Unexpected (7 page)

****

Alisa
was again at her window, not because of a noise, but because of a tickling
sense of awareness that Felix was outside, standing guard on the other side of
the fence. She knew it was him, didn’t even have to see his face to identify
that tall shadowy form. She was unable to sleep even though it was past
midnight, and her thoughts raced after all the bizarre events of the afternoon.
She’d thought spending a few hours in the
Alphans
’
company would be incredibly stressful, but they’d been wonderfully attentive,
interested in what she had to say, and she had to admit she’d been impressed by
their instinctive protectiveness. No, what was bothering her now was how
unsettling the bigotry and vandalism was. She couldn’t stop thinking about how
some members of her own species would be glad to see her punished for being
seen with Mikel and Felix, as well as elated to see the
Alphans
banished from Earth, or even harmed. It frightened her and made her angry in
equal proportions. The men who’d courteously brought her back to the compound,
Mak
greeting her with sincere pleasure, and most especially
the two men who’d been so happy to give her part of their day, all these
Alphans
were good people. It was a strange concept, but she
couldn’t deny the evidence.

A
trickle of unease crept along her back, and she stood, reaching for the small
com device Mikel had pressed into her hand before he and his bondmate had left
the hover to face the sheriff and the insurance claims man. She was unsure of
how it operated and studied it for a moment before pressing her finger against
a large depression in the side of the grey resin box. Tiny blue lights erupted
around the edges, and she waited for a response.
Silence.
She pressed the smaller dent on the other side, and pink lights raced around.

“Hello,
Alisa.” Felix’s deep voice rumbled out, and she nearly dropped the box. “Why
aren’t you asleep?”

“Why
aren’t
you
asleep?” Her slight push
back made her stand up straighter, even though no one was in the room to see.

He
drew in a breath, and she clutched the com closer to her ear. “I wish to ensure
a peaceful evening for the inhabitants of the refuge.”

“You
aren’t going to throw rocks at windows?”

“No.
How did you know I was outside?” An excellent question and one she certainly
didn’t know how to answer.

“I
wasn’t sure until now.”
A lie.
Felix made a humming
noise. “What about Mikel?”

“He
rests and will relieve me in a few hours.”

She’d
never seen them apart and found the concept odd. “You don’t have to do that.
There are all sorts of alarms and locks here.”

“We
wish to.” The quiet certainty in his voice gave her pause. They were both so
confident and
determined,
so unlike how she felt most
of the time.

“I
don’t like the idea of you being out there all night.” The thought just tumbled
out, and she immediately realized he could take it the wrong way. She wasn’t
even sure which way she meant it.

“We
don’t have to be in contact, if that disturbs you. Mikel merely gave you the
communicator on the remote chance of an emergency situation arising.”

“No,
I meant, you’re losing sleep over this, and so will Mikel. You barely know me,
and I’m causing these problems.” She sighed and sank into her small sofa,
curling up against a pillow resting along the armrest, careful not to move the
com link and risk losing the connection.

“It
seems you are losing sleep as well.”

“I
don’t sleep much anymore.”

Felix
made a rumbling sound. “That is not good for your health. Have you spoken with
a doctor?”

She
couldn’t hold back her chuckle. She’d gone from fearing these men to finding
them funny in only a few days. She liked them despite all the reasons not to.
“No, and I don’t plan to. You should get your rest, though, since you and your,
ah, bondmate have to go out and secure other things in the morning.”

As
far as jokes went, it wasn’t all that successful.

“What
do you know about bondmates, Alisa?”

“Not
much.” The whole concept was shrouded in rumor and mystery. Wild sexual
practices, exchanges of blood, telepathy, super-strength, she doubted any of
them were rooted in truth. Many women had joined these Alphan pairings and she
doubted they would have if they had to be bitten and penetrated in such a
violent manner.

“We
find each other, usually in adolescence. Something about the other person
simply draws us together. There’s a resonance of thought that grows stronger
over time. A bondmate is a steadfast partner in training, in a fight, and in
life. Some bond with only one in their life, and others seek more until they
feel complete.”

“How many?”

“Usually not more than three men.
More than that
can increase volatility.”

“What
about women?” As she said the word, accepted why she was asking, she rose and
went back to the window. She parted the curtains with her free hand and
confirmed he was still waiting there in the gloom. He saw her, moving away from
the trunk a tree where he’d been leaning and standing in the middle of the
sidewalk to watch her watch him.

“Not
all bondmates feel the urge to bind with a female, but many do even though
women are in short supply on our world.”

“And
you and Mikel are looking, so to speak.” That’s why human women were in such
demand, why this settlement had these silly fences and all this attention from
the normally ineffectual governments, to restrain the powerful urges of these
aliens.

“No.”

“You
don’t want to bond with a woman?”

“We
do. We simply aren’t looking any longer.”

A
dark shiver raced through her body, and she almost dropped the com device. He
hadn’t come out and said it directly, but every action of the two men, every
attention they’d paid to her was directed toward that purpose. They’d chosen
her, sensed something in her she was unaware of, and had decided she was their
destiny. It was frightening and a tiny bit exhilarating. All she could manage
was a slight huff of breath.

“Come
to us tomorrow, Alisa.” His deep voice was a purr now, luring her even closer
to the window, her nose nearly pressed against the glass.

“When?”
She’d meant to
ask why, but the other word had slipped out, as telling of her intentions as
Felix’s earlier statements had been.

“Now?”
Humor sizzled
in his tone, and she smiled at him, wondering if he could make her out through
the panes of glass.

“I’ll
call tomorrow. Go home and rest. I’ll be fine here.” Despite the flurry of
excitement and caution battling inside, she was suddenly tired. Lying down in
her bed, in the dark, to contemplate what she was doing, that was what she
needed to do now.

“Until tomorrow.”
Felix raised
his hand, and she did the same. No matter what happened between them, it was
going to be an interesting day.

****

 
Human art was rather bland, Felix decided.
These landscapes and paintings of flowers and fruits didn’t have any zest or
force, but rather inspired peaceful contemplation. Perhaps he was being unjust,
considering this was the first of it he’d ever seen and Alisa was far more
riveting than any framed canvas attached to the walls of this closed gallery.
Mikel had been full of ideas for their next outing with her when he’d informed
his bondmate she would see them again. Of course, they’d somehow ended up doing
the most risky activity: picking the lock on an abandoned wing of the former
university’s art museum. Mikel claimed there were no additional alarms to
contend with, and since they’d been inside the long room for several minutes
with no disturbances, it seemed his bondmate was correct.

Apparently,
viewing art was an expected and acceptable social activity. Alisa seemed to be
enjoying herself. She inspected each piece and read every small associated
label. The gallery had no artificial illumination, but enough sunlight filtered
in from windows overhead to allow them a decent view of the room’s contents. A
fine layer of dust coated most surfaces and gave convincing evidence no one
patrolled the area with any regularity. It was quiet in the gallery, other than
the scuffing sound of their feet as they moved from place to place.

Alisa
was wearing a silvery blue dress that made her smoky eyes even brighter. It was
by far the prettiest garment he’d seen. It clung to her torso and slithered
against her limbs, overlying pert swells of breasts and generous curves of
buttocks. He longed to touch her, to have her stare at him with as much
interest she was showing some daubs of pigment, but instructed
himself
to stay in check. She’d made cautious overtures
toward him and Mikel, and the last thing he wanted to do was to frighten her
off with an untoward word or gesture.

Mikel
had been quiet after performing his lock-picking, always near Alisa’s side, but
clearly willing for Felix to take on most of the conversation. For once, he
wished he was allowed to be the silent one so he could take in Alisa’s beauty
in peace. Something glowed warm in his chest, and he relished the sensation.

“Are
you sure you won’t get in trouble if someone finds us?” She turned away from a
dark canvas and peered at them, a slight frown on her lips. “We don’t have to
stay and run the risk.”

“No
one will discover us. Enjoy yourself.” Felix smiled at her, not wanting to
think about their time together ending so soon. He and Mikel had planned to ask
her out for a meal after they’d had their fill at the abandoned gallery, but he
wasn’t sure where they could go and not run the risk of encountering a human
who might hold bigoted opinions. The only safe location would be the dining
hall set aside for Alphan diplomats.
Or their personal
quarters.

Instead
of turning back to the paintings, Alisa continued her perusal of them, one of
her small hands cupping the other. “You aren’t interested in our art, are you?
I imagine
Alphans
have much different tastes in these
things.”

“I
believe human and Alphan interests align quite closely in many ways,” Felix
jumped in. “We both appreciate good food, pleasant surroundings, and the close
companionship of those we hold dear.”

“But
don’t you like to fight? Isn’t that what you want?”

Felix
shook his head even as he agreed with her. “We are proud warriors, it is true,
and there is no nobler calling, but I don’t believe humans are free of
aggression, are they?”

Alisa
lowered her head and shrugged her shoulders, and he was immediately chagrined.
In no way had he wanted to rebuke her, or cast aspersions on human character.
Without a thought he reached out and stroked his fingers along her shoulder.
The fabric was smooth and soft, but what caught his attention more was how he
could feel the warmth of her body through the material. He gave Mikel an
inquiring glance, but his bondmate looked befuddled. He struggled with what
words might reassure her, but before he could say anything, a rattling sound
echoed in the quiet room.

Instinct
and training kicked in, and he whirled to face the origin of the noise,
stepping in front of Alisa even as Mikel came to his shoulder. Concentrating
his focus on the door, he watched as the handle shifted and heard the rattle
repeat.

“You
did secure it after our entrance?” he whispered at Mikel, and caught his
bondmate giving him an exasperated look.

“As well as possible considering the
flimsiness of the original locking mechanism.”

There
was the sound of some raised voices from outside, and Felix knew they needed to
retreat. There was no way they could explain their presence in the hall, and
the last thing they needed was to be caught up in yet another uncomfortable
encounter with either Alphan or human higher-ups. There was a slight nudge at
his hand, and he glanced down to see Alisa had pressed her fingers to his. Her
eyes were wide as she made a pointing gesture toward the back of the gallery.
Mikel dashed in that direction and quickly returned, nodding reassuringly at
Alisa. He held out his hand to her, and she took it quickly and they moved
away. Felix brought up the rear, ready to advance towards whoever might come in
the door and distract their attention away from his companions.

Within
a few seconds they’d made their way the length of the hall and found themselves
in a small alcove between two large pillars. Mikel crouched at the lock
securing what seemed to be a small service door. Alisa rested her fingertips on
his shoulder. She glanced up at him with wide eyes, and he gathered up her free
hand in order to reassure her. Some strong emotion flowed from her, likely fear
blended with general anxiety. He hated that their impetuous actions were
causing her distress.

With
a pop and creak, the door swung open, and Mikel eased inside, disappearing for
a few seconds to reconnoiter, then reappearing to beckon them within. As Felix
led Alisa in the hidden space, he looked around to find a smallish room filled
with a mismatch of furniture and stacked boxes. It had likely been an office when
the gallery was open, but was now forgotten storage. After Mikel closed the
door and engaged the lock, they were left in deep shadow, and the only light
available drifted in from a small and dust-covered transom. Not wanting Alisa’s
pretty dress to become soiled by the dirty surroundings, Felix kept her close,
allowing himself the pleasure of keeping one hand around her waist. She let her
forearm come to rest along his as she glanced around, then fixed her attention
on the door where Mikel remained, his ear pressed to the slight opening by the
jamb. He spread his hands against the panel as Felix heard some faint scuffling
sounds from without. Alisa sucked in her breath and moved his way, her arm
creeping round under his until her hand was pressed against his back and her
breast brushed his chest.