Chasing Dare Read online

  This was the third one of these bitches that she had been forced to deal with since she’d started working with Dr. Camarasa, but this one was the worst. This one really believed that she was hot shit. At least, the other two had been smart enough to realize that they were beneath her!

  They had tried their best to con her into thinking they were worth her friendship, but she had shown them that they were nothing, just like she would show this one!

  She smiled as she remembered the look on the redhead’s face when she’d plunged the knife into her stomach. The shock and surprise had been entertaining, but it was watching her writhe in pain as she begged for help that really had been exciting.

  It was supposed to take longer for the weak bitch to die, at least a good twenty minutes or more. But, she was so pathetic she had died much sooner than Lucretia wanted.

  She’d studied for weeks the best place to stab the bitch to ensure maximum agony and prolong her death. But, the bitch couldn’t even get that right, after all the effort she’d made to pretend to befriend her! If she hadn’t been so stupid, she would have realized that the escape she was helping her pull off was a ruse. Instead, she had been able to accidentally, stab her when she tried to escape.

  She smiled to herself as she remembered convincing the doctor that the reason she hadn’t called for help until after the girl was dead was because she’d been in shock over all the blood. He thought he was so smart, smarter than she was. But, she’d been playing him for years.

  This one would probably last a little longer than the redhead. She was going to have to think of something a lot more fun for this bitch than just a blade in the stomach.

  This was going to be a lot harder to plan and hide from the doctor than the last two because the Valendran. But, she had seen the way the alien gazed longingly at her when he’d first seen her in the basement.

  He, like most men, was obviously enthralled with her beauty. It wouldn’t take much to ensure his betrayal of the bitch in order to have the chance at a taste of her charms. The poor beautiful alien was probably desperate to get away from that nasty slut and have a real woman like her!

  Unfortunately, she would have to wait until the doctor began his treatments with the bitch before she could get the alien alone. But, it would give her time to make plans; plans not only to keep the alien to herself if he was worthy of her, but to get rid of that useless bitch too.

  Lying about her to the doctor wouldn’t get her killed, like it did the first one. This was going to take a lot more thought to accomplish, and for that alone she was going to make the bitch hurt! She hated wasting her incredible intelligence on such petty endeavors.

  She was so sick of these nasty girls who thought they were better than her, who thought they deserved more than what she had. Normal human women like her were bad enough, but these filthy half breeds and the gifted ones were worse than any human woman.

  Normal human women usually knew right away that she was superior to them and gave her a wide berth, the stupid ones she had the puny dicked man she was screwing at the time, take care of for her.

  Lucretia pried her ample hips out of the chair and walked to the mirror in the bathroom and stared at her reflection. Her sick and damaged mind, twisted the reflection until she saw a version of herself from thirty years ago.

  For a woman who was fifty-six years old, she was still more beautiful than any of those three freaks were, she thought as she ran her fingertips over the wrinkles under eyes, seeing only perfect, unblemished skin in her reflection.

  They weren’t even real humans; barely more than animals. Which is why, Lucretia thought, more of them needed to be captured and treated like the lab rats that they were meant to be.

  Running her hands over her small, sagging breasts and her very large hips, she thought about how many times she used her sexiness to get to where she was in life. She’d been sleeping with every old and nasty dick; she could get her whole life if they got her a promotion, money or jewelry. The things she deserved, she thought.

  She smiled when she remembered how many companies she’d been to where she slept her way to the top and got rid of any bitch who tried to get in her way, except for that last company. There was that jealous freak in marketing who actually had the nerve to think she was better than her!

  It was her fault that she was even here; stuck in this horrible backwoods hell, having to put up with another special bitch, instead of living back in the city and enjoying the attention of her many male admirers.

  She wouldn’t be here for much longer though, she thought with a smirk. She finally stole enough money from the doctor and the Relian fools, to be able to leave; to live in the lifestyle she deserved.

  With the fake credentials that the doctor had given her when she first hired on with him, she would be able to avoid the murder charge the police were trying to pin on her for that marketing bitch, and leave the country.

  If the gorgeous alien was worth it, she may just bring him with her for entertainment, she thought with a smile. This would take a little time to plan, but she was sure she could enlist Brak to get the little bitch since he hated her so much. Until she was ready, she would make sure she enjoyed every torture the doctor did to that bitch, and if he wasn’t harsh enough to teach her a lesson, then she would happily do it every chance she got.

  Smiling seductively at the younger version of herself in the mirror, she turned and walked out of the bathroom and back to the computer to watch her sexy alien and make plans.

  *****

  “Grai, have you heard?” Grai blew out a breath of exasperation as his youngest brother Traze came barging into his office unannounced… as usual. Normally, his seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm were comforting to him, reminding him of their gentle mother, who Traze was so much alike. But, after dealing with the senator and Dr. Camarasa, he wasn’t in the mood.

  “Why don’t you tell me what you’ve heard, and I’ll tell you if I already knew it.” Grai said absently, rummaging through his desk drawer looking for a particular file he needed.

  “The Valendrans who took Cari, got that girl Jess too! Father is furious and called the Valendran High Councilor and threatened to kill every gifted or hybrid on the planet! Father also demanded both back and any offspring they might have had. I think he was just trying to find out if they had been successful at creating a child.”

  “Of course, the Valendrans didn’t give him any information. Father is seriously off his chain over it, so you may want to keep a low profile for a while.” Traze threw himself haphazardly into one of the comfortable chairs in from of Grai’s desk as he spoke, causing Grai to groan in frustration. He wasn’t in the mood for a long chat with his carefree baby brother.

  “No, I didn’t hear about it. So Father was furious?” Grai blatantly lied to his brother; he not only knew that she was taken, he had known for months that they were close to rescuing her.

  “Bro, he was so pissed he was spitting fire at everyone around him! He even killed Dreka in his rage. Whatever is killing him is eating away at his mind, because he’s really losing it now.” Traze looked a lot more concerned than happy at the news and rightfully so. Although he may be sick and weak, their father’s viciousness would more than make up for his lack of strength.

  “What did you did with Dreka’s wife?” Grai asked, with concern. He hadn’t heard that his father killed Dreka. Dreka and his wife Sabienne were fiercely loyal to their mother and therefore, to the brothers as well.

  “I packed her stuff and put her on the ship back here with me then sent her to LaSali. I figured she’d be safe from father there.” Traze said with a sigh, his pain over the loss of Dreka obvious now that Grai was paying more attention to his brother. Dreka had been more of a father to Traze, to all of them, than their own had been.

  “You did very well, Traze. He will have forgotten she even existed by tomorrow, and LaSali will take good care of her. What else have you heard?” Grai was grateful that his little brother was a
ble to easily get information out of some of their father’s confidantes. It made avoiding his father and his orders much easier for him and his other brothers.

  “Not too much really. Father’s circle of suck-ups are still trying to make it look like the old man has his mind intact, but they’re failing pretty miserably. Uncle Tai and our dear cousins are still plotting their coup for when the old man dies. And since everyone knows he has lost his mind; nothing is getting done anymore.”

  “They’ve even sealed off part of the ship because they aren’t maintaining it like they should. I can’t begin to figure out how many have escaped to the planet because no one is tracking the personnel and the ships coming and going.” Traze looked a lot happier relaying that information, causing even Grai to smile back at him.

  “So, there’s nothing else going on? Really?” Grai asked with a quirk of his brow, making Traze sigh in frustration.

  “Man, you know to don’t you? How the hell, do you know? Who told you?” Traze demanded, throwing his hands up theatrically. Grai almost laughed out loud at his brother's human-like dramatics.

  “Why don’t you tell me your side of the story, and we’ll talk from there?” Truth was Grai had no idea what his brother had done this time. However, knowing his brother was a magnet for trouble made it much easier to assume that he’d done something he shouldn’t… again. Lucky for him, his brother was generally honest and would admit to what he’d done pretty easily if prompted.

  “All I did was take Koda’s new ship out for a test drive before he was done fully checking its life support capabilities.” Traze was deliberately leaving out the part where the life-support systems had stopped working shortly into the flight and if Koda hadn’t chased after him when he took the ship, he’d be dead right now.

  Traze knew the moment Grai read between the lines; his face turned varying shades of red before white, and he braced himself for the inevitable outburst he knew was coming.

  “Have you lost your damn mind as well? You could have been killed; you fool! What the hell, were you thinking?” Grai demanded angrily.

  “I was bored up there, and I just wanted to try it out and see how it worked. You know Coda is always one step away from going nuclear on someone anyway. I just let that someone be me this time. It was a humanitarian effort, no need to thank me.” His attempt at humor did nothing to remove the stormy expression from his brother’s face.

  “You think this is funny? You almost killed yourself because you were bored? Not including the damage and setbacks to Coda’s ship! Damn it Traze! You know how important that ship is to us, to our people! Do you even know what damage has been done?” Grai wanted nothing more than to throttle his brother for his carelessness regarding his own safety, but knowing Coda; he'd probably already beat Traze senseless, so there was no need to repeat it. No matter how much he wanted to do just that.

  “He was able to tow it back to the dock to work on it. There was no harm done. If anything, I helped him figure out where the life-support systems needed additional work. You aren’t going to give me credit for helping either, are you? Man, you guys really suck! I’ll see you later, bro.” Traze got up to leave when Grai grabbed his arm.

  “You must take better care of yourself brother. You know how much we need you. How much, I need you. You cannot allow the life you’ve lived on Earth to distract you from what needs to be done. This is too important… for all of us.” Grai’s concerned expression tore at him. He’d really unnerved his brother, and he hated to worry him when he knew there was already so much resting on his shoulders.

  “I know Grai. I’m really sorry that I worried you and Coda. I promise that I will be more careful next time. I’ll see you later, bro.” Traze gave him a beaming smile before leaving as quickly as he’d entered.

  Grai sat back down with a heavy sigh, already regretting that he’d raised Traze here on Earth. His brother was too young and impulsive. And he’d adapted far more rapidly than Grai expected to the language and mannerisms. He needed to think about what to do with his less than fierce brother.

  Chapter Seven

  The next day of their captivity went by far too quickly for Dare’s comfort, although she would never admit it. She and Balduen spent the day memorizing what time meals were brought to them, when the drink and snack coolers were replaced with full ones and details about the Relian guards.

  She’d asked for a deck of cards to help entertain them since the TV was pretty boring and had spent the day teaching Balduen poker and yoga to keep them occupied and her mind off the experiments that would start the next day. Luckily, it had worked, until the doctor had come up after dinner to give her another hormone injection.

  As soon as she felt the drugs kick in, she’d watched Balduen’s reaction closely. When the doctor ordered her to lean over the bed again, she couldn’t help but notice how his body shook, fighting the drugs in his system. Her hope rose as she realized that whatever his beast was, it freaking rocked if it could fight this horrible crap. She’d give anything to shove that needle up the doctor’s ass… sideways.

  However, as much as she hoped for some kind of miracle rescue or reprieve, she had spent the rest of the evening resigning herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to be able to get out of this before they tried to impregnate her. She had lain next to Baldy, in the bed, that night and couldn’t sleep. Her mind worked overtime trying to think of something, anything to stop what was going to happen.

  Although he had never spoken a word, she knew Baldy didn't sleep that night either. As the sun rose and the time came for breakfast to arrive, Baldy had turned to his side and pulled her to him until her back was pressed tightly to his chest.

  “I’m so sorry Dare.” His gritted teeth couldn’t conceal the rage and regret she could hear in his voice. She smiled to herself at how crazy it was to feel happy that he was so angry on her behalf. She squeezed his arms in gratitude.

  “I know Baldy. I am too. But, I’m glad you’re here with me. You’ve made it much less horrible for me.” Dare admitted. She was terrified. Terrified that she’d end up pregnant with an alien monster, or that she wouldn’t, and they would kill them before they could escape or be rescued.

  “I could think of much better places to be right now, but you’re not in any of those places. So I’m glad I’m here with you. You’re the bravest female I’ve ever met. Don’t let them…” His voice cracked, and he couldn’t finish what he was going to say. How could he ask her not to let them break her, when he felt broken just thinking about how he couldn’t stop any of it from happening to her?

  “I know Baldy. Don’t worry, I’m tougher than anyone realizes.” She turned her head to shoot him a quick smile before hugging him tighter to her.

  They stayed like that until long after breakfast came, neither of them hungry, they stayed wrapped in each other’s arms until the doctor came in to get Dare.

  “Get up, my dear. We have a big day ahead of us!” The doctor’s voice grated on Dare’s nerves. If it weren’t for the drugs, she would have gladly knocked the cheerful right off his troll-like face. The quick squeeze Baldy gave her, told her he was probably thinking along the same lines.

  With the drugs running through her system, she couldn’t fight the order to get up. As she started to scoot away from Baldy, she found his hold was still too tight on her, despite the drugs. From the way he was shaking, she knew he was fighting hard, but it wouldn’t be enough for them to escape anyway.

  “Baldy, not now! We’re not ready.” She whispered urgently, not wanting the doctor to notice that he was successfully starting to fight the drugs. He gave one last hard squeeze before his hands went immediately slack, as if it had taken every ounce of effort to try to hold her. She quickly got out of the bed and moved to stand with the doctor by the door.

  “You’re staying in here today, Valendran. We’ll start on your tests later. Right now, this young lady is much more important.” Dare stared at Baldy while the doctor spoke, and while his face look
ed carefully blank, she could see that his eyes had become a deep, dark blue before he closed them. The blanket still covering him, concealed the tight clenching of his fists.

  Dare quietly followed the doctor down the stairs, the drug allowing her to do nothing but obey him. She would give anything to be able to fight, to grab Baldy and run. To take that refrigerator and smash the smirk off Brak’s face as he lounged casually at the kitchen table as she passed.

  She watched her surroundings with avid curiosity when the doctor led her out of the house and down a well-worn dirt path around the back of the old farmhouse.

  The path was mostly overgrown, with tall hedges that looked as if they’d been hacked instead of trimmed to keep the branches from covering the path. Turning back towards the house, she could see the bricked up window on the second floor.

  The path opened up to a large barn, not more than forty yards from the house and the room they were being held in, she noted, reminding herself to tell Baldy later.

  As they walked closer to the barn, the door opened to one of the Relian’s, she had already seen in the house the first day. She was glad the number of their enemies hadn’t changed. So far, they’d counted six, including the doctor and his assistant.

  Dare had barely walked through the door when she heard the heavy-metal door bang closed behind her, the locking mechanism making an ominous clicking sound as it engaged.

  Dare stared in shock at the room she was in. It looked like someone had built an old barn around a state-of-the-art laboratory. There were machines, microscopes and medical equipment all over the room. Several tall, rolling chairs were interspersed among what looked to be different work stations that held the multitude of equipment, most of which she’d never be able to name.

  The floor and walls were a field of gleaming white tiles with a floor to ceiling wall partition separating the main room from where the doctor was leading her. In this room, it looked like a standard doctor’s office with the bed, rolling blood pressure monitor, cabinets and a sink. Miscellaneous jars with cotton balls, swabs and other items dotted the counter.