Unchained: The Discordant Earth Series Book Two

by Melony Paradise

  “Bullshit!” Cecily ejected the magazine, pointed the gun at the ground, and pulled back the slide to check the chamber. Now familiar with this process, Alyssa watched her instructor scowl when a round flew out and bounced across the concrete floor of the shooting range. “You didn’t even bother to put the safety on. Get the fuck out of my range. Now!”

  Zirena flushed bright red. She glanced at Alyssa, Jess, and Kora, before running out the door. Alyssa peeked around the wall separating her station from the next, giving Jess big eyes and getting big, angry eyes back. Kora’s head poked out from her station on the other side of Jess, her face white as a sheet.

  “Did Z just aim a loaded gun at you?” Jess asked.

  “Yes, she did,” Cecily answered before Alyssa could open her mouth. “I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with her. She knows all about gun safety. I’ve been training her since she joined the coalition. She got some kind of grudge against you, Aly?”

  “Uh, yeah. She’s jealous of me.”

  “Why the hell is she jealous of you?”

  “Because Aly took her place with Kayn,” Jess said with a sneer, “then got Sebastian when she couldn’t.”

  “I didn’t take her place,” Alyssa said with a huff. “She’d been fired long before I started working as Kayn’s assistant, and I didn’t get Sebastian, we fell in love. She did accuse me of getting my hooks in him, though.”

  “Ah, okay,” Cecily said, looking at the ground with narrowed eyes and pinched lips. “She did give me shit for a little while when she found out Bas and I had a past, but I scared the jealousy out of her. I’ll talk to her tonight.”

  Alyssa grabbed Cecily’s strong hand. “Don’t make it worse, please. Other than what just happened, it’s been fine as long as I ignore her.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head, “she pointed a loaded weapon at you and lied about it. It sounds to me like her jealousy is escalating and needs to be dealt with immediately. I need to speak with Bas about this.”

  Alyssa sighed, and dropped her head in her hand. Jess laid a hand on her arm as Kora shuffled over.

  “She scares me,” Kora whispered. “I won’t let her near Lyssa. Her eyes are always angry, and she looks like she might break at any moment. What’s wrong with her?”

  “When the commander rejected her, she went off the deep end,” Cecily said. “Apparently she thought he didn’t want her because she couldn’t get pregnant, so she started trying all sorts of folk remedies and did a bunch of dieting to look ‘prettier.’ They banned her from the commander’s compound when she started stalking him. That alien sonofabitch did a real number on her.”

  “Can’t Ela heal her with the Szu’Kara advanced medical technology?” Jess asked.

  “Ela’s access to that stuff is limited to what we get from the raids, but Z won’t let any of the Zooks near her anyway. She’s too angry. I thought if I trained her, took her under my wing, it would help her regain some confidence, maybe help mend her broken heart. I didn’t realize she had it so bad for Bas.”

  “Well, do what you feel is necessary. I just hope it doesn’t make her resent me any more than she already does.”

  “If she won’t let up, I’ll have to send her back to Cali.” Cecily crossed her arms, looking imposing and determined. “Let’s call it a day, girls. Clean up your gear and sweep up the casings. I’m going to go find Bas.”

  Alyssa, Jess, and Kora all straightened up and saluted, a joke they had started shortly after Cecily started training them. She rolled her eyes and chuckled, stomping out in her clunky combat boots.

  ***

  “I heard you had some trouble at the range.” Sebastian rested his arms on Alyssa’s shoulders as they stood inside the door of their room after dinner with the gang. They’d made it a habit to have as many dinners as possible together in the cafeteria as one big family, often joined by other coalition members.

  “Uh, yeah.” Alyssa looked away with a sigh. “I thought things were getting better with Zirena, but apparently I was so wrong.”

  “Well, you won’t have to worry about her for a while. Cecily is sending her back with Raul.”

  Second-in-command to Cecily, Raul Jimenez ran the northern California coalition groups in her stead, especially now that she spent more time in Washington. With the Command Compound in Washington, alien military activities, and many of Kayn’s evildoings, happened there. As of late, Kayn’s reach affected most of the state, often focusing on Spokane and Seattle.

  “That’s a relief.” Alyssa stepped closer to Sebastian, letting him envelop her in his arms. “I’d rather not get shot by ‘accident’ by that jealous woman.”

  “I’m so sorry you’ve had to deal with that, darlin’.” He kissed the tip of her nose, his cobalt gaze piercing her heart.

  “It’s not your fault, Sebastian. Kayn damaged her too much. I feel sorry for her.”

  Bending at the knee, Sebastian brought his face level with Alyssa’s. “As long as she continues to act this way, we will keep her away as much as possible.”

  “Thank you, babe.” She leaned into his firm body, giving him a tender kiss. Holding her tight, Sebastian pressed against her mouth, snaking his tongue between her lips.

  With a long moan, Alyssa ran her hands down his back, tucking them into the back of his pants. As he deepened their kiss, Sebastian ground his pelvis against her, pulling a gasp and a giggle from Alyssa. He leaned his head back, tilting his chin to peer down at her.

  “You feeling up to this, darlin’?” His eyes burned with desire, and she loved him all the more for his selfless concern.

  “I’m more than up to it, babe,” she said, breathless. “Don’t stop.”

  Grasping her buttocks, he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked them through the small sitting area to the bed in the other half of their room.

  When his knees met the edge of the bed, Sebastian fell forward, catching himself on his hands as Alyssa bounced on the mattress. Staring into his stunning eyes, she bit her bottom lip and pulled at his black t-shirt. As he stood to undress, she quickly kicked off her sneakers and slipped out of her jeans and hoodie.

  How did I get so damn lucky? Every time with him is as amazing as the first…

  Alyssa scrambled up the bed, giggling as Sebastian crawled after her with a mischievous half-grin, sending sizzling spikes to intimate places. He straddled her body, gazing down at her, his hot breath caressing her sensitive skin. She gasped at the intensity of his possessive stare, brushing her fingertips along the defined muscles of his chest, savoring the warm, silky feel of his skin.

  Sebastian slowly lowered his firm body, seeking entrance. Alyssa squirmed, opening herself to him and crying out as he buried himself deep inside. Thrust after thrust drew passionate noises from them both, each of them calling the other’s name.

  Clinging to him, she dug her fingers into his hard shoulders, his shaggy hair tickling her cheek. Sweat beaded on their skin, a delicious friction sending waves of building ecstasy throughout Alyssa’s aching body. The faint scent of cinnamon teased her nose as she kissed Sebastian’s neck, nibbling at his collarbone.

  Sebastian arched forward, rubbing against Alyssa’s sweet spot. A sensual energy filled her as she dropped back against the bed, moving her body in rhythm with his. Pressing her hands against his chest, her back arched, her head swallowed by pillows as each breath came out in a gasp.

  On strained, trembling arms, Sebastian’s pace faltered with a grunt and a shake of his head. Driving himself inside, he paused for a breath, his eyes losing focus and his heart pounding against Alyssa’s palm.

  “Something’s different,” he said with a slight slur to his words. “I feel weir—”

  “Oh God, Sebastian, don’t stop!” Alyssa’s fingers curled and her nails bit into his burning skin as a loud moan escaped her throat.

  “Fuck, Alyssa, I can’t hold out any longer,” he said through gritted teeth, dropping his head forward as he regained his f
evered pace. “You feel so damn good!”

  “Almost…there…” She bit her lip, euphoria clouding her mind as her eyelids fluttered and her vision blurred.

  Sebastian groaned as he drove into Alyssa faster and faster, pushing her over the edge. Overwhelming ecstasy flooded her body and mind, gasping moans spilling from her mouth, incoherent words mumbled under her breath. As he buried himself as deep as possible, each movement sent another wave of erotic sensations.

  With one final thrust, Sebastian let out a long groan, spilling his seed into her greedy, clutching center. He held himself still above Alyssa, his glistening chest rising and falling with each gulping breath. Her heart raced, her muscles relaxing one by one as she sucked in lungfuls of air. With a shudder, he dropped to the bed beside her, wiping away a sheen of sweat from his forehead.

  They lay together, shoulder to sweaty shoulder, grinning and laughing, basking in the afterglow. Sebastian ground his palms against his eyes, giving his head a little shake. With a delicious ache in her groin, Alyssa squeezed her thighs together, savoring the pulsing after-effects of their lovemaking. Rolling to her side, she tucked herself under his arm, breathing in the musky scent of his passionate exertions.

  “Mmmm, that was amazing,” she said. “You are amazing. I love you so much, Sebastian.”

  With an arm over his eyes, he chuckled softly. “I love you too, darlin’. That was awesome, as always, but something felt different.”

  Alyssa propped herself up on her elbow, laying her chin on his chest. “What do you mean?”

  “Uh, well, it started to tingle, you know… down there.” He lifted his arm to peek down at her.

  Alyssa arched an eyebrow, frowning in confusion. “That’s… weird.”

  “Yeah.” He lowered his arm to lay along her dewy back. “Also, where your hands were on my chest, it felt tingly and hot. In fact, there’s still a faint tingling heat coming off your skin where we’re touching now.” Sebastian scooted and sat up, moving over so there was some space between them.

  Alyssa felt a strange pulling sensation as their bodies separated, leaving behind numbness where their skin had touched. A hollowness sat in the back of her mind with a slight ache in her chest.

  “Whoa, that’s… odd. I thought that was just the afterglow, but now that we’re not touching, I feel an emptiness, but my mind seems clearer, and there was a faint tingling I didn’t notice before. It’s almost like… but it can’t be—I mean, there’s no way.”

  “What?” Sebastian studied her with narrowed eyes, a deep crease sitting between his furrowed brow.

  “Um, it kind of feels like…” Alyssa bit her lip, scared to say the words. “It feels a little like Asen’Sha.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “That’s not possible. It’s been almost a month since you lost the baby.”

  “I know!” She sat up, wrapping a sheet around her naked body and hugging her knees. “I thought my body was normal now that I don’t have an alien baby inside me.” Alyssa sniffled, a tear trailing down her cheek.

  “I’m sorry, darlin’. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Sebastian rested his hand on her covered foot. A spike of anger shot through her chest at the possible implications.

  “It’s not your fault, but the thought of not being able to touch you without dosing you with Valene… It makes my heart hurt!”

  “Well, it wasn’t terrible, although I have no idea what Asen’Sha feels like. It usually causes hallucinations, doesn’t it?”

  “Usually, yes.” Alyssa gulped back tears, refusing to give in to the pressing despair.

  “Then, see,” he said, holding his arms out with a consoling smile. “I’m fine. No hallucinations, I don’t feel drugged, and it actually felt kind of… good.” He gave her his adorable crooked grin and pulled her into a hug. “If it’s just a little heat to make our hot sex hotter—” he snickered “—and some tingling, I can handle it. Not a problem.”

  “But what if it’s like Lyssa? What if it gets worse, and I do cause you to have hallucinations? What then?” Alyssa’s heart pounded and her chest tightened as she gripped his arm. I can’t let him go. I won’t let this mess up our relationship. I won’t let another thing Kayn did to me ruin my life!

  “Darlin’, please, don’t fret. We’ll talk to Ela and figure this out. I promise.”

  “Okay,” she said in a mock pouting tone as a smile forced its way to her lips.

  “I don’t want to scare you,” he said in a hushed voice, “but I did get a couple flashes of something.”

  She shot her head up to stare into his eyes, her eyebrows stitching together. “So you did have a hallucination? This is bad… real bad.”

  “No, darlin’, it wasn’t bad, and in fact it was probably just my own imagination—wishful thinking, you know?”

  “What did you see?” Alyssa’s chest ached as worry wormed into her mind again.

  “Hmm, it was nice.” His eyes wandered to stare off in the distance. “We were in the mountains. There was a little cabin, and we were chasing kids in the yard, playing some sort of game. One of the kids, the oldest one I think, looked kind of like Lyssa.”

  “Oh my God,” she said with a loud gasp. “That’s… that’s my dream!”

  “What dream?”

  “Ever since you and I fell in love, I’ve dreamed of us living in the mountains, away from all this fighting with Kayn and the Szu’Kara. The oldest boy is what I imagine my son would have looked like, and the other kids were ours. That’s what I want for us: a life of peace in the mountains, having babies, and growing our own food. I can’t believe you saw that, but it’s always in the back of my mind.”

  “Well, if that’s the kind of hallucination you give me, I don’t object.” He chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose.

  “I love you, Sebastian.” She snaked her arms around his chest, relishing the feel of his embrace.

  “I love you too, Alyssa.”

  Chapter 7

  “So, I’m like Lyssa now?”

  Alyssa gave Ela a hard stare, dreading what the dour alien would likely say.

  “From your explanation, and my examination of Sebastian,” Ela said in a clipped tone, “it seems as if your DNA may not have returned to normal after the loss of your child.”

  “But why is this happening now? I touch people all the time.” She flapped her hands in the air, growling in frustration. “Sebastian and I kiss all the time.”

  “Has something changed recently, Alyssa?” Ela peered at her, clearly losing her patience. “Have you done something different?”

  “No, nothing. We’re doing all the same stuff we did before—”

  “What?” Sebastian asked, his scarred eyebrow arched.

  “Uh… That was our first time, you know… since Kayn, uh…” She couldn’t say it. Didn’t even want to think about it.

  “Oh, damn,” Sebastian said, chuckling. “We haven’t been intimate since then.”

  Ela scowled, but nodded in understanding. “Would you permit me to draw a sample of blood for further study?”

  “Yes, please do.” Alyssa stuck her arm out, anxious for answers. She watched Ela move about the room, pulling an extractor from a drawer before snapping on a pair of latex gloves.

  They had been lucky to acquire the extractor and other medical supplies from a recent raid of a slaver camp. The small, silver device looked like a cordless hand drill without the drill bits. Painless and more sanitary than a syringe, the extractor pulled a miniscule amount of blood from a surface vein without puncturing the skin.

  Ela pressed the nose of the extractor to Alyssa’s arm and pulled the trigger. A low buzz followed by a tiny snapping sound occurred as the device heated slightly against her skin. She glanced down as Ela turned away, and marveled at how the extractor left no marks behind.

  “Why didn’t you have an extractor at the compound clinic?” Alyssa sat up, trying to look over Ela’s shoulder, but couldn’t see anything.

  “We have limited quantities of s
uch devices,” Ela said, spinning back around on her stool, extractor still in hand, “most of which are kept at the Nursery. They must be modified for use on humans, as they are designed to extract our blood while separating out the Valene. If a Szu’Kara were to fall ill, it is imperative to examine the two fluids independent of each other. We are not prone to illness, but there have been cases of disease that can affect one or the other. Very rarely does disease afflict both.”

  “What does it say about my blood?” She attempted to read the little screen upside down, but it only displayed the symbols of the Szu’Kara’s original language. Like hieroglyphs, the language was kept secret. Commander Kayn had decreed, shortly after the aliens’ arrival on Earth, that the entire race would only speak the languages of humans.

  “Ela?” Alyssa asked when she didn’t answer. “What does it say? I can’t read Szu’Kara writing.”

  “No, of course not.” She looked up, her light gray eyes darkening. “It appears as if your blood contains Valene. The amount is approximately equal to fifty percent the amount of Valene in Szu’Kara blood. That is as much as a hybrid child. I have not seen another woman gain that much during gestation, or retain it. This is fascinating…” Ela’s voice trailed off as she stood and exited the room.

  “Okay then.” Alyssa hopped down from the exam table and followed her out to the empty infirmary waiting room, curious about her behavior. “Ela? What does that mean?

  “I must speak to Nait,” she said, calling over her shoulder as she rushed out the door, leaving Alyssa and Sebastian staring after her. Glancing around the space, which had originally been an office for the abandoned mill the coalition had converted, Alyssa shook her head and wished once again that Kayn would release her favorite Szu’Kara nurse, Shar’Enta.

  Determined to be kept in the loop, Alyssa dragged Sebastian to the lab where Nait’Ira had spent the last month attempting to create a vaccine for the Valene-derived poison that Kayn’s scientists had created to eradicate all of humanity. Her mother had been part of a team working to make the poison airborne, although they had been under the illusion that the poison was a key to everlasting life in Zion. Nait spent many hours experimenting with a sample of the poison and samples of Alyssa’s blood from when she had been pregnant with the commander’s child.