CHAPTER 0 PART ONE PROLOGUE - Sarah

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

As if the pounding in my head wasn’t bad enough, my roommate must have left her alarm clock on again. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds. Shit, just how much did I have to drink last night?

Vague recollections of meeting my friends over at O’Shea’s drifted through my mind. That new bartender, Tad, Toby, no Tim—maybe? Whoever he was, the man had been plying me with rum and coke all night. I knew that he just wanted in my pants, but I wanted the free booze so in the end, I figured we would both be happy.

I don’t remember if Toby got his fondest wish, or maybe it had been Tad. Honestly, it didn’t matter the only thing that mattered now was that fucking alarm that refused to stop going off.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

I opened my mouth to scream at Annie and choked on the tube that was running down my throat.

“Healer! One of the transports is awakening!”

What the actual fuck?

I pried my eyes open to see that I was hooked up to a bunch of strange looking machines. The beeping that I had so lovingly attributed to Annie was some type of heart monitor. A tall handsome man hurried into the room.

His eyes are the color of grass, and he was taller than any man I had ever seen before. His lips were moving but the language coming from his lips wasn’t anything I had ever heard before.

An older man walked up to the massive one and gestured to the gadget that was hanging around his neck. The big man rolled his eyes but took one of his massive paws and adjusted the dial and spoke again.

“Human,” it was one word, and yet in that one word, there was enough to tell me that we weren’t in Kansas anymore.

And just to be clear, I am from Minnesota, not Kansas.

I yanked at the tube in my throat and immediately regretted it when I ripped it out and felt raw fire taking its place.

“Fucking hell,” I rasped.

The older man took a step back in surprise, but the handsome beast just scowled at me.

“Your language is not that of a lady.”

Seriously.

“Where in the fucking hell am I?” I squawked, desperately needing a drink or something to soothe my throat.

The older man stepped forward, “I am Von, one of the Elders and you are on the planet Zeron.”

I blinked at the older man before glancing at the big one.

“Is he for real?”

The handsome fucker smirked, “She thinks you are not corporeal, Von.”

I had a feeling that the big guy and I weren’t meant to be bosom buddies.

“Look, Thor, what is going on?”

It would have sounded more impressive if I wasn’t as weak as a three-day-old kitten. But my eyes were fierce, at least that’s what I told myself.

“Our Elder was trying to tell you, Human. Perhaps you should listen to him.”

I looked back at the older man and he was holding a glass of what I hoped to be water. He suddenly looked a whole lot less crazy. Tipping the cup to my lips I drank down the sweetest most refreshing water I had ever tasted. Of course, I choked by trying to take too much and ended up coughing like a maniac, but it had been worth it.

The large man was looking at me like I was something the cat dragged in—something dead.

“You are certain that this, Human, has the gene?”

I frowned, “What gene? My blood is O-positive, and my pointer finger is shorter than my middle one?”

The Elder’s snort sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

He-man glared at me, “Are you making jokes? You aren’t funny.”

I was damn funny, not that it was any of his business or that I had cracked any jokes. But I sure as shit was hilarious when I wanted to be.

“Just tell me what is going on,” I gritted out.

Von stepped forward, “The things that I am about to discuss with you are highly sensitive, and of great importance to the Intergalactic Council.”

I smirked, “Are you for real? Is Captain Kirk flying the ship or are you going to beam me up?”

“The human is clearly delusional, put it back. I will wait for another partner.”

Another partner? “Are you talking about me? Because I am not the one that is talking crazy and acting like he has a giant stick up his ass. By all means, put me back! Whatever the hell that means!”

Von sighed, “We couldn’t put you back if we wanted to. Sarah how are you feeling?”

For the first time, I realized that I had never given these men my name. Fear raced through my body outweighing the headache and stiffness.

“Where am I?” I repeated, but the badass that usually resided in me was hiding somewhere. And in her place was a scared young woman that was in deep, deep shit.

Von turned to the moose of a man and sighed, “She needs you.”

He visibly flinched and it made me feel about as awesome as a piece of shit.

“I don’t need him,” I spat.

I wasn’t sure what I needed, but it wasn’t the handsome man that continued to glare at me. I needed to go home. I wanted to know where I was. But most of all, I was terrified that maybe, just maybe, they might be right.

The monitor attached to my heart rate began to escalate as the pounding in my head increased.

“The last thing we need is for you to waste this opportunity,” Von sighed, “You need to imprint on the girl.”

I didn’t like the sound of that.

The Hulk stalked over to where I was lying on the bed and snatched my arm. The moment his fingers touched mine I felt a jolt of electricity race through my veins. My body sizzled with awareness as everything became sharper, richer.

Suddenly I could hear the woosh of their breathing combined with the faint hum of electricity that was hooked up to the machines. I could see every line of Von’s weathered face. My mind automatically memorized every freckle and facial expression.

It was unlike any drug I had ever known. Whatever that man had done to me, threw me into another realm of existence. One I hadn’t known existed, and yet felt comfortable with.

I yanked my arm out of his grasp and was surprised when I easily broke away.

Von was grinning and the beast stumbled back from me, blinking in surprise.

“What was that?”

It was Von who answered me, “You have imprinted with your partner, Axel, and activated the recessive gene that you weren’t aware you carried.”

“What gene?”

Von shrugged, “We call it Z13, but we have no idea what your super power will be. Only that you possess the ability to develop one.”

“It isn’t possible,” Axel rasped, “How can this tiny human fight by my side?”

I shrank back, “Fight? Nobody said anything about fighting. I am more of a pacifist, really.”

Von looked worried, “When two halves are apart they are unable to tap into their highest potential. Sarah, Axel is your other half. Now that you have imprinted you will be trained as a warrior for the Intergalactic Council.”

“Are you shitting me?” Something was caught in my throat, I think it might have been my heart.

Axel scoffed, “Nothing as weak as this Human could possibly be my other half.”

I turned hate-filled eyes on him, wanting to shut the idiot up for once. He had been on my ass since I had opened my eyes. I didn’t ask to come here, and I sure as hell didn’t ask to be paired up with Satan.

Axel jerked back. I lost my focus and smelled something foul in the air.

He moved his hand and at the base of his throat was an angry red mark, “You fucking burned me?”

His eyes were wild and accusatory as the smell of his burning flesh twisted my stomach.

Had I done that?

Von beamed, “It would seem, Sarah, that your superpowers are manifesting already!”