Alex Wales: Promise

No one else reacted.

Alex yanked the blaster from its holster and rushed him before anyone had a chance to stop her. She didn’t even skim the puddle of blood before she had the barrel pressed against his temple. She motioned at the mess near her boots. “Are you accusing me of doing this?” Anger simmered beneath her skin, making her breath come in spurts. “If I was going to kill someone, I wouldn’t need to get my hands dirty. As you can see”-she jabbed the end of her blaster harder against him-“I handle myself pretty well with a weapon. So, why would I tear someone apart when I can use my blaster, huh?”

The man didn’t move. He just kept his beady eyes glued on hers.

Anger and determination rushed through her. She wasn’t going to let this asshole accuse her of something so barbaric.

For some reason, he obviously didn’t like her. She didn’t care about who liked her or not, but she wasn’t going to put up with anyone’s crap.

Elroy lifted an eyebrow, but he didn’t even wince. “I’m merely stating the obvious. Since you arrived, strange things have started happening…”

“Elroy!” Damon stood up and reached her in seconds. He pressed a hand to her shoulder. “Alex had nothing to do with this. She’s been with me the whole time.”

She had to admit that she liked knowing Damon was ready to back her up, almost as much as the warmth radiating from his palm. Boy, this man sure could do some weird and wonderful things with his hands.

“It’s too coincidental,” Elroy repeated.

“I said she was with methe whole time. Why don’t you just drop it?” Damon’s voice was low, calm. “Alex, put the gun away. He’s not worth it.”

“I think you’re blinded by the lure of her body,” Elroy spat, but a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead betrayed him. So, he wasaffected by the proximity of her weapon, after all.

Good to know.

There was always something comforting about that. At least her father had been right about a few things in life. He’d told her most people were afraid when a weapon was pointed at their heads, no matter how much they tried to convince you otherwise.

Alex pressed the blaster tighter against Elroy’s temple before withdrawing it.

Damon cut in front of her, and his right fist connected with Elroy’s mouth. The man didn’t just fall back. His feet actually lifted off the ground, sending him backward. The wall stopped him, helping him land on his feet. As he wiped the blood dripping from the side of his lip with the back of his hand, he glared at Damon and grinned.

“If you ever say something like that again, I’ll hit you harder!” Damon’s chest rose and fell violently, and his hands were still squeezed into fists. “Don’t you have any respect?”

Wow, he packs quite a punch!

When Damon took her hand, she could suddenly feel his heartbeat echoed in hers, as well as the way his blood boiled with rage. Something freaky pounded between them, and she didn’t trust it. Even if it excited her enough to remember what he’d done with just a touch of palm-to-skin.

What the hell is he doing to me? Why is he affecting me this way?

“If I were you, I’d stop using magic to power my every move.” Elroy took several calculated strides until he was settled beside Aleena, who’d been silently watching the exchange. There’d been a change in the Priestess’s demeanor. She looked distracted.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Damon spat.

“Please. Elroy, Damon. Stop this nonsense!” Aleena finally stepped between them. “Elroy, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your useless thoughts to yourself. Alex is a guest in our village. She’s lost and has no way of getting home. I will make it my mission to ensure all her comforts are met…no matter what they may be.” Her gaze turned to Damon. “Please, Damon. You know violence is nottolerated within these walls. If I see such a display of anger from you, again, I will be forced to punish you.”

Both men lowered their heads and nodded.

“Alex, please accept my deepest apologies for having to endure this most uncommon situation. Believe me when I say that we are a peaceful civilization.”

Alex responded with a small nod. She didn’t feel like adding any more to this strange confrontation. She found Elroy’s very open and verbal attack to be peculiar. From her experience, consorts were usually seen but not heard. They kept their mouths shut and only provided opinions or comments behind closed doors, usually after personally pleasuring their leader. She knew her own mother had never paid any attention to a consort, even if they’d induced an orgasm worth remembering.

The thought repulsed her. Her mother repulsed her. She’d always been so inappropriate, sharing details about her sexual relationships when Alex didn’t want to hear about them. I hate that woman. What did she do to Daddy? There was no doubt in her mind, and she suspected Lorraine had something to do with Louis’s disappearance. One day, I’ll finally be ready to confront her about it.

Of course, that’s if she ever got off this crazy planet.

“Damon, is there anything else you can ascertain from this body?”

He faced Aleena and answered, “I can’t get any residual reading from the person’s spirit, but it’s Mony Lin. I was able to connect with his spirit, which probably means he moved on right away.” He stopped for a second. “Whoever did this to Mony had a reason for it. The trace of violence still lingering is so strong, it’s making my skin crawl. I can taste hunger, craving, excitement, jealousy, and even lust.”

“What should we do?” Aleena asked, obviously distraught. “How do we ensure this doesn’t happen, again?”

“For starters,” Damon said, “I don’t think anyone else should find out about this. Who found the body?”

“A young girl,” Aleena answered.

“Did she see anything?”

“I’m not sure. We haven’t been able to get her to talk.”

“What do you mean?” Damon asked, as his brow furrowed.

Aleena shrugged. “Exactly what I said. She hasn’t spoken a word since she alerted Elroy and Levi of the whereabouts of the body.”

“She’s probably in shock. I wouldn’t be surprised if she interrupted the attack. There’s a whole section missing from the corpse, which might mean the attacker consumed some of the flesh.” Damon hesitated, as if he didn’t want to continue in case he pushed any of them over the edge of sickness.

“I suggest you go see her,” Aleena said. “Go to the girl, and see if you can get her to talk. If you can’t, see what you can readfrom her.”

Damon nodded. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea, Priestess.”

“Make sure you keep your outsider with you at all times,” Elroy cautioned with distaste. “If you can’t personally account for her whereabouts, and something else happens, I’ll have no other choice but to bring her in.”

Damon turned a dark look toward Elroy.

Alex sighed. This guy’s attitude was starting to grate on her nerves.

“Elroy, please. You are in charge of security, not of running the place! That’s my job.” Aleena rolled her eyes. “Come on. You and I need to discuss a few things-one of which includes manners.”

Elroy held out an arm, and Aleena hooked hers around it. “Damon, I want some answers. I won’t allow a tendril of violence to penetrate our society. Figure this out, quickly. The new moon is less than a day away, and according to the prophecy, it’s when the space traveler’s power needs to be harnessed for the ritual.” She smiled at Alex before continuing down the path and being swallowed by a long line of trees.

What ritual?No one had mentioned