Unbearable Fear

by ML Guida

  Someone cried out and there was a loud thump.

  Her heart stopped and every hair on her arms and the hair on the back of her neck stood straight up.

  Shitshitshitshit.

  She slowly headed for the door. “Steve? Jeff?”

  “Come on, Skye. We gotta go. Davey just called and your guy took a turn for the worse.” His worried voice sent her barreling out of the door.

  “Really?” Her heart stopped.

  Steve was face down on the floor. The same place where Walfea had bled.

  She rushed over to him. “Steve?” She rolled him over. Blood seeped down his temple.

  “Jeff?” She wildly looked around.

  He came out of one of the bedrooms. “Not very bright, are you?” His accusatory tone shot off fireworks in her head.

  “What are you talking about?”

  But the world stopped. The room got smaller. The light darker. Temperature dropped.

  Tingles turned her fingers numb. Her ribs squeezed her lungs shut. No air. Can’t breathe.

  Hector Savaged walked behind him. He flashed her a sinister smile. “Hello darling.”

  That night…The pain…The terror

  Never again.

  Skye grabbed the poker off the fireplace. “Get away from him.”

  Hector laughed and held up his hands. “I have no weapon. See?”

  Jeff pulled out a gun. “But I do.”

  “I don’t understand.” Her words rolled out of her mouth in slow motion.

  “No, you wouldn’t, would you?”

  Her eyes widened. She wanted, wanted, wanted…Damn it, she couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t believe. All this time…The person she trusted most…The person she told all her problems to… The person who had gone through the same shit as she had. He’s my band…He’s family…

  Jeff was the betrayer.

  “You didn’t call Davey, did you?” She had trouble getting the words out.

  Jeff flashed her a Hannibal Lector smile. “No, I didn’t.”

  His boots had caked mud and pine needles on them while Steve’s were clean as a whistle. He’d never have gotten into his precious SUV and dirtied her up. Jeff had known her phone number. He’d known she was in Frisco and at Sandra’s cabin.

  “Oh, God. You shot Walfea.”

  “Yes.” He smiled, showing off teeth.

  Hector walked slowly toward her with that same possessive look.

  Not happening.

  Her legs shook, and she gripped the poker. “Stay away from me.”

  Jeff pulled back the trigger than aimed it at Steve’s head. “Drop it or he’s dead.”

  Hate flickered in those eyes not just for Steve, but for her. It was as if his bangs had hid the evil.

  Hector took another step.

  She raised the poker higher.

  “I mean it, Skye.”

  His plan smacked her like a slap across the face. Walfea was right. Hector was a stooge. Jeff would shoot Steve and lay the blame on Hector. The gun was probably registered to Hector. No one would suspect Jeff.

  Not true.

  One man would. No, an Arian would.

  Walfea.

  Jeff motioned with his gun.

  Every instinct told her to hang on to the poker. If she dropped it, she’d be at Hector’s mercy.

  Without moving, Steve looked at her. Blood trickled into one eye that begged her to save him. His face was four shades of pale and four shades of shock. All this time he’d been innocent. He’d really been trying to protect her.

  Her grip loosened on the poker. Her skin crawled thinking of what would happen next, but she wouldn’t betray Steve. Her shoulders slumped, and she dropped her only weapon.

  Hector slammed her against his chest. His hot breath was on the back of her neck. His dreaded mustache scratched her, paralyzing her.

  “I’ve told you I don’t like this cap.” He ripped it off her head and tossed it on the floor next to Steve’s motionless body.

  “Don’t touch me.”

  “Why must I always change your hair? Not behaving, are you?” Hector yanked her braid loose, pulling her hair out by the roots.

  Skye bit back a cry, but couldn’t hide a shudder. Jeff’s betrayal cut into her heart like a chisel. “Why?”

  Hector slammed her against his chest. “Because he knows you belong to me.”

  Jeff rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Hector.” He sauntered over to Skye and grabbed her hair, tearing the roots out. “Because I was supposed to be the lead singer of the Vandals, not a little whore like you.”

  The petty words didn’t register.

  “You did all this shit because you wanted to be a singer?” Her fury shook the room and hesitation flickered in Jeff’s eyes. Jeff was crazy. One Flew Over the Coo-Coo’s Nest crazy.

  “You get the glory. The fame. I’m the better singer.” He kicked Steve hard in the back. “But this bastard stole my dream.”

  Steve groaned, but didn’t move.

  “I couldn’t get Steve or the record company to change their minds. So, I came up with a plan.” He released her. “I’d get you to quit, so I called my old foster buddy.”

  “Me. He knew how much I adored you.” He licked Skye’s face.

  She closed her eyes not wanting to admit she was one step away from reliving the horror.

  “Didn’t I tell you? We were in the same foster home together,” Jeff whispered in her ear.

  Her eyes flew open. “Jeff, please.” Her pleading voice fell on deaf ears.

  Jeff smacked Hector on the back. “She’s your woman. I suggest you leave.” He pulled Steve’s car keys out of his back pocket.

  Hector nudged Steve. “What about him?”

  “I’ll take care of him.”

  “Jeff, Please, don’t kill him.”

  “I suggest you worry about what’s going to happen to you.”

  Skye’s gut and heart twisted, creating a wall of pain.

  Jeff tilted his head. “Now, get.”

  Hector dragged her out of the house. Skye stumbled and fell on her knee.

  “Get up.”

  “Let go of me.” She pulled on her arm and beat on his hand.

  He crushed her against the hood of Steve’s SUV. “Didn’t I tell you? We have Sandra. If you don’t behave, I will kill her.”

  She bowed her head. Jeff had betrayed all of them.

  He shoved her. “Now, get in the damn car.”

  Walfea hadn’t wanted her to go through the same pain as he had, but she’d fallen into the same trap. He couldn’t save his brother, but she could save Steve and Sandra.

  She reluctantly climbed inside the SUV. Hector pulled a pair of handcuffs and locked her wrists to the seat.

  “Are we comfy?”

  She glared and refused to answer.

  “Oh, by the way. Jeff’s going to do me a favor.”

  She jerked her head around. “He’s not going to kill Steve?”

  “No, he needs Steve. He’s the best manager in the business. No, he plans to kill your boyfriend.”

  “No. Please.”

  “Shut up.”

  “I’ll scream–”

  He smashed his fist into the side of her temple and her head smacked the window. Unbearable fear and pain seized her, blinding her vision like stage lights. Her heart pounded to keep her awake but was losing the battle.

  “No.” But her lips barely moved.

  She gazed up at the clear blue sky.

  Please, Vaughn, Captain Tash, hurry. Hurry.

  Her heart gave up the fight and she passed out.

  Chapter 18

  “Walfea, can you hear me?” He knew that voice but couldn’t come up with a name.

  Where the hell was he?

  Walfea groaned and tried to open his eyes, but the fog refused to lift from his brain. He gasped for breath, but only sucked in tiny bits of air. Bitterness burned his throat. His gut spun around and around as if it were an out of control flying saucer.

&
nbsp; The familiar antiseptic smells assaulted him. Hospital. He was in a hospital. His fingers dug into the stiff sheets.

  “Give him another shot.” The gruff voice brought back memories–Sutois, Dech, the Intrepid.

  Tash? Captain Tash was here?

  “But–”

  “Do it.”

  Walfea tensed, gritting his teeth. Something sharp sunk into his wrist. Fiery liquid went up his arm. He immediately broke out into a hot sweat, but the fog cleared.

  He could breath. They were here. He opened his eyes.

  Vaughn and Captain Tash were on either side of him, their eyes intense. They were brothers, but Tash commanded a presence that made Walfea and every member of the Intrepid stand at attention. Tash was taller and broader, but it was loyalty to the Intrepid and his crew that made Walfea want to follow him. He’d risked his life to save his crew on Sutois and bore a scar that ran from his temple down to his chin.

  Vaughn was all scientific and had a seriousness to him that always used to tempt Walfea and Dech to try and make him laugh. Sometimes he was too caught up in his books to enjoy life, but he had dark circles underneath his eyes as if he hadn’t been sleeping. Vaughn’s thick brown hair curled at the end of his collar, and he had the same white jacket that Dr. Davis had worn earlier.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Walfea took a deep breath. Every time his heart beat, his skin became hotter and hotter. The stiff blanket stuck to him. “Like I swallowed a firing eruptor.”

  He scanned the room. “Where’s Skye?”

  “We don’t know.” Tash glanced at Vaughn. “She contacted us, and we’d assumed she’d meet us here. Who is she?”

  “My mate.”

  Vaughn rubbed his chin. “Does she want to be your mate?” His suspicious voice was a huge blow to Walfea’s ego, and heat flushed over his cheeks.

  “I don’t know. But she should be here. This isn’t like her. Something’s wrong.”

  Tash scowled at Vaughn, which sent his brother sputtering.

  “Don’t take me wrong, Walfea. It’s just that none of us has ever mated with a human.”

  “What do you mean mate with a human?”

  Walfea groaned at the suspicious female voice.

  Sandra looked at them as if they were freaks in a circus show.

  Walfea cleared his dry throat. “Tash, Vaughn, this is Sandra Rotella. My mate…”

  Sandra cast him a curious glance.

  He put his shaking arm across his sweaty forehead. “Sorry, my mind’s a fog. I meant Skye’s best friend.” Vaughn’s injection was having a war with the human medicine. Acid burned in his chest, and he’d clamped his jaw shut to keep from spewing guts in front of the captain.

  She hurried over to Walfea’s bed. “Where’s Skye?”

  “I don’t know.” He wasn’t in the mood for twenty questions.

  “I stopped by at the house to get some things, and the door was wide open in the caretaker’s house.”

  He dropped his arm. “And?”

  “I think…I think something’s wrong. Her baseball cap was on the floor. She never goes anywhere out in public without it. There was fresh blood on the hardwood floor next to the fire poker. I found someone’s phone underneath the couch.”

  “Whose?” Walfea’s every nerve, every muscle, every heated breath waited for her to answer.

  “Steve Walker.”

  Walfea hissed. He knew it.

  “And I found Skye’s purse. She never goes anywhere without it.”

  That’s when he noticed she had two purses flung over her shoulder. Her boxy gray one and Skye’s glittery red fringed purse.

  He kicked back the sticky sheet and struggled to sit up. His insides screamed for him to lay back down. His muscles were weary and his brain slow.

  But he didn’t care.

  Skye was in trouble.

  Vaughn grabbed his arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Saving my woman.”

  “You’re in no condition to go traipsing around on Earth chasing a woman who might not be interested in you.”

  Walfea yanked his arm free. “I’m going. She’s in trouble. Women on Earth don’t go around leaving their purses. Purses are like appendages.” He swung his legs to the side. Darkness with spots of light swung around his eyes. He gulped down air and hung on tight to the edge of the bed.

  “Tash, I don’t want my patient wondering around. He needs rest. The allergic reaction isn’t completely gone yet. He needs to lay in bed for at least twenty-four hours.”

  “She’ll be dead in twenty-four hours,” Walfea said. “Now help me out of this damn bed.”

  “Captain.” Vaughn held onto Walfea’s shaking home. “Tell him––”

  “Tell him what?” Tash crossed his arms. “You know what’s happening on Aria. This might be the solution to our problem.”

  “So, we can be like the Zalarians and kidnapped women?”

  Tash shrugged. “It’s been working for them.”

  Vaughn glared as if Tash had a slip in judgment. “We’re not Zalarians.”

  Sandra pushed up her glasses. “Okay, you’re both talking in nonsense. What about Skye?”

  Walfea raked his fingers through his damp hair. His whole body was stained with sweat, and he shivered. “I’ll find her.”

  “You have her scent?” Vaughn lowered his voice as if there were spies hiding in the walls.

  “Yes.”

  “You’re in no shape to hunt her down. If you––”

  Walfea snagged Vaughn’s jacket and pulled hard. “She’s my mate. I’ll find her. She’s my responsibility.”

  Tash raised his eyebrow. “You’ve claimed her?”

  “No.” But I will.

  Sandra looked at all of them as if they all needed straight-jackets. “Has everybody here gone Looney Tunes?”

  Walfea hopped of the bed. His legs wobbled, but he managed to not drop like a rock.

  Sandra ran over to him. “What are you going to do?”

  He grabbed a pair of jeans out of the laundry bag underneath his bed. “Track her. Starting with the main house.”

  He put on leg in first and panted, trying not pass out. His body was drenched. He felt like he was in the middle of a tropical jungle. He shoved the other leg in the other pant hole.

  Sandra turned away, her cheeks burning red, and her face pinched. Shades, hadn’t she’d ever seen a naked man before?

  Vaughn helped steady him. “Walfea, you’re going to pass out very shortly.”

  “No, I won’t. I have to find her. I can’t lose her like…”

  He turned away, staring at the window. Hot sweat turned ice cold… His teeth chattered…His beating heart climbed up his throat.

  Dech screaming…Terror in his face…Him frozen….

  He sucked in deep breaths and his arms trembled at the side. Anguish and fear gripped his insides.

  “Walfea.” The captain steadied him. “Tell us what happened. That’s an order.”

  He looked into Tash’s hard eyes that wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  Walfea blinked his eyes and pulled on every ounce of security training. “Captain, she’s been taken.”

  “By who?”

  “Hector Savage,” Sandra interrupted. “He’s a crazed fan.”

  Vaughn lifted his eyebrow. “A fan?”

  “She’s the lead singer of the Vandals.” She looked at him as if he was the stupidest man on Earth.

  Walfea grinned as Vaughn shifted from one foot to another, slight redness on his cheeks. She took him down a peg.

  Tash frowned. “Where would this Hector Savage take her?”

  “I don’t know.” Sandra lowered her head. “He could take her anywhere. I’m afraid…I’m afraid he’s going to kill her. He never wants to be parted from her again. He wants their souls to be trapped together forever.”

  Adrenaline whipped through him, crushing the warring medicine battling inside him. His muscles rippled, fur lengthened, and
claws unleashed. He transformed into a bear. The bed shook and snapped underneath his weight. Walfea roared, a menacing growl that he couldn’t hold back.

  Sandra’s eyes widened ten times her normal mouth to scream, but Vaughn whipped out a can of ragon gas and sprayed her in the face.

  She collapsed, but he caught her in one swoop.

  Footsteps raced down the hall. “Code red.”

  Tash hurried to block the door from the incoming storm of doctors and nurses. “Change back, you fool.”

  Walfea sucked in his breath hard and gnashed his teeth, pulling back on his bear powers.

  “What’s going on?” Tash stepped out of the room. His wide shoulders blocking their vision.

  “You need to get out of the way.”

  At Dr. Davis’s insistent voice, Walfea rolled off the bed and raced into the bathroom. The hospital gown stuck to his sweating body. Cool air rushed over his ass. His large form barely fighting inside.

  Get a grip.

  From behind the closed door, Dr. Davis asked, “Where’s Mr. Arian? Why’s the bed so low?”

  “He’s in the bathroom,” Vaughn said.

  Someone pounded on the bathroom door. “Mr. Arian, are you all right?”

  “What’s wrong with her?” Betsy asked.

  “She fainted. She saw a mouse.”

  Dr. Davis pounded again. “Mr. Arian, can you answer me?” The doorknob jiggled and the door opened.

  Walfea shook his head and gasped for more breaths. His bear resided just as Dr. Davis rushed into the bathroom.

  Walfea was flat against the wall. “I’m fine.” His legs trembled, and he was gasping for breath, struggling to get his bear under control. He was losing. The bear wouldn’t be contained much longer.

  “You don’t look fine.”

  “I am.”

  “You need to get back into bed.” Dr. Davis clasped his arm.

  “Where are my clothes?”

  Dr. Davis tightened his grip. “They’re in a plastic bag underneath the bed. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

  Walfea’s upper lip lifted and his muscles bunched. He jerked free of the doctor and managed to walk over to the broken bed without scaring the lights out of the doctor and nurses.