Page 95 of Claimed by an Alien Warrior

“What, Zoey?”

She cleared her throat. “Nothing.” Her grin abruptly faded when she realized what his original question had been. “Wait.Disturbances? What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” Rendash replied hurriedly, gaze reverting to the road ahead. “Nothing has happened. It’s been quiet, apart from all the humans breaking the law.”

Zoey eyed him. “Mhmm.”

He rummaged through the plastic bag in the center console. After a moment, he produced the Twix bar she’d bought for him. The package was torn open. “I saved one for you.”

“Awww.” Zoey accepted the candy bar. “I totally know what you’re doing, but that was super sweet of you.”

“I am not sure what you’re talking about. I just wanted to ensure you had something to enjoy when you woke.”

She smiled, leaned toward him, and kissed his cheek.

He returned the smile and focused on driving.

She looked out the window as she ate. The chocolate and caramel were a little much, right after waking up, but she didn’t want to reject his kind gesture. Besides, sugar overload was secondary to the true problem — shereallyhad to pee.

Granted focus by her discomfort, she watched with the eyes of a hawk for a rest stop sign, jabbing her finger toward the first one that appeared on the roadside. “Let’s stop there. We can take a bathroom break, and I’ll take over driving again.”

“All right. It will feel nice to stretch my legs.”

Zoey looked at him again. Even with the seat all the way back, his legs were folded up so much that he’d knee himself in the face if he braked suddenly. She couldn’t help but chuckle.

Ren’s application of the brakes was somewhat uneven as they pulled into the rest area. Zoey braced herself with a hand on the dashboard, using her other hand to cover her mouth, smothering her laughter. Somehow, he managed to pull into one of the spots on the edge of the lot without smashing his chin into his knee.

There were only a few other vehicles at the rest stop, all parked closer to the building and its bright spotlights.

“Well, you’re crooked as hell, but at least you’re in the lines,” Zoey said, sitting up to check in the side mirror.

“I told you it’s not that complicated.”

“I’m sure you didn’t run into anydisturbances.”

He offered her an exaggerated frown. “Don’t you have to pee, human?”

“There you go, changing the subject again.” Zoey laughed as she opened her door and climbed out.

Ren emerged from the driver’s side, pulling his hood up. He glanced toward the lights. “We’ve made it this far without incident, as far as you’re aware. What reason is there to worry over what might’ve happened?”

“You’re right. Thank you for driving, Ren.”

He dipped his head in a half-nod, half-bow as they walked toward the restrooms. “As long as it gave you a chance to rest and recover, it was worth all the disturbances that certainly didnotoccur.”

Zoey laughed. “I’m so glad I was asleep for everything thatdidn’thappen.”

They split when they reached the building. Zoey pushed open the door to the ladies’ restroom and entered. Two women stood in front of the mirror, voices echoing as they chatted while washing their hands. They both looked up at Zoey in the mirror as she passed.

“Oh, my God,” one of them said, eyes widening.

Zoey’s brows lowered in confusion. The women looked at her…with fear.

Without another word, the women hurried out the door, leaving Zoey alone. They didn’t even pause to dry their hands.

“Um, okay. That was…weird.” She stared at the closed door. A strange feeling filled her, but she couldn’t quite place it. Paranoia? Dread? The incident, however brief, seemed too surreal to fully acknowledge.

She stepped into a stall and relieved herself. Her lips twitched into a smirk as she realized the main reason why she had to go so badly.

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