Collared By The Warrior

by Daniella Wright

  Lance’s hand clapped Laney on her back, drawing her back to the real world, where she was in the company of her dangerously drunk ex. She felt as though the force from his hand had almost ejected her from her seat.

  “There he is,” Lance crowed.

  “Who?” she asked her heart was in her throat. Everything hung on the tiniest, thinnest of threads at the moment. Everything—her entire future, Kyle’s life—hung in the balance.

  “The animal,” he explained. “You’ll see—this is going to be good.” The two men were facing each other down, sizing each other up. The bell rang, and Laney watched as Kyle sprung toward the other man, both of them shifting. The other man was a large bear—it seemed as though the fight were unbalanced in favor of the part-bear, until Kyle resolved into his dragon-form, rearing up onto his hind legs, and let out a shriek. He was beautiful in his strength, graceful in form.

  The half-bear flew at him, and Kyle deflected him with a swipe of his forelegs. The half-bear was cast against the far side of the ring. It got to its feet, stunned, but not out yet. Regardless, Kyle didn’t waste the advantage that the stunned half-bear’s fumbling to make another foray gave him. Kyle arched his neck, letting a stream of fire shoot forth from his jaws. It was brilliant, lighting up the darkened area of the warehouse. Cries of awe at the heat and size of the flames echoed from the crowd.

  The half-bear reared through the flames, raking his massive claws across Kyle’s underbelly. Kyle shrieked, snapping at the half-bear with his lizard-like maw. He clamped down on the half-bear’s throat, tearing it out. The fight was over in a matter of minutes.

  ~*~

  The standing room began to empty as the spectators filtered out. Lance stood, and Laney followed him. Lance placed his arm around Laney’s shoulders. It was heavy and bulky. She felt bowed beneath its weight, suffocated.

  They stepped toward the side of the ring, where Kyle stood, his hands in his pockets. He had a large wound across his chest where the bear shifter had raked its claws across him during the fight. As she looked on, Laney saw the cut begin to close. She was trembling in fear. This was going to have to be played on point if Kyle were going to get out of here alive. She had given up on herself, she realized. As soon as she had seen Lance, she had known that he would never let her go. She was here to save Kyle. Lance’s arm dropped from around her shoulders.

  “Danner! My man! Good show,” Lance’s jovial voice boomed. Laney kept her expression blank and cool and her gaze on the ground to the left of Kyle’s feet. She inhaled, looking upward and directly into Kyle’s eyes. She silently willed him to believe that this wasn’t a betrayal. Kyle’s eyes were large, confused. He frowned at her angrily as Lance shook his hand. Stepping back, Lance clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Well, let me get you that prize money,” he said, placing a hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “Come into my office.” Kyle kept his eyes on Laney, who tried to give him a subtle shake of the head, hoping that he would understand, and run immediately. Her heart sunk as he turned, following Lance to the office.

  Laney began to follow, but pretended to trip. As Lance’s gang followers scattered to get out of her way, she grabbed the knife out of her boot. She got up slowly, pulling it into her sleeve. She glanced around the quickly emptying room.

  Four men stood out—they were dressed well, in finely tailored suits. Laney frowned. Most of the spectators were grubby, dressed in jeans and t-shirts. She noticed a glint of metal in the hand of one of the men—it was a collar, she realized. It was a dragon’s collar. Laney turned to Kyle, who was still headed toward the office.

  “Kyle!” he turned at the sound of her voice. “It’s a trap!” Noticing the men, he shifted, his form resolving into the shape of the dragon, large and dangerous in its wrath. Another two well-dressed men emerged from the office, focused entirely on Kyle.

  Lance, on the other hand, whipped around, running toward Laney. He grabbed her with force, his hand clamping down roughly on her arm, causing it to jerk painfully. He grabbed her by the throat with his other hand. She tried to bring her hand with the knife up to stab him, but he was choking her. She did the only thing that she could think of, and stomped down on his foot with the heel of her boot. His grip on her throat loosened as he bellowed in rage and pain.

  Meanwhile, the hunters were surrounding Kyle, chanting in a foreign language. Kyle struggled, attempting to breathe fire, but he seemed to be choking, unable to release his flames. He tried darting toward the edge of their circle, snapping with his fanged jaws, but they stood their ground. He seemed unable to get through.

  Taking full advantage of Lance’s weakened grip as he shouted curses at her, Laney broke free, sprinting full-tilt at one of the hunters. She screamed as she stabbed him in the back. He fell face forward, breaking the hunter’s circle. Kyle attacked, ripping two into shreds—one with a claw, and the other with his teeth. Rearing back, he opened his mouth, shooting flames at the remaining hunters, who cried out in rage and pain.

  Laney was caught off guard as she watched Kyle overtake his would-be captors. Lance’s hands clamped down on her arms, turning her to face him. He glared in her face.

  “Were you with that animal all week?” he hissed. Laney responded by spitting in his face. He wiped it off. “You will regret that you bitch.”

  Laney tried to free herself, fighting against his iron-tight grip. She struggled in vain as he brought his large, beefy hand back, slamming it into her face. The world faded to black for a second as Laney was almost knocked unconscious. She heard a loud ringing, and her left cheekbone throbbed with a painful heat.

  With a vicious snarl, Kyle leapt at Lance. The dragon shifter brought the large man down with a single strike of his claw, darting his lizard-like head in and striking like a snake. Kyle tore Lance’s throat out easily.

  Kyle shifted back to his human form. His eyes were wide with fury, as he turned and raced toward Laney. She dropped her knife, which she felt was useless. Kyle grabbed her, pulling her close to him.

  “What were you thinking?” he yelled at her, over and over. Laney was unable to answer, her throat sore and raw. She found herself sobbing, large tears against Kyle’s hot dry skin. He kissed her on the top of her head.

  “Hey. Hey. Look at me,” Kyle said, placing a hand on her cheek. She looked up at him, remembering when he had touched her on the cheek in the alleyway. He was looking at her like she was something precious.

  “We need to get out of here,” she rasped. They looked about them. They were surrounded by the horribly mangled or burned corpses of all of the people who had chosen not to run.

  “Man, you went from dating one monster—” Kyle began, but Laney wouldn’t let him finish.

  “You’re not a monster,” she said. “You’re perfect. There’s money in the office.” Kyle placed his hand on the small of her back. He wasn’t forcing her; he wasn’t directing her—just reassuring her that he was with her.

  Once inside the office, Laney walked to the metal desk. She opened the center drawer, pulling out the envelope where Lance kept his petty cash. She opened it, counting the wad of bills.

  “Couple of thousand,” she said. Kyle gestured toward the safe in the back corner of the office, cocking his eyebrow questioningly. “I don’t know the combination.” Kyle shrugged in response, letting his right hand shift into a claw. He ripped off the door easily.

  Inside, the safe was packed with money and drugs. Leaving the drugs, Laney filled a paper grocery bag with the cash. They left quickly, Kyle picking up articles of clothing off of the dead hunters as they went. They never looked back.

  ~*~

  The house was cream-colored, with butter-yellow shutters and a red door. There was a wraparound porch with chairs. All around the house was a vast garden, filled with sunflowers, forget-me-nots, violets, roses, and daisies. In the back, there were rows of vegetables, which they sold to the day hikers.

  There were large fields, where they kept their animals, their tiny farm backing up
to a large national forest. It was quiet except for the calls of the birds and cicadas, and the wind in the trees.

  Laney was on her knees among the tomatoes, her gloved hands covered in dirt. She loved the smell of the rich soil and the ripening vegetables. She leaned back, straightening her back to get out the crick in it from working. She wiped her forearm across her face, wiping off the sweat that was beading there.

  Arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Kyle kissed the back of her neck as she cried out in surprise.

  “I didn’t hear you!”

  “Surprise, darlin.’”

  “Oh, you.” She turned, kissing him deeply and passionately. They both fought to contain their smiles. She pulled away, looking at him happily. Kyle was shirtless, wearing only a pair of rugged blue jeans. Laney ran her hand over his sun-warmed skin. She looked up at him lustily.

  He scooped her up in his arms, carrying her inside of the house and into their sun-filled bedroom. Laney giggled as he threw her down on the bed, trailing kisses along her neck and sternum. She returned the attention happily. He unbuttoned the chambray shirt that she wore whenever she was gardening, kissing her skin as he revealed more of it. Laney closed her eyes, letting herself enjoy being slowly undressed by her lover.

  He paused, and she opened her eyes. He was waiting for her. She grinned widely.

  “Don’t stop,” she plead joyfully.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Kyle entered her, making her inhale with pleasure. The friction between them was electric. They made love frantically and passionately, hitting crisis at the same moment. They lay side-by-side afterward, Laney’s hand clutched in Kyle’s over his heart. Laney looked over at him.

  “That was lovely.”

  “Quite.”

  “Do you want to go for a walk before lunch?”

  “As you wish, milady.”

  “You’re horrible.” Laney smiled. She was still as much in love with Kyle as she had been at the beginning of their relationship. She couldn’t believe how lucky she had been, for a former foster kid. They got dressed and left their house, making their way while holding hands through their sun-drenched fields.

  The forest loomed over them as they paused to inspect one of their fences. The post was beginning to look a little worse for the wear.

  “I’ll have to replace it,” Kyle said, pushing on it to see if it would break.

  “Hello?” The couple turned to find a girl, just barely beginning her teens walking out of the woods beside them. She had a ragged and battered backpack on, and she looked tired and hungry. “Um. Does Kyle Danner live here?” Kyle frowned, but nodded.

  “That’s me.” The girl looked relieved.

  “You’re a dragon,” she said. “I can tell.” Kyle cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to explain. Laney gripped his arm.

  “Who are you?” Kyle asked the girl.

  “I’m a dragon shifter—I lost my family a few months back to the hunters. I heard that you had escaped from the city.”

  “Who did you hear it from?”

  “Another dragon shifter. There are others of us,” she explained. “We’ve all been looking for you. You stood up to the hunters and won…we all kind of thought that maybe when we found you, we’d find refuge.” Her eyes were wide, and Kyle looked at Laney. She nodded, and he smiled. They had officially become two former strays providing a home for other strays.

  “You can stay here,” Laney said. “We’d be happy to take any dragon shifters.”

  ~*~

  THE END

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  Trapped With A Monster

  ~ Bonus Story ~

  An Apocalypse Alien Romance

  Macie

  My name is Dr. Macie Larkson and I’m the only human left alive in my town. Because of our corrupt President making a stupid decision, Earth is now in all out war with a neighboring planet, Toria, and at the current moment, we’re losing the battle.

  Scared of being found, I spend my days hiding in an underground shelter below my clinic, alone, but safe. But that all changes when I fall for a Torian warrior. He’s bold, cocky, and drives me mad with both passion and anger. Only problem is, we’re enemies from two different worlds, literally.

  Xanrun

  I’m a Torian warrior who will stop at nothing until I have gained revenge on everyone who had a part in destroying my planet’s capital. But when I realize the errors of my people’s ways, I make a stand and find myself injured and near death. When my Angel finds me, I realize that revenge isn’t the only thing at stake now.

  Love is.

  But can a human and an alien truly find happiness during an invasion?

  * * *

  Chapter One

  (Macie)

  My name is Dr. Macie Larkson, I’m twenty-eight years old, and approximately two weeks ago, aliens invaded my planet. No, I’m serious. Actual, real-life aliens, only these aliens don’t look like the creatures you see on TV or in movies. No. These creatures look just like you or I—which makes them much worse than the monsters you see on TV. It’s near to impossible to know who is friend, and who is foe. The only real difference between our races is their eyes’ irises, which glow naturally.

  Well, natural for them. For us, it’s downright freaky.

  Before the invasion occurred, I was working in my clinic, and had over twenty employees. The neighborhood was thriving with business and there was people moving into the community daily, but now, I’m the only one alive in a five-mile radius.

  How’s that possible?

  Simple. I was very lucky that day. The clinic was closed on the day of the invasion, and I was cleaning the underground shelter Blake—my older brother—inhabited. Blake has schizophrenia, so when I bought this clinic a little over a year ago and found this underground shelter, I knew it’ll be perfect for my brother and I. Here, I could go to work without having to worry about Blake and if he had a meltdown, I was always close enough to aid him.

  But on the day our world was taken over, I convinced Blake to go into town to buy some more non-perishables and other miscellaneous supplies for the shelter—which truly wasn’t necessary, considering Blake had that place jammed packed with enough food and medical supplies for two people to survive underground for several months. But I requested he go anyway, as I did every couple of weeks, to make him leave the shelter so he could slowly conquer his fears of the outside world. He always thought something like an invasion would happen, but I never believed him, discounting his theories as nothing more than paranoia. Until his worst nightmare came to life within hours.

  Blake set a high-tech security system outside the clinic, so when the invasion occurred, the alarms alerted me about the danger that lurked just outside and all the safety locks secured the clinic, so no one could get in. I tried to leave the clinic, but when the alerts go off, no one, not even the person inside, could leave until the threat is gone. And when I glanced at the chaos outside, at all the people being killed by the glowing eyed monsters, I ran back to the shelter and locked myself in until the threat was gone from our area. I managed to search for survivors around several days later, but I found no one still alive.

  I looked at countless bodies, but I didn’t see my brother amongst them.

  Now Blake’s missing, probably dead, along with all the other people in our town, and I’m alone.

  And this all happened because one man thought he could rule the world by destroying another.

  Our country’s leader, President Trancy, declared war on a neighboring plant—Toria—without the approval of Congress, and that is what started this mess. We have known about planet Toria since 2060, about ten years ago, and President Trancy knew full well that we shouldn’t engage in violence with them—considering they’re technically more advanced than us and physically stronger—and yet, he gathered an army and sent them to Toria to destroy their capital.

  Not a we
ek later, Torian warriors invaded Earth and now we’re in an all-out invasion.

  I eye the canned food, located on a metal rack near the far left side of the room, and tears form in my eyes. All the cans are neat and tidy, thanks to Blake’s extreme OCD, and the foods are all in alphabetical order. I haven’t eaten today, not feeling well, but I know I need to eat something. I also probably need to take some vitamin D, since I haven’t been outside in almost two weeks. It’s amazing to realize how many things a person takes for granted, such as standing outside in the sun, soaking up the warm heat.

  Shaking off my internal thoughts, I grab one of the various soups from the shelf, and then promptly drop it when I hear a loud crash upstairs in my clinic. I’m frozen in place, shaken to the core, and utterly terrified that the Torians finally found my secret shelter. And after several minutes have passed by, I gain enough courage to grab my pistol from the drawer next to Blake’s bed, climb up the ladder, open up the trap-door that connects the clinic to the underground shelter, and peek my head up to make sure no one is in the room in which the shelter is hidden under. When I hear no noises nearby, I climb up the last few steps of the ladder, climb out, and open the coat closet that hides the hidden trapdoor.

  CRASH!

  I jump up and make a tiny squeak. Covering my mouth, my eyes are wide with fear that they might have heard me, but the silence that follows tells me that they hadn’t. Taking deep, even breaths, I step out of the closet and creep up towards the door of the room and open it slowly. Once again, I poke my head out and look from left, to right, but I see no one and there’s no noise indicating where the crashes came from.

  I go left, which leads to the front of the clinic, and I grip my pistol in my hand harder. Although I’m terrified right now, the gun in my hand gives me a sense of calm and grounds me right now. I know a Torian warrior will have more advanced weaponry than I, but still, knowing I have some way of defending myself makes me feel less afraid.