Page 86 of Kidnapped By the Beast

An awful suspicion coiled in his chest like a snake.

She’s in trouble. She’s in trouble right now.

He could feel it—he knew he was right.

The thought barely formed before the air around him changed.

The temperature dropped…the lights flickered. A crushing weight slammed into him, pressing him to his knees. His chest felt caved in, his lungs locked tight.

And then a voice—stern, feminine, and resonant—filled the laboratory.

“Warrior! Your female is in danger!”

Brandt’s heart pounded—he knew instantly who it was. Only one being could command such power, such presence—the Kindred Goddess, sometimes called The Mother of All Life.

“Goddess,” he rasped, struggling for breath under the weight of her presence. “Please—you are mistaken. I…I have no female. I swore an oath never to call another bride.”

“That oath was for your own benefit,” she snapped, her voice ringing with displeasure. “You believed if you never loved again, you would never know loss again. Never feel pain again. But you were wrong.”

Her words cut through him sharper than any blade. He bowed his head lower, shame burning his cheeks.

“Yes, Goddess. I am in love with Alexandra…but I had to push her away. My oath?—”

“Enough about your oath!” The voice cracked like thunder. The crushing presence bore down harder and Brandt gasped, his palms flat on the cold lab floor. “I release you from it! I sent you a new woman to love and you turned her away. And now, if you do not find her quickly, you may lose her forever—just as you lost your wife.”

Brandt’s blood turned to ice.

“Please, Goddess,” he begged, his voice hoarse. “Tell me where to find her!”

“She is in a bar called Bad Intentions in her hometown on Earth.” The words vibrated through the metal walls, heavy with warning. “Go quickly. There is a predator who wishes to violate her. If you hurry, you may stop him…but I make no promises.”

As the divine voice faded, the weight of her presence also lifted. The lights steadied and the laboratory was empty again—silent but for the faint hum of machines.

Brandt staggered to his feet, his chest heaving. His legs trembled.

Alexandra—his Alexandra was in trouble!

The oath that had held him back was lifted and the woman he loved was in danger—he had a single goal in mind?—

He had to reach her in time.

Ripping off his lab coat, he threw it aside and sprinted from the lab. His heavy boots pounded on the polished floor as he tore down the corridor toward the Docking Bay. He had one single thought in his head.

If Butcher has so much as touched her—if he’s laid one filthy finger on her—I’ll rip that bastard’s heart out with my bare hands and fucking feed it to him!

49

LEXI

The lights were too bright.

They blazed down on her from every angle, turning her skin clammy and pale, throwing every flaw into stark relief. The velvet spread on the bed looked cheap and gaudy under the glare…the toys scattered across it obscene. The air smelled of latex, sweat, and fake vanilla perfume.

Lexi’s stomach twisted as she continued to undress.

Desperately, she stalled for time, fingers fumbling at the lower buttons of her blouse. Her hands shook so badly she could barely undo them.

If I go slow enough…maybe something will happen. Maybe Uncle Herbert will wake up and shout…or maybe the police will burst in. Something…anything to stop this!