Yolanda Sfetsos - Alex Wales - Promise

She’s stunning. Yet, he didn’t feel an ounce of desire toward her. He wanted to worship her as he would a deity, a mother figure. He thought being on his knees was the appropriate position to be in while greeting such a woman.

Ulric lowered his head in a show of respect. “Who are you, Goddess?” he whispered in awe.

The woman chuckled, and he couldn’t help but gaze at her.

“My name is Priestess Aleena,” she answered.

Even her name was beautiful.

He suddenly felt as if something struck his head, and a multitude of recollections he hadn’t known he carried with him, tumbled into his mind.

“Don’t worry, Ulric. All of your questions will be answered, and very soon, by the sound of it.”

He wasn’t listening, anymore. The rush of unfamiliar memories caused a whirlwind of confusion inside his head, forcing him into a fetal position on the cage floor.

“Put me down!” Alex blinked a few times, trying to get her bearings and clear the remnants of being unconscious. It wasn’t an easy task, while being held upside down and bent over someone’s bony shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The back of her head throbbed, but it wasn’t as bad as the rage flowing through her body.

Her mother’s guards carried her around like this whenever she refused to listen to Lorraine’s instructions. She’d hated it then, and she hated it now. It’s why she was so pissed when Damon had done the same to her while crossing into this nightmarish place.

She kicked out and connected with something soft.

“Ow!” The grip on her loosened.

She took the opportunity to dislodge her midsection and stumble to the ground, taking the person doing the carrying with her. After she managed to untangle herself, she looked down into Levi’s familiar face. He seemed too busy cupping between his legs to care that he was now lying on his back, on the harsh ground.

“You can walk the rest of the way on your own. Don’t get any other ideas. If you make any sudden movements or try something stupid, I’ll blow Damon’s brains out.” Elroy had the barrel of her blaster pointed against the back of Damon’s head, between his dreadlocks. He was limping and favoring his left side, but he didn’t even pause.

Alex scrambled to her feet and held out a hand to Levi, offering to help him stand. He hesitated for a moment but eventually put his clammy hand in hers. When they were both standing, she let go, turned away, and walked on. She couldn’t be angry with him or even his other half, Milo. Not when she’d heard the threat Elroy had made. Yet, she couldn’t help but wonder why the head of security hadn’t put this much thought into keeping his people safe in the gardens.

She looked around. They were inside a building she didn’t recognize, but it looked like all the others-stone, uncolored walls, shiny white tiles, and sparse wooden furniture. Everything in Eden seemed so minimal. Was efficiency more important than comfort to these people?

“Why are you doing this?” She stood just behind Elroy and doubted he’d answer, but she couldn’t stand the silence and hated how focused he was on Damon. Luckily, Milo was helping him move forward.

I should be the one helping him along. She made a move toward Damon, but Elroy grabbed a hold of her wrist, yanking her back.

“Stay behind me,” he said. “That’s where your new place will be.”

“You bastard,” she whispered. “What the hell are you getting out of this?” Well, aside from framing her with murder, of course.

Elroy didn’t bother to look at her when he said, “You’ll soon see for yourself.”

She didn’t bother saying anything else after that. Instead, she kept her gaze pointed ahead, trying not to stare at Damon’s bare back. The tense set of his shoulders confirmed that even though he wasn’t reacting or fighting back, he was wound up pretty tight. Knowing he was a healer gave her a little hope. Surely he’d be able to heal quickly after being shot. The only problem she could think of was the blaster’s laser also having a numbing effect on his body. It eventually wore off but usually took hours. Would he be able to flush the effects from his system sooner than that? Judging by his sluggish movements, she doubted it.

She could feel his desperation flow within the pit of her stomach. Though the flowing echo of their mutual orgasm had now receded, the lingering, sensual buzz between them still bit into her.

“Open it, Milo.”

“I don’t have access to her room-”

“It’s unlocked,” Elroy snapped.

Alex blinked, only now realizing she’d been walking on autopilot and hadn’t noticed they’d reached a closed door.

Milo did as instructed and helped Damon limp into the bedroom.

Alex followed close behind, glancing at their new surroundings. This room resembled the one she’d been staying in. Even the window was located on the same wall.

Elroy led the small group toward another door. One she assumed was the bathroom, but instead turned out to be a small closet. When Milo opened it, Elroy pushed him out of the way. Never taking the weapon off Damon’s head, he curved his hand around the side of the doorway, and a creaking noise started up.

She leaned closer and watched the floor inside the closet slowly open up into a dark hole.

Milo pushed aside a row of white gowns-each was a different design, but all looked just as stylish.

Alex’s stomach fell when she realized whose bedroom they must be in and what this meant. She suddenly wanted to catch a glimpse of Damon’s face but could only see his back. Had the woman leading these people betrayed them all along?

“Come on. Let’s go,” Elroy said. “Grab the whore and head down first.”

Milo reluctantly released Damon’s arm and grabbed hers instead. He didn’t say a word but looked at her with big, sad eyes. She didn’t resist when he took her hand and descended into the hole. She did quickly glance over her shoulder in time to see Levi take over the position Milo had been forced to abandon.

She also noticed Elroy kept the blaster steady, even as they moved farther down the slick stairs.

Focusing on the stairs ahead was hard, because she couldn’t see a darn thing and being barefoot didn’t help. She couldn’t get a proper grip, but Milo kept a tight hold on her arm, ensuring she didn’t slip or fall into the darkness ahead.

With every new step, the temperature dropped. By the time they reached the bottom, she felt goosebumps sprouting all over her body.

A second before the others reached them, Milo whispered, “I’m sorry.”

She didn’t get a chance to respond, to tell him that she understood all of them were in the same position. First chance she got, she was going to smack Elroy. She might have gotten a knock on the head for head-butting him, but the satisfaction of knowing she’d made him bleed was enough for now.

“Step aside for a moment,” Elroy said, before the electronic sound of keys being pressed echoed around them. A second later, yet another door slid open in front of them. “Get inside. All of you.”

Alex swallowed. She still couldn’t see where they were going, but she had no doubt it would serve as their tomb. None of us are going to make it out of this pit. If they were about to find out what was going on, they would all die with the secret.

“About time you got here,” called a familiar and very sweet-sounding female voice.

Once they’d all stepped inside, the door slid shut behind them with a very final clicking sound.

“Welcome to my secret lair,” Aleena announced. As if to echo her words, a multitude of lights and monitors snapped on, one at a time. “I’m glad you finally made it. Just in time, too.”