Ash: Love Me Harder - Alien Paranormal Romance (5 page)

The hover car ride was silent. They were rising through the different habitable levels in the atmosphere.

“They say that the poorest people live on the ground. That is not true as you saw my house. There are many others who choose to stay with their feet planted firmly on the ground who are very wealthy. The level we are on is unofficially known as the poor level, officially it’s called Prauville, Pa. It was named after the mayor who set it up. It was the first level the more influential moved to when it was finally decided it made more sense to live in the air than on the ground. As more people clamored to live in the air, the influential ones moved up to higher levels, spending more money to make sure the construction of each level was steady, but also increasing the economy.”

He drove around allowing her to see what each level boasted. He stopped and allowed her to get a good look at the Skyline. It was grander than any hotel she remembered visiting.

The levels were far enough apart that when she looked up all she could see was more sky. There were even clouds between some of them. It was like living on the ground in some ways because she could see the sun shining through. If she didn’t know she was in the air, she would have assumed she was on the ground. The houses looked more futuristic. They seemed to be all windows that had the power to darken or lighten depending on what the owner wanted. The shape and design of them were at odd angles.

Ash told her that the windows were made so that breaking into them was a thing of the past and it helped to keep crime low in the domes.

The houses and even the industrial areas fell by the wayside as they climbed higher.

“Who lives up here?”

“Dante and his brothers.”

“Is that it?”

“Yes, their restaurant is up here. It’s invitation only. It’s the only way to get this far up, without an invitation you will drive in circles but never reach this level.”

The restaurant came into view. It was beautiful; the walls seemed to glow with soft welcoming colors. There was a grand floor to ceiling window that allowed her to look in and be amazed by the diamond chandeliers that sparkled and gleamed with brightness. Just this small glimpse outdid anything she remembered from old Earth. Glancing down again she grimaced, this place deserved more of a compliment than her in the clothes she had worn all day long.

“Do you want to turn around?”

“Are you sure I look presentable?”

“You’re absolutely gorgeous. Dante and his brothers will be excited to see you.”

“I want to go in.” So what if she didn’t live up to her father’s standards, he died and left her alone in a new world. She was free to do, be, and act anyway that appealed to her as long as she didn’t embarrass Ash. That she wouldn’t do.

Her heart beat a little fast as she stood beside Ash. Was it only a day and yet he made her emotions sing? No, it was more than a day, it was three hundred years of dreams and desires until the real male was finally standing before her. The dreams she had didn’t compare to him, her fantasy nothing but an illusion when compared with the reality of him.

She took his hand when he helped her out and moved with him towards the door. They walked into a warmth that greeted her, wrapping around her like a long lost friend. She looked at Ash out the corner of her eyes to see if he noticed it. There was no change; he was probably used to it by now.

A tall man with dark hair and a unique looking scar on his cheek met them at the door. He was dressed in a casual pair of pants and a dress shirt open at the top. His body was heavily muscled.

“Brooklyn, I have waited a long time for the honor of meeting you.” He gave her a half bow.

She raised a brow never letting her face betray the surprised that this male she never met knew exactly who she was.

“Brook, this Dante, he is the first born of the brothers and the restaurant is named after him.”

“Dante, you seem to already know who Brook is.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Dante. Your restaurant is impeccable.” She gave a small sigh of relief she didn’t feel as nearly underdressed as she imagined. She looked up and Dante gave her a wink.

“Thank you. Follow me and I will seat you.”

He seated them at a table for two, it was intimate but large enough for them to have enough room for several plates if they wished.

Her shoulders wanted to relax like it was the most natural thing in the world but she knew the importance of maintaining a flawless façade in front of strangers. This stranger even more so since his familiarity with her niggled at the back of her mind making her wonder if she ever met him before.

“It seems we are the first customers of the night.” She smiled up at him feeling safe without knowing why.

“You will be the only customers tonight.” He left her with a smile that spoke of mystery.

“He’s different. Is he what you are?”

“No, I am not sure what he is. The only person who may know is my oldest brother, Aran, and he’s not telling.”

“Why does being the oldest seem to matter so much?” She sat with her back straight and her hands placed in her lap.

“Anytime you want to you can relax. Maybe put your hand on the table so I can touch it.” Ash slipped off his shoe and placed his foot against her leg inching his toes up her pant leg. He needed to touch her, his beast didn’t feel steady when it wasn’t touching some part of her body.

Eyes rounded in surprise but the smile on her face said she liked what he was doing.

“Each group of Created have a family of six. We are created and incubated in order. Aran is the first of us. He was programmed in the womb to be the Leader. The next was Sergey, he was programmed to be the second–Aran’s back up in case anything happened to Aran. After him was Niko, he was programmed on military security as well as numbers. Then came Nicholas, he was programmed to be the physician in case any of us needed him. Then there was Hale, he was programmed to be the tech genius and lastly there was me.”

“What were you programmed to do?” She took one of her hands from her lap and casually laid it on the table.

Without a word he captured her hand in his, rubbing a thumb across the back of it in a gentling gesture.

“I am the jack of all trades. I have the ability to pick things up fast. The correct term is I am a sphere, a replacement part in case one of the other parts is too damaged to repair.”

“Did you feel like an outsider?”

“Yes and no. While we were on the planet we were created to protect, I felt like an outsider. The scientist reveled in making sure I knew I had no real function. They tried to get Aran to point that out to me, but he chose to ignore them.”

A small smile hovered on his lips as he remembered Aran tuning out as they tried to explain Ash’s role in their brotherhood.

“I went to Aran once before we came to Earth and told him I understood I was replaceable and volunteered to do the things that were life threatening instead of another brother who was needed.” Ash shook his head. “Wrong move. Aran went all beast on me. Beat me until I was ready to listen. Then he told me and each of my brothers that no one was replaceable, which meant no one had better die. If we did, he would charge the gates of where we were to get us back and none of us would appreciate being back after Aran got through with him.

“I was scared to die after that. Then he pulled me aside and this is what he said. ‘You are what I say you are and not the scientists. They are simply the idiots who created us. One day we will leave this planet and I need you. Our brotherhood needs you.’ Then he walked away. When we came to Earth, he coddled me at first. I think he was scared he would lose me. But I am the jack. I learned to be the glue in the end that helped to hold us together. Aran and my other brothers never let me feel like an outsider but I still know what it feels like when those in charge don’t treat you right.”

She nodded her head. Another male came to take their drink orders and hand them menus. He stood tall with black hair and beautiful green eyes. It made an eerie combination that reached out to try and grab her.

“Hi, I’m Julian. Nice to meet you, Brooklyn.”

“Does everyone know my name?”

“We do. What can I get you to drink?”

Soda had fallen out of favor centuries ago according to Jaz. They now drank these incredible spritzers that caused her tummy to feel all giggly without the harsh benefits of drunkenness or hangovers the next morning.

She ordered her favorite spritzer. Jaz told her it was alien in origin but since humans won the war, she decided she could drink it without guilt.

Julian took their order and left.

“Where does he fall in his group order?”

“He’s third.”

“What does that make him?”

“I don’t know. Dante and all his brothers are more on the secretive side. As far as I know, no one is sure what they were programmed to do. There was even a rumor once among the Created that as the first they were too powerful to be programmed.”

“Dante was the first ever Created to not only survive but thrive. All we know for sure is that the scientists were scared of him. We never knew why.”

Julian walked back with Spritzers and collected the menus. “Dante has decided you won’t need these.”

“He just took the menus.”

Ash rubbed her instep with his foot. Brook kicked off her shoe some time ago loving the feeling of him touching her.

“Dante gets in these moods where he decides he knows what you want more than you know. Truth is I have never seen him miscalculate before.”

“Well then, dinner should be great. What have you done since the war ended?”

“I spent a lot of time helping to purify the ground water. There was very little clean water. Even though we won the war, it looked like humans would end up killing themselves fighting over a necessary source of life. We, my brothers and I, were able to sponsor scientists who were working on cleaning the water not for the rich but for everyone. Now it is one less thing for the people of Earth to come to grips with. There are still areas of the world that remain closed off, considered biohazard zones. The area we met was just opened, I hadn’t even known until that day.”

Ash just sat looking at her still unable to believe she was really there.

“Tell me something about you, Brook.”

“I wanted to be the perfect daughter, while on the inside I was rebelling. I couldn’t help it. I thought it was unfair that others got to live and love while I had to play a part every day. What’s worse, I felt so bad about it. I was a princess; I should have been on top of the world. I had everything and I told myself that every day.

The truth was I would have been willing to trade it all for a chance at happiness. I used to dream of going to college. It almost happened for me. I talked to my dad about it every day from the time I was nine, then when I was fifteen I woke up and my legs were weak. I was taken to the hospital, a year later I was diagnosed with a rare medical condition. I would get worse not better until I died.

That’s when I lost my chance. My father, who was always strict but still loving, took complete control of my life. I learned to evade my bodyguards if I wanted to be alone. I taught myself to live vicariously through others. I watched strangers—I couldn’t see them well, but voices tell a lot. I believed they had the one thing I craved—love.”

              She dropped her head. Memory after memory swarmed her and the soft tears she had denied herself for months finally fell. Ash moved his chair around to her and pulled her into his lap. She buried her face in his shirt and cried for every possibility she lost when her parents took her final decision away from her. Then she cried for the parents she lost. She would never say goodbye to them and somehow that felt like the ultimate betrayal.

Brook sat back in her seat looking composed when Dante brought out plates of steaming food.

“I decided to make your favorite, Brook.” On her plate was a thick hamburger and french fries.

“How did you know?”

He smiled at her and gave Ash his food.

Ash watched him walk away. “I’m going to feel like a fool for saying this, but I swear Dante knows everything. He just doesn’t talk about it. Why are hamburgers and french fries your favorite food?”

“When I was growing up, my father didn’t allow me to have common food. I ate like the grownups whether I liked it or not. I remember the first time I went away with my mom. It was just the two of us, I was so excited. When we got where we were going, somewhere in Virginia, there were more grownup things to do. One day she woke me up, dressed me in jeans, huge glasses and a hat. We snuck out of the hotel and she took me to a movie and after she took me to this restaurant with harsh lights and lots of laughter. She ordered me a hamburger and fries, encouraged me to try and said I would like it. Ever since then, when I ate that burger and watched my mom smile at me like I was the most important person in her life, it’s been my favorite food.”

Ash nodded and stayed silent as he watched her sink her teeth into her burger. Her dainty teeth tore through it and her eyes lit up as she swallowed.

“Beautiful,” he whispered, watching her. Her dark skin was flushed with joy as she ate. He wanted to touch her and his hands began caressing her arms.

“Slow down,” he whispered to himself.

He couldn’t risk losing her again. He needed to take his time, not scare her away.

“Ash, are you ok?”

“Yeah. I umm was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“How I don’t want to scare you away,” he admitted softly.

She almost laughed at that. If she was faint of heart or a runner, she would have been gone so fast, but she was neither of those. She decided she wasn’t going anywhere. Was it when her heart almost flew out of her chest when she realized it was really him, or when the gunshots started and his first thought was to protect her?

Maybe it was when he changed into an alien or one of several other things. All she knew was, right now, she needed to get to know him better. Running? She’d think about that later.

“I’m right here with you, Ash.”

Ash nodded his head but he knew better. Everyone went away. Amber was out amongst the stars exploring the universe. It nearly ripped his heart out when she left Earth. He would have fought to keep her and Alexei right here where he could watch over them, but he knew it wasn’t smart. She’d be ok, he simply wanted her to stay because he would miss her.

“You were there, Brook. I touched you and then instead of taking you with me, I watched as you got into that limo and rode out of my life. I searched for you for years until reason said there was no way you could be alive any longer. Then I searched again. Now you’re here and I’m afraid to blink for fear that between closing and opening my eyes you’ll be gone or I will find out it was all a dream.”

“Ash, I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.” She gave him a smile. There was the fact that someone wanted her dead. “All I know is I’m not leaving you without telling you why.”

He nodded his head. “Finish eating.”

“Our mate. We will protect her.” His beast made this promise knowing they wouldn’t survive another year without her.

He picked over his food as he watched her finish eating. It hadn’t been a day, but he’d already lost his heart to the strong independent female across from him. She hadn’t cried when she realized they were being shot at. She simply overcame her shock quickly and did her best to do whatever he said.

There had been no whining like a prima donna in the car. She listened and helped him to figure out what was going on. She hadn’t crumpled the way paper money used to when she received that call. Her back was straight and she was standing tall believing they would take care of the threat together and they would. He needed to hold her body close to his and fall asleep around her.

She pushed her plate away and sighed with satisfaction. “That was delicious. It was the first one I’ve had since I’ve been awake.”

“Dante will be happy to hear you enjoyed the food. I want to introduce you to all the brothers, but not tonight it’s growing late.”

“Ok. Where do we need to pay?”

“Shh, no mention of money. An upset Dante is not good for anyone. You never pay, believe me Dante does not do this for money. I think it gives him pleasure.”

“He really is different isn’t he?” They stood to leave.

Dante was leaning against the hover car when they reached it. His legs were crossed and his arms folded across his chest. His thick muscles bulged.

“Thank you, I enjoyed dinner immensely,” Brook said as he watched him, he was lethal. She was glad he was on their side.

“It was my pleasure. He uncoiled like a lazy beast stretching one more time before he started the hunt.

Dante turned and walked away. He came to the door and stopped.

“Brook, if you could choose the future or the past which would it be?” He strode through the door never waiting for the answer.

Ash opened the door to the hover car as she entered.

After they took off, she spoke softly. “What did he mean by that?”

“Dante can be cryptic, but usually something happens along the path of what he said. A choice maybe, but that doesn’t make sense.”

“I’ve wondered that same thing over the last couple of months until today when I saw you again. I wondered if I would go back if given a chance. Now that you’re here, the only thing I miss is my parents. We were broken around each other but that didn’t stop me from loving them.”

Ash turned briefly to look at her. The car rolled to the side as if someone had shot them. He turned the wheel straightening the car.

“What was that?

“A discrete laser blast. We just entered the unprotected areas giving anyone who was watching and waiting a chance to take us out.”

The area reminded her vaguely of a traffic lane on the ground. There was a bright red line instead of white floating in the air. It showed the different lanes. There seemed to be an image of the road underneath the hover cars and if she looked through the image she could see more hover cars below them. The system looked complicated to her but it was obvious these people did it every day.

“I thought I had time to make up my mind.”

“Seems he decided otherwise. You weren’t planning on taking him up on his offer were you?”

“Of course not, but I liked the thought of being in limbo and protected for a while.”

It was the second time in one day someone had taken shots at her. She looked at her hands, they trembled. Rolling them into ball, she pressed them against her thighs to hide the weakness and bit her tongue. She wouldn’t let Ash know how scared she was. Not yet.

“You’ve just left limbo and your unknown assailant wants you dead.”

This time when the laser blast came, Ash was prepared for it. It slid off the car without touching them.

“How’d you do that?”

“I deployed the shields. Every car, whether hover or ground based, has them. All of my cars have them. Now all we have to do is shake whoever is following us and then I can employ the scrambler.”

“Scrambler?”

“It’s a system we use to keep from being followed. Hale did a great job updating and once our assailant loses visual on us, he will never see us again unless I allow him to.”

“Does it make us invisible?”

“Sort of. It reflects back at you. You register that something is in front of you but you are never able to actually focus on it. As soon as we are no longer in front of you, you forget that anything was ever there. It will keep us from being followed and continue to keep the house safe. I will show you how to use it when we are safe.”

Ash kept the car at a sedate pace as he moved into an area that had less traffic.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to lose him if we hid in more traffic?”

“First we have to identify him. That’s harder to do with more traffic surrounding us. Once we know who he is we can shake him.”

She nodded her head and watched as the traffic thinned. There were three cars that followed them. She watched as a blue and pink car turned off leaving two cars on their tail.

“Got him.”

“Which car is it?” She turned to look at the other two cars following them.

“Neither. Turn your head to the right and look for a reflection behind the black and yellow car.”

“I see it. Looks more like a distortion.”

“It’s a very sophisticated shield. If I were human, I wouldn’t have detected it.”

“How will we be able to hide from him if he has the same thing?”

“I said it was sophisticated not Created made or modified. Now that I can see him, all I need to do is shake him.”

Ash gunned his engine at the light enjoying the power under his hands. When the light changed, he peeled out like a race car driver watching intently as the car behind him tried to keep up. He slowed down not wanting to lose him yet. When he was sure he was being followed, he sped up again taking the driver on a dizzying chase.

He looked over and saw Brook clinging to the side of the car. Her fingers were pale as they clung to the door. Pressing his foot on the accelerator the car sped up.

“Hang in there, Brook. We’re almost out of here.”

Taking a corner at a break neck speed, he reversed and backed up. The car flew past him shooting out of range. Ash flipped the scrambler on then dropped two levels down and merged into fast flowing traffic.

“We lost him. I’m sorry; I should have realized how that would have affected you.”

“I’m fine, it was different.”

“Do you think it was the Patron?”

Ash nodded as he stayed silent.

Brook sighed. Of course it was the Patron, the only enemy she seemed to have in this new time, but why? If he was upset over money, she would give it all to him in order to be left alone. But she knew it wouldn’t work. It was more than money, it was his desire for absolute control and she wouldn’t allow herself to be controlled or miserable. Those days were over.

The rest of the drive home was done in peace. Ash parked the car in the garage and led Brook into the house.

“What would you like to do now?”

Her face crumpled. They were standing in Ash’s security room; he was reviewing the footage of any activity on his property and making sure that all his alarms were set.

“I’m sorry. I just want to sleep; it’s been an intense day.”

“Sounds perfect.” He led her up the stairs and into the bedroom.

He rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a t-shirt.

“You can sleep in this.”

“Thanks.” She went into the bathroom and changed. Her eyes were fluttering closed as her heart thumped at the thought of sleeping with Ash.

She walked out in his T-shirt feeling a little shy.

“Beautiful,” he smiled and pulled the covers back for her. When she was in bed, he turned off the lights and went to the bathroom to change.

He walked out in a pair of baggy pants slung low on his hips. He turned the bathroom light off killing Brook’s view, and then he walked over to the bed to slide under the covers.

Turning, he pulled her into his arms. She cuddled against him allowing her body to rest in his arms.

“Ash?”

“Tomorrow Brook, tonight sleep and be safe.”

She nodded her head against him before finding a comfortable spot on his chest to close her eyes and sleep.

He listened to her breathing as he held her. He was never giving his mate up. Whoever was chasing her would rue the day.

He fell asleep with a smile on his lips.