Unbearable Failure
Page 16
Rye openly admired Sandra. “You could knock me over with a feather.”
She frowned. “Why?”
Vaughn put his hands on her shoulders. “The Czar is a proud Arian and has never, never invited an alien—”
She lifted her eyebrow. “An alien?”
He blushed. “Okay, someone who wasn't an Arian, to be part of the science community and especially the Intrepid. The Intrepid is considered to be the most important ship of the Czar’s fleet.”
The last of Sandra's beaten down confidence was stuffed down a hippo. Her mother's evil snips faded fell off her skin like flakes. She’d finally earned the respect she’d always wanted. Tears slipped down her cheeks.
Vaughn took her in his arms. “Why are you crying?”
She smiled through the blur in her eyes. “Do you know how long I've waited for someone to say that to me? Thanks to Oscar and my mother, I've never been taken seriously.”
Vaughn grinned. “So, what are you saying?”
“I want to return to Earth.”
His face fell, and his smile vanished. “What?”
“I need to face my mother and my stepfather before I accept the Czar’s kind offer.”
Vaughn brushed his fingers in her hair. Pride glistened in his eyes. “It wasn't a kind offer. The Czar only makes offers based on abilities. He only wants the best.”
Sandra melted into his arms. “Did I tell you I love you?”
“And did I tell you I'll never tire of hearing you say that?” He kissed her, making her forget everything but him.
Epilogue
Present Earth
Sandra and Vaughn headed down the hallway to her parents’ private labs. She never understood why they had a separate laboratory, but they did. With each step closer to the metal double doors, an icy chill froze her spine and her legs trembled.
Even with Vaughn beside her, she couldn't shake the dread threatening to consume her. She braced her shoulders and lifted her chin in defiance.
I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
Vaughn squeezed her hand. She smiled up at him, needing his strength.
She took a deep breath and opened the double doors.
Her mother looked up from her microscope and frowned. “Sandra, where have you been?” Her disgusted voice curled Sandra's stomach.
Oscar leaned back in his chair and gave Vaughn an open glare of hostility.
“I just returned from outer space.”
Her mother scoffed. “Sandra, really?”
Vaughn turned around and shut the doors, then locked them.
Oscar stood and finally spoke. “What the hell are you doing?” His challenging voice held a hint of fear.
Vaughn smiled. “I want to show you something.” He turned to Sandra. “Show them.”
Sandra pulled out her eruptor and fired at an empty test tube.
Tzzzzzzztttt
The test tube turned red hot then vanished.
Her mother’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “How did you do that?”
Vaughn flashed a sneering smile. “Because I'm not human.”
Oscar puffed out his chest. “Preposterous.”
Vaughn narrowed his eyes. “You think so?”
He grew in stature and Oscar seemed to shrink in size.
Oscar’s face paled and he took a step backward. “What…what are you?”
Sandra’s mother grabbed his arm, her lower lip trembling. “Oscar?”
Vaughn shifted into a grizzly bear that was twice the size of any bear on Earth. He snarled, revealing razor-sharp teeth.
Oscar and her mother huddled in a corner frightened, just like Sandra had as a little girl with no one to comfort her. No one had cared.
She walked next to Vaughn and petted his furry side. “Down, big boy.”
Her mother stretched out her shaking hand. “Sandra, come here.”
Sandra curled the corner of her mouth. “Really, Mother?”
She walked in front of Vaughn who was growling and snarling. “I wanted you to know that this will be the last time you'll see me.”
Her mother frowned. “What?”
Sandra gestured toward Vaughn. “I've been offered a position with Vaughn and his people.”
“You can't be serious,” Oscar sputtered.
She glared. “Oh, but I am.” She jammed her finger into his chest. “And you won’t touch me again.”
“I have never touched you.”
Vaughn lunged, his teeth bared.
Oscar threw up his arms. “All right, all right.”
“So, you admit abusing me all these years?” But Sandra wasn't watching him. She was watching her mother whose face had turned gaunt.
“I never—”
Vaughn shoved his face into Oscar’s. Drool dripped on Oscar’s pale cheek.
“Be careful, Oscar. He will eat you. He can sense when you're lying. He eats liars for lunch.”
Oscar panted. “Don't let him eat me.”
Sandra folded her arms across her chest and raised her chin. “Then tell the truth.”
Oscar hesitated.
“Did I tell you he’s hungry?”
Vaughn widened his mouth and Oscar had tears in his eyes.
“Okay, okay, I did it. I'm sorry. Please, please don't let him eat me.”
Sandra thought hearing him admit his guilt, would heal her childhood scars, to make the nightmares die, but his admittance held little effect. No, her time on the Intrepid had killed more of her demons.
“Vaughn, he’s had enough.”
Vaughn looked at her questioningly, but then shifted into humanoid from, her handsome, tempting mate.
Oscar and her mother exhaled heavily.
“This doesn't mean anything,” her mother said.
But Sandra saw it in her eyes. There was doubt.
That's what she wanted to see. Not that her mother's doubt would change what happened to Sandra, but it would hopefully put a wedge between Oscar and her mother.
But either way, she was done.
She clasped Vaughn’s hand, ready to spend the rest of her life with him. “Goodbye, Mother.”
Her mother sneered. “What about your precious Grandpappy?”
“He’s coming with us and he’s already on board the ship.”
Her mother frowned. “What ship?”
Oscar mopped his forehead and collapsed into a nearby chair.
“By the way,” Vaughn said. “If I hear that you've hurt another small girl or young woman, I'll be back.” His voice turned sinister. “And believe me, I'll know.”
Oscar nodded his head.
“Sandra,” her mother cried. “You didn't answer me.”
She didn't answer her mother’s pleas. She and Vaughn closed the doors behind them. Neither her mother or Oscar trailed them, just like Sandra knew they wouldn't.
They exited the university laboratory that had been so much a bane of her existence. She took a deep breath.
“Feeling better?”
She lifted her arms and twirled around. The chains on her heart and her tense muscles fell away. “I am free. And I did it without using fighting skills.”
“Now, what are you going to do?”
She stopped twirling and put her arms around his neck. “I am ready to spend the rest of my life with you.”
He crushed her to his body and kissed her possessively. Her breath quickened, and a shiver flared down her back, making her long for their bed on the Intrepid.
Sandra pulled away. “That kiss has possibilities. “
He lifted his eyebrow. “Are you doubting me?”
“Promises, promises.”
“Are you daring me?”
She tilted her head. “Yes, I am.”
He silenced her with another breath-taking kiss. And later that day in their king-size feathered bed on the Intrepid, he kept his promise and all her dreams came true in the arms of a space bear.
Did you enjoy Unbearable Failure? Love bears? What abo
ut dragons?
Check out my first book, Madness Unleashed that started the whole series… Want to find out more about new books–sign up for ML Guida’s Scroll. You’ll find out about giveaways!
Excerpt from Madness Unleashed
Prologue
King Greum raised his arms. “My people, I have summoned you today because there might be a way for us to survive as a race.”
Someone yelled, “How can this be? Our women and daughters are dead. No one can replace them!”
Greum lowered his hands. “Listen, please. The Fates have spoken to my lovely mate.”
Damon gritted his teeth, his throat tensing tighter and tighter. She was the object of his desire.
Gasps and mumblings filled the chapel as the queen, Cosima, approached the king.
The sunlight shone through Angarth Citadel’s stained glass window and flickered off Cosima’s tiara, making her look like she had a halo around her. Her big green eyes shimmered as bright as the emeralds in her crown. Her silky blond hair flowed over her slender shoulders, and he ached to run his fingers through those silky strands.
But she belonged to the King. Greum was in sharp contrast to her with his black hair and brooding face. He was the most powerful dragon on Zalara, and any attempt to seduce his mate would mean a certain painful death.
“Do not despair. There is still hope for us. Listen.” Cosima motioned toward the bubbling pool. The slight motion made her white glossy gown glimmer, reminding Damon of a sparkling star. “I bring us hope. True, our beautiful women are gone, but the Fates have shown me that the Earth women are compatible. We may still survive as a race. However, the process of finding a mate is a difficult one. The Fates must choose them, because only the chosen ones can mate with us. Their destinies must align.”
She took Greum’s hand and gave him a loving glance. Damon tensed as old jealousies tightened his skin. He wanted to be the one to receive those adoring glances. He gripped the pew in front of him so hard it cracked.
His best friend, Anonghos, the chief of security for the Orion, cast him a warning look. Damon immediately stuck his hands at his side, clenching his fists.
The queen led the king toward the baptismal pool, and together, they knelt in front of it. A large stained glass window of two dragons winding around each other was at the back of the altar. He wished he was the one at her side, but she was in love with the king. His only recourse was to be her personal guard, so he could look at her every day and protect her with his life.
Suddenly, the pool bubbled softly.
Cosima kissed Greum’s hand. “A mate has been chosen.”
Damon hissed louder than a pissed off noke.
Anonghos elbowed him in the ribs. “Control yourself, or Greum will rip you to pieces.”
He was right. Greum was extremely possessive of Cosima and wouldn’t take kindly to knowing her personal guard was secretly lusting over her.
Cosima turned to the congregation. “We will soon learn who will be the first person to save our race.”
Damon thought the queen was looking at him. Every muscle tensed inside him, his anger twisting and twisting them into threadbare cords. It better not be him. He had no intention of mating with some damn alien. His heart lay with Cosima, and no Earthling would change his devotion.
Out of the pool rose two ghostly women dressed in white robes. They were the original mothers of their race and had been the last female shape-shifters. When they had perished, the gods had granted them sight-seeing powers. Only when there was a great need could they be called upon.
Obviously, all the women being slaughtered met that urgency.
But what good were the Fates? They had been useless against the Kamitrinians’ deadly weapon.
“Greetings, King Greum and Queen Cosima,” Rillo, the smaller of the two, bowed slightly.
Although she was the smaller, she was also the more powerful of the Fates. Her dark eyes sparkled, and Damon winced at the brightness of her white robe.
The king and queen bowed. “Greetings,” they both answered.
“We have found an Earthly mate worthy of a Zalarian.” She gestured toward the voluptuous redhead. “Ythei, the Mate Stone, please.”
Ythei opened her palm, and a simple, shiny, smooth white stone appeared. “I call forth Damon of the Royal Guard.”
Shock cut into his heart as sharp as a laser. Damon grimaced. No, no, no, this couldn’t be right. The Fates had to be wrong.
A loud gasp echoed around him.
Anonghos gripped his tense shoulder. “Don’t make them mad, Damon. Go.”
Damon reluctantly left the pew and slowly dragged his feet to the altar. He avoided Cosima, who looked at him with pity. She knew how he felt and had told him more than once he needed to find another. She belonged to Greum, and the King was her soulmate.
Rillo smiled. “Be glad, guard. You will be the first to give hope to your people.”
Damon bit his tongue to keep from arguing. Defying a Fate warranted death. But although his heart lay with the queen, he would not betray his people. Mated didn’t equal love.
“Stretch out your hand,” Rillo said.
He forced himself to obey. Ythei dropped the smooth stone into his hand, and immediately, a surge of energy torpedoed up his arm to his wary heart. He shook uncontrollably as if a jackhammer had fallen down his pants. An image of a redheaded woman with brown eyes formed in his mind. Unlike Cosima, strands of her hair fell out of a tight bun, and she had stains on what looked like some kind of uniform. Just as suddenly as it formed, the image vanished.
He stopped shaking but was left with bitter disappointment. How could he mate with such a disheveled female when he adored the gift of perfection on the altar?
Rillo put her hand on his chest. “You will go with Captain Taog and the crew on the Orion to fetch your mate.”
Scorching heat shot through him, hotter than dragon fire. Sweat soaked his skin, and passion fever melted his stubborn heart. His dragon was aroused and demanded its mate.
When she lowered her hand, it was gone.
“It shall be done.” Greum put his firm hand on Damon’s shoulder.
He hung his head, knowing love would always be out of his grasp. And now, he would be saddled with a mate he hadn’t chosen and hadn’t wanted.
Afterword
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed Unbearable Failure. I really enjoyed writing it, because of the resiliency of both characters. Vaughn had to do what was right, even though it tore his family apart. Sometimes the truth is hard to swallow. Sandra had to confront her demons and not allow her family to control her. In the end, she learned to believe in herself.
The next book will be Unbearable Feud and this will be Tash’s book. He’s got to learn how to let go of his beliefs and not live in the shadow of his father. But he’ll need the help of a Earth psychic to help him to achieve his goals. She’s got some issues of her own.
Find out what happens in the Arian world!
Let me know what you think of this book!
Until next time.
ML Guida
About the Author
Award Winning Author M.L. Guida loves the paranormal. Even when she was four years old, she would watch the soap opera, Dark Shadows, and fell in love with vampires! Who wouldn't want a bite on the neck? But she didn't stop there. Witches, dragons, angels, and demons are sprinkled throughout her books.
Today, she continues to love the preternatural and watches Supernatural, Paranormal Survivor, and A Haunting. Like Dean Winchester, she loves to write alpha males who aren't afraid to face the forces of evil.
If you don’t want to miss another book, sign up for ML Guida’s Supernatural Scroll http://eepurl.com/dnphtb
Also if you would like to join her private Facebook group, ML Guida’s Supernatural Lounge, to find out about more goodies and what’s going in her life and just have fun, click on the link above.
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Also by ML Guida
Bears of Aria
Unbearable Fear
Dragons of Zalara
Madness Unleashed
Madness Unhinged
Madness Unmasked
Madness Unbalanced
Vampires on Holiday
A Vampire’s Wish
A Vampire’s Gift
A Vampire’s Vow
Paranormal Dating Agency
Eye of the Tiger
Another Tiger Bites the Dust
The Worlds of Magic, New Mexico
Touch of Curiosity
Touch of Darkness
Legends of the Soaring Phoenix
A Pirate’s Curse
A Pirate’s Revenge
A Pirate’s Agony
A Pirate’s Obsession
A Pirate’s Bane
A Pirate’s Darkness
Angels of Death
Betrayal
Deception
Punishment
Cupid