She hoped she wouldn’t be caught, but if she was, she decided that, since it was still during working hours, it was better to be caught wandering in the halls at this time than to wait until the evening.  She’d be better able to concoct an excuse for being in an area unassigned to her.She managed to get to the room where the male prisoner was kept.  After leaning against the door for an undetermined amount of time, she finally found the courage to slip inside; holding her breath with the hopes that there was no attendant in with him. As luck would have it, he was alone.An enormous, and rather loud sigh escaped her lips when she realized she’d pulled it off.The sound of her sigh caught his immediate attention and he lept off the cot he’d been resting on.  His look of shock took her by surprise.  She was still dressed in her lab attire, so her presence shouldn’t seem that out of place or unsettling to him. Yet,

They found a fallen tree on the hillside with a hollow beneath it that was large enough to offer them shelter and covering in case someone was looking for them while they rested.  Of course, she needed no rest, since she’d been carried the entire ten miles, but he clearly needed time to rejuvenate.“You don’t need to carry me, you know,” she said as she positioned herself next to him in the recesses of the hollow.He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and drew her close. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”“That’s nice, I guess,” she said uncomfortably.“I have upset you?” he asked with raised brow.“Not at all,” she lied.“I sense you are uncomfortable. Please speak the truth.  Why are you upset?” he prodded.She had no idea why she felt so compelled to be honest, but she did.  So, she was.  “I don’t

Tristan used the silence in the car to think about what could be done about their situation.   He realized too late that he’d acted poorly after sex.  He should have consoled her and whispered loving words into her ear. After all, he’d taken her virginity.  Instead, he lost himself in worry about impregnating her and paid minimal attention to anything else.  He couldn’t even remember holding her in his arms as he ran to the station. His mind was just that pre-occupied.He had a lot to consider.  First of all, Chloe was a human from the earth’s surface who thought he was the same.  The shock of finding out that he came from inner-earth could be a bit much for her.  If she was indeed pregnant, then it was his duty to divulge his DNA lineage to her, which included the fact that he was part human and part beast. He wanted more time to let her get to know him before he sprung something like that on her.  At least

“I speak the truth when I say that I am from inner-earth.  It is a land filled with beauty and wonder and species that once walked the planet’s surface,” Tristan began.“What?  Like, dinosaurs?” Jim asked teasingly.“I fear I have misjudged you,” Tristan grumbled.  “I perceived you to be far more open to possibilities than you apparently are.”“Well, you have to admit…” Jim began.“Don’t be an ass and shut up,” Chloe barked while never taking her eyes off Tristan.  As much as she wanted to label this man insane right along with Antoh Sudnik and call the police, something inside of her told her to listen to all he had to say with an open mind. Tristan flashed Chloe a smile of gratitude and her heart melted.  She had no idea what kind of hold this man had on her, but a hold it was. “Continue, please.”“Inner-earth has

The motel room was modest, but clean and tidy.  Chloe flopped onto the only bed the room possessed. The mattress was a cheap one, but that was to be expected since the room rental was also quite inexpensive.“I’m exhausted,” she said as she rolled onto her side and looked up at Tristan.“That bed seems small,” he muttered.“It’s a queen size,” she said with hesitation as she assessed whether or not the bed was long enough for someone of his height.  “We should both fit on it.”“I thought I would sleep in the chair, to avoid… you know what… happening again,” he said softly.Chloe studied Tristan.  She wasn’t sure if she should be hurt by his rejection or flattered by his attempt at chivalry.  She glanced at the chair he was referring to.“That chair doesn’t look very sturdy. You’re a pretty big and muscular guy,&rd