Alien Romance: RETURNED: An Alien Warrior Romance: (Acarnania Warriors Book 1) (9 page)

Really, he could kill me now and he'd only be putting me out of my misery.

“Echo shoved first aid supplies in my bag as I was leaving. Let me see if there is anything that will help.”

“You have a first aid kit and you're only telling me now?”

“It's Acarnania medical supplies. Not human.”

“I'll take anything. I don't care!”

He dug around in the bag, pulling out what appeared to be an everyday face cleanser.

I nodded at it. “What's that?”

“A burn mask. It has cooling and healing properties.”

“Sounds perfect! Try it. Quick!!!”

He scrunched the cloth into a ball. It crinkled like aluminium foil, then he smoothed the cloth back out and laid it on my back. Ahhh, bliss. Yes, it was cool and soothing.

Then the next wave hit, and it was useless.

For the next two hours, Alrik tried everything in his medical kit while I cried, screamed, and cursed. Nothing worked.

“The gun,” I panted. “Get the gun, Alrik. Do it. I can't stand this. I'm dying … put me out of my misery.”

My hair and clothes were drenched with sweat. I was exhausted from the pain. He ignored my request.

A long while passed, each minute more painful than the last.

“Tell me about the dome,” I finally said, my voice hoarse. I needed a distraction.

“It stretches over your city and some of the surrounding lands,” Alrik said. “There are several domes across the planet. We assume that whatever happened destroyed parts of the atmosphere, making certain areas of Earth uninhabitable, but that's only a guess. We haven't run tests.”

I tried to concentrate on his words, but I faded in and out.

“You falling asleep on me again?” he asked.

I tried to open my eyes, but they were heavy, weighed down from the exhaustion and pain. Sleep claimed me. I snaked in and out of turbulent dreams as my blood raced through me like a burning river.

I don't know how long
I was out, but when I opened my eyes, the first thing I realised was that I'd been moved. Instead of the dirty floorboards, I was now laying on wooden pallets that were stacked on a concrete floor.

It was dim inside, and cool, with dark walls and large broken windows set high up, mesh covering them. It was also big. This place was cavernous. I squinted into the shadows, guessing it to be an old warehouse or storage facility.

Tossing the sleeping bag aside, I sat up, swinging my legs to the floor, shivering. My backpack lay on the floor by the pallets. I rummaged through it, found my jacket and boots, and pulled them on, grateful for the warmth. I also grabbed my water bottle, swallowing the last mouthful. I had two priorities now: Relieve my bursting bladder and find more water.

There was no sign of Alrik, though he couldn't be far away. He wouldn't have left me here alone, unprotected, unless he thought I would be safe. I eased to my feet, wobbly after days of fever and pain.

The tin roof echoed the sounds of rainfall, a loud drumming that reverberated around the empty warehouse. On the far side of the warehouse, a band of thin, watery daylight spilled through an open doorway. With my bottle in hand, I made my way over. If I was lucky, maybe I’ll be able to catch a bit of that rain.

I leaned against the door jamb to catch my breath, but when I glanced outside, what I saw took it away again. The door led to an open-air atrium. Enclosed on all sides by the warehouse, it had been used as a break-out area for the employees who'd once worked here. Old tables and chairs were scattered around. The paving was buckled and twisted, the once-beautiful garden now gone to rack and ruin.

The rain fell in a torrent. But it wasn't the rain, nor the secret garden, that had taken my breath away. It was Alrik, standing naked in the downpour, his face turned up to the sky, water splashing over the hard planes of his cheekbones, running in tantalising rivulets down his back, over his buttocks, his legs.

“Oh.” I couldn't help the squeak that escaped me.

He turned, his gaze meeting mine. I couldn't help it; my eyes devoured him. I'd seen him naked from the waist up before, but below the belt? Unconsciously, I licked my lips. He was very well endowed, and before my eyes, he hardened and grew. I was mesmerised. Until I realised what I was doing. Dragging my eyes back to his, I could feel my cheeks burn.

“You should shower too,” was all he said. “And fill your bottle, while it rains.”

Oh. Right. Good idea.
I stood watching him from the doorway, undecided. Getting naked with Alrik could be a really, really bad idea. But also a very hot one. I wasn't a prude, but I had limits, and getting out there, naked and wet, with him? I wouldn't be able to help myself. He depleted my self-control.

I was still dithering in the doorway when he made the decision for me, striding toward me through the dimming light, water splashing off his magnificent body. I couldn't look away, even when I saw his teeth flash white in a smile. He knew, the smug bastard.

He stooped to pick up his water bottle, then dropped a quick kiss on the end of my nose, chuckling, as he squeezed past me in the doorway.

Gulping in a breath and ignoring my hammering heart, I stepped out under the small veranda, toeing off my boots and shrugging out of the rest of my clothes. I grabbed my own water bottle and moved out into the open, sucking in a breath as the cold rain belted against my overheated skin. Across the atrium, I could see where the rain streamed off the end of the veranda, and I placed the bottle beneath it to catch as much as possible.

Rather than standing in the middle of the atrium and flaunting myself, I stayed to one side and ran my hands over my wet skin. It was a perfunctory wash, but the best I could do under the circumstances. Tipping my head back, I ran my hands through my wet hair, marvelling at the length of it. It was longer than I remembered. I scrubbed my hands over my face, stopping when I noticed my nails. Normally, I kept them trimmed and practical, and I'd only just noticed how long they'd gotten, too.

When I was done, I ducked behind some weeds to relieve my protesting bladder, gave myself one last rinse, then made my way back to the doorway. I stood under the shelter of the overhang and pulled my heavy wet hair over one shoulder, squeezing as much water out as I could.

I could hear Alrik moving around inside, knew he'd turned and was staring at me. I could feel his gaze hot on my back. This was dangerous. Our attraction, dangerous. I didn't dare glance back at him, knowing that if our eyes met, there would be no holding back.

My hands shook as I reached for my clothes, careful to keep my back to him. I pulled them on, struggling as they stuck to my wet skin, but I finally managed to wriggle into them, bouncing around to get my feet through the clinging trouser legs. By the time I was done, Alrik was gone.

Fully clothed, water bottle in hand, I made my way back inside. I could just make out Alrik's silhouette by the makeshift bed.

“We've moved.” I dropped down onto the bed, shivering again. It was getting darker and colder in the warehouse.

“Had to.”

He was busy with a rusted out drum he'd pulled over and set a few feet from the bed. Over the clatter as he dropped pieces of wood into it, he explained what had happened. Men had been searching the area, likely investigating the anomaly in the dome when we'd teleported through, and had probably discovered our footprints. Alrik, who had been making regular sweeps of the area, had spotted them one street over and gotten us out before they found us. We were safe at the warehouse—for now.

He dropped a small silver ball into the drum and it ignited, the flames catching the wood. The fire illuminated his face, shadows dancing across his skin, giving him an eerie glow.

“We'll stay here until you're recovered,” he said.

“I'm feeling much better.”

He crossed his arms, staring into the fire. “You weren't merely sleeping before, Sierra. You were out cold. I tossed you over my shoulder, walked for miles, and you didn't stir, not once. We need to be sure the sickness has gone, that you are strong.”

“You carried me and our bags all this way?”

He shrugged. “It's what I'm trained to do. I'm a warrior. You already know my strength is superior to humans.”

It was true. Even as we talked, I knew he'd have an escape route already planned out, an idea of what to do and where to go next, should we be discovered. He was a strategist, and I was grateful I had him by my side.

“I haven't been able to find any food,” he admitted, watching me from across the fire.

“We're out?” I asked.

“Almost. There is nothing growing in the soil, no fruits on the trees. We’re lucky it rained this afternoon so we could replenish our water.”

The warmth of the fire had eased my shivers. Smoke wafted to the roof high above us. Smart. The fire wouldn't be detected from anyone outside, yet the smoke wouldn't bother us from inside.

My mind drifted, recalling the events of the past few days. Returning to Earth to find it drastically changed. Being sick. Having the very essence of myself melded with another being, without my consent. I didn't know anything about the Bellatania race other than that they had blue skin, that their race was dying out. What did it mean for me, now that I was irrevocably tied to them? Would they know what was happening to me? Would they come for me? A shudder ripped through me at the thought.

“Something is bothering you.” Alrik had been watching the emotions storm across my face.

Which reminded me.

“Are we good now?” I asked.

“Good?”

“You didn't kill me earlier, when you should have. Are we past that now, or do I need to watch my back with you? No pun intended.”

He shook his head. “For the last time, if I had wanted to hurt you, I would have done so already.”

“Will this get you in trouble? With your boss?”

He looked away, then moved to where I was sitting on the bed. He cupped my face in his large hands and forced me to meet his gaze.

“There is nothing that scares me more, out there or in here, than the thought of losing you.”

“I didn't think anything scared you.”

Our voices whispered in the darkness.

“Neither did I. Yet now? Now there is no version of my life that doesn't have you in it.”

“You can't promise that, Alrik. You will return to your ship, your world, and leave me behind. I can't go with you; your people will kill me. And you can't stay here, because my people—well, my people are probably going to try and kill us both.”

As soon as I voiced the words, I realised the disaster that my life had become. I was screwed. And as much as I desired him, no matter how hot and fast he made my blood run, there was no future for us. We were a bad idea, end of story.

“I'm not giving up on you.” He traced his thumb along my lower lip, a move he knew I loved. Sneaky bastard.

“Stubborn.”

“You know it.”

He dropped a kiss on my lips and I immediately arched into him, my body betraying me. While my mind said no, my body was saying more, more, more! And my heart? My heart was a riot of confusion.

I pouted when he pulled away. A smug smile curved his lips.

“You can take first watch,” he said. “I need some sleep.”

He crawled onto the bed next to me and settled under the covers, his thick, dark lashes dusting his cheeks as he closed his eyes with a sigh. God, could I be any more selfish? He must have stayed awake to watch over me for two days straight. He was exhausted, his deep, even breathing telling me he'd already fallen asleep.

I sat on the edge of the bed long into the night, watching the flames crackle in the drum.

“We should go.”

I grabbed my pack and shrugged it on, joining Alrik by the large sliding door at the front of the warehouse. 

It was mid-morning. Alrik had woken in the early hours and insisted I get some sleep. I hadn't felt tired, but as soon as I lay down, boom, I was out like a light. He hadn't been able to rouse me at dawn. Instead, he'd had to wait for me to wake on my own. This phenomenon was new—and dangerous. It meant I was vulnerable in sleep.

“Are you sure you're up to it?” Alrik asked. “It will be a long walk. There are no life signs in this vicinity and we'll have to be cautious when we do discover your people.”

“Gotcha. Remain hidden until we can suss it all out. You're an alien and I'm part alien, part human. Who knows what their reaction will be? They could decide to cart us off and dissect us in the name of science, for all we know.”

Outside, I got my bearings, then led the way to the end of the street, squinting into the distance.

“If we follow this road for about two kilometres, it intersects with a main road that used to go all the way into the city,” I said. “I assume it still does. Rather than walk along that main road, though, we can probably weave through the back streets. Easier to stay hidden that way.”

“Good plan.”

Alrik fell into step beside me.

“I wonder if Mum is still alive,” I said, kicking at the rocks underfoot. “You say I've been gone thirty years? That would make her eighty-six now. Pretty old.”

“How long do humans usually live for?”

“Some make it to a hundred. Not many, though. As health care improved, people were living longer than ever before. But that might not be the case anymore.”

“Do you have other family?”

“My brother Daniel. He was twenty-eight when I left, so he'd be fifty-eight now. Oh my God, he's older than Mum was when I left. I wonder if he got married, had kids, the whole nine yards ... do you know when all this,” I waved my hand at our surroundings, “happened?”

“No.” Alrik shook his head. “I have no further information.”

“Do you have family? Back home on Acarnania?”

“My parents still live. I have no siblings.”

We continued on in silence for a time, lost in our own thoughts, until he stopped me with a hand on my arm.

“I have just realised something.”

“What is it?”

“We have covered a lot of ground today.”

“Yeah, so?”

“You have kept pace with me. I haven't had to slow myself for you. And you don't look tired.” He studied me in the dying light. “How do you feel?”

“You're right. I hadn't noticed, and don't worry, I feel fine. So a little Bellatania DNA has improved my performance.”

“Indeed.”

We both heard it at the same time. A siren. In the distance, but getting closer.

Alrik grabbed my arm and pulled me into an overgrown garden. “Quick. In here.”

We crouched behind a big old tree, the dangling foliage hiding us. We'd stuck to the plan and had been weaving through the back streets that ran parallel to the main road. From where we squatted, we could just see the main road. A vehicle wailed past, blue and red lights flashing, heading away from the city.

“A police car,” I murmured.

“Police?”

“Our local law enforcement. So they're still looking for us.”

“I would say so. I left quite a trail for them to follow. It should take them some time before they discover the warehouse.”

We hid behind the tree for a little while longer before continuing with our journey. As we neared civilization, we began to see signs of life. Street lights flickered as dusk approached. Sounds of life began to filter through, air-conditioners running, people talking, although it appeared most of the houses we passed were empty.

Night fell, but we pushed forward. This time, we moved more cautiously, ducking from wall to wall, keeping to the shadows. I realised I could still see clearly in the darkness. There were some benefits of the alien DNA, I had to admit, but I also wondered what the downside would be. There was bound to be a trade-off.

We moved through clusters of ramshackle homes. This area of town had to be the slums. Even though the houses were in ill repair, people were living in them. Lights flickered on and off, as if the electrical supply was constantly being interrupted. Windows and doors were propped open, though there was no breeze to waft through. The air was still.

The city lights now illuminated the horizon, lighting up tall buildings like beacons. We were still a long way off, but as we progressed through the outer slums, the sidewalks improved, the streets improved, the housing improved. No longer did the lights flicker. Doors and windows were closed. Cars started to appear, parked in driveways, zooming along the streets. Keeping to the shadows, we managed to avoid detection, our footsteps silent on the pavement.

“Look,” Alrik whispered in my ear, pulling me close and pointing.

Diagonal from us was what looked like a café. Through the large glass window, we could see people sitting at tables and eating, drinking, talking, and laughing. My stomach rumbled in response. It had been several hours since that last cracker.

“We have no money to pay for food.”

I had spoken to myself, but Alrik answered.

“It doesn't look like they are exchanging currency physically,” he said. “They are doing something with their hand, with the device at the table.”

We continued to observe. Alrik was right. It looked like the table doubled as a touchscreen, which patrons were using to order their food. They pressed their palms to an area in the centre of the table—possibly making payment?

“We're screwed,” I sighed.

“Maybe not,” Alrik said. “That table at the back—it flickers, and I've been watching the people sitting there. They're having trouble with it. It may be faulty. We could use that to our advantage. We just need to make sure we get seated at that table.”

“Are you sure?” I bit my lip. “This seems awfully risky.”

“You need food. I need food. I've seen no other sources so far. There have been no fields with crops, no trees with fruit.”

“You've got a point.”

Alrik placed a hand on my shoulder. “Relax. It'll be fine. They're not looking for us here. In fact, they don't really know what they're looking for.”

It was just a guess, but he sounded confident.

“So how do we get in?” I asked. “Look. They have to place their hand on that panel to get the door to open.”

“We’ll piggy back on someone else. We have to move fast. Timing is everything. We need to get in as soon as that table vacates, so we need someone to come in or out at that time as well.”

We waited for half an hour before an opportunity presented itself. A young couple walking hand-in-hand approached the café. By then, the faulty table had been vacant for a little while, but no one had entered or left the café, leaving us stranded outside, biding our time.

Grabbing my hand, Alrik moved swiftly across the street, keeping to the shadows as best he could, keeping as quiet as possible.

The couple stopped at the door and the man pressed his palm to it. The door whooshed open and they stepped inside. We followed right behind them, just squeezing in before the doors slid shut again. Thankfully, no alarms went off indicating we'd entered unauthorized.

Alrik led the way, zig zagging through the tables to reach the faulty one at the back. He slid into the chair against the wall and I chose the one next to him. Both of them had an excellent view of the café and the street.

Alrik looked down at the table. “Let's figure out how to work this thing.”

Luck was with us. As soon as we touched the tabletop, it lit up like a computer screen, showing today’s menu. I could have cried. All the food was familiar, although I did notice, as I flicked through the options, that there was no meat.

Choosing a pasta dish, I placed my hand on the handprint that was now visible in the centre of the table. Of course, nothing happened.

“Play it cool,” Alrik muttered, kneeing the table hard from underneath. The tabletop glitzed and shimmered, making a buzzing noise before settling down.

“I don't understand why it's not working, sweetheart.” I plastered a puzzled look on my face and spoke loudly. “You try it.”

Alrik winked at me and placed his hand on the imprint in the centre of the table, pressing harder than was necessary. Again the table flickered and buzzed.

A server hurried over to us. “I'm so sorry. We've been having trouble with this table all evening. I'm going to have to close it down.”

“Oh, but you don't have any other tables free,” I said with a pout. “I was really looking forward to eating here tonight.”

“Of course, ma'am, you may dine at the table, I still have to shut it off.” She leaned down to pull the plug, and the tabletop went dark. “Your meal is on us tonight. We're sorry for the inconvenience.”

I couldn't help grinning as the server hurried back to the kitchen. “We did it!”

“Yes,” Alrik said, “but we're going to have to come up with a better solution. That isn't going to work all the time.”

“True.”

Our meals were delivered in record time. The pasta didn’t taste the same as I remembered, but it was still delicious and we both cleaned our plates. The server had also brought us a free glass of wine each.

“Mmmmm. This is delicious,” I said, closing my eyes as the cool wine flowed down my throat.

“I've never tasted anything like it before,” Alrik admitted. “I can taste a hint of fruit, but it is not strong. Almost bitter.”

“Wine is made from the juice of grapes, which is a fruit here on Earth. There's more to the process, of course, but if Earth still has wine, then we must still have the capability to grow fruit and vegetables.”

We lingered over our meal, watching the others and listening in on conversations, but not learning anything useful. Pleasantly full and starting to feel sleepy, we finally decided it was time to go. Except the door refused to open. Shit. We hadn't noticed that you had to put your hand on the panel to get out as well as in.

“We're not having much luck tonight, babe.” I laughed loudly, throwing an alarmed look over my shoulder at Alrik and placing my hand on the panel, knowing it wouldn't open for me.

An elderly woman approached, smiling at us with a shrewd look in her eyes. “All this tracking technology is wonderful ... when it works.”

“Er, yes. Yes, it is.”

“Maybe you should get your chip looked at, my dear. I couldn't help but notice you had trouble at your table, too. Perhaps your chip is faulty and you need an upgrade.”

I nodded. “My chip. Yes. Yes, I'll get it looked at.”

“Well, I wouldn't like to see you get assessed by the police and found with a faulty chip. You know what that means.”

“Um, what?”

“Well, if you have a faulty chip—or no chip at all—you get taken to Quarantine.”

“Quarantine?”

“Well, yes, you've heard of Quarantine, my dear, surely? And we all know you don't want to go there. They do all sorts of horrible experiments on you. I don't know why they call it Quarantine when we all know it's some kind of weird science lab, all for the purpose of improving mankind.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Can I just ask, though ... are there really people without chips? How does that happen?”

“Some individuals object to being spied upon twenty-four seven by the government, so they go to back-street techs to have the chip removed. Apparently there's quite the underground movement.” The old woman shrugged. “It’s all well and good until you get caught without a chip. I wouldn't like to see that happen to you, dear. You seem like a lovely young woman. And your handsome companion here … my, so tall. Yes, you should be careful.”

Her eyes bore into me intently, as if to push home her message.
Message received
. I nodded vigorously. The woman smiled and pressed her own palm to the panel next to the door, and it slid open.

“Thank you.” I smiled shakily, realising we'd just had a very close call. But we’d also gleaned some useful information.

“It is my pleasure, my dear. Good luck to you.” The elderly woman turned and walked away.

“Let's get out of here.” Alrik took my hand and briskly led me away. I felt a sense of relief when we turned off the street the café was located on.

“They're all chipped?” I whispered.

“Seems so. I assume it's placed in the hand somewhere—maybe the palm or the back of the hand.”

“We're screwed.”

“You heard what the old woman said. There are renegades who remove chips. Black market activity. Maybe we can get a chip inserted.”

“How would we find these renegades?”

“They'd be off the grid. Away from the city, back where we've already been.”

“We did say we were going to camp back there tonight, anyway.”

“Let's head back, find a place to settle in for the rest of the night, think about our next move,” Alrik said. “Tomorrow we can talk to some of the people who live on the edge, see what we can find out.”