Page 37 of A Darkside Interlude

Chapter Eighteen

Mari zipped up her dress, staring down at the man who had tried to imprison her. He lay spreadeagled on the bed, naked, his features twisted into an expression of pure outrage.

“Don’t move,” she said softly. She slipped her feet into the tall silver fuck-me heels, enjoying the look of helpless outrage on his face. She literally had him by the balls. “You’re going to get dressed now, and then you and I are going to go for a walk. You’re going to walk with me all the way through this house until we reach the exit. Then we’re going to get into a vehicle—I’m guessing a rich guy like you owns a hover-car—and we’re going to drive until I say stop. Do you understand, Master?”

Despite his predicament, the man summoned a mirthless smile. “You really don’t have any idea who I am, do you, Wednesday?”

“You never told me your name. Don’t know, don’t care.” She shrugged. And my name is Mari, asshole. But she didn’t want him of all people to call her by her real name. “I don’t really spend a whole lot of time on the Networks. Don’t follow politics or celebrities or trends.” I’m too busy trying to survive.

“You are making a big mistake, girl. I can ruin your life with the click of a button.”

“And I can make your life absolute hell with the press of a button, right here, right now.” Mari held up the silver control-wand. Its counterpoint—the innocuous looking shock-necklace—was currently looped around his balls. Just now, Mari had discovered that one could get a man to spectacularly lower his guard by tricking him into thinking he was getting a blow-job. “How is escaping from you a mistake?”

The man froze, his arrogant expression wavering. “You want to escape and go back to your miserable life in the Dust Alleys? I was doing you a fucking favor, Wednesday. There are thousands of women who would give anything to be in your shoe—”

That’s when the roof caved in.

“Aargh!” Mari screamed in shock and fear as chaos rained down upon them. For a split-second, she thought the man before her had activated some sort of security alarm. They’re coming to get me!

Her finger accidentally depressed the button on the control-wand.

The man’s shriek of pain made her ears ring. Crap! Mari hastily removed her finger from the button. Perhaps her little plan had worked a bit too well. Bits of plaster and debris rained down all around them, and amidst the chaos, a specter dropped from the hole in the ceiling.

And Mari found herself face-to-face with just about the scariest motherfucker she’d ever seen in her life.

Alien. That was her first thought as she froze, completely transfixed by the menacing intruder.

He went perfectly still. Didn’t move, didn’t say a word, just stared at her.

Well, she thought he was staring. She couldn’t see his face under that impenetrable black helmet. Her gaze dropped to his powerful frame. His obsidian alien-tech armor was made up of a series of segmented plates that were perfectly molded to his honed body, accentuating every sculpted line. In his hand was a long, sleek gun, the end of which glowed sinister blue.

Is it you? Her heart skipped a beat. She’d never seen anything so magnificent… and scary.

Still, he didn’t move, and with every passing second, her doubts grew. What if this terrifying dark warrior had come to save the rich guy?

The plates of his impenetrable dark helm retracted into the armor-suit, revealing his face.

It’s you! Adrenaline flooded her veins, kick-starting her stalled heart. Her heartbeat went into overdrive as crimson eyes traveled up-and-down her body. It’s really you!

Arturo must have kept his word and tracked the alien down. But… how?

The Kordolian’s dead-serious expression stole her attention.

Mari became acutely aware of how provocatively she was dressed. Usually, that sort of thing wouldn’t bother her, but the way he was looking at her made her feel very exposed.

Not that she minded, when it was him.

“Did he hurt you?” His voice was rough like gravel, and laced with the promise of danger. “Were the two of you…” He took in the naked man’s appearance.

Shit. She knew how this must look to the casual observer. A naked guy in a bed, a sexily dressed woman…

The Kordolian’s fangs appeared, his features sharpened by a look of pure naked jealousy.

“What the hell is going on here?” The man on the bed tried to move, his hand slipping to his nether regions—as if to remove the silver noose. Mari shook her head. Don’t move, she mouthed, waving the control-wand in the air. I’ll zap you.

Her former captor paled into insignificance as Mari turned to the Kordolian. The effect he had on her was stunning.

Her lips parted. Her breaths came deep and fast. Her eyes widened as heat surged through her core. Her body was doing things that were beyond her control. There was something quite exhilarating about having a fully armed alien warrior drop out of the skies like some sort of mythical god.

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