Savage Love

by Riley Storm

  “Lucien!”

  He spun at the barked command. Lyken had exited the building. Without Alison.

  Lucien’s eyebrows tried to hit his hairline. What was his childhood friend thinking? Leaving her alone, without anyone in there?

  “If you harmed a hair on her body,” he snarled, stalking toward the Captain, dick swinging freely in what he hoped was a display of machismo, not hilarity.

  “She is unharmed,” Lyken growled. “Do you think I’m some sort of monster?”

  “I don’t know,” Lucien spat back, “you still follow that lunatic’s orders. Leaves a lot of room for doubt.”

  Lyken sighed. “He is our King, Lucien. Why can’t you understand that?”

  “What happened to you? When did you become such a robot? Someone in power is supposed to rule for the benefit of the people under him, not himself. If the people disagree with his choices, then a ruler must either change how he rules, or step aside for someone better suited! When they won’t, it’s up to the people to force such a change.”

  “This is the real world, Lucien,” Lyken said with a sad shake of his head. “It doesn’t work like that.”

  “Doesn’t it?” Lucien countered. “There are people, our people, who are standing up to him. It’s only because of men like you that they aren’t succeeding. Men who will stamp out freedom and liberty, because a manic despot tells them otherwise, and they’re too afraid to think for themselves.”

  All at once, Lucien knew he’d overstepped his boundaries. Sapphire flames erupted in Lyken’s eyes and the last vestiges of a man he’d once called friend were burned out of existence at the charge of cowardice. If he wasn’t rooted in his decision before, Lucien had just pushed him into it.

  Shit.

  “I’m sorry you made me do this,” Lyken said, turning to head back inside.

  Lucien didn’t let him. He flung himself forward, and the pair of them crashed through the doorway in a heap.

  Inside, Alison was standing next to Bergey, her hands held behind her, feet manacled together. It became clear why Lyken hadn’t feared her running away. Lucien didn’t have time for more than a cursory glance before he was knocked back by a vicious right hook that opened up a cut on his cheek.

  “These are the people we’re supposed to protect,” Lucien snarled as Lyken got to his feet and came at him. “You are letting them down! Can’t you see you’re not on the right side anymore?”

  Ignoring the plea, Lyken swung savagely, but Lucien was ready this time, and caught the blow. Then he stepped inside Lyken’s guard, grabbing the man by the throat and groin. A twist, a grunt of muscles, and he flipped his old friend around and slammed his back through the couch, destroying it.

  “I’ll pay for a new one!” he shouted as Alison cried out.

  Wasting no time with Lyken temporarily stunned, Lucien spun and snatched up Alison, tossing her over his shoulder.

  “Bergey, come!” he barked, racing toward the front door. There was no time to waste. Lyken would have backup on the way, and even if he didn’t, Lucien didn’t want to push his luck any further. Something was holding his old friend back tonight, but he didn’t know how long it would last.

  The dog raced after him, struggling to keep up as Lucien hit the street and picked up speed, bare feet slapping painfully against the rough asphalt. The harness Bergey was wearing jingled noisily, but Lucien didn’t dare pause to take it off. Not yet. They had to put some distance between them and Alison’s house.

  “Be quiet,” he growled as she started to speak up. “I can’t spare the breath to talk, and you can’t keep up even if I freed you, so just deal with it for now.”

  She fell silent, but he could feel the seething anger under the surface, ready to explode the instant they were safe.

  You’re welcome, he thought silently, knowing better than to say it out loud.

  “We’re going to a safehouse,” he said, feeling her tense to ask a question. “Now let me run. Otherwise, they’re going to catch us, and I don’t think I can do what I just did again.”

  “Okay, fine. But one question,” she asked, her voice tight and jagged from the constant bouncing of his shoulder.

  He grunted.

  “Where are your clothes?”

  15

  Lucien emerged from the washroom with loose-fitting gray sweatpants hanging low on his waist, tugging a matching non-hooded sweatshirt down into place, obscuring her view of his magnificently sculpted body.

  Not that she hadn’t gotten quite an eyeful of it while hanging over his shoulder. The man had buns, she’d give him that. Nice ones. Not to mention biceps, pecs, practically painful abs, and more.

  With that distraction gone, she turned to survey their location. It was a tiny bungalow on the far side of town.

  “What do you think?” she asked as Bergey came back from surveying the kitchen and bedroom.

  Her dog woofed quietly then went over to Lucien and nudged him. The big man reached down to scratch the harness-and-muzzle-free dog behind the ears, producing a tiny thud as Bergey’s tail went back and forth.

  “Traitor,” Alison muttered without feeling. “Didn’t you see how he destroyed your favorite couch?”

  Bergey looked at her blankly.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  Alison took a deep breath, cataloguing everything that had just happened.

  First, she had been attacked by three men. No, not attacked. They hadn’t actually harmed her, besides the cuffs and manacles. Which, she realized, were still hanging from her.

  “Do you mind?” she asked, holding them out. “Or does only the dog get freedom?”

  Lucien rolled his eyes, stepped up to her and casually pulled the cuffs and manacles from her.

  “Oh,” she said, surprised. “If I’d known they came off that easily, I’d have just done it myself. Why would he use such cheap stuff?”

  “He didn’t,” Lucien said, throwing them in a corner.

  “Right.” Alison ignored that, continuing on with what she knew of the situation.

  Secondly, Lucien had come back for her. He hadn’t abandoned her.

  Third, oh yes, she’d been attacked! In her own house, no less. People had broken in, violated her personal territory. The house wasn’t safe, and she honestly wondered if she would ever feel safe in it again.

  “Lucien,” she said, walking listlessly over to the only couch in the tiny sitting room and sitting down, pulling her legs up under her. “I think it’s time you gave me some answers.”

  She heard a heavy sigh and thought he was about to protest, but he simply took a chair from the tiny kitchen table and placed it on the floor between her and the tv stand. The wooden construction groaned and creaked as he settled onto it, sitting backward to rest his hands on the backrest.

  “You’re right.”

  “I am? I am,” she repeated, shaking her head.

  “I will tell you what I can,” Lucien said, pale blue eyes locking on to her. “It’s not much, but maybe it will put some things in context for you at least.”

  Shaking her head, Alison started to protest, but the cooling of his eyes to a glacial level quieted her.

  “You’re just going to have to accept that I can’t tell you everything yet,” he said firmly, in a tone that brokered no argument.

  “Yet?” she asked, latching onto that one word. Had that been a misspeak?

  “Yet.” He sighed, head drooping slightly. “I would tell you everything right now if I could, Alison. I don’t like this, but there is a reason.”

  “Right. Well, some answers would be good if you don’t want me to, I don’t know, call the police! Three men broke into my home, assaulted me, tied up my dog and threatened me with worse if I didn’t cooperate!” Finishing in a shout, Alison uncurled from the couch like a cobra ready to strike.

  Bergey was at her side, ears up, tail still, looking back and forth between the two, trying to judge if he was needed.

  “I understand,” he sai
d with a gravity that caught her by surprise. He was offended as well. Not just mad, but insulted by the actions of the mystery men.

  What did that mean?

  “I am part of an organization.” Lucien was speaking now, drawing her attention. “It’s not government. It’s not criminal. Not a corporation.”

  She lifted her eyebrows. “Sounds criminal to me. Invading people’s homes and such.”

  “It’s not,” he said fiercely. “Not usually, at least. Lately however, it has…fractured.”

  Alison lifted her eyebrows. “That sounds ominous.”

  “It could be,” Lucien admitted, suddenly pushing up from the chair to pace back and forth.

  “Secret organization. Infighting. Well that just sounds great,” she said sarcastically.

  Lucien grimaced in what appeared to be pain. “The fighting is recent. Before that, it was verbal disagreement only. Nobody has died yet.”

  “Uh, you almost did. You were practically dead when you showed up at my place,” she reminded him.

  “I know. Then today they broke into your place,” he growled. “Why couldn’t he see how wrong this is?!” A big fist smacked meatily into his palm.

  “I don’t understand. Why is he doing this? I tried to argue with him as well, to show him his beloved “orders” were wrong, but he wouldn’t listen.” Alison was finding that these answers were just leaving her with more questions. “Who is giving the orders? And why?”

  Lucien seemed to agonize over his reply for an awfully long time. Nearly to the point that Alison began wondering if she should repeat her question.

  “Conflicting world views have arisen,” he said at last with carefully chosen words.

  “Such as?”

  “One, the one I support, is that we should be reaching out to our…rivals, I guess. Working with them. Rumor has it that outside trouble may be coming our way. I and many others feel we should stand with them. Sort of like brothers uniting against non-family members, if that helps you understand.”

  “It does, and leaves me even more confused all at the same time,” she said, trying to wrap her head around everything and slot square answers into round holes. It wasn’t going very well. “What about the guys who broke into my house tonight?”

  “They,” Lucien said in disdain. “Support those still in power. Our leader.”

  “Sounds like a wonderful guy,” she said bitterly.

  “He’s a maniacal tyrant bent on expanding his power to the human world,” Lucien snapped angrily. “Apparently, he’s tired of living in the shadows and thinks this is the way to go!”

  Alison’s eyebrows flew upward. “The human world?” she asked cautiously, making sure she’d heard him correctly.

  “The important part,” Lucien said, flatly ignoring her question. “Is that he will do it, and honestly, he might even get away with it if he doesn’t push too fast.”

  “The human world?’ she repeated.

  Lucien just stared at her blankly.

  Great. Filing that one away for another time, she changed subjects, though it was difficult. “So what you’re telling me is, and let me get this straight. That by coming to me in the middle of the night nearly dead, I’ve been sucked into a clandestine shadow fight between two halves of some shady organization run by aliens? Is that about right?”

  The big man grimaced and turned away for a moment. His shoulders rose and fell, and he rolled them several times. Whatever it was, this was clearly bothering him as much as it was her.

  A lot of negatives to be taken away by this revelation. A lot. And yet there was a positive in there too, wasn’t there?

  Lucien had come back for her.

  Yes, she acknowledged to herself, he was the one who put her in danger in the first place, so there was a certain onus on him to rescue her.

  “I’m so sorry,” Lucien rasped at last, spinning back around.

  Alison nearly hissed in surprise at the anguish written into the lines of his face. Fear. Sadness. Shame. Disappointment. Those were just the obvious ones.

  “Lucien,” she said, getting to her feet and going over to him against all good judgement. “It’s okay. I trust you didn’t do this on purpose. That you never wanted to get me involved in all this. I don’t blame you.”

  “You should,” he whispered. “You should.”

  “I don’t,” she said fiercely. “And you came back for me. You…you didn’t leave me.”

  His head came up, fiery shards of blue roaring to life in the depths of his gaze. “I would never leave you in harm’s way,” he growled, his voice deeper than she’d ever heard it before. “Not while a single beat remained in my heart, you have my word.”

  “I…believe you,” she said, reaching up to rest a hand on his chest, feeling that beat through her fingertips. “I believe you.”

  Something warm closed over her hand and moments later, Lucien’s fingers wrapped around her, squeezing. A physical promise as well as the verbal one.

  “I won’t let them get you again,” he said. “Whatever it takes, I will keep you safe, I promise.”

  “Shhh,” she said, lifting one trembling finger to his lips, pressing them closed. “I know, Lucien. I know.”

  He shivered at her touch, but fell quiet.

  “I need to know something,” she asked into the silence.

  “What?”

  “Why did you come back?” She knew the answer was obvious, but it wasn’t the answer that mattered. It was hearing Lucien speak the words, to have him put voice to the unspoken, that mattered most to her.

  “Because I put you in danger.”

  She shook her head. “No. Why, Lucien?”

  He hesitated, and she pressed her hand deeper into his chest, narrowing the gap between them until it was mere inches. Tremors ran down her arm, but she kept it against him.

  “I…” then the light went on in his face. “Oh. I came for you because I care for you Alison. I wasn’t lying earlier when I said I never pretended around you. I hurt you by leaving, but I didn’t do it because I didn’t care,” he all but hissed, his words quiet but fierce, gaze unwavering as it locked on to hers.

  Alison shivered as the words found their way into her core, chipping away slightly at her barriers, barriers erected after a lifetime of hurt and…and other.

  Lucien bent down and for the second time that day, kissed her. Only this time, she let him, flinging her arms around his neck with wild abandon, falling into the kiss. It was like the ones they had used to steal in private. Open, free, unashamed. There was no fear of getting caught this time, no need to restrain herself.

  So she didn’t.

  16

  His masculinity reached out and overwhelmed her in a wave of heat and noise as his growl filled the room. Alison responded, a soft gasp of delight as powerful fingers dug deep into the muscles of her back.

  Alison didn’t fight it. There would have been no point. She didn’t want to, nor was there any need.

  Was there?

  Somewhere in the back of her mind, the endless depths of the abyss of self-torment and doubt, a stray thought trickled forward, warning her that she was diving headfirst into something that she truthfully was very unprepared for. What did she actually know about him?

  That he was strong. Warm. Gentle. Hard. Soft. That his fingers sent tiny tremors through her body as they pushed hair behind her ear with a tenderness that seemed at odds with his muscles. Or was it the way he looked at her like she was the only thing he could see? That was what she knew. It was enough, wasn’t it?

  Their mouths parting, Alison leaned back, letting Lucien dictate what and where they were going. This was something she wanted, and badly. It was impossible to deny the dull roar forming between her legs as his touch stirred the embers to life like a master smithy awakening his forge. It was so hot. Literally.

  Warmth poured off of Lucien, waves of heat so strong, Alison wondered if she’d be able to see them if her eyes were open. It wormed its way through the walls of h
er resistance, finding the cracks and crevices, digging in deep and then expanding, shattering them. Her walls crumbled and fell beneath his gentle onslaught.

  Reaching up, she traced the lines of his muscles through his shirt. Even the thick material of the sweatshirt couldn’t hide them from her touch.

  Her mind wandered south. Was everything about him big? In the rush out of her house, she hadn’t really taken the time to look. It hadn’t really been at the top of her priority list, what with the trio of men breaking in and assaulting her and such. Then she’d been greeted with an upside-down view of his rear end. Appealing in its own way, she thought with a slight giggle, but certainly not revealing of anything else.

  No, her mind hadn’t strayed there until recently. Until after he’d gotten dressed.

  “What’s wrong?” Lucien asked, pulling back.

  “What do you mean?” Alison blinked, taking a moment to lick her lips. “Nothing’s wrong?”

  “You laughed.”

  “I did?” She winced, realizing her thought of his bouncing bum must have made its way out of her mind. “Sorry. I was just thinking of the view I had on the way over here.”

  A single thick brown eyebrow lifted into a sharp arch. “I see.”

  “Oh come on!” she said with a laugh, reaching out to push him with one arm. “It’s kind of funny looking back at it.” She giggled at her own phrasing.

  “We’ll see about that,” Lucien growled, grabbing her hand and pulling her back into his embrace.

  Alison’s gasp was lost as he kissed her much more thoroughly this time, one hand cupping her chin, the other sliding down her back and getting a firm grip on her own rear. The sheer passion of the moment pulled a soft moan from her mouth.

  She wanted this. Was ready for it. In all their time spent together, she’d never let things get physical, or go beyond a certain point. A point they had just crossed, and one she didn’t intend to let slow her down. Not tonight. The intensity of the evening had spiked her arousal, and the only thing that was going to satiate it now, was if she had Lucien.