Page 31 of Kidnapped By the Beast
You can’t do it. You hate heights. You’ll fall. He’s strong but what if he drops you? What if you smash your skull on the ground?
The branch creaked beneath her feet, cracking sharply.
“Damn it, do it right now!” Brandt’s golden eyes locked on hers, his arms outstretched. His voice was fierce, commanding. “Trust me!”
Lexi’s pulse roared in her ears. The beast slammed into the tree again. The branch creaked beneath her. As a panicked cry tore from her throat, Lexi leapt.
Air rushed past her and her stomach did a sickening flip-flop of pure fear. For a heartbeat, she was weightless, her scream echoing in the morning air. Then—impact. Strong arms closed around her, solid as stone. Brandt caught her against his chest, his body absorbing the shock. He grunted, but didn’t falter.
Lexi clutched his neck, burying her face against his shoulder, trembling so hard her teeth chattered. The beast snarled behind the gate, pacing and giving her menacing looks, but Brandt only tightened his hold, glaring at the monster with fury in his golden eyes. Then he turned his attention back to Lexi.
“How in the Seven Hells did you wind up in a tree with that creature coming after you? You could have been killed,” he growled, his voice shaking with barely suppressed emotion.
Lexi couldn’t stop trembling. Her heart thundered, her breath came in gasps and tears were squeezing out of her eyes as the realization hit her—he was right! She’d come a hairsbreadth from meeting her maker.
I almost died—Oh my God, I ALMOST DIED!
The thought pounded in her head and she started to cry. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t answer any of Dr. Brandt’s questions. All she could do was cling to him desperately and try to believe that she was finally safe in his arms.
15
BRANDT
Brandt’s heart still pounded as he walked away from the meadow, Alexandra trembling in his arms. He could feel her tears soaking into his bare chest, her breath hiccupping in short gasps.
Poor little human. He felt a powerful surge of protectiveness and the wish to comfort her filled him.
He stopped beneath the shade of a broad-leafed tree where there was a convenient bench and sat with her in his lap. Gently, he titled her chin up so he could look into her face. Her cheeks were blotchy with tears, her green eyes wide and wet.
“Alexandra,” he said quietly, though his voice was rough with emotion. “Tell me what happened. How did you get yourself into that situation?”
She shook her head, covering her face with one hand.
“I—I don’t know. It was so stupid. I wasn’t thinking.”
He brushed her hair back from her damp, flushed cheek.
“No, tell me—I need to understand. You don’t just find yourself clinging to a tree with an alien beast trying to knock it down.” He raised his eyebrows. “Unless you’re a sleepwalker?”
She shook her head.
“No, I’m not. I…” Her lower lip trembled and she took a deep breath. “There was a baby animal in the pen—it came right up to me. It was so cute—like a little bunny with horns. It just wanted me to pet it.”
Brandt froze, his stomach knotting.
“So you went into a wild animal enclosure that was clearly marked as dangerous to pet a baby animal?”
She stiffened and nodded reluctantly.
“You don’t have to say it like that. I didn’t see the mother at first. It was so adorable and it pressed its little nose into my hand and I…I couldn’t help it. I slipped into the pen to see it better.”
He stared at her, stunned, then a low growl built in his throat.
“You put yourself in danger on purpose.”
Her tears spilled faster.
“No—not on purpose! I thought it was safe! The baby was so sweet. How was I supposed to know it had a mother the size of a grizzly bear waiting in the shadows?”
