Page 43 of Married to the Beast

“I don’t give a damn about the laws—go faster! I authorize more speed as a Kindred Ambassador to the Karpsian government!” he exclaimed desperately.

At last he seemed to have said something that helped.

“You are requesting government override of speeding laws?” the coach inquired.

“Yes,yes!”Bear growled. “You have my credentials—they’re in my communications device. Now go faster, you stupid fuck!”

“Profanity is not necessary,” the coach informed him primly. “Override granted.”

Andfinallyit began to speed up. But as he watched the red dot on the screen of his device move erratically from place toplace, Bear feared it wouldn’t be enough to get him to Aleena in time…

26

ALEENA

“So, backed yourself into a corner, didn’t you?” the shabby man with the rotten teeth sneered.

“Leave me alone!”

Aleena looked around for a weapon—anything at all she could use against him. She saw what looked like a length of board sticking out of one of the trash bins and grabbed for it. It felt heavy and unwieldy in her hands and was hard to lift, but fear gave her strength. She heaved it out of the bin and held it in front of her like a weapon.

“I said leave…me…alone!” she panted, swinging it in what she hoped was a menacing way. She wished the board wasn’t so heavy but it was better than being completely unarmed.

The man jumped backwards and laughed at her, his rotten stump-teeth on display.

“Don’t think so, girly. See, you have something that belongs to me.”

“I do not!” Aleena exclaimed.

“Yes, you do. You have twenty-five thousand in cred chips. Now why don’t you hand them over?” And he held out a dirty palm as though he expected Aleena to just give him the money!

A fresh surge of anger bolstered her courage.

“That credit is for my mother’s medical treatment, you lowlife scum!” she snapped and swung the heavy board again.

This time she caught her assailant right in the midsection. The board splintered and cracked in half with the force of the blow.

“Oof!” he gasped and doubled over.

Seeing her chance, Aleena tried to dodge around him. But just as she was sure she was going to get by, she felt a heavy hand twist itself in her skirt and jerk.

“Oh!” she gasped as she was yanked to the ground. She tried to get up again but suddenly the man was on top of her, his face a twisted mask of rage.

“You little bitch! You’re gonna give me what’s mine!” he snarled. “How dare you hit a man?”

“Let me go!Let me go!”Aleena cried, but there was no one in the blind alley to hear her or to care. Even if there had been someone, they probably would have passed on by. Women got assaulted all the time in the city—everyone knew it was their own fault for being out instead of staying home where they belonged. At least, that was what Aleena had heard ever since she was old enough to understand what was going on in the world.

“Not letting you go until I get this!” He reached under her skirt and grabbed for the velvet bag filled with cred chips. But instead of the bag, his seeking fingers found the lace of her new panties, which Bear had bought her the day before.

“Ah-ha—what have we here?” His face took on a hungry, leering look as he ripped the lacy fabric off her.

“No! No, get off me!” Aleena gasped. She watched in horror as her assailant brought the torn fabric to his nose and inhaled deeply.

“Such a sweet littlecunt. Avirgincunt,” he snarled, leaning closer to look at her eyes. “How about we do a deal, girly—youpay me the twenty-five thousand credits and I’ll change the color of your eyes for you. How would that be?”

“No!” Aleena fishtailed wildly under him, trying desperately to buck him off. “No—get off me!Get off!”

“I don’t think so—I haven’t even really gotten on you yet—or should I say ‘in you?’” The man was fumbling between her legs now, pushing up her skirts.

---