The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance Book 1)

by Dianne Duvall

  Since the water consumption and steam had not aided him, Lisa had ordered more takeout, this time opting for what she called salads and spinach wraps that boasted many vegetables and a dry meat that came from chickens, which apparently were large birds that rarely flew. She’d also ordered numerous glasses of tea.

  Taelon had urinated even more after that, but it had not rid him of the drekking drug. His wounds had not healed… at all… and he still couldn’t read the damn motel employee’s mind.

  Nothing they tried seemed to make a bit of difference.

  He sighed. At least Lisa had gotten a healthy meal. He had coaxed her to eat nearly as much as he had, knowing she and their baby needed the nutrients.

  “Well, the only thing left to do is try to sleep it off,” she said. “You could use some rest, Taelon.” He loved to sound of his name on her lips. “You’re clearly exhausted. I had a really hard time waking you when those soldiers came with their questions.”

  “My apologies. Lasarans tend to sleep deeply when we heal. If our injuries are life-threatening, our sleep can become so deep it resembles what you call a coma.”

  She bit her lip. Reaching out, she took his hand. “Are your injuries life-threatening?” Her gaze dropped to his bare chest and the ugly wound it bore, then traveled across the multitude of others that marred his shoulders and arms. “Honestly, I don’t know how you’re even managing to remain upright.”

  Her concern warmed his heart. “I will survive,” he assured her. “You need rest, too. Why don’t you sleep while I keep watch?”

  “I’ll sleep if you sleep.”

  “One of us needs to remain alert in case the soldiers return.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

  “The soldiers returning?”

  She shook her head. “Not knowing they’re coming. I’ve been sleeping lightly ever since I woke from the coma. If they return, the sound of their cars pulling up out front and their doors opening will wake me the way it did before.”

  He supposed that would be warning enough. Seeing them pull into the parking lot would only give them a few extra seconds. And it wasn’t as if they had a back door through which they could escape. “All right.”

  He followed Lisa into the bathroom. The air inside was still humid from his steam session and the showers each had taken. He watched Lisa run water over the toothbrush she’d purchased from the motel desk when she paid for another night, then squeeze white paste onto it.

  She handed him a second toothbrush.

  Taelon carefully followed her example.

  She smiled. “You look like you’ve never done this before.”

  “I have not.”

  “You don’t brush your teeth twice a day?”

  “No.”

  “How do you keep them clean?”

  “On Lasara, when we wish to clean our teeth, we fill our mouth with wosuur, a liquid that dissolves any food particles it touches without damaging our teeth, tongue, or gums. Then we spit it out. It only takes a few seconds.”

  “That is so cool.” She applied the brush to her teeth, demonstrating its use.

  Taelon did the same, surprised to find he liked the flavor of the paste. It reminded him of an herb that grew on Lasara.

  Leaning over the sink, she spat out white foam. “Don’t swallow the toothpaste. Spit it out, then rinse your mouth with water when you’re done.”

  He grinned.

  “What?”

  He spat the tasty foam in the sink. “You remind me of a kuirtu.”

  “What’s that?” She resumed scrubbing her teeth.

  “A small, furry animal on Lasara that is often kept as a pet. When one goes into heat, it foams at the mouth.”

  She laughed, then spat more foam in the sink. “So I look like a kuirtu in heat?”

  “Yes. It’s very cute.”

  Shaking her head, she rinsed her mouth with water, then wiped her lips with a towel. “So are you.” She rinsed her toothbrush and set it aside.

  “I’m what?”

  “Cute.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “And weird. Finish brushing your teeth.”

  Chuckling, he did as bidden.

  As soon as he finished, she booted him out of the bathroom. “Now that your great big alien baby is parked on my bladder, I feel like I spend half the day peeing,” she muttered.

  Again he found himself laughing.

  Her cranky expression dissolved into a smile just before she closed the door.

  She was so drekking appealing.

  Striding over to the window, he peered out once more and found the parking lot empty. If there were other patrons, perhaps he could steal a vehicle and take Lisa somewhere safer. They really needed to obtain transportation of some sort. Unfortunately, both the motel clerks they’d seen rode motorcycles.

  The bathroom door opened. He turned as Lisa stepped out.

  Leaving the light on, she pulled the door almost closed so a little light would illuminate the room for them.

  Taelon turned off the overhead light and crossed to the bed.

  Lisa faced him on the other side of it and fiddled with the edge of her towel. “My clothes are still wet.”

  “Mine are, too.”

  “I’m thinking there’s no way this towel is going to stay around me while I sleep.”

  “Do you wish to sleep without it?” he asked, willing his body not to respond to just the idea of it.

  “Um…”

  “I can sleep on the floor.”

  “Hell no. Not with those wounds. You’ll sleep in the bed with me. I’m just… not exactly an exhibitionist.”

  He hesitated. “I don’t think my translator is giving me an accurate definition of that word.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “You have a translator?”

  “Yes. All members of the Aldebarian Alliance do.”

  She studied him curiously. “Where is it?”

  He pointed to his head, just behind his ear. “Embedded in my brain.”

  “I’m surprised the doctors at the base didn’t remove it.”

  “Their scans failed to detect it because it isn’t metal and appears to be part of my skull when viewed with your more primitive scanning devices.”

  “That’s trippy.”

  “That word isn’t translating at all.”

  She tilted her head to one side. “What did it tell you an exhibitionist is?”

  “A street performer.”

  She laughed. “When I said I’m not an exhibitionist, I meant I’m not comfortable flaunting my naked body.” She glanced down and wrinkled her nose. “Especially when it looks like this.”

  “You’re shy?”

  “More self-conscious than shy,” she admitted. “I’m all… out of proportion. It looks weird.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess, despite my actions earlier, I just don’t want you to see me naked.”

  Surprise coursed through him. “You don’t want me to see you naked?”

  Her brow furrowed. “Yeah.”

  Taelon shook his head. “Lisa, you’re beautiful.” When she started to speak, he held up a hand. “I’m not saying that to put you at ease. I think you’re lovely. So much so that I’ve honestly been having a hard time keeping myself from staring at you too long.”

  Her lips parted in surprise. “Really?”

  “Yes.” He motioned to the towel at his hips. “This doesn’t exactly hide my body’s response to you, so I’ve been trying to keep my focus from drifting lower than your pretty face. You’re beautiful, Lisa. If anyone should wish to hide his body, it’s me. I’m quite a bit thinner than I used to be.”

  Her eyes widened. “Seriously?” She motioned to his form. “You have all that muscle.”

  “I used to have more. And I’m covered with all these ghastly wounds and scars because I’m too weak to regenerate. I don’t know how you can stand to look at me or manage not to grimace when you touch me. So again, I will offer to sleep on the floor.”

  She
stared at him, unspeaking.

  “I won’t be offended if you don’t wish to sleep with me,” he assured her. Assuming an exaggeratedly somber expression, he rested a hand over his heart and spoke in dejected tones. “I will just be deeply, deeply hurt.”

  Her lips twitched, then she laughed. “You are so freaking likable.”

  He smiled. “I feel the same about you.”

  “Okay then. We’re both adults. And neither one of us is physically up to engaging in anything amorous anyway, so—”

  “Well,” he said with a grin, “that isn’t precisely true.”

  Her cheeks pinkened. “Stop making me blush!”

  He laughed.

  “So there’s no harm in us sleeping naked in the same bed.”

  Taelon wasn’t confident he would get much sleep if Lisa curled up beside him naked but agreed nevertheless.

  She waved a hand toward him. “Turn your back.”

  He obeyed.

  Cloth rustled. The bed creaked.

  “Okay, you can turn around.”

  When he did, he found her stretched out in bed with the covers pulled up over her bountiful breasts and tucked beneath her arms. Her long brown hair fell upon the pillow in tousled waves.

  “You really are beautiful,” he told her.

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll go hang up our towels.”

  “Okay.”

  He snagged hers on the way to the bathroom. After hanging up the coarse towels, he turned to the mirror and grimaced. The incision that ran down his center from his collarbones to his navel had not healed at all. Frustration burned through him once more. How was he supposed to protect Lisa and their unborn child when such wounds weakened him, they lacked transportation, and they only had one weapon?

  He strode out of the bathroom naked.

  Lisa’s eyes widened when she saw him, then swiftly shut.

  He grinned as pink once more filled her cheeks.

  The mattress dipped beneath his weight as he sat on it.

  Her eyes flew open as her side of the mattress tilted up and rolled her toward him.

  Taelon rested a hand on her narrow shoulder to steady her, then slipped beneath the covers and lay down.

  Silence fell.

  “Would you tell me about your planet?” she asked softly as she studied him in the dim light.

  He rolled onto his side to face her and eased forward until their heads shared the same pillow. “Of course.” He hoped one day to show it to her. If he succeeded in contacting Ari’k…

  Well, he wouldn’t leave Lisa here on this barbaric planet where more men and women like those at the base would hunt her. Nor would he leave their child to those butchers’ mercy.

  He just needed to convince her to take a leap of faith and join him when he departed.

  To that end, he began to describe the beauty of his world. Lasara, the moons that orbited it, his people, the other populated planets in his solar system. He kept his voice low, his words carefully modulated. And soon her long lashes lowered until they rested upon her cheeks. Her breathing changed, deepening as sleep claimed her.

  He gently brushed her soft hair back from her face, tucking it behind one delicate ear.

  Even her ears were cute.

  But the dark circles beneath her eyes were not. She needed this rest.

  Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Sleep, Lisa.” Beneath the covers, he found her big belly with one hand. Both soft and hard at the same time, it fascinated him. He gave the mound a gentle pat. “You, too,” he told their daughter. “Your mother needs rest.”

  A tiny fist, foot, or elbow thumped against his hand. That sense of awe returned, stealing his breath and making his heart swell. “I can’t decide if that was an acknowledgment,” he whispered, “or a rebellion. But know that you are loved, little one. And we will protect you. Sleep now.”

  No more thumps followed.

  Leaving his hand on Lisa’s belly, Taelon eased closer, then let his own lashes lower as sleep crept up and claimed him.

  Consciousness didn’t gradually sneak up on Lisa, rousing her at its leisure. Instead, she became instantly alert.

  Taelon lay on his back beside her, one arm curled around her, his chest pillowing her head. His legs were splayed beneath the covers with one of Lisa’s knees tucked between his own as she sprawled as close to being on top of him as her big belly would allow.

  What had woken her?

  “Henderson?” a man said outside their door. “It’s Roland Warbrook. I’m here.” Whoever had spoken had a deep voice flavored with a British accent.

  Fear rising, she gave Taelon a little shake.

  His eyes opened instantly this time and met hers.

  She raised a finger to her lips and pointed to the door.

  “You said room 9, right?” A pause. “No. The parking lot is empty, but the clerk said they’re still here. I’m going to go in and have a look, see who we’re dealing with.”

  When she would’ve risen, Taelon held up a hand, then mimicked her motion, touching a finger to his lips to urge silence.

  Every muscle tense, she settled back against the pillow.

  He sat up and braced a hand on her other side, leaning across her to shield her as he watched the door.

  She stared at it, too. Her eyes widened when the lock turned.

  No keys had jangled, nor had she heard one slide into the lock.

  The knob turned and the door swung inward.

  A large, dark figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the murky lights in the parking lot.

  He stepped inside, cricket chirps and other night sounds accompanying him.

  The faint light from the bathroom fell upon a muscled body clad in black cargo pants, a black shirt, and a long black coat. The man’s short obsidian hair glinted as he slowly turned his head, studying the room.

  She held her breath.

  His gaze passed over them without stopping, as if they weren’t even there.

  She looked at Taelon, who stared at the man with a look of intense concentration.

  The man ventured farther into the room. His nostrils flared as he sniffed.

  He crossed to the bathroom and pushed the door open.

  Bright light illuminated hard, handsome features.

  His dark brows drew down as he stepped inside and left her view. A cabinet door opened. The shower door slid back.

  He returned to the main room and looked toward the wardrobe. Opening it, he reached into the empty interior and knocked on the back. Then he moved the heavy piece of furniture away from the wall as easily as he would an empty cardboard box. Holy crap, he was strong!

  What did he expect to find there?

  He swung back to face the room. Again he sniffed, then tilted his head to one side and seemed to listen.

  His eyes brightened with an eerie amber glow.

  Oh shit. He must be one of the vampires from the base.

  Her heartbeat picked up.

  “You should be afraid,” he muttered. Crossing to the bed, he grabbed the covers and yanked them back.

  Lisa barely managed to bite back a yelp when her bare body was exposed.

  But the vampire… Roland… didn’t seem to see her.

  Taelon, still positioned in front of her, slowly reached back and took her hand. Was he showing Roland an empty room?

  The vampire knelt and searched beneath the bed, then rose with a curse. Palming his cell phone, he paced away and dialed. “Marcus,” he said, voice curt. “Do you have a moment?”

  Lisa sucked in a breath when Roland vanished. He just vanished—there one moment, gone the next. “What the—?”

  He reappeared a second later, his hand on the shoulder of another man who could pass for his brother. Her jaw dropped. The second man was equally tall and muscled but had longer black hair than Roland. And he wore the same garb: black cargo pants, a black T-shirt, and a long black coat.

  “What is it?” the second man
asked, his voice also bearing a British accent.

  “Henderson’s men tracked the missing Humvee here. The only people they could find to speak with were a married couple who insisted a mysterious man in black drove it. But the information they conveyed didn’t alleviate the network special-ops soldiers’ suspicions. And the names and other identification they gave the motel clerk didn’t check out. Henderson called Reordon and asked him how he should proceed.”

  “And Reordon sent you here to have a look? I wondered where you were.”

  Roland glanced around. “Something’s wrong,” he announced grimly. “The room appears empty, but I hear breathing and detect three heartbeats, one far swifter than the others.”

  Marcus listened, then nodded. “I hear them, too.”

  “I also smell a man and a woman.”

  “Those could be residual scents if the couple left recently. Did you search the room?”

  “Yes. The bathroom is empty, so is the bed and the wardrobe. I checked behind the latter and found no hidden passage. And there’s nothing under the bed.”

  Both men glanced up at the ceiling, then reached up and rapped on it.

  Marcus frowned. “No pull-down access to the attic that I can see.” He glanced around. “The walls are thin. Perhaps they’re hiding in the next room.”

  Roland strode outside.

  A moment later, Lisa heard faint movement behind the wall as Roland searched room 10. Then he passed the doorway and she heard movement in room 8.

  He returned. “They’re not.”

  Marcus frowned. “Where is this place? It sounds like we’re in the sticks.” He peered through the open motel room door. “Looks like it, too.”

  “We are. There’s a small town up the road, but no other structures nearby.”

  “Is there forest behind the motel?”

  “Yes.”

  “The heartbeats we’re hearing could belong to animals out back. Or perhaps some that nibbled their way into the attic. Hell, they could even be underneath us if there’s a crawl space. This place is a dump. There’s no telling what might have burrowed beneath it.” Marcus meandered around the room, examined every corner, even peered at the wall and knocked on it a few times. “No hidden panels.”