Page 28 of His to Take

“Change, hurry!” She helped Amanda get out of the dress and back into her clothes and was handing her mother her pants when the door flew open.

They all yelped in surprise and Mary quickly pulled her pants on. Ann’s body went on alert, and she somehow knew who was there. Even before she looked up into a pair of orange eyes, she knew.

“That’ll do, Ann. It’s a beautiful wedding dress.” The alien from her dreams stood in the doorway, as if he’d walked through it a hundred times before and hadn’t just shocked her into immobility.

How could he be real? He was just some fantasy her brain had dreamed up, wasn’t he? But then, he was right there in the door, as if he owned the place, his gaze a hot wave as he looked her up and down. His eyes said he knew her thoughts, knew her dreams, and couldn’t wait to make those dreams reality.

She’d have said he was more handsome in the flesh, that he was a supreme example of masculinity and strength, but she couldn’t think. Her tongue was glued to the bottom of her mouth, and she was certain she’d never be able to lock her jaw again, it hung open so long. He was real.

Ann’s frozen brain suddenly came back to life. Did he know her plans with Rex? Did he approve of them? Had her father planned this as a surprise?

“Dad?” she called out and saw her father come to stand behind the man. He wouldn’t look at Ann, though, still, and that worried her.

“Yes, Ann?”

“What’s going on?”

The man dragged her father into the room, a broad grin on his face. It would have terrified her if she hadn’t been so shocked, that menacing grin.

“Well now, you see, I’ve decided to come out of the clouds, and live down here on Earth with you mortals.” The man chuckled as if he’d made a great joke, but everyone just stared at him. Even her mother and Amanda were frozen, Ann noted.

What the hell was going on and why did her father continue to hide behind the man?

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a woman as lovely as you, Ann. You’ll be the perfect wife, I’m sure.”

That made her uneasy and the way her father flinched made it even worse.

“I’m sure you can find a suitable place to live and have all the women you want around you.” She wasn’t sure what to say to him, but she knew she couldn’t look away from him.

She was terrified of him, in the flesh. She’d been afraid of him, in her dreams, but that had been because he made her feel so much. She’d been afraid of herself in those dreams, of the things she wanted, things she wanted from him.

She didn’t know if this was some kind of new alien seduction technique, or what, but she knew he was the man that appeared in her dreams every single night now.

“I’m sure I could, but I only want one wife. We aren’t doing too well at finding women. It’s a shame your race of humans has so little value for female life. I’ve seen cases where, what are they called these men that spent fortunes on building underground homes?” He snapped his fingers, and the leather gloves that his hands were covered in didn’t dare to do anything but snap.

“Preppers?” she asked as she finally took him in. He was dressed in leather, from head to toe, and he must be steaming hot in the California heat. At least the shirt looked like a thin version of the material.

“That’s it. Preppers!” He spun his head back to her and she saw his black hair had shimmering brown beads tied through the strands. Beads the color of her eyes. She frowned, apprehension a knot that made her stomach queasy. “Anyway, these preppers, all of them determined to save their women and children, ended up trading their women for food, of all things. Can you imagine? And some, well, some used the women as food. Quite nasty, those fellows.”

He wandered as he spoke and took a seat on the couch that she’d covered with wedding finery. “Your race of humans, Ann, they aren’t to be noted for their compassion, are they?”

“My father and Stephan kept us alive, not all of the humans here are bad, you know. And Stephan’s a wolf too, but they still did their best to keep us safe.”

“Ah, but there’s the problem, Ann. Your father should have thrown those dangerous elements out into the cold. The wolves were far more hearty than you pure-bloods. They could have survived out in the cold.”

“But they might have been forced to kill and you kill all the wolves that killed humans,” she protested, her chin up in defense and defiance.

“We’ll have to discuss the wolves another time, Ann. We have other matters to sort out now.”

“And what might those matters be?” She’d started to relax a little, now that he wasn’t standing up, so tall and looming over them.

“Surely your father has told you the good news, Ann.” He looked up at her father and then back to her. “That’s why you have the dress on, right? You know we’re going to be married.”

“What?” Ann screamed the word, and her eyes went to her father. He looked as if he wanted to crawl into a hole and die, he looked so miserable.

“Yes, my dear. I’m Rager. The man you will soon call husband.” He looked at the other women, who’d all kind of whimpered at the news. “You should be happy, my dear. I’m the supreme commander, the Overlord of the overlords. You’re about to marry a very powerful man. But don’t worry, I’m repairing a house not far from here, so you can visit your parents when you like.”

Married? To an alien? But that meant they didn’t plan to leave, that they were colonizing Earth and didn’t plan to go. And she was supposed to just marry one of them? Even if he was the man from her dreams, she didn’t know him, didn’t like what he made her feel in those dreams. Well, the pleasure part was nice, but she never wanted to feel that. Even in her dreams, her brain thought of Rex, and how she was betraying him with this man.

This man whose name was Rager. That couldn’t be a good sign either.

“Cat got your tongue?” he asked and then laughed. It was a booming sound that filled the room, until Ann thought the house might very well shake down around them all. “No matter, you’ll soon become accustomed to the idea.”