Alien (7 page)

Lynn let her legs relax and slid them from his waist to hug
the sides of his hips and thighs as he lifted to kneel on the floor. She opened
her eyes, watching him while she recovered. Their gazes locked.

He looked at her in a way that no other man ever had. There
was such depth of emotion revealed, as if she was the most important thing in
the world to him. She released his arm and touched his cheek, stroking him. She
wished he really felt that way.

“You are so beautiful, Lynn.”

She believed he meant it. “So are you.”

He chuckled. “I think something got lost in the translation
but I believe you find me irresistible too.”

“I’ve never just jumped into bed with a guy before, so I
would say so.”

He sobered, some of the shine in his eyes fading. “You don’t
regret it, do you?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“I wanted to take more time with you but my need was too
great.”

She could totally understand. That had been the best quickie
she’d ever had. Coto was just too hot and sexy to resist. “I have no
complaints.”

“I wanted to bound you to me but I pulled out. It was one of
the most difficult things I’ve ever done. I’d claim you if you allowed it.”

She remembered what he’d said a bound was. “What does that
have to do with you not coming inside me? That’s what we’re talking about,
right?”

“It’s how we marry. We give our seed to the woman we wish to
have children with. I want you to consider it, Lynn. I believe you’d like Zorn.
I would love to tell you all about my planet. Other Earth women have come to
call it home and they don’t regret going there.”

She was stunned, speechless.

“I know this is happening fast but consider it. I’d make you
happy. I’m aware of some of the issues our two races have faced. Let me explain
some of them for you and alleviate your concern. You’d be the only woman I’d
touch or allow to touch me. I’d fight to the death to keep you safe. I will
take another job that keeps me on Zorn at all times. I’d never leave you on the
planet alone while I went into space. There are other women from your planet
and you can see them often. They will become your friends. They are bound to
the brothers of my heart.”

“What is a brother of the heart?” She felt safe asking that,
not willing to address the whole marry-me-and-come-live-on-my-world-with-me
subject.

“My parents died when I was young. Hyvin Berrr allowed me to
move into his home and raised me with his sons. His bound refused to allow him
to accept me as a full son. I’m of Hyvin Berrr’s heart and his sons are my
brothers of my heart. They feel the same toward me.”

“Why wouldn’t she allow him to adopt you?”

He appeared confused. “Adopt?”

“To treat you as if you were a full son, I guess.”

“She felt I wasn’t worthy because we have no blood
connection. Bloodlines were important to her and she thought it was an insult
for me to even be raised with her sons, let alone to have their standing in our
society. But Berrr refused to send me away. He was friends with my father. He
wanted to keep me close and give me the best opportunities to become a strong,
honorable warrior. He tells me often I have done him proud. That means a lot to
me. I respect and admire Berrr.”

Lynn played with his hair. She liked that he could be so
open about his life. He might be from another planet, but it seemed to her that
his people and hers probably had a lot in common. “Is it scary to leave your
world to go to others?”

He smiled. “Sometimes, but right now I’m grateful for visiting
Earth.” He shifted his hold on her and used his fingers to spread her hair out
on the soft pad of the bedroll, seeming to admire it. “I’d love to take you
home with me, Lynn.” He leaned in closer, holding her gaze. “It might be
frightening for you, but I’d keep you safe and happy. I’d like you to be my
bound. Say yes.”

He wasn’t going to let it go. “We barely know each other.”

“You need more time.”

“Yes.”

“I understand.” He glanced at her mouth and tenderly kissed
her. He pulled back. “We should leave here and track my crew. They left at
least an hour before we woke.”

She remembered what Holion had said. “Why don’t we forget
them and find your Vhon on our own? I know this area really well. They are
probably wandering around blind. Didn’t you say you thought you were tracking
Vhon when you were attacked?”

“Yes.” Coto slowly pulled away and gripped her arm, helping
her to sit up. He stood, completely removing his leather Speedos. He held out
his hand to her again. “Let’s get clean first.”

“The river is too far.”

He smiled. “Zorn technology. Trust me.”

He led her to one of the black packs, let her go and reached
inside to pull out a packet. “Washcloth. I think that is the right term you
would understand. The human bounds on Zorn work with our programmers to make
communications smoother.”

He opened it and handed her a warm, wet piece of material.
She studied it. It was really soft.

“Wipe over your skin to get clean.” He bent and removed a
second one.

She had to admire the way that he seemed so comfortable with
his nudity. It made her feel a little shy as she removed her jacket, doing what
he did. He started at his face, moved slowly down his shoulders, then his chest
to his stomach. She realized quickly that the cloth remained damp and seemed to
absorb everything.

Coto avoided staring at Lynn. She seemed ill at ease with
baring her body in front of him. He found it endearing. Earth women were shy
about nudity. He’d break Lynn of that in time, until she preferred being
undressed in his presence.

Some of his amusement faded. She hadn’t agreed to return to
Zorn with him as his bound. Tough they had just met and didn’t know each other
well, he wanted to keep her. He’d seen Rever make a mistake by bounding to the
wrong woman. It had been corrected when he’d met his Brenda but the lesson was
learned. Coto refused to believe Lynn hid a dark, deceitful heart. She was
sweet, smart, and everything he could want in a woman he would have in his bed
and spend the rest of his life with.

She wanted time to get to know him better. He would have
little time for that. He’d sent a distress signal to Zorn when they’d engaged
in battle with the Collis. The ships they used to avoid detection by Earth didn’t
have many weapons. He estimated he had two days before help reached them, if
the signal had been received. Otherwise, it could be a week before someone was
sent to investigate why they hadn’t reported in.

He finished cleaning up and withdrew a shirt from his pack,
unfolding it. “Here, Lynn, wear this.” It bothered him that the other men could
see so much of her in just that torn jacket of hers. The crew had been without
women since they’d left Zorn and Lynn had a beautiful body. He’d kill anyone
who tried to take what was his, and that was her.

She accepted it. “Thank you.”

He located sleeping shorts and offered her those too. “They
will be large on you but will cover more.” He strode over to one of the
sleeping blankets and used his
shara
to slice off a long strip.
Returning to her and dropping to his knees, he used it to make a belt to hold
up the loose shorts. He liked having a reason to touch her and she allowed it.

He glanced at her feet. “We should return to the river to
cover your feet.”

“I have a plan.”

He looked up at her, resisting the urge to pull her back
into his arms. He’d enjoy nothing better than stripping her bare and taking her
back to the sleeping mat. He resisted. He’d shown her they were sexually
compatible, but he’d learned enough about Earth women to know they wanted more
than sex from a male.

“What?”

“We’re going to Avery’s. His daughter and I are friends. She
keeps clothes and stuff there for when she visits him every Christmas. We’re
about the same size. I’m also going to borrow a gun from him. I don’t want to
run into those coyotes again without one.”

“I can protect you.”

She smiled. “I know, but I like to protect myself. Welcome
to Earth. I’m your equal here. Deal with that.”

He chuckled. She was tiny but he wouldn’t point that out to
her. Berrr’s female was fierce. Coto wouldn’t underestimate Lynn. She had
tracked and found him in the woods when he’d been wounded. It was a skill he
admired. “Fine. You said he is blind?”

“Yes. I won’t mention anything about you. Just stay outside
while I go in and he won’t know anything. I’m going to tell him I lost my stuff
in the river and tell him about the aggressive coyotes on his property. He’ll
lend me clothes and a weapon. He’s a nice man.”

“Let’s go.”

She glanced around inside the tent. “Should we take down the
camp?”

“No. This is our home base. We might be here for days. It
should be safe.”

Coto stood, hating to put distance between them. He dressed
in his uniform and geared up on weapons, just packing enough food to last them
for the day. He offered her a breakfast bar. “Eat while we walk. Do you know
where this Avery is?”

“Yes.”

“Lead and I will follow you.” He glanced down at her feet. “Should
I carry you?”

She grinned. “I’m good. The ground is pretty soft but I’ll
give a shout out if that changes.”

He wouldn’t force her to leave her planet with him but he’d
do everything in his power to convince her to go home with him. He was
determined to keep his Lynn.

Lynn raised her hand and stepped behind a tree. Something
was off. The cabin door was closed, the curtains drawn. Nothing looked out of
place though. She studied it, trying to put her finger on what was wrong. Coto
pressed against her back, one of his gloved hands curling around her hip.

“What is it?” He spoke softly.

It hit her. “There’s no smoke coming from the chimney and
the porch lights are still on.”

“It’s not a cold morning. Why would he light a fire if it
wasn’t for warmth?”

“It’s Avery. He always has a fire going. He likes the sound
and smell of burning wood. He even keeps one going at night when he sleeps. He’s
a weird guy. Old school and set in his ways. He’s also cheap. He wouldn’t leave
those lights on unless it was nighttime. He’d figure it would run up his
electricity bill.”

“Do you believe the dogs attacked him while he was outside?”

She winced. “I hope not. I’m going to go to the door. You
stay back. I’ll find out what is going on.”

He tightened his hold. “No. It could be dangerous.”

“The door is closed. Animals can’t get inside. Just hang
back. I’m going to check it out.”

“I don’t like this.”

She didn’t either, but she pried his fingers off her hip and
stepped out from behind the tree. She approached the front of the cabin and
hated the way the porch steps creaked when she put weight on them. The cabin
was quiet. She listened before lifting her fist and knocking.

“Avery? It’s Lynn Reynolds.”

There was no sound and the door didn’t open. She gripped the
handle and twisted, not surprised to find it unlocked. It would have surprised
her if it had been. She eased open the door. The lights in the main living area
were on. She left the door open after entering.

“Avery? It’s Lynn Reynolds,” she called louder. “Are you
okay?”

She spotted broken glass near the kitchen table. She guessed
it used to be a coffee mug. She crept forward and froze. Fear hit when she saw
a pair of booted feet peeking from around the corner.

“COTO!” She had no qualms about yelling for him.

She rushed forward, staring down at Avery. She didn’t need
to touch him to know he was dead. He was face-up and dried blood had pooled on
the hardwood floor next to his throat. She looked away. His eyes were open and
his throat had been slashed.

Coto rushed into the house and she looked at him. He had his
weapons in hand, looking ferocious. Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them
back. “He’s been murdered.”

Coto stormed forward and took in the scene. “No dog did
that.”

“I know.” She refused to look at Avery again. It was going
to devastate his daughter when she learned of her father’s death. “Would Vhon
do this?”

He sheathed one of his blades and quickly approached the hallway
that led to the two small bedrooms and bathroom at the back of the cabin. “There’s
no honor in killing a harmless blind man. This is the work of the Collis. Some
of them did survive.”

He disappeared down the hall. Lynn glanced at the phone on
the wall, tempted to call for help. Coto returned. “They aren’t here but all
the doors are open, as if they were searching for Vhon.”

“How do you know it was the Collis?” She wanted to believe
him but it was possible his friends had murdered Avery.

Coto walked over to the body and cleared his throat. “Look.”

She didn’t want to.

“Lynn? You want proof? Remember what I said about the
Collis? Yellow teeth and bad hair? They spit yellow fluid. It stains their
teeth. Look what is next to the victim.”

She forced her head to turn, following where his finger
pointed. She saw his proof right next to the pool of blood, and was totally
grossed out. “Okay.” She averted her gaze, not wanting to look at Avery again. “I
need to call this in.”

“You can’t. It will bring more humans.”

He was right. “Those Collis are murdering people.”

“We must find and stop them. Bringing in more humans would
only give them more to kill. They have weapons your law enforcement wouldn’t
expect.”

Anger surpassed her sorrow. The police couldn’t help. “Vigilante
style. Got it. Hang on.” She hurried down the hallway to Avery’s daughter’s old
room.

The closets were open and she understood why Coto had
guessed that the aliens had searched the house. The long cedar chest along the
windows had been torn open as well, the lid split as if it had been smashed in
anger. She spotted what she was looking for and tried on a few pairs of shoes.
They were a little too big but a pair of socks helped the boots fit. She also
took a camouflage jacket. She returned to the main living area, yanked the
shotgun off the mantel, and grabbed a box of shells to stuff into the pocket of
the borrowed jacket. She turned, facing Coto.

He used a throw from the couch to cover Avery. She
appreciated that. He held her gaze, looking grim.

“Let’s go.” She looked down, making sure the shotgun was
loaded. It was, just as she suspected.

“What is the meaning of the word you used? I don’t
understand?”

She struggled to remember what she’d said and then it came
to her. “Vigilante? It means I usually don’t hunt to kill. Today that changes.
Follow me. I didn’t see any tracks in the front to indicate they came that way.
There’s a back door out of the bathroom. I think they snuck up on him. This
happened last night. He probably didn’t even hear them until they were in his
kitchen.” She focused on the anger instead of the grief that wanted to rise.
She had liked Avery. “Let’s make sure they don’t kill anyone else.”

“You are so appealing right now.”

She glanced down at the oversized jacket, her borrowed clothes
from him, and the chunky boots. She looked up at him, skeptical.

“You are.” He approached her. “You’re the tracker. I have
your back. Let’s go, Lynn.”

She spun, leading him through the hallway to the bathroom.
Avery used it as a mudroom too. She eased open the door and froze, looking at
the three steps leading to the ground. One of them was broken.

“Just as I thought. Heavy bastards, aren’t they? One of them
went right through the board.” She kept a tight hold on the shotgun, easing
around the broken step, and located the tracks in the soft dirt on the ground
near the bottom of the steps. “There are two of them. They left the same way
they came.” She moved forward, spotting more signs of the two men. “This way.
The good news is they haven’t found your Vhon. At least not these two.”

“How do you know?”

“I’d assume your friend wouldn’t willingly go with one of
them. Their footprints would be close together if handcuffs were used and there’s
no smudging on the prints to indicate one of them was being forced to walk.”

“You impress me.”

“Tell me that after I find them and they are dead.”

Coto growled.

She halted and glanced back at him. She identified the look.
“That turns you on?”

“More than you know. You are extraordinary.”

“I’m pissed off, Coto. Avery didn’t deserve to die like
that.”

“You are perfect for me.”

She faced forward and concentrated on locating more
footprints to follow. The two men weren’t hiding their tracks. They left a path
of destruction by breaking twigs, snapping brush and displacing rocks. Coto was
correct about their spitting habits too. They did it frequently, the yellow
stains on the ground easy to spot. It didn’t take her long to come across where
they’d camped. They hadn’t built a fire but the flattened moss showed they had
gotten some sleep. She crouched, examining the area. She placed a palm on where
one of them had lain.

“They are close,” she whispered.

Coto squatted next to her, his gaze constantly scanning the
area. “How can you tell?”

“The ground is still warm and it’s in the shade. They weren’t
using sleeping mats like you have. He lay directly here.”

Coto removed his glove and placed his hand next to hers,
then on another spot. “I feel the difference in temperature. That’s amazing.”

She captured a few strands of hair from the moss. “This one
is a dirty blond.” She brushed them off her fingers. “They are heading toward
the river.”

“How can you tell?”

She jerked her head in the direction of a mass of rocks. “One
of them spit near the top. See the yellow stain? They climbed up there and the
river is about a mile that way. Can these bastards swim?”

“I’m not certain. Why?”

“The river bottlenecks into a series of shallow streams this
way, then opens up into where we crossed. They are skirting the deeper parts.
That’s my guess. I’d have to backtrack them to know for sure but there was a
faster path if crossing the river was their intention.”

“I hope dogs attack them.”

“You killed Jimmy’s dogs. There aren’t any more of them and
that way will bypass Jimmy’s land anyway. They are headed directly toward the
abandoned property I mentioned. It’s high up and easy to spot in that area.
Your friend might have gone there.”

“Let’s go.” Coto stood, replacing his glove. “We must stop
them before they find Vhon.”

She rose too and gripped his wrist. He looked down at her.
She cleared her throat. “Just to be clear, are you planning on capturing them
or killing them?”

“They are our enemy. They have no honor.”

She eased her grip and nodded. “I just don’t want you to get
angry with me if I shoot them. I’m going to show them the same mercy they gave
Avery. None. I don’t hate aliens. I just hate those ones.”

He smiled. “Use your weapon. They would kill you if given
the chance.” His features suddenly darkened, pure rage sparking in his eyes. “They’d
hurt you first. Don’t hesitate to kill, Lynn. Do you understand?”

“I do. These guys are rabid animals in my mind. They need to
be put down. Let’s go.”

She took the lead and had to climb with one hand since the
shotgun didn’t have a strap. She paused near the top, lifting her head to peer
down the valley. Coto did the same, sticking close to her side. She scanned and
spotted movement in the distance near the streams.

“There.” She pointed.

“I see them. Stay here. I’ll take them on.” He sounded grim.

“There’s two of them.”

He scowled. “I am an excellent fighter.”

“Okay. Go for it. Be careful.” They’d waste time arguing.
She wanted those two men to pay for what they’d done.

Coto lifted up a few inches and topped the rocks. He
remained close to the ground as he descended. Lynn kept her focus on the two
men in the distance. They didn’t glance back or seem to see Coto. He reached
the ground and sprinted forward. Lynn hesitated, lifted the shotgun, and took
aim.

“Damn.” A shotgun was useless at that range. She bit her lip
and followed Coto, keeping low in case those Collis did look back and spot her.
She reached the flatter ground and ran after Coto, using trees to shield her as
much as possible.

A loud roar tore through the woods. She had heard it before.
Coto had come across his enemy. She stopped dodging behind trees and just
sprinted toward the streams. It didn’t take her long to spot the three men.
They’d reached the first stream and were thigh-high in water.

Coto had both his blades out. The two men parted, trying to
keep him between them. One attacked him from the front as the other whipped out
a blade. She yelled a warning but Coto dodged being stabbed in the back by
twisting his body. He shot one leg out, catching the man behind him in the
knee. The guy fell over into the water.

Lynn was panting hard by the time she reached them. She
lifted the shotgun, shaking a little as Coto fought with one of the Collis. The
second one came up out of the water, coughing and sputtering. He recovered fast
though and lunged forward, planning to bury his blade in Coto again.

Lynn quickly calculated the safety margin for range and
pellet spread. At that distance there would be very little. The Collis was far
enough from Coto to allow her a tight, clean shot.
Hope I’m right.
She
squeezed the trigger but missed hitting the attacking alien square in the
chest. He had taken some buckshot to the shoulder though. The impact spun him
around and he fell back into the water again.

She adjusted her hold on the shotgun, better prepared for
the kick if she had to fire it again. The alien found his footing and bellowed,
stumbling toward her with his sharp blade fisted in his hand. Lynn took aim and
blasted him again. She hit her mark that time, nailing him square in the chest.

He was thrown back and sank into the water. A moment later
he floated up, unmoving and facedown. Red stained the water around him and
rocks caught one of his limbs, keeping the current from taking him away. She
kept the barrel trained on him in case he wasn’t dead. She didn’t know how
tough aliens were and wasn’t willing to risk him playing possum.

Water sloshed on her boots and she spun a little, aiming the
weapon at whoever approached her. She tore her finger away from the trigger,
instantly lowering the shotgun. Coto trudged out of the water and she saw that
the second man was down and not moving on the other side of the stream. Blood
stained the front of his body. Coto passed her and went to the one she’d shot.
He crouched, grabbed the guy by his boot, and dragged him to the bank of the
river. He checked for a pulse and then rose, facing her.

“You killed him. Good job.”

The situation hit her. She’d really just killed a man. He
was an alien, a murderer, but she’d really shot him. Not once but twice. She
almost dropped the shotgun and stumbled in the borrowed boots. Coto lunged
forward and gripped the weapon, tearing it out of her hands. He was wet from
the waist down when he hauled her against him.

“Breathe,” he demanded. “Don’t faint.”

She sucked in deep breathes and clutched his shirt.