Yolanda Sfetsos: Alex Wales: Promise

“Priestess,” Elroy began, “we should begin.”

Color sprouted high on Aleena’s cheekbones. Her long, pale hair tumbled over her shoulders as she crossed her dainty arms in front of her. “You keep quiet, now,” she snapped. “Elroy’s dislike of aliens almost gave everything away. He’s got good reason to hate them, of course. We were promised to each other all those years ago, and were about to make our union public, when the Elders found out what had happened to me. They labeled me tainted, even though it wasn’t my fault. I was attacked, but they wouldn’t listen and forbid our union. By then, I was a little scared of men anyway, and sought out companionship from women. They just felt safer, softer, and knew how to wipe away my tears when they fell at the most inopportune times. Elroy was patient and loyal, waiting until I was ready. For that he must be rewarded.” She held out a hand to him. “Come here.”

Elroy hesitated. “What about them? I need to keep this-”

“Just come here.”

He headed toward her with the blaster at his side. When he placed his hand in hers, she led him farther into the cave and away from the rest of them.

Alex looked up, and for the first time, she noticed the moonlight filtering in from above. She turned her attention back to Aleena and Elroy. They paused, their hands still joined.

Aleena rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for your loyal service.”

“The pleasure was always mine, Aleena.”

Alex wanted to knock the smugness off his face. Her fists balled up at her sides with rage. Her blood boiled as she glared at the rocky surface-wondering what this crazy bitch had in store for them, and hating this man who was so blindly being led by her. Aleena obviously didn’t care about Elroy, yet he was willing to do whatever she wanted him to do. She was leading him on, using his unconditional devotion against him.

“Give me the weapon,” she said, taking it out of his grip and dropping it at her feet.

Priestess Aleena smiled and let go of his hand before placing both of hers against Elroy’s chest. She caressed him lightly and pushed. He stumbled, a confused expression on his face. When she took another step and pushed once more, Elroy tumbled out of sight.

His screams echoed up from what sounded like a void.

A bolt of light shot up from a huge hole in the ground-like some sort of vertical force-field reaching for the moon.

When she turned to face them, Aleena’s demeanor had darkened.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Damon asked. Instead of approaching the Priestess, he backed up until he stood beside Alex. Taking her hand in his filled her with a sense of safety that had been absent since Elroy forced them into this situation. Yet, she couldn’t help but wonder how he’d gotten the restraints off his wrists.

It doesn’t matter.

“Oh, Damon. I had to do it. Elroy’s love for me makes his life-force much stronger. Besides, he’s made a few too many mistakes, and I never did get over the betrayal of men.” She wiped one hand on her dress. “After I get a child out of you, I’ll never need a man, again.”

“That’s not going to happen.” He tightened his hand around Alex’s. “I’ve got no interest in you.” Damon gave Alex a sideward glance, as if the latter bit had been said to her and not Aleena.

A low growl echoed around them. It was followed up by the word, “No!”

Alex shivered, because she knew exactly who was making those sounds.

Damon’s green eyes blazed with anger. “What else are you hiding?”

Aleena smiled as she leaned over, picked up the blaster, and tucked it in between the silver cord around her waist.

Damon stiffened beside Alex. Milo and Levi took on defensive stances, but the Priestess walked past all of them. They all turned with her, following her every move to see where she was going.

Alex noticed a cage and something pacing inside.

“The animal,” Damon whispered. He made a move to push Alex behind him, but she held her ground.

“I’d like you all to meet, Ulric.” She unfastened a large padlock and threw it to the rocky ground at her feet. “Well, all except for Alex. You already know him quite well, don’t you?”

She could feel the heavy weight of Damon’s stare but refused to look at him.

A brown blur raced out of the cage, across the rocky surface, and charged Damon. He let go of her hand just as he was knocked to the ground with a savagery that made Ulric’s furry snout dribble with spit.

“Damon!” Alex called. The last thing she wanted to do was aggravate Ulric, but Damon had already been weakened.

Levi and Milo stared in amazement, stuck to the spot.

Alex stepped forward but was stopped by the eyes of the beast. Ulric looked at her over his shaggy shoulder, his dark gaze penetrating hers. Horror and repulsion filled her, reminding her of how he tasted when he’d kissed her inside the room. Of him being naked, and that she’d actually touched him only moments before he morphed into something else.

Her stomach churned, but she kept the sickness down with quick, shallow breaths.

The animal watched her until Aleena stepped between them. “Let him be, son.”

For a moment, Alex didn’t know who the Priestess was talking to.

The fangs protruding from Ulric’s top lip seemed to retreat a little. His giant paws pressed down against Damon’s chest, pinning him to the spot.

She couldn’t bring herself to say the name filling her mind.

“Ulric.” It was Aleena who said it. “Come to me. Now.”

The beast took a step back, removing his paws from Damon. He went from quadruped to bipedal within moments. His face convulsed, and his spine arched as the fur retreated and became smooth skin.

Damon struggled to sit up. His left arm still didn’t seem to work properly.

Alex made a move to help him, but Ulric blocked her path.

“No.” Ulric seemed to have struggled with the change. His skin glistened with a layer of sweat. The muscles of his back and arms shifted into place, until she recognized every naked contour. “Alex, you belong with me.”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t.” Her breath remained unstable, but it was enough to string words together. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” His body shook, and he was a mess. The air of self-assured control had been stripped from him, and he didn’t smell all that nice. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. You were supposed to get your business done in Lark, and then I was going to surprise you.”

“Surprise me? My ship crash-landed. What did you do to it?”

“It wasn’t me.” Ulric took another step. “I told you that it’s an old piece of crap. It was only a matter of time before this happened.”

How dare he say that? She resisted the urge to slap him, because she couldn’t bear the thought of touching him.

So, she was right. He’d been on her ship all along. She just hadn’t sensed him. Had he been trying to secure some sort of romantic getaway for them as she headed out on her latest cargo delivery? His offer of a permanent place on the Anteris Space Station had been sweet, but she’d refused and should’ve been given the decency to continue on her way. Alone. Not have him do something as possessive as this.

“Actually,” Aleena interrupted, “it was you, Ulric.”

He looked at her, confused. “What are you saying?”

“The ship crashed, because you were onboard. As soon as you passed by Paradise, you were pulled into the planet.”

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Ulric stared at Alex. “I didn’t know.”

“He’s right. He didn’t know…how could he?”