by Terra Wolf
“What do you use on the Titan, holographic messages?”
Was that a joke? Raelor had heard about Earthlings being into comedy more than his alien counterparts. His brow furrowed. “Of course.”
“Oh,” was her response. She was obviously embarrassed. What did Earthlings know about the Titan? It was the biggest ship in the fleet, and Raelor assumed everyone knew how technologically advanced they were.
She began thumbing through the envelopes when he noticed his individual communicator blinking. Someone had been trying to get a hold of him during his horrible travel experience.
“Is there somewhere I can communicate privately?” he asked Marci.
“Yeah sure, there’s a balcony, or you can go to my room.”
“The balcony is fine.” He walked outside and shut the glass sliding door behind him. Immediately he looked around him to make sure no one else was outside. Whatever this person needed to speak with him about, he was sure it wasn’t good.
“Hello, Raelor checking in. Hello?”
The person on the other end of the line was not who he expected.
“Son, I need your help.”
“Father?” This may have been the first time his father ever communicated with him starting by calling him ‘Son’. They just didn’t have that type of relationship.
“We need to discuss your mission on Earth.”
So here it was—he was in the Celestial Mates portion of the AEP. This woman was supposed to be his mate, he was sure of it.
“I sent you to Earth to find a man. Someone involved in the harvesting of humans. We need you to infiltrate this organization and find out where they are targeting next.”
Raelor was dumbfounded. His father had sent him here on a mission? “What is all of this about? I’m not here as part of AEP?”
“You are. The Commander and I decided it together. There was no other way to send someone to Earth without being caught.”
“So you do believe in my job as a Trekker.” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Of course I do. You would never be good as High Commander, so I’m not retiring anytime soon. Right now, the Titan needs you to do this job. Also the woman you’re with, she believes you might be her mate. Such swuya. But still, let her believe it. Everything about your stay there needs to be believable.”
Raelor looked through the sliding glass door at the beautiful brunette who had moved to the couch and was reading a magazine that had been in the pile of mail.
“I can do that, sir.” It would be easy for him, maybe too easy. Sure, she may not have been his mate, but she was still a gorgeous girl; he couldn’t ignore that fact.
“Where will I find him?”
“You’ll receive an invitation to a party. Take it. We’ll send you a communication with the picture of this assailant. You are to get information from him and then take him out. A blaster will be sent to you to use.”
Raelor’s blaster had been turned in before he left. He didn’t have a weapon on Earth to use on any evil soul sucker.
“Good. Anything else?”
“I’m sorry I had to send you there under false pretenses. But we needed this to be off the record.”
His father was apologizing? Was this some other universe he had fallen into? Raelor put his giant hand over the railing of the balcony. He had felt lost. But with a mission to complete, he felt like he had a purpose again.
“I understand. When will I go active?”
“Soon. Perhaps just in a few days. Stay alert.”
Raelor nodded. “Yes, sir.”
The call ended and Raelor stayed on the balcony, shocked at this change of events. He had a mission to complete. Something to do. Now he just had to keep Marci in the dark while he did it. He glanced over his shoulder taking another look at her. She was innocent and probably kind, it would be easy for him to slide this mission past her. But for a brief second he felt like he needed to keep her safe too. He had brought this mission into her life, her home. He wouldn’t implicate her in whatever was about to happen.
Chapter 7
Marci
Marci slowly opened the envelope in her hands. The gold emblem of the AEP stood out to her immediately. What was this about?
Raelor walked around her, eating an apple from the kitchen. He hadn’t told her what happened during his secret conversation yesterday. But she didn’t pry either. They were just getting to a comfortable point with one another. After a night under the same roof, she had realized he didn’t have a toothbrush. Something about a tube on the Titan that cleaned their teeth in the shower? It wasn’t something they had on Earth, that was for sure. She offered to go out and buy him one that day. She could make up for being a total asshole yesterday, she would.
Most of her mail she had finished going through the day before, but she had missed this. She could tell he was trying to get a closer look at the envelope himself.
“Invitation?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “How do you know that?”
“That's how many of our party invitations look. I've been to quite a few events over the years.”
“Parties? I thought you were a warrior.”
“I am. But my father is also a high commander. So I've been to plenty of parties in my days before I became a Galactic Alliance fighter. I haven’t been piloting my whole life, you know.”
She thought about that for a moment. But she didn't know. She realized that she knew hardly anything about Raelor except for the information that was in the packet. Even after he stayed in his hammock in the living room for a night, she still hadn't taken any real time to get to know him. Maybe whatever this invitation was for would finally give her the opportunity to get closer to him, to find out if there was a real connection there.
“Well, do you want to go?”
“To what? What's the event?”
That was a good point—Marci didn't know. Slowly, she ran her finger over the text of the invitation. “It looks like a gala?” she asked incredulously. No one had mentioned anything about a gala, or that it was her duty to accompany him there. She didn't have a dress or any type of fancy outfit to go; that totally wasn't her style. Great. Just another opportunity to look like a complete idiot in front of Raelor. As if their limited time together couldn't get much worse, as it was.
Raelor snatched the paper out of her hand. “A gala? Who will be there?”
Marci shrugged. “I don't know, maybe some people from the Alliance? Why? You don't know anyone on this planet besides me, anyway.”
“That's a good point. I should get to know more people here. It's important as part of the program.”
Marci didn't buy that for a second. She watched as Raelor started to bite into his apple again, but this time, it was less casual. His brain was moving, calculating. She could see it all over his perfectly proportioned face. “No way. What's really going on here? And don't treat me like I'm stupid. You might be some big tough alien warrior but I still know how to sniff out a rat.”
Raelor stuck his chest out. “I am no rodent!”
She hit her face with her hand. Of course he would take that phrase literally. “That's not what I meant. I meant I can tell you’re lying, fishing for information. Tell me why you really want to go to this gala and then I'll consider it.”
“Consider it? We have to go as part of the program. Besides, the man tells woman that they're going to the event, and she obliges.”
“Obliges? You mean you're asking me to go? Because if you're asking me, I might say yes, or I might say no. But that is entirely my choice.”
Now Raelor was the one with his face in his hands. “Of course you're right. You can choose to say no, but I highly advise against that. I need to go to this event, and I need to meet dignitaries here on Earth. That's of the utmost importance.”
“But why?” she begged. “Tell me the truth. Just be honest with me. Why do you want to go to this gala?”
Chapter 8
Marci
&n
bsp; Raelor sighed. Why was she so infuriating? Why did she constantly need to know everything that was going on? He couldn't remember any human girls in the outer rim who behaved this way. Earth was a fickle place, and not his favorite planet. He threw what was left of his apple into the trash can. The abundance of fresh fruit on this planet astounded him. He knew it was grown in greenhouses and not naturally, but it didn’t taste any different. It was so much fresher than what he had available on the Titan.
“If you must know, my father has given me a mission. I finally figured out why he sent me here.” He knew he wasn’t supposed to tell her, but she wouldn’t stop pressing. He had learned that in their short time together. If he didn’t at least fill her in a little bit, she would blow his cover. Probably on accident, she certainly seemed clumsy enough to do it.
“Your father sent you here? I guess I didn't realize that.”
So she thought she had come on his own volition. She was probably feeling disappointed now, but he couldn't help that. He had to complete his mission first; that was his job. His father had made it so secretive that he had lied in front of all of his guards on the bridge. So this mission was important, not only to his people, but to his relationship with his father. Could he trust her? His gut told him that he could. So whether he wanted to or not, he decided to explain.
When he was done, she just sat there dumbfounded.
“So there are guys out there in space or whatever eating people? That's a thing?”
Raelor shook his head solemnly. “At least part of that is true. That's not exactly how it happens, but you have most of the understanding.”
He watched with worried eyes as Marci jumped up and paced back and forth in the living room in front of his newly hung hammock. He had one on the Titan, and it certainly made him feel more at home.
“Then you think that this guy, this sick freak, is going to be at this Gala? Why would he out himself?”
“We don't believe that the head of the organization will be there. But some of his allies might be, and they may have information on how to find him. I have to do this, for my people, and for my friends. I know so many who have been affected by the devastation of this group, and I have to do my part.”
She nodded vigorously. “Of course you have to do your part! You’re a fighter, after all, that's what you people do. What if something happens while you’re here, though? What if you get hurt?”
Raelor laughed to himself. “I won't get hurt. I'm a skilled warrior; they can try to fight me, but they will lose. I do see death on the horizon, however, and I don't know that I want you involved in that. So I need you to promise me that if things begin to turn badly, you will get out of there.”
Her crystal blue eyes widened at his concern for her. “Like hell! You are not going to tell me to sit on the sidelines while you go fight some big, bad war. That's not how this works. I didn't ask for any of this, but now that I'm here, I’m not backing down.”
He felt his admiration for her surge. Any woman who was this strong was worthy of his time. Over the past day he had been feeling more and more of a pull toward her, but this was something completely different. How had he become such an influence on her life in the past day? And how had she influenced his? Was he prepared to drag her into all of this? And was he himself ready to fight his way out of whatever his father and his Trekker brothers led him into?
Chapter 9
Marci
The next day, Marci went out to buy Raelor a toothbrush; they hadn’t spoken any more about the gala. It was only a few days away, a welcome party of sorts, but they weren’t prepared. They didn’t have a plan, or even a picture yet of who they were looking for. His father had promised to send one, but it hadn’t come through yet.
However, a package had arrived last night while Raelor was staring fascinated at the television. Apparently there was no reality TV in space. He had been totally enamored until the box showed up, and then he had told Marci he was tired. She decided to let him sleep, but didn’t like how secretive he was being.
The box contained something; she guessed a weapon. Great. Her anti-gun home probably had some sort of super tech weapon in it now. Her life had changed so much so quickly. She couldn’t be some super ninja, helping Raelor to save the day. She didn’t even know how to protect herself. She had taken a self-defense class a few years ago, but it didn’t stick. She backed off after some lady named Janice had given her a bloody nose. Clearly pacifism had been a strong point for her. But here they were.
She had just returned from going across the block to her local pharmacy and was making her way to the bathroom to leave Raelor’s toothbrush for him. Raelor stood at the entrance to the hallway with his back to her. He was shirtless, something she was trying to overcome.
“Excuse me,” she offered, trying to avert her eyes.
The small hallway had Marci forced to push her body against his. She just needed to get to the bathroom, not more fuel for the dreams that had been plaguing her every night since she saw Raelor's picture for the first time.
Stupid hot alien.
“Going somewhere?” He had a smirk on his face.
“Just the bathroom, thank you.”
“Oh, that's where I was headed. I just finished my run, and I was hoping to take a shower.”
She tried not to think of the water dripping off his chiseled body, she really did. But she couldn't fight the heat growing in her belly.
“I guess I didn't consider the two people one bathroom thing when I applied.” She hadn't told him that Dr. Wilson had applied for her. She felt it unnecessary to make him feel unwelcome. Her behavior at the docking station had done that well enough.
His flesh grew warm as he pushed her back against the wall. “I guess not. So what will it be?”
Momentarily her brain stopped. She didn't have a response. Then finally, it clicked back into action.
“Wait, you went for a run? When?”
“Just now,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
“But I wasn't gone more than twenty minutes, and I didn't see you while I was out. Besides, how would you even know where to go?”
“I have an excellent sense of direction,” he said, lowering his voice, “and I'm fast, very fast.”
If he wasn't going to be fast in ripping her clothes off, she didn't care how fast he could run. “Oh. Well, I guess you can have the bathroom. I was just going to put the toothbrush I got you in there, anyway. I don't need to go.”
She didn’t need to go? Yes Marci let’s tell hot Raelor about your bathroom habits some more. She pushed the plastic toothbrush into his hand.
He took it and placed his hand above her, leaning so close to her she could feel his heart beating.
“Thank you, Marci. You've been so kind.”
Well, she had to repent for being the total fuck up hostess from earlier.
He breathed against her skin. She could barely take it. If she just reached up… But then Raelor pulled away, beginning to disrobe in the hallway.
“What are you doing?!”
“Taking off these ridiculous clothes. I miss the Trekker uniform, it was so much less restrictive.” Within seconds he was naked, standing in her hallway for anyone to see. Mostly her, since they were the only two in the apartment.
“You're naked,” she said, stunned. She couldn't help but look down at his cock. He was just as well-endowed as she expected. Her sex began to ache. Fucking hot alien. She was in so much trouble. His muscles had just a gleam of sweat, and she allowed her eyes to look up, staring into his yellow irises.
So. Much. Trouble.
“Yes, and now I'm going to shower and, how did you say it? Brush my teeth?”
“Uh… Yeah, something like that.”
He moved away from her, scooping up his clothes and entering the bathroom. He looked over his shoulder while he could still see her. “Something like that,” he said with a wink, and then she heard the water turn on.
She prayed he used up all the hot w
ater. She wouldn't need any later. Just some icy cold water to cool her down. Shit. Living with Raelor was going to be much harder than she thought.
Chapter 10
Marci
“Where are you going?”
It was the next morning. Marci had just emerged out of her bedroom after replaying the dream of her and Raelor in the shower together a million times. She had to get out of this apartment, she needed air. She had a few days off from work, and was going to take one to go shopping.
Raelor was standing in the kitchen holding a box of cereal, looking like he had no idea how to pour it into a bowl.
“Do you need help or something?”
He shook his head. “I asked you a question first.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you did, and I guess if we’re going to this gala, I need something to wear. I'm going to the mall.”
“I want to go to the mall.” He paused and cocked his head. “What is a mall?”
“A place to shop, buy clothes, food. Anything you need, really.” Marci hadn’t even considered that Raelor would want to accompany her. But maybe this was a good opportunity for them to get to know each other better. Sure, he had been living with her for a few days now, but there was definitely a distance between them. After their encounter in the hallway yesterday, she had to go to the office and work for a while. By the time she arrived home, he was asleep in his hammock.
She had watched him for a minute or two, until he started snoring. Then she gave up. No matter how sexy he was, snoring was annoying. This morning he had woken her up with an early run and shower. She had stayed in bed mostly to avoid his shirtless body once again.
They agreed to go to the gala together, but she was still wondering how awkward that might be. Not to mention the whole partners in crime thing. Maybe this would give them some opportunity to find out if they had anything in common. To see if her therapist had been right all along, that an alien from the outer galaxy was a good option for a boyfriend. Looking at his shirtless body standing in her kitchen, she still had some hope.
