Page 30 of Close Encounters of the Hot Kind

My image inducer flickers. No point hiding anymore. "My people are called the Vakutans."

"Like the ridged head I saw in the limo?"

"Yes. We're warriors, protectors. My real form is..." I gesture to my current appearance. "Somewhat less conventional by Earth standards."

"Red scales, golden eyes?" She takes a sip of wine. "I caught glimpses."

"And you're not... disturbed?"

"Please. I've seen weirder things in Chicago." She spears a bite of salmon. "What's your planet like?"

"Three suns. Purple skies. The gravity is stronger, which is why we're built the way we are."

"Is that why you're always so... commanding?" Her lips curl into a knowing smile.

The wine burns sweet on my tongue. "Vakutans are direct by nature. We take what we want."

"And what do you want, Varak?"

My chest tightens at the way she says my real name. "Originally? The restaurant's corner lot. Now?"

"Now?"

"Now I find myself wanting things I shouldn't." The admission comes easily, more easily than it should.

"Like what?"

"Like you." The words hang between us, honest and raw.

Her hand finds mine across the table. The touch of her skin sends electricity through my holographic disguise.

"Good thing I want you too. Scales and all."

"There's more you need to know." I release her hand and lean back. The weight of centuries presses down on my shoulders. "Before this goes further."

"More alien secrets?" Her fingers trace the rim of her wineglass.

"We're not just visitors from another world. We're from your future."

"What?" The wine sloshes as she sets down her glass.

"In 1990, a temporal accident brought several of us back here. When we discovered our enemies, the Grolgath, had also traveled back in time with plans to alter Earth's history, we formed an organization. Veritas."

"Like the Latin word for truth?"

"We protect the timeline. Keep history on its proper course." The lights of passing aircraft reflect off her face. "That's why I needed the corner lot. We detected Grolgath activity in the area."

"So you're telling me you're not just an alien..." She props her chin on her hand. "You're a time-traveling alien? What's next, are you a cyborg too?"

The laugh rumbles deep in my chest. "I assure you, everything about me is one hundred percent natural. As you'll soon discover."

"Promises, promises." Aileen's smile lights up her face before fading into uncertainty. "Are you sure that a super hero alien from the future wants to be with a plain old Earth girl who works slinging pizza?"

I reach across the table and take her hand in mine. Her skin feels like silk against my holographic disguise. The warmth of her spreads up my arm, making my scales tingle beneath the projection.

"It seems that I must now punish you three times."

"What?" A giddy laugh escapes her lips. "For what? What did I do now?"

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