Page 21 of The Alien's Runaway Bride

Gritting her teeth against the white-hot pain lancing up her leg, Raelee forced herself to move. She couldn’t let Vex face this alone. She couldn’t bear the thought of him being hurt because of her. Because she’d dragged him into this mess. Because she’d been too selfish to face her responsibilities.

As she limped toward him, Raelee’s foot caught on an exposed root. She fell, bracing for impact with the hard, unforgiving ground. But instead, she found herself enveloped in strong arms that seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

Vex had her. Somehow, impossibly, he’d fought his way through the wall of mercenaries to reach her. He scooped her up as if she weighed nothing, cradling her against his chest. Raelee could feel the rapid thud of his heart, the trembling of his muscles from exertion.

“Hold on,” he murmured, his breath warm against her ear. There was something in his voice – a depth of emotion that made Raelee’s own heart stutter.

Then they were moving, Vex navigating the forest with inhuman speed and agility. Trees blurred past them, branches whipping by so close, Raelee could feel them brush against her skin. She clung to Vex, her face buried in the crook of his neck. She could hear shouts behind them, the sound of pursuit growing fainter with each passing second.

A gunshot rang out, the sound impossibly loud in the forest. Raelee felt Vex stumble, heard his sharp intake of breath. “Vex?” she gasped, panic clawing at her throat. “Are you hit?”

“I’m fine,” he ground out, but Raelee could hear the strain in his voice. Still, he didn’t slow down. If anything, he seemed to move faster, pushing himself beyond human limits.

They burst through a thick tangle of undergrowth, emerging on the edge of a cliff. Raelee’s stomach dropped as she saw the sheer drop before them. Far below, a river snaked through the canyon, its waters churning white over jagged rocks.

“Vex,” she whispered, tightening her grip on him. “We can’t?—“

“Trust me,” he said, meeting her eyes. In that moment, despite the danger, despite the secrets between them, Raelee knew she did. Completely and without reservation.

She nodded once. Vex took a deep breath, and then they were airborne.

The world slowed as they fell. Raelee could see everything with crystal clarity – the blue of the sky, the green of the trees,the silver ribbon of the river rushing up to meet them. She heard the enraged shouts of the mercenaries, saw their figures appear at the edge of the cliff above.

Then they hit the water, and everything went dark.

The impact drove the air from Raelee’s lungs. The river was brutally cold, the current immediately threatening to tear her away from Vex. But his arms remained locked around her, an immovable force against the raging waters.

They surfaced together, gasping for air. Vex maneuvered them toward the shore with powerful strokes, fighting the current every inch of the way. When Raelee’s feet finally touched the rocky riverbed, her legs gave out beneath her. But Vex was there, supporting her, guiding her to the safety of the bank.

They collapsed on the pebbly shore, chests heaving as they gulped in air. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the rush of the river and their ragged breathing.

Finally, Raelee turned her head to look at Vex. His clothes were plastered to his body, his hair a wild tangle. A thin trail of blood ran from a cut above his eyebrow. But his eyes, when they met hers, were filled with a mixture of relief and something deeper, something that made her breath catch in her throat.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice hoarse. His hands moved over her, checking for injuries with a gentleness that belied the strength she’d witnessed earlier.

“I’m fine,” she assured him, though her ankle throbbed painfully and she was sure she’d have an impressive collection of bruises come morning. “But, Vex... how did you do that? How did you fight like that? How did you—“ she gestured vaguely at the cliff looming above them, “—do any of that?”

Vex hesitated, conflict clear on his face. “Raelee, there’s something I need to tell you. I’m not?—“

But Raelee didn’t let him finish. Overcome by emotion—relief, gratitude, and something she wasn’t ready to name—she surged forward, capturing his lips with hers.

For a heartbeat, Vex froze. Then with a groan that seemed torn from the depths of his soul, he kissed her back. It was passionate, desperate, full of all the things they’d left unsaid. Raelee poured everything she felt into that kiss—her fear of losing him, her growing feelings, her certainty that whatever came next, she wanted to face it with him by her side.

When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Raelee rested her forehead against Vex’s. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For risking your life for me.”

Vex’s hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb tracing her cheekbone with infinite tenderness. “You don’t have to thank me for something I’d willingly do at any moment,” he promised, the word carrying the weight of an oath.

NINE

The rusty door hinges of the park’s cabin they had rented for the night screamed in protest as Vexor shouldered it open, cradling Raelee in his arms. A gust of wind followed them inside, carrying the scent of pine and wood smoke, mingled with the metallic tang of blood and the acrid smell of gunpowder that clung to their clothes—stark reminders of their narrow escape.

Vexor’s arms trembled, not from Raelee’s weight, but from the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. His heart thundered in his chest, a chaotic rhythm born of fear and anger.

“Welcome home,” Raelee quipped, her voice weak but still laced with her trademark sarcasm. “I hope you don’t expect a damsel-in-distress swoon. I left my fainting couch in my other pants.”

Despite the tension coiled in his muscles, Vexor found himself chuckling. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ve seen you take down mercenaries with nothing but a sharp wit and a well-aimed pinecone. Swooning doesn’t seem your style.”

“Ah yes, my deadly pinecone technique. Learned that one in Girl Scouts,” Raelee winced as Vexor gently laid her on the worncouch. “Right after the ‘how to bake cookies in the forest’ badge and just before ‘advanced mercenary ass-kicking.’”

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