The fire was getting closer and both Braden and I stood there and watched, as Nicholas walked through the flames like he was parting the Red Sea. He morphed through the wall and was now on the other side looking in at the coffin that he was leaving us to live this remaining few minutes together. Whatever Lord Wallace was holding in his hands was the thing that was making the Dragos become something that they weren’t….killers.
“I know that this is a blow, Shana, but we can’t think like that. He’s made his decision and now we have to try everything we can to make sure that their plans do not come to fruition.” I had to admire his moxie, but the flames were high and burning brightly and if we were able to get through them, there was no way that we would walk away without some major burns.
“Braden, I’m all for surviving, but I think that we might be in over our heads. I can’t breathe, I can’t see through the smoke. It’s just a matter time, before I fall to my knees with smoke inhalation.” I had enjoyed my time with both Nicholas and Braden. This and the fight for the equality of the women in Markham was the highlight of my trip. If this was how it was going to end, then I wasn’t just going to stand here and let it happen. Even if I knew that it was a losing battle, I had to at least try.
“I don’t care; Shana and I will not allow them to win like this. I don’t care if I have to crawl on my hands and knees through this fire and then with my last breath tell Lord Vadam of their plans to take the Black castle. I’ve never had any love lost for the man, but this goes against everything that I believe in when it comes to the Festival of Dragos.” His conviction was passionate, but he had yet to tell me if he had a plan of escape.
“Shana, if you listen to me and do exactly as I tell you, I can get you and Braden to safety. It won’t be easy and I’m going to give you a few tools that you can use in your own defense. I can sense that your DNA can withstand the transference.” Before I had a chance to ask Falla what this transference was, I was inundated with an energy that called to the armor. It came to me and stuck to me like glue, giving me a fighting chance against the fire that was burning out of control. I stood in front of Braden, shielding him from the worst of it, while leading him up the stairs. It didn’t matter where we went, the fire followed like we were some kind of pie piper.
“Shana, I hope that you know what you’re doing. The best way to get away from fire is to go below it and not above.” It wasn’t like I had a choice and the armor was literally pulling me along in its wake. I had no control and I had to believe that Falla was the one that was doing this. Out of the blue, I went to the far wall of our bedroom and smashed into it with the fists that were made of this interesting substance. It ripped a hole through the wall and I was able to grab Braden, even though I wasn’t the one that was doing most of the work.
With the use of the armor, I had the ability in some form or another to actually leap away from the carnage with Braden holding on around my neck. I landed on my knees and then I felt that I was the one now holding the reins of the armor.
We both turned to see the Dragos attacking with Rankin in behind about to do something that he would never forgive himself for. My hand came up over my head and made this ungodly slap that sent an echoing wave towards the Dragos. The vacant stare disappeared and in its place was confusion. Rankin landed and Braden went close, cautious of what his pet was going to do. He didn’t have to worry, because the spell had been broken and the echo of that slap was what was needed.
“I take it that this is not of your doing, Shana.” It was time that I told him everything and I laid out the fact that Falla was responsible for protecting us from dying a most painful death. “It’s a good thing that she came to the rescue when she did. Without her, I doubt that we would’ve been able to get away. I think we owe her a debt of honor that we’ll never be able to pay back. I do believe that we have a party to crash.” Rankin called to the other Dragos and another of his kind came down. I climbed aboard this orange one and Braden took his rightful place on Rankin.
Even though flight was forbidden, we took to the skies and made a direct line over towards the Black Castle.
As we got closer, a Griffin, most likely one of a few came out to defend what was theirs. The Dragos knew of his abilities and decided that discretion was the better part of valor.
The Griffin did not pursue in the trees and Rankin and this one that I was on was now breezing through the branches and then coming to a stop outside of the gates. We got off and we made our way over to the castle and walked in to see that Lord Wallace was now being declared the victor.
“Not so fast and we have information that is going to change everything. Lord Wallace and Nicholas can’t be allowed to take over the throne of the Black Castle. Lord Wallace has been working behind the scenes with a device that is able to control the Dragos. We are the proof, because they left us to die in a fire.” I could see that Lord Wallace was about to repute what I had to say, but then he saw the Dragos circling overhead and knew that he was either going to have to show his hand, or be attacked.
He raised his hand and I pulled an arrow from my quiver and fired it, breaking the glass on that device and destroying any chance that he had of fighting for what he thought was his.
As he made a run for it, the castle guards were right there to subdue him on the order of Lord Vadam.
“I declare reluctantly that Braden and Shana from the Red castle are the victors. Both Lord Wallace and Nicholas will pay for their crimes and now you two must decide on which one will claim the rightful place beside lord Russum.” The change of power took place fairly quickly and the rest of the tournament was not necessary to determine who was going to stand by the new lord of the Black castle.
“If it’s all the same to you, we need some time to think about this.” They allowed us to leave and on our way back home, we found ourselves accosted by Falla.
“You’ve done more for Markham than you can ever imagine, Shana. I know this hasn’t been an easy road, but I believe that I can send you home. If you’re ready, I do believe that it’s time for you to go back to where you came from.” I looked towards Braden and then this rush of air spun around me and I was surrounded by the same blackness that I had felt the first time that it happened.
“Braden… Braden… I love you.” There was no way that I could fight the gravitational pull. I found myself landing in the exact same spot that I had been. I was outside the club in a field nearby and I looked around and noticed that I wasn’t alone.
Braden now was in my world and he was getting up and looking around like a newborn baby.
“Shana, I love you too and there was no way that I was going to let you get away that easily. There is nothing left for me in Markham and everything that I’ve wanted is in you. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy for him to adjust, but I would hold him by the hand and show him a world that he had never seen before. He had done it for me and it was time for me to do it for him.
THE END
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Taken for the Alien Prince PREVIEW
Chapter One
Layla could only remember running. She was barefoot and the ground beneath her feet was cold and damp, sticks and rocks occasionally digging into the soft flesh and low brush clawing at her as if trying to stop her. Everything around her was hazy. The color seemed to have washed out of the world and left behind only shades of brown and rust and grey. She felt like she was running through water, moving slowly no matter how hard she fought to go faster.
Chilling air whipped at her face and she felt the first few stinging raindrops of a storm cut at her skin. She didn't know where she was going or how she had gotten there, and as she ran, the trees seemed to blur and blend into one another, making it impossible for her to o
rient herself.
She knew they were coming after her. She could feel and hear their heavy footsteps even in the thick, muting air and feel their presence getting closer. They seemed to be everywhere even though she couldn't see them as she ran. The oppressive feeling of them was getting more intense, but she had to keep running. She didn't know where she was running, but her feet wouldn't stop. Her mind and her fear wouldn't let them.
She thought she could be getting away. She might have a chance to get out of the woods and find her way back home – only, she couldn't remember what home was or where she may be able to find it. All she could do was run.
A cold, sharp breath invaded her lungs as she turned around a massive tree. The hard, choking pressure of a hand on her neck cut off the breath and she felt the ground beneath her feet disappear as the hand lifted her up. There was a moment of consuming terror and then the world around her turned to streaks of black and grey. Then there was nothing.
What could have been hours or days later, Layla became aware again. She kept her eyes closed as consciousness slowly rose through her body and she felt every inch become awake and present. Her muscles ached with the type of depth that came from intense exhaustion and long exposure to cold. The air around her, however, felt warm and damp. She was lying on her back and could feel something hard beneath her like a slab of stone. A tingling sensation flowed through her body and she tried to move her arms, only to find that they were lashed to the stone beneath her with rough lengths of rope. She tried to move her legs, but they were also secured to the stone beneath her.
She kept her eyes closed, terrified of what she may see if she opened them, and tried to remember what happened before she was running through the woods. No matter how hard she thought about it, however, Layla couldn't come up with anything except running. Her feet still felt chilled and stung from the forest floor, but she had no sense of how much time had passed since whatever had grabbed her and lifted her away.
Taking a long breath to steel herself, she let her eyes slowly slide open. As her eyelids opened and she lifted her head, the first thing she saw was the horizon. It glowed a vibrant shade of green as what looked like a deeply purple sun melted out of sight. She looked above her and saw a low grey ceiling as if she was in a small room. Confusion joined the fear that pumped through her as she tried to process what could be happening to her.
Suddenly she was aware of a presence in the space with her. She could feel someone near her, but she couldn't turn her head enough to look. She wanted to speak, but couldn't bring any sounds forward. The feeling of the presence shifted and she felt someone walking around from behind her head to pause at her side. She looked up at him and felt her breath catch in her throat. The man standing beside her was startlingly beautiful and she felt so immediately drawn to him she briefly forgot her fear. He gazed down at her with eyes the color of honey. The flicker of a torch above his head and the glow from the sinking sun showed streaks of bright, clear blue through the shimmering, melting color.
The man gazed down at her and ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Not exactly sure why she was doing it, Layla tilted her face slightly into the touch. She started to open her mouth to speak, but he shook his head, bringing a finger to his lips to quiet her. Without a word, he backed away from her and disappeared back around her head. A second later, the feeling of his presence in the space with her was gone. She lifted her head and saw that the sun was nearly down. Straining to see as much of it as she could, she watched as the purple dissolved into the vibrant green, blending into a single line of color before the sky went dark.
Just as the last of the sunset disappeared, she heard footsteps approaching. She hoped it was the same man she had seen beside her, but the feeling of their presence was different. It was like the oppressive, terrifying feeling that had surrounded her as she was running through the woods and she immediately felt herself tense. Four men appeared on either side of her and her body shook so intensely she could feel the ropes burning her wrists and cutting into her ankles. None of the men spoke, but at the same moment they bent down and she felt herself rise into the air as the men lifted the stone slab beneath her and started carrying her out of the room and into the darkness of the night beyond.
Chapter Two
Layla watched as the sky moved past over her head, seeming to unfurl like a roll of velvet as the men carried her. They had lifted her above their heads like she weighed nothing despite the massive piece of stone and were carrying her smoothly almost as though she were floating through the air. Now that she was out of the small, tight room with the torches, the air felt cooler and she drew in a breath she hoped would calm her. She needed to get her mind together, to put herself back in control of whatever was happening. If she had any chance of escaping, the only way she would make it happen would be to stay calm and think clearly.
She searched her mind for anything that would help her, anything that would tell her where she would go or how she may be able to get away from these men. All that came to mind, however, was the slow motion repeat of her running through the woods through a washed-out colored world that seemed further and further away with each step the men took.
Suddenly she felt the slab of stone tilt and she seemed to get higher. She realized that the men were climbing a set of steps up into an ancient-looking stone building. The hall they carried her down was lined with torches contained within bright metal cages and featured thick tapestries in shades of green and black. She couldn’t tell what the tapestries depicted and by the time they reached the end of the hallway, she had given up attempting to decipher them and lowered her head back down on the stone slab to ease the tension and pain forming in the back of her neck from trying to hold her head up while not being able to move her arms or legs.
The sound of a heavy door opening filled her ears and she watched as a tremendous doorframe passed overhead. Her captors had carried her into a sprawling room so vibrantly bright after the muted light of the corridor that it hurt her eyes. She closed them, squeezing them as tightly as she could until the burning stopped and she no longer saw the pinpricks of color dancing on the backs of her eyelids.
When she opened them again she realized that the room was not bright simply because there was more light in it than there had been in the corridor or in the small room where she had woken up. Instead, it seemed intensely bright because it was completely lined with mirrors. Now that her eyes had gotten accustomed to the refracted light, Layla was able to look up and see that the ceiling reflected the floor and the walls, creating a never-ending series of reflections that was dizzying in its depth. From the reflection above her, she could see that the men carrying her were all dressed identically in hooded green cloaks nearly the color of the sunset she had seen when she awoke. Black gloves covered their hands and the hoods concealed their faces so that she was not even able to determine their age. She only assumed they were men because of their size and strength.
Layla felt the men lower the slab of stone to the floor and she turned her head to see the men walking away. Smaller figures in hooded purple robes approached and she felt the ropes at her wrists and ankles loosen, then soft hands come to her arms and gently lead her up to a sitting position.
"Come with us," a sweet, almost musical-sounding voice said.
Layla felt like she had no choice. She knew that she should run, but the compulsion was tempered by the realization that she truly had nowhere to go. Until she had some concept of where she was or how far she had come, she wouldn't be able to escape. Though whoever these people were had been gentle with her so far, she had no idea how they would react to her should she attempt to get away from them. Instead, she allowed these smaller figures, who she assumed to be women, to guide her away from the stone slab and across the mirrored floor toward a platform at the far end of the room.
They walked up a steep set of stairs and she saw a deep tub cut into the center of the platform.
"What is this?" she wa
s finally able to force past the tightness in her throat.
"We must prepare you for Jiri," the same voice that had beckoned her to follow told her.
"I don't understand," Layla said.
The figures eased their hoods off and Layla saw that they were all indeed women. Young, softly beautiful women all wearing the same braids in their hair and calm, complacent looks on their faces. The one who had spoken to her reached forward and started to push her cardigan off of Layla's shoulders. Layla hesitated and saw a smile come to the woman's lips.
"Do not be afraid of us. We won't hurt you."
The way she said it made Layla feel even more nervous and she relaxed the tension in her shoulders so that the woman could pull off her cardigan. She let the women undress her and for the first time she noticed that her clothing had tears and streaks of dried mud. She tried again to think back on how she got to that place, but she could only remember running. There was nothing beyond the woods where she ran.
Once they had removed all of her clothing, one of the women took her hand and carefully led her to step into the tub. The water felt so hot it almost stung her skin, but the sensation was a soothing distraction from the chill of the night outside and the uncomfortable feeling of the confusion and fear that continued to trickle along her spine. She climbed down a series of steps deeper into the water and then crossed the tub so that she could sit on a low bench across from the steps.
One of the women picked up a bowl and poured the contents into the water, immediately changing the shade of the bath to a light pink that seemed to shimmer with touches of gold. A velvety, sultry scent touched her nose and she took a deep breath to fill her lungs with it. Her head swam slightly with the effect and she felt her body starting to relax into the hot water. Another of the women picked up what looked like a complex pitcher, used one hand to carefully tilt Layla's head back, and poured more water back over her hair. This seemed to be some kind of beginning for the other women, who started moving around her, picking up bottles and vessels, and bathing her quietly. She let them lift her arms to wash them as the woman with the pitcher cleansed her hair. After several minutes she felt brave enough to speak again.
Alien Romance Box Set: Uoria Mates Complete Series (Books 1 - 10): A Sci-fi Alien Warrior Invasion Abduction Romance Page 70
