Chloe took a deep breath before knocking on Jim’s door. She’d stopped at the pharmacy and picked up the morning after pill. It was her first time using it, so she’d consulted the pharmacist about it and was disappointed to discover that it didn’t guarantee stopping a pregnancy. In fact, if the sperm had already fertilized an egg and the egg had imbedded itself in her uterine wall, the pill was useless. She’d grabbed a Pepsi, washed the pill down with it, and prayed.
It was a mere matter of seconds before the door swung open after her soft knock. Jim’s eyes glistened with a mixture of amusement and something else as he stepped aside to allow her entrance.
“I’ve been having a fascinating conversation with lover boy,” he said softly as she entered his compact and neatly organized apartment.
She was both curious and hesitant to know the topic of this fascinating conversation was.&nbs
“I speak the truth when I say that I am from inner-earth. It is a land filled with beauty and wonder and species that once walked the planet’s surface,” Tristan began.“What? Like, dinosaurs?” Jim asked teasingly.“I fear I have misjudged you,” Tristan grumbled. “I perceived you to be far more open to possibilities than you apparently are.”“Well, you have to admit…” Jim began.“Don’t be an ass and shut up,” Chloe barked while never taking her eyes off Tristan. As much as she wanted to label this man insane right along with Antoh Sudnik and call the police, something inside of her told her to listen to all he had to say with an open mind. Tristan flashed Chloe a smile of gratitude and her heart melted. She had no idea what kind of hold this man had on her, but a hold it was. “Continue, please.”“Inner-earth has
They decided to take Chloe to her aunt’s farm, just outside a small town five hours away. She was Chloe’s mother’s sister who’d lost that close connection years ago when her mother passed away, so it was years since they’d seen each other. They considered the connection between aunt and niece to be so remote that they’d have time to figure out what to do before Antoh Sudnik discovered it if he even did.Jim was glad he’d taken the time to call the office and put them on the alert about Chloe’s escape from the facility prior to going to pick her up and then give them a brief summary of what she’d told him about it later on. While leaving her apartment after collecting a few things, he received a phone call from Marcus’ secretary, Susanne, to tell him that Antoh Sudnik had visited the office on the pretense of wanting to hire their best investigators who handled missing persons cases. He e
The motel room was modest, but clean and tidy. Chloe flopped onto the only bed the room possessed. The mattress was a cheap one, but that was to be expected since the room rental was also quite inexpensive.“I’m exhausted,” she said as she rolled onto her side and looked up at Tristan.“That bed seems small,” he muttered.“It’s a queen size,” she said with hesitation as she assessed whether or not the bed was long enough for someone of his height. “We should both fit on it.”“I thought I would sleep in the chair, to avoid… you know what… happening again,” he said softly.Chloe studied Tristan. She wasn’t sure if she should be hurt by his rejection or flattered by his attempt at chivalry. She glanced at the chair he was referring to.“That chair doesn’t look very sturdy. You’re a pretty big and muscular guy,&rd
Chloe sat on the edge of the bed in total confusion. First of all, she’d forgotten -or perhaps didn’t even fully believe- that Tristan was only half human. Secondly, she didn’t understand what properties his fluids would have that could raise havoc with her.“What kind of beast? What will happen to me?” she asked worriedly.Tristan scowled. “That is something I am not sure of. I have had no first-hand experience. I have only listened to stories and rumors.”“Stories and rumors?” she said with a hint of hope. “That’s all this could be, then.”Tristan thought for a moment on what to say. He knew it was more than stories and rumors because one of the stories was told to him by his grandfather who just so happened to have had a love affair with a surface human while out on mission. He told Tristan as a warning just days before he left for hi
Oleg wore a satisfied grin as he slipped his cell phone back into his pocket. He’d managed to utilize the fact that his uncle was dating a policewoman who was able to trace Chloe’s credit card activity. Some private investigator she turned out to be. People search 101 was to trace the trail of the credit card. She should have immediately gotten cash. If she had, he’d have never found her in this out of the way location.His first clue was the two gas stations she’d stopped at. Then the truck stop. Now the motel. It was all so easy. He’d confirmed that they were in their room and then called Dr. Sudnik. Now, all he had to do was wait for the boss to arrive. They’d recapture the male and turn that meddlesome Chloe into a breeder. He rubbed his hands together with anticipation. He’d take special delight in letting his goonies at her body while she was drugged.The door flew ope
It took a few minutes for Chloe’s stomach to calm down enough to feel it was safe to continue. Picking her up with the utmost care, Tristan ran, once again, in the direction he believed the cave to be.“The jostling is making me sick,” she said in a throaty, gurglely, voice.He slowed his pace. “Is this better?” When she nodded, he added. “I sense a cave nearby. We will stop there.”“How can you just sense stuff like that?” she asked. “It’s amazing.”Tristan shrugged. “It is something that comes naturally to my people. I am not unique in this way.”“Do you think I’m morphing into your kind? Is that what’s happening?” she asked.He heaved a sigh. If only he could be sure she wouldn’t be frightened by his other half. If she’d just met him as a beast first; like his grandmother m
Tristan was gone from the cave less than an hour when he returned wearing a satisfied grin and carrying `two rabbits, wild horseradish, wild mushrooms, and a few wild herbs he’d tasted and thought would help to make a palatable meal. He was eager to see Chloe’s reaction to his successful gathering. He wanted her to understand that he could, and would, take care of her under any conditions. He was sorry that their relationship started under the worst of circumstances that he could imagine, but, on a positive note, things could only improve for them.“It is fortunate that your vegetation and animal life bears significant similarities to mine, although on a lesser scale. I was quick to find fixings for a decent meal. I am very hungry. I can imagine how your stomach feels after all of that purging,” he said as he entered the cave and set his gatherings onto the floor. When Chloe didn’t respond, he peered through th
Myriana paced the gleaming, white marble floor while she waited for an audience with her father. It was at least thirty minutes since she’d asked to see him and was told to wait in the great hall. She glowered up at his empty throne that was positioned on an elevated platform to allow him to look down upon the entirety of the great hall where the elite of the land gathered to meet. It was so high that it required he shift to his beast state to reach it; after which he returned to his humanoid self.What could be keeping him?He knew her patience level was low on the best of days. He also knew her reason for wanting to see him. Was he taunting her to punish her because she refused to walk away from the love she felt for Tristan? He was not of royal blood, after all. Not to mention that he was of the family Dragonas and was tainted by the surface human’s genetic line.Tristan’s grandfath
Their return to Manthella was bittersweet. Their hearts were heavy over the loss of four good soldiers while they were light with the joy in the fact that Chloe and Lizzy were returning with them.After extensive conversation where Lizzy informed the remaining Manthellans about the true origin of herself and Chloe and a good deal of deliberation as to whether they should remain on the surface of earth or go to Manthella, Myriana went through the proper channels and received permission to bring them, should they wish to go.It took little convincing to get Chloe to agree and even less for Lizzy, who wanted to stay close to Chloe to monitor her pregnancy and also who had no desire to part company with Jepson.With a good deal of the vampires and hybrids having perished along with their maker, the trip back to their vessel was far less perilous than when they arrived. Eager to get home, they wasted no time setting the course.Baqman and Mar
Lizzy had to search down several corridors before she found the room with the remaining soldiers locked up in a glass cage similar to the one Tristan and the other soldiers were in. She rushed up to the intercom and explained who she was and what was happening. Unlike the soldiers who were locked up with Tristan, they were grateful for her help and eager to cooperate.One of the soldiers was Jepson. Like Tristan, he possessed the ability to pull the code to unlock the cell from the energy thought cloud hovering over the keypad. He did it quickly and precisely. When he stepped out of the cell, the chemistry between him and Lizzy hit both of them like a thunderbolt to the point where they both stepped back in surprise.After taking a moment to regain her composure, she said, “Tristan is doing his best to battle the vampires. I had enough antidote for the serum in you for one. He’s in dragon form.”“
They made it through the back door with no mishap, but their luck wasn’t to hold up. In their search for the rest of the team, the soldiers who were locked in with Tristan were discovered and an alarm was sounded. They had their size on their side, but their opponents had fangs and venom.Whether a victim of a vampire bite survived was totally in the hands of the vampire. A little bit of venom would turn the victim, while a lot would take him to the point of no return. Chloe watched in horror as vampires sank their fangs into the Manthellan soldiers. The soldiers tried to shake them off but they clung with all of their mite while they deposited their venom into the muscular flesh. She wasn’t sure how much was needed to take down the Manthellan soldiers. They were clearly slowing down and weakening.The thought that the goal was to turn them instead of killing them came to mind and she gasped with horror. What a leth
Lizzy smiled as she watched the emotional reunion between her beautiful niece and the handsome giant. Even though there was a definite size difference, she didn’t think it was so substantial as to make a big deal of it. She’d seen many surface humans with the same height encumberments who managed to have long and lasting relationships. It was only size, after all.When Tristan finally pulled his attention from Chloe, he looked at Lizzy with both curiosity and mistrust.Seeing this, Chloe reassured him that she was on their side and convinced him to let Lizzy inject him with the much-needed antidote. Even though it wasn’t tried and true, Chloe believed it would work and that was good enough for Tristan. Unfortunately, there was only enough antidote for two of them. A brief conference was held amongst the others to determine who was willing to risk being injected with a serum that wasn’t tried and true that was brough
It was official. She was pregnant. Once the infectious joy that Lizzy emanated calmed down, the worry over Tristan’s well-being took over. Even Lizzy was concerned about him surviving the attack on the laboratory without their ability to shift.They labored with the anguish for the better part of an hour before deciding to do something to help them. Lizzy spent the remainder of the day teaching Chloe how to use skills that were inherent within her. She helped her to unleash her telepathic abilities to their fullest and then worked on showing her how to teleport by shimmering from one location to another by simply thinking about it.When she was satisfied with Chloe’s progress, Lizzy brought up a sensitive subject. “I have something I’d like to do, but I want to warn you that it would be painful for you and, possibly, risky for the baby.”Chloe’s eyes opened wide. “Risky? You mean, it could k
The anti-venom barely entered her bloodstream before she felt its cleansing effect. A surge of energy rushed through her and a sense of well-being swept over her. “I feel wonderful.”Lizzy busied herself repacking the satchel with her medical supplies. “I imagine you do.” She picked up her satchel and held her hand out for Chloe to take. “Now, it’s time to leave.”For the first time since her aunt appeared before her, Chloe questioned how she’d gotten past her captors. “I thought you were a captive like me.”“I sensed them coming to my farm and hid. They don’t know I’m here,” she said.“How did you get past them?”’ Chloe asked.Lizzy placed her arms around Chloe and pulled her close. “Hold tight and you’ll see.”Chloe felt Lizzy’s body start to vibrate. Soon, her own was vibrating in unison. Within s
She was back in her apartment at the lab. How odd to be placed there instead of with the other breeders. Chloe could only think that the risk of her turning was too high to chance having her in close quarters with the other women; many of them being pregnant.She couldn’t help being nervous about what it would be like to be transformed into a vampire or a werewolf or, perhaps, even both. If she hadn’t been so surprised and upset with Jim, she would have asked him about it.She was so wrapped up in worry that her body began to react like it had in Manthella, except, this time, Tristan wasn’t there to catch her. The loud thud of her hitting the tiled floor echoed through her head before darkness took over.The soft touch of a woman’s hands on her forehead was the first thing she was able to decipher from the fog in her mind as her surroundings slowly came into view. She was lying on the floor with a wet c
Chloe was surprised to see them turn into her aunt’s driveway. “How did you know where she lived?”Jim chuckled. “You’re only just asking?”She shrugged. “I guess I was so engrossed in talking that I didn’t realize you drove here without my directing you.”“I was here looking for you,” he explained as he pulled the car to a stop at the end of the driveway.Something felt wrong to Chloe, but she couldn’t put her finger on just what it might be. It was years since she’d been to her aunt’s farm, so she wasn’t sure how it should look or what type of activity she should expect, but instincts told her that things were too quiet.“Hmm,” she mused. “I would think Aunt Lizzy would come out to see who was in her driveway.” She craned her head to look around the farm for signs of her aunt coming from one of the outbui
After giving him the bare bones of her harrowing experiences, Chloe used her GPS to tell Jim her location and then settled down a few yards off the road beneath an oversized bush to wait for him. She felt cold and alone in the darkness.With nothing to occupy her mind, it was practically impossible to keep thoughts of Tristan out of her head. Her body tingled all over as she lost herself in the reminiscence of their lovemaking. She touched her cheek as she recalled the feel of his solid chest against it. She could almost hear the beat of his heart in her ear. She laughed when a few of the stories he’d told her to amuse her came to mind and cried at the memory of his saddened look as he walked away from her in the tunnel. All the while, she anguished over whether or not she’d done the right thing in leaving him. She’d never felt for someone the way she felt for him. Even when in a long-term relationship while in