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
Locating Tristan proved easier than Myriana could have hoped for. After discovering his vessel parked near one of the myriad of subterranean tunnels used by the meta-naturals, Jepson, the tracker in the group, determined the tunnel that would lead to the area for them to search. As luck would have it, when they reached the cave leading to the surface world, who do they find sleeping inside? None other than Tristan.Finding him so quickly was unexpected, but not as unexpected as the name that naturally slid past his lips after she kissed him awake. She had to refrain from slapping his face as she demanded to know who Chloe was.It took a few moments for reality to set in. When Tristan finally realized that he was in the company of Myriana and a few of her soldiers, he gave her a broad, genuine smile. “Am I glad to see you.”“Who is Chloe?” she persisted.Tristan studied Myriana’s expression.
Chloe sat, wide-eyed, in the darkness of the large room she’d been dragged into by a small group of fierce looking wolfmen. She’d seen enough in Antoh Sudnik’s laboratory to understand that they were human at the core. What she wasn’t sure of was if they’d retained their humanity once the wolfism took hold. Other than forcefully drag her out of the cave and down the tunnel and assault her senses with their dog breath, they’d done nothing to indicate how much danger she might be in.Thoughts of Tristan flooded her. She tried on several occasions to send him a telepathic message, but it went no further than the wolfman nearest her; much to his amusement.“Who might this Tristan be?” he asked with a sneer. “Should we be going back to the cave to fetch him?”“We can’t, brother,” said a female from the recesses of darkness. “We have orde