Scarlet - Ghost Bandits

Fear. One of the emotions this Alpha evoked from me. Those eyes of his shone bright like the sun. They held nothing but power. Though the three moons were our source of light, this man glowed, illuminating the path. No doubt, someone could spot us from a mile away. I couldn't tell if he was glowing on purpose or this was how he was.

I could tell one thing, though. He was warm. More than once I found myself walking in line with him, just to accumulate some of his heat. One would say my actions were reckless. This man wanted to kill me. What for, was beyond me. But, I couldn't help myself. His heat was just so comforting.

The broad path narrowed into a smaller one. Dull silver grass decorated the sides of the road. Withered trees were among them.

Not a single person could be seen traversing. It gave off a weird feeling.

Brick buildings came into view down ahead. For some odd reason we were up on a hill. A minute ago we were surrounded by vast plains. One blink of an eye and the landscape shifted.

"This is the tricky part," Angel whispered. "We'll have to get to the village as soon as possible. No one stops or looks behind them. We keep our gaze forward at all times."

My gaze skipped a beat. Why were we supposed to…?

The Alpha sauntered off, ahead of us, cutting off my train of thought. Angel gave us a warning and yet there he was going off by himself. We should stick together. We weren't aware of what lay ahead.

Angel didn't seem to mind being led by him. She was used to this. Her main purpose was to be a subordinate. I, on the other hand, was never the one to follow. I always made the rules even if they were the wrong ones.

The man's steps were swift. I had to half jog, half skip to keep up with his long legs. It was infuriating.

Then the weirdest thing happened. Someone called my name.

I froze.

The sound was distant at first, then it came nearer and nearer.

"Scarlet, wait up!" The joyful tone came from behind me. The tone reminded me of Brianna, my younger sister. "Scarlet, what are you doing?"

Brianna and I didn't grow up together. She was born and raised during the time of my possession. However, there were moments when I would steal a glance at how she progressed. She was quite the wild child, a little too curious. She required constant supervision. This was her voice. I could never forget it.

"Scarlet, why did you stop?" Angel grabbed my hand. "I said you should never stop."

My cheeks warmed at how easily I was fooled. Of course, the person was not Brianna. She was far away on earth entangled in a war with her mate Kyleon. 'Don't look back. Don't stop' those were the rules. I should bear them in mind.

Damn it!

I nodded and continued walking. Both Angel and I had to run to catch back up to the Alpha. He was taking this 'don't look back' rule seriously. He hadn't even noticed we had stopped.

"Scarlet, you're being a bad girl." This time the voice was a whisper. The wind from it fanned my earlobe.

The tone of the voice stated it belonged to my mother. The condescending tone was often used when she reprimanded me for being too soft or too kind. To her, I had to be ruthless. I had to show nothing but power. She hated when I did anything less. Her punishment entailed injuring or killing someone I adored. Years of such punishments toughened my heart.

"How dare you ignore me!" Cold fingers wrapped around my arm.

I gasped and grabbed onto the Alpha's hand and squeezed, steeling myself not to look back. The Alpha didn't mind. He kept walking, dragging me along.

The cold fingers dug into my skin. A whimper left my lips. I clamped my eyelids closed.

The fingers slipped from my hand, but I didn't dare let go of the Alpha or open my eyes. Even when warmth washed over me and we stopped.

It took me a second to realize Angel was calling to me.

I opened my eyes to, "We're here. You can let go of me now."

My eyes flashed open at the Alpha's teasing tone. His gold orbs drank me in. At one point, I could have sworn he smiled at me. If he did, the expression didn't last long. My gaze followed his to where my fingers wrapped around his lower arm.

I released it with a jerk backward. He chuckled and swept fingers through his hair. I looked away, trying not to succumb to the urge of watching him do the deed.

The place on my arm that was held by whoever was back there was numb. There was no sign of the marks from the pain it inflicted before. Other than the numbness, it was as if everything happened in my head.

"Are you alright?" Angel asked.

I nodded.

This was when it became clear that this place was bright as day. A bright sun danced in the sky with white fluffy clouds. On the outside looking in, this place appeared to be in darkness as the outside. But, it was quite the opposite. People traversed back and forth, going about their business. Women dressed in work clothes. Males adorned in suits or simple pants and shirts. Kids played or walked along the pavements. The streets were busy. Everyone was oblivious to what way lay outside this sanctuary.

Brick buildings made up the village housing structure. Modern vehicles drove on the black asphalted road.

I couldn't tell what I expected to see in this village but this wasn't it.

"Let's go," Angel beckoned. "We should get a room. It will be better to converse there."

The alpha and I trailed her to a large building. We entered the lobby.

Angel rested a blue pouch with coins on the counter in front of a receptionist with pointed ears and pink eyes. "Can I get the two available rooms you have? A double room and a single would be nice. Just for the night."

The receptionist glanced at me and the alpha with a smile. "Right away. Would you prefer the double room to be the couples room or family room?"

"Couples."

"Family."

The angel and I answered in unison. She shot me a glare at my response. But smiled at the receptionist. "A couples room would be nice."

A couples room? Why would we need a couples room? Maybe she wanted to stay in the alpha's room. It was fine by me. Or it should have been. I couldn't help but feel upset. Why, was beyond me.

A second later and the receptionist slid two key cards across the counter. "Have a wonderful stay."

Angel plucked the cards from the counter and strolled towards the elevator. The alpha flashed the receptionist a smile. The poor woman's face reddened at the tease.

Ugh!

He snickered and we followed the angel into the elevator. The big guy held onto the bar on the side of the ride when the structure moved. Two lines pinched between his brows.

Angel laughed at this sight. "Are you okay, big guy? I forgot this is your first time in one of these."

That couldn't be possible. Earth had changed for the better with each century that passed. There was always one new invention or the other. We were all a curious bunch. That pushed us to want to invent and discover everything. I doubt there was anyone alive who hadn't experienced one thing or the other.

The alpha nodded.

With a ding, the doors opened to reveal a hallway. Angel once again led the way.

She paused in front of a door and used one of the key cards to unlock it. We followed her in.

A single queen size bed with a flat-screen TV hanging on the wall opposite to it. To the side was a small refrigerator and a cabinet. The small closet sat next to the door, leading into the bathroom. French doors led to a balcony.

One look at the room and it wasn't hard to tell what type it was. The couple's room.

Angel rested the key card on the bedside table. "This room belongs to you guys. I'm in room 203 on the level below this one."

Wait, what?

The alpha jumped on the bed with a sigh. "Ah, a real bed. I can't tell when last I've been on one of these." He flopped his arms as if they were wings.

"Okay," Angel commanded the spotlight. "I'm going to get the supplies. You guys can go sightseeing or whatever. We'll meet back here in the next six hours."

She left no room for questions. She was off before any of us could stop her.

"We should follow her," I stated. "She might need help with whatever she's buying."

We didn't even know what supplies she was getting. They could be heavy.

When I didn't get a response, I turned to find the alpha staring at me. My feet shuffled back and my heart skipped several beats.

"What is it?" My voice came out more quivering than I intended.

He slipped from the bed. There was this unfamiliar look on his face. He advanced and I retreated. Step for step.

"What is it?" I repeated.

A mischievous smirk slanted his lips. With one swift move, he grabbed my arm and pulled me into him.

I gasped. "What do you think you're doing?"