Adored By The Rancher: Mail Order Brides Box Set

by Dreams, Brittany

Amanda whipped around at the sound of the deep voice. She was surprise to see Zarkos swim up onto the rock beside her. He was back in his alien form and looked much like his guards but his form was larger and somehow more regal.

  The two guards made a bowing motion to him before slipping off the rock ledge, back into the cool waters below. They disappeared below the inky surface, their lights fading out. The cave grew dim until Zarkos began to glow so that Amanda could see.

  He reached out and gently stroked her thigh. The touch was reassuring. “You have nothing to fear Amanda. You will know when it is time to come back here. There will be discomfort, maybe a little cramping for you. When you release the eggs it will be painless. All you must do is come back to the cave and swim. Your body will do the rest of the work.”

  “Will… will you be here?” Amanda stammered. She didn’t want to do this alone.

  “Of course. I will be here to help you if you need it. I will watch over the young afterwards.” One of Zarkos’ dark blue tentacles reached out and stroked her cheek. She leaned into the cool touch. “On the planet that was once my home, the planet that is no more, I was what your species would call a king.”

  Amanda gasped. That would explain the guard’s deference to Zarkos. “I’m sorry for all you lost,” she whispered. “I hope that I can give you back a part of your life. I hope that when you find your new planet it’s everything you hoped for and that the young will grow and thrive.”

  Zarkos’ voice was tender when he spoke. His face moved a little in what must have been a version of a smile, the mouth lifting at the corners. “I will never forget you Amanda. Mother of my children. If you were an alien like me, I would make you my queen.”

  “I don’t need to be a queen,” Amanda said softly. “With you I finally felt like I found a purpose. I found out what it was like to be touched with love and tenderness. It’s something I’ve never really experienced in my entire life.”

  Zarkos’ eyes glowed a little brighter. She saw sympathy shining in their depths. “I too know what it is like to be alone. I wish you well Amanda. After you spawn the eggs in this cave you will be free to do as you wish. I know you cannot hope to have a normal life now, knowing what you do. My wish is that you find a member of your own species to make you happy. To love you and comfort you and provide you with your own, human young one day.”

  “He wouldn’t compare to you,” Amanda said wryly. Her chest closed in at Zarkos’ kind words and she was horrified to find that her cheeks were wet with tears.

  Zarkos reached up and tenderly wiped them away. His suckers tickled her skin and Amanda had to smile. “I think you’ll find that there are ones on this planet who do compare. You just need to find the right one. Don’t settle Amanda. You have an incredible life ahead of you.”

  “Thank you,” Amanda whispered. “It’s nice to hear someone say that, just once.”

  “Never doubt it Amanda. I must leave now as I too have much to do. I will see you again in a few weeks. Go now and know that I will be forever in your debt for your help.”

  Amanda blushed. She stroked one of the tentacles briefly before withdrawing her hand. “You’ve given me a gift too. I came here burned out. I was probably at the lowest point in my life. I feel like I can face anything now. After this summer is over I’m going to be a new person. I know that I have an amazing life ahead of me and I want to make the most of it. You’ve given me my fire back.”

  “May it always burn bright,” Zarkos said gently. He shifted down the ledge and slipped into the water silently, without a splash.

  The cave grew dark. Amanda blinked. She couldn’t believe everything she’d just experienced had actually happened. She was right when she said she would never be the same again. This entire crazy thing really had changed her. She would never look at herself as being without purpose again.

  Reaching for her bikini bottoms, Amanda slipped them on. She was eager to go out into the sunshine again and let it warm her skin.

  She slipped her bikini on and grabbed her waterproof bag. It felt like a million years ago she’d entered the cave.

  Amanda held her breath as she slid into the water. The cold chill was always a shock. She swam with strong strokes to the entrance of the cave. Ducking down, Amanda cleared it.

  She had to blink a couple times as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. She swam away from the cave, back to the warm sand of the beach. She pulled herself up, her tired muscles all but collapsing. She lay staring up at the sky, the gentle breeze playing over her, drying her skin. The sun beat down, warming her. Birds sang in the trees above and the crisp leaves whispered down to her.

  Closing her eyes, Amanda knew this was always where she was meant to be. This had always been her purpose. She’d been lost when she arrived here but now she had found herself. Her lie would never be the same and Amanda was glad of it.

  Turning her face to the sun, Amanda sighed deeply, filling her lungs with the fresh, warm air. She was truly glad to be alive. She couldn’t wait to return to the cave and give those gentle, amazing beings the same gift they’d given her. The gift of life.

  Innocence

  A Paranormal Vampire Romance

  Description

  Sarah Jensen is well on her way to being a nurse. Her life exists for studying and working only. When she receives a mysterious invitation to an even stranger party in the mail she throws it out. She has no time for what she considers silly college games.

  Her vivacious roommate, Michelle, doesn’t share Sarah’s opinions. She convinces Sarah to go to the strange party, set in a huge mansion in the countryside, as her date.

  Sarah knows the whole thing is a bad idea. She arrives at the party and feels woefully out of place. She never would have imagined, in her wildest dreams, meeting a sexy, mysterious stranger who harbours a dark secret. Nor that he is about to open her eyes to a world of pleasure and sensuality she knows nothing about.

  Chapter 1

  Sarah Jensen stared open mouthed at the invitation in her hand. It was black with bold italic writing done in blood red. Tied with a red ribbon, it was almost ominous, sinister, in her hands. She had picked it out of her dorm mailbox shortly after her last class and now sat on her tiny twin size bed gazing down at it.

  A party. Sarah never went to any of these things. At twenty three, in her last year of nursing studies, Sarah felt that she was on a different planet when it came to what most people chose to do in their college years. She didn’t have time for drinking or partying or crazy sex. She didn’t even have time for a boyfriend or even friends in general. Her whole life, for as long as she could remember, had been one long endless line of tests and stress. If she showed up to work hungover chances were she could kill or maim someone. Well maybe that was being dramatic. But she should could mix up medication or have someone yell at her for giving them a painful IV.

  The door to Sarah’s dorm opened and her roommate Michelle entered. Michelle was a nice girl, twenty-two years old, long dark hair, tight breasts, never ending legs. She was the exact opposite of Sarah who was blonde with small breasts, and petite. She stood barely over five feet tall. Michelle was a real beauty but Sarah had never considered herself anything other than passably pretty. She didn’t care. She hadn’t had time for boys in high school and she sure didn’t have time for them now.

  Michelle, on the other hand, was a social butterfly. She was a film student and seemed to always be out doing something fun. Sarah knew Michelle was never without a boyfriend but the girls had an unspoken rule about bringing men back to the dorm and so Sarah rarely had to put up with any late night awkwardness.

  “Did you get one of these too?” Sarah held up the fancy invite.

  “Yes. I just got my mail now.” Michelle produced her own invite, a huge grin of expectation settling over her perfect features.

  “Are you going to go?”

  “Of course. I always go. I think half the city lives for his parties.”

  “Who is he?”

&n
bsp; “Oh… well… I don’t exactly know. It’s weird,” Michelle said with a laugh. She waved her invitation through the air and plopped down on the edge of her bed. “He holds parties four times a year, one for every season I guess. Tons of people go. They’re always at this huge house, well a mansion really. It’s super old, out in the country. The first time I went I thought it was a little creepy. The place is built of stone and it looks haunted. The perfect place to shoot a horror film.”

  Of course. This was coming from a film student. Sarah smiled, eager to hear more despite the fact she told herself she wasn’t interested.

  “Anyway, it looks like the kind of place all manner of debauchery would go on. Like some weird orgy invite or something. But it’s not,” Michelle quickly continued. “It’s just people milling around and drinking and dancing… maybe some people get up to no good in the bedrooms. There’s probably tons of them. I’ve never done anything like that though.”

  “Why would someone host these parties and never show up to them? That’s weird.”

  “It is weird. Although it’s not weird when you get there… I don’t know, it’s just a big house with tons of people. Maybe the guy who owns it is there. No one knows what he looks like and the door’s always open. Although I’m never the first to arrive. If you were I wonder what you would find. If you would meet him then?”

  “It sounds cheesy.”

  “Well miss high and mighty,” Michelle laughed to assure Sarah that wasn’t what she really thought of her… “Money makes people crazy. Maybe he’s crazy. Maybe he’s lonely. Who knows? There are worse things I can think of doing than throwing really awesome parties.”

  “Is it just for college people?”

  “No I don’t think so. I’ve seen older people there.”

  Michelle started at the invite again. She flipped it over and her face lit up. “Oh! Look at the back! All his parties have a theme. Last time it was historical figures, this time is elegance. Hmmm, that’s all it says. Elegance.”

  “Well you should enjoy that. You’re always making costume and stuff.”

  “Who doesn’t love getting dressed up in costume and spending hours and hours in makeup?”

  Sarah laughed. Michelle was made for theatre. She had the kind of face that was always expressive, even in her sleep. Sarah couldn’t count the number of times she had seen Michelle sitting up late at night putting the finishing touches on the costumes she created. Sarah had been invited to all of Michelle’s productions but had never been able to find the time to go to one.

  “I’ve never received an invitation before.” Sarah wrinkled her brow into a frown as she considered that.

  “I don’t know, maybe you’re not in the right faculty.”

  “Why did I get one this time?”

  “I have no idea. The guy’s weird, like I said. Or maybe they stuck it in the wrong mailbox.” Michelle seemed to think that, and the scowl Sarah shot at her, were hilarious.

  “I may have heard of people talking about this… I just didn’t know it was so strange.”

  “Are you going to go?”

  “No of course not.” Sarah stood and threw the invitation in the trash can beside the small desk in the room. “I have exams to study for.”

  “Exams aren’t for weeks!”

  “Yes I know but the labs are hard and I want to make sure that I…”

  “Sarah!”

  “What?” Sarah turned a surprised glance towards Michelle, who seemed completely exasperated.

  “You never do anything fun! You’re always at class or at the hospital or in here studying. Why not do something fun just once? It can be your grad present to yourself,” Michelle added dryly.

  “I don’t know… I don’t even think it would be fun.”

  “Trust me, it’s fun.”

  “I wouldn’t want to go alone.”

  “You can go with me!” Michelle jumped up from her perch on the bed like everything was settled. “We can even go and pick out fancy dresses together.”

  “No way. I don’t have the budget for that.”

  “Well we could buy thrift and I could alter them to make them amazing.”

  “Aren’t you busy? I don’t even know when I would have time to go out and find something.”

  “I’m never too busy.”

  “I don’t know,” Sarah hedged. She could think of a million reasons why this wasn’t a good idea.

  “Come on Sarah! I’ll even take you home early if you want! PLEASE!”

  “Alright, alright!” Sarah threw up her hands admitting defeat. “I’ll go.” She watched the triumphant smile spread across Michelle’s face and wondered just what it was that she had agreed to.

  Chapter 2

  This was a bad idea. Sarah knew it had been wrong right from the start. Right from the minute she had finally agreed to go to this stupid party, Michelle had been a buzz of activity. It was as if her whole life had been centered around preparing for the stupid party.

  Sarah had given in to Michelle’s pleas to help her get ready. She had let Michelle curl her long blonde hair into ringlets and pile them on top her head. She even donned the strand of pearls and tiny pearl drop earrings that had been presented to her then let Michelle labour over her makeup.

  When Sarah stood back and looked into the ten dollar floor length mirror Michelle had long ago purchased and stuck to the wall, she was floored. Michelle was a genius. Sarah would hire her any day, for any production. True to her word, Michelle had sourced two cheap thrift store gowns. Sarah had only had to give her friend the thirty dollars it cost to purchase it. She had laughed when she saw it. It was a monstrosity of cheap red fabric.

  Two weeks later, the dress looked fit to wear on the red carpet. Michelle had altered it so completely it wasn’t even recognizable. Sarah couldn’t even believe that was her body when she glanced in the mirror. She was so used to wearing shapeless scrubs she hadn’t realized how curvy she actually was. The dress had a halter neck that plunged dangerously low between Sarah’s breasts. It was cut extremely low in the back, almost to the swell of Sarah’s bottom. The dress flared out from there and fell to the floor with a gently cascading train.

  “Holy crap, I can’t even believe that’s me.” Sarah studied herself in the mirror. She looked like a grown woman. Well, she was that. But she was- sensual. Sexy. Something she had never before felt in her life. She hardly ever wore makeup and she couldn’t believe the new definition in her cheekbones, eyes and lips. She was actually quite pretty.

  When Michelle finished with herself she looked equally as stunning. Her dress was black and sleek, fitted and heavily beaded. Michelle had been beside herself when she brought it home from the thrift store. Unlike Sarah’s dress, Michelle had done little alterations on her own. It was beautiful as it was. Michelle had curled and pinned her hair up. She donned elbow length black gloves. The effect was that Michelle looked straight out of the 1920’s. She was an effortlessly beautiful woman, gorgeous when she was done up as she was now.

  “Well,” Michelle smiled. “Let’s go.”

  The drive out into the country took almost an hour. Sarah thought it quite hilarious that they were dressed like royalty but were driving in a thousand dollar piece of crap car that smelled like burning oil and exhaust fumes.

  It was dark when Sarah parked the car, with the hundreds of other vehicles, alongside an open field. They walked up a paved drive that never seemed to end. When Sarah saw the spectacular house as they crested the hill of the driveway, rising out of the dark like an illuminated castle, she forgot all her complaints. The red pumps she was wearing were pinching her feet. She had started to sweat in the dress, she was nervous about what the night held and her hair smelt like gasoline fumes. All of it was forgotten.

  “Oh my god! It’s beautiful,” Sarah exclaimed. It took her a moment to draw a breath.

  “I know right! I told you it was going to be a good time!”

  That remained to be seen. Sarah privately thought she w
ould enjoy the party from the outside of the house much more than she would from the inside.

  “Come on! I’ll race you there.” Kicking off her shoes and holding them in her hands, Michelle raced, laughing and screaming up the way to the house.

  Sarah had no choice but to do the same. She removed her red high heels, which hurt like the devil anyway, picked up the long train of her dress, and ran, wild and free through the warmth of the night air.

  Chapter 3

  At first glance Sarah had been amazed by the splendor and rich finishing’s of the house. It was, as Michelle had told her, entirely stone on the outside. Some of the inside walls had been done in the same materials. Rich tapestries, woven carpets, heavy drapes, crystal chandeliers, and gilded paintings gave the house the same feel as a castle.

  Sarah had felt uneasy going in, as if a feeling of dread lay thick on the air. As the night wore on she gradually lost her reservations about being there. And she stopped taking in the many beautiful objects and expensive décor. Two hours into the night she had so many drinks she was more than just buzzed, she was full on drunk.

  Michelle had been plying her with “punch.” Sarah hadn’t believed that’s all she was drinking but she couldn’t taste any alcohol so she went with it. She was surprised, after her eighth glass when all of a sudden her legs turned to jelly. Another two glasses and her head was beginning to spin. At most, Sarah had been buzzed before. This felt like a whole different experience, not entirely unpleasant.

  At least it wasn’t unpleasant until three glasses later when Sarah suddenly started feeling quite ill. Her stomach rolled, likely from the amount of liquid she had drunk without eating anything all day as much from the effects of the alcohol.

  People buzzed and danced, talked, shouted, laughed, and drank all around Sarah. She hated crowds and the press of people mulling about was taking its toll on her. At least everyone was nicely dressed. She had been admiring the fancy gowns and tuxedos all night. She glanced around for Michelle, not sure where she had gone.