Unexpected (5 page)

“Keep
it in mind as you conclude your tenure here. Any tales of untoward conduct
could easily make their way back to Alpha, and what parents would want their
precious daughter exposed to ruffians? Find your amusements with human women
all you like, but keep them superficial.” With that, their commander gestured
at the door behind them in a clear dismissal.

As
one, he and Mikel rose and exited the office. As soon as the door closed, Mikel
let out a sigh and leaned against the tiled wall, his head thudding back as he
closed his eyes.

“Felix,
I want to see Alisa.”

“I
do, too.” The longing to find her filled him, wiping away all the petty
concerns about appearances and rules in a heady, hormonal rush. They belonged
together, even if she didn’t realize it yet. How could she when they’d only
spent fleeting moments together? Humans weren’t attuned to the bonding instinct
as
Alphans
were. Wooing her would just take a few
more hours than they’d anticipated. “We’ll try again tomorrow. I’ll find out
when
Mak
will be on duty and appeal to him. He seems
to have some sympathy for our cause. But we must go gently. She’s clearly
skittish.”

“I
don’t want to wait until tomorrow.”

“Neither
do
I, Mikel, but it’s already late afternoon, visiting
hours are over, and we are not exactly popular at the compound.” That was
another obstacle to overcome. Well, they weren’t going to find their mate while
on an adventure-filled quest like they’d imagined, but the logistics of getting
access to Alisa was already a challenge.

“Who
says we have to wait?” Mikel righted his head to stare at him, a spark of some
mischief in his eye. Felix knew his bondmate had always been the plotter and
more daring of the pair, though from others’ observations, his own talkative,
quick-to-act
nature made it seem
as if he was the
instigator. Such a misunderstanding was exactly how they’d met. There had been
some sort of incident with food coloring in the morning’s porridge during their
Academy days, and he had made too loud a joke of it, bringing blame upon
himself. During his punishment run, Mikel had silently joined him, only
introducing himself and admitting his crime once they’d completed the course.
They’d been inseparable ever since. So if Mikel had an idea, Felix was bound to
follow.

****

The
lump on her head had reduced to a mere bruise, only tender if she touched it,
thanks to the quick action of the men. Alisa hated to give them credit, but
they had been skillful in treating her wound. She was sure neither of them
would have even noticed it if they’d suffered something similar. It probably
took a laser blast to attract their
attention,
they
were both so big and solid. But she didn’t want to think about them. She was
already distracted enough. If she thought about how Mikel had silently attended
to her after they’d carried her to the compound’s medical center, despite the
protests of the nurses in attendance, or of how Felix had held off the director
of housing and one of his fellow
Alphans
until his
bondmate had declared himself finished, she would become more flustered. She’d
been flustered for hours now.

Evening
was falling, and she gazed out the window of her room which faced the edge of
campus. A fence had been installed here once the buildings had been converted
to use as a refugee center, just like the one the two
Alphans
had scaled so easily before. She hadn’t had a chance to thank them before
they’d been herded away, but not before both had sent her quick smiles. They
might be in quite a lot of trouble. One of the major tenets of this joint
effort between the rulers of Alpha and some Earth governments was to provide a
safe environment for humans who’d been displaced as a result of kidnapping by
Xyrans
. That meant no over-sexed, highly trained warrior
Alphan males running amok within the walls, a rule rigorously enforced so that
the women here were secure and not viewed as some sort of smorgasbord by the
visiting aliens. Felix and Mikel hadn’t seemed to care that they were breaking
the rules, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Her
musings were interrupted by a rattling sound coming from outside, like a
squirrel had climbed past the window. She told herself there was no danger even
though her nerves twitched. The noise repeated, and she knew she had to investigate.

Opening
the window, she cautiously peered out, glancing along the walls for a stray
animal or bird that might be clinging to the ivy that crept up the brickwork. A
hiss from the fence made her look, and to her shock she saw Felix and Mikel
standing in the shadows, staring right at her. Her belly clenched, and she
gripped the edge of the windowsill with suddenly shaky hands.

“Evening
greetings, Alisa,” Felix said, his voice pitched loud enough to carry over the
meters that separated them.

“You
look very well, Alisa,” Mikel added. “How is your head? I hope you weren’t
inconvenienced by any residual pain—”

“What
are you doing here?” she whispered, too overcome by their audacity to simply
retreat and shut the window as she should.

“We’re
here to inquire after your health, and offer you an invitation to join with
us—” Mikel hurried on but was cut off by his bondmate, who poked him in the
shoulder.

“We
don’t mean join with us now, in a physical way. That sort of joining is
forbidden.
For now.
Not that we aren’t interested in …
ah…” Felix trailed off, and his well-shaped mouth hung open slightly. She could
almost feel sorry for him. He was so clearly trying to say the right thing and
failing.

“What
are you talking about?” Why she asked she wasn’t sure. Again, she told herself
to shut the window, draw the curtain, and turn off her lights. But, again, she
remained, looking over the big men as they leaned against the thick bars of the
fence, their big hands wrapped around the barrier like they were considering
bending it apart. They were dressed quite nicely in slim-fitting dark uniforms
that showed off their broad shoulders and long legs.

“We’d
like to invite you to come on a dating drive with us tomorrow. That’s the
correct term, isn’t it, dating drive?” Mikel smiled at her, and she remembered
how his eyes had gleamed with good humor earlier. Remembered how careful he had
been when he’d touched her bruise. A shiver went through her belly.

She
shook her head, completely confused by what he’d just said.

“Then
perhaps some other outing of your choosing,” Felix said quickly.

“No,
I’m not saying no. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Alisa wanted to
take her accommodating statement back. She didn’t want to know what they were
talking about. Felix and Mikel exchanged a confused look, one she could make
out even from this distance.

“We
want to take you on a drive. Along with us,” Felix said.

“As
a dating,” Mikel added.

“On
a date,” Alisa corrected automatically,
then
realized
what they were saying. Oh, what a terrible idea
that
was. Her seated between these two intimidating males, driving
along some scenic road, forced into awkward conversation or even more
excruciating silence. “Why?”

“Because
you are our—”

“Because
we’d like to get to know you better, in the acceptable manner.” Felix cut off
his bondmate with a raised voice.
“The human manner.”

How
in the world did
Alphans
get to know each other?
Or how in the
galaxy
, to
be more accurate.
She drew back slightly, a new concern rattling around
in her bruised head. “How did you find me?”

The
two men looked at each other again and were silent a few beats too long. Felix
squared his shoulders and faced her again, his body squared away and at
attention. “By subterfuge, we admit.”

“I
called the administrator and impersonated a reporter to ask about the history
of the settlement here. From that I learned you would likely be in this section
since you were one of the original inhabitants and this was the first building
cleared for residence. We then made our way here and employed certain means to
gain the attention of any residents with her light still on.”

“What
means did you employ?”

Mikel
closed his mouth.

“We,
ah, threw pebbles.”

“At the windows.”

Alisa
sighed. She didn’t want to let her guard down just because these two had
employed some boyish antics to find her. Another woman would be complimented,
excited, even feel flirtatious at the effort they were making. “How many of my
neighbors did you wake up before you found me?”

“Ah, three.”

“All
were quite understanding
once we explained our
purpose. In fact, the last, Ruth, directed us to you.”

Great,
now everyone in the corridor would blame her for the disturbance and Ruth would
smirk at her tomorrow in the dining hall.

“So,
will you please honor us with the presence of your company? At any time that is
convenient.” Felix smiled at her, and it was difficult not to smile back.

“There
is a wilderness area nearby. You might enjoy seeing the native flora,” Mikel
added. “There are trails, waterfalls, and vistas.”

Alisa
opened her
mouth,
ready to say no yet again, when a
new, feminine voice rang out in the evening air. “Go out with them, Alisa. You
never leave here. You two are nice enough fellows, aren’t you? Not going to go
out with a woman and maul her or anything.”

It
was Ruth, her tone oozing with friendliness. She sounded like she wouldn’t mind
a mauling. Both
Alphans
sketched a quick wave in the
direction of the other woman’s room, and Alisa frowned.

“We
are perfectly civilized and are heirs to well-respected lineages.” Felix stood
even straighter. “Your safety is assured in our company.”

“We
would defend you against any challenger. We are decorated combat veterans with
awards for valor,” Mikel added as he squared his shoulders. Alisa thought she
heard Ruth make an appreciative noise. She’d grown used to the sight of the
aliens in the months she’d been at the compound, and their curving horns,
golden skin, and stalwart physiques no longer startled her. The two men in
front of her were also quite handsome, she couldn’t deny that. As she mulled
that realization, another one of her neighbors spoke up from the other side of
her window.

“Go
on. Say yes so we can all get back to sleep, please.”

Alisa
didn’t recognize the speaker, so there was no way she’d be able to apologize
later. The
Alphans
tilted their heads to acknowledge
the other woman’s contribution, but didn’t take their eyes from Alisa. She
could tell they were staring even though the evening was nearly full dark. Her
breath caught in her throat.

“Fine,
yes, a drive would be all right.” Maybe she could claim a headache and get them
to turn around and bring her back fairly quickly.

Their
white teeth flashed in the shadows.
“Very good.
What
time might we come to you?”

“Don’t
you have to work?”

“Not
at all, our day is yours to command as you will.”

Not
a whole day. Just a quick drive, she reminded herself. An hour at most, their
curiosity about her would be satisfied, and they could leave each other as mild
acquaintances. Gusting out a sigh, she contemplated her schedule.
“Fine.
I’ll see you at two.”

“Shall
we come to your rooms?”

“No,
no, that’s not allowed. I’ll meet you,” Alisa paused, unsure where the best
place was. She rarely went out, and never with men. “I’ll meet you at the main
gate.
By the guardhouse.”

“Very good.
We’ll see you
at two in the afternoon.
Tomorrow.
At
the entrance.”
Felix repeated everything back to her like he was afraid
she might forget. Mikel nodded along, and with a quiver, Alisa realized she’d
just embroiled herself in some intensive socializing, despite her usual habit
of retreating from such matters, especially when men were involved. Alphan men,
human men, it didn’t seem to matter to her nerves.

They
stood there, big, immobile dark shapes in the gloom, and she wondered when they
were going to leave.

“Goodnight.”
Maybe that simple word would give them the impetus to move along.

“A very good evening to you.
Peaceful slumber.”
Mikel’s voice called out from the dark,
and she saw their silhouettes bobble among the shadows under the tree. Were
they bowing?

Raising
a hand in response, she waved and stepped back from the window as she closed
it. A vague feeling that she’d been dismissive trickled in, and she shook her
head to dispel it. They’d come to her, asked a favor of her, and she’d
accommodated them all she needed to. So what if they were still standing there
on the sidewalk staring at her window? She certainly wasn’t going to invite
them in.