HeroRising

by Anna Alexander

  She adjusted the strap of her bag to lie flat across her torso and glanced around the garage. He noticed she took particular interest in the more expensive automobiles parked close by with a little touch of her envy tickling his gut. “What about the lower floors?”

  “There are some businesses that rent out the lower floors. Keycard access is needed to enter most of the building. Stay by me or in the main part of the house for now, otherwise you may become trapped until morning.”

  “I have no need to snoop around.” She arched her brow. “Or do I?”

  “No. No need. Trust me.”

  She shrugged then turned to lead the way to the elevator.

  Why was having her trust so important to him? Why did the need to see the tension ease from her shoulders and a genuine smile curve her lips drive him to distraction? She was by his side, following his direction. That should have been enough. But as long as there was that invisible wall between them, he found it impossible to leave well enough alone.

  The ride up to the fourth floor was silent except for the soft tap of her fingernail on the bottom button of her jacket. Again he felt the urge to reach out to grasp her hand in a gesture of reassurance, but he kept his fists at his sides. To feel the warmth of her palm against his would only make him wonder if she was as warm all over. A curiosity best left unfilled. Fortunately for him, the trip was short and the doors slid open with a hush to reveal a welcoming cream-on-cream decorated sitting area. The monotony of the pale walls and upholstery was broken up with splashes of orange and red in the paintings and pillows.

  “Nice,” Ari murmured and glanced around with an eye that seemed to capture every detail of her surroundings.

  He stopped at the double doors and raised his hand to press the Call button only to pause a millimeter from the lighted, pearl-colored circle. His hand trembled and throat closed up as an unnamed terror raised the hairs on the back of his neck. Deep in his psyche was a certainty as strong as the sun’s pull on the Earth that once he pressed that button, his world was going to change forever. How, he hadn’t a clue, but the feeling electrified all his senses to the point he swore he could hear the flutter of Ari’s eyelashes.

  “Bale?” Ari questioned softly. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” He swallowed hard and pressed the button.

  On the other side of the door, the chime resonated in his chest as if he were standing under the curve of one of the bells of Notre Dame as they chimed in warning.

  Heavy footfalls that sounded with the gait of a man who was used to being in charge crossed to the door, snapping Bale’s spine straight. After all these years away from the guard, including the many years he had spent cursing Lucian’s name, the reflexive need to snap to attention at the arrival of his general still took command of his body.

  The left half of the door opened and Bale sensed Ari tensing beside him.

  “Brovaro, it’s been too long,” Lucian greeted and gripped Bale by the forearm in a warrior’s bow.

  Bale nodded, swallowing past the lump in his throat at Lucian’s greeting of brother. The title wasn’t deserved, at least as far as Bale was concerned. One should not forgive so easily when their lives had been threatened, especially for the one who had done the threatening. But then Lucian and his mate were not ordinary people, rather they were extraordinary.

  Lucian’s gentle smile and kind eyes spoke of his knowledge of Bale’s internal struggle, but he was benevolent enough not to mention it. His lavender gaze switched to Ari and his brow rose with surprise. His mouth opened then shut as he looked back and forth between them before he said with a lift of his finger, “I shall wait until Amaryllis comes down, that way you will only have to tell the tale once. Please, come in.”

  “Thank you, sire.” Bale motioned for Ari to precede him into the foyer.

  “Sire?” she mouthed when she caught his attention behind Lucian’s wide back.

  He nodded once with absolute seriousness. Although they were no longer on Skandavia and he had once shunned his title as a Llanos warrior, he continued to honor his former vows and respected the old ways with the utmost conviction. It was the least he could offer in the wake of the graciousness and forgiveness bestowed on him by his betters. No matter how many times they told him his formality was not necessary, he refused to forgo the promise he made to himself to atone for his indiscretions.

  If he ever needed a reminder as to the differences in their stations, he only had to step into the confines of the Kilsgaards’ home. Gone were the white-and-silver color schemes of their home planet and in their place Amaryllis had created a showpiece of warm, creamy tile and bright-orange and red furnishings. Their home was pristine, but welcoming at the same time. Well, welcoming unless you were him. The genuine happiness that bombarded his senses when he walked through the doors made him achingly aware of his solitary existence and the dirt stains on his clothes and hands. The light and comfort were a stark reminder that he didn’t belong, and no amount of Amaryllis’ insistence would ever change that.

  “Come warm yourselves by the fire.” Lucian gestured to the two armchairs closest to the hearth. “You two look as if you were caught in the rain. Still riding the motorcycle, Bale?”

  “Best way to travel,” he replied.

  “Balellanos,” came the squeal from the entry to the living room.

  A combination of guilt, gratitude and awe snaked through his gut every time he saw his princess. As Amaryllis bounded across the plush cream carpet with her dark hair flying about her smiling face, Bale wanted to take a step back and forbid her from sharing any of her kindness. He wasn’t worthy of her care, but he knew to refuse her would cut her just as sure as a blade.

  He gritted his teeth and caught her about the waist as she jumped and flung her arms around his neck. Since he was a good two heads taller than she, her feet swung above the floor as she hugged him tight.

  “It’s been too long, lebshone.” When he set her down she grabbed both his ears and shook his head with a stern frown. “No calls. Not even a text for weeks. You know how I worry and still you do not take care to contact me. I should whip you for the insolence. But I see you have brought me a gift, so I shall forgive you. This time.”

  “My apologies,” he murmured.

  She turned toward Ari and clapped her hands with glee. “Introductions. Please.”

  Amaryllis’ excitement at meeting this new person brushed over his skin with ticklish fingers while Ari stared at the slight woman with large, uncertain eyes.

  Bale bent in a formal bow. “May I introduce Amaryllis Kilsgaard and her mated husband, Lucian. My roylea, I present Ari…uh, Ari…”

  “Rayner,” she supplied and offered her hand. “I’m Ari Rayner. Pleased to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is truly all mine.” Amaryllis grasped Ari’s hand and pulled her into an enthusiastic hug. “Welcome to our home. Sit, sit, sit. Are you hungry? Parched? Lucian, fetch us some refreshments, please.”

  “Thank you, your high—Amaryllis, but we have already eaten, unless you have a need, Ari?” Bale asked. Damn, he was really going to have to watch his language around the human.

  “I’m fine.” She perched on the edge of the suede sofa, hugging the bag on her lap while her gaze swept over the room. “Your home is lovely.”

  “Thank you.” Amaryllis sat next to her and clasped Ari’s hand between her own. “So, Bale, what have you been up to? How did you two meet? Have you known each other long?”

  “We have recently become acquainted. Ari is to be a new resident in the city, but unfortunately her vehicle could not complete the journey. I found her stranded and offered a ride. She was intelligent enough to agree. My hope is for her to stay here until we can retrieve her car and she finds a place of employment.”

  “No,” Ari shouted then covered her mouth with her free hand. Red swept up her face from her neck to her hairline. “Sorry. I meant just for the night. I don’t want to impose or intrude or be disruptive in any way. One night
is all, really, unless you are busy now. I can leave and go elsewhere.”

  “Ari.” Amaryllis stopped the litany with a finger pressed across Ari’s lip, who gasped in surprise at the contact. “Not another word. We would be honored to host Bale’s lady.”

  “I’m not his lady,” she mumbled around the finger, before Bale had a chance to make the correction.

  To hear Ari say the words he himself intended to speak was like a sucker punch to the kidneys. No, she was not his lady, and he had no intention of changing the label, but the thought of laying claim to such a lovely creature heated his blood. Unbidden, the image of Ari laid out on his bed clouded his mind. Her red hair, a tangled cloud on his pillow as she looked up at him with sex-drowsy eyes and lips swollen to a deep pink from his kisses. Bruises marked the pale curve of her breasts and chest, where he had bitten her, like tribal tattoos. She’d have her thighs spread wide in welcome, revealing her slick sex that glistened with his seed as he came over and over—

  A sharp cough and a jab in the ribs from Lucian’s elbow jarred him from his lusty thoughts.

  Ari stared up at him with a confused frown while Amaryllis beamed with a smile as bright as a million-watt light bulb.

  Double damn. Ari might be clueless to his dirty thoughts, but with their empathic powers, Lucian and Amaryllis possessed the ability to feel his hungers as if they were their own. By the tension humming off Lucian and the rosy flush on Amaryllis’ cheeks, they both knew exactly what he had been thinking.

  “I apologize,” he rasped in a voice steeped with residual desire. “It has been a long journey and I am succumbing to the effects. Was there a question?”

  “No.” Amaryllis chuckled. “I have absolutely no questions for you.”

  He choked down a groan and forced himself to keep his facial expression pleasantly blank. He’d already given his princess enough cause to plot a scheme to bring him and Ari romantically together. The more he protested, the harder she’d dig in her sharp heels and force the matter.

  “Akita,” Lucian interjected. “I have a few business matters to discuss with Bale. Why don’t you take Ari to the guest quarters? I’m certain she would enjoy a nice soak in the tub.”

  Amaryllis’ eyes narrowed and her lips pinched into an expression that said she knew exactly why she was being sent away. The determined light in her irises did not give Bale confidence that any plans she had hatched had been deterred in any way.

  “Very well. Is this the last I will see of you tonight, Bale?”

  “Yes. I will be returning to my own quarters when Lucian and I are finished.”

  “Then I expect you at breakfast.” She stood and crossed to his side to buss his cheek. “Good night. Lucian, let’s leave him alone to say good night to his lady.”

  Lucian said not a word, but his amusement tickled the back of Bale’s neck. Hopefully the general would remain silent about the subject when they met later.

  “I am sorry for any assumptions Amaryllis may have made,” he said once they were alone. “They are not used to seeing me consort with women.”

  “And here I thought you brought back strangers all the time.” She winked and her smile made his breath catch. “She seems very nice, they both do. And they’re beautiful. Freakishly so. Is everyone back where you’re from gorgeous? What are they feeding you people?”

  Beautiful? Was she including him in that remark? Impossible. He was scarred and somber, which left marks on his face that usually made people cower in fear. He knew females desired him. He was tall and muscular, which was a combination that seemed to elicit passion in human women. But he didn’t believe himself to be an example of beauty. Masculine, yes. Beautiful, no.

  Ari, now she was…exquisite. Soft in the right places, lean in others. Her femininity soothed his warrior spirit like a gentle breeze on a hot day, but there was a fire inside her that jolted his base urges like a live wire. He’d never experienced such a dichotomy before.

  Not even with Natalia.

  At the thought of his wife, his desire cooled and his mission became getting Ari ensconced in a guest room and then locking himself away in the solace of his own apartment. She had been enough of a distraction for one night.

  He straightened his posture. “Amaryllis will see you have anything you need, and I will warn you, she will not listen to any protest you have of her doing otherwise.”

  “I’ve kinda noticed that.”

  “The entrance to the main house is on this floor. The floor above are apartments they lease to their employees. These floors and the garage you can access. You’ll be able to roam wherever you wish, but stay away from the second floor.”

  “What’s on the second floor?”

  Debauchery in mass quantities. “Businesses you have no need to have access to.”

  “Like what?”

  “Stay away.” He bit his tongue for he realized how harsh the command sounded. “Look, I do not want you to find yourself in trouble for wandering where you should not be. I only wish for you to take care.”

  “Okaaay.” She rose and adjusted the strap of her bag across her chest. “So. Is this goodbye then?”

  “More than likely, yes.”

  “Oh. Well, thank you for…you know, everything.” With her left hand she held out his jacket, and her right hand for a handshake as she stared up at him with those blue eyes he felt he could lose himself in for the rest of his life and be perfectly happy.

  The journey of his hand traveled in slow motion as he raised it to clasp around her dainty palm. The anticipation of the moment when their palms would meet raised his temperature. This touch was going to be different than when he had helped her off his motorcycle. This time there wasn’t the distraction of the elements and the situation to detract from the texture of her skin.

  An electric current raced up his arm as their hands grasped and he felt the answering jump in her pulse as she drew in a sharp breath. How easy would it be to pull her an inch closer? To lower his head enough to brush his lips against her parted ones?

  Too easy.

  He dropped her hand as if she burned him and took the jacket, bending into a slight bow. “Good night, Ari. Sleep well.”

  Without another word he turned on his heel and all but ran for the sanctuary of Lucian’s office. He didn’t bother to knock as he flung open the door and shut it as if the great dogs of the seven hells were after him.

  “I never thought I’d see the mighty Balellanos so terrified, especially by a tiny female.” Lucian chuckled from behind his desk.

  “She’s not that tiny.” He straightened from where he had leaned against the door.

  “I like the essence of her spirit. I can tell why you are attracted to her.”

  Bale gritted his teeth. As much as he wanted to deny it, Lucian spoke the truth and they both knew it. “She does have spirit.”

  “How did you meet? Truly?”

  “I had passed an abandoned vehicle on the mountain pass. About a mile farther I came upon a truck that was parked off to the side of the road and the two male occupants were chasing her down. Just as I came to a stop one of the men tackled her to the ground. I was able to stop her fall.”

  “And prevented much worse, I am certain.” Lucian rose and crossed to the bar. He gestured to a bottle of amber liquid. “What of her attackers?”

  Bale shook his head at the offer. “They live. For now.”

  “Bale—”

  “If they die, it will not be by my hand. Unless I discover them harming another.”

  Lucian sighed and folded his arms across his massive chest. “Bale, I understand your mission, I do. If…” He shut his eyes. His throat worked as if he swallowed down an ugly thought he did not want to express.

  But Bale heard it anyway. If Amaryllis should be taken from him the people of Earth would share his anguish. And Bale knew firsthand what the general was capable of for he had been on the opposite end of Lucian’s sword when he had come to take her life.

  Lucian had been
lucky. Bale had not succeeded and his commander was free to bask in the warmth of their love every day.

  Yes, lucky bastard indeed.

  “As I was saying,” Lucian continued. “While I applaud your efforts to stop the persecution of innocent people, you have got to rein in the desire to end all confrontations with death.”

  “I only kill when it’s in self-defense, and even then only for those who deserve it.”

  “According to you. You cannot be judge, jury and executioner.”

  Bale matched his imposing stance. “According to you.”

  “According to the laws of civility and common sense. While the humans’ processes may be slow and contradictory, they must be of our utmost consideration. Do what you must to protect. And that is all. If you are discovered carrying out ultimate justice, you risk exposing all of us and our powers.”

  “I am always careful.”

  “But you are not perfect. Someday you will fail.”

  “And if I do, then I will fail on my own.”

  “No.” Lucian crossed to stand in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You are family. Maybe not by blood but because we’ve spilled blood together. Whatever fate befalls you, we will always be at your side.”

  Bale’s eyes stung at the fervor in Lucian’s declaration. “I do not deserve such consideration.”

  “But you have it. Always.”

  Damn him. Bale pinched his lips together. Damn both him and his mate. When he had been hell-bent on revenge no matter the cost, life was simpler. Once the two had shown him how misspent all that anger had been, he redirected his focus. They reminded him what it meant to care. What it meant to matter to someone else. To have another care for you carried the possibility to disappoint.

  While Lucian’s words were of caution, they were of little use. If Bale was ever to be discovered carrying out his brand of vigilante justice he’d fall on the sword before Lucian and Amaryllis felt the fingers of discovery upon them. On this he vowed with his life.

  “And what of the girl?” Lucian asked.

  Damn her too. Until Ari had come into his life he didn’t have…wants. He didn’t hunger for something soft. Until Ari he had no need for the touch of a woman, yet ever since he held her hand he had thought of nothing else.