First Contact

by S. J. Sanders

  “Have some self-respect and let go,” she snarled as she finally unhooked the last of the fingers clinging to the dark cape. A sound to her immediate left brought Gerry’s attention to a young guy watching on with concern but he seemed uncertain of whether or not he wanted to intervene.

  “Scott...!” the woman greeted him with a happy trill.

  “This yours?” Gerry asked the beleaguered twenty-something. He grimaced but took the handsy woman into his arms, where she immediately latched onto him with a happy, sloppy kiss on the cheek.

  “Come on, Melissa. Let’s get you back to the hotel,” he said following a loud sigh.

  “Beam me up, Scotty,” Melissa said. “Scotty Wotty, I love you so much!”

  “Mom and Dad are so going to owe me for making me take you along,” he muttered to himself.

  Gerry pinched her lips together so not to snicker aloud as Scott shuffled his sister away, stopping every few feet to untangle her from another passer-by with whom she instantly became enamored. As soon as they were well out of hearing distance, she burst out laughing, startling the costumed cat man next to her. Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, she turned to pick her cake back up—but the table was empty.

  “Son of a bitch! My cake! I stood in line forever for that damn thing,” she groaned.

  “My apologies,” a growly tenor murmured beside her. It had a slight purr to its edges almost worthy of a masculine Eartha Kitt performance. It made her toes curl.

  “Nah, it’s not your fault. I should’ve known better than to set the damn thing on the table without keeping half an eye on it. Just... damn! I’d best get back in line. Krissy will kill me if I show up without it.”

  “You will be killed?” the guy puffed up with anger and his head darted around, as if looking for any culprit that intended her harm. Gerry blinked at him a few times and then began to laugh. He had to be a visiting foreigner or something. Language barriers.

  “No literally,” she chuckled. “She would just be really put out—uh, disappointed—if I didn’t bring one by after I said I would. It’s all good. Well, good luck with the crowd,” she said as she turned to trek to the bakery again.

  At the corner, she turned her head to look back and was surprised to see he hadn’t moved. His head moved from right to left warily as if unsure of what to do or where to go. He looked so lost as he stood where she’d left him that it was too much like abandoning a puppy on the side of the road for her comfort.

  Damn.

  Pushing back through the crowd, she tugged lightly on his cape. He immediately looked over at her and his eyes lit up with relief.

  “All right, hot stuff. You and I are having a Mardi Gras date. We’ll just go get that cake and visit with Krissy for a moment, and then I’m all yours for the rest of the day. I’m not exactly a local or anything, but it beats wandering around alone, right?”

  “Yes, that would be most appreciated. I am looking for someone—” he hesitated as if uncertain.

  “Oh yeah? Are you meeting someone here?”

  “My nephew. He arrived separately, but I am having difficulty locating him.”

  “Oh man, that’s rough. Not a good time to lose someone. These crowds aren’t gonna let up any time soon.”

  “Yes, it seems so,” he said with obvious dismay. Gerry wondered what exactly he expected during Mardi Gras time in New Orleans. If he’d waited a few weeks, he and his nephew could have met up and enjoyed a more leisurely trip. Something a little more low-key for New Orleans, anyway. It was never really all that quiet from what she’d observed.

  “He is still very young, and I am worried he has been alone too long,” he muttered.

  Oh damn. A lost kid?

  “How old is he?” she inquired gently.

  “He has sixteen revolutions.”

  What an odd way to say that he was sixteen years old. Geez, she guessed the guy never dropped his role. Regardless, a lost sixteen-year-old would concern her too if she were in his shoes. Gerry gnawed her lip. “Did you file a missing person report with the police?” She wasn’t entirely certain if that was something done so soon if the kid hadn’t been missing long, but maybe—

  “No, I cannot let anyone know that we are here,” he said in a rush, immediately setting off every internal warning light she had.

  “Uh-huh,” she drawled slowly and prepared to make her escape.

  “It is not safe for us,” he quickly amended.

  She supposed that made sense. If they were hiding from someone who wanted to hurt them, it would have been easier for them to split up. Poor guy. Still, if they were in danger, was that something she really wanted to get involved with?

  As if sensing her reticence, he said, “No harm will befall you. This place is just... strange... to me. I feel I may find him quicker with assistance. The faster I find him, the sooner we can leave. We will not draw on trouble. We just want to go home.”

  Gerry felt her heart melt for his plight. He was a big guy and could probably handle himself in any sort of confrontation, but he seemed as lost and lonely as a stranger washed up on an unfamiliar shore. She didn’t feel right just abandoning him. Besides, her nana would have called her behavior downright uncharitable and smacked Gerry with her slipper were she still alive to see her granddaughter ignore a stranger in need. Not that Nana couldn’t make her reach be felt from the house of ancestors. Gerry was confident that any one of her ancestors, Nana especially, could visit her and make life difficult or better as they saw fit, and she just didn’t need that kind of bad luck.

  She took in the exquisite feline latex work and faux fur. But behind all that, his blue eyes—orbs that she had no doubt could turn as cold as a wintry day—beseeched her without a word. She appreciated his silence. He didn’t try to sway her decision or manipulate her. He just waited quietly for her verdict.

  “Well, it’s not like I have a busy day or anything,” she drawled. “Besides, I wouldn’t feel right about myself if I didn’t help you, seeing how you’re in desperate straits and all. Very well. I’m sure Krissy will understand.”

  As she pulled out her phone and typed a text message, with her new friend looking on with interest, she offered him a small smile. “I’m Geraldine Walker, by the way, but please call me Gerry.”

  In turn, he offered her an elegant bow that had her feeling jittery and flattered over the gesture. Maybe that was due to how little effort guys seemed to put into meeting women. The last guy she met had introduced himself as Crash with nothing more than an offer to write his phone number on her hand.

  His mellow voice washed over her skin like a brush of soft fizzing bubbles. “Geree, it is my great honor. I am Ehminal Eshvolura, or Ehmhy to those who know me.” His eyes caught the light and seemed to shine in an eerie way. “I do hope that we will be friends,” he purred in a voice that could bring down an elephant at twenty paces.

  Holy shit, she thought. I hope we can too. Very good friends.

  Chapter 4

  Ehmhy was overwhelmed. Never in his life did he imagine any one place would have so many females. Granted, many of them were heavily intoxicated and reeked of the fumes of strong drink. The one who had clung to him like a vispon vine had come close to alarming him. Among his own kind, males were territorial over their females. If one didn’t belong to an elite family that would give him access to a female, most found pleasure partners with offworld females, only few of which could successfully breed with the Forad.

  Reproduction for the common families was entirely taken care of via depositing their genetic substance into artificial wombs with donated eggs. Each Forad female was required to donate into the genetic pool for five years after reaching sexual maturity before she found a mate. Unlike humans, females of his species never touched an unknown male, or any male that was not a relation or her mate.

  Having human females touch him so freely had not been something he was prepared for. Forad were a tactile species but reserved such contact for only those who were the closest and
most trusted to them. Most males did not appreciate strange females brushing up against them, and Ehmhy was no exception.

  Still, he made an effort to consider the cultural differences of the planet he was on, even as he attempted to extract himself from cloying embraces and the errant fondling from more adventurous females in the crowd. He was more concerned he would come into conflict with human males who’d see him as poaching in their territory. He’d been surprised when not one male confronted him. In fact, some males had laughed, despite his obvious discomfort.

  Ehmhy wasn’t sure what to make of the human species.

  He was even less certain of what to make of the strange festival he’d landed himself in. While it worked in his favor that no one suspected him of being an offworlder, he’d been bombarded by the bright colors, leering masks, and loud sounds of festivity that surrounded him. Beneath his hood, he flattened his ears against the onslaught and felt a mounting anxiety that he’d never before experienced. He was positively drowning in sensory overload when he accidentally ran into a small female who’d been walking behind him.

  Instinctively, he’d reached out for her to halt her fall rather than recoiling from the contact, which surprised him. Yet what surprised him more was how strongly he was drawn in and captivated by the dark mass of curling hair, near-black eyes that widened in surprise, and skin the warm brown color of the koro nut.

  Everything within him focused on her and cried out: mine!

  Perhaps that was why he did not notice the other female until she was on top of him. He’d been startled and resented the touch immediately. By some miracle, he managed to temper his reaction so he would not hurt the female as he tried to remove himself from her grip. He’d been immensely grateful when the female of his desire jumped into the fray to aid him. She had no compunction about pulling the interloper off him and sending her on her way. That alone made her increasingly desirable to him; that she shortly thereafter agreed to help him made her the dearest of females in his eyes for her generosity of spirit.

  He knew that he would do whatever it took to not let any harm so much as touch her. When the crowd surged closer to her than he was comfortable with, he rolled his shoulders back and snarled, growled, and hissed at every transgressor who failed to take care around her. Each time, she darted an amused look at him, her lips curving in a way that sent a pulse of interest directly to his cock. Although it was unlikely that their species were compatible, Ehmhy was fixated on Geree and consumed with the need to demonstrate and prove himself a worthy mate. It didn’t matter if they would never breed fashi together. After all, he still had years ahead of him rearing his nephew.

  Just thinking of Ferikal, lost and taken by humans, chilled his ardor and made his claws protract from his fingers, piercing the tips of the thick gloves he wore to disguise his hands. He would find his charge, set the distress beacon, and when it was time to go home—well, his family would be safe, he would have had plenty of time by then to court Geree and see if they were a good match.

  There was no doubt in his mind he would court the female. While the Forad didn’t have the sort of difficult mating instinct that drove other species to find their fated mates, he burned for her and was drawn to the vibrancy and strength of her spirit. He was less certain if she would welcome such attention from a species so different from her own. Although she was strange to him, completely lacking fur, claws, or a tail, he found her oddly beautiful. Yet humans seemed very clannish and isolated in their part of the universe. It was probable that she would find the truth of him, and their differences, to be insurmountable.

  “Where do you think your nephew might be?” Geree asked, drawing him out of his inner turmoil. He loosed a weary sigh.

  “In truth, I am not certain. I had a tracker on him, but he was abducted and during the struggle the tracker became damaged. I am still able to communicate with him, but I hesitate to comm him since I do not know when it is safe to do so. I did speak to him earlier this morning, and he agreed to return communication when it was safe to do so, but that was many hours ago.” He took her hand briefly and pressed it against his chest. “When we find his location, I will go in alone. You will remain safe, Geree.”

  Letting her hand drop free from his own, he waited until she nodded and began to walk again. He paced easily by her side. Geree was silent as they walked through the streets, a thoughtful expression on her face.

  “Well, that certainly makes it harder. Any idea of where he might have been before he was taken?”

  He hesitated. If he revealed his tech, it would alert her to the fact that there was something irregular about him. Did he want her discovering his secret so soon? But then again, he doubted there would ever truly be a good moment.

  “I can show you approximately where he appeared before his signal disappeared,” he offered, albeit reluctantly.

  “That may be a good place to start. I’ve gotten pretty familiar with the streets around here. I can probably get us where we need to go. I imagine that signal was popping up somewhere here in New Orleans?”

  “Yes. I thought it would be easy to find his location, but I confess everything here assaults my senses and confuses me.”

  Geree chuckled, the sound darting up his spine like a jolt of electricity. “Honey, it is Mardi Gras. This is a bad time of year to lose someone in New Orleans if you hope to find them quick.”

  “So it seems,” he agreed, allowing himself a small smile.

  “Why don’t we stop for a bite on the way back to my place? We can make a plan and take a look at your fancy tracking thing,” she offered, her head and neck moving as if she were hunting prey.

  “A bite?” he asked slowly, not sure if he wanted to know what exactly she had in mind. He preferred to know what he was putting in his mouth ahead of time. She grinned at him.

  “Ah, sorry. That pesky language barrier again,” she chuckled. “I mean get some food into us. It’s been a long afternoon and I’m sure it’s going to be a hot minute before we sit down again. St. Charles Avenue is just this way. We can grab some food and then hop on the streetcar.”

  He only understood seventy percent of what she said, but he allowed her to lead him down equally colorful and noisy streets of what she called “the Quarter” in their quest for sustenance. Once she discovered what she was after, she left his side only long enough to acquire food with strict instructions to not move from where he stood. Therefore, he observed the humans while he waited.

  He watched with some amusement as people at the far end of the street thronged around some decorative platform moving down the street, from which ornate humans in otherworldly guises threw shining items into the crowd. They seemed like desirable tokens by the way the humans were interacting on the street in which he stood. How odd. He inspected a strand of colorful beads and saw there was nothing truly valuable about them. Certainly nothing to get excited over.

  He turned away from the sight to face the opposite direction of the street and drew back, startled, as a pair of females drew up their clothing to bare their breasts to several males gathered around them. His eyes widened as the females giggled as the males handed them various beads.

  “Fucking Bourbon Street,” Geree groused, drawing his attention with much relief as she arrived with a fragrant bag. “Don’t pay them any mind, Ehmhy.”

  She led him to a red vessel with multiple compartments that appeared to take passengers for fare. He tried to offer a gem, but Geree let out an odd shriek and shoved his hand down, handing over sheets of printed paper and metal coins. He attempted to object, but she shushed him and pulled him down beside her into a seat.

  “I don’t know where you’re from, but you can’t just be handing people gemstones as payment,” she hissed.

  “The males on the street were paying females plastic to show their breasts. In any case, I do not see how paper is a more acceptable currency,” he said and ignored the strange look she gave him.

  A short time later Ehmhy stared nonplussed at yet
another white tray. She’d shoved it into his hands within minutes of entering the small room she called her home. The space was cramped at best and the food pronounced to be their meal looked dubious. It wasn’t attractive but the smell, at least, was enticing.

  “What is all of this?”

  “See now, I wasn’t sure what you’d like so I got us both plates of what I like. That there is blackened chicken, red beans and rice, fried gator tail, boiled shrimp, and that’s an assortment of grilled vegetables. You look like a guy who prefers a meat-heavy diet,” she teased, clearly still under the illusion that his appearance was fabricated. To a certain degree it was, but not in the way she imagined.

  Although she claimed it was meat, it wasn’t any sort that he recognized, not even by its scent except the fishy bits which had been in the omelet he’d been gifted with earlier. Not wishing to offend, he took a bite of the small wedges she called gator tail and was rewarded with a rich flavor. The red beans smelled appealing, though he found the texture extremely repellant and couldn’t finish more than a couple bites of it, but the vegetables were well seasoned and the chicken so flavorful that he groaned.

  Geree brushed off her hands. “Now, let’s see what you’ve got.”

  Touching a finger to his comm unit, the projection of a rough map of the area filled the air between them, though one unmarked by streets or notable dwellings. He pointed to the block where he’d last seen the tracker active.

  “He was here.”

  She whistled between her teeth. “Damn, that is an impressive gadget. That must have cost a fortune. Okay, well, none of these streets are marked. No wonder you were so lost. Let me pull up a map on my tablet and we can get a better idea of where we’re looking.”

  Ehmhy watched with interest as she set a thin pad between them and pulled up a detailed map of New Orleans. She then magnified it until the city itself appeared to shrink. Her brow was pulled down in concentration as her eyes darted back and forth between the holographic projection and her own map.