Chapter 8

Chapter

Eight

Allie

I was flying. Or was I floating? Everything was weightless, painless, peaceful. Then suddenly, cold. So cold it shocked my system, jolting me back to consciousness.

I blinked, my eyes stinging and my vision blurry. A face hovered above me, and I recognized the amber eyes. Maxxon.

His brow was wrinkled as he knelt beside me on the rock ledge beside the pool. I tried to sit up, but my clothes clung to me, sopping wet and heavy, and I shivered in the cool subterranean air.

"Allie?" Maxxon's voice sounded distant, muffled, as if I were still underwater.

Underwater. The memory rushed back—stepping back and feeling nothing but air beneath my foot. Then hitting the water.

"Are you all right? Please, say something." The urgency in Maxxon's tone cut through my mental fog.

I tried to speak, but only managed a weak cough. Water dribbled from my mouth, and I turned my head to the side, spitting and sputtering.

"I'm... okay," My throat was raw. "What... what happened?"

Relief washed over Maxxon's face. "You fell into the pool. I pulled you out but only after untangling you from all the rope you pulled into the water with you."

I twisted my head to see the red, dripping rope barriers tangled next to me.

"It's my fault you fell," Maxxon said. "I didn't mean to startle you like that."

Startle me? Then it came back to me. I'd found Dinah and walked back into the cavern where he'd been rinsing off. I hadn't realized he'd be doing it completely naked, but that hadn't been what had startled me. Well, what had startled me the most. I'd seen the row of bumps running down his spine. They weren't unusual birthmarks or growths. They were too symmetrical for that.

I swallowed hard, recalling what he'd said when I'd asked him about the bumps. "Did you say you were an alien?"

Maxxon drew in a breath, his expression wary "I don't want to lie to you. Not anymore. Not after…" He flicked his gaze up. "I'm not from Earth, Allie. I'm a Drexian."

I stared at him, searching his face for any sign that this was all some elaborate joke. But his amber eyes held no deception. Amber eyes that were not human.

"But you're one of the good ones, right?" I asked, feeling slightly ridiculous even as the words left my mouth. "Not like the ones trying to kill everyone?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of Maxxon's mouth. "Yes, I'm one of the 'good ones,' as you put it. My people have been protecting Earth from the Kronock for generations. We hold humans in very high regard. In fact, many Drexians are mated to humans."

I managed to prop myself up on my elbows, sure I must have misheard. "What?"

Maxxon shifted uncomfortably, clearly realizing he'd said more than he'd intended. "That's why I'm on Earth. I work with the tribute bride program. It's part of the agreement between our species. In exchange for our protection from the Kronock, Earth provides a select number of compatible females for Drexian males to take as mates."

I gaped at him, my mind not fully processing his words. Aliens were real. Aliens had been protecting Earth. And apparently, some of those aliens were…what? Abducting women and knocking them up?

A giggle bubbled up in my throat at the absurdity of it all. "So, let me get this straight. Alien abduction is real?"

"Not in the sense that you might imagine. There are no little green creatures involved."

Small favors, I thought. "Your people have been secretly guarding Earth from evil aliens, and Earth lets you abduct women?"

Maxxon frowned. "That's a simplified version, but essentially, yes."

I wasn't sure which was more shocking—the fact that the planet was under attack by violent aliens or that Earth had been engaging in some kind of intergalactic matchmaking service without anyone knowing about it. If I hadn't seen the bumps on his back, I wouldn't have believed a word of his story. But I'd seen the massive gray spaceship in the sky, and the more I looked at him, the more obvious it was that he was not human.

Panic fluttered in my chest. I was hiding from an alien attack with an alien. Just great, Allie. Way to jump from the frying pan straight into the fire.

But Maxxon had done nothing but help me since the attack began. And he'd just saved my life—again. Besides, where would I run to escape him? Even if I wanted to escape.

A thought struck me, and my heart seized. "Is that... is that why you came to Earth? To take me as a bride?"

Maxxon's dark brows popped high, and he quickly shook his head. "No. I mean, yes, I came to Earth to find brides, but you weren't on my list. And they weren't for me, in any case. I'm just a recruitment officer."

"Oh, okay." Was that a twinge of…disappointment? Was I seriously wishing that an alien wanted to abduct me? Get a grip, Allie, I told myself. Things are not bad enough that you should be wishing for an alien abduction. Not that Maxxon looked like any alien I'd ever envisioned.

It hit me that I'd been staring at Maxxon's bare, inked chest as these thoughts raced through my mind. Nope, the rock-hard muscles, washboard abs, and bronze skin were like no human I'd ever seen before. My eyes traveled lower, and with a jolt of embarrassment, I realized he wasn't wearing anything at all.

Sweet mother of all that was holy! Talk about not being human. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I quickly squeezed my eyes shut.

"Um, Maxxon?" My voice came out higher than usual as I kept my eyes closed. "Where are your clothes?"

" Grek," Maxxon muttered—some kind of alien curse, I assumed. I could feel the heat of his body leave me and heard him moving away, presumably to retrieve his discarded clothing.

I kept my eyes firmly shut, trying to process everything I'd learned. Aliens were real. They were hot. And I was trapped in an underground cavern with a naked one who worked as an intergalactic matchmaker.

If someone had told me yesterday that this would be my life, I'd have laughed in their face. Now, I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

"You can open your eyes now," Maxxon said from across the cavern

I cracked one eye open cautiously. Maxxon stood a few feet away, wearing his shirt and pants that remained dirty. The jacket remained in tatters on the floor.

Before I could stand, the cavern trembled around us, small pebbles skittering across the rock ledge. The battle above was getting closer.

"We should get moving," Maxxon's tone was now stern. "Those tremors are getting stronger. We need to find a safer location deeper in the caves."

I scanned the cavern, grateful to see that Dinah hadn't gone far this time. She sat at the far end with one leg in the air as she furiously bathed herself. No doubt she'd been splashed with some of the water, an indignity I apologized for when I scooped her into my arms.

"I'm sorry, Dinah girl." I kissed the top of her head as I hoisted the tote onto my shoulder but didn't place her in it. "At least you didn't end up in the water with me."

She mewed, as a wave of dizziness washed over me, and I swayed precariously. In an instant, Maxxon was beside me, one arm wrapped protectively around my waist to steady me.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

I tried not to be insulted by the question. I wasn't some delicate flower who fell apart anytime anything bad happened, but I couldn't deny that my legs were like jelly, and my wet clothes clung uncomfortably to my skin. My bare arms prickled with goosebumps, but I refused to admit that I was cold.

"Of course." I tried to inject more confidence into my voice than I felt.

Maxxon looked skeptical but he didn't argue. He kept a steadying hand on my elbow as I held onto Dinah.

"The passage leads deeper into the cave system." I inclined my head toward the opening. "It's where I found this naughty girl. But there are no pools"

Maxxon stole a quick glance at both of us. "I would think you've had your fill of pools."

I almost laughed at this. "I guess I have."

We walked carefully down the path and into the deeper cavern, the lights becoming fewer and farther between.

"So, what happens after this," I asked without looking at Maxxon. "What happens if your guys beat the bad guys and save Earth?"

Maxxon stiffened slightly even though he didn't stop walking. "Then I guess things go back to the way they were."

I didn't want to tell the alien that he was delusional, but there was no way anything was going back to normal after this. There was no way my life would ever be the same again. "And you?"

He squared his shoulders. "I must return to the space station where I belong"

And I would stay on Earth where I belonged. But why did that thought suddenly make me sad?