Alien-Under-Cover (26 page)

Zurian had said they were on Earth for conquest but she hadn’t taken it seriously. They would need vast numbers to take on all the forces on Earth. Or so she’d thought. Terraforming told a whole new story.

“I can’t promise anything, but I can try to find these aliens you are so convinced exist.”

“We both know they are with you right now. Probably standing next to you.”

Julia shrugged. They both knew she was with the aliens but she didn’t have to admit to it.

“Do I need to make this unpleasant, Julia?”

“No need,” Zurian said from right next to her.

He leaned forward and she saw a human male with gold-blond hair staring at Jack.

“Clever disguise, alien,” Jack said. “But I know you are an alien in disguise.”

Julia saw Jack recoil and stare at Zurian and, when she looked at him, his eyes blazed red out of the strange human face he wore--blazing red eyes he never showed to her. Zurian’s eyes turned blue and Julia knew that he’d shown his red eyes to Jack on purpose. Like a declaration of war.

“You do not approach my breeder.”

“All right. I’m not interested--” Jack stopped talking and smirked. “Breeder?”

Julia had to resist the urge to show him a very rude sign. She touched her head. A dull headache throbbed behind her eyes.

“Have you forgotten the example I made of your father?”

Jack sat upright, the smirk wiped from his face. “Do you know who you are threatening, alien?”

“I know you head an organization who likes to call themselves a corporation. In reality, you are criminals who make money selling drugs, weapons, and people,” Zurian said, making his disgust clear.

“If you know all this, you know it is not a good idea to cross me unless you have an army behind you.”

Zurian leaned forward, his smile terrible to see. “Look through your primitive window, human.”

Jack stormed out of scanner range and Julia realized they had only seen a white wall behind him the whole time. Obviously, he didn’t want them to see inside his house either. She heard him swear.

He was back in range and glaring at Zurian. “You bastard.”

“That was only one member of your family.”

Jack glared at Julia. “He put my bodyguard’s head on a pike.”

Julia gasped and put her hand in front of her mouth. Zurian must have a camouflaged warrior in Jack’s house. She heard Natalie whimper. This could not be happening. This was why she left her family. Why did she always love monsters--people whom she was forced to leave?

Chapter 21

Zurian stepped close to the holographic image of Jack. “Heed my words, human, or I will kill more of your family.”

“Zurian!”

They both ignored her exclamation.

Jack swore and jumped up, his fists clenched. “Don’t you threaten me, alien.”

“And then I will come for you,” Zurian said, in such a calm, emotionless way, his words chilled her. Seeing him disguised as a human man was strangely disorienting.

“Bring it,” Jack snarled.

“If you ever approach my breeder, I will bring you death and destruction the likes you have never seen.”

Julia stumbled back from him. She didn’t know this violent stranger.

“Zyrgin warriors do not speak through women.” Disdain dripped from every word.

“Sure, if we can manage an alliance, I’ll implement that among my, uh, warriors,” Jack said smoothly. His sudden calm scared her. He would never let such an insult go unpunished.

“We will contact you if we decide to deal with you,” Zurian said. It was not a promise of future cooperation.

Jack smiled a friendly, open smile and Julia wanted to run for cover. “As a gesture of good faith, I’ll give you the location of your friend Sarah.” He reached for something on his desk. Julia saw muscles ripple on his arm. “As of this morning, she’s held in a camp in Texas. I’m sending you the co-ordinates now.”

Julia felt her stomach turn. He must’ve known Sarah’s location all along. He obviously knew they were searching for her. How could he calmly sit on the information that someone was in one of those terrible places? Waiting for the moment when he could use it to his advantage?

Numbers flashed on the TC Screen. Zurian looked at the co-ordinates and cut the connection.

Julia turned to face him. “You’re terraforming Earth.”

He simply looked at her. Her blood boiled and she had to concentrate really hard not to scream like a banshee. She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. “Let me guess. That small piece of Earth will grow into miles of alien landscape eventually.” He simply stood with his arms crossed over his chest and didn’t answer. She was vaguely aware of Natalie walking off with Zacar. “Are you going to change the Earth so that only Zyrgins can live on it?”

“Desert.”

“What?”

“It was desert because of the mismanagement by humans. Now it is fertile land.”

Julia waved her hand in the direction she thought the dome lay. “Alien fertile land. What good does it do humans? Just because it’s desert, doesn’t mean you’ve the right to turn it into a Zyrgin landscape.” She pushed him with her hands on his chest. Or tried to. He didn’t even move. She narrowed her eyes at him. “And when I push you, act pushed!” She shoved him again with the same lack of results. “And stop always insulting humans.”

“You would prefer to talk about this rather than your friend now that we may know where she is.”

She was tired and her head was sore, but she still wanted to argue. However, finding Sarah was important and took precedence. She knew that and she wanted Sarah found yesterday but Julia didn’t want to let this go.

“You are right, but this discussion isn’t over.”

Julia looked around and saw Natalie and Zacar in a heated argument disappearing into a tunnel. Well, Natalie was in a heated argument while Zacar looked down his nose at her. The other two aliens were so obviously trying to look innocent, that if she hadn’t been so furious, she would’ve thought it comic.

Julia turned back to Zurian. “There is very little that my family won’t stoop to. This could be a trap,” she said bitterly.

“No matter what kind of trap they set for us, we will kill them and rescue Sarah.”

“Your arrogance is going to be your downfall one of these days.”

Zurian lifted her chin. “Kiss me, my breeder.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m still mad at you.”

He bent his head and pressed his forehead against hers. “I want to kiss you.” He lifted his head and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “Your skin is whiter than normal and you are not pleasingly round anymore.”

She jerked her head away. “You don’t get to kiss me again until we finish our discussion.”

“We will not discuss it. You will stay with Natalie while I search for your Sarah.”

“Oh will I?” She could’ve kicked him.

Who knew she would ever want to be pleasantly round for a man after years of careful eating?

“Yes.” He bent down and pressed his forehead against hers again. He was gone before she could blink.

“I guess now we wait,” she said to Natalie who came to stand next to her. There was no sign of Zacar.

“He’s right? You look pale. Do you feel all right Julia?”

“Just a headache.”

“I’ll get you some patches.” Natalie disappeared down one of the tunnels and returned with a few round disks.

“What did Zacar say about the terra forming?”

“He said Earth’s forests are almost gone, all our big species are gone. They are introducing their plant life to save Earth.”

“Do you believe him?”

“He said Earth can be saved and grow fertile again on its own, within centuries. New species would develop over many centuries.”

“So why are they terraforming if the Earth can recover?”

“It can only recover if man doesn’t exist anymore,” Natalie said, looking stricken. “It’s a vicious circle with vegetation disappearing, desert taking over, and droughts becoming longer and longer.”

“I’m sorry, Natalie. I know how hard you tried to save the trees.”

“We’re about to pay dearly for our careless abuse of the Earth.”

“Maybe humans don’t deserve to live on Earth. Maybe it was just a matter of time until another species replaced us.”

***

Hours later, Zurian walked in with the other warriors. He zoomed in on her, stalking her to put his forehead against hers.

She jerked back from him, not about to get physical with one of the beings who was terra forming Earth. “She wasn’t there, was she?”

He held her in place against him. “We were too late. I believe Jack warned the Raiders we were coming.”

“It could be. Jack won’t forgive you for killing his father and bodyguard. He might act all conciliatory, but he’ll keep coming for you. And let go of me.” She pushed against his chest. “I told you no touching until we have a little chat about your terra forming and plans to conquer Earth. And your habit of killing people and--”

She glared at him over the hand he held gently over her mouth.

“Men were stationed near the camp to spy on us.”

She’d let him get away with the change of subject, for now. “Family or dead,” she said.

He stared down at her, arranged her hair behind her ear. “What does that mean?”

“That is the motto of my family. You’re either family or you’re dead. My father is one of the enforcers who make people dead who are not family. If they didn’t want to pursue the career set out for them. If they talked about family business. Man, woman, and child, he would kill them on command.”

He nodded. “You are from a strong family.”

Julia closed her eyes. “No. I have a family full of vicious criminals. Why can’t you understand that?”

“Your parents care for you. They expressed concern to me.”

“They just don’t care enough to give up a life of crime. They sell people, kill them. I saw my father beat a man to death.”

He watched her intently. “Zacar has beaten a man to death as well.”

“Why?”

“The woumber kidnapped and beat Natalie.”

“Did he ever kill an innocent man desperate to save his family and his country?”

“No.”

Her throat closed up at the memory. It would haunt her forever. She looked at Zurian and saw no reaction to her words. Her father would’ve approved of him.

“Who did your father kill? What desperate man?”

“Many men. He killed many men.” For a moment, she had the strangest compulsion to tell him about that last time. The day she ran. “Tell me about your plans to conquer Earth.”

“I do not discuss our plans with a breeder.”

Julia took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Can you tell me about the terra forming?”

He hesitated but answered. “We do it on planets whose ecosystems are destroyed.”

“Ours aren’t, destroyed. I mean, a lot of animals have become extinct and a lot of trees died but people like Natalie were changing things.”

“Your species could survive a few hundred years more, at the most, before you became extinct.”

She slapped his chest. “You’re making that up. You’re just making excuses to terraform my planet.”

“We do not need an excuse. You look pale.” He clasped her waist. “You are becoming thin.”

“Oh, so I don’t look pleasingly round now?”

He hesitated and she bit her lip, allowed her hair to obscure her face.

“I will feed you the chocolates you like so much and soon you will be pleasingly round again.”

“That would be good of you.” She put on the most innocent face she could manage and looked up at him when he carefully arranged her hair. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want to make love with me until I’m pleasingly round again.” Get out of that, Mister I Don’t Talk to Breeders.

He leaned down and kissed her. Hard. “You will not keep your body from me.”

She stroked his cheek. “Sometimes you can be so sweet and you kiss me and it’s just great.” She swallowed and leaned her forehead against his chest. “I think we’re making love and then I open my eyes and yours are black.” She felt his slight movement and smiled wryly. “Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out? Your eyes turn red when you fight or feel strong emotions. And for some reason--” She lifted her head. Suddenly understood. “You’re afraid you’d hurt me.” All this time she’d thought he was some kind of control freak. But it explained everything.

He hesitated. “Yes.”

“I don’t believe you would ever hurt me.”

“I am not willing to take that chance. You are human with a weak body.”

“I might be small but I’m strong, Zurian, I want a man who is passionate with me. Someone who is as into our lovemaking as I am.”

“I am into you when we make love. Sometimes so deep I fear to hurt you.”

She frowned up at him. “Oh you mean--” She giggled. “What am I going to do with you?”

“You will do many hours of sex making,” he answered seriously.

She traced his scarred cheek, his strong jaw. “I shouldn’t let you get away with this. We have too many issued to work out.”

“I will take you to our dwelling and show you what a good fucker I am. We will argue later.”

He picked her up, carried her to their dwelling, laid her down on the bed, and took off her clothes. He kissed every inch of her body he exposed, licked and sucked and nipped. Julia moaned and touched his shoulder, following the contours of his chest, detouring to trace his scars. Leaning up and kissing them, she licked his skin the way he did hers. Then, remembering their argument, she bit him. He stilled briefly and then, with a strange fatalistic grunt, he moved down and drew her panties down her legs.

He rolled his hips, and she widened her legs, desperate for him to touch her. “Please Zurian, don’t tease me, touch me, come into me, I need you so.”

He glanced up at her then, with his hands on her inner thighs, widened her legs. Carefully parting her folds, he stared at her. “I like this.”

“What?”

“The secret hair you have here.” He plucked at it softly then rubbed his fingers over her.

Julia widened her legs, her hips lifting toward his fingers. “Please Zurian.” She’d never have thought that plucking at her pubic hair could arouse her so. He leaned down and stabbed at her clit with his tongue. “You’re going to kill me with pleasure.” He stopped and lifted his head and she pulled him down again. “Don’t you dare stop.”