Page 51 of Alien Prince Fake Fiancé

Fulack!The monster was nowhere near as hobbled as he’d hoped.

In the distance, he heard C’Nar’s glee as the Cappran shouted an order. “Lights!”

Suddenly the light around the creature disappeared. All Zade could see was a giant shadow shifting and moving, staying just outside the ring of light that made Zade a bright target.

Lifting his hand to his tactical sling, he removed and activated his flamethrower. He pulled the trigger and a spout of bright blue and white fire streaked into the darkness.

The viderbeast screamed in frustration and shifted away, deeper into the shadows.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. For the first time, Zade knew how it felt to be stalked. Hunted.

Ashlyn watchedin horror as the viderbeast remained just out of range of Zade’s weapons. The fight had been going on for what seemed like forever. The nasty creature was down to eight legs, while Zade bled from multiple cuts. Venom from its pinchers dripped onto Zade’s shoulder and burned a hole through his tunic. The monster slowed, but so did he.

She clenched her fists and forced herself to remain where Zade had ordered her to be. She wasn’t a gladiator, and this reminded her of an ancient deathmatch in the Roman coliseum, one the gladiator wasn’t meant to survive.

Fuck C’Nar Ubrion. Fuck Cappra. Fuck the Council.Forced to watch the man she loved be systematically hunted by a monster beyond her worst nightmares, she hated them all.

At least Zade seemed to be holding his own. She caught him checking on her more than once and loved him more every single time. How could he even think about her when he was facing that...thing?

Since C’Nar had yelled ‘Lights!’, the whole arena’s lighting changed every minute or two, one second glaring so brightly she could barely see, the next plunging her and Zade both into a deep red that made her feel like she was literally in hell.

The lights were flashing on and off like a giant strobe light, making their movements appear convulsive and choppy.

Zade used the metal cage to his advantage, keeping the viderbeast on the opposite side unless he moved to the cornerfor an attack. The strategy could work, attack and retreat, again and again, until the creature was too weak to continue, although the crowd’s rude boos and taunts made it clear they wanted a full assault. Blood.

Death.

Assholes. All of them. She didn’t care if it took Zade three hours to let that thing bleed out, or three days. C’Nar’s stupid test hadn’t included a time limit, so they could all suck it. All that mattered was that Zade survived.

Heart pounding, she held her breath as Zade made his way to the corner of the cage and whipped his wire rope toward the viderbeast.

She jumped up and down in silent celebration when the wire wrapped around one of the viderbeast’s legs, slicing it clean off like a hot knife through butter.Gross.

“Another one bites the dust.” That made seven legs left. More blood. Drip. Drip. Drip. The sticky green stuff smelled like a mixture of rotting meat and chemicals. Maybe the chemical smell was the deadly goop dripping from its mouth. Everything about the monster was terrifying. The bulging eyes—make that eye––since Zade had already destroyed the other one, the spider-like legs, the creepy way it moved, those teeth. The fact that the monster was the size of a double-decker bus.Fuck.

She never, ever, ever wanted to see one of those things, ever again.

The small gun she held had become slippery. Her hands were sweating, and if she wasn't careful, she wouldn't be able to maintain her grip. Carefully, she wiped the sweat from one palm onto her pants, then transferred the small weapon to her dry hand so that she could do the same with the other, all the while keeping her eyes glued to Zade and the injured viderbeast.

Suddenly, the creature lifted its two front feet and began to climb on top of the cage.

Oh, no! No! No! No!

She watched in silent horror as Zade backed away from the cage just as the viderbeast completed its ascent and looked down on the arena from its new perch.

Zade kept moving away from her, toward the wall opposite her current position.

The flashing lights made the entire scene surreal, like watching a black and white movie in slow motion. The creature followed Zade’s movements, it’s back toward Ashlyn.

What was that?She squinted, trying to see better.What. The. Fuck?

Something moved, emerged from the creatures’ back, and slipped down the side of the cage, something about the same size as Zade.

Was that a baby? A viderbeast baby?

The smaller black creature looked almost identical to its mother. The only difference was that along its back, instead of being covered in long needle-like spikes, there were dozens of pinkish gray bumps, like festering sores, ready to pop. The baby’s pinchers opened and closed, shiny with fresh venom, as it made a series of quiet clicks and buzzing noises.Shit. Was it communicating with its mother from where it crouched on the ground?

If she hadn’t been watching, she wouldn’t have noticed the baby viderbeast now creeping along the arena floor.

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