by Ashley West
Her laundry basket was sitting on the coffee table, full of clean clothes, and there was a pair of jeans in her hands, ready to be folded, but instead of doing that, she was staring off into the distance, unfocused.
One hand came up to her face, and she rubbed her lips with her fingers. Haven hadn't been able to stop doing that since she'd kissed Kal, and that had been just over a week ago. They'd seen each other since then, of course, tracking more attacks, and Kal had come to see her when he'd returned from fighting an Alva, bruised and bloody and in need of her help.
She'd patched him up as best she could, pleased that his wounds weren't worse, and urged him to be careful. Things weren't really awkward anymore between them, and she was glad of that, but it was so hard to focus when she couldn't stop thinking about him.
He was so much taller than she was, so much stronger, and the way it had felt to be pressed up against all that hard muscle, to have his hand at the small of her back, large and just this side of possessive... She couldn't stop thinking about it.
Inevitably, Haven realized the direction her thoughts had taken and made a disgusted noise at herself. She was being ridiculous. Kal was...her friend. That was all. And he was alien, and she had a rule about aliens because aliens were not a part of her plan. She'd said it so many times to other people, and now she felt like she needed to keep reminding herself.
Not. A. Part. Of. The. Plan.
And yet.
And yet he was nothing like she would have expected someone from another planet to be. He wasn't monstrous, and he didn't have a superiority complex. He was smart and took genuine pleasure in coming to understand the way things worked on Earth. Whenever he had a question, he asked her, and he always gave her a bright, beaming smile when she answered it for him.
Kal didn't offer up too much information about his planet or his people, but Haven was sure that was because she never asked for it. She made it rather clear that aliens were the cause of most of the problems they were dealing with, and if that offended Kal, then he didn't say so. He respected her and didn't try to force her to understand him better.
Thinking about that made her feel like she'd been unfair to him, and so Haven sighed and put her jeans down with a huff.
"It was just a kiss," she scolded herself. "Don't rewrite your entire life for a kiss."
Being too interested in someone was dangerous. She'd learned that the hard way, and she wasn't ready to go down that road again, but...
But out of all of the people Haven knew and had known, Kallel was one of the few who never tried to change her. He seemed to take her exactly as she was, and actually wanted her like that because he said it helped him.
"Planning like this has never been my strength," he'd told her, smiling as he watched her map out the attacks with the push pins. "I'm better at action. Someone tells me where to go, who to take down, and I do it."
"Imagine how much of a threat you'd be if you could do both," Haven had teased him with a smile in return.
"I'm not really interested in being a threat," he told her. "I'd rather just have a partner to work with."
Their eye contact after that had been electric, and Haven didn't know what was happening. It was like that kiss had opened a door she didn't even know was there, and now she didn't know how to get it to close again.
Or even if she wanted it to.
Her phone buzzed loudly on the table, jerking her out of her thoughts. She would have been glad for the distraction, except when she looked at the screen, it was Kal.
Turn on your tv, the message said.
Haven frowned and did as she was told.
"Local authorities are responding to the call for help, but it's unknown how long it will take them to arrive on the scene or what they will be able to do when they do get here," the reporter was saying.
Along the bottom of the screen was the breaking news bulletin, explaining that there was an attack at a school.
Luckily, it was late enough in the day that the likelihood of there being many children there was slim, but that didn't make it any less terrifying.
Are we going to help? she fired back to Kal.
I am. You don't have to come. It will be dangerous.
Haven rolled her eyes. We're a team, remember? I'm the planner, you're the action. I'm coming.
She didn't even wait for his reply, running to go get dressed in something other than the oversized shirt and little shorts she had on since it was her day off. Pants and shoes were needed here. As she dressed, she arranged to pick up Kal and his assortment of weapons so they could head out, hopefully getting there in time to stop this before anyone got too badly hurt.
As she drove, she thought. Kal seemed so convinced that the Alva had some master plan, either motivated by revenge or the desire to form another army of humans to do their dirty work, but Haven remained unsure. None of the attack sites had anything in common other than being mostly full of people at the time, and there weren't any reports of hostages.
It seemed like senseless chaos to her. Like they were just acting out in their anger. That made it all the more dangerous.
When they arrived, it was clear to see the destruction. The witnesses told them that they had only seen one Alva, but the front door of the school was broken down, buckled and ruined, and the wood and metal around it were twisted and clawed.
"One Alva can do this?" Haven murmured, eyes wide.
"And more," Kal told her with a soft sigh. "They're monsters."
"No kidding."
Most of the building had already been evacuated, leaving out the back to huddle off to the side. The police hadn't arrived yet, and it was just Kal and Haven there, ready to see what they could do about this to help.
"You don't have to go in," he told her. His eyes were serious as he spoke. "I'm going to have to fight the thing, but there's no reason for you to go in."
"What if there's someone inside that needs help?" Haven insisted. "I'm going."
She was afraid, of course. She wasn't built to take on huge, monstrous creatures, and hopefully she wouldn't have to. She trusted Kallel to keep her safe. He drew his weapon, and she fell in behind him, feeling the eyes of everyone who was gathered on them. If they survived this, and she was sincerely hoping that they would, then people would definitely know about them.
Their footsteps echoed on the scuffed linoleum as they walked inside the school. There was an easy path to follow, lockers dented and trash cans overturned, and they moved carefully. Every time there was a noise, Haven jumped and then hated herself for it. She was braver than this.
A crash echoed above them, and they both looked to the ceiling. "Up there," Kal said, and they took off.
There really was only one Alva that they could see, and they cornered it in the music room on the second floor. Haven hung back, well aware of the fact that she had nothing to offer in this fight. Instead she looked around, poking into other rooms on that floor to make sure there weren't any stragglers hiding and in need of help.
It seemed deserted, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe no one needed to get killed that day. Hopefully that included them.
Kal was going twenty rounds with the creature, weapon flashing in the fluorescent lighting as he slashed and fought.
The creature had already done a number on the room, huge chunks of concrete had been displaced from the floor and the walls, and were lying in piles on the floor. If it was that strong and could do that to a wall, what could it do to Kal if he faltered? Haven watched with her heart in her throat.
Kal knocked the Alva back, sending it tripping over the rubble to sprawl on the ground, before he could deliver a finishing strike, it was rolling to its feet and lashing out with claws.
"Look out!" Haven cried.
Both Kal and the creature turned to look at her. For a second nothing happened, and then a large slab of concrete that had been dislodged from the wall came hurtling through the air, crashing through the glass window of the room.
Ti
me seemed to slow down as Haven watched it. One moment she was standing there, and then the next she was being pushed out of the way, landing with a grunt on the cold floor.
Kal was breathing hard over her, his eyes wild. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding almost frantic.
Haven nodded. She was shaken up, but otherwise fine.
He nodded back. "Stay here," he said, and then got up to finish the beast off.
On the way back home, Kal drove. Haven couldn't keep her hands from shaking, and she didn't trust herself behind the wheel of the car. She could feel Kal's eyes on her, feel the concern waiting to be expressed, but she kept her face turned away, looking out the window.
Getting involved with aliens was a good way to get yourself killed. How many people had died when the Alva invaded? Nameless, faceless people who had just been collateral damage in the first wave of the invasion.
They'd had families, friends, loved ones, but no one remembered their names or who they were, really. They were just numbers, statistics quoted when someone asked how bad the invasion had been.
If Haven got killed during this, would it be the same for her? Would they mourn her as the human female who had chosen to help Kallel defeat the Alva, or would she just be another number on the list of losses?
"Haven?" Kal asked, voice soft. "Are you alright?"
He probably did things like that every day, the swooping in to save people thing. It was his job, his mission. Still, Haven didn't think she had imagined the look of fear and panic in his eyes when he'd come rushing over to her. It might have been her projecting her own fear onto him, but she didn't think so.
Her loss would mean something to him, then.
"Haven?" he asked again.
She shook herself. "I'm okay."
Kal let out a small breath. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I should have...I shouldn't have brought you."
"Technically, I drove," Haven replied, needing something to hold onto. Logical and facts had always worked well enough.
He gave her a look. "You know what I mean."
"It's fine," Haven insisted. "I'm fine."
"You could have been killed."
"I didn't get killed."
"But you could have...Anything could have happened. You're not trained for this, you're not-"
"You're the one who wanted my help so badly!" Haven exploded, her voice very loud in the otherwise quiet car. "You're the one who was so dead set on this being like what happened a year ago. Don't tell me I shouldn't have been there, when you're the one who got me involved in this."
And okay, that wasn't strictly fair, and she knew it. Her mother being at the wrong place at the wrong time had a lot to do with why she was involved, but she didn't want to hear that she shouldn't have been there because she had been there, and she was fine.
Her hands were still shaking.
They made it back to her house in one piece, and the car gave what Haven liked to think of as a grateful groan when Kallel got out of it. He shut the door carefully and then stood in the middle of her driveway, arms folded and head tipped back. Haven watched him for a moment before she got out, too, and came to stand next to him.
As soon as she was within touching distance, he reached out, hands going to her arms, fingers wrapped tight around her biceps. Those silvery eyes were imploring, and Haven couldn't look away.
"Haven," he said slowly. "I need you to be careful. I know. I know it's my fault you're involved, and I know you're only doing this to help me, but if something happened to you..." He trailed off, and Haven could see it when he swallowed hard. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
Even though he was much taller than her, she still felt like they were very close. Kal smelled like sweat and heat, and the look on his face was compelling. Haven was coming down from the fear of being killed, and she wanted comfort. She wanted...
She took a step closer to him. "I'm sorry," she breathed. "I should have been paying attention. I should have waited in the car."
He smiled and shook his head. "I want you with me, Haven, I just...I should teach you how to defend yourself."
"From falling slabs of concrete?"
Kal laughed softly. He licked his lips, and Haven's eyes followed the motion. He watched her watch him, and the tension between them got thicker.
"Haven?" he asked, voice unsure.
"Just...come down here," Haven said, and she had no idea what she was doing or if this was a good idea, even, but it was too late because she was doing it.
When Kal leaned down closer, Haven shook her arm free of his grip and reached up, fingers sliding his shoulder to the back of his neck, anchoring themselves there.
His lips were parted in a look of surprise, and Haven pushed up onto her toes to give herself a better angle. Amusingly enough, this wasn't even the first time they'd done this. But this was definitely different. There was no audience for one, and for another, Haven's heart was pounding.
When their lips met, it was definitely different. The first kiss had been good, but this was...
Mutual was the only word her dizzy brain could come up with at the moment. This was them wanting each other, and she could practically taste it in the kiss.
Heat traveled from where their lips met all the way down to her toes, and she made a soft sound into it. Kal dropped his grip on her arm to slide his own around her waist, hauling her closer. Again and again their lips met, and it was like being devoured. Kal kissed with his whole person, leaning so far in that Haven was tipped backwards, held up by that strong arm around her.
A soft growl slipped from Kal's lips into the kiss, and it was primal and deep, thrilling something low down in Haven that she hadn't even known was there. She answered with a little moan, and that only seemed to spur Kal on more.
His tongue flicked out, licking her bottom lip, and Haven parted her lips for him, letting him push the wet appendage inside and lay claim.
There was no other word for what he was doing, really. He was claiming her in that moment, and Haven...well. She was more than a little tempted to see how far it would go.
All too soon, though, Kallel was pulling back, his eyes were darker now, a burnished pewter instead of the usual silvery grey. "We should go inside," he said, voice deep.
Haven swallowed. She felt different than she had just a moment ago. Her mouth tingled with the lingering feeling of that kiss, and her heart was still racing, breathing uneven. She knew if she went inside with him that only one thing would happen. That's how it would be. What she didn't know was how she felt about that.
Kal didn't seem in any mind to force her, just standing there watching her as she made up her mind.
Finally, she nodded. She wanted it, wanted him. It was a choice she was making, and she hoped she wouldn't regret it. "Let's go."
Her house was warm and dark inside when they stepped in, and Haven didn't even bother to turn on the lights. They moved through the living room into the bedroom, Haven's hand feeling damp and clammy against Kal's larger, drier one. Once they got there, he moved to stand in front of her, his hands at her waist.
"I will take care of you," he murmured. "I'd never hurt you."
The words were sincere, and Haven could only nod. She believed him. She wanted him.
They kissed again, this time harder, more desperate, mouths clashing against each other, the edge of teeth as Kal bit down on her bottom lip and tugged, making her gasp and arch against him. Her nails dug into his skin through his clothes, and when he worked a leg between hers, she could only moan for him, rubbing against the solid muscle.
She was wet already, and she could feel the outline of his hard cock in his soft pants. If he was in proportion everywhere, then it was sure to be an impressive sight.
Once the clothes started coming off, she saw and was not disappointed.
"Jesus," she breathed, wrapping her hand around it. It was big, big enough that her fingers couldn't meet all the way around it. Big enough that it was going to be a tight fit and she was
sure she'd be feeling it for at least a day after this.
"Who's that?" Kal asked. Haven just laughed.
She hadn't thought to be self-conscious about her own body, really. She liked the way she looked. Her skin was smooth, her breasts were full and firm, and the little pocket of softness that sat on her midsection just made her softer, so she didn't have a problem with it at all.
From the way Kal was looking at her, he didn't seem to have a problem with it either. Haven spared a moment to wonder about the body preferences on other planets before she was being picked up and deposited on the bed.
"Kal!" she squealed, laughing as her back hit the pillows. "Someone's impatient."
He arched an eyebrow at her looming over her. "You cannot stand there looking bare and glorious and not expect me to lose my patience," he said, voice still deep with his need.
Haven's breath caught. She was sure no one had ever called her glorious before.
"Oh," she murmured. "I...oh."
Kal smiled, and it was the slow grin of a predator. He was nice, nicer than she'd expected of someone who was a self-identified warrior, but the look in his eyes said he was used to taking. Haven didn't think she minded one bit.
The bed shifted and dipped under his weight as he climbed up, holding himself over her on his hands. Those pale eyes trailed down over her body like it was a buffet and he couldn't decide what he wanted to eat first. Haven had never thought she'd want to be looked at like that, or be entertaining fantasies about being devoured, but here they were.
"Kal." When she said his name this time, it was softer, pleading, and she swallowed hard when those eyes found hers again.
"Tell me," he murmured back.
"Touch me," she countered.
He grinned.
His fingers were large, thick and long, and two of them felt just like a cock inside of her. They worked her open with slow, deep strokes, and Haven arched her back off the bed, whimpering at how good it felt.
She was soaked between her legs, the wetness helping to ease the slide of his fingers inside of her. While the one hand worked there, the other slid up her stomach to her breasts, a rough thumb sliding over one pebbled nipple and making her gasp.
