Barbarian's Prisoner: An Alien Romance

by Abella Ward

  "I have been asked to go out to California to attend a conference on worldwide Shifter issues," Myles said, nodding his head. "I wasn't going to go, but I think I'll take up the invitation. Changing location will trip them up for a little while at least. How soon can you pack?"

  California? Jackie's eyes lit up. "When do we leave? I'll be ready to go when you are. I'll call your apartment building and have somebody pack for you—"

  "Never mind," Myles interrupted, shaking his head. "We'll go directly to the airport. That will give them too much notice. I'll buy anything we need once we're over there."

  Jackie balked at that idea. It was difficult enough to find clothing that fit her and looked good when she could have it tailored. A whole new wardrobe worn off the rack wasn't her idea of a good time. It wouldn't fit her right and she would end up looking cheap, not like the professional she was. But even as she opened her mouth to protest, Myles put his hands on her shoulders and spun her around.

  "No arguing. We're running away."

  ***

  Within hours she was in Myles's private plane, sipping on freshly pressed orange juice while staring out at a patchwork of clouds and land. It was an amazing sight, and she marveled at the beauty of the world. They were so high that even the mountains they flew overlooked like anthills.

  "No paparazzi up here," Myles said, pouring himself a small glass of scotch. "Feel better?"

  Jackie nodded. "It's beautiful."

  "I agree. There is no better sight than being above the clouds and looking down at the world. Well, almost no better sight." He smiled at her, causing her to immediately go scarlet.

  Jackie gulped down a mouthful of juice, careful not to spill on herself. It occurred to her that, over the past five months since they slept together, he hadn't given her that subtle smile, the one where his lip quirked at one end while his brow rose almost suggestively. He also hadn't teased her or made her blush. She had been too caught up in everything that had happened between them to notice these deficiencies before.

  "You do that on purpose," she accused, setting her glass down.

  Myles adopted an innocent expression. "Do what, exactly?"

  "You know very well what. You make me blush and get me all flustered. Why?"

  The smile faded from his face. "Will you answer a question of mine first?"

  Jackie scowled. "It's a simple enough question. Why should I give into blackmail to get an answer?"

  "Please?"

  It was the first time she had heard him say please, and Jackie nodded before she could catch herself. Ah, hell. Well, if it was a question she didn't want to answer, she just wouldn't answer it. She folded her hands on her lap and waited for Myles to ask his question. He drained his scotch first. Jackie's brow furrowed. Really, what could be that bad?

  "When I asked if we could start filling in the applications to become mates, why did you say no?"

  What? Jackie brushed her knees, getting rid of invisible crumbs, as her face grew even hotter. "Why bring that up again after two months?"

  "Because I want to know why. I told myself I was going to respect your decision and not demand answers, and if you don't want to tell me then I won't bring it up again, but I want to know. Is it because I'm a werewolf?"

  Jackie's jaw dropped.

  Myles stared intently at her. "Is it because you don't want to live on packlands? Did you not like my family?"

  "No, I love your family. And it's not any of that." Jackie laughed, shaking her head. "This is damn hard to answer. It's not you. Or rather, not anything about you. I mean, you are the most gorgeous man I have ever seen and I still dream about that night and wake up disappointed that it's not real, but it's just… more complicated."

  "Complicated how?"

  "I don't care you're a werewolf. I could learn how to behave with the pack and stuff. But I don't want to mate or marry or whatever just because I'm pregnant. That's all there is to it."

  "Really?" Myles's brow furrowed.

  "Really. Since when are you this… I don't know. Self-conscious?"

  Myles laughed. "Jackie, I've had relationships in the past. I wasn't a monk between Kathy Morrison and you. And none of them worked out. Some of them were just looking for werewolf sex because they’d heard it was mind blowing. Some of them decided that the whole mating for life thing was too much commitment for them. Some were after my position. It takes a toll on a guy's confidence, even somebody like me."

  Jackie could hardly believe that any girl would turn him down, but didn't she do that herself just two months ago? "Well, that's the reason. We haven't known each other long and I don't want to commit to something just because I'm pregnant, especially since I want to make sure that the baby doesn't grow up with angry parents who got together and didn't actually love each other."

  "And you're completely right,"Myles smiled. "That is the smart thing to do. I was only thinking of starting the application process right away because it can take up to five years for human-werewolf mating to be approved, and we could cancel the application at any time if it didn't work out."

  Jackie hadn't considered that. "Why so long?"

  "To make sure the human isn't being coerced. Human governments rarely accept that a human can actually love a werewolf." Myles's expression became bitter for a moment, but he shook his head. "To answer your question, I like seeing you blushing and flustered. You're hot all the time, but when you blush, you're cute. It makes you more beautiful, somehow."

  Just when she thought she had herself under control, her face went crimson again. "Oh."

  "If we took the application off the table, would you at least agree to date me?" Myles peered intently into her eyes. "I'm not asking this just because you're pregnant. You're hot, and I like you. You make me happy. And yes, in four months we'll have a baby together. But that's not why I'm asking."

  Four months. Nerves fluttered through Jackie and she gripped her armrests, breathing deeply and counting to ten. Myles seemed to understand she needed a moment and moved to her side, getting to one knee in front of her. He took both her hands in his and held them quietly until she brought her edge of panic back under control.

  She nodded at him to continue.

  "I want to know everything about you, Jacqueline Smith. I want to know your favorite food, your favorite color, if you cry during The Notebook. Everything. You're a unique woman. I knew it from the minute I walked into that interview room and saw you sitting there." A brief look of concern flashed across his face. "Am I being too intense?"

  "No." Jackie laughed. "Maybe a little. But that's okay. I like it."

  Myles grinned back at her. "So? How about it? Are you willing to give dating a werewolf a try?"

  "If we start dating, the media will go crazy. I'll end up in the tabloids even more."

  "Probably."

  "And I'll have to meet your pack in a more official capacity."

  Myles nodded.

  "And if it doesn't work? Will we be able to stay friendly with one another, for the baby?"

  "Yes." Myles sounded perfectly confident.

  Jackie took a deep breath. Nerves still fluttered in her stomach, but there was excitement rising in her as well. "Well. If you're willing to give it a try, then so am I."

  Myles beamed. He rose himself, pressing his mouth to hers. Sparks exploded between them and Jackie gasped, reaching to pull him closer. He broke the kiss, shaking his head.

  "Let's not get too intense too quickly. Dinner first, I think."

  Jackie ached for him, her lips tingling with his taste, but she nodded. "Sure. Dinner. Dinner is good. I like dinner."

  Myles laughed.

  Chapter Eight

  Myles took her hand as they exited the plane. Jackie knew she had a big, goofy grin on her face, but couldn't stop smiling. No matter what her reservations about this relationship were, she couldn't help but feel good about having the most handsome, most eligible man on the continent at her side, giving her grins every few seconds as though he
was the lucky one.

  I can't wait to tell Penny.

  "We have two hours to get new wardrobes for our visit here, then one hour to go to the hotel before dinner," Jackie said, switching her mind from her new relationship status back to work. "The conference is tomorrow–really?"

  She scowled fiercely as she saw a pack of reporters standing at the airport gates. How did the press find out where they were going? They hadn't actually told anybody!

  The cameras were already flashing and Jackie lifted her chin and tried to smooth out her expression. The last thing she wanted was for the tabloids to be printing unflattering pictures of her with headlines like 'Myles Foster's New Girlfriend?!' or other epitaphs that showed just how unworthy she was of his attention.

  "You'll get used to it," Myles told her, releasing her hands to pull her tight against him. "But at least we've got some police here to keep them from getting all up in our business."

  Jackie's shoulders relaxed a little when she saw that it was true. There were at least a dozen cops standing between the gates and the reporters, and several more were pushing them back as she and Myles approached. Jackie put on her best smile as Myles opened the door for her.

  "Officers," Myles greeted, nodding his head.

  One of them, dressed in a business suit rather than a uniform like the others were, stepped into Myles's path. His expression was blank, his shoulders thrown back and his neck stretched out in an attempt to give himself more presence.

  "Mr. Foster, I am going to have to ask you to come down to the precinct with me."

  Camera lights blinded Jackie as the reporters began taking even more pictures. The noise of clicks pounded against her ears. Myles frowned at the officer. While the cop wouldn't be called short, the werewolf towered over him, and with her high heels on even Jackie was a couple of inches taller than him. The officer seemed very aware of his disadvantage because he stretched his neck out even further. If he tried any harder to give himself height, he'd have to go on his tiptoes.

  "May I ask why?" Myles had an annoyed growl in his voice, and his arm around Jackie's waist tightened.

  "There have been allegations made against you that we need to take care of," the officer replied. "Please, we don't want to cause a scene here. I would rather not have to put you in cuffs."

  "What allegations?" Jackie demanded.

  The officer glanced at her, his expression still not giving anything away. "A member of his pack has come forward claiming that he had mated himself to a human female without human governmental permission."

  Myles went rigid, but Jackie laughed. "If you're talking about that whole Kathy Morrison thing, we've already taken care of it. It was proven to be false allegations—"

  "Not Kathy Morrison," the officer interrupted. "You."

  Jackie's jaw dropped. "What?"

  The officer gave her stomach pointed glance. By this time, it was clearly rounded out and obviously pregnant. "Please come to the precinct with me now."

  "But we're not—" Jackie started, but Myles shook his head.

  "We'll come to the precinct, but neither of us is going to talk to you until my lawyers get here."

  Jackie's jaw dropped. Was he serious? Was he going to play along with this obvious scam? She started to pull away from him, angry that he would bring in lawyers instead of just explaining the situation and getting them out of this faster, but when he gave her a warning look she kept her mouth closed. The officer looked relieved.

  "I assume that Jackie and I can drive ourselves to your station?" Myles asked, raising a brow.

  The officer hesitated but nodded. "We will give you an escort."

  Myles nodded and led Jackie away, the police officers following after them. Jackie's mind whirled. They had only slept together once, and it wasn't even on the full moon! They weren't mated. This was just ridiculous. And why would somebody in Myles's own pack accuse him of breaking the human law and mating her without permission from the human government?

  Was it Harley? Hadn't he said that he didn't think Myles was a good enough Alpha when she was there? And then there was Tamara, and how Myles kept Harley from her.

  When they were in the car she voiced her opinions to Myles. He nodded. "I won't act until I have proof, but if he's behind this then he will pay."

  She shivered at his tone, but when she tried to press he wouldn’t answer.

  "Just don't say anything until my lawyers get here, okay? I don't want them twisting anything we have to say in order to arrest me. California is more tolerant of werewolves than other states, but it's still illegal for werewolves and humans to mate without prior permission." He squeezed her hand and smiled. "Don't worry. All this is going to be sorted out soon. The conference isn't until tomorrow night. We'll be out by then. And I think I know exactly what my address is going to be about."

  ***

  They were split up at the precinct, and Jackie waited alone for what felt like hours before the officer who had 'asked' them to come down here entered the interrogation room with a well-dressed man who introduced himself as Myles's lawyer. The officer gave her a hard look before leaving the two alone.

  The lawyer had a no-nonsense attitude and drew every last detail out of Jackie's story. When he was satisfied, she was made to repeat it to two detectives, who had her going over and over the smallest details until her head was spinning. Finally, though, they told her she could go.

  With a wave of relief she stood. Her bladder felt like it was about to blow up, but she clenched her thighs and asked about Myles.

  "We'll be keeping him here overnight," one detective said.

  Jackie's jaw dropped. "What? Why? I just told you we're not mated!"

  The detective nodded. "We still need our own experts to verify werewolf mating rituals before we can release him. Given his… status, he is considered a high flight risk."

  "But I'm not?"

  The detective shook his head. "You haven't done anything illegal."

  Jackie's brow furrowed. What was this guy on about? "If you think that Myles and I are actually mated—"

  "Then he is the one who has committed a crime. You're the victim here." The detective's expression was sympathetic, but all Jackie wanted to do was slap him. She was the victim?

  "So you're saying that it's illegal for him to mate me, but not for me to mate him? That's blatant bigotry! I can't believe this! I thought this was supposed to be the land of the free, not the home of stupid people who repress people simply because of how they were born!" Jackie's hands shook. "I want to see Myles."

  The detective shook his head. "I can't do that. You're free to go. You may want to write up something for the press, or whatever it is that personal assistants do for their bosses."

  He shot her belly a look. Jackie fought to keep herself calm. Going berserk on this idiot wasn't going to help anybody. She breathed out a heavy breath and nodded, leaving the precinct before she actually lost her temper. She fumed all the way to the hotel, her mind churning over how impossibly unjust this whole situation was. How were laws like this still legal?

  The government had no business in her bedroom, or anybody else's bedroom for that matter! People claimed the law requiring werewolves to go through the lengthy application process to mate a human was for the human's protection, but protection against what? Werewolves weren't any more dangerous than anybody else.

  This had to stop. This bigotry and prejudice against them had to stop.

  ***

  By the time Myles got to the hotel, hours later, Jackie had written a manifesto calling for the government to stop institutional discrimination against werewolves. She'd have to take some time to proofread it and clarify some points, but overall she was pleased with her work, and when she explained to Myles what she had been doing he was pleased as well.

  "At least everything is sorted out and the investigation was dropped," he said, shrugging off his suit jacket. "PR's going to be furious, though."

  Jackie wrapped her arms around him. "I
hate that this happened."

  "Me too. But you should try to rest. We have a long day tomorrow, and I need to write my speech. I was going to talk about the discrimination against Shifters worldwide, but I think I'll narrow my focus." Myles's face grew hard. "I'm sick and tired of this. I don't want my child to be raised in the same world I was."

  Jackie put her hand over his as he caressed the curve of her belly.

  Myles closed his eyes for a moment and leaned his head against hers. "I want our baby to grow up in a better world, where they can love who they love without fear."

  With a sigh, he pulled himself away from her and headed for his laptop. Jackie watched him work, admiring the strong line of his jaw and his steely gray eyes. He was every bit an Alpha, fighting for his pack. And what could she do? She sat back at her own laptop and began editing her manifesto. She could, and would, support him in this fight.

  Chapter Nine

  The international conference was a success. Myles took the police investigation and turned it around, making it a point of conversation and a rallying cry for change, rather than hiding from it, as Harley had no doubt intended. Jackie, too, refused to shrink from the spotlight, reinforcing again and again every time a reporter asked her about the incident how unfair the justice system was.

  By the time the California conference was over, the two of them had been labeled as the country's hottest new power couple, and their faces were everywhere, synonymous with a growing cry for werewolf equality. Alphas from across the country were adding their voices to the issue, supporting Myles. Even politicians were weighing in, with some of them condemning the bigotry of the law while others decried the werewolf's movement as 'selfish' and 'dangerous to society'.

  "At least things are being talked about," Myles said, turning off the TV after watching a debate between two governors who had opposing ideas on the issue.

  ***

  It had been a month since the conference, and Myles had decided that he needed to return to his pack and deal with the person who had accused him of mating without governmental permission in the first place. After a few days of investigation it was all too clear that it had been Harley who had caused the trouble, and in the morning Myles was going to hold an official trial.