Page 17 of Her Alien Matchmaker
“As for my lifecord, I will need a few more minutes, but I am not sure I can maintain the clarity and focus to control them—” He motioned to the dazed soldiers.“—And finish repairs.”
“I’ll get those cuffs they have on their belts and tie them up.Would that help?”
He nodded.“It will keep the smaller guys down, but I do not know if it will keep that abomination compliant.”
“I’ll take all the guns, and if he tries to break out, I’ll shoot him.”I released Aaron.“Stay right here with Jet.Mommy’s going to help take out the bad guys.”
“Okay.”He reluctantly released me.
“I know you’re scared, and so am I, but we have to push through the fear.”
He gave a solemn nod and squeezed Crockett to his chest; the once green crocodile now stained with sweat, tears, and dirt.“I can be brave and fight, too.”
“Being brave isn’t fighting against the urge to run, it’s doing something even if we know it’ll hurt us.Bravery doesn’t mean we don’t get scared.It means we do thingsdespitebeing scared, because we know it’s the right thing to do.Be brave a little longer for me.”
I put my words into action and walked to my former coworkers.
Jetarin subdued the soldiers mentally, forcing them to sit and put their hands between their backs.
I tightened the cuffs and removed every weapon I could find, putting them all into a pile near Jet, while he worked on the lifecord.
Major Kastor continued to act like a wild dog, his nose to the ground as he sniffed and licked the dirt, the grit of his teeth loud as he chomped on the sand and rocks.
I walked toward him and stopped, my gaze going to Jet, as if asking ‘Are you sure?’
“I have control of him for now.Please hurry.”
My speech about being brave applied to the current situation.This giant terrified me.Badly.He could snap my neck with one twist of his wrist or gore me with those sword-like horns.He’s nothing like the Volderens, nothing like Jet.No matter what procedures I’d performed on the aliens, they’d never tried to kill me.This guy?He’d kill just to satisfy some primal urge to prove his superiority.
We’ve been the monsters all along, and he’s the physical proof of it.
A low hum sounded from above, and a knot of dread tightened in my stomach.“Not again.”I didn’t know how many men Jet could control, and if this helicopter pilot didn’t have a neural connection, then Jet wouldn’t be able to do any sort of neural suggestions.
Kastor rocked back on his haunches, his eyes clearer as he glared at me, his muscles straining as if fighting invisible bonds.
As I reached for his wrists, ready to slip the wrist cuffs on, a deep pressure sounded from behind me, near the entrance.
“Thank the gods.”Jet closed his eyes for a moment, then motioned toward me.“You do not need to secure him.We have help.”
Kastor froze in place, and I dropped the cuffs and ran to Aaron, holding him against my leg as he clutched his crocodile.
A small, narrow ship, shaped like a triangle on its side, appeared in thin air.Near the cockpit, a door ascended into the ceiling and a ramp extended.Blue and tall, a Volderen man sprinted outward, his eyes surveying everything, a spear made of purple light glowing in his hands.
“It is good to see you winning, Jetarin.”The purple Volderen’s curly black horns contrasted with the alien’s golden eyes.
“I would not say I won, Voren, but perhaps more of a draw.”Jetarin pointed at his head, where the blue blood had started scabbing over his temple and along his scalp.
Voren gave the man a quick glance, then cast a cold gaze over me, narrowing his eyes when they landed on Aaron, but directing his next words to Jet.“Brax received your message and sent help as quickly as possible.Why is there a human woman and baby?”
Aaron’s shoulders straightened.“I’m not a baby.I’m six years old and I can read and write and I’m learning algebra.”
Sharp, white teeth showed with Jet’s smile.“Heisa bright child.I have offered our protection to Dr.Lambodino and her child, Aaron, for helping me escape the lab.”
“Wait.Is she not the doctor who experimented on you?”Voren’s eyes burned with hatred as he glared at me.
Jet limped to me and put a hand on my shoulder.“Yes, but complicated.We have come to an understanding, I think?”He turned his face to me, a question deep in his pupils.
I lifted my chin to Voren.“You’re right.I’ve made mistakes in my life, doing things in the name of science and justifying it with many excuses, but I want to do better.Ineedto do better.”A lump formed in my throat.“And I’ll understand if you refuse to help me, but please,pleasehelp my son.If you don’t, XVU will hunt us down and you know what’ll happen after that.”I bit the inside of my lip, using the pain as a focal point.“He’s a kid.I’ll do anything to protect him, even if it means begging for mercy from those I’ve hurt.”
