I didn’t move. I didn’t dare. For all I knew, they had a basement filled with humans in cages they experimented on. The whole Area 51 and aliens came to mind, especially since, as ironic as it sounded, the reporters had said the first alien vessel to make an appearance on Earth was over Area 51. Funny. At least the UFO believers had gotten something right. What they got wrong was everything else...
Derrial studied me as if he could read my thoughts. What exactly had he meant by being curious about me? I was as plain Jane as they came. I led a boring life, followed the rules, end of story. If they wanted interesting, they should look up Cherry.
“I don’t think the word, safe, has the same meaning to you as it does me,” I responded.
Derrial blinked slowly, and I was caught in the perfection of his green eyes, his lashes were so long and thick any girl would have been jealous. Up close his pupils were a mosaic of greens, like crystalline waters, and for a few moments I wanted to fall into them.
His fingers were like a vise, pressing into my arms as he held me against him, and he stared down at me so intently.
“You’re hurting me. Let me go, Derrial.” My jaw clenched.
He hauled me toward the enormous window, and I stumbled alongside him before he spun me to look outside. An ocean of pine trees spread out as far as the eye could see, enormous mountains in the distance like sentinels watching over us. Beautiful, but right now it was terrifying as it meant we were alone out here and nowhere near home.
“See that out there?” he said, pointing to the wood covered landscape. I held my breath, preparing for the worst.
“Yeah.”
His grip softened and his palms slid down my arms, feather soft. “For miles there’s nothing but wilderness, animals, and danger,” he whispered in my ear, his breath warm, melting the ice in my veins.
I struggled to concentrate. It was hard to focus on his words when his fingers were skipping across my stomach. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion as he caressed my skin. I couldn't focus on anything but our connection. His rock-hard chest sat flush against my back, his bulge pushing against me, and his hand inched up my stomach ever so slowly.
I gasped for air. “Danger?”
His fingers trailed under my breasts gently, a wisp’s touch away from grazing them, only the light fabric of my nightgown between us. Heat pooled between my thighs, and I grew wetter with the anticipation. My breath hitched; my mind focused only on his closeness. My body betrayed me, begging me to turn around and kiss him, discover what a Vepar tasted like. I should have slammed my heel into his foot, instead I stood there, my body thrumming with my racing pulse, my heart in my throat, waiting for him... What was he waiting for?
“There are rumors,” he began, his words still hushed, “of escaped caiks. Creatures from our world that are akin to your wolves living in these woods. They’re carnivores with a sharp beak and tongue, making them ideal for eating creatures. Vicious things that stowed away on a few ships when we arrived.” He paused, seemingly for dramatic affect. “So, my advice to you is to not wander out there alone.”
“Are you kidding me?” I twisted my head to face him, and his expression remained stoic. “Why would you let them loose on our planet and not round them up? It’s your responsibility to not destroy our ecosystem.”
Someone cleared their throat, and I glanced over to find it was the Vepar with brown hair, Corran. Clearly the scientist agreed with me.
Derrial’s hands disappeared and he backed away, his earlier warmth replaced by a chill from the loss of his body against mine.
Thane broke into a laugh. When had those two come into the room?
I glanced up at Derrial. “You’re joking about the caiks, right?”
He shrugged, but the edges of his mouth twitched as if he might break into a smile.
Asshole.
“The house is yours to enjoy. We’re heading out for a short while.” Without another word, the three of them strolled out of the room, and the sound of a door closing reached me.
“What the hell?” I followed them into a hallway containing a chandelier hanging overhead that dripped in crystals and paintings of forests and open land adorning the walls. I rushed to the grand white door that must be the main entrance to the mansion, but it was locked, and I couldn’t find any way to unlock it. I felt around thinking there must be some hidden way to open the door, but after half an hour of searching, I gave up. A sinking sensation washed through me. I may not be in a cage, but this was a prison still the same.
If the Vepar were going to lock me up in their home, then they should expect me to do some snooping, not to mention track down a telephone to call for help. Definitely not Cherry after her crap...maybe my new boss at the cafe might help.
I wished I’d spent more time making more friends, socializing, rather than keeping to myself. But I was a fool for too long and believed Cherry was all the friendship I needed as I struggled with losing my parents. I wished I could rely on her, and I kept telling myself maybe she was going through something, struggling with her own things. Maybe I had been the person in the wrong because I hadn’t noticed, and I’d never asked her about it. Regardless, her behavior had been horrible, and she really hurt me when I needed her the most. I wasn’t sure I was ready to forgive her...or even if it was possible for me to forgive her at all.
Shaking aside my thoughts about Cherry, I returned back to the current pressing need to escape from here. I grabbed one of the stools at the island counter and carried it over to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. My heart raced; I knew the Vepar would be pissed if they came home to a broken window. But I wasn’t staying here if they were going to be stupid enough to leave me alone. With all my strength, I hurled the stool in my hands into the window.
It smacked against the glass with an explosive thud, then bounced backward with such speed that I had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit. Fear tightened around my chest. The stool rolled and slid across the kitchen floor until it smacked onto the counter and came to a dead stop.
“Shit!”
The window didn’t show a single blemish or crack. I walked closer and ran my hand over its smooth surface. They must have some kind of bullet proof glass. This had to be some kind of compound to keep people locked in the house… or something out? Humans hated the Vepar, so they’d have to think there would be someone who’d attack them.
Regardless, unease sat in my stomach because it seemed getting out of here was an impossibility. Still, I spent the next hour checking all the potential exits of the house that I could find.