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I studied my communications device, noticing Skyler had tried to contact me four times. And he’d texted six. To hell with him. I had nothing to say to his cheating ass. I shoved the device into my small bag then ran my hands down the front, ready to step into a moment of pure sin.
My mother had told me more than once I had an excellent sixth sense, which allowed me to know when something was wrong. It was a fancy way of saying that I should follow my instinct at all times. The best indication something terrible was about to happen was the way my skin crawled. The second was just as viable. There was a distinct stench in the air. I’d know the godawful odor from a mile away. There was a single creature who stunk like aging garbage.
And the beast was one of the most dangerous predators in the universe, their mercenary and alien trafficking services legendary. They preferred humans, especially women, obtaining a significantly higher price for us on the black market. Once in their clutches, it was almost impossible to break free without serious bodily harm.
How in the hell had they gotten onto the Earth Station? I hadn’t heard they’d been allowed any diplomatic stance given the atrocities they’d performed. Oh, God. If they were rogues, I could be in trouble.
That meant I had to act quickly, reaching into my bag to find my universal killing spray while jumping backward out of their reach, spinning around then landing a savage kick against the approaching creature. Within seconds, I realized I was outnumbered five to one, the winged creatures with sharp canines and bulging eyes dead set on taking me with them.
“Uh-oh.” I couldn’t wrap my fingers around the flask soon enough, one of the creatures snagging and tossing my bag. Now I was defenseless, the classes I’d taken in self-preservation not holding a candle to what the fuckers could do. However, I refused to go down without a fight.
“Come on, boys. Let’s get it on.” I took a fighter’s stance, ready to throw hard punches. Unless I was knocked out by their stench first. When they glanced at each other, their communication systems non-vocal, I took the opportunity to kick one of them between its birdlike legs.
That didn’t go over well, the asshole leaping off the ground. He had his bony fingers wrapped around my neck within seconds, preparing to drag me off the surface. I fought with everything I had, pummeling my fists into his face, but the hard-shell exterior prevented me from causing any damage.
Still, I kept trying, issuing brutal swings, one after another until I was exhausted. The fuckers were shocked, glaring at each other in wonderment. I’d run except they had me backed against a wall. This was getting ridiculous. I said a silent prayer, trying to figure out if there was anything I could say to them to try to resolve the conflict. Right. As if they had brains larger than peas. One of them stepped forward, his clicking noises as disturbing as the reprehensible stench.
Just seconds before I was whisked toward their awaiting ship, the ground started to rumble. Then shake.
Then we all heard a roar.
I’d seen my share of action flicks over the years, powerful heroes and heroines who saved the day, but I’d never experienced anything like the ridiculously outlandish stories in real life. There was danger all around me of course. I wasn’t immune to criminal elements. My little veterinary clinic had been broken into twice, both times by an unspecified beast searching for drugs. I’d seen it all. Hell, I’d been required to provide aid to aliens I hadn’t been able to communicate with.
However, when a mammoth alien suddenly appeared, especially one with burnt russet skin and eyes the color of flames sparking in the night sky, I was momentarily shocked. So were the nasty Tantian creatures; the one alien dropped me like a lead weight then all five snarled as they flew off into different directions.
My skin crawled, but not necessarily in a bad way. I was reliving the dream, the fantasy. And I was certain the beast had come to make good on his promise. Hell, no.
I scampered toward the building, crouching low and headed for the main entrance while the wildly gorgeous beast of a man proceeded to attack. With a hard swing of his massive, muscular arm, two of the creatures were tossed toward the sky like bothersome insects.
The three others were undaunted, barreling toward the mystery hero. The loud cracking sound filtering into the air was a clear indication the neck of one assailant had been snapped. When the dude’s head rolled off, I winced, which wasn’t like me at all. I was the girl who wanted to see the bloodshed in a movie, the gorier the better.
Maybe it was seeing it up close that made all the difference. I scampered closer to the edge of the building, the thumping music creating a wave of nausea. Or maybe it was the stinky odor lingering in my nostrils. I hadn’t realized I’d made a single sound as my savior let off a bolt of flames from his fingertips, incinerating another creature in seconds.
But I had and it drew the attention of one of the beasts who’d been flung to the side. I could see his beady red eyes peering down at me from his perch high on another building.
Now there was the stench of rotting and charred flesh. I pressed my hand over my mouth and nose, scrambling to get inside to safety.
Too late.
The winged creature had me in his claw seconds later, snarling in enjoyment as he attempted to break free of the carnage. However, my hero was too quick for him, crushing his foot down on the head of another Tantian, squashing it like a cantaloupe. Then he sailed into the sky, managing to wrap his arm around my waist and pulling me free while spewing flames from his open mouth.
This time, I had an up close and personal view of the horror. My savior tossed what little was left of the creature to the side, carefully returning me to the ground. What I noticed immediately was that his hold remained firm while he scanned the perimeter, searching for another winged creature to make an entrance.
It was insane how much electricity was coursing through me. I could feel my pulse increasing, the blood in my veins heating up by several degrees. I placed my hand on the beast’s chest, blinking several times to try to alleviate the fog that had developed around my eyes. I’d never seen nor experienced anything like I just had. Almost instantly, the tips of my fingers were seared from the touch and I jerked my hand away, studying my fingertips to see if the skin was peeling off.
The sensations were just that, nothing real, relief spreading through my fingers as soon as I’d removed my hand. However, I wanted to touch him again. I longed to feel him, to caress him. To kiss him.
I tilted my head, studying his features, memorizing every detail. He wasn’t human but his physique was damn close, the bones in his face sculpted as if from the finest granite, a rare and expensive substance that had been stripped from Earth. I had the urge to touch his face. When I did, my gesture seemed to shock him.
A trickle of complete uncertainty tore through me. My God. This beast was the spitting image of the creature I’d conjured up in the fantasy from over two years before. I’d been right that he was also the one from the dream. Was this the reason I’d thought about him for hours? I’d known I would be in danger later? There was no chance in hell I’d ever seen this beast before in real life. Was this some crazy manifestation of the beginning of insanity? Wait a minute. Of course it was possible given the work my father did for a living with the government.
He’d worked with dozens of species that most humans had never seen in pictures and certainly not in real life. Those who were troublemakers were kept on a list, their images captured, every scrap of information placed on a database. It was entirely possible I’d caught a glimpse of one or more of my father’s files over the years.
Okay, so it was likely given I was a little snoop and wanted to know what was going on in the universe. But to see this creature in real life, I was even more stunned than the memories had allowed me to be. He was freaking gorgeous with a capital F and a capital G.
However, what if he was a bad dude as well, saving me so he could abduct me or worse? He’d been utterly possessive in the dream and fantasy, telling me in no uncertain terms he’d come for me one day. Hold on. I was buying into this crazy notion I’d created a savior-captor of my own? “I can handle this.”
A slight growl erupted from his barrel chest as he turned and lowered his head, studying me intently. As if I was nuts. Yep. I was.
