Starcrossed: Perigee - A paranormal romance trilogy (11 page)

"Are you pulling my leg?" I took a step closer. "Oh, come on Aric - you can't really expect me to believe that!"

He glanced at the ground, then back at me. "I told you you'd be weirded-out."

I folded my arms. "So... eight hundred years old? Are you like, a vampire or something? Are you immortal?"

He shook his head and laughed grimly. "No, not a vampire. And not immortal. I just age slowly, and live a long time."

"So what are you then?"

He took a deep breath. "Those creatures - the Innaki? They created me. I'm half human, half Innaki. A hybrid."

My mouth fell open in an "O" shape, I couldn't think of anything to say.

"They abducted my mother around the year 1112. I was the result of genetic engineering. The mind-reading is just one thing I can do... "

My legs felt weak. I wished I'd sat down as Aric had suggested.

"So you've seen these... Inny..."

"Innaki," he corrected.

"Innaki - you've dealt with them before?"

"Yes."

I looked up through the tree canopy. The sky was a brilliant blue. I couldn't see any clouds. It looked so 'normal'.

"They were after me. I heard you arguing with them. What do they want with me?"

Aric stepped forward and placed his hands on my shoulders again. I looked into his eyes. They were hooded, cloudy, and blue as a deep lagoon after a summer storm. I sensed he was reluctant to tell me, and I wondered whether it was wise to hear the truth. But I'd go crazy with all sorts of scenarios in my mind if I was left to imagine why I was being chased through a forest by alien creatures. I gave him an encouraging nod.

"They've been taking you since you were seven, Lucy. You don't remember because they initiate a kind of amnesia on you so you can't remember. They've been studying you."

My knees grew wobbly again, and I would have sunk to the ground if Aric hadn't caught me.

"Are you okay?" He helped me to sit on a nearby boulder. "We should just keep walking. You don't need to hear any more."

"There's more?" My voice was high pitched. Suddenly, the world around me didn't seem as solid as it used to be. "How did they know we were up on the ridge?"

"You have an implant. They keep track of you with it. I've spent the past few weeks blocking it - shielding you. But I can't keep the shield going when I'm asleep, or last night... when I was kissing you. I'm afraid it was impossible to think of anything else other than you. I let the shield down, and they found you. I'm sorry."

My eyes widened as I tried to take it all in. "So you've been shielding me ever since you came to Shadow Bend?"

He nodded.

"So why didn't they come at night while you were sleeping - why last night?"

"There's no rhyme or reason as to when they come for you. They just do. I was shielding you in case they came. I haven't slept since I met you. I don't need much sleep. "

I noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He obviously needed at least a little sleep. "Were you planning on staying awake indefinitely? You need to sleep some time, and then they will come again."

"The plan is to teach you to shield until we can remove your implant. Then you'll be safer."

"But they know where I live anyway."

"You can't go back to Shadow Bend Lucy."

His words hit me like a punch in the stomach. "But... my uncle - he won't agree to me just taking off." He was telling me I had to leave the only real home I remembered. It had taken me so long to get there, and now I had to give it all up.

"You have no choice. You can't see him again. At least not here. It's not safe."

My head was swimming with confused thoughts and questions.

"Where will I go?"

"There are others like me. They don't agree with what the Innaki are doing either. We need to get to Newtown. They will help keep you safe."

The helicopters buzzed overhead, making a wide sweep of the ridge. We stuck to the cover of the trees, and stopped to wash the dried blood from our faces in the creek. Aric's skin was as smooth and unblemished as it had always been. He didn't just heal others - he could heal himself too. As I stumbled along after him down the mountain, I wondered what other amazing secrets he was keeping.

* * * * *

The helicopters were still buzzing behind us, making a meticulous surveillance sweep of the ridge as we reached the line of trees near the barn. We'd managed to stay out of sight by keeping just off the path, avoiding bushes and boulders but it made the going harder, and the descent to the valley was slower than Aric had hoped. Arriving in the valley well after noon, we crouched at the edge of the tree line, Aric's hand on my arm as though he thought I might break for the safety of my home any moment.

He had left his truck parked at the side of the house. From our vantage point amongst the trees behind the barn, we could see the driveway and part of the front porch. A long black car was parked in front of the house. Two men dressed in dark suits were talking to Uncle Tom and Aunt Janet, who were standing on the steps of the porch. Gus was walking two saddled horses towards the house. I could see my cousins, Luke and Michael standing on the rails of the fence pointing at the helicopters. A police car bumped along the drive from the direction of the road, heading for the house. Why were the police there?

"We won't be able to get my car," said Aric. I shuffled forward to get a better look.

"Who are those men? Detectives? Maybe they'll help us."

"Afraid not. We've got to get out of here now."

"Do you know them?"

Aric surveyed the scene in front of the house. "Sort of. I think they're hybrids too."

"Then shouldn't they help us?"

"Those are the bad guys. They're on the wrong team."

He crouched down as one of the suited men looked towards our hill.

"We really need to go. We'll head for the highway and hitch a ride. But we need to stay in the cover of the trees. If we head south, can we get to the highway along this hill?"

I scanned the route he wanted to take. The covered slopes eventually turned east, and we needed to go south west. We'd have to cross a lot of open fields, and it would be a long walk.

"My friend Steven lives on the next ranch up that way. He'll help us. It's only a thirty minute hike, and we could clean ourselves up. No one will want to give us a lift looking like this."

Aric considered it for a moment, and agreed. "We have no choice." We headed north towards Steven's place, keeping to the trees, the helicopters maintaining a constant buzz above the tree canopy.

* * * * *

The Hornesby Ranch was a show place - a perfect example of an idyllic, picturesque farm, with a big white farmhouse kept in perfect condition, alongside a large red barn. The gardens were neatly trimmed, the fences newly painted a pristine white. Steven's parents were meticulous about the appearance of their home, which made the battered old car parked in the drive seem incongruous to the scene. I recognized the car as Jenny's old bomb. What was she doing at Steven's place?

There was no sign of any other cars; I crossed my fingers and hoped that Steven's parents were out. We crept past the barn, setting off the farm dogs into a barking frenzy. Aric stopped and fixed them with a stony stare, and they were instantly silenced.

The front door was open. I pressed the doorbell, sending a twinkling melody ringing through the house. We waited, but there was no answer. I pressed the doorbell again. Still, no one answered the door.

"Odd," I said. "Maybe they're out the back."

We searched downstairs and checked the back porch - both were void of people. I hoped they wouldn't mind helping a hungry neighbor out, and we headed for the kitchen. We were just about to raid the fridge when we heard muffled laughter coming from upstairs.

I raised my eyebrows at Aric, and he led the way up the staircase.

"That's Steven's room," I said, as we pinpointed the source of the laughter.

I knocked quietly on the door, and pushed it open.

Steven and Jenny were lying on his bed, kissing. They jumped up guiltily.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Steven said grumpily.

I gaped at them in surprise. Probably the only thing slightly stranger than being chased all night by evil aliens, was seeing Jenny and Steven together in an embrace on the bed.

"We did. And we rang the doorbell - several times. But I see you were kind of occupied..."

Jenny blushed. Steven eyed Aric suspiciously.

"What have you two been up to? A murder spree? You're covered in blood and dirt."

I could see Aric's eyes roaming around the room, coming to rest on a poster of a flying saucer, with the words "I want to believe' emblazoned across it. Steven noted his interest.

"Hey, did you see those lights up on the Ridge last night?" His face was animated; our dirty appearance forgotten. "Man, they were everywhere. I got some video - a bit blurry, but you can see them darting about up there. Really bizarre."

"They're the talk of the town," added Jenny. "News reporters, military helicopters, everyone's talking about it - it lasted all night!"

"We know - they were after us."

Steven and Jenny stood together, gawking at us. Steven was the first to recover.

"What? Where - how..."

Aric looked at them through cool blue eyes. He spoke in their heads. They both reacted with a start.

"What the hell! How did you do that?" Steven backed up, grabbing Jenny's arm and dragging her with him.

Aric continued to look at them. I have no idea what he was telling them in their heads, but their eyes traveled from Aric, to me and back again.

Jenny moved forward first. She grabbed my arm, then pulled me into a hug. "Are you all right Luce?"

I gave Aric a confused look. "What did you tell them?"

They know enough to help us,
he said in my mind.

I nodded and turned to Jenny. "I'm fine, but I'm starving and we need to clean ourselves up."

Steven moved into action. "You can have some of my sister's clothes. I'll find Aric something to wear."

He rummaged around in his closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a polo shirt.

"There's a shower down the hall to the right. Maybe you should go through Amy's closet yourself Lucy, I don't know what stuff will fit."

Aric headed for the shower, and Jenny and I went to raid Steven's sister's wardrobe.

"I can't believe this is happening," said Jenny, pulling out a drawer and rifling through the contents.

"Me neither." I held up a pink T-shirt. That would probably do. "So, how long have you and Steven been, well, you know...?"

Jenny blushed again. "We met up again after you went home from Josie's. He helped me start my car, and well, we sort of... clicked. I hope you don't mind. I know he had a thing for you..."

I squeezed her arm and smiled at her. "I'm happy for you. Steven's a sweet guy."

Jenny offered me a pair of jeans. "Yeah he is. So, you and Aric... I can't believe you met him again. God this is weird."

"Totally weird. You wouldn't believe how freaky things are getting." I held up the jeans against my legs. They'd probably fit if I sucked my stomach right in and didn't try to breathe. Amy was pretty skinny.

Jenny threw me a pair of clean socks. "Aric told me what happened - in my head. What's the deal with that?"

I grabbed the clothes, and headed for the door. I didn't feel like explaining it all. "It's a long story - I'll tell you later. I really need to get out of these filthy things."

Jenny followed me down the hall. "I'll find you something to eat."

I thanked her, and turned to go to Steven's room. I was hoping Aric would have finished in the bathroom.

"Lucy," Jenny stood at the top of the stairs. I stopped, my hand clutching the door knob. "Be careful," she said.

I nodded, and went to look for Aric.

* * * * *

The shower breathed new life into me. I found the others down in the kitchen. Steven was reheating left over spaghetti bolognese, and Jenny and Aric were making sandwiches.

Aric grabbed my hand as I went past. "Feeling better?" he said.

I smiled and slid on to a stool at the kitchen bench. Jenny had offered us the use of her car. We were really grateful. She didn't know if it would get us far, but it was better than walking, especially if the countryside was still swarming with helicopters and those dark suited men.

Jenny's cell phone rang. She answered it, listened for a moment, and looked at me panic-stricken. She covered the receiver with her hand.

"It's your uncle. He's asking if I know where you are. He's been trying to ring you on your cell but it's not answering. He's worried about the lights."

I threw a panicked look at Aric. He shook his head. "You can't tell him."

I went to protest, but he placed his hand on my arm. "If he knows, you may put him in danger too." He told Jenny to tell my uncle she hadn't heard from me. She finished the call. Apparently Uncle Tom and Gus were preparing to search the Ridge for us.

My eyes filled with tears, he must be worried sick. Aric rubbed the back of my neck. "It's for the best Luce." I nodded miserably, and helped bag the sandwiches.

"So where are you heading to?" Steven asked, pushing bowls of steaming spaghetti in front of us.

Aric dug in. "Can't tell you, too dangerous," he said, between mouthfuls.

I swallowed a forkful of spaghetti. It was dry and stuck in my throat. I coughed, waving my fork at them. Eventually I was able to speak again. "I'll phone you when we get there safely."

Aric shook his head again. "We can't phone - they'll track you down."

I peered uneasily at my meal. This nightmare was going on and on.

Steven dumped the empty spaghetti bowl in the sink, and looked out the kitchen window.

"Looks like my folks are home. Wait... no, it's not them. Don't recognize the car."

Aric hurried to the window.

"Quick, we've got to go," he said. He grabbed the bag of sandwiches and ushered us outside, issuing instructions to Steven and Jenny that the visitors were not to know who'd really been here. We could see the large black car that had been in Uncle Tom's yard earlier, coming up the long drive in a cloud of dust.