Page 42 of Married to the Beast

“But Ambassador—the negotiations—” the guard started to protest.

“Fuck the negotiations—my wife is in danger!”

The moment he said it, Bear knew it was true. The twisting sensation in the pit of his stomach let him know it. He had been a doctor long enough to trust his instincts implicitly—he’d had that same sensation when his first wife, Zelia, was first diagnosed with her deadly illness. And he had it now when he thought about Aleena and pictured her all alone in the big city.

Or maybe not alone,he thought and fear sliced into his guts like an icy blade. He had to go to her—get to her before it was too late!

He just prayed to the Goddess he could make it on time.

24

ALEENA

“Why don’t you stay and we’ll talk a while?” the scruffy man said again. He grinned at Aleena, showing teeth that were nothing but rotten black stubs.

“I have nothing to say to you, Sir. Excuse me.”

Aleena tried to push past him, but he grabbed her by the arm.

“I don’t think so—I said I wanted to talk, so we’re going totalk, girly,” he snarled.

“Let me go!” Aleena wrenched her arm away painfully and began running down the street again. Unfortunately he was between her and The Lucky Leaf pawn shop, so she couldn’t go back. Not that old Mr. Tanz would probably have been much help, but at least he could have called the authorities, she thought desperately.

The man was running right behind her. She could feel his grasping fingers as he yanked at her hair, pulling out several long strands with a painful jerk.

“Ow!” she gasped and ran harder. She wished she wasn’t wearing such long skirts and that the silver breast plate she had on wasn’t so heavy. She’d chosen the clothes she was wearing now for the way they looked—she’d never expected to have to outrun an assailant in them!

“Come back here you little cock-tease!” the man behind her snarled. “You know you can’t get far—you’ll be sorry you ran from me!”

Aleena was certain she’d be more sorry if shedidn’trun but she couldn’t keep up this pace for long. Her breath was tearing like hot paper in her throat and there was a painful stitch starting in her right side.

“Stop, you little bitch!” the man shouted and grabbed for her hair again.

This time he got more than a few strands and Aleena cried out in pain as he ripped a hank out of the back of her head. That really hurt!

Seeing an opening to the right, she took it, dashing blindly down the narrow alley that ran between two crumbling buildings.

Unfortunately, her would-be assailant was still on her heels and he was definitely gaining. Then the end of the alley suddenly came into sight and Aleena’s heart sank—it was a dead end! There was nothing but a brick wall with a crooked line of waste bins.

Oh Goddess of Mercy!she thought as horror filled her.No—please!

Behind her, the shabby man must have seen the same thing because a nasty wheeze of laughter came from his throat.

“Well, well—ran yourself into a blind alley, did you, girly?” he sneered and Aleena realized he barely even sounded out of breath. Could it be that he had chased her in here on purpose?

The thought made her feel sick to her stomach. She was faced with the awful realization that she couldn’t run any further.

She was going to have to stand and fight for her life and she had no idea how to do that.

25

BEAR

As his hovercoach navigated the streets of the city, Bear felt more and more impatient.

“Faster!” he growled, pounding on the steering deck of the coach. It was moving down ever-narrowing roads in what was obviously a poorer part of the city. “Can’t you go anyfaster?”

“The maximum safe speed has already been achieved,” the maddening mechanical voice of the coach informed him. “To go faster would be breaking the local speeding laws.”

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