Alien (3 page)

“Hey!” She rubbed his cheek. “Look at me.”

He didn’t stir. Lynn looked down at the ground. The coyotes
hadn’t returned. That sound had scared the hell out of her and had probably
done worse to the pack. She needed to get to Avery’s cabin and call for help.
There wasn’t much to debate. Some of the coyotes had taken off toward the river
so going after her things wasn’t an option. She eased his arm from around her
waist and gripped a branch above her head. She climbed higher, trying to spot
any source of light in the area.

Lynn found what she was looking for. Avery might be blind
but he kept his porch lights on to keep critters away. She spotted his cabin.
It wasn’t as far away as she’d thought it would be. It was possible that she
could make it on foot without weapons. She took her time climbing down,
watching and listening for any sign of the coyotes returning. She checked on
the man one more time. He was out cold. Two other branches next to the one he
sat on would keep him upright if he tilted to the side. It meant he wouldn’t
fall.

“No choice,” she muttered. He needed a hospital. He might
not survive until morning otherwise. It meant she’d have to run through the
dark woods. She stared at his strange light source, wondering what had made
that alarm go off. It was tempting to take it with her but leaving it would
help her find him once she got a rescue team to Avery’s cabin.

It wouldn’t be easy to reach the ground. She was barefoot.
She got to the lowest branch and then swung out and dropped to the ground in a
crouch. Nothing came at her out of the darkness. She straightened and sprinted
off toward the cabin. It was tough to see without a flashlight but she was
motivated.

She made it a short distance before a howl brought her to a
halt. The last thing she needed would be to run into that pack. She looked for
trees close to her that could be easily climbed but most of the branches were
out of her reach. Another howl came from behind her and she knew she was in
deep shit. They were hunting her. She turned, saw movement in the darkness.

“Fuck me,” she hissed and sprinted forward.

A snarl sounded to her left, telling her instantly that it
was as bad as she’d feared. They were trying to surround her. Lynn frantically
looked up for a low enough branch to grab while she ran for her life. She saw
one ahead and heard something crash through the brush behind her. She jumped,
grabbing for the limb.

Harsh bark scratched her palms but she caught the branch,
swung and jerked her legs up. Her foot hit the trunk and her heel snagged on
something. It hurt but she managed to use that foothold to throw her other leg
up, hooking her calf over the branch she gripped. She used all her strength to
pull up, her chest slamming against it too. It made it easier to lift her other
leg and hook that branch.

A scream tore from her throat when something brushed against
her back. She twisted her head and saw the shadow of a coyote below her. It
jumped and managed to snag part of her jacket in its jaws. Material tore and
she was almost ripped off the branch. Lynn screamed again, releasing the branch
with one hand to hook her arm over it, then the other, hugging it tightly.
Adrenaline and panic were great motivators.

The coyote jumped again but that time it missed her. It was
close though. She could hear its ragged breathing. She squeezed her eyes closed
and started to pray. There was no way she could switch positions so that she
was on top of the branch instead of hanging from the bottom of it.

She could hear more coyotes and knew when another one
lunged, attempting to tear her from her precarious perch. He missed and hit the
ground hard. They were going to tear her out of the tree, rip her to shreds and
eat her as though she were a deer carcass. Hot tears filled her eyes.
I’m
animal control, damn it. Control those fuckers.

Her mind drew a blank on how to save herself. She was too
afraid to think clearly and growing tired. Her arms and legs burned and ached
from gripping the rough bark and holding her body tightly to the branch.

Something hit her back where her jacket had already been
torn open. It was wet and cold as it brushed her exposed skin. The animal
dropped to the ground, crushing dead leaves under its paws. A whimper pushed
past her tightly compressed lips. One good yank and she would be torn down to
the ground. She knew they’d be on her in seconds, attacking her en masse.

An earsplitting roar sounded.
Oh god, just what I need. A
mountain lion on top of it? Are you kidding me?
At that point she was
pretty sure someone in charge of fate hated her. If there was such a thing as
karma, it was about to make a late-night snack out of her one way or another
for something bad she’d once done.

The coyotes whined loudly. She heard leaves crunching as if
something was running at them so she turned her head and opened her eyes. The
pack fled in the opposite direction. She stared after them, shocked that they
were taking off but then she realized they were running away from the mountain
lion.

Bright light had her whipping her head in the other
direction and she openly gawked at the four big men who came at her. They were
tall, all dressed in black leather. It was their faces that alarmed her the
most. They looked a lot like the guy she’d left in the tree. They had the same
flatter, wider noses and one of them had his mouth open. She could spot his fangs.

They trudged closer and Lynn hugged the branch tighter. She
didn’t feel saved. The leader lifted a hand and they stopped about five feet
away. One of them held a round disk just like the one she’d seen before. It put
off a lot of light. The men were scary—a foursome of terror with their leather
clothing and big bodies.

One stepped closer and growled, holding up a small, flat
device like the one she’d seen that reminded her of a cell phone. It was lit up
along the seams, just as the other one had been. He growled. A cold,
computerized voice followed a heartbeat later.

“Where is Coto, woman?”

Lynn stared at it, then at the guy’s face. He growled again.
“I am Holion. You are safe, woman.” The box spoke in a mechanical male voice as
he made those inhuman sounds. “We will not harm you so you may come down. We
have chased the local animals away.”

Lynn hesitated and then unwrapped her legs as she eased her
hold on the branch. Pain shot up her arms as she dropped ungracefully to the
ground. She winced a little as her feet hit hard-packed dirt. She swayed, in
shock, staring at the big leather-clad men. She swallowed hard, speechless,
unsure of what to say. She was afraid and the urge to flee for her life clawed
at her insides, but she didn’t scream or run.

They weren’t normal guys, that was for sure. The men openly
stared at her legs, making her aware of her lack of clothing. She reached down
and tugged the jacket lower, holding the edges together so they didn’t glimpse
that she only wore panties under it. Holion stepped closer.

“We are looking for Coto. He called and said he was with a
woman. You must be her. Where is he?”

He growled and the box translated it into words. It was
freaking her out. It reminded her of one of those foreign movies she sometimes
watched late at night. His lip movement didn’t match what she was hearing. Only
he wasn’t speaking any known language that she was aware of. Her supposed DEA
agent had growled too.

He snarled. “Speak now,” the box demanded.

“Um…I left him in a tree where he’d be safe. He’s hurt.”

Something made a crashing noise behind her and she spun,
expecting a coyote or a mountain lion to come at her. Instead it was the man
she’d left in the tree. He had a name. Coto. He stumbled, fisting the handle of
a jagged dagger in one hand. He came forward, unsteady on his feet. He no
longer just wore the Speedos. He’d put on leather pants and his boots.

He emitted a series of growling sounds. “You found me,” the
box translated.

“Yes, Coto. We got your message and converged together to seek
you out.”

“Did you find Vhon?” Coto came closer, his gaze trailing
down Lynn’s body, then he looked back at the four men. “Report.”

One of the other men stepped forward. “Not yet. We stopped
to seek you out.” He glared at Lynn. “You stated you were injured.”

“Did the woman do that to you?” A longhaired redhead stepped
forward and revealed his sharp fangs as he snarled at Lynn.

She actually backed up and bumped into Coto.

He hooked one arm around her waist. “No. It was four
creatures that bit into me. I was attacked after picking up Vhon’s trail.” Coto
turned his bright-blue gaze back on Lynn. “You left me to get help?”

Lynn still had a hard time speaking so she just nodded
curtly. Coto frowned, maybe not believing her. He looked away to stare at
Holion. “We will set up camp.”

“There is an inhabited dwelling close by. It would be safer
to travel farther.”

Coto growled. “No. She said he is blind. He won’t see us. It
is safe for us to camp here. I need to be treated. We will resume our search at
first light. More of the biting creatures are in the area.”

Holion didn’t seem pleased with that order. He glared at
Lynn, snarling. “And what of her? She’s a danger.”

“Tell her why we are here.” Coto pointed his dagger at the
redhead. “You do it, Gar. Show her the proof. She must think we are strange.”

The redhead reached inside his pocket and withdrew a folded
but laminated paper. He had bright-green eyes that Lynn couldn’t look away from
as he slowly approached her. “We are leprechauns from Ireland. See? That is why
you might think we are different from you. We have traveled here to go camping
and find our friend. He is lost in the woods.” He held out the paper.

Lynn had to lock her knees.
Are they kidding?
Leprechauns?
Her mind was struggling to make sense of it. She stared at the
man and stayed totally mute. One of the guys frowned at her, inching closer to
Holion.

“She does not seem convinced.”

“Here.” Gar shoved the paper at her.

Lynn looked down. It was an ad she’d seen posted in town
some months before. It was for an Irish pub celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. It
had probably been ripped down and the wind had carried it into the woods. A
picture of a cartoon character grinned at her from the center of it, and it
stated that the leprechauns had come all the way from Ireland. The leprechaun
in the ad had long red hair, sported a green outfit, and held a pint of ale.
She lifted her chin, staring at Gar in utter shock.

He touched his red hair. “See? It is a bad image but that is
what we are. Ireland is far. We are not wearing our native garments since we
are on vacation. That must be the reason for your confusion.”

They think I’m an idiot. They expect me to believe that
bullshit.
Finally it all sank in.
They are aliens. They have to be.
It would explain their slightly weird faces, the way they growl-spoke their
words, and their translator was something right out of a science-fiction movie.
Aliens. Oh god.

“We like beer and bring good luck.” Gar pointed at a few
lines at the bottom of the ad. “It states it right here. Leprechauns. Say
something, woman.”

She swallowed hard, terrified. They obviously didn’t want
her to know the truth. They might kill her if she didn’t play along. “You’re
much taller and bigger than I imagined.”

“We are,” Coto said, drawing her attention.

He held her against his body and she was too terrified to
move away. “I’ve never met your kind in person before. So you’re here to go
camping, huh?”

Coto lowered his chin, gazing at her through thick eyelashes
with those utterly beautiful bright-blue eyes of his. “Yes and we lost our
friend. He might not be alone. Have you seen others like us?”

There were more of them in the woods? What is this, an
alien convention in Hicksville?
She shook her head. “I can honestly say
that you are the only ones I’ve seen.”

“We need to deal with this situation.” The blond one finally
spoke.

Lynn instantly got his meaning when she caught him glaring
at her. He didn’t look happy. Were they going to kill her because she’d seen
them?
They are freakin’ aliens.
She was certain about that. It was
tempting to make a run for it but they were fit and Coto still held her. They’d
run her into the ground in no time, even if she managed to break free of his
grip around her waist. She needed to make herself useful long enough to find a
way to escape.

“I know these woods really well. You said you’re here to go
camping and look for your friend. I could be your tour guide. I’m a great
tracker.” She peered up at Coto. “That’s how I found you.”

“Good.” He glanced at the other aliens. “She is under my
protection. Set up camp here. We search for Vhon at first light.”

“We don’t need her,” Gar rasped.

“You take orders from me,” Coto snarled. “No one touches the
woman.” He pointed the tip of his blade at the redhead. “She helped me when I
was injured. We are men with honor. Don’t forget that, despite where we are.”

“Yes, Coto.” Gar backed away. “We will set up camp.”

Coto was protecting her. Lynn was grateful enough to glance
up at him. He met her gaze.

“We will not harm you. There is nothing to fear. You are a
woman alone without protection but we are civilized.”

“Okay,” she got out. She had a feeling that was going to be
a word she used often around these guys since she had no idea what else to say.

He gave a sharp nod. “No one will bed you.”

Her eyes widened and she knew her mouth dropped open. “Excuse
me?”

He frowned. “We will not strip you bare to make use of your
body. That must be a concern of yours since you are a woman with so many men.”
He released her and took a step back.