Chasing Dare (8 page)

Turning back to the cameras and his test subjects, he quickly forgot about the alien overlord that he answered to and got lost in his experiment.

*****

“Grai?”

The sound of her voice saying his name tightened his groin and made him ache to be there with her again. However, this was too important; he had to stay focused.

“Yes, it’s me.” His voice was rougher from his emotions than he intended it to be, and he cleared his throat.

“I missed you.” The words, spoken in her soft cadence made his heart feel ready to explode from the strange emotions that only she could invoke in him.

“I missed you as well. How is he?” His strong voice almost cracked asking the question; his hand curled into a fist as he fought to control himself. 

“He’s the same. Are you sure this is the only way to help him?” Grai could hear the doubt and remorse in her voice, and it tore at him.

“I promised you that I would allow no one to be hurt, and no one will be. This is the only way to cure him. I know of nothing else that we can do. You have to trust me. Please.” It went against everything in him to beg her to trust him, but it bothered him too much that she was upset. He would do whatever it took to make her happy, to cure him, even if it meant destroying everyone around him.

“I know Grai. I do trust you. But, it’s Dare.” Her voice broke on a sob when she said the girl’s name. Her pain and his inability to hold her, made him want to tear apart everything in the room with his bare hands.

“Which is why she is being very well taken care of and will not be harmed. You know I can’t give you specifics, but she is well. And the doctor mentioned in an earlier email that he thought that she, and the Valendran were bonding. So in a strange kind of way, we may have helped her find her mate.” He really had thought that would make her happy and was crushed when he heard her openly crying.

“Shhh, it’s ok. I promise this will all work out fine.” He really hoped he was right. He couldn’t lose her… or him. He had to find a cure and Dare was his only option right now.

“I know Grai. It’s just all this lying and living in secret is starting to wear on me. I need you. We need you. You know how he gets when you leave.” He’d heard this so many times before, yet it still could break him every time she told him that they needed him and wanted him. Relian’s were never needed. And certainly never wanted.

It strengthened him in ways his father and his brothers would never understand. They thought emotion was weakness. They had no idea the power that flowed through him any time he spoke to her.

“I know this is not easy for you; it is no easier for me. Even so, you know what is at stake here. We don’t have a choice. However, I promise that I will make this as easy as I can for Dare and the Valendran.” It was all Grai could promise her right now. He’d do whatever it took to find the cure, sacrifice anything.

“His name is Balduen. He was one of the ones who helped rescue Cari. If he is her mate, then at least she found a good one. Please don’t let anything happen to them Grai.”

Her sadness beat at his resolve until he pulled up a picture on the computer; one of the few he allowed himself to have. He’d had it altered to look like a saved ad for a new phone, so if anyone found it, they wouldn’t suspect that the people in the photo meant something to him. He knew better than anyone the cruel streak that ran through his people, his father in particular.

“I won’t let anything happen to them. They are being well cared for; I promise. Please… trust me.” He knew he was asking for the one thing a Relian never deserved to have, but he hoped she could give him.

“You know I trust you. It’s everyone else around you that I don’t trust. Be careful Grai. For our sake, if not your own."

He loved that she knew their conversations needed to be short and never tried to cry and cajole him into talking for longer. The truth was if she didn’t remember, he’d be the reason they went over their time limit. She was the only bright spot in his world. Any world. And he hated not being there for her like he should.

“I am always careful, for you both. Know I will never willingly leave you. I’ve sent money and a few other things. No argument this time, please. I need to know you’re taken care of.”

He didn’t wait for her reply before he hung up the phone, he never could. She always seemed to understand why he couldn’t bear to hear her voice again before they hung up. She knew he would never be able to as long as she kept talking. Her voice was the only thing that kept him sane most of the time in his chaotic and dangerous world.

He looked at the picture one more time before closing it and turning off his laptop. He had just locked it in the safe when the intercom button startled him.

“Mr. T’Alq, your three o’clock is here.”

Grai quickly shook off his thoughts and plastered his normal look on his face before the pathetic and disgusting Senator from Nevada came in begging for more money to cover up yet more scandals over his pathetic ignorance. Something would have to be done with the incompetent fool. Grai quickly covered his smile before the door opened.

Chapter Six

Dare and Balduen hadn’t been too surprised when a few hours later they began to feel the drug taking effect again, followed by rattling sounds coming up the stairs.

They had both known by the time on the TV and the rumble in their stomachs that at some point the doctor and crew would be bringing dinner to them. They both noted the time on the TV with a slight nod to each other, wanting to make sure they were both charting the schedule of when the door would open. Timing would be crucial to their ability to escape, and they wanted to know everything.

“Fourteen.” Dare whispered.

“Fifteen.” Baldy countered.

Dare turned to give him a sarcastic look, which came out feeling all wrong on her face.
Damn!
She hated this freaking drug! He was counting way too quickly if he thought it took them fifteen seconds to get up the stairs to the door.

They both sat quietly on the bed while three Relian’s they’d seen before came in the door, only one carrying a huge tray; the other two were heavily armed. The doctor followed behind them all, his hand in his pocket. Dare was more than a little surprised when she not only felt, but saw Baldy stiffen when the Relian walked closer to them and placed the tray on the bed.

The Relian with the tray looked nervously at Balduen and Dare while he quickly unloaded five heaping plates of food and two large pieces of cake onto the bed, before scurrying back out of the door. Everything was on paper plates and covered in clear plastic wrap. How wonderful, they even included a spork for each of them, Dare thought sarcastically.

“As promised, your dinner is here. For obvious reasons, we won’t be leaving the tray. Please remember that this is your current home and keeping it filthy is not healthy for you. I suggest you place the trash in the bag provided, and it will be removed in the morning when your breakfast arrives.”

“If you choose not to take care of your living area, then you can be moved back downstairs. I trust there won’t be a problem. I will see you in the morning.” The doctor looked between the two of them like he were scolding a couple of troublesome teenagers as he spoke.

Dare and Balduen remained silent until the doctor nodded his head at them and left the room; his alien entourage following close on his heels as if afraid to be alone with them.

It wasn’t until she heard the three locks click, and the last of them hit the bottom of the stairs before she looked at Baldy.

“Fourteen! You’re counting too fast!” Dare whispered, not even trying to scowl until she knew the drug was out of her system. She had a real aversion to looking like an idiot in front of the gorgeous man.

“How about we go with fifteen, just to be safe? Now what is this food? I’m starving.” Balduen didn’t even wait for her to answer; he grabbed the nearest plate and what he assumed was an eating utensil and placed both in front of Dare before grabbing his own plate and spork.

Dare felt the genuine smile come over her face at his caring gesture. She’d always thought it was sweet that her father had unfailingly made sure her mother was served first as well. Her father had told her it was a man’s duty and honor to ensure the health and well-being of his mate. She forced herself to turn her thoughts away from her father before she started crying again.

“Thank you. It’s baked chicken, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and carrots. That is chocolate cake.” Dare explained before showing him how to peel off the plastic.

Holding up the spork she made sure she had his attention before shoveling a load of mashed potatoes onto the spork and into her mouth. She couldn’t help but moan dramatically at the taste of the still-warm food. It’d been almost three days since she’d eaten and she was starving as well.

Balduen watched her for a moment before peeling back the plastic and digging into his own food. Having eaten Earth food while he had been at Cari’s cabin with Niklosi, he was familiar with potatoes and chocolate cake so he didn’t hesitate to shovel a huge bite into his mouth. His happy moan echoed Dare’s.

They ate in silence until Balduen had eaten two full meals and Dare had eaten one and the vegetables from another.

With the drugs out of her system and a full stomach, Dare lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was being held captive and soon to be experimented on, she’d be feeling pretty good right now, she thought.

“Are you going to eat your chocolate cake?” Dare laughed at the hopeful tone of Balduen’s voice; he sounded just like her brother Risk, when he wanted her dessert.

“Under normal circumstances I would fight you over my chocolate or coffee. But, right now I’m just tired and way too full to try to eat it. Why don’t you have it?” Dare gave him a small smile of encouragement before crawling up the bed and underneath the covers. She let out a sigh as she burrowed down into the comfortable mattress with the blankets pulled up to her neck.

“Are you feeling well? Was there something in the food?” Balduen stared at her huddled form under the covers and began to panic that maybe they had drugged their food, and she was feeling the effects first.

“Hey, I’m fine. Really. They wouldn’t put drugs in the food when the doc has the switch to a drug that already works just fine. There would be no point in that.” She sat up and held his hand lightly in her own; trying to assure him she was fine.

“I was just going to take a quick nap. Are you ok? Are you feeling all right?” Dare asked, remembering how he’d stiffened when the Relian approached the bed with the food.

Balduen looked at her for a moment, as if knowing what she was asking and trying to figure out a way to explain it. He turned away to finish putting the plates in the big bag they’d given them.  

“Hey, come up here and lay with me. You can keep me warm until I fall asleep.” Dare figured it would not only give them privacy to talk, but she felt a lot better knowing he would be between her and the door while she napped.

Balduen was really glad the drug had worn completely off; otherwise, there was no way he would be able to stop his beast form jumping in the bed with her. As it was, he was torn. He wanted nothing more than to lie beside her, but he was unsure if he could control his beast.

“Baldy… please. I hate sleeping near a door.” The soft way she whispered it, and the way her head was bowed in embarrassment told him how much it really bothered her to admit it. He wouldn’t allow her to feel ashamed for telling him something that private.

“That’s a damn good thing because there was no way in hell, I was going to allow you near the door. I was going to sleep on the floor in front of it, but I would much rather be comfortable.” He wasn’t lying to her either. He had every intention of sleeping between the door and the bed.

As much as he wanted to be able to feel the vibration on the floor of someone coming up the stairs, he couldn’t tell her ‘no’. He couldn’t allow her to be afraid when he could ease that fear.

He almost smiled at the grin on her face as she scooted all the way over to the other side of the bed to give him room. He slid easily under the covers, grateful that the bed was one of the larger human ones. He was able to curl his legs enough to keep his feet on the mattress without being in the way of Dare’s legs.

Following her lead, he curled onto his side to face her while she pulled the covers up to their noses and scooted closer to him.

“So, tell me what happened.” Dare asked as soon as she knew he could hear her whispering.

“The loss of control happened again. Much quicker this time though; at least, I think it was.” Balduen paused while he replayed it in his mind.

“I felt the drug before they came up the stairs. It felt just as strong as every other time. But, when the Relian came close it was like something inside of me snapped. I know I was not in control of myself when I felt my body stiffen. I know that makes no sense, I’m sorry.” Balduen felt useless.

He had no idea what was happening to him or his beast. Usually he heard the beast in his head, this time he felt the beast’s growl vibrate through his body. That hadn’t happened since he was a child; and even then it wasn't as obvious or powerful.

“It does make sense if your beast is coming out to play when the drug is active. Can your beast control your movements?” Dare tried to hide her yawn, but Baldy caught her and grinned.

“Close your eyes and rest. And yes it can, prior to reaching manhood, and before we receive the Ator-Ma. I’ve never heard of it happening after that. Except in cases where there was severe instability.” Balduen smiled to himself as Dare scooted within an inch of touching him, before promptly falling asleep. He remained still, not wanting to disturb her sleep.