Forbidden (A Serian Novel) (7 page)

Chapter Eleven

Jacrar looked at the cut rope on the ground and then at two of his best Antikas. It was sad that he thought of
them
as his best men. All of his men seemed to be worthless. This time he'd need to take care of Ryder and the half-breed himself.

"I'm done with you two." He turned to the Jatron with him and smiled. "Let's find your friend, shall we?"

Gage was one of those Jacrar didn't trust and it all had to do with the fact that he was close to Ryder. Maybe even the only person his son considered a friend. Unfortunately for Gage, that meant he wouldn't have a very long life.

"I'm not doing it." Gage crossed his arms and stared Jacrar right in the eyes.

The busted lip, whelps on his back, and broken nose just didn't break the Jatron. Any other time Jacrar might actually respect him, even more than his own men since they'd been unable to prove themselves lately going up against the half-breed female. "I guess we'll work on that."

Even in such a time-sensitive situation, Jacrar shook with anticipation at another chance to torture someone. It was a pleasure he'd never grow tired of. He even got two more added to the list. They'd be his entertainment on the way to his son's location.

"Let's get started."

Chapter Twelve

The farther she distanced herself from Ryder, the more Anara's chest tightened and she didn't think she could handle any more pressure. What was wrong with her?

He didn't want her. He was the reason she was ru
nning from Jacrar. Someone had to tell his father about her and Ryder was the only one that could've. The best thing for her was to find Nasim and then she'd have the help she needed.

It took her more time than she had
to figure out how to use the Traveler and then she was gone. After three hours of driving, she found a small market that sort of reminded her of Seria, except that the sun was high in the sky. Anara looked down at her clothes and then decided to stop and get something new to wear so she blended better on Earth.

She walked over to the young girl standing outside holding a book in her hand. When the red-headed girl lifted her head, she smiled widely.

"Hi! Can I help you?" The girl's blue eyes drifted lower to look at Anara's clothes and then her skin. "Oh, please let me help you with some clothes. I cannot let you leave here in what you're wearing right now."

Anara was surprised the girl kept the comment about their skin differences. "I would love that."

"You're not from here, are you? I don't recognize your accent." When Anara couldn't come up with an answer, the girl grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the store.

This market was definitely not like the one on Seria. There were a lot more clothes on the inside and she
didn't know where to start.

"Okay, I want you to try this light grey shirt. It will disguise the color of your skin." She looked up wide-eyed. "I'm sorry! I don't mean to be rude."

"It's okay. I have a skin disease. I'm used to the stares. This shirt would be great." Anara grabbed the grey shirt and then started twisting it around, trying to figure out how it was supposed to be put on.

The girl giggled and pointed to a little room in the back. "Let me grab a few more things and then I'll help you. Just go in there and strip down."

Anara just looked at the girl as she grabbed a few more choices. She was not going to go in there and strip.

"Oh, come on, let's go. I've seen women's bodies including my own. Don't be afraid." The tiny girl dragged Anara in the changing room.

Twenty minutes later, Anara looked at herself and smiled for the first time. The grey shirt did make her skin less noticeable and fit tight to her body. The pants she wore weren't just loose, tattered cloth, they actually hugged her. The clothes felt good. She felt good.

"I like your tattoo. I've been thinking about getting one. How did you choose yours?" The little red ponytail bounced as the girl jumped all over the place. "That'll be fifty-five dollars and twelve cents."

Okay, now it was money time. Anara pulled out the paper bills she found in the traveler. Only problem, she had no clue how much it was. She just handed it all to the girl whose eyes widened in disbelief. She shook her head.

"That's too much. I know you're not from here, but you need to be more careful. Anyone else would've taken that and ran. Here." The girl handed most of it back and then did something on her computer in front of her. "And here's your change which came to four dollars and eighty-eight cents."

"Thank you." Anara left and headed back to the Traveler. Now it was time to find her brother and stay far away from Ryder. That ache returned as she felt him waken from his unconscious state.

That frightened her more than anything. How
was she able to tell that he was awake?

****

Her kiss drove Ryder over the edge as her petite body straddled him, grinding against his erection. Restrained to the bed, he could only lie back and watch Anara. She was so damn sexy, he about embarrassed himself.

She interrupted their kiss to remove her shirt. There was no holding back his groan at the sight of her hardened pink nipples. He wanted to replace her hands with his own or preferably his mouth.

He bit back a few curses as a moan slipped past her soft, lush lips. He tried to tell her how much he wanted her, but nothing would come out of his mouth. The headboard banged against the wall as he jerked his arms, trying to loosen the restraints. Why was he restrained?

She smiled down at him, making him itch to touch her and feel her liquid heat tighten around him.
When he tried to speak again, nothing but silence. Her moans and the banging headboard were the only sounds he could hear.

Ryder awoke with a jerk.
A dream. No. Only a nightmare would tease him with something he could never have.

His head pounded and didn't get any better with the loud banging on the door. He tried to jump out of bed, but tight ropes restrained his arms and legs. She used his own rope to tie him. How convenient for her.

Fear filled him when he didn't see Anara anywhere. For her own safety, he needed to find her soon. How could she do this? After what happened, he shouldn't have been surprised. The kiss they shared forced her desire to drive through his body, causing every one of his senses to amplify. He ended the kiss short when slammed with the realization of their connection and what his father would do to them both if he realized exactly what was going on between them. Not that Ryder understood it himself.

He’d also seen the white glow between them again, just like the first time they ran into each other, and he really didn't want to know what had caused the weird reaction.

The lock clicked and a small woman with large red glasses stood on the other side of the doorway. He recognized her from the night before when he checked in. She introduced herself as Dee.

Her shocked face blushed when she saw his half-naked body. She smiled and rushed off, leaving him alone with the door wide open. The sunlight lit up the room and he couldn't hide his skin.

Anara left him vulnerable to humans and knowing that pissed him off even more.

He groaned and wished he could slap himself when he saw Dee and three more women standing in the room. They looked him over, all smiles, gasps, and snickerings.

The things he overheard them saying surprised him.

"Well, if he isn't the finest thing I've ever seen."

"Look at those arms. He looks like he walked out of one of our books."

"The view would've been better with even more skin showing."

They all burst into laughter.

Ryder groaned. A good long spanking sounded like a suitable punishment for Anara. He pushed away thoughts about her, before he ended up giving the
women more to snicker about.

"Do you see his skin color?" The tallest of the group, with dove gray hair, leaned in close, pointing at his exposed chest.

Ryder stiffened.

Dee stepped beside the bed and studied him closer.

Ryder started to get a bad feeling in his stomach. He didn't like the looks they gave him. "It's a skin disorder," he lied. A lie he was taught to use with humans. Rules of navigating on Earth were to travel at night, stay covered, or at least keep to dim lighting when he interacted with humans.

Dee pushed her glasses higher up on her nose, then pointed her finger at him. "Very pretty skin condition."

A wave of relief hit him. "Something about not getting enough oxygen and the sun isn't healthy for me either.

"Are we sure we want to release him. I don't mind having our tea here."
Said another lady who wore tiny glasses on the tip of her nose.

Dee propped her hands onto her hips. "Now, you know that would be rude."

"He sure is gorgeous."

He didn't know who said it, but they all started to laugh again.

"All right, ladies, let's quit staring at the poor boy like he's a piece a meat and untie him. Though a fine piece he is." Dee untied him.

He scooted off the bed and dressed quickly as the women just gawked at him. He smiled at them.

"Thank you." He tipped his head to them all before gathering his things. Ryder became anxious to take off after Anara, but the women had different plans.

"No problem, son; this was the most fun we've had in years." She grabbed his arm and escorted him out. "What's your name again? My mind isn't as sharp as it used to be."

"That's okay, my name is Ryder."

"Well, Ryder, why don't you come
have some tea with us?" Dee's pale blue eyes looked up at him through her red-rimmed glasses.

She didn't wait for an answer as she pulled him along with her and the others.

"I should really get—" He didn't see the Traveler. The little trouble-maker had taken it
. Why did he still want to help her?
"I'd love to, but I need to find another form of transportation."

Dee made a funny noise with her mouth.

"I'll call Mr. Michaels to get you a rental car. He has a few cars he rents out every once in a while. He's also Betty's husband." She gestured to the lady who wore the small glasses. "You'll be ready to go in no time, but until then you could keep us company."

They all smiled up at him.

"A drink would be great." He lifted her frail hand to his lips. She snorted at him and then dragged him across the road to a little brick house.

"This is my home. We have tea here every Saturday. It's nice to have a guest this time."

He walked into the small home with the other clamoring women.

Inside the little dining area, Ryder sat awkwardly in the small chair as the ladies surrounded him. He felt like a giant with the teacup in his hand.

"So, how did you find yourself tied up on the bed?" Dee asked, trying to sound stern. She would've achieved her serious tone if not for the grin on her face.

"Just a misunderstanding, that's all." He took a sip and hoped they didn't ask too many questions.

The lady with light pink hair and a great big smile nudged Gail's arm. "Must be a girl." She looked toward him. "What's her name?"

Ryder stayed quiet at first as he tried to figure out how he got himself into this mess. Finally, he answered
to keep the women happy. "Anara. She misunderstood something I said and became irrational."

They all laughed and he knew he shouldn't have agreed to the drink.

"No matter how good-looking a man is, they still don't understand us women." They all nodded in agreement.

"I agree, but look at his face when he speaks of her.
Love. He's so in love, he doesn't know what to do. No wonder he messed up; his brain is probably slush." All eyes studied him closely.

He shook his head in denial. He and Anara didn’t really know each other, so there was no way he could love her.

"Is she pretty?"

He choked on the tea lodged in his throat and felt the flush of heat warm his face as he remembered their kiss, and her body pressed against his.

"Ah, he's blushing. He does think she's pretty."

"How romantic!
He really did step out of a book. Making his way through obstacles to capture the one he loves." Betty said, hand over her heart.

They all followed with a dreamy sigh.

"She's my job, nothing else." What could he tell them? His job consisted of taking her back to another world where they would kill her. Or he could just tell them that laws kept him from being with a half-breed. Not that he was doing either of those things. He'd help her and then leave her to live out her life without him causing her death.

"Oh, horse feathers! No matter what you say, she isn't just a job."

"Nope, you're head over heels, young man, and you don't even see it. Let yourself follow the truth. Nothing's more important than love."

Ryder needed to get far from these ladies, before he ended up believing them. He started to deny again, but
an older man in overalls walked in.

The man nodded at Ryder and glanced away, before his gaze jerked back to Ryder. After a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke. "I've got a car for you, if you're ready." He held the keys out. "Just need to get some paperwork filled out and some identification."

Ryder was glad they had identities for situations like this."Thank you lovely ladies for everything, but I should really be on my way." He kissed their hands and started to the door.

"Thank you. We'll see you again, I'm sure. Let us know when the wedding is." They all giggled as he stumbled out the door.

Ryder tried to forget their words as he opened his mind in search of Anara's direction. He could feel her without using his gift, but he couldn't get a clear read on her location. Once he found her, he drove toward her.