Lightning Rider - Excerpt Only

Lightning Rider (Excerpt Only) - Chapter 4

LIGHTNING RIDER by Maree Anderson

CHAPTER FOUR

An alien who rode lightning? Inside her?

Andie's world tilted on its axis. Her hospital room seemed to expand to immense, out-of-this-world proportions, only to abruptly contract and close in on her, suffocating her... kind of like the man before her had done.

It couldn't be true. She couldn't bring herself to believe it.

This time, it wasn't only her hospital room's lights that flickered. The lights in the corridor and the room across from hers did the off-on off-on thing, too. And this time, Andie noticed it when her heart-rate monitor stuttered.

"Weird."

"I beg your pardon?" Bradley said, his forehead wrinkling.

"Uh— Never mind."

Be calm, Karylon. For Light's sake be calm.

Now the "alien" inside her was talking to itself? Great. Just great.

I promise I'll answer all your questions later, okay, Andie? When we're alone.

Me having a nice little catch-up session with my alien friend? Riiight. Like that's gonna be a heap of fun.

Save the sarcasm for lover-boy, there. He's the one who really deserves it.

Bradley reached over to give Andie's hand a pat. The instant his hand made contact with hers, his eyes widened and he hissed in a breath. He yanked back his hand, shaking it and frowning with shock and confusion.

"What's wrong?" Andie said.

Oops! We zapped him. The alien who insisted on being called Karylon could barely contain her glee. Don't know quite how it happened, but it sure serves him right.

"Uh, nothing's wrong, darling," Bradley said, quickly smoothing his features. "It's good to see you fighting fit again. And I hope your experience has taught you a valuable lesson."

He hopes dying taught you a lesson? Sheesh. Where was this guy when they handed out sympathy and compassion? Admiring himself in the mirror?

"And what lesson might that be, Bradley?" Andie asked. Her own attempt at a smile deteriorated into a snarl because she had a fairly good idea what was coming. Some crap about not "allowing" her to attempt such a dangerous recreational pursuit again. Some BS about her finding a more appropriate hobby—straight out of a Regency period drawing room, no doubt.

She needed him to say it aloud, though. For the record. So she could shoot him down.

Go on, Bradley. I dare you to say it....

"You should take some time off—rest, recuperate." He adroitly skirted the fraught topic of Andie waiting 'til he was out of town to sneak off and visit her family, and then compounding her crimes by signing up for—horrors!—a slickrock bike tour.

"Time off." Diverted, Andie gave serious consideration to that idea. She had leave owing. Mmm. A real holiday, not just the odd stolen weekend here and there. Maybe an entire month off to get her head together. And maybe, she might even summon the courage to book a proper adventure tour, and have a go at some of the hair-raising activities she used to do "BB". Before Bradley.

Wait for it, Karylon whispered.

"You're always getting into scrapes when I'm not around, Andrea, and to be quite frank, it can't go on like this. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to get rid of that dinky little apartment I arranged for you. So I cancelled your lease with the landlord and organized it all before I came down here. As soon as you're discharged, you'll move in with me and Mother so I can take proper care of you."