The Princess & Her Alphaholes by Renee O’Roark
Chapter Three
The Boss
Krinessa
I’m startled awake sometime later by the absence of movement. A subtle thing but felt in my heightened emotional state none-the-less. With renewed vigour, I begin my yelling and pounding upon the glass once more.
“Shut up!” Someone finally shouts back through the static filled speaker. I’m not sure which of the three it is, but the voice does nothing to calm my raging emotions. After remaining stationary for far too long, yet not long enough, the car begins to move forward again, this time at what feels like a slow crawl.
It’s only a few moments later that the car stops again, reversing into what I think is a carpark. My suspicion is confirmed when the engine cuts out and the door is yanked open. I practically leap from the car, attempting to escape. Gad catches me around the waist. His huge arms squeezing me to his chest. “No little rabbit, you’re not getting away from us. The boss is waiting to meet you and he is pissed that you tried to cheat your way out of your bargain.”
“I never made a bargain!” I grunt. He’s not hurting me, but the amount of pressure he’s putting on my ribs is making my entire body heat up, but it’s not from embarrassment, anger or anything else I can comprehend.
“Just fucking shut up.” The words are growled into my ear.
It finally dawns on me why my body is reacting this way, I’m horny, the asshole kidnapper is turning me on in the worst way possible.
Puppies, kittens, old men with gross saggy balls hanging out their… Yup that’s better. “Fine, let’s see this boss of yours and we’ll get this shit sorted.” I give a swift kick behind me, aiming for his knee, but my heel collides with his thigh. I gulp at his lack of reaction. “Put me down you bloody giant. I can walk on my own two feet.”
“I don’t trust you. You’re staying right here where you can’t run again.” I don’t bother arguing as he starts walking towards an elevator.
The three guys crowd the small space. Gad’s arms make me feel even more claustrophobic but thankfully the ride to the top is over in seconds and we’re spilling out into a suite that takes my breath away.
Everything is in tones of red and black, its elegant yet there’s a distinct medieval vibe that screams money. The drapes are thick velvet, the red slashes look like they’re blood dripping from the fabric, but the design is so perfectly done that it’s almost beautiful in how gory it looks. The black couches that form a perfect square in the centre of the room bring your focus to a deep burgundy coffee table with etchings that depict the most erotic images. I’m blushing before I can look at more than one or two of the entwined figures.
The two doors off to either side are a black so deep they look like portals to another dimension, considering the horns on the man standing in front of the closed drapes, I’m inclined to believe that’s exactly what they are.
The man moves like liquid, his long lithe strides bringing him to where I’m being lowered to my feet by Gad. His black claw tipped fingers grasp my chin, digging into my flesh enough to turn my head but not hard enough to hurt.
There’s something about his presence that makes my entire body still. I couldn’t even open my mouth, let alone speak right now. “You are not Gabriella.” He tilts my chin up, his fingers digging deeper into my cheeks making me pucker up like a fish. His beady chocolate eyes peer intently into mine as he asks, “Why do you have Gabriella’s contract mark on your soul?”
I try to ask, “What’s a contract mark?” but with how tight he’s holding my face, it comes out as “Wassa onac arh?”
“That bitch!” His voice turns my entire body to jelly as he releases my face. I drop to my ass on the plush smoky carpet at Gad’s feet, shaking from head to toe.
“What do we do with her?” Gad asks, staring down at me.
“The mark on her soul means I can’t make a deal with her and at the same time I can’t claim her soul because she never signed a contract.” He kneels before me, “I’m sorry my dear, you can’t return to your life but I also have no use for you once the mark is removed.”
“Can we keep her? She’s decent looking, got a nice rack.” Kane gives me a once over as though assessing my worth.
“I’m sure she’d make a good breeder.” Rafe adds as Gad moves to his side.
“No. Until I can figure out a way to get that mark off her and back onto Gabriella where it belongs, she’s going to have to stay with my most trusted Triad.” The beady eyed demon turns to Gad, “Keep her alive and comfortable. I need to find that witch Lilith, she’s the only one in existence who could have pulled this off.”
“Boss, we can’t have her with us while we’re hunting Gabriella.” Kane says at the same time Rafe says, “Without the mark we’ve no way of tracking her.”
While they’re all arguing over what to do with me and how to find my mother, I begin creeping backwards. Inching my way to the elevator. Boss-man demon turns back to me and laughs, “You won’t need to track her. She can lead you right to Gabriella.”
“No. No way. I’m not handing my mother over to monsters.”
“Ignore her, I’ve got a better idea.” Kane ushers Rafe, Gad and Boss-man closer. They don’t say anything, just stand around staring at each other almost as though they’re speaking without actual words. It’s creepy as fuck. After what feels like hours but is probably only a few minutes Rafe speaks, breaking the silence, “Dude, she called us monsters.” He rubs his neck, looking at me out the corner of his eye as though I’ve done something wrong. “And just when I was starting to like her.” In the blink of an eye, he’s beside me, one arm wrapping around my shoulders, the other pulling my knees out from under me. “She’s all yours Gad.”
My scream pierces the air as I’m literally thrown across the room into the waiting arms of Gad. “Looks like it’s just you and me princess. What shall we do to pass the time?”
“You could let me go.”
His deep rumble of a laugh has my body wanting to melt. It should be a crime to laugh like that around women. “Sorry princess, can’t do that.” He carries me further into the room before letting me back down to my feet. “How about we watch a movie and just relax.” He steers me to the plush black couch in front of what looks like a normal fireplace, but when he pushes a button on the arm of the couch a huge screen slowly emerges from a hidden section of the wall.
“Are you shitting me?” I’m not sure if I’m referring to the crazy TV or his offer to watch a movie, but I glance around, only now noticing that the others have all vanished. “I can’t watch a movie knowing your freaky friends are out there looking for my mother.”
“Why are you protecting her? She’s the reason you’re stuck here.” Gad flops onto the couch, making the wooden insides of it groan under his muscular bulk.
“She’s my mother. She would never do that. This is all just a big misunderstanding.” My words come out clipped and overly defensive, even to my own ears.
“Then help us find her. We’re not unreasonable, if you’re right, we’ll be on our way. No harm done.” What he’s saying makes sense, but my heart is telling me to keep fighting this. There’s no way my mother would be involved with demons, loan sharks, drug dealers, the odd drunk or two, sure, but not demons.
I’m sure of it now, that’s what they are, nothing else explains boss-man’s horns and talons. I’m sort of curious as to what kind of demons, I mean, I’ve read about them in books but my mind wants to know if anything I think I know is true. Of course, they could just be really sexy weirdos who are really good at special effects make up… Yeah, even I’m not buying that.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth? If I take you to my mother, you might just kill her and then me.”
“Princess, you offend me. Do I look like a killer to you?”
“Is that a trick question? Even the most innocent looking can be killers.”
“Touché.” He rubs his chin, the slight stubble doesn’t detract from his handsome features, it just accentuates the definition. After a few seconds of silence, he nods, “Okay, how about you and I go on our own. I’ll talk to Gabriella and if she’s on the level, I’ll leave both of you alone.”
My heads shaking before I can think about it. I don’t trust him, even if he is telling the truth, there’s no way I could fight someone his size if things go south. Also, from what Boss-demon said, they’re not just going to let me go.
“What if I gave you something as insurance.” Gad shifts on the couch, his eyes locking onto mine. “If you speak a demon’s true name, then you can control them. I’ll give you my name and I won’t be able to harm you or Gabriella.”
I still hesitate, but if he’s lying then I’ll know the second I say his name. “Alright.”
“Gadriel Stormbringer.”
“Gad-.”
“Don’t say it now.” He’s off the couch and storming towards the door as though he can run from the name.
“Gadriel Stormbringer!” I shout the name and his entire body freezes, his hand outstretched to push the elevator button. I inch closer, getting right into his personal space. I’m tempted to touch him, but I’m still not sure if this is some kind of fake out to get me to do what he wants. I poke his stomach and almost groan at the solid muscles beneath my finger, he doesn’t move though, so I wave my hand in front of his face a few times.
“You know, you have one hell of a sexy ass.” I grab said ass and give it a squeeze. Still no reaction. “Simon says, put your hands on your head.”
The squeal that comes out of my mouth would put any horror movie scream to shame. My cheeks burn as I duck my head.
“No fucking way!” I hiss as I circle him again so I’m in between him and the elevator doors. “Kiss me.” Gad leans down his fresh forest scent surrounding me as his lips pucker slightly. He’s only a breath away from my lips when I let out a relieved laugh, “Okay, stop.” He’s frozen again, his lips still puckered and I wish I had a camera to capture this surreal moment.
I’m tempted to play with him some more, but then an idea hits me and I smile wider, “Do you have a car?” No response. Hmm maybe he only responds to commands. “Take me to your car.”
Like a super sexy robot, Gadriel presses the button on the wall and walks into the elevator that appears almost instantly. His gait is stiff as though the movement is being forced on him and for a spit second as the doors close us inside the metal box, I feel bad for doing this.
They kidnapped you Krizzy. Don’t go falling for that Stockholm crap.