All at once, a blinding streak of light split the air. It streaked up the hillside, and in slow motion, Melanie recognized the white-hot energy of a blaster shot. It hit the rock just inches from Wit’s head. The rock turned greenish-white, and the next instant, it vaporized into thin air.
Wit continued to fall, and he landed right on top of Melanie, right where she knew he would land. His weight knocked her flat on her back, and her arms instinctively wrapped around him and clutched him against her heart. A powdery shower of rock dust settled over them, and the sun warmed the spot darkened by the shadow.
Everyone stared down at the two lovers caught in their eternal embrace. Both of them kept their eyes closed against the shade of death hanging over them, and to keep the dust out of their eyes. Wit’s head fell to one side, and he rested his cheek against Melanie’s arm.
Natalie opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Then Amber turned, and there was Tina with her blaster upraised, pointed where the rock used to be. Natalie and Kyan, and Wink and Amber, stared at her. She kept her eyes and her blaster trained on the mountain, alert to any other threat. Then she blinked.
She glanced at Natalie. “Are you guys all right?”
Chapter 11
Amber alighted on the platform and let the creeper recoil out of her hand. Then she started up the bridge to the house. She stopped in the doorway. Natalie worked at the kitchen counter mixing up a big bowl of chickalock. She kept bumping her swollen belly on the counter, and she walked with her legs splayed out.
The most striking change in her, though, was her skin. Patches of bright green spread over her arms and legs, running up her neck to her ears. Her face was still white, but the irises of her eyes glowed bright green, leaving the sclera white. Underneath her tunic, the mottled green Eblian skin showed up dark and bright across her hips and growing belly.
But Amber’s eyes didn’t pop open when she saw Natalie. She turned instead to another figure sitting nearby. “How are you doing, Tina? I didn’t expect to see you here. How’s the house coming along?”
“It’s finished.” Tina set aside her basket of monini berries and the handful of seeds she just removed from them. “That’s why I’m here. I came to invite Natalie and Kyan to a gathering of the elders at our house. They have to bless it and anoint the doorposts to make it officially part of the village, even though it's at the lake. And they have to do the same thing with me and Arno, to make us part of the village, even though we won't be living in the village since Arno can't swing up on the creepers.”
Amber took a seat next to her on the floor.
“You and Wink should come, too,” Tina went on. “The twins must know all about it. Their father is one of the elders.”
“I haven’t heard anything,” Amber replied. “But that doesn’t mean anything. We’ve been gone almost three weeks.”
“You’ve been out with the observers a lot lately,” Natalie remarked. “When are you going to spend some time in the village so we can catch up with you?”
“I won’t be going out with the observers again for a while,” Amber replied.
“Why not?” Natalie asked. “I thought you liked it.”
“I love it,” Amber told her.
“Why, then?” Natalie asked.
Amber pulled back her tunic sleeve. “This is why.”
Natalie stared down at her arm. Nestled in the crook of Amber’s elbow, just beginning to send out tiny tendrils through the veins in her skin, was a small patch of green. It didn’t glow like Eblian skin, but no one could mistake it against the blank canvas of her white arm.
Natalie threw her arms around her friend. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you.”
Amber smiled through misty eyes. “Thanks.”
Tina gave Amber a hug, and Amber held her at arm’s length. “You look amazing, Tina. You look better than I ever remember you.”
“I’m so happy,” Tina exclaimed, “and you should see the house Arno built. It’s so beautiful. It looks out over the lake and catches the morning sun.”
“I can’t wait to see it tonight,” Amber replied. “What about you, Natalie? You look great, too.”
Natalie leaned out from the counter to make room for her belly. “I’m good. I’m just counting down the days.”
Amber snorted. “I’ll bet. You’re big enough. How much longer do you have? Just a couple of weeks, isn't it?”
“Ten days, according to the midwife,” Natalie replied. “But I got some other good news yesterday.”
“What’s that?” Amber asked.
“I’m having a girl,” Natalie replied.
Amber gasped. “How do you know?”
Natalie turned her back to her friend and lifted up her tunic. A pattern of black spots rose from her tailbone and speckled her back in a rising fan to the bottoms of her shoulder blades. “The midwife says all Eblian women get it when they’re carrying a girl. But the midwife hasn’t seen this since the Toom stole all the Eblian women. Rika has two boys, and I'm the first to give birth to a girl in a long time.”
“Wow!” Amber murmured. “That’s wonderful.”
Natalie put her tunic down. “The midwife broke down in tears when she saw it. Now the whole village is talking about it. Kyan said there will be a big celebration when the baby is born.”
“Congratulations,” Amber exclaimed.
“You could be next,” Natalie pointed out.
Amber laughed. “I could be. I’ll look just like you soon.”
Natalie gave her a knowing smile. “We’ll never go back to being human now.”
“I don’t mind,” Amber told her. “I’m glad we’ll be fully Eblian after we have our first babies.”
“Kyan says the hormones from the baby must be changing my physiology,” Natalie went on. “Do you know, even the forest looks different to me now. I see things I never saw before. I can see different shades of green in the leaves, and I notice more detail in the plant and animal life.”
Amber nodded. “I’m not surprised. Your eyes are bright green now, just like Kyan’s.”
“I never expected this,” Natalie remarked. “But I’m glad.”
“Me, too.” Amber popped some of the monini berries into her mouth.
“I wonder if Melanie will come tonight,” Natalie mused. “I haven’t seen her for ages.”
“I have,” Amber replied. “I saw her down by the stream right before I left.”
“She’s not avoiding the village, is she?” Natalie asked. “She hardly ever comes around.”
Amber put her head on one side. “No, she’s not avoiding anything. I think maybe her and Wit’s house is so far away it's easier for her to stay home most of the time. But I'm sure you'll see her tonight.”
“I hope she’s not avoiding me,” Natalie muttered.
“She isn’t,” Amber told her. “You should go see her. She’d like that. I stopped by her house on the way here, but I heard her screaming, so I walked away.”
Natalie’s head shot up. “Screaming!”
“Yeah, you know,” Amber explained. “Her and Wit like to play rough.”
Natalie stared at her. “Play….rough?”
“You know what I mean,” Amber exclaimed.
Natalie turned bright red and turned away.
“I thought she might be avoiding you, too,” Amber went on. “That’s why I went to see her the other day. I thought she might be embarrassed that you would see her stripes.”
Natalie’s mouth fell open. “Her stripes?”
Amber waved her hand. “Come on, Natalie. You know exactly what I mean. The stripes on her back and legs and butt. The stripes Wit gives her.”
Natalie closed her mouth with a snap and went on mixing her bowl. “I hoped we could give all that up when we made new lives here. I hoped we could leave all that behind us.”
“Maybe you want to leave it behind,” Amber returned. “That doesn’t mean everybody else has to leave it behind, too.”
“Don’t tell
me you and Wink play rough,” Natalie shot back. “I thought you were…..”
“What?” Amber asked. “You thought I was better than that? Or you thought I put my experience with the Toom behind me? Maybe I did. That doesn’t mean Melanie has to.”
Tina spoke up. “Or maybe she found something in her experience that she liked and wanted to keep. Maybe she has something with Wit that goes beyond slavery with the Toom. None of us has the right to judge her.”
“I’m not judging her,” Natalie began. “I just….”
“Me and Arno play that way sometimes,” Tina interrupted.
Natalie rounded on her. “You do?”
“Sure. Why not?” Tina asked. “It’s fun. It’s hot. It doesn't make me his slave, and it doesn't make him a Toom. It's just a fun, spicy way of making love. I love it.”
Amber shot her a big smile. “Good for you, Tina.”
Natalie shook her head. “I guess so.”
“You know as well as I do Melanie wouldn’t do anything she didn’t want to do,” Amber told her. “None of us would. If she plays rough with Wit, she’s doing it because she loves it. I knew that, but when I went to visit her, she said so. That’s how I know she isn't avoiding you.”
“Then why doesn’t she come to the village more?” Natalie asked. “I never see her anymore.”
“You could go see her just as easily as she could come to the village,” Tina pointed out.
“You have my word she wants to see you just as much as you want to see her,” Amber told her. “She doesn’t care a speck if you see her stripes. In fact, she's proud of them. They show Wit loves her as much as she loves him.”
Natalie stood back and wiped the back of her wrist across her forehead. “That’s all I care about. As long as she’s happy with Wit, I'm happy for her. I don't care what she does, as long as she isn't locked in a situation she doesn't want.”
“She wouldn’t let that happen,” Tina told her. “You know that.”
“And Wit would never let it happen, either,” Amber added. “He and Wink feel as strongly as we do about the Toom. Playing rough with someone you love is nothing like what happened to us at the gatherings.”
“You’re right,” Natalie replied. “I’m glad I have you two around to remind me of that.”
Tina stood up. “Give me a kiss, Natalie. I have to go get ready for tonight. I’ll see you both later.”
Tina and Natalie kissed each other on the cheek. “See you later.”
Amber hugged Tina. “I’m so glad you’re back. I've missed you.”
“Me, too.” Amber walked Tina to the door and gazed after her. Tina grabbed a creeper and dove headfirst off the platform into the trees. She watched the branches sway. “She’s amazing.”
“She’s really come into her power here,” Natalie agreed. “I’m amazed how fast she recovered from her depression.”
Amber nodded. “I guess all she really needed was to see us in danger. That’s when she put her pain aside and started living again.”
Natalie nodded. “And ever since that day, she’s thrived.”
“Have you talked to her about it?” Amber asked.
Natalie shook her head. “She doesn’t seem to want to. She acts like she was never catatonic. She acts like she woke up after being asleep, and now she’s back to the way she was before.”
A shrill whistle echoed up through the trees. Amber jumped up. “Oh! There’s Wink. I better go.”
Natalie started. “Do you have to leave so soon? You just got here.”
“We’re on our way to Anlea’s now,” Amber replied. “Wit and Wink have to report to the elders on their patrol. But I’ll see you tonight, and now that I’m staying in the village, I'll see you all the time. You'll be sick of the sight of me.”
Natalie threw her arms around her friend. “Not likely.”
Amber strode out to the edge of the platform. She gave Natalie a last kiss and took hold of her creeper. “See you later. I love you.”
Natalie waved good-bye to her disappearing form. Then she lifted her eyes to the sky and sighed. Only the wide sky surrounded her in a giant dome, leaving black space and all the memories it contained beyond the range of thought.
( The End )
Please see next page for a FREE copy of your EXCLUSIVE book
Get Your EXCLUSIVE & FREE Copy of
“TAKEN FOR THE ALIEN PRINCE”
www.AlienRomanceBooks.com
GET YOUR FREE PERSONAL COPY NOW!
Taken for the Alien Prince PREVIEW
Chapter One
Layla could only remember running. She was barefoot and the ground beneath her feet was cold and damp, sticks and rocks occasionally digging into the soft flesh and low brush clawing at her as if trying to stop her. Everything around her was hazy. The color seemed to have washed out of the world and left behind only shades of brown and rust and grey. She felt like she was running through water, moving slowly no matter how hard she fought to go faster.
Chilling air whipped at her face and she felt the first few stinging raindrops of a storm cut at her skin. She didn't know where she was going or how she had gotten there, and as she ran, the trees seemed to blur and blend into one another, making it impossible for her to orient herself.
She knew they were coming after her. She could feel and hear their heavy footsteps even in the thick, muting air and feel their presence getting closer. They seemed to be everywhere even though she couldn't see them as she ran. The oppressive feeling of them was getting more intense, but she had to keep running. She didn't know where she was running, but her feet wouldn't stop. Her mind and her fear wouldn't let them.
She thought she could be getting away. She might have a chance to get out of the woods and find her way back home – only, she couldn't remember what home was or where she may be able to find it. All she could do was run.
A cold, sharp breath invaded her lungs as she turned around a massive tree. The hard, choking pressure of a hand on her neck cut off the breath and she felt the ground beneath her feet disappear as the hand lifted her up. There was a moment of consuming terror and then the world around her turned to streaks of black and grey. Then there was nothing.
What could have been hours or days later, Layla became aware again. She kept her eyes closed as consciousness slowly rose through her body and she felt every inch become awake and present. Her muscles ached with the type of depth that came from intense exhaustion and long exposure to cold. The air around her, however, felt warm and damp. She was lying on her back and could feel something hard beneath her like a slab of stone. A tingling sensation flowed through her body and she tried to move her arms, only to find that they were lashed to the stone beneath her with rough lengths of rope. She tried to move her legs, but they were also secured to the stone beneath her.
She kept her eyes closed, terrified of what she may see if she opened them, and tried to remember what happened before she was running through the woods. No matter how hard she thought about it, however, Layla couldn't come up with anything except running. Her feet still felt chilled and stung from the forest floor, but she had no sense of how much time had passed since whatever had grabbed her and lifted her away.
Taking a long breath to steel herself, she let her eyes slowly slide open. As her eyelids opened and she lifted her head, the first thing she saw was the horizon. It glowed a vibrant shade of green as what looked like a deeply purple sun melted out of sight. She looked above her and saw a low grey ceiling as if she was in a small room. Confusion joined the fear that pumped through her as she tried to process what could be happening to her.
Suddenly she was aware of a presence in the space with her. She could feel someone near her, but she couldn't turn her head enough to look. She wanted to speak, but couldn't bring any sounds forward. The feeling of the presence shifted and she felt someone walking around from behind her head to pause at her side. She looked up at him and felt her breath catch in her throat. The man standing beside her was startlingly
beautiful and she felt so immediately drawn to him she briefly forgot her fear. He gazed down at her with eyes the color of honey. The flicker of a torch above his head and the glow from the sinking sun showed streaks of bright, clear blue through the shimmering, melting color.
The man gazed down at her and ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Not exactly sure why she was doing it, Layla tilted her face slightly into the touch. She started to open her mouth to speak, but he shook his head, bringing a finger to his lips to quiet her. Without a word, he backed away from her and disappeared back around her head. A second later, the feeling of his presence in the space with her was gone. She lifted her head and saw that the sun was nearly down. Straining to see as much of it as she could, she watched as the purple dissolved into the vibrant green, blending into a single line of color before the sky went dark.
Just as the last of the sunset disappeared, she heard footsteps approaching. She hoped it was the same man she had seen beside her, but the feeling of their presence was different. It was like the oppressive, terrifying feeling that had surrounded her as she was running through the woods and she immediately felt herself tense. Four men appeared on either side of her and her body shook so intensely she could feel the ropes burning her wrists and cutting into her ankles. None of the men spoke, but at the same moment they bent down and she felt herself rise into the air as the men lifted the stone slab beneath her and started carrying her out of the room and into the darkness of the night beyond.
Chapter Two
Layla watched as the sky moved past over her head, seeming to unfurl like a roll of velvet as the men carried her. They had lifted her above their heads like she weighed nothing despite the massive piece of stone and were carrying her smoothly almost as though she were floating through the air. Now that she was out of the small, tight room with the torches, the air felt cooler and she drew in a breath she hoped would calm her. She needed to get her mind together, to put herself back in control of whatever was happening. If she had any chance of escaping, the only way she would make it happen would be to stay calm and think clearly.
Alien Romance Box Set: Eblian Mates Complete Series (Books 1 - 3): A Sci-fi Alien Warrior Invasion Abduction Romance Page 23
