DangerouslyForever

by A. M. Griffin

  Of course you did. You needed to get your stories straight. “Right.”

  Kiehle looked back at the monitor. “I explained everything to Ally. I thought Eva would like to speak with her.”

  Taio’s eyes shifted off camera then back. “That will have to wait. She is in labor.”

  “Really? Why aren’t you with her?”

  “She kicked me out of the room. She said I was ‘working her nerves’.”

  “How much longer does she have?” Kiehle asked.

  “She has not been in labor long. I suspect I will have a daughter before the new suns rise.”

  “I will pray to the Ancients for a safe delivery for both mother and child.”

  Taio nodded once. “Thank you, I would appreciate that.” Then he looked at Ally, acknowledging her for the first time. “My mate will be overwhelmed with joy to learn that you are alive and safe. Please, whatever you need, don’t hesitate to ask. Kiehle will provide everything you wish.”

  “Thank you,” she replied.

  “After the birth of our child and an adequate rest period, I will have her contact you. I am sure you both have much to talk about.”

  “I would like that,” she said. How far are these bastards willing to take this?

  “Will you assure Eva that Ally is alive and well?” Kiehle motioned for her to come closer.

  Taio eyed her up and down and nodded once.

  Hmm, he’s sizing me up.

  Kiehle and Taio talked a little more as she watched on.

  “How is Eva adjusting to Drazlan?” Kiehle asked.

  “She enjoys Sonis more, but in time I am certain she will come to love and appreciate our planet.”

  “And you?” he asked. “How are you adjusting to being back on home soil?”

  Taio ran a hand across his head. “King Xochis told everyone that I had abandoned them for Sonis.”

  “Why would he do something like that? You are his heir. You would be expected to lead Drazlan after his death.”

  “He was bitter and cruel. My only guess is that he didn’t want it to be easy for me when I took over. But I believe once our people see my devotion to them, they will come around. Sonis and Drazlan have been separated for too long. It is time for us to become one again.”

  “I agree, brosir.”

  She didn’t listen to any more, realizing they wouldn’t dare talk about anything important around her. Instead her mind wandered.

  What purpose did it serve to lie to her?

  To build up this elaborate story of a human queen and alien babies?

  Unless… Kiehle was planning to sell her and the kids on the open slave market…or to his brother.

  The only way to keep her put for now would be to make her believe she had some hope of being reunited with her long-lost friend. While they kept her occupied with lies and promises, there was probably a plot going on where credits were exchanged and contracts signed.

  She took a deep breath. Her heart dropped and her body shook. What had she gotten them into? How would she get them to safety?

  As he said, the next house was two days away. And adding children to the journey would probably take more like three to four days. They wouldn’t stand a chance outrunning Kiehle while they were on foot and he had a transporter.

  But…

  She chewed on her lip and moved away from him. He didn’t seem to notice as he continued his conversation with his brother. That was probably the only thing he hadn’t lied about—the other giant looked just like him. The conversation moved from Eva and her labor to the labor of someone named Jess and her baby.

  She felt for the vial in her pocket and breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t know she still had the synthine. She had enough to knock him out for a week. She could drug him again, giving her and the kids enough time to escape. She didn’t know in which direction the next house was or even who or what they would find when they got there, but right now it was her only choice.

  Flying out in his transporter wasn’t an option. She didn’t know the launch codes. They’d have to leave on foot. They could pack bags with food and water, maybe a blanket or two that could be used for shelter and heat.

  “Ally?” he asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

  She turned to him. The monitor was dark, indicating his conversation with Taio was over.

  “Yes?”

  “Are you all right? Your color is off.”

  She put a hand to her forehead. It felt clammy and damp. “I got a little lightheaded. I should probably get something to drink.”

  “Take a seat. I’ll get it for you.”

  Max burst through the door with Yoshi following close behind. “Kiehle! There’s a huge hole in the ground filled with water! It’s in the back.”

  Yoshi outstretched her hands. “It’s this big!”

  “Do you drink all that water? Can we have some?”

  “We need cups,” Yoshi yelled.

  Max held his fingers up and wiggled them. “I’m going to use my hands. I’ve never seen that much water in my life!”

  Kiehle laughed and ran his hand over Max’s head. “It’s not drinking water. You do something else with it.”

  Both kids looked up at him, wide-eyed.

  “You get in it and play.”

  “A lake,” Ally said softly. “The kids found a lake?”

  “No. Way,” Max said. “We put our bodies in it?”

  “Max was two years old when the Loconuist invaded Earth. The rest of his life was spent on one of their ships and then with Alharad. He doesn’t remember taking showers or baths.”

  “I remember baths,” Yoshi said. “I want to get in the water but I don’t want to take my clothes off.”

  “Who said anything about taking off clothes? We can go in just like this,” Kiehle replied.

  Yoshi and Max jumped up and down, screaming.

  “You can’t really mean to swim with our clothes on?” Ally asked.

  “You heard Yoshi. She’s not taking off her clothes.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  Kiehle headed for the door with Yoshi and Max skipping around his legs. “You coming?”

  She touched the vial in her pocket.

  He stepped out the door, leaving her behind. “We’ll be outside when you finally make up your mind,” he yelled.

  She hadn’t submersed her body in water in over six long years. Poisoning him could wait just a little while longer.

  Chapter Fifteen

  She sat on the bank of the lake with Kiehle close—too close—next to her. They were both trying to let their clothes dry. Playing in the lake had made her forget about her problems, if only for a little while, but she’d take every carefree minute offered.

  There had been giggling and laughing, splashing and kicking, and that was just between her and Kiehle. After Max had gotten over his fear of being submerged in water, he and Yoshi had joined the fun.

  It had been nice, she thought, as she kept a watchful eye on Yoshi and Max while they ran up and down the shoreline and in and out of the shallow waters. More than nice.

  So nice that she could imagine herself and the kids doing this again, often. But it wouldn’t be here and it wouldn’t be with Kiehle. This was just a minor distraction. She couldn’t lose focus on the number one goal. Get the kids to safety. And as long as she participated in things like this, she could see how her focus might fall to the wayside.

  “Do you have any idea where their parents are?” Kiehle asked as he watched them too.

  She picked at a blade of grass and rubbed it between her fingers. “Max doesn’t remember his parents. Yoshi remembers her mother, father and siblings. She doesn’t know what happened to her father. She was with her mother and two sisters at another brothel. But she was separated from them when she was sold to Alharad.”

  “Does she know the name of the brothel?”

  Ally shook her head. “She can’t remember. She doesn’t even know what planet or star system they were in.”


  “I can try to locate them. Ship found you; maybe he can find them too?”

  She flicked the grass from her fingers. “Please don’t say that around her.” To lie to her was one thing, but to fill Yoshi with false hope was something else entirely.

  He thought about it for a minute. “You’re right. I wouldn’t want to hurt her if I couldn’t locate them.”

  She whipped her head around to look at him. “You are such—” she began, but was interrupted by a high-pitched scream.

  Without thinking, she was on her feet and running to the kids. Kiehle was faster, his long legs covering more ground.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked as he reached them.

  Yoshi and Max both stood knee-deep in the water. They had their hands up to their mouths.

  “What happened?” Ally asked as she stepped into the water to get to them.

  “No! Stop,” Yoshi yelled with a cry.

  Max whimpered softly.

  Ally went still. Something in the lake was terrifying them. “What creatures are in here?” she asked Kiehle.

  He frowned. “None.” He advanced toward them despite their pleas for him to stop.

  Yoshi looked down and shrieked again.

  Kiehle followed her gaze…and immediately laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Ally asked.

  He scooped Yoshi up and put her on his hip then did the same for Max. He jutted his chin toward the water. “That’s an umon. It’s harmless. If you want, we can come back tomorrow and catch him.”

  “Why would we do that?” Yoshi asked, peering into the water.

  “Because he’s tasty,” he responded.

  Ally inched closer so that she could see what they were looking at.

  A fish.

  Not one that she’d ever seen before, but it was a fish just the same. It had blue scales, large black eyes, a fin, gills and a puckered mouth. It swam back and forth between Kiehle’s legs as if it didn’t have a care in the world.

  “We’re going to eat that thing?” Max asked.

  “We are, and we’re going to enjoy it.”

  Yoshi pouted. “But he’s cute. I don’t want to eat him.”

  Kiehle looked at her and his features melted into a smile. “Weren’t you just screaming because he swam by you? You didn’t think he was so cute then.”

  “That’s before I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me. Awww.” She held her fingers toward the water. “Here umon, umon, umon,” she called.

  “Yes, here umon, umon, umon, come closer so we can catch you and eat you now,” Kiehle sang.

  Yoshi hit Kiehle’s chest playfully. “Stop that.”

  Max giggled and called to the umon too.

  We’re going fishing tomorrow?” Ally asked.

  “Fishing? What is that?” Kiehle asked.

  She shook her head, not bothering to explain it to him. He would find out; they were doing it tomorrow.

  Escaping from Kiehle could wait one more day.

  I can get used to this.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed this hard. He’d lived with the lake behind his home since he’d moved in ten cycles ago. Never once had he been in it with another person. Everything about them being here felt right.

  He held the two children in his arms, marveling at how light they were. The only other child he’d ever held had been Saia, his sister, when she was a baby, and Josanis, Taio and Eva’s son. Holding Yoshi and Max felt different, as though they were his to protect. He looked at Ally, who darted her hand in and out of the water, trying to catch the umon bare handed.

  She felt right to him as well.

  “You almost got him,” Max yelled.

  With determination written on her face, she bit her lip, watched the umon intently and tried again. The water splashed around her, hitting her in the face. Max and Yoshi giggled. She wiped her face with a small twitch of a smile on her lips, but when she looked up at him, any resemblance of a smile vanished.

  She reached her hands out. “I can carry them back to the shore.”

  He raised a brow. “At the same time?”

  “I can do it.”

  He readjusted the children on his hips. “I have them.” He started back to the shore. He could hear her sigh, but she followed him.

  Reaching the grass, he put the kids on their feet. The first thing they did was take off running, their laughter sounding through the air. Ally watched them and, as if unable to resist the temptation of running free, took off after them. He was right on her heels. They laughed and ran, playing a game that Ally called “tag”. By the time the sun had dried their clothes, Max fell to the ground from exhaustion and Yoshi stretched and yawned.

  “The kids are tired,” she said, out of breath herself. “It’s been a long day. I need to feed them and put them in bed.”

  Yoshi helped Max to his feet. He used his hand to cover up a yawn. “I’m not sleepy.”

  “I am,” Yoshi admitted.

  Kiehle took Yoshi’s hand and started for the house. “I agree with Ally. We need to feed you and get you two in bed.”

  They entered through the back and proceeded to the kitchen. He stopped at the sink and let everyone wash their hands. Once finished, he led Yoshi to the table, where she slid into a chair. Ally put Max in the chair next to Yoshi’s. Kiehle went to the food console and stared at the menu.

  What do human children like to eat?

  What does Ally like?

  He ran a finger down the menu, trying to decide if anything stood out. Before she’d even said anything, he knew Ally was behind him. His body came alive when she was near. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His stomach flipped.

  She leaned in and looked over the menu. “That one,” she said, pointing to ardil sandwiches. “And that one.”

  He pressed the button to place the order. As they became available, Ally picked up the plates and set them in front of Yoshi and Max.

  “What about you?” he asked her.

  “What about me?”

  “You’ve had a long day too. You need to eat something.”

  She nodded her chin in his direction. “I don’t see you eating.”

  He let his eyes roam up and down her body slowly. “I plan to eat—later.”

  She folded her hands across her chest. “I…I’ll just take a shower and eat—my food—after I put the kids to bed.”

  The vision of her in his shower shot across his mind, slippery and wet in all the right places. He could pick her up and press her back against the wall. She’d wrap her legs around his waist and hold on to his neck as he pumped into her, making her call out his name. One side of his mouth rose up in a smile. “I’ll help you.”

  She put up a hand, stopping him. “I can take care of it myself.”

  “I don’t have an ionized shower. I have fresh water.”

  “I had a water shower on Earth. I know all about the wonders of it.”

  “The controls—”

  “I’ll figure it out.”

  “Your choice.”

  She turned to walk away. “And don’t ever forget it.”

  “What was that all about?” Yoshi asked between bites.

  “Nothing. We were discussing the shower,” Kiehle answered.

  “It really didn’t seem like it.”

  “That’s because Ally doesn’t know how to use the shower and she won’t let me help her with it. She’s stubborn.”

  Yoshi nodded. “That’s what Alharad said about her.”

  At the mention of his name, the children exchanged worried glances.

  “No more talk about Alharad. He won’t find you here.” He sat in an empty chair.

  “Are you sure?” Max asked. “If he catches Ally, he’ll beat her up real bad and put her back in the prison and if I’m not there to feed her, she’ll starve to death.”

  “Has he put her in prison before?”

  Max nodded. “Lots of times.”

  His hand flexed into a fist at the thought of h
er in a dank cell. “She’s not going back to prison. I won’t let it happen.”

  “But—”

  “I’m not going to let you dwell on something that will never happen again. So eat.”

  They finished their meals before Ally finished her shower. If he didn’t have such a large water source, he would’ve been worried she’d empty his tank. The children’s feet dragged as he led them down the hall to his guest room. Exhausted, they both sank immediately to the floor, curling into little balls.

  “What are you doing? You have to get into bed.”

  Yoshi lifted her head to look at the bed. “We get to sleep in that?”

  “Of course. You and Max will have to share. I only have one guest room.”

  “My clothes are dirty,” Max said, running his hands over his clothes.

  Right, clean clothes.

  They didn’t have a change of clothes. They left with that they had on their backs. He would have to put in a rush order with Yaradiel, who ran a delivery service, to bring extra food, clothes and anything else children might need.

  “Don’t fall to sleep yet. I’ll get you something to wear to bed.”

  He trotted to his room and retrieved three shirts. When he got back to the room, the children were almost asleep. He gave them the shirts and waited in the hall with them in turn while each changed in private. After they were done, he helped them into bed, where sleep claimed them almost instantly.

  After he picked up their clothes from the floor, he dimmed the lights and cracked their door. Passing the clothes washer, he dropped the clothes inside and headed for the shower room. Just as he reached the door, Ally opened it and popped her head out.

  “Oh,” she exclaimed, startled. “I was just about to call you. I was wondering if you had—”

  He cut her off by handing her the extra shirt.

  She took it. “Thanks,” she said, closing the door in his face.

  He leaned against the wall and waited. She wouldn’t get rid of him that easily.

  He didn’t have to wait long before she opened the door again. She was a special kind of sexy. Her wet hair was plastered to her body. His shirt hung loosely on her, down to the middle of her thighs. He could see her nipples through the material. The way they jutted out made his cock stir. She held her clothes in her hands, staring back at him.