Free Alphas Unleashed by Mina Khan Carolyn Jewel Michele Callahan S.E. Smith Page A

had in her face. She glanced over her shoulder as Evetta wrapped her arm around the unconscious figure.
    Within seconds, she heard the remaining Valdier warrior yell out at the same time as the huge golden creature shimmered and changed its shape from the dog to a huge, very angry WereCat. Gripping the tablet in her hand, she pressed the command to transport them back to their apartment. Things blurred for a moment as their surroundings faded away.

Chapter 11

    Ben jumped when Hanine, Evetta and a third figure suddenly appeared in the small living room area. He paled when he recognized the all too familiar human features of the third person. Rushing forward, he carefully picked the unconscious woman up in his arms.
    “I thought you were getting a healer! You said there were no other humans on this Spaceport,” he growled as he walked through the doorway into the second bedroom and gently laid the woman down on the worn, but clean, covers. “What have you two done?”
    “She is like you,” Hanine cried out defensively. “Look at her! She will know how to fix Aaron. She was with the dragon shifters. She wears their gold.”
    Ben glanced impatiently at Hanine before his eyes caught Evetta’s worried ones. “What does their gold have to do with anything? Can we use it to pay for a healer?”
    He watched as Evetta glanced nervously toward the door in the other room then the window. Something was wrong. He could feel the tension flowing off of Evetta as she glanced down at the street before finally looking at him.
    “No,” she replied softly. “Their gold is a living thing. It is magic.”
    “It can heal Aaron if she tells it to,” Hanine said desperately. “Please, it can save him. She can save him. Please, Ben. I cannot… I cannot lose him.”
    Ben glanced helplessly at Hanine. Silent tears slid down her face where fear and exhaustion had cut deep lines around her eyes and mouth. He turned to gaze down at the unconscious human female again. It had been so long since he had seen one that she looked more alien to him than Evetta ever had.
    “Alright,” he agreed tiredly. “But I think I should be the one to explain. She might listen to me.”
    “Thank you,” Hanine whispered, brushing the tears from her cheeks. “Aaron, is he…?”
    “The same,” Ben admitted. “Maybe a little weaker.”
    Hanine’s face crumbled but she didn’t make a sound. He watched as she quickly turned and hurried into the other room where his brother lay. He jerked when he felt a slender hand on his shoulder. His eyes swept upward until they locked with Evetta’s dark, worried eyes.
    “I hope she can help us. It is very dangerous for us to have her here. It will not be long before those she was with find her,” Evetta said heavily. “If they do, they will kill Hanine and I. The Valdier have no love for the Marastin Dow.” A bitter laugh escaped Evetta before she leaned wearily against Ben’s side as he wrapped his arm around her. “No species have a love for us, including our own people. When they come, stand away from us and do not try to stop them. They are too powerful. I do not believe they will harm you or Aaron.”
    Ben rose and pulled Evetta into his arms. He pressed a hot, powerful kiss to her mouth. A soft groan escaped him at her own desperate response. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he pulled her head back until she was forced to look up at him.
    “I will protect you with my life. I won’t let anyone harm you or Hanine as long as I have a breath in my body,” he vowed. “If they come, we will handle it together.”
    Evetta’s eyes softened. “I love you, Ben Cooper. You are a strong and noble man. I thank the Goddess each day for bringing you into my life.”
    Ben chuckled as he brushed another kiss across her upturned lips. “One day I’m going to be able to give you a proper home. A place where we can call it our own. A place where we can live without fear.”
    “A place where we can raise our