by Mel Teshco
“Rhyhana!” he shouted hoarsely.
But there wasn’t a damn thing he could do. He was stuck in his own damn room while the Tantonics killed and abducted whoever landed in their hands. And Rhyhana had all but stepped into their trap.
Chapter Seven
Baron woke with a start, his heart pounding and his palms sweaty. But the SUV’s engine was a steady, soothing hum, and he turned to Piper with profound relief. How had she come to mean so much to him in such a short time?
Had Rhyhana’s kidnapping made him anxious that he might lose Piper too?
Pushing aside any lingering remnants of the nightmare, or his newfound questions, he asked, “How long was I asleep?”
Piper glanced his way, her face pale and her voice tight. “Two hours.” She turned back to watch the road ahead. “Who is Rhyhana?”
He scrubbed a hand over his gritty eyes, barely noting that stunted trees and dust had given way to rich, rolling farmland. “How did you know—“
“You shouted out her name.” She glanced back at him with a wide stare. “It sounded like you might die without her.”
He exhaled heavily, trying not to read too much into Piper’s tension. She might care for him in a way any decent person cared for another, but she wasn’t close to being in love with him.
His breath quickened, an ache spreading from his chest. Did he truly want Piper to develop feelings for him? What if taking her away from the only life she knew wasn’t just selfish, it was reprehensible too? While the Tantonics were after him danger was his middle name, and he couldn’t guarantee that he’d be able to protect her.
Not only that, if he ever did meet a fabled breeder, what the hell would happen to Piper then? Would his feelings for the breeder overtake anything and everything he felt for Piper? Would he unwittingly cast Piper aside in favor of the other woman who’d give him offspring and a chance for his species to continue?
“Baron, I need to know if you’re in love with this ... Rhyhana.”
He shook away his desolate thoughts, even as he registered the fact he’d focused on Piper, not Rhyhana. How fitting. “No. I was never in love with her. For both of us it was only ever lust. She was my lover on Riddich for a handful of weeks before she ... betrayed me.”
Piper’s fingers loosened on the steering wheel, her shoulders sagging. “What happened?”
“She was going to give me up to the Tantonics to save herself and the life she’d come to value at the palace.”
“Oh?”
“The Tantonics managed to break into the top floor of the palace, killing and abducting King Asher’s most prized people, including his mistress, Rhyhana.”
Her fingers clenched again right along with her shoulders. “So you were having an affair with the king’s mistress?”
He nodded. “Yes, I was.” There was no point in denying it or making excuses, he’d been a reckless, impassioned fool.
“Was that kind of behavior condoned on your world?”
His bark of laughter held no gladness, not when sorrow and culpability bit deep into his soul. “Quite the opposite. Fucking the king’s mistress was nothing short of a crime. I was lucky to have been spared.”
“So your king knew you’d had sex with his mistress?”
Baron nodded. “Yes, he did. But he seemed to hold no resentment; I’d say he was more disappointed. But then, I believe while he was busy defending his people from the Tantonics, he was also secretly holding out for his true mate—nothing and no one would touch a dragon’s one true mate.
The car slowed, and he frowned as Piper pulled off the sealed road and onto a dirt road. Not even a minute later she stopped beneath a big gum tree, its spreading branches shading the SUV.
She turned to him. “You’ve had your sleep. I think we should get some calories into you now.”
His belly gurgled as if in agreement, but he managed to raise an eyebrow and murmur, “I’m more than capable of driving one-handed while I eat.”
She shook her head. “I’m sure a five minute break won’t hurt.” She leaned back and grabbed the bag from the backseat, before opening her door. “We’re eating outside.”
He climbed out, grateful to stretch his legs. But he was certain he’d be doubly grateful to fill his belly with some food.
Piper sat cross-legged on the ground, her skirt folded decorously over her lap as she took out the food from the bag. “Let’s see what we have.” She smiled. “Sliced cheese, bread, pickles, ham.” Her grin widened as she held up two little bottles. “Salt and pepper!”
He smiled at her obvious delight. “So I’m guessing salt and pepper is as important as your coffee?”
She nodded enthusiastically even as she put a slice of bread on her skirt and began layering the cheese, ham and little green pickles over it. Shaking out some salt and pepper, she pressed another bread slice on top and handed it to him. “Try it and see.”
He sat opposite her and accepted the proffered sandwich. He took a bite and nodded at the tangy, salty flavor hit. “It’s good.” His belly certainly wouldn’t complain. “But I think your cappuccino is the undisputed leader according to my taste buds.”
“Unfortunately there’s no cappuccino or even coffee to go with our meal. But there’s apple juice” She gave him a drink and made him another sandwich before making her own and eating it. She looked around. “Otherwise I’d say this is a perfect spot for a picnic.”
He followed her stare to the paddock nearby, where green grass fluttered under a slight breeze that also ruffled the gum leaves. A herd of fat cattle munched on the grass, a couple of cows sitting under dappled shade contentedly chewing their cud.
A white-winged insect fluttered past and he grinned at realizing he’d seen his very first butterfly. There really was so much beauty around him.
He turned back to Piper. Wisps of dark hair quivered around her face and danced across her shoulders. Her lips were soft and plump, her breasts even plumper and pushing against her shapeless white blouse as though begging for his touch.
Her gaze lifted, the green-blue of her stare sharpening into a richer, more vibrant color with her awareness. “Why are you staring?”
“Like I said, I can’t take my eyes off you.” He leaned forward, brushing a crumb off the corner of her mouth with his thumb. “No matter how much I try to talk myself out of wanting to be with you, my desire to do the very opposite only grows stronger.”
Her lips parted, and she blinked and shook her head. “When I’m with you everything feels so ... right. But how can I trust my judgment when I’ve never dealt with these kinds of feelings before?”
His heart hammered, a deep ache spreading through his chest that was something between thrilling need and desperate hope. “Sometimes you’ve just got to trust in yourself.”
She nodded, and then breathed, “Yeah, maybe I do.”
If the Earth stopped spinning right then he wouldn’t have noticed. Every cell was focused solely on her as he leaned close, his mouth touching hers. He closed his eyes and soaked in the sensation. She tasted like Riddich berries and Earth coffee, the best of both worlds, with an added dash of sublime. Her soft lips opened under his with a sigh and he deepened the kiss, taking as much from her as she was willing to give.
Damn he could get lost in the kiss, in her. She was a rare and exotic Earth bud, ready to burst into flower. Waiting for a man like him to—
Honed instincts jangled alarm. He dragged himself free and sprang to his feet. Too late. A camouflaged jeep drew to a stop in front of the SUV even as a cargo-covered truck stopped behind it.
Baron’s stomach rolled, fingers of ice slithering down his spine. His inner dragon snapped and snarled, but he forced it into submission even as soldiers poured out of the back of the truck and jeep, their guns pointed his way.
“Baron?” Piper squeaked, pushing to her feet.
He tugged her behind him, gritting his teeth against a wave of violence as a fierce need to protect her all but overwhelmed him.
He turned his focus on the man who swaggered toward them with an air of authority, a man filled with his own importance. Baron guessed he was a high ranking officer. “What do you want from us?”
The officer smiled. “More importantly, what do you want from us?”
Baron stared at the man, probing into his mind. It was a pity that behind the officer’s cold arrogance was a will of iron. There’d be no planting suggestions anytime soon. His lip curled. “I don’t want anything from you.”
The officer’s eyes narrowed. “And yet you’re not from Earth.”
“What makes you say that?” Baron asked. Innocent until proven guilty, wasn’t that a basic human law?
“We’ve got world class technology at our disposal. We knew the moment your craft entered Earth’s atmosphere.” The officer nodded toward his uniform. “And if your size wasn’t a clue, your clothing was a dead giveaway.”
Baron resisted an urge to sweep a disparaging look at his uniform. He would have put on human clothes long ago if only he’d been able to find something to fit his big frame.
“We also know you weren’t alone.” The officer stepped closer. “How many others of your kind were in the craft with you?”
Piper stepped forward. “Baron won’t be answering anymore questions until he gets a lawyer.”
The officer laughed harshly. “Humans get lawyers. Aliens get interrogated.” He turned to his uniformed men. “You know what to do.”
Baron didn’t fight when a pair of soldiers approached him, it would be foolish to do so. There were a dozen men or more to his one, and he had Piper to consider. One soldier tied his wrists behind his back, the rope cutting into his flesh. The second soldier patted him down, before extracting his hydration flask and scorch gun.
Baron stayed motionless, even as he gritted his teeth against the soldier turning over his weapon and flask to the officer.
But there was nothing he could do about it, especially when two more soldiers helped to manhandle him toward the back of the truck, before they shoved him onto its cargo bed. He landed hard, and twisted around to peer through the opening at the back. His muscles went limp with relief at seeing Piper’s delicate wrists unfettered by rope.
Thank goddess she wasn’t a threat to the soldiers.
He was even gladder when Piper was ordered to climb into the back of the truck with him. Her head held high, she did what they asked, but the moment she stepped into the truck she scuttled over to Baron and sagged against him.
He strained against the ropes, yearning to hold her. Instead he rested his chin on her head, his heart drumming in his ears. No matter what happened, he wouldn’t tolerate her being hurt. Even if it killed him, he’d unleash his dragon upon all of these men to protect her.
“Guess we won’t be sending Lemmie’s car back to him after all,” she said in a small voice.
“Guess not,” he agreed, even as he marveled at how she thought of someone else even at a time like this. Though he’d bet it wasn’t Lemmie she worried about it, all her concern would be for Lemmie’s wife.
Eight soldiers climbed into the back with them and Baron scowled at each of them in turn. Six soldiers sat opposite them, their guns balanced on their laps and at the ready. The other two soldiers stood near the back opening of the truck, holding their guns loosely by their sides with one hand, and clasping handholds above their heads with the other.
The truck rolled forward, its engine roaring, before Piper asked the nearest, seated soldier, “Where are you taking us?”
“A long way from here, so you might as well get comfortable.”
Baron eyed the young soldier. He was barely out of his teens, yet hostility radiated from him. Either the soldier hated aliens or he just plain hated being a soldier. Either way, he could use it to his advantage.
The soldiers sitting either side of the young soldier were older, calmer, and far more experienced. But with the help of a couple of suggestions, he had no doubt he could take them out.
The truck lurched and the standing soldiers shifted their weight, easily balancing. One of them narrowed his eyes at Baron, his lip curling. “Don’t even think about trying to escape.” He cocked his gun at Piper. “Or your girlfriend dies.”
Baron hardly cared that flames lit up behind his eyes and smoldered for just a few seconds. He got a small measure of satisfaction seeing the tough soldier’s face blanch and then turn wary, even before Baron said, “Touch her and you’ll be the one dying.”
The other standing soldier smirked. “We’ll see who’ll be dying by the time the general is done with you.”
So the officer wasn’t the one in charge. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.
Piper looked up at Baron, her eyes wide and fatigue stretching the skin tight across the delicate bones of her face. “If I hadn’t stopped for something to eat we wouldn’t be—“
“Don’t blame yourself.” His chest expanded with his feelings that grew every minute, every second he was with her. He shuffled closer, the rope biting into his wrists. “Put your head on my lap and try to get some sleep, you’re beyond exhausted.”
She nodded. She’d know sleep deprivation would hinder their escape, just as she’d know they’d need all their wits to survive what was ahead of them.
Piper settled her head on Baron’s lap and sleep claimed her not even a minute later. He exhaled slowly. He only wished he could reach out and stroke her head, touch her reassuringly. Instead he glanced at the hard gazes of each soldier.
He hid a scowl. Perhaps it was best to act disinterested in Piper. Humans were well versed in taking advantage of a weakness, and Piper was by far his biggest weakness.
No, not weakness. She is your strength.
He slumped against the truck’s cargo cover, as though he too had given into weariness. The soldiers might presume they were safer. Fools. They’d never been more at risk. Yes, he had Piper to think of now. But she was why he wouldn’t allow anyone to forcibly take them. Not without a fight.
He opened his eyes into slits and probed into the mind of the soldier who’d told him he’d be dying. He simultaneously entered the mind of the young soldier sitting opposite him. Giving a sudden, sharp press into each of their heads, he watched as if from a great distance at the scene that then unfolded.
The first soldier pulled his rifle back. Turning to his comrade, he smashed the weapon into his face, knocking him off his feet and out the back of the truck with a sharp cry.
Even before the other soldiers could react, the young soldier had climbed to his feet and pointed his weapon at his friends. “Don’t make any sudden moves, or I will shoot.”
“What the fuck, Sam?” one of the soldiers asked. “Have you lost your god damn mind?” He turned horrified eyes to the soldier standing in the doorway with his bloodied rifle end. “And you, Zach. C’mon, this isn’t right—“
Baron never anticipated Sam’s rifle would discharge a bullet straight into the soldier’s torso, cutting off any further talk.
The shot echoed loudly, alerting the driver. Baron swore even as the truck braked hard. But without use of his hands, he could do little more than throw himself over Piper, protecting her as best as he could while the soldiers flew through the air.
Zach and Sam hit the truck cabin with sickening thuds, and Baron kept his body over Piper when the other soldiers attacked their once comrades with fists and rifle butts.
“Stop, that’s an order!”
Baron lifted himself off Piper, but not before checking to see if she was okay. She nodded mutely, her eyes wide and face pale even before she turned to see some of the men lying prone and bloodied around her.
“Sir,” the nearest soldier saluted.
A vein ticked in the officer’s taut jaw. “Can one of you explain what the fuck happened here?”
The soldier nodded. “Zach and Sam turned on us, sir. Zach struck Riley with his rifle, throwing him from the back of the truck. And Sam shot Liam.”
The officer turn
ed a contemplative stare to Baron, and drawled, “And how exactly did you achieve that?”
Chapter Eight
Baron grated out a laugh. “I fail to see how it’s my fault you have no control of your men.”
Silence was loud in the back of the truck. Then the officer turned to his men and snarled, “Get Zach and Sam out of here and clean them up. Take Liam to medical and send someone back to find Riley. I’ll watch the prisoners now.”
Once the soldiers had carried out his orders, the officer rapped on the back of the truck’s cabin. And as the truck rolled forward, its gears grating, he settled himself opposite Baron and Piper and murmured, “Mind control.” His eyes glittered with jubilation, before he cocked his head to the side. “Being that you picked out my two most unstable soldiers, I can presume it only works on the mentally weak.”
Baron refused to talk. Piper had no such concerns.
“You bastard!” she spat. “Don’t imagine for even one minute that my friends and family won’t be looking for me even now. They’ll know something nefarious has befallen me and they’ll—“
“Piper Meadows.” The officer smirked. “Unfortunately for you the PDA has been watching you for quite some time already.”
Her face lost all color, even as her eyes glittered. “The PDA. So the Paranormal Detection Agency is real,” she whispered.
The officer’s smirk widened. “But of course. Right along with all those otherworldly things you see and sense.”
Piper’s voice sounded hollowed out. “So you know about that.” She shook her head. “Of course you do.”
“We also know your family is pretty much non-existent, your mother only vaguely aware of you in-between lovers, and your friends not really your friends at all.”
Piper blinked and subsided weakly against Baron. He looked at her, hoping his silent message to stay strong and quiet was noted. There was no need to give the officer any more ammunition to use against them.