Page 5 of Forbidden Desires

She couldn’t hold it against them. Between the new court orders and the monsters from space, everyone was on edge. Amelia took the greyhound through a town where they were in the streets protesting. She wasn’t sure what they were protesting, but she held her breath until they were safely away. There was a good possibility they didn’t know what they were protesting about, either.

Zylar took them off the main road into some trees that were off to the side. They walked a ways before he came to a stop. Amelia’s heart gave a painful thump, wondering if this was the end of the line for her.

“This isn’t a Duran. Let’s call it a cousin to the Duran.”

Amelia choked on a laugh. She should get along with it, whatever it was. She was also the poor cousin. A vehicle she’d never seen came into view in front of them.

“Is that a spaceship?” It was the first spark Amelia heard from Anna since her boyfriend kicked her to the curb and denied their baby.

“It’s a small land-to-space cruiser.” If that was Zylar’s definition of small, she didn’t want to know what large meant to him. That sounded dirty in her mind, making her want to kick herself.

The door opened to reveal a large bank of equipment up front with two captain’s chairs. There were several chairs lined up inside the cruiser. Zylar pointed to a chair up front for Amelia before getting the other seated comfortably and belting them in.

“I’m taking you someplace you will be protected and fed.” Zylar’s fingers skimmed the controls, looking like a pianist with perfect symmetry to his hands. Amelia choked and looked in a different direction. She never wanted one of the purple monsters, but there was a time, long ago when she had wanted someone. Some dreams come true, just not hers.

They sped through the sky, going faster than the speed of light. An invisible beam brought the cruiser to a sudden halt, throwing everyone against their safety harnesses.

“Identify yourself.”

Chapter Three

Had Zylar run into a trap set up by the Air Force? Was this how Amelia would get free and go back on the lam? Running from place to place for the rest of her natural life. It didn’t hold the glamor it did a mere two weeks ago. She didn’t want that life, but dying didn’t appeal to her, even if she deserved it.

“Identify yourself or we’ll blow you out of the United States airfield.” Amelia turned to look at Zylar.

“This was an incomprehensible mistake, but I’m not usually steering the cruiser. I’m more of a passenger than a pilot. Your people have increased their air diligence, which I would normally applaud.”

Amelia gave a slow blink and looked over Zylar slowly, this time from the jeans he was wearing to the flannel shirt that would blend in with where they came from if his skin was pale, and he didn’t look like a monster. The way he managed the men in the back of the house was as if he understood human motivations and desires better than she did.

“I can help.” She looked atAnna and Sarah, who were sitting tensely with raw fear showing on their faces. She could read the pain in their eyes, wondering if this was where it would end. There was a whimper from Zoya that gave her a headache. It felt like she was being overcome with a host of desires that made no sense.

“Why?” She didn’t know how long Zylar had been on Earth, but he was more acclimated to the planet than either of his cousins.

She searched for an answer. Why did she want to help? Could it be possible that she thought about regaining some of what she lost? Maybe she was hoping to slide feet first into hell but to deserve purgatory and one day heaven. She shook her head. None of the thoughts made sense. It would take time and a thorough analysis of her psyche to figure that simple question out.

“You said to me they didn’t deserve to die.” She pointed to Anna and Sarah, including the baby, by default. “I believed you then, and I believe you now.” He nodded. Her simple, truthful statement was enough for him.

She didn’t believe he trusted her with anything except this. His hand hovered over a switch, waiting for her to say the word.

“Ready,” she whispered.

“I am Amelia Astor, Cousin of Jenna and Bella Ashford. I’m on my way to their land, which is considered the United Embassy of Diza. Why have you stopped me?” She knew that her last name was going to be a buzzword. She was part of the Astor family that owned ports and a shipping conglomerate across the world. Not that it had done her any good. Her father was disowned when Amelia was just a child. That's how they ended up living by her cousins. She was still part of the family and was allowed to vacation with them in the summer. They didn't have to know she didn't have any power. Not any longer. Sometimes she forgotor tried to forget that her family disowned her like they did her father. She pushed that pain away not wanting to dwell on it.

Her fall from grace was long, and she didn’t want to get into it. There were whispers in the background until the mic on the other side went dead.

“Ms. Astor, this is Captain Frederick. No one informed us of your visit.”

“You wouldn’t have been. It is impromptu. Is there a reason I needed to clear my flight plan with you? Is this the way you treat American Citizens? “

“Of course not. We’ve gotten permission from the president’s office to authorize your travel. We need to have face-to-face confirmation to make sure you’re not being pressed into speaking with us. I’m sure you will understand why we would want to board your vessel.”

Amelia’s laughter flowed freely, putting the women at ease and having a strange effect on Zylar. How easy it was to slip back into the role of a shipping princess. She looked at Zylar, who indicated another spot on the console.

His fingers played the console with the grace she noticed earlier. Whatever he did cut off the back so that the only person who could be seen was her. He nodded, and she turned on the viewscreen.

“Captain Frederick, so nice to see you.” The monitor they were looking at lit up. It was Amelia’s incoming feed. “As you can see, I’m not being‘pressed’into service.” She emphasized pressed like it was old and antiquated as well as putting the full force of her anger behind it. Pressed into service the way they had pressed her ancestors. The captain swallowed and clung to the smile on his face.

“Ms. Astor, I would still like to send a party to make sure.”

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