Sunlight

by Amanda Ashley

  With a sigh of exasperation, she snuggled deeper into her coat, her gaze fixed on the building.

  Twenty minutes later, she saw two men get in a car and drive away.

  It was now or never.

  Resolutely, she opened the trunk, took out the tire iron, and made her way toward the building, hoping, praying, that there had only been three men inside.

  * * * * *

  He was drifting in a black fog, hovering on the brink of unconsciousness, when he heard Lainey’s voice calling his name.

  Ah, Lainey, he thought groggily. If only you were really here.

  He winced as someone removed the needle from his arm.

  “Micah! Micah, please, wake up!”

  “Lainey?” Slowly, he opened his eyes to see a blurred shape hovering over him.

  “Micah! We’ve got to get you out of here.” She was unfastening the metal cuffs that bound his hands and feet as she spoke. “Can you sit up?”

  “Don’t…know.”

  “I’ll help you,” Lainey said, slipping her arm under his shoulders. “Come on, we’ve got to go.”

  Micah sat up, then slid his legs over the side of the table. The room tilted crazily and he stumbled against Lainey, who grabbed him and held on tight.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, staggering under his weight.

  “No. They…” He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. “Needle…drugged me…”

  “Well, hang on, we’ve got to get out of here before the other two come back.”

  And before the red-haired man in the other room regained consciousness. She wasn’t normally given to violence and hitting the man over the head with a tire iron while his back was turned hadn’t been easy. At the time, she’d worried about hitting him too hard; now, seeing what they had done to Micah, she wished she had hit the man harder.

  It was all she could do to get Micah out of the building. He was so weak he had to stop several times on the short walk to her car. Once, he dropped to his knees and began to retch violently.

  Helpless, Lainey could only stand there, watching, her gaze darting constantly toward the street, always afraid the other two men would return, or that someone would pass by and call the police. That was all she needed, she thought wryly, wondering how she’d explain a naked man who was obviously under the influence of drugs.

  She was a bundle of nerves by the time she managed to get Micah safely inside the car. Removing her coat, she draped it over his shivering form, threw the car in drive and got the hell out of there.

  Micah was unconscious when they reached home. Parking the car in the garage, she hurried into the house, threw several changes of clothes for the two of them into a bag, grabbed her toothbrush, a couple of pillows, her laptop computer, some sheets and blankets. She checked her first-aid kit to be sure it was fully supplied, then ran back out to the car.

  Micah was as she had left him, his head propped against the door, his eyes closed. His naturally dark skin seemed pale, the blue aura seemed darker than usual.

  “Lainey?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Transmitter…must get…transmitter.”

  With a sigh of exasperation, she ran back into the house, fished the little black box out from under the sofa, and hurried back to the car.

  She was praying earnestly as she started the engine and pulled out of the driveway, praying for help, praying that Micah would be all right, wondering where they would be safe.

  She drove slowly down the darkened streets, the same prayer repeating itself in her heart. Help me, please help me. Please don’t let him die. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know where to go.

  And then it came to her, as loud and clear as if a voice had spoken to her mind.

  The mountains. Take him to the cabin in Chadds Creek.

  Of course, she thought. Grandma St. John’s cabin. It had been vacant for over five years, ever since Grandpa died. Her folks were always talking about going up there and restoring the place, but they’d never done it.

  Murmuring a fervent prayer of thanks, she pulled onto the freeway and headed north, toward the small mountain community of Chadds Creek.

  It was almost dawn when Lainey parked the car in the ramshackle garage behind the cabin. She had made one stop on the way up the mountain, stopping at a market to buy enough canned and dry food to last for at least a month.

  “Micah?” She shook his shoulder gently. “Micah?”

  Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open. “Lainey?” A faint smile touched his lips. “Thought…I had…dreamed you.”

  “No, I’m here.” She brushed her fingers across his cheek, noticing that his skin felt hot and dry.

  “Transmitter…?”

  “I’ve got it. Come on, I want to get you into bed.”

  “Don’t think…I’d be…much good…right now.”

  In spite of the seriousness of their situation, she burst out laughing. “Micah! You made a joke.”

  “Not…joking…”

  “Come on, you big lug, let’s get you inside.”

  * * * * *

  Five years made for a lot of dust and cobwebs, Lainey thought as she swept the kitchen floor. Earlier, she had found a rat’s nest, several small piles of bones, and assorted animal droppings. All were gone now, picked up and scrubbed away.

  Micah was sleeping, tucked between clean sheets and the blankets from her bed at home. She had changed the bandage on his arm, realizing, as she did so, that they had deliberately cut into him, taking little bits and pieces to study, she guessed. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

  Thank God she’d gotten him out of there before they did any real damage, she thought, and then wondered if she had. He had a low fever, but didn’t seem to be in any pain in spite of the raw place on his chest and the shallow incision on his arm. He was still dizzy, groggy, a little disoriented. He said he had been drugged. What if the drug had permanent adverse effects on him?

  She shook her head, refusing to think about the worst until it happened. For now, all that mattered was that Micah was here.

  * * * * *

  It took twelve hours for the drug they had given him to wear off.

  Micah slept most of that time. Lainey sat beside his bed, afraid to leave him alone for more than a few minutes at a time in case he woke up and needed something. She touched him frequently, assuring herself that he was really there. His color was good. His fever was gone; the faint blue glow that had emanated from his skin seemed almost nonexistent and that worried her because she didn’t know if that was a good sign or not.

  Once, he cried out as though he were in pain and she took his hand in hers and held it tightly. He quieted instantly at her touch, and then he murmured her name.

  She wept then, tears of gratitude because he was alive, tears of despair because she was afraid of what the future held.

  “Lainey?”

  Her head jerked up at the sound of his voice. “Micah! You’re awake.”

  He nodded groggily. “Where are we?”

  “At my grandmother’s cabin in the mountains. We’ll be safe here. No one knows about this place except my folks, and even they don’t know we’re here.”

  Lainey chewed on the inside of her lip, knowing how worried her parents would be when they didn’t hear from her. In a day or two, she would have to drive down to Chadds Creek and call home.

  Micah glanced around the room. It was small and square, with blue walls and checked curtains at the windows.“How did we get here?”

  Lainey tilted her head to one side. “You don’t remember?”

  “No.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We’re here, and we’re safe.”

  “The transmitter!” Micah exclaimed. “I’ve got to go back…”

  She laid a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Micah. I’ve got it with me.”

  He relaxed visibly and she wondered what was so important about a broken radio.

  “How do you feel?” she asked.

&nb
sp; “Weak.”

  “Maybe you should eat something?”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Well, I’m going to fix you some tea and toast just the same.”

  She brought him a tray a few minutes later and he obediently ate the dry toast and drank the tea, only to have it all come up again.

  Lainey quickly cleaned up the mess, then changed the sheets.

  “I’m sorry,” Micah said. He refused to meet her gaze, embarrassed by his weakness, and by the fact that she had seen it.

  “No,” Lainey said, “I’m sorry. You said you weren’t hungry. I should have listened. I just wish I knew what to do to make you feel better.”

  “Your being here makes me feel better,” he murmured. “Come, sit beside me.”

  He didn’t have to ask her twice. She sat down beside him, and he pillowed his head in her lap and closed his eyes.

  “Micah? Your blue glow is almost gone.”

  “Is it?” He opened his eyes and studied his arm, surprised to see that the glow was, indeed, very faint.

  “What does it mean?”

  “I’m not sure.” He closed his eyes again and burrowed deeper into Lainey’s lap. “It might be a reaction to the drug they gave me,” he murmured after awhile, “or maybe it’s fading because I’m becoming accustomed to the Earth’s atmosphere.”

  Lainey felt a little thrill of hope. If the blue glow disappeared altogether, he’d look pretty much like any other man except for the webbing on his hands and the size of his ears. But those things could be explained away as a birth defect, she thought, or maybe surgically corrected.

  Gently, she stroked his brow, his hair. How had she grown to love him so dearly in such a short time? It was almost as if they had been destined to be together, as if Fate, realizing Her mistake in having them born on separate planets, had sought to rectify that error by bringing Micah to Earth. It sounded bizarre, even to Lainey’s wild imagination, and yet the pieces all fell into place so neatly…her going out to the old Grayson place, her car refusing to start, the storm that had compelled her to take shelter inside the mansion.

  She gazed at Micah, studying his profile, loving the strong, masculine planes and angles of his face, the sensual shape of his lips, the line of his jaw. His brows were thick without being bushy, his nose was long and straight, his cheekbones high and well-defined. He was, she thought, nothing short of perfect.

  “Lainey…”

  “I’m here.”

  “Maybe you should leave. You’re in danger as long as you stay with me.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, mister, so just put that idea right out of your mind.”

  His eyelids fluttered open and he gazed up at her, his silver-blue eyes bright with amusement. “Are all Earth women as stubborn as you?”

  “Not all.”

  Lifting one hand, Micah cupped her cheek. “Looks like I owe you my life once again,” he murmured.

  “You don’t owe me anything.”

  “I don’t mind.” His fingertips trailed down her cheek, and then he let his hand fall, as if he didn’t have the strength to hold it up any longer. “Whatever happens, Lainey, I’m glad I met you.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen.”

  He smiled at her for a long moment, wishing he was as sure of that as she was, and then his eyelids fluttered down and he was asleep.

  He woke to find Lainey lying beside him, her head pillowed on his shoulder. How beautiful she was, this brave Earth woman. She had put her own life at risk to save his, not once, but twice.

  Lying there, careful not to move lest he awaken her, he took stock of how he was feeling. His mind was clear, and except for a slight ache in his right arm, he felt strong. Turning his head to the side, he focused his energy on a glass of water sitting on the small table beside the bed. In a matter of seconds, the water started to boil and he glanced away, satisfied that his power had returned.

  He would have to leave her soon, he thought sadly. The three men who had captured him would be searching for him. Scientists, whether human or Xanthian, were all the same, eager to explore the unknown, to poke and prod and examine every new specimen they encountered, whether that specimen was humanoid, animal, or mineral. As much as he loved Lainey, he could not stay here and put her life at risk. She thought they were safe, but he didn’t share her optimism. Tomorrow, or the next day for sure, he would activate the distress signal, alerting Pergith to his whereabouts. Surely another day or two with Lainey wasn’t too much to ask.

  Lainey stirred beside him, her head burrowing deeper into his shoulder as she snuggled up against him, driving everything else from his mind but the supple curves of the woman beside him. The scent of her hair and skin wrapped around him, evoking memories of the many nights they had made love. The first time they had been intimate had been an experience unlike anything he had ever imagined. At the time, he had been certain nothing in his life would ever be more satisfying and yet, each time he had made love to her had been better than the last.

  And he wanted her now. Desperately. Needed to feel her closeness, needed her sweetness to banish the feeling that he was utterly alone in a strange land.

  In his mind, he whispered her name.

  “I want you, too,” replied a sleepy voice.

  “Lainey, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  She smiled up at him, her brown eyes glowing with amusement. “Didn’t you?”

  “Maybe I did.”

  She stroked his cheek with her forefinger, then drew it lightly over his lower lip.

  “I don’t have to ask what’s on your mind,” she said, grinning broadly. “Your thoughts are coming through loud and clear.”

  “Is it all right?”

  She couldn’t help laughing. They’d made love countless times in the last few weeks and he still felt the need to ask her permission. It was sweet, somehow, that he never took her for granted.

  “Of course it’s all right.” Turning on her side, she began to drop light kisses on his cheeks, his nose, the curve of his jaw, his eyelids.

  He made a soft sound of pleasure as her mouth settled over his, her tongue lightly stroking his lower lip.

  Now that he had her permission, Micah made love to her ever so sweetly, his hands light and gentle as he adored her, his voice thick with desire as he whispered that he loved her, that she was the center of his universe, the sun in his sky.

  His hands were like magic, softly caressing, filling her with wonder, carrying her to the heights and depths of ecstasy, and yet it was the words of endearment he spoke to her that brought her the most pleasure. He had never been in love before and Lainey felt truly blessed to be able to share the newness of it, the wonder of it, with him.

  Later, lying in the circle of Micah’s arms, she tried to remember the words of an old Michael Bolton song, something about a man who told his girl he loved her but he lied, because it was more than love he felt inside. How true that was where Micah was concerned, she thought.

  She had told Drew she loved him; at the time, she would have sworn it was true, but she knew now that comparing what she had felt for Drew to what she felt for Micah was like comparing the pale silver light of the moon to the blinding brilliance of the sun.

  There was no comparison at all.

  Chapter Fifteen

  She woke to find Micah gazing down at her, his silver-blue eyes filled with sadness.

  “What is it?” Lainey asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Micah forced himself to smile. “Why?”

  Lainey shook her head. Maybe she was just imagining things. “Are you hungry?”

  Heat simmered in the depths of his eyes as his gaze moved over her, slowly, suggestively. “Very.”

  “Men,” Lainey muttered in mock disgust. “Don’t you ever think of anything else?”

  Micah took her hand in his, his thumb making lazy circles on her palm. “I never thought of it at all until I met you.”

  She was melting, she thought, dissol
ving from the inside out.

  “Lainey…” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle, then turned her hand over and kissed the pulse point on her wrist. How was he ever going to leave her? How could he go back home, back to the loneliness of his old way of life, now that he had known Lainey St. John? How could he leave her, now that he knew what it was like to love, to be loved, to be a part of someone else’s life?

  He drew her into his arms, crushing her close. How could he even think of a life without her? His former life seemed empty and without meaning as he recalled the years he had spent in space, exploring other worlds, gathering samples of dirt, plant and animal life. There had been times when he had gone for months without seeing another living soul. Until now, he’d always been happy with his lifestyle, content to be alone, satisfied with his work. Only now did he realize he’d been lying to himself, that his life had been empty, that he’d been content to be alone because he himself had been empty.

  “Micah?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Micah, don’t lie to me. I may not be able to read your thoughts right now, but I can sense that something’s bothering you.”

  His arms tightened around her, as if he would never let go.

  “Please, Micah, you’re scaring me.”

  “I love you, Lainey. You believe that, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s because I love you that I’ve got to go.”

  A cold hand squeezed the warmth from her heart. “Go where?”

  “Back home.”

  “No!”

  “Lainey, don’t you understand? As long as I’m here, you’ll be in danger.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “I care.”

  “But no one knows where we are. Please, don’t go.”

  He stroked her hair gently. He could feel the wetness of her tears on his chest, feel her shoulders shake with the force of her silent weeping.

  “Lainey, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Then don’t go!” She leaned back so she could see his face. “I was so alone until you came, my life was so empty. There were days when I never left the house, when I buried myself in my writing because what was happening in my story was so much more exciting than reality.”