crimson red. Besides his head injury, he has sustained quite a few deep cuts on his arms, hands, and face.