The Dark Prince's Prize

Chapter 6-1

CHAPTER SIX

Samara softly sang along with a song playing on her cellphone as she swept out each stall. The music helped keep the boredom of mucking out stalls to a tolerable level. The barn was state-of-the-art and contained thirty stalls. It was just one of the many barns scattered throughout the ranch. Fortunately, she was only responsible for keeping this one clean along with her other duties.

There were seldom more than a dozen horses at a time here. They were mostly used for Mr. G’s survival training business. Since Mr. G had gone on an extended trip, Mason had taken over the training part of the business.

Mason said Mr. G was spending more time with Trisha now that she had been found safe and sound. A shiver ran through her at the thought of the serial killer the police originally thought was responsible for the disappearance of Trisha and several other women. She was glad they were all safe now.

The thought of a serial killer brought another face to her mind, and she quit singing, thinking of Prince Adalard Ha’darra of Curizan. She would have to Google him when she took a break to see what she could find out about him. Maybe she could ask Annalisa to do a background check.

“Just to make sure he isn’t crazy.” She chuckled before she let out a squeak of surprise when she turned and realized she wasn’t alone. The man she was thinking about was standing at the opening of the stall staring at her with glowing, purple eyes. “s**t! You startled me.”

She pulled her earbuds out of her ears, wound them up and shoved them into her pocket along with her cellphone. She pursed her lips and waited for her heart to slow down. He wasn’t helping to make that happen when he stepped into the stall.

“Who might be crazy?” he asked, his voice deep.

“You,” she blurted out before she grimaced and continued, “need to be more careful. I could have jabbed you.”

He looked at the broom in her hand and raised an eyebrow. “With a broom?” he inquired.

“With horse manure in the bristles,” she pointed out.

She lifted the broom between them so he could see the bits of brown mixed with straw. Granted, she did it more to keep him from coming any closer than to emphasize her point. She barely covered her smirk when he wiggled his nose with distaste and stepped back.

“You remind me of Melina and Ariel. They both have an affinity for creatures who poop a lot,” he dryly replied.

She lowered the broom and frowned. “Ariel? Do you know Ariel Hamm?” she asked.

He nodded. “Unfortunately. I threatened to start a war if her mate sent me another Tasier,” he proclaimed with a shudder. “Those things are the bane of the galaxy. I’ve never seen a creature that can procreate as quickly as they can.”

Her frown deepened to confusion. “A Tasier? Wait, her mate?” she repeated.

“Yes. Tasiers are small, furry creatures from the Minor Moon of Leviathan. They can keep them there for all I care,” he explained. “Mandra Reykill, Ariel’s mate, sent two of them as a gift. Before the end of the week, there were hundreds of them. The creatures have since been declared a protected species—why I have no idea—and thankfully reintroduced to the moon.”

With a sudden burst of giggles, Samara said, “Ah, that’s right!” she snapped her fingers and gave a sharp nod, trying to keep a straight face but failing. “You’re an alien Prince. I forgot. Okay, Mr. Alien. I’ve got a lot of work to make up for before the end of the day, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to get it finished. If you are looking for something to do, there are some tourist places still open in town you might find interesting,” she suggested.

“Who has threatened to harm you?” he suddenly demanded.

She gave him a startled look and frowned. “Harm me? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she responded in a confused voice.

He took a step closer to her and his eyes were glowing that weird purple again. Hell, his whole body had a weird glow to it. She could see varying shades of red interspersed with violet and black.

He looks like a frigging mood ring the way he’s changing colors! she thought.

“Mason said there are men in your life giving you trouble,” he said.

She took a step back. He stepped closer, and she tightened her grip on the broom handle. It took a moment to comprehend what he was saying. The colors around him were distracting her. So were the colors she saw rising from her body and mingling with his.

“You need to leave—now,” she ordered in a strained voice, shaking her head.

“Who is threatening you?” he demanded.

“What are you? You’re… you’re glowing,” she whispered.

“I told you who I am, Samara. Who are the men threatening you?” he growled.

“Hello!” a deep voice called. “Samara, have you seen…? I see you have.”

“Chad… I-I-I’m glad you’re here,” she breathed, using Chad’s sudden appearance to scoot away from the livid man who was possessively staring at her.

“Is everything alright?” Chad Morrison inquired.

She nervously glanced at Adalard and nodded. “Yeah. I’ve got to go get the hay for the stalls. Maybe you can show… the new guy around,” she suggested before fleeing.

She practically ran to the store room. Slipping inside, she closed the door and leaned against it. She lifted a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating like she had just run a marathon.

“What the hell was that all about?” she whispered.

She placed the broom back on the hook. Her hand shook, and she pulled it back against her chest where her heart was finally beginning to slow down. She leaned her head back against the door and stared up at the ceiling. Once she felt under control, she held her arm out and rubbed her sleeve. There were no colors.

“Today has been one of those days when I should never have gotten out of bed,” she said with a shake of her head.

She took a deep breath and grabbed the pitchfork. There was too much to do, and this job was too important to risk losing either her mind or her only source of income. There was also the matter of asking Mason about the apartment above the barn next door to him. At the moment, it was used for storing extra furniture and equipment. It wouldn’t take much to clean up, and she didn’t need much room.

“Stay focused, girl. Forget about aliens and glowing colors. Stay focused on your goal—and stay away from the new guy!” she admonished herself.

Fortified, she opened the door and peered out. She heard Chad’s deep voice moving away from the barn. Satisfied she was alone, she stepped out of the store room.

“Remember, there are no such things as aliens. They are only real in the movies,” she whispered.