ROMANCE: HIGHLANDER ROMANCE: Seduced by highlander (Historical Mail Order Bride Time Travel Romance) (Military Fantasy Romance Short Stories) (97 page)

Kayla slipped her hand into Zig’s and squeezed it reassuringly. “Let’s go home Zig.” She smiled up at him.

They directed themselves back toward the town with the radio tower still looming overhead. Already a sense of tranquility had fallen over the townspeople. Eagerly they buzzed, sharing the news with their neighbors. Spreading the word that Earth was no longer under attack.

Across the street couples continued strolling through the parks hand in hand. Cars were no longer fleeing and racing down the roads. Things seemed to be falling back into stride.

Zig was thrilled with the response. He felt personally accountable. This planet had become a second home to him and he found himself willing to do anything to protect Earth and all of its inhabitants. Zig realized that the previous events could certainly be used as evidence to support his proposal of unification between Earth and Mamugnar.  His ties with this planet were embedded in his heart and soul. Maybe now the Higher Order would see that Earth was not a defenseless planet. It was a planet full of potential and opportunity. The people on Earth are closely unified showing sign of promise. So badly Zig wanted to contact the agency to share his experience but who would listen if he tried? To the people of Mamugnar, Zig was as good as dead. But ultimately, he felt as though had nothing to lose. He stepped aside leaving Kayla, Lonnie, and Rin to collect themselves. With a nervous hand, Zig brought the phone to his ear.

“Commander, patch me through to the Higher Order.” Zig demanded.

“Private, attempted communication as such bodes against the charges of treason. I am denying your access.”

“Wait.” Zig begged. “As you are obviously aware, one of your drones has been compromised. I witnessed the event and I believe the Higher Order would be interested in hearing what I have to say.”

Silence echoed.

“Private, this is the Higher Order. You have my attention.”

“I am not new to this variety of combat and I understand your reasoning for retreat. Immediately after losing a drone, your men were called back to safety. You have lost one ship and you were not prepared to lose another. Your mission to incinerate Earth is without resource. You have calculated the probability of succeeding in this mission and you surrendered.” Zig explained.

Silence.

“I have been on the ground and in the air as a warrior. I know all of the ins and outs of the agency. I am your best hope. So now, I propose unification between Mamugnar and Earth. The people of Earth mean us no harm. They have resided peacefully for thousands of years prior to any foreign contact. We have much knowledge to absorb from there kind. Not to mention the power of their planet is unlike anything I have ever seen before.”

“Intriguing. Go on, Private.”

“For eons, Earth has existed without intergalactic conflict and warfare allowing it to build immunity. The planet has withheld all energy within its core. It has strengthened and intensified this unused energy which in turn has expelled a field-like force deflecting all incoming attacks.” Zig smiled to himself. “Your drones have zero effect on its stability.”

“Why was this not brought to my attention earlier?”

“I would be lying if I did not say that I tried. I was denied privilege and exiled from Mamugnar as result of treason.” Admitting this fact didn’t make swallowing the information much easier. He had spent the entirety of his life living on Mamugnar. The inability to ever return weighed heavy on his heart. As much as he had fallen in love with his life on Earth, he would be lying if he didn’t admit his dreams of taking his future children to Mamugnar. To show them the place that he so recently called his home.

“I will personally see to it that the charges are expunged. Your proposal will be processed and discussed. We will need ground intelligence for this unification. Continue your observations, Private.”

Zig cautiously brought the phone down to its cradle. He was still trying to process it all. This was an information and sensory overload.

“Is everything alright?” Kayla approached Zig from across the room.

He kept his eyes glued to the ground, daylight was pouring out around him. He felt as though he was radiating but did his best to contain this newfound sensation of excitement.

“I just spoke to the Higher Order.” Zig was in shock. Privates were never granted access to directly speak to the Higher Order unless it was through punishment. When he was in military school in Mamugnar, Zig had heard war stories about warriors entering the office of the Higher Order and never returning. Seldom would a positive story arise regarding the Higher Order back home. Until now, he had his own story to share.

“You did? What did they say?” Kayla couldn’t hold back as much as she tried.

“Well,” Zig paused, still processing the previous events, “they have agreed to review my proposal to unify Earth and Mamugnar.” He was evidently still in shock.

“Does that mean you will be staying here? On Earth?” Kayla attempted to contain her excitement but her heart was overflowing with joy. She bounced up and down in amusement at the news.

“For now at least. I have been asked to gain further intelligence on ground. I believe that means that I have been reinstated through the agency in Mamugnar.” Zig scanned the ground in front of him.

Kayla threw herself into his arms with no intention of letting go. For the first time, in both of their lives, their future was bright. They had found one another and in each other’s arms, they had found home. The dust had finally settled.

THE END

THE CHOSEN WARRIOR

Chapter 1

“I don’t know what to tell you, Colleen. I have to be at this rally tonight and I won’t be here to take one of my shifts. I don’t think that it’s much of a hardship for you to fill in for me. You have done this before and people have always said that you should be the one that is on the radio. Why you took a job in management is beyond me. I am still trying to scratch my head over that one.” Jackson was a sought after commodity by any radio station in the area. He’s a little eccentric, but his delivery was bar none. “I’m the talent around here and it would be a good thing that you remember that. I don’t think that those that are higher than you will be the very happy with losing me over something, so trivial.” Jackson felt like he was all that and he deserved to have everything that he wanted on a silver platter.

“I can’t see any reason why we can’t accommodate your wishes.” What she didn’t wanna say was that she was getting tired of bending over backwards to please him. He was an aging artist and one that was slowly being put out to pasture by those young bucks that were making a name for themselves. It wouldn’t be long before he was passing on the baton to somebody that was youthful and didn’t ask for the world. “It’s only one night and I’m sure that I can juggle things around. I would suggest that you don’t make a habit of this. You may just find that somewhere down the road that your usefulness will come to an end.” “I’ve never liked Jackson and I would rather that he be replaced with a monkey. Everything today is becoming automated, but we are one of the rare ones that still offer a warm body to talk to in the middle of the night.”

“I think that was a bit of a threat. Do you know who you’re talking to?” He had stringy gray hair that cascaded down over his back. He was lanky and you could tell that his days of abusing recreational drugs had taken its toll. “I don’t need this constant abuse. I could easily go to any radio station in this city and find employment like that. I’m going to leave, before I say something that I regret.” Jackson had never loved the idea of a woman that had power over him. It was bad enough that when he went home he was constantly emasculated by the woman that claimed that she loved him. He would get drunk and fall asleep on the couch, waking to a headache that would beat the band.

“I appreciate your talents, but your attitude needs adjusting. One of these days, we’re going to have to have a frank discussion about your views on women. You think that you’re hiding it, but your contempt for me being in charge is evident by the way that you treat me on a daily basis.” They were in her office, her blond hair tight in a ponytail to be more professional and wearing a pantsuit that gave her the air of superiority over others. “I treat this like a business. I do not get caught up in relationships. I don’t make any snap decisions. I weigh things carefully and then I do what is best for business.” I think that what is best for business is that Jackson find himself another line of work. Once his contract is up in the next few months, I intend to talk to those that are, so high on him and convince them that his time has come and gone.

“I know that I’m going to get in trouble for this, but I don’t think that you have what it takes to do this job. You are on the radio for less than two months, before somehow you manage to climb the ladder of success.” Jackson believed that her sudden rise to the top was due to spreading her legs and giving it up to those that she felt could do the most good for her career. His opinion was low, even though he had no idea that he was dealing with a woman with a strong business acumen. She may have been only 5’5, 120 pounds, but her work ethic was unparalleled.

“I wouldn’t tread carefully if I were you, Jackson. That sounded remarkably like you were accusing me of something. I may be soft-spoken, but there are times that I will have to put my foot down. Get out of my office, before I decide that you are not worth the effort. You’re an aging relic that needs to be put down with one shot behind the barn. You think that you are inexpendable, but trust me nobody is.” She opened the door, seeing her secretary pretend to be working and knowing that she had likely over heard every single word that had been said inside the office. She had the ears of a bat.

Jackson walked down the hall with a frown on his face and a sense of tension that was surrounding him. The sun was barely behind the trees. If it wasn’t for the fact that Colleen didn’t have a life, she may have told Jackson where he could take his day off. It was short notice and 1 hour before air time was not professionally sound in her mind. She expected to have that respect and to give it back to those that deserved it.

“Colleen, he is a little rough around the edges, but he does know how to bring in the demographics. His opinions on the radio are not of management, but it does wonders for the ratings. I know that you and Jackson will never be friends, but maybe you can meet him in the middle. He’s stuck in his old ways. I doubt that he will ever accept a woman in your position.” Victoria was a woman that knew how to read certain signals in any sex. She was notorious for flirting shamelessly with the staff, but never going any further than that, except for one unforgettable Christmas retreat in the mountains. It still made her smile to think of how she had spent most of that time going from one man to the other in her inebriated state.

“I know that you’re right. It galls me to think that he has these attitudes about women being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. I’ve met his wife and she is nothing like that, which leads me to believe that he needs to insert some of his own authority to make himself feel better for what’s happening at home.” I feel sorry for him, but I’m more sorry for his wife Michelle. One look at Victoria and I want to tell her to wear something more appropriate for the office. She likes to flaunt what makes her special. The balloons on her chest certainly do wonders for the morale around here with the male staff finding every opportunity to stop by and say hello.

Colleen had a few moments to collect her thoughts, going into her office and sitting down to contemplate what tonight’s program was going to be about. She needed to find something to get on her soapbox about and maybe the attitude of men towards women was exactly what she was looking for. It might not be good for her career and those that listened might feel like she was getting too carried away. It might cost her this job, but she really didn’t care. It was time for a resurgence of the battle of the sexes.

30 minutes later and she was gathering up her papers. She was looking at the notes that she had accumulated from sources on the Internet about men’s attitudes. It was all very fascinating and she had to wonder what kind of reaction she was going to get from the listeners.

She walked out to find that her secretary Victoria was bending over provocatively in front of her program director Mark Bellamy. They thought that they were fooling everybody, but it was a known fact that they were sleeping with each other on the sly. He wasn’t the only one that Victoria coveted, but he was the only one that she felt powerless not to give in to. She really didn’t consider Mark to be part of the staff, as he was never there in the first place. He was the son of the owner and he only showed up when it was absolutely necessary. He had the equipment at home that he could program the music and be able to enjoy many hours of playing video games, instead of doing his job.

Colleen had to shake her head, going into the booth and sitting down with the pair of headphones over her ears. She waited for the news break to end, when her delivery was made with the seductive drawl of a woman that was fed up with today’s society of what men wanted from women. “Recently, I’ve begun to realize that women in the workplace have a hard time trying to adjust to those dinosaurs that run roughshod over a woman in a higher position than them. Bullying is not just in high school and if you think otherwise, I want to hear from you.” She continued her tirade, getting various calls from female listeners that were ready to hear her point of view.

Colleen was an only child and her parents were living in Las Vegas playing games of chance and losing her inheritance $1.00 at a time. She was not foolish to think that they would have anything left over in her twilight years. It was the reason why she dedicated herself to building a reputation for knowing what was best for business. She had tried in vain to find a man to settle down with, but sex was fleeting at best. She wanted somebody that could go the distance and so far there were only those that said they could and turned out to be disappointments.

There was a conveyor belt of lovelorn males feeling her footprints over their back, as she ran for exit, as fast as she could. Two months and she had celibate and feeling that itch like never before. She took a break from men, knowing that the toys in her collection were going to get one hell of a workout. Batteries were used in abundance and she was thankful that she had the kind that could be recharged while she was at work. She had a pair of panties that had a vibrator built right into the crotch and she had them on right now.

Every so often, she would move a certain way and let the vibration take her into her own little world. The lights were flashing on the dashboard and she grabbed for one that said for once that it was a man calling in. “I really don’t know where you get off on making these kinds of statements on the air. Women are only good when they’re lying down with their legs in the air. If you women out there think that I care about what you want, then you really don’t understand anything. Most guys are only after one thing and then they will tune you out the rest of the time. Make us happy by making us smile and getting us a beer once in awhile and maybe we might listen to you prattle on about your daily lives.” I hated him from the moment that he opened up his mouth. It was time to whip this boy into shape.

“There is no room for men like you. I sense that you are alone and I think that there might be a reason for that. Look into the mirror and tell me if you are truly respectful of women. If not, then there has to be an underlying reason and until you find it, relationships are never going to work out in the end.” Colleen didn’t give him a chance to make some kind rebuttal. She disconnected him, feeling a sense of relief from knowing that she had that power in the palm of her hand.

She was starting to get into a groove, when the lights began to flicker and then outside her window, she saw a man standing there completely naked. She stared at the object between his legs and then suddenly he disappeared like he wasn’t even there to begin with. She shook her head and closed her eyes, wishing for that man to materialize once more. It was like he was there one second and in the blink of an eye gone the next.

The entire room began to shake and then she had this terrible pain that shot up her arms and legs. She thought for sure that she was having some sort of heart attack. She was only 30, but it was not unheard of for women in stressful situations to feel it physically.