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Damn, he
sounded genuinely concerned for my safety. “The surveillance is to ensure your
health, nothing more.”
    “I didn’t think about that.”  Deflated,
I sighed.  “Guess it’ll be okay.”
    “You must return to Nidus in four weeks,
on Sunday, June 30th. If you run away, or try anything else, we will come for
you.”
    I am so busted.
    “Okay, no problem,” I said, calmly.
“Does anyone else get to go home?”
    He cocked his head. “Why do you ask?”
    “Well, let’s see, maybe it’s because
you’ve been keeping a bunch of us here for the past nine months, when we all
want to go home.” The Miranda I knew was simmering beneath the surface, and I
hoped I didn’t get myself in trouble. “You have our eggs. What more do you want
from us?” I stood, with hands on hips, as my knees weakened. Questioning the
warden probably wasn’t the brightest idea. I had to be digging my own grave.
What the hell was I doing? I wanted to go home to my family and Bryce.
    “I don’t know.” Dimas crossed the room
and paused before me, our noses mere inches apart. “What do you have to offer?”
Despite the chill in the room, my body burned with a desire that I had never
felt before, not even with Bryce. 
     “My first born—” I clutched my fist to
my chest, “Oops. I forgot, you already took that. What else do you want?”
    “Miranda, I like your spirit.” He
trailed a finger along my cheek, and I shuddered. “We may possess your eggs,
but that does not mean we are done with humans.”
    For an awkward moment, we simply stared
into each other’s eyes. And I got the feeling he was sizing me up. What the
heck was I supposed to do? As much as I hated to admit it, I was enjoying every
minute of our spat. Maybe it was the perfect curve of his lips, or the
mysterious sparkle in his jungle green eyes. Whatever it was, he had ahold of
me and, in that moment, I didn’t want him to let me go.
    His unexpected caress, soft and tender,
continued past my chin and down my neck, and goose bumps covered my flesh. In a
gentle movement, he tugged the chiffon ribbon at the top of my shirt, exposing
my chest. Startled by a wisp of cold air, I snapped.
    What the hell?
    “Don’t touch me.” I slapped his hand.
    “As you wish.” He peered at me,
stretching to his full height. “But know this—I don’t have to touch you to get
what I want.”
    “We’ll see about that.”
    He took a step back, holding my gaze.
His eyes narrowed, and again my gut clenched. I tried to move, but I couldn’t
because something held me prisoner. I gasped for air, but the scream died in my
throat. A dark, powerful force held me captive, sucking my body of its
strength. What was he doing to me?
    “Ah, Miranda.” He shook his head. “When
will you learn that you can’t win?”
    “Never.”
    “That’s what I admire about you.” His
sneering laugh mocked me. “Determined, hardheaded, and rebellious. So much like
myself.” He waved a dismissive hand in the air and the grip around my waist
loosened.
    I sucked in a quick breath. “You and I
are nothing alike.”
    What power did he have over me? How could
he touch me without touching me?
    “You’re wrong, and you are dismissed.”
    His arrogance pissed me off. He knew nothing about me. I wanted to tell him that, but then I remembered where I stood.
    In the end, I turned and ran.
    θ

Chapter 3
     
    The moment I returned to my room, I
collapsed on my bed. My head, not to mention my body, buzzed with dark,
dangerous thoughts that I knew I would later regret. I hated Dimas. I hated him
so much that I found myself thinking about our encounter over and over again. Why? That was not like me. It had to be the result of his freaky, possessive trance.
Otherwise, why did I feel that way? Part of me wanted to go home and another
part wanted to stay and see what happened the next time we met. But if I did,
that meant I would have to remain at Nidus. And that was the last thing I
wanted.
    “Miranda?”