by Anna Zaires
Chapter 4
Mia hardly remembered the remainder of the ride.
At some point in the next few minutes, the limo had pulled up to the Bobst Library, and Korum had courteously opened the door for her again and handed her the backpack. He then proceeded to gently brush his lips against her cheek, as though parting ways with his sister, and left her standing on the curb in front of the imposing library building.
Moving on autopilot, Mia somehow found herself inside, sitting in one of the plush armchairs that were her favorite place to study. Going through the motions, she took out her Mac and placed it on the side table, noting with some interest that her hand was shaking and her fingernails had a slight bluish tint to them. She also felt cold deep inside.
Shock, Mia realized. She had to be in a state of mild shock.
For some reason, that pissed her off. Yes, she felt like he had stripped her naked with his words in the car, leaving her feeling raw and vulnerable. Yes, if she thought too deeply about the meaning of his last words, she would probably start running and screaming. But she was hardly a Victorian maiden – her lack of experience notwithstanding – and she refused to let a few explicit phrases send her into vapors.
Resolutely getting up, Mia left her bag in the chair as a placeholder – nobody would steal a computer that old – and headed to the coffee shop to get something hot to drink. On the way there, she stopped by the bathroom. Splashing warm water on her face in an attempt to regain her equilibrium, Mia inadvertently caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The usual pale face staring back at her looked subtly different – somehow softer and prettier. Her lips appeared fuller, as though slightly swollen where he had touched them. Her eyes looked brighter, and there was a hint of color on her cheeks.
He was right, Mia thought. She had been extremely turned on in the car, his words alone bringing her nearly to the edge of orgasm – despite her shock and fear. What that said about her was not something she cared to analyze too deeply. Even now, she could feel the residual dampness in her underwear and a slight pulsing sensation deep within her loins whenever she thought back to that limo ride.
Taking a deep breath, Mia squared her shoulders and exited the restroom. Her sex life in all its extraterrestrial manifestations would have to wait until the paper was done and submitted.
Her priorities were two-fold right now – an extra-large coffee and a few hours of uninterrupted quality time with the Mac.
* * *
The ringing of the doorbell and an excited squeal by her roommate woke up Mia twelve minutes before her alarm.
Groaning, she rolled over and put her pillow over her head, hoping that the source of the noise would go away and let her get the remaining few minutes of precious sleep.
She had gotten home at three in the morning, after finally finishing the evil paper. Unfortunately, she had a 9 a.m. class on Mondays, which meant that she would get less than five hours of sleep that night. Even so, her overtired brain had refused to let go of the day’s events, with dark, erotic dreams interrupting her sleep – dreams in which she would see his face, feel his touch burning her skin, hear his voice promising both pain and ecstasy.
And now she couldn’t even enjoy a few moments of peaceful rest, as Jessie apparently couldn’t contain her excitement over whatever it was that came to the door.
“Mia! Mia! Guess what?” Jessie was practically singing as she knocked on Mia’s bedroom door.
“I’m sleeping!” Mia growled, wanting to smack Jessie for the first time in her life.
“Oh come on, I know your alarm is about to go off. Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty, and see what you got from Prince Charming!”
Mia bolted upright in her bed, all trace of sleepiness forgotten. “What are you talking about?” Jumping out of bed, she flung open the door, confronting her disgustingly cheerful and bright-eyed roommate.
“This!” With a huge excited grin, Jessie gestured toward a large vase of exotic pink and white flowers that occupied the center of their kitchen table. “The delivery guy just came and brought this. Look, there’s even a card and everything! Do you know who sent it? Is there some secret admirer that you haven’t told me about?”
Mia felt a sudden inner chill even as her pulse speeded up. Approaching the table, she reached for the card and opened it with trepidation. The content of the note – written in neat, but clearly masculine handwriting – was simple:
Tonight, 7pm. I will pick you up. Wear something nice.
Her hand shaking slightly, Mia put down the note. For some reason, she hadn’t thought he would want to see her again so soon, much less come to her apartment.
“Well? Don’t keep me in suspense!” Unable to wait any longer, Jessie grabbed the note and read it herself. “Ooh, what’s this? You have a date?”
Mia felt the beginnings of a throbbing headache. “Not exactly,” she said wearily. “Let me get dressed for class, and we can talk on the way.”
Ten minutes later, Mia grabbed a breakfast bar and headed out the door with Jessie, who was nearly bursting with curiosity at this point. Sighing, Mia relayed a shortened version of the story, leaving out a few details that she felt were too private to share – such as his exact words and her reaction to him.
“Oh my God.” Jessie’s face reflected horrified disbelief. “And now he wants to see you again? Mia – this is bad, really bad.”
“I know.”
“I can’t believe he just openly told you he intends to have sex with you.” Jessie was wringing her hands in distress. “What if you don’t show up tonight – go to the library instead or something?”
“I’m pretty sure he’ll be able to find me there. He’s done that before. And I don’t know what he’ll do if he gets mad.”
Jessie’s eyes widened. “Do you think he would hurt you?” she asked in a hushed tone.
Mia thought about it for a few seconds. All his actions toward her thus far had been . . . solicitous, for lack of a better word. It could all be an act, of course, but somehow she doubted that he would physically abuse her.
“I don’t think so,” she said slowly. “But I don’t know what else he might be capable of.”
“Like what?”
“Well, that’s the thing – I just don’t know.” Mia nervously tugged at one long curl. “He’s definitely not playing by any kind of normal dating rules. I mean, he practically kidnapped me off the street yesterday . . .”
“What if you go home to Florida?” Jessie was obviously desperate to find a solution.
“That seems like an overreaction. Besides, it’s the middle of the semester. I can’t go anywhere until this summer.”
“Crap.” Jessie sounded stumped for a second. “Well, then just tell him no when he shows up tonight. Do you think he would force you to go with him anyway?”
“I have no idea,” Mia said wryly, pausing in front of the building that was her destination. “I’m going to have to think about this some more. Maybe if I look particularly ugly tonight, he’ll lose interest.”
“That’s a great idea!” Jessie clapped her hands in excitement. “He wants you to wear something nice tonight? Well, you show him! Put on your ugliest clothes, eat some fresh garlic and onion, put some oil in your hair so it looks all greasy, and maybe do something that makes you sweaty – like a run – and don’t shower or use deodorant afterwards!”
Mia stared at her roommate in fascination. “You’re scary. How did you come up with all of this? It’s not like you try to un-attract guys on a regular basis.”
“Oh, it’s easy. Just think of all the things you’d do to get ready for a date – and do just the opposite.” Jessie breezily waved one hand with such a know-it-all expression that Mia couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
* * *
At six o’clock, Mia began implementing Jessie’s plan. Her roommate had been dying to see her first K and lend Mia moral support for the confrontation, but she had a biology lab that couldn’t be missed. Mia was glad about
that. The last thing she wanted was to put Jessie in harm’s way.
She started out by doing jumping jacks, lunges, squats, and sit-ups. Within fifteen minutes, her leg and stomach muscles – unused to so much exertion – were burning, and Mia was covered with a fine layer of sweat. Without bothering to shower, she put on her oldest, rattiest underwear, thick brown tights that her sister absolutely despised, and a long-sleeved black dress that Jessie had once claimed made her look completely washed out and shapeless. A pair of old black Mary-Janes with medium-height heels, worn out and scuffed, completed the look. No makeup, except for a slight dusting of dark blue shadow directly under her eyes – to imitate under-eye circles. Her hair already looked like a frizzy mess, but Mia brushed it for good measure and added hair conditioner only to the roots, leaving the ends to poof out in every direction. And for the grand finale, she cut up an entire clove of garlic, mixed it with green onion, and thoroughly chewed it, making sure that the smelly mixture got into every nook and corner of her mouth before she spit it out. Satisfied, she took one last look in the mirror. As expected, she looked ghastly – like somebody’s crazy spinster aunt – and probably smelled even worse. If Korum remained interested in her after tonight, she would be very surprised.
When the doorbell rang promptly at seven, Mia put on her scruffy wool peacoat and opened the door with a mixture of trepidation and barely contained glee.
The sight that greeted her was breathtaking.
Somehow, in the short span of a day, Mia had managed to forget just how beautiful he was. Dressed in a pair of dark designer jeans and a light grey button-down shirt that fit his tall, muscular body to perfection, he fairly gleamed with health and vitality, his bronzed skin and glossy black hair providing a stark contrast for those incredible amber-colored eyes. Mia suddenly felt irrationally embarrassed about her own grungy appearance.
At the sight of her, his lips parted in a slow smile. “Ah, Mia. Somehow I suspected that you would be difficult.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mia said defiantly, lifting her chin.
“I’m glad you decided to play this game.” He reached out and stroked her cheek, sending an unwanted shiver of pleasure down her spine. “It will make your eventual surrender that much sweeter.”
Still smiling, he politely offered her his arm. “Ready to go?”
Fuming, Mia ignored his offer, stomping down the stairs on her own. Idiot! She should’ve realized he would see her deliberately ugly appearance as a challenge. With his looks and apparent wealth, he probably had women fawning all over him. It must be refreshing to meet someone who didn’t immediately fall into his bed. Maybe she should just sleep with him and get it over with. If the pursuit was what he enjoyed, then he would lose interest very quickly if he got what he wanted.
The limo was waiting as they exited the building. “Where are we going?” Mia asked, wondering about it for the first time.
“Percival,” Korum answered, opening the door for her. The place he named was a popular restaurant in the Meatpacking District that was notoriously difficult to get into, even on a Monday night.
Mia mentally kicked herself again. It was one thing to look repellent for Korum – a wasted effort, as it turned out – but it was a whole different level of embarrassing to show up in the fanciest, trendiest district of New York City looking and smelling like a homeless person. Still, she’d rather die of embarrassment than give Korum the satisfaction of knowing how discomfited she felt.
He climbed into the car and sat down next to her. Reaching out, he took one of her hands and brought it to his lap, studying her palm and fingers with some apparent fascination. Her hand looked tiny in his large grasp, his golden skin appearing much darker next to her own whiteness, creating a surprisingly erotic contrast. Mia attempted to yank her hand away, trying to ignore the sensations his touch was provoking in her nether regions. He held her hand just long enough to let her feel the futility of her struggles, and then let go with a small smile.
It was strange, Mia thought, somewhere along the way she had stopped being so afraid of him. For some reason, knowing his intentions toward her – as crude and base as they were – gave her a peace of mind. The scared girl who sat in this car yesterday would not have dared to oppose him in any way for fear of unknown retaliation. Mia no longer had such qualms, and it was oddly liberating.
A minute later, the limo pulled up to the door of the restaurant. Korum exited first and Mia followed, noticing with mortification the double-takes they got from the well-dressed men and women on the street. A gorgeous K in his limo was bound to attract attention, and Mia was sure they wondered about his dowdy companion.
A tall, rail-thin hostess greeted them at the door. Without even asking for their reservations, she led them to a private booth in the back of the restaurant. “Welcome back to Percival,” she purred, leaning suggestively over Korum while handing them the menus. “Should I start you off with sparkling or flat?”
“Sparkling would be fine, Ashley, thanks,” he said absentmindedly, studying the menu.
Mia felt a sudden, shocking urge to tear out every straight blond hair from Ashley’s model-like head. A strange nausea-like sensation roiled her stomach as she pictured the two of them together in bed, his muscular body wrapped around the blonde’s. Stop it, Mia! Of course, he slept with other women! Undoubtedly, the creature left a trail of Ashleys anywhere he went.
“Have you decided what you’d like?” he inquired, looking up from his menu, seemingly oblivious to the murderous expression on Mia’s face.
“No, not yet.” Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to concentrate on the menu. This was undoubtedly the nicest restaurant she’d ever been to, and the menu – which lacked prices for some reason – listed some dishes and ingredients that she’d never heard of. Her eyes widened as she noticed goat cheese and caviar in the appetizer section and eggs in one of the noodle dishes. Her mouth watered. “I think I’ll get the roasted beets and goat cheese salad, followed by the pesto-artichoke Pad Thai.”
Korum smiled at her indulgently. “Of course.” He motioned to the waiter and relayed her order. “And I will have the watercress jicama salad and the shiitake parsnip ravioli in cashew cream. We’ll also get a bottle of Dom Perignon.”
Mia looked at him in fascination. She hadn’t known that Ks consumed alcohol. In fact, there was so much that she – and the public in general – didn’t know about the invaders who now lived alongside them. It dawned on Mia that she had the perfect opportunity to learn sitting across her at the table.
Feeling slightly reckless, she decided to start with the question that had been bothering her ever since their first meeting. “Is it true that you drink human blood?”
Korum’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead, and he nearly choked on his drink. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?” A big grin breaking out on his face, he asked, “Are you asking if we have to drink human blood, or if we do it anyway?”
Mia swallowed. She was suddenly far from sure this was the best line of questioning. “I guess both.”
“Well, let me set your mind at ease . . . We no longer require blood for survival.”
“But you did before?” Mia’s eyes widened in shock.
“Originally, when we first evolved into our current form, we needed to consume significant amounts of blood from a group of primates that had certain genetic similarities to us. It was a deficiency in our DNA that made us vulnerable and tied our existence to another species. We have since corrected this defect.”
“So it’s true? There were humans on your planet?” Mia was staring at him open-mouthed.
“They weren’t exactly human. Their blood, however, had the same hemoglobin characteristics as yours.”
“What happened to them? Are they still around?”
“No, they are now extinct.”
“I don’t understand,” Mia said slowly, trying to make sense of what she’d learned thus far. “If you needed them to survive,
how and when did they go extinct? Was that before or after you . . . um . . . fixed your defect?”
“It happened long before then. We succeeded in developing a synthetic substance before the last of their kind disappeared, and it enabled us to survive their demise. They were an endangered species for millions of years. It was partially our fault for hunting them, but a lot of it had to do with their own low birth rate and short lifespan. Just like you, they had a weak immune system, and a plague nearly wiped them out. That’s when we began to work on alternative routes of survival for our species – synthetic hemoglobin substitutes, experimentation with our own DNA, and attempting to develop a comparable species both on Krina and on other planets.”
A lightbulb went off in Mia’s brain. “Is that why you planted life here on Earth? Is that how humans came to be – you needed a comparable species?”
“More or less. It was a shot in the dark, with minuscule odds of success. We disseminated our DNA as far as our then-primitive technology could reach. We didn’t know which planets and where would be hospitable to life, much less bear any similarities to Krina, so we blindly sent billions of drones to planets that are located in what you now call the Goldilocks Zones.”
