Tamas grinned and looked back at the picture of the female human of his dreams. She would be his and he would return to Prism Star in glory. This was the happiest moment in his life.
Chapter 3: Culture Clash
The next day was Friday, when Jayden had his interview. All through her shift, Joanne checked her phone to see if she’d had a message from him and when nothing came, she messaged and called him several times with no response.
The blanket of silence put her in a bad mood and when she knocked off at the diner, she left him an angry voicemail telling him to call her straight away.
This was just typical of him, she grumbled to herself. He had absolutely no consideration for others. She was still stewing when she went to the bus stop to head into town.
As it was the weekend, it was time for her to start her other job working behind the bar at a nightclub. Between that and her shifts at the diner, she had no social life whatsoever, but it was the only way to pay the bills and keep her afloat, especially as she was keeping Jayden afloat as well.
“Jayden, when you get this pick up!” she said in a snarky tone to his voicemail for what seemed like the billionth time. “I need to know what happened today!”
She shoved the phone into her handbag and huffed to herself. She knew he’d mess things up, he always did. Every opportunity he was offered, he just threw away, upsetting a load of people in the process. She’d kick him out of the apartment if it weren’t for the fact that he literally had nowhere else to go.
They might have split up twelve months ago but a part of her just couldn’t turn her back on him completely. She didn’t love him anymore, but she couldn’t bring herself to not care about him just yet.
Speaking of the Devil, he suddenly appeared on the sidewalk and ambled towards her. The brand new suit she’d bought him for his interview was rumpled and stained, and he had a can of beer in one hand. The stupefied look on his face told her it wasn’t his first drink of the day.
“Hey babe!” he called out drunkenly. “How are ya?”
The other people in the bus queue shot her covert glances and subtly shuffled away. Joanne cringed with embarrassment. She marched towards him, not bothering to hide her anger.
“Jayden!” she snapped. “I’ve been calling you all day! Where the hell have you been?”
“Baby,” Jayden crooned, giving her an idiotic grin. His beery breath washed over her like a tidal wave. “I knew you still cared about me! We got a magic babe, you know, a connection. It’s all written in the stars!”
He lurched forward, dropping the beer can on the ground to give her a hug and she pushed him sharply away. “What are you going on about? How did the interview go?”
A startled look crossed his face for just a moment followed by a crafty smile. “Oh that, er, yeah, I aced it. They totally loved me. You love me too, don’t ya?”
A mantle of ice settled over her. “You didn’t go, did you?” she said in an ashen voice.
He came closer to her, pawing her arms like an over affectionate puppy. “Hey, it’s doesn’t matter, bae. That job was no good to me. It’s just a waste of my talent.”
“That job was a steady wage coming in,” Joanne said, her voice brittle with emotion. “Do you know how many strings Larry pulled to get you in to see the manager, and you didn’t even bother to turn up! You’ve gone too far this time!”
“Don’t be like that, bae,” Jayden wheedled. “I’m too good for that job. Hey, guess what, I ran into Tadd today. He’s talking about getting the band back together. Ain’t that awesome? It’ll be like the old days again. We could get a record deal! Ain’t that amazing?”
“The band fizzled out in high school, Jayden,” Joanne said coldly. “It’s never coming back. Just face it. You’re not going to make it in the music business. You’ve got to focus your life somewhere else.”
A hurt look flared in his eyes and Joanne felt a pang of guilt. She hated being so brutally honest, but it needed to be said.
Jayden had some talent as a singer it was true, but he had frittered his potential away a long time ago and the constant partying and drugs were eroding away his looks. He had to get himself straightened out if he ever wanted to have a shot at a half way decent life.
“You’re just jealous!” he retorted belligerently. “You’ve always hated that I had talent and all the girls wanted me. It drove you crazy!” He squeezed her arms tighter, making her grimace with pain. She hated when he got her like this.
“Let go, you’re hurting me!” she snapped. “Just go home and get a shower and go to bed. You need to sleep it off. Then we need to have a serious talk. I think you should really consider going and finding someplace else to live.”
He scowled at her. “You’re throwing me out?”
She heard the bus rumble up behind her and turned to see it pull up at the stop. “Jayden, there’s my bus. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
She tried to pull away from him but he suddenly grabbed her arm again. “You can’t kick me out!” Jayden whined. “What we’ve got is too special to throw away!”
Joanne sighed heavily, wishing she’d just kept her mouth shut. “Jayden, we broke up a year ago. We’re never going to get back together. I let you stay at my place so you could sort yourself and get back on your feet again. It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement. Now let me go, I’m gonna miss my ride!”
Over at the bus stop, the last few people who had waited in line were now boarding. Panic shot through Joanne and she hurried to try and catch it. Jayden was still holding her and yanked her back to him sharply.
“No! I’m not losing you! We’re meant to be together! It’s fate!” Jayden yelled at the top of his voice. He could be so dramatic at times.
The automatic doors of the buss hissed closed and its idling engine roared into life. Joanne struggled desperately to get free of Jayden. “Wait up!” she called out to the vehicle. “I need to get on!”
The driver either didn’t see her or didn’t want to get involved in a domestic argument that could knock out his schedule because he carried on without stopping and was soon down the street and out of sight. Joanne gritted her teeth in frustration.
“Now look what you did, you useless jerk!” she shouted. “I missed my bus and now I’m going to be late! Thanks to you I’ll get my wages docked or worse I’ll be fired. Jayden, you’re hopeless!”
“Hey, don’t be like that,” Jayden said in a hurt tone. “Forget about your crummy job. Let’s go out and have some fun! It’ll be just like the old days again! You were much happier back then.”
“I was a lot more stupid back then,” Joanne muttered, “and too trusting. Now let me go I gotta phone work and tell them I’ll be late.”
She managed to pull away from him again and fumbled in her handbag for her phone. Without warning, he grabbed her again, making her drop her handbag on the sidewalk.
“Jayden! What do you think you’re doing?”
“Come home with me!” he urged, pressing his body against her. She could feel the swell of his erection against her dress.
“We can sort things out. We can be so good together. You’re all that matters to me, come back to me and I promise I’ll get a job. Everything will be good again, I swear.”
“It’s too late, Jayden,” Joanne said bleakly. “I don’t love you any more.”
“You can’t mean that!” he exclaimed. “You can’t just dump me like that! I deserve better!”
“Is this man bothering you, Miss?” a man’s voice, deep and powerful, spoke up from behind her, so close it made her jump.
She snapped her head round and her heart leapt into her mouth as she looked straight into the eyes of one of the attractive men she’d ever seen in her life.
“Miss?” the man asked again, when she didn’t answer. “Are you okay?”
Joanne was still absorbed with staring at this Adonis who had appeared out of nowhere. He was tall, taller than Jayden, with gorgeously tanned skin and strong, perfectly chiselled fe
atures. His hazel eyes danced with a sultry light that made her pulse race.
“Hey man, beat it!” Jayden snapped, glaring at the stranger. “This has nothing to do with you!”
“We’ll let the lady decide that,” the man said smoothly. “She looks uncomfortable. I suggest you stop bothering her and go home.”
“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” Jayden snarled. He let go of Joanne and strutted up to the man. “Why don’t you just walk on by, huh? This is between me and my girlfriend.”
“I’m not your girlfriend!” Joanne snapped, coming out of her stupor. “Just go home Jayden. I’ll talk to you later.”
“What? No way!” exclaimed Jayden. He reached out and grabbed her arm. “You’re coming home with me!”
In a blur of movement, the man struck out with his hand and grabbed Jayden by the scruff of his neck. Jayden yelped in pain and let Joanne go. Flexing his arm, the man almost lifted Jayden off his feet.
“I suggest you go home,” he said in a voice of velvet menace. Its cadence sent a shudder down Joanne’s spine.
Jayden stared in open fright. He shot Joanne a helpless look but she pointedly ignored him. The last thing she wanted was to go back to the apartment with him.
If she was lucky, she might be able to grab a cab and get to work, even though it would wipe out what little money she had in her account.
The man released Jayden and smiled pleasantly. “Well, I suggest you be on your way.”
Jayden seemed ready to say something but his mouth worked but nothing came out. He gave the man a hate-filled glare and then slunk away like a scolded hound.
Joanne watched him go with a mingling sense of relief and apprehension. She suddenly realised she was now on her own with this handsome man.
Getting her nerves under control, she gave the man a shy smile. “Thanks for that. He’s harmless really, but he can be a real pain sometimes and I really need to get to work.”
“He’s no good for you,” the man said with certainty. “You deserve much better.”
Joanne was struck dumb by his observation. It was then that she noticed how strangely dressed he was. A checked overcoat that was two sizes too large for him covered all of his upper body underneath which were some odd-looking blue leggings and dark ankle boots.
The overcoat was open at the throat, and she could see the elegant contours of his naked neck and the top of his smooth chest. She tried to stop herself from fantasising about what the rest of him looked like.
“Um, well thanks for helping out,” she said, looking away quickly before she started blushing. “I got to be going. I’m going to be late for work.”
“Don’t go,” the man said quickly. “I’ve come a long way to find you.”
Joanne’s eyes widened and she stiffened. Suddenly, this gorgeous man had become rather sinister. “I really have to go,” she said carefully, glancing around her for passersby.
Unfortunately for her, the street was eerily deserted. She took a few steps away from him and mentally calculated how far it was to the diner.
“Don’t be frightened,” the man said, moving closer to her. “There is no need to be scared anymore. I will protect you now.”
“I don’t need protection!” Joanne said sharply. “Look, I’m grateful for you helping me out back there, but I really have to be going now.”
“Yes!” he said eagerly, an expansive grin of sparkling white teeth spreading across his face. “We have wasted enough time on unnecessary chatter. We will go back to my ship and I will take you to Prism Star as my love mate.”
“Oh geez!” Joanne cried out and bolted down the street in the direction of the diner, going as fast as her high heels would let her. This was just typical for her. Why did she always seem to attract such lousy men?
“Come back!” the man called out after her. “There’s no need to run. My ship will come to us. Pero! Stop her!”
She heard something flitter past her and glimpsed a golden light from the corner of her eye. Suddenly, a small slender creature of shining gold with huge insect-like wings flew in front of her.
Joanne let out a scream and nearly fell over. The creature’s segmented eyes glittered with multi-coloured lights and she found herself compelled by a powerful force to look up into them.
The radiant lights enveloped her and she suddenly felt very sleepy. She was dimly aware of the man coming up to her side and taking her in his powerful arms before everything went black.
* * *
Joanne woke suddenly and sat up, staring round uncomprehendingly at her strange surroundings. She was in what looked like a large room made of pink marble and studded with precious jewels and gold trimmings.
She blinked as she stared at the room, her sluggish brain unable to process where she was. Numbly looking down she found she was lying on an equally resplendent couch of white silk.
When she looked up again, the man who had saved her from Jayden was standing looking at her. “Excellent,” he said, “You’re awake at last. I’ve been waiting to talk to you.”
Joanne stared at him for a fraction of a second and then scrambled off the couch. She bolted for the other side of the room. With fluid grace he bounded over to her and reached out to grab her arm.
“Don’t be frightened,” he said in a soothing voice. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Who are you?” Joanne yelled, jerking away from his touch. “Where am I? Why have you kidnapped me?”
“I have not kidnapped you, you silly girl,” the man replied, a laugh coming into his voice.
“I have liberated you from your bland little world. I have such wonders to show you. Together we will travel enjoy all the eternal delights of the billion universes.”
Joanne stared at him, releasing he must be insane. However, though he was physically more powerful than her he wasn’t openly aggressive at the moment so maybe she could talk him out of letting her go, if she was lucky.
“Look,” she said, struggling to keep her voice calm, “I’m not interested in enjoying the eternal delights of the billion universes. I like my bland little world and I want to go back to it. Please, just let me go and we’ll say no more about this. If you don’t, you’ll be in big trouble.”
The man snorted. “Big trouble? How come?”
“I’m going to be missed when I don’t turn up for work, my friends and boyfriend will soon call in the cops,” Joanne warned. “You seem like a nice guy, despite what you’ve done, just let me go if you know what’s good for you.”
“You only have two people who you class as real friends and they live in another state and your boyfriend, your ex-boyfriend is probably getting drunk and the feeble law enforcement officers of your world won’t be able to pursue us into deep space. Sorry Joanne, nobody is coming for you.”
Joanne glared at him. “How do you know my name and so much about me? And what are you talking about deep space for? What’s with all this crazy sci-fi stuff?”
“We’ve gotten off to a bad start,” the man said. He eased away from her and sat down on the couch. “Let me explain. My name is Tamas and I am from another planet.”
“You got that right,” muttered Joanne, glancing round the room. As far as she could tell there was no other exit save for an archway directly behind where Tamas was sitting. She’d never get to it without him stopping her first.
“I’m being serious,” Tamas said patiently. “I belong to an extraterrestrial race called the Raadians. We are going to my world right now. It is called Prism Star, though technically it is a collection of worlds connected together but you’ll see what I mean when we get there. Needless to say, we are vastly more advanced than Earth.”
Joanne eyed him suspiciously. There surroundings were certainly nothing she’d ever seen before, and now that she thought about it there was a strange hum vibrating beneath her feet, as if they were above some kind of powerful engine.
She suddenly remembered the strange golden creature that had appeared in front of
her just before she passed out.
“You don’t look very alien,” she said warily, not wanting to believe his story. This room and the thing she’d seen could easily have been faked, but for what purpose? He didn’t need to go to such extraordinary lengths if he was an ordinary kidnapper.
“Actually my people and yours are close relatives,” Tamas said. “The Raadians lived on Earth several million years ago, but our colonies were attacked by the Reptilian Empire.
We fought a long and terrible war against the Reptilians and eventually we had to retreat to the furthest edge of the solar system. Later on, we built Prism Star and now we travel to different universe as we see fit.”
“Well, you certainly have a vivid imagination,” Joanne said, pursing her lips.
“I’m telling you the truth,” Tamas retorted, an impatient frown creasing his handsome face. “Why don’t you believe me, I thought you have an open mind?”
“There you go again, saying stuff about me that you can’t possibly know!”
“I just read your blog,” Tamas replied. “Many of your articles provide some very intelligent articles on the existence of other life beyond your own planet. I was actually incredibly impressed. You possess a most well developed mind. You’re almost as smart as my own people.”
The astronomy blog, Joanne thought a light bulb going on inside her head. So that was why he had come after her. For a space nut like him, she must have come across as a kindred spirit.
It explained how he knew her name, and she kicked herself for putting up her identity and what she looked like online. She hadn’t put up any personal stuff though, like Jayden and where she lived and worked, but he could have probably have found that out quite easily if he tried hard enough.
It made her feel queasy that he’d been stalking her, finding out stuff about her and probably spying on her.
“Thanks for the compliment,” she said sourly.
Tamas shot her a frustrated look and opened his mouth to say something else when the golden creature that had accosted her flittered into the room.
Alien Romance: Snatched By The Alien: Scifi Alien Abduction Romance (Alien Romance, Alien Invasion Romance, BBW) (Celestial Protectors Book 3) Page 2
