Sergey: Love Me Harder (2 page)

“What made this the cause you had to fight for?” Sergey asked.

She sucked her lower lip into her mouth and began to play with it. How did one answer a question like that? Glimpses of young faces crowded her mind. She would never forget that room. Sad faces and broken hearts at times still bothered her dreams. When she paired that with the nightmare of being experimented on. She mentally shook her head, she needed to make a difference.

“Suffice it to say, some horrors never go away.” She clamped her hands on the steering wheel, refusing mentally to say another word.

“If you’re going to provide back up on this mission, I’m going to need your name. My name is Sergey.”

She cast her eyes briefly at him and bit back a groan. Why hadn’t she asked him his name? No mystery there. She’d been off balance the moment she slid on that barstool. His scent had hit her, landing in the pit of her belly and making her want things she could no longer have.

“Lorali - my name is Lorali Johnson.”

“Nice to meet you Lorali Johnson.”

“You also Sergey.”

She pulled into a parking place. “I think we’re close.” She got out of the car and reached into the back, pulling out a black bag. She stood still after closing the door. She felt eyes she couldn’t see on her.

“You’re very sensitive, Lorali.” Sergey said to her, before motioning for the watchers to come forward.

Four males came into view. She recognized them instantly as being alien. Sergey had brought back up. Why hadn’t she considered that? She blamed it on his intriguing smell and hard chest.

“These are my brothers. Ash, Nicolas and Hale.” They gave her a small bow as they were introduced. “This is Dante. He’s an honorary brother.”

“Hi, nice to meet all of you. I’m Lorali.”

They all replied to her with various forms of hello.

“Lorali is going to make sure that the other young ones aren’t hurt and are taken proper care of.”

They nodded, looking at her. She looked around and led them to the right. The docks weren’t a place she visited. She’d thought to find them cleaner. Instead, they smelled of water and fish. She guessed that made sense.

She refused to look in the water. She knew she would only see gentle waves, but too much terror had conditioned her to see horror in beauty.

She stopped when she saw the ship in question come into view. It was named the Quest. Such an epic name for a sleazy ship. Not that the ship could help what it was being used for. That would be the captain’s fault.

His brothers disappeared into the scenery.

“Where do you want me?” Lorali questioned as she tried not to stare at his chest and those powerful arms.

“Safe in the car.” Sergey replied his lips tilting in a smile as he watched her.

“Not happening.” She set her bag down and assembled a rifle. “I’m an excellent marksman. Should I pick my own spot?”

“No. Can you climb a tree?”

She looked over to see a tall thick tree roughly fifty yards away from where they were standing. Part of someone’s beautification project she thought.

“Not that one.”

“Come with me.” Slinging her rifle and her bag over her shoulder, she followed him.

He stopped at the base of the tree and turned his back to her. “Climb on.”

“Excuse me?” She almost swallowed her tongue trying to get the words out.

“Climb on my back.” He crouched down to make it easier for her.

She ignored every voice in her head calling her a fool. They were telling her in no uncertain terms not to put her life in the hands of an alien. Why wasn’t she screaming and going to the police?

She fielded the questions as she walked over to him. She told the voices in her head to shut up before she ejected them. Once done, she calmly explained that the government, AKA Uncle Sam, knew the aliens were here. If she went to the police, the only one winding up in a strait jacket would be her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. The truth was, he didn’t need her to come close if he was going to kill her. She leaned against his back and he stood up straight.

The voices in her head were no longer screaming she was an idiot. Instead they were calling her all kinds of indecent names. Hussy being one of their favorites.

She’d wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing her useless crotch against the small of his back. It had roared to life as if it had been sleeping. The heat from his body had invaded her, making her want to rub against him.

She was propelled to achieve that feeling of bliss she was no longer privy too. How could this happen now?

“Are you alright?” His voice went through her like a smooth drink that settled in your stomach and warmed your body, giving you a slight buzz and making the world right again.

‘Fine.” She murmured, feeling her nipples harden. Nipples that never hardened in the cold anymore, because her nerves were dead. She would never feel again. That’s what the doctors had told her.

She watched as claws sprang from the tips of his fingers. She should scream. She might even scream later, but right now she was lost in the sensation of feeling something she’d been missing.

He climbed the tree, careful not to jostle her body. For one brief moment, she lived a fantasy where she loved an alien.

Chapter Three

He placed her on a tree branch and made sure she was secure before jumping down. He landed on his feet. Blending in with his surroundings, he took a moment to watch Lorali as she sat in the tree scanning.

Already he felt like a part of him was missing. What was it about her that was already calling on to him?

He shook his head. He’d been skipped. On his world, mating went in order, the oldest then the next and so on. He’d been skipped. Niko had found his mate before him. Birth order was important on his planet. Aran was born first that made him the commander of their group. He’d been born second making him the second in command.

If Aran was to be believed, Niko had found his mate first, but had fought it for some time. Aran was the oldest. He would never lie to them. He took off at a jog, trying to forget a pair of blue green eyes. He needed to keep not only the children safe, but her as well.

“If I’d known this mission would be hampered with pretty humans, I’d have volunteered for it.”

Sergey found himself growling at Dante.

Dante held his hands up smiling. “I’m trying to figure out when your contact became female.”

“Not female. A human woman. Nothing else.”

Dante turned to look at the woman lying on the tree branch with the scope of the rifle to her eye.

“Definitely female.” He walked away, leaving Sergey to ponder what his words meant.

The brothers blended in with their surroundings, forming a loose circle around the Quest. Dante sauntered up to the ship, looking like he might be a bit lost.

“Hello.” Dante’s voice called out as he approached the ship. The gang plank was down and he stepped on it calling out another greeting.

“I need some help.” He tried to sound desperate. He failed miserably.

The brothers silently laughed as they watched him.

“Don’t come any closer.”

Sergey looked up. There on the deck, standing in front of several large crates, was a man holding a machine gun.

“I don’t want any problems.” Dante’s hands went up in the air as he inched closer. “I seem to be a little lost. Can you help me?”

The man raised the gun. “I’ll give you to the count of three to move before I start shooting.”

“One.”

Sergey ran faster, getting closer.

“Two.”

Sergey leapt onto the deck, making it shake.

“Thr…”

The man fell to the ground, clutching his leg that had been shot out. The brothers stared in shock, before giving the woman in the tree an invisible nod.

Men came out from everywhere shooting at Dante, the only visible target they could see. The brothers came up behind them and took them out, while Dante knelt over the man clutching his leg.

Once they were all incapacitated or dead, they began the search for the missing children. The crates on the deck were empty. They must have been used as decoys in case they were questioned about their load.

Sergey motioned for Ash and Hale to cover the door as he went inside the hold of the ship. It was pitch black. He adjusted his eyes to be able to scan the room and found nothing. He was in a large room with supplies that included a multitude of guns and other ammunition.

He silently walked to the back of the room, but found nothing. He stood still allowing his ears and other senses to pick up what his eyes may have missed.

He pointed to the floor when Dante came down. Dante nodded and picked up one of the discarded guns, making sure it was operational before he aimed it at the trap door Sergey had found.

Sergey grabbed the trapdoor and pulled. It was a new door engineered to be heavy. If he were human, he may have needed the help of the others to lift it. Immediately, he heard the sounds of sobs and heavy breathing. The floor had kept him from hearing it clearly.

No one jumped out. He laid on the floor and looked in to see about fifty young ones huddled together in a corner, looking small and fearful. Their wide eyes begged him not to hurt them.

He stood up and left quickly, going for reinforcements.

“What happened?” She demanded when he appeared at the bottom of the tree.

“Jump.”

“Are you crazy? I’ll break something if I jump.”

“I’ll catch you.”

“Where are the children?”

“Jump.”

How did she end up with this crazy alien? Maneuvering herself onto the tree branch, she got into a sitting position and used her hands to push off. “If I die, I’ll come back and haunt you.” She threatened, even as he caught her easily.

“The children are in the bottom of the ship. I thought a female presence might help to put them at ease.”

They moved quickly as he kept her hand. There was no reason to hold on to her, he told himself several times. It didn’t seem to matter. He couldn’t let go. Her body was calling to him, imprinting on his on some deeper level and his beast was allowing it. No, demanding it.

She was much too fragile to mate with them, he informed his beast. Yes, she was deadly with a rifle, but that didn’t mean she had what it would take to be with them.

He led her to where the children were. He peered down into the hole and then jumped. Looking up, he held out his arms to her.

Not taking as long as the first time, she braced herself and jumped. He caught her, never even offering a groan. Setting her down, she turned to face the kids.

“Hi.” She said in a soft voice that went straight through him. “I’m Lorali.” She crouched down low, putting herself on their level.

“I came here to help you.” Several children gave soft whimpers, while others stood completely quiet as they watched her with big frightened eyes.

“It’s ok to cry. I’d want to cry too. I’m so proud of you because I can see you were all so brave, even when the bad men tried to scare you.”

More eyes turned to look at her with tendrils of hope, wanting to believe, but not daring too.

“That is Sergey. He’s going to help me get you out of here.” The children took one look at him and began to whimper loudly.

“He looks scary I bet.” Some nodded. Some tried to fold themselves into even smaller shapes.

“He’s just a big teddy bear.” She walked over to him and tugged on him until he bent over.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he stood. She swung back and forth as he waited patiently. Eventually, she climbed over his head, making sure she was as rough as possible so that the children would be at ease.

“He’s like a big jungle gym.” She slid down his back and landed on her feet.

Several of the kids cast her a fast smile, causing her to smile wider at them. She walked over to the boy who looked the oldest.

“I can see you’re a brave boy. Will you let us get you out of here?”

He nodded and put his hand in hers. She led him to Sergey who carefully lifted him up to Dante. Once the children saw that he was fine, they all wanted out. After that, the rescue kicked into high gear.

Once they had all of the children out, there was nothing to do, but wait. Sergey identified the princess. He’d made it very clear to the General that the princess would disappear if the other children weren’t taken off first.

The men on the deck that had been taken care of were being carted off by military personnel on call for that purpose. Next, some very harassed child care workers showed up.

One look at the frightened children had them softening up. They may not love the politics of the job or the hours, but they loved the children. Lorali made sure each child was settled and promised to be in touch with the workers to see if she could lend a hand.

Sergey watched her from an unobtrusive spot he’d chosen. He was making sure the princess wasn’t found, while keeping an eye on Lorali. The child care workers had liked Lorali immediately accepting that she too cared for the children and their well-being.

Finally, the General walked up with a man who carried himself like a Prince at his side. Sergey stepped out, having made sure that Lorali couldn’t be seen. He gently tugged the princess out with him.

She took one look at her father and ran to his open arms, calling Papa. The Prince scooped her up, holding her tightly, allowing tears to roll down his face.

“Whatever you need, it’s yours.” He said to the General, before disappearing into the back of his chauffeured vehicle with his daughter still clutched in his arms.

“The government owes you.” The General said as nonchalantly as possible.

“General, you owe us. We’ll collect.” Sergey’s voice was matter of fact, without any warmth in it.

The General turned and walked away.

The brothers escorted Lorali back to her car. They said their farewells and left her alone with Sergey.

“What will you do now?”

“Make sure the children are looked after. Then I may look for another city.”

“Take care, Lorali. It was nice to meet you.

“You too Sergey.”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a card. “If you ever get tired of your vagabond lifestyle, there will always be a job for you here.” He handed her the card.