Page 15 of Claimed By the Alien Assassin
So I say it again, steady this time.
“Help me.”
And the second I do, I know something’s changed.
In him. In me.
Somethingshifts.
Not a big moment. Not some flashy epiphany.
Just this… feeling. Deep and quiet and unrelenting. Like stars settling into new orbits. Like something older than either of us just nodded and said,yes, this.
I try not to tremble.
He exhales and finally speaks. “What’s the plan?”
I blink.
“The—wait. You’re saying yes?”
His mouth twitches, not quite a smile. “You asked.”
“That’s it?”
“For now.”
I blink again, then nod. Too many thoughts crash into each other in my head, and none of them make it to my mouth in one piece. I settle for breathing.
Dayn turns toward the bar. “You have somewhere to regroup?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Room above a gambling den.”
He glances at me. “Classy.”
“You should see the water pressure.”
“I’ll pass.”
Despite everything—despite the bruises on my pride and body—I laugh. It’s not elegant. It’s more of a bark. But it’sreal.
And suddenly, I’m not alone in the fight anymore.
I have a weapon.
And he has a reason.
CHAPTER 4
DAYN
I’m leaning against the bar when she returns—boot soles tapping out a rhythm that quickens the pulse in my ears. The flicker of neon sends shadows across her face, and I can’t think of a reason not to stand. Not one that holds.
She pushes through the crowd, that scent of burnt ozone and adrenaline chasing her steps toward me. The air changes when she’s close—tight and tense, like the moment just before a lock clicks shut.
I let her sit without a word, but I don’t move. My coat’s still heavy around her body shape, the static whisper of undisclosed things lingering in the fibers. I don’t know how to say it aloud, but I can’t turn away.
“Thought you might not come back,” she says quietly. Her voice is raw now—not angry, not pleading—but honest. Vulnerable. It feels like an injury.
