by Fiona Roarke
“No. Not witches. They are just holed up in the woods, waiting for some crazy prophecy to come true. They’re rather standoffish with anyone not involved in their world. They make a few trinkets to sell in town from stuff they scrounge in the forest.”
“Are they dangerous?”
Ivy shrugged. “I can’t say one way or the other.”
Elise pondered the unpleasant prospect of crazy prophecy-fulfilling Druids chasing them all the way back to Alienn.
“Did you see them?”
“Maybe,” Elise admitted.
Ivy absently stroked the curve of her belly as she looked at Riker. “One of the rumors bandied about is that they are waiting for a man to fall from the sky.”
“Oh?” Elise said, and faked a laugh. “Crazy. Right?”
“I don’t know.” Ivy’s forceful gaze landed on Elise. “Did your friend fall from the sky?”
Elise’s fingers itched to use the Defender, but given that it hadn’t worked on the Druids the way it was supposed to, she didn’t want to take a chance on a pregnant Ivy or young Charlie. She squeezed her fingers into a ball and released them.
“I wouldn’t put it past him to have fallen out of a tree, but as I said, we haven’t discussed it yet. He may never tell me. Men, you know?” Elise shrugged as if Riker’s male pride would preclude him from telling her what really happened. She hoped Ivy wouldn’t consider a UFO falling from the sky a feasible addition to the list of possibilities.
Ivy surprised her by laughing. “I was just thinking about the Druids waiting for decades for some star-traveling alien to fall from the sky, but instead a tourist falls out of a tree and their beliefs are finally vindicated.”
Elise laughed along with her, but “star-traveling alien” was too close for comfort. “I guess we’d better get going. Thank you for the use of your motorcycle. Are you sure I can’t pay you for the gas?”
Ivy shook her head. She seemed to have lost her annoyance with the situation as she watched Charlie study Riker’s scar up close. “What are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean?” Elise asked absently. Riker’s bare shoulder was of interest to her, too. He was a well put together man.
“Are you going to make him walk on his bad leg all the way into town?” Ivy asked.
“Oh. Well. I guess—” She smiled. Charlie was showing Riker his own little biceps, posing like a guy trying to impress others. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
Ivy gripped the motorcycle keys tighter. “This motorcycle is extremely special to me. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you take it again.”
“I understand. Don’t worry about us. We’ll figure something out.”
They both heard the sound of a car approaching, fast, and Ivy looked toward it. Her expression changed, deflating. “The thing is, I already called my husband.”
“Your husband.”
“Yes.” She smiled apologetically. “He’s the sheriff of Nocturne Falls.”
A patrol car came into view down the street. A brand new curse came up in Elise’s mind. Crappity-crap!
Chapter Six
<^> <^> <^>
Riker wished he could overhear what Elise and Charlie’s mother were saying, but the boy was so full of questions, he was obliged to answer all sorts of things he’d never considered before, all while keeping the idea that he was an alien from another planet completely secret.
He’d never been to Earth, but he’d wanted to visit the Alpha colony here for years. Too bad his first opportunity had to be because he was taking his brother to a gulag in the Andromeda Galaxy.
Riker wanted to consult with Elise regarding Draeken. They needed to find his brother sooner rather than later. He had to ensure they got back to Alienn, Arkansas together. The crash meant officials on Alpha-Prime would send another ship bound for the gulag to pick Draeken up, but Riker wanted to be on the flight. He needed to be one of the guards bringing Draeken to XkR-9, the worst gulag in three galaxies. His brother’s life might depend on it.
He’d done everything within his power—and a couple of things that weren’t even close to being in his purview—to free his brother from a horrendous ten-year prison sentence, all to no avail. No one would see him. No one would help him. No one would listen to a thing he had to say on the matter.
He tried not to believe his brother had been coerced into something as illegal as a payoff or a bribe to benefit someone back on Alpha-Prime. But the whole strange prosecution felt exactly like that. Like a favor to some higher up for some nameless purpose.
His injured leg throbbed like crazy. Once he’d gotten upright, he felt much better than expected. More lucid, in point of fact, as if a veil had been removed and he could see clearly again.
The trip on the motorcycle through the woods, hugged up against Elise, had been wondrously unexpected and thrilling. Straddling the motorbike behind her lithe, lean figure with her long hair in his face and her backside wedged against his thighs put his thoughts into more scandalous places. Not an altogether unpleasant journey as motorcycle rides through the forest went, even though it was his debut trip.
Riker looked at Elise. She hadn’t responded to his whispered memory of kissing her in a dream, nor answered his question as to whether she’d kissed him as he slept before returning to disrupt Anya’s ultimate prophecy goals. She’d revved the engine and pretended not to hear him, making Riker smile inside.
He was saving another unanswered question for when they were completely alone and no one could hear them. How did she know about his tattoo? Would Draeken have used that as an identification mark? It was certainly possible, especially since his brother likely wasn’t above tattling that information. Or had Holden known about the tattoo and snitched? Unclear.
Had Alienn’s retrieval team—he assumed there had to be more searchers than just Elise—even found Draeken and Holden yet? Were they alive? Had Elise not brought the subject of his companions up because neither of the other two had survived the crash? The gut punch that brought to his belly made him force his thoughts in another direction. No. If something had happened to Draeken, Elise would have mentioned it.
Riker had lots of question for the beautiful, sultry Elise. Not to mention he wanted to kiss her again. Did she want to kiss him, or had she only passionately pretended to be his mate so Anya would back off? Had she felt the same sort of spark he had when they kissed? Or had that simply been a reaction to coming off whatever spell Anya had put him under with that pink sparkly powder she’d blown in his face?
Either way, Elise intrigued him to no end. He wanted her to be interested. She probably thought he only said he remembered her to be nice, but he still felt the electricity that arced between them from a mere handshake.
His former betrothed was a nice enough woman, and they remained very close friends, but he didn’t love Lexa in any romantic way. A platonic future wasn’t one he wanted to lead with the woman he’d be married to for a lifetime. As it turned out, Lexa didn’t love him that way either. Fast friends since childhood, they had lots of things in common with the big exception of a passionate romance. He loved her like a sibling. She told him she felt the same way about him.
Lexa had found someone she wanted to marry, but didn’t have the courage to tell Riker or her parents until he brought it up. When he broached the subject two years ago of ending their engagement, she’d been more grateful than he was.
Was it foolish to want passion and a flash of electricity at a mere touch? Perhaps, but it was what he desired in a mate, that rush of pleasure every time he looked at Elise. That pretty much described his feelings since his savior had found him in the cabin.
How could he forget the woman who had inspired him to look up her files and records at the RMG academy after a single electric handshake? She was an exemplary student and had earned high marks all around during her training. However, he had even more respect for the fact that being a Royal Magistrate Guard wasn’t for her, and she knew it. She’d turned down the offer to joi
n their ranks.
He’d been elated for a different reason. If she wasn’t in the RMG, then he could seek her out. As a fellow RMG officer, she would have been in the lower ranks and unavailable as a romantic interest for The Calderian.
A difficulty arose the day he and Lexa spoke about their future. Her parents had put out a bulletin, announcing the future wedding, before the two could tell them what would really happen. Before his unexpected arranged marriage announcement had been called off officially and he was free to date whom he pleased, he learned that Elise Midori—the woman with the electric handshake—had volunteered for permanent service on Alpha-Prime’s colony on Earth and left the planet.
Informing Lexa’s parents about their ultimate plan not to mate suddenly became something less pressing.
He remembered Elise, all right. She’d been on his mind even before she’d arrived to rescue him from the Druid high priestess. He’d intended to look her up when the ship made its scheduled stop at the facility in Alienn, Arkansas. Perhaps Elise would be willing to serve as his guide and show him all of her favorite places on Earth.
But then something happened to the ship that led them to crash instead in the woods of a place Holden called Georgia. It was a miracle he’d survived. He hoped the other two had also made it. Alphas were tougher and more able to withstand trauma than earthlings. They also healed much faster, although his current rate of healing seemed to be very slow or non-existent. Maybe his leg had taken more damage internally than he realized.
He scanned Elise quickly from head to toes. She had a great body on any planet.
Charlie asked about his uniform and the splint on his leg and what seemed like a hundred other questions. He answered as best he could, but was distracted by thoughts of his female rescuer. Had Elise been on his mind as the spacecraft crashed to Earth because he was dying alone on a remote planet and wild dreams were all that was left?
Elise made an unfavorable noise from across the driveway. He noticed her eyes were fixed unhappily on an approaching vehicle. He didn’t need to know the purpose of the light bar on the top of the vehicle to understand what he was seeing. He wasn’t The Calderian for nothing.
Earthling authorities. Space potatoes!
<^> <^> <^>
Elise was no shrinking violet, as the old Earther phrase went, but the sight of a law enforcement vehicle rolling up to this residence sent a rush of panic through her from temple to toes. Crappity-do-dah!
Inventing a brand-new Earther cuss word in her head was satisfying and she liked the iteration, but it didn’t help the situation at all.
She took a reflexive step backward, toward Riker and Charlie.
Ivy put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll say it was a false alarm and just have him take you wherever you need to go.”
Elise didn’t want to give up that information just yet. No one needed to know where the retrieval team’s silver SUV was hidden on the opposite side of Nocturne Falls. “If we could just get a ride into town, that would be great.”
As the car neared and the figure behind the wheel became visible, it was clear Ivy’s husband wasn’t behind the wheel.
“Oh, that’s not Hank,” Ivy said. “That’s Jenna.” She gave Elise a relieved look. “No worries. I’ll explain that this was just a misunderstanding, okay?”
Elise nodded. “I appreciate that very much.”
Ivy patted her rounded belly. “I think my pregnancy hormones are making me nicer than I usually am.” Elise shared the other woman’s laughter. The patrol car pulled to a stop at the end of the driveway. Ivy went over and motioned for the woman behind the wheel to roll down the window.
Elise joined Riker and Charlie. Riker seemed to be doing his best to answer the little boy’s seemingly endless questions.
“Guess we have to say good-bye, Charlie,” Elise said when he paused for breath. “Thank you very much for helping us.”
“Sure thing. Riker has great stories. Maybe you could come back and visit someday.” His eager expression didn’t deserve to be crushed with the truth that they’d likely never be back.
“Maybe someday,” Elise said evasively.
Riker stood on his good leg and maneuvered his wounded leg carefully over the motorcycle seat, not hiding a grimace as he did so. Elise frowned. He seemed to be hurting more now than when they’d fled the cabin. He should be feeling less pain, not more. Perhaps he’d been hurt worse than they thought. If his leg had sustained a compound fracture, perhaps it was healing improperly. It didn’t happen to Alphas often, but she’d seen it in extreme cases. Falling from the sky and crashing to Earth in a spacecraft certainly constituted an extreme case, if anything did.
Elise carefully positioned herself beneath Riker’s arm again and they slowly made their way to the patrol car. Maybe when he was able to rest, his leg would heal. Certainly it would be better for him than hobbling through the woods or riding a motorcycle off-road for several miles. By the time they moved slowly to the cruiser, the occupant had stepped out.
Ivy introduced them to the deputy, Jenna Blythe, telling her there had been a misunderstanding and there was no need to mention it to Hank. Jenna tilted her head to one side as if surprised, but glanced at Ivy’s belly, smiled and nodded. “Okay by me.”
Jenna opened the door behind the driver’s seat and allowed Riker to get in. Elise was grateful when the deputy offered to let her ride shotgun.
“Are you sure you don’t want to head to the clinic in Nocturne Falls?” Jenna asked. They waved goodbye to Ivy and Charlie, who was jumping up and down with excitement as the car pulled away from the curb.
Seeing the two of them in the driveway with Charlie scampering about made Elise flash back to the pot-bellied she-wolf and her excited wolf pup. That is who they reminded her of. It couldn’t be though, could it? No. If she didn’t believe in witches, she certainly didn’t believe in wolf shifters. Elise mentally shook the foolish thought from her head and returned to the current conversation.
Riker said, “No, thanks. I’ll be fine. I’d like to head back home.”
“Where’s home for you two?”
Elise answered for them. “Alienn, Arkansas.”
Jenna nodded. “Arkansas. The natural state.” She grinned. “Actually, that’s all I know about it. Where is Alienn, AR located? Is it near Little Rock?”
“No. We’re in the southern part of the state,” Elise answered easily. “But it’s a really small town. Not many folks have heard of it.”
Before Jenna could ask any more questions she didn’t want to answer, Elise asked, “Did you say there was a clinic in town?”
“Yes. It’s a small place, but I’m happy to drop you off there.”
Riker started to refuse again, but Elise spoke over him. “Actually, I think it would be a good idea to get him checked out. Just in case.” Elise didn’t really plan to go to the clinic. She just figured it would be a more plausible destination than asking the deputy to dump them in the center of town and drive away.
As Jenna drove them closer to town, Elise itched to pull the trigger on her Defender. Too many people knew they were here, and knew they were from Alienn. It would, however, be as dangerous as it was foolish if Jenna fainted like she was supposed to. They needed their driver conscious. Elise tightened her fingers once again, resisting the impulse to make their law enforcement chauffeur forget all about them.
Maybe once they got to town, if she had an opportunity.
Her communicator buzzed. Elise took it off her belt and looked at the screen, confident Jenna would assume it was a cellphone. It was Victoria, doing a status check. She had a lead on one of the crash survivors in town. More news to follow, if the tip pays off.
Good. Elise didn’t want to have a conversation with her fellow teammates if Deputy Jenna could listen in. She messaged back:
May have found the guard in the woods. Will also follow up later.
The patrol car slowed at the quiet part of town and Elise put her communica
tor back on her belt, ignoring the next two buzzes, vowing to check later.
She saw the sign for the clinic about a block away. “This will be fine right here,” Elise said. It was not too far from the edge of town, and the rendezvous point, perhaps a mile or so. She saw a sign for the Pinehurst Inn on the opposite side of the street. A low-rent motel if she’d ever seen one.
“Here? Are you sure you don’t want to go right up next to the clinic door?” The deputy pulled off to the side of the road and threw the car into Park.
“I’m sure,” Riker said from the backseat. “If I could just get out. There aren’t any door handles back here.”
Jenna laughed. “All the better to keep criminals where we put them.” She exited the vehicle and opened Riker’s door.
“Thanks for my freedom and also for the ride. Much appreciated.”
“I hope you get better soon.” She pointed half a block up the road. “There is the clinic. They’re open late.”
“Thanks.”
Jenna seemed reluctant to leave them, but a call came across her radio and she was quickly all business. She hopped back into her patrol car and pulled away with a final wave out the side window. Elise had a hand on her Defender, but didn’t pull the trigger. There were a few passersby in view. Better not to make the deputy faint in front of witnesses.
Riker pulled Elise close and settled his arm heavily across her shoulders. She quickly put her arm around his waist when his balance wobbled. He looked drawn as he said, “My leg is not healing like it should. It hurts worse as each minute passes.”
“Do you think it was a compound fracture that isn’t healing up correctly?”
“Maybe. It feels more like there is pressure building up in my shin. Like there is something still lodged beneath my skin. Perhaps the Druids missed some sort of foreign object when they checked the wound before putting the splint in place.”
“Do you want to go to the clinic?”
