Collared By The Warrior

by Daniella Wright

  I see images of my own face on missing person posters as I explore the town by night, and though I realize it’s truly not her fault, I can’t help but curse Crissy. If she hadn’t interrupted our moment, perhaps I could have explained my feelings to Edmund.

  As I hopelessly return to our shared home for the night, I slump in the front lawn, burying my face in my hands. The sun will rise in scarce hours, and I can’t afford to lose track of time on my hunt for the man. There are days I have been tempted to simply let the sun take me, but I know that will accomplish nothing. In spite of the rationality of that thought, I can’t help feeling as if everything from this step forward is pointless. How long can I fruitlessly search for Edmund? How can I possibly find him if he does not want to be found? What seems the reality of the situation is slowly beginning to settle on my shoulders, and I wonder if he simply got what he wanted and left. It made no sense, seemed too prolonged a process just to take advantage of me. At any time during my stay in his home, he could have easily overpowered me and gotten what he apparently wanted. I just don’t understand. Sobs shake my body as I realize that there is nothing for me to understand. Edmund captured my heart, had his fill of my body, and now he is gone. Allowing the sun to take me is sounding more appealing by the second.

  As tears stream down my face, I feel the slightest tingling in the back of my mind. It’s a feeling that’s only vaguely recognizable, a feeling I’m too desolate to try and place. Suddenly, I’m jolted with a sense of awareness. It’s impossible. After all this time, it couldn’t be… yet, it very much was. I draw my hands away from my face, looking into the distance where my mind is telling me to look. His body quakes where he stands, and he seems to echo my own despair back at me. I blink the bleariness from my eyes, and he steps towards me.

  “Janine…” He murmurs, like some soft spoken prayer. All at once, I am on my feet rushing towards him. He hesitates, but obligingly takes me into his arms as I slam into him. It seems he had not expected the sheer force of my embrace, and I nearly knock him off his feet as I bury my face in his chest. He wraps his arms uncertainly around me, and I find myself repeating his name in that same reverent tone he had used. He continues to shake, and our combined despair continues to wash over me in waves. I draw my head back just slightly, tilting my face up to consider his anguished expression. In spite of myself, I can feel the despair that clutches me slowly giving way to anger.

  “Where the hell have you been!?” I shout angrily, pushing him away from me. He stumbles back, obviously not having expected the shove. I round on him, anger and misery mingling to spill ever bitter tears down my cheeks. “You just take what you want and leave? You just… you just… Edmund, how could you leave me alone after all we’ve been through!? You have to have known I was looking for you. I searched for days.” I blurt angrily. For the first time since I have met him, the sheen of tears glimmer in his dark eyes.

  “I ruined your life…” He murmurs softly, and at first I simply can’t believe what I’m hearing.

  “You… ruined my life?” I repeat incredulously, and he chokes out a sob, drawing his arms around himself. “You ruined my life!? Are you serious Edmund?” I demand, stepping towards him and grabbing him by the chin.

  “Your friends… your family. Everyone who loved you, and who you loved in turn… I stole you away.” He gasps out, and I meet his gaze, understanding lancing me through the heart.

  “That’s why you left. You… you…” I trail off, and he braces himself as if I am about to strike him. I brush the tears from his cheeks, drawing him into my arms and burying my face flush against his neck. “You’re an idiot.” I murmur softly. He hesitantly wraps his arms around me, as if afraid to touch me.

  “Janine-” He begins, but I cut him short.

  “Edmund, I’m not going to lie. You absolutely ruined my life. You took away everything I was striving for. You took away my chances at school, a degree, a career. You took me from my friends, my family… I hated you for it.” I mutter, and he chokes back a sob.

  “I’m sorry.” He blurts, and I chuckle softly, tangling a hand in his hair.

  “But that’s not why I’m angry. I’ve forgiven you for that. In fact… I rejoice in it. Because the life I had before I met you was a meaningless one. I may not have a heartbeat now, but when we were together… I’ve never felt more alive in my life.” I murmur, and he tenses in my grasp. “I’ve come to a realization in the days I’ve been looking for you. I thought you were gone forever, or worse.” I continue, drawing away from him to look him in his deep brown, almost black eyes. He searches my expression, presumably for some crack in my armor. I suppose what I’m telling him doesn’t make much sense, but I’ve never been so certain of something in my life.

  “What are you saying, Janine?” He inquires hesitantly, reaching up to palm my cheek.

  “What I’m saying is… I love you, Edmund. I’m head over heels in love with you.” I say, biting back a laugh at the sheer disbelief he meets my gaze with. He opens and closes his mouth, looking much like a fish out of water.

  “You… wha?” He says, ever the picture of eloquence. I brush my thumb against his bottom lip, reveling in the softness of his skin. Reveling in everything about him.

  “You shouldn’t apologize for changing me. I won’t accept that apology. Being changed is perhaps the greatest thing to ever happen in my life, because it brought me to you.” I pause, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to his lips. Just as he begins to reciprocate, I pull away, meeting his gaze. Then, I slap him with as much force as I can muster. “You should apologize for leaving me and making me worry about your bloodsucking tail for this past week!” I shout, throwing my hands up in exasperation. He touches his fingertips to his cheek, staring at me through wide eyes. For a long moment, neither of us say anything more. Then, he begins to laugh. It starts as soft snickers, shifting into uncertain chuckles before blooming into full, unrestrained guffaws. In spite of myself, I find myself beginning to laugh as well. He wraps his arms around me, resting his chin atop the crown of my head as our bodies shake with irrational laughter. I imagine we must both look utterly insane, but the anger I felt at being abandoned is being washed away with sheer joy at being in his arms again. It seems ages before we regain our composure. He tightens his grip on me, his body continuing to shake with barely repressed giggles before he manages to compose himself enough to speak.

  “I’m so sorry I made you worry.” He breathes, and though the situation could quickly turn serious again, a sense of calm washes over me. He draws away just slightly, worrying his bottom lip with his fangs. He hesitates for a long moment before speaking earnestly. “I love you too, Janine. But I’m pretty sure you already had that figured out…” He murmurs uncertainly. I smile mischievously, brushing my fingers to his cheek. He predictably winces, and I can’t help but snort.

  “Well, you did let me get away with slapping the taste out of your mouth. I figure you must be a little sweet on me at least.” I muse, and he rolls his eyes in amusement.

  “I’m letting you get away with it for now. We’ll properly discuss your punishment later.” He retorts. I smile knowingly, kissing the tip of his nose. I consider making a snide remark regarding the punishment I had yet to receive for destroying his irreplaceable furniture, but I find myself getting lost in his eyes again instead.

  “What now?” I murmur, and he steers me towards the house. I realize there are scarce moments before the sun rises again. Life goes on, as it invariably tends to do.

  “Ah, my dear. We have the rest of eternity to concern ourselves with what happens next.” He hums. I grin as he presses his lips to my own, the gravity of the situation settling comfortably within me. An eternity doesn’t sound bad at all.

  BLURB

  Janine Rigby is a young and vivacious woman, who is filled with the exuberance of life. She harbors her share of hidden insecurities, but hey, who doesn’t? She has her friends at the Ivory Fang to sweep her worries away, and where the alcohol c
omes short, the dancing is sure to keep the pace. However, when her dangerously fun night turns simply dangerous, Janine finds out that she has much more to worry about than petty insecurities. Turns out, there’s more to fear than ending up alone. Her newest fear just so happens to have the darkest eyes she’s ever seen, and a particularly killer smile. There’s no doubt, it’s high time that Janine faces her fears head on. This time, she’s resolved to do just that. Now, all there’s left to do is hope she hasn’t bitten off more than she can chew; lest she end up bitten herself. Sounds easy enough. Right…?

  Invasor

  ~ Bonus Story ~

  An Erotic Secret & Forbidden Alien Romance

  “...I reacted by stepping back quickly out of the range of her lips. The Princess was very confused.

  “Princess, I’m sorry, but you are my charge. It would not be appropriate for us to develop feelings like that for each other. I’m sure your father would forbid it. He might even react… um… well, hastily to say the least.”

  I don’t understand the humans. Their views, beliefs, their feelings, or emotions. In fact, I hold their entire species in contempt most of the time. But I have to study them. I have to learn their behavior, their ways, and I have to try to fit in amongst them. I look human, I have learned to act human, but I am nothing of the sort…

  My name is Cahn. I am from the place the humans refer to as The Other World. My race has been at war with the humans for centuries, trying to take over Earth and claim its rich natural resources for our own.

  I'm not sure why I have been sent here. But I have done well in adapting and fitting in. In fact, I am a soldier of high rank in the King's Army. For the past six years, he has assigned me as guardian and protector of Princess Reah as she goes from village to village keeping the people united and giving them hope that the war will soon be over.

  But now we have been called home. I’m not sure why and I’m not sure now.

  I don't understand what is happening to me, but the moment I returned and I laid eyes on Tarin I knew that I was no longer who I was before. When I last saw her she was a child of thirteen, but now she is a young woman six years later. And she is the most beautiful and perfect angel I have ever seen. I want her… I need her… I have never felt this way about any human, but I know that I can’t help myself around her.

  And she feels the same about me. We have fallen so deeply in love, but it is so forbidden… much more than she even knows.

  For the Other Side has come for the Kingdom. And they will stop at nothing to destroy it. I find myself torn in loyalty between two worlds at war and a dedication and a need to possess a love I never knew I could have.

  What can I do? I must follow my heart…

  * * *

  CHAPTER 1

  I groaned slightly at the aching bones of my false body as I leaned back and stretched. Even after all these years I was still not used to this fragile, mortal body that was called human. I hated it. The weakness, the vulnerability to cold and pain, and the emotional fragility that these humans showed. They were either going insane with rage, or grief, or glee at the drop of a hat it seemed. I had studied them and learned to fake all of the necessary emotions so that I would fit in and be one of them, but deep within my real self I pitied them and I was disgusted by them.

  But that was the job. It was my duty to offer protection for these people, well namely one special person. The beautiful Princess Reah. She had been my charge for six years now and during those years I had grown quite fond of the girl. She was loyal, caring, and sweet. She cared genuinely for the people within the Kingdom and for humans in general. I had witnessed her kindness as she offered food and coin to vagrants as she traveled near and far to spread the words of her father, King Joseph to the people of his kingdom. The war will soon be over.

  But I knew that those were empty words. The Kingdom has been at war with the Other World for centuries, long before I was even created hundreds of years ago. The Other World viewed humanity as a plague that had to be stamped out. The people were vermin and they were destroying what was one of the most densely resource rich planets in the galaxy.

  The humans were weak. That was what The Other World believed. But I quickly figured out that if the humans were in fact so weak then they should have been easy to destroy, but they had fought the Other World tooth and nail for centuries, winning some battles and losing others, but the humans still controlled the majority of the planet.

  The morning sunrise was just beginning to take shape. It was beautiful. I did not see beauty quite the way the humans did, but I could still appreciate interesting sights and the light show that this planet put on, utilizing its one small simple sun, was pretty spectacular if I had to say so himself.

  I knew I had just a few more minutes and then I would be taking over for Lyle, the other night guard to stand guard while the Princess got ready for the day. We both took turns alternating sleeping in three-hour shifts. I usually did not wake Lyle up for his full shift. I did not need that much sleep. My alien body got by on very little rest and very little food, but I did love to eat. That was one of the sweet pleasures of this world, all the wonderful foods that were available. I needed very little nutrition, but I enjoyed eating as a hobby if you will. It was one of the few indulgent pleasures that I actually had.

  The other guards had warned me to be wary of falling in love with Princess Reah. I just smiled and told them I would be careful, but truthfully the idea of my falling in love with a human woman was just not going to happen. The art of falling in love, the romance, the passion, the lust—all of these things were human experiences that I knew only in vague terms. My race did not possess such abilities. I looked like a human, I spoke like one, dressed like one, ate like one, but it was all a show. I was not human.

  As I lay there watching the sun rising slowly over the mountain in the distance, I tried to remember what I was. I had been taken from my family at a young age and placed among the humans. I was not sure why exactly, but I was here. I was on Earth and I had to continue to fit in. What other choice did I have? I remembered my family. I remembered my brothers and my pack, but I had not seen them or spoken to them in so long.

  I used to be able to do it telepathically, but in the past few years they had stopped replying back. I thought that they might be dead. I might be the only one left of his race. I rarely dreamed but when I did I dreamed of my home world being destroyed somehow. My family—father, mother, brothers--all being destroyed.

  I knew my brothers had escaped and had arrived on Earth as well, but the last time I spoke to them they warned me to stay the course I was on and that they would contact me when the time was right. There was something they had to do, but I did not know what. I couldn’t remember. It had been a long time and I found that the longer I stayed human the less I remembered about who I used to be.

  I finally moved my groggy bones up off the animal hides I was sleeping on and stretched myself to my full height. I’m taller than the average human, about six feet four inches in height, and I have a muscular, strong build. I’ve always been proud of this fact, but with my alien strength these puny human muscles really mean nothing. I’m three times stronger than any human alive, but I can never show anyone this of course.

  I took a few deep breaths, enjoying the crisp fall air invading my lungs sending a slight chill through my body. I needed a cup of coffee to warm me up and get my human body going in the morning, but there was none to be found this morning it looked like.

  I slapped Lyle on the back as I arrived in front of the coach that Princess Reah was in. He was already starting to drift off to sleep and he startled awake as was his usual routine. He was a character.

  I knocked on the coach and a moment later I heard the stirrings of the Princess. I often tried to imagine what she was doing to get ready every morning and how she did it so quickly. It usually took her no more than three minutes after I knocked to come out from the coach looking fantastic and beautiful as always. Her charms w
ere lost on me, but I could still tell that she was much more beautiful and radiant than most of the women on this planet. I imagined she was expected to be so, being Princess and all.

  She nodded to me as she came out of the coach. “Good morning, Cahn,” she said to me.

  “Good morning, Princess,” I grunted. My human voice did not often work well first thing in the morning.

  As she stepped out into the early morning light the rays of the bright, yellow sun lit up her auburn hair giving it a peaceful glow that engulfed her entire face. She truly looked a vision right then.

  I wondered what it was like to really love a human. I had seen people in love, the way they looked at one another, the way they acted with each other, the way they genuinely seemed to need each other and it was fascinating to observe. The most interesting thing was the physical expressions of these emotions they shared with each other. The kissing, the caressing, the holding of one another—it was all so bizarre to me. As far as I could remember no one on my planet had ever done those things and I wasn’t sure if I would ever really be able to feel like that, especially with a human. Or maybe I would feel that way and I would only be able to feel that way with a human. I just wasn’t sure. It was another mystery to me in the world I didn’t really belong in.

  I watched as the Princess was served breakfast on a table that was set up for her as it was every morning. The rest of us would wait until she was done and we might each get a few servings of oatmeal. There would be more food later on for lunch or dinner after the hunter’s in the group (myself included) secured a deer or a pig that we might stumble onto. Perhaps in the next town there might be some fresh fruit that would be given to the Princess. It had been a while since we had some good fruit.