Page 18 of Her Alien Matchmaker
Jet pulled me closer to him, and I didn’t push away.His warm skin, the fresh aroma of snow and clean air, and the quiet strength oozing from him wrapped me in tranquility.“Nir falient pasen, naro ci dun lertoi ci?”
I’d heard Volderen before, when patients begged for relief or fought against their bindings right before going under anesthesia, but I had no idea what Jet asked.
Voren inhaled, then let out a long sigh, motioning with a hand toward his spacecraft.“Take them both.Xyra is on the way to help me control this mutation and start reversing everything done to him.He will use the neural network they created to hack into Roswell’s system and delete all files pertaining to this research.”
Relief washed through my limbs, and I might’ve fainted if Jet hadn’t physically supported me.They’re going to take us, take Aaron.I won’t have to worry about XVU hurting him.
“But don’t think this deal will not come with consequences, Dr.Lambodino.”Voren bent down and clamped a silver circlet over Major Kastor’s head.The man collapsed to the ground.“Just like the other humans, you will earn your keep and assist us with preparations for our return journey.If you deviate one iota from your duties or give me a reason not to trust you, I will personally escort you to XVU’s underground headquarters, along with your son.Do you understand?”His shocking blue eyes pierced my soul.Of the dozens of aliens I’ve met, I know if I’d ever tried to experiment on him, he would’ve killed me with no questions asked.A chill traveled along my spine.
“I-I understand.My son is my priority.I promise to do everything I can to help you and make things right.”
Jet gave me a gentle squeeze, and Aaron tilted his head to glance at me, his worried face smoothing into a proud smile.“I knew you helped people.”
“Then let me clean up this garbage.Jetarin, you take the Sparrow to Mars.Atlantis is closer, but the council requests a first-hand accounting of your intel.Plus, they will want to ask your woman for additional information on past and future research, and with Lilly’s…condition…she will feel much better knowing we have access to a human doctor.We will load this abomination onto your ship once powered and escort him to Atlantis.”
“Thank you, Commander.”Jet released me and pointed to the ship.“Let us leave.I will get everyone settled.Aaron, I think you will love this.”
Aaron, already seemingly forgetting the trauma he’d been through and not even noticing the different skin color of the other alien, nodded furiously, his red curls bouncing around his face.“Can you teach me how to navigate it?Or do you use artificial intelligence to plot out a course?How fast does your ship go?”
The questions continued, and for the first time in a long time, I could take a deep breath.An invisible hand had been squeezing me for years, and with every experiment, it had forced out pieces of my morality, my humanity.How odd it took an alien—a being I’d thought lesser than me—to help me find those pieces I’d lost.
Sore, tired, and filthy, I followed Jet and Aaron onto the starship, more surprised at this new turn in my life than the alien technology surrounding me.
Chapter 7
Istaredoutthewindowinto the deep dark of space with Aaron curled asleep in my lap.Jet had said it would be okay to remove the restraints after takeoff, but we’d need to replace them before landing in an hour or so.
Stroking my fingers through his springy mess of hair, I smiled.Ten minutes ago, he’d been nearly rocking in his seat with questions about how things worked, its gravitational pull, what kind of shielding the Sparrows used, and other stuff above my head.
He’s still young, and I hope he’s able to bounce back from everything that’s happened.Maybe I haven’t scarred him for life.
I used my feet to swivel my chair to point toward Jet, who tapped on a virtual screen lit with neon colors.“I’m sorry.”My attention wandered to the back of his neck and downward, knowing exactly where’d I’d cut him, where I’d invaded his body and took pieces of its protective layer of myelin.
“Why?If things had not happened the way they had, you and I would not be where we are.”
“Yeah, and you wouldn’t be taking personal responsibility for your enemy and her son.”
“This has already healed.”He jerked a thumb behind him.“Besides, I took the mission months ago knowing full well the consequences.Out of all the scientists and doctors, you were kindest.”
“Kind?What I did was not kind.You were right when you called me out, reminding me I’d forsaken my oath.It forced me to really look, to see you and what I’d done,continueddoing.Doing something bad for the sake of good is still bad, no matter how someone tries to spin it.”
He held out a hand, his palm upward.“You also had a choice to kill me.Instead, you defied that command and risked your career and life to do the right thing.Perhaps it does not make up for past misdeeds, but itisa new path.”
I put my hand in his and squeezed, enjoying how his tougher skin brushed against mine, how secure I was with him near.“Voren mentioned a human woman, Lilly, being pregnant.Is there any way to see a medical chart or whatever you guys use?I did a rotation in obstetrics years ago, so I need to freshen up my knowledge and get a head start on what we’re dealing with, but I’d love to help however I can.”
Mars loomed closer as we traveled, even though I couldn’t sense any sort of momentum.The only sign we moved at all was the shrinking planet behind us.
He lifted my hand to his mouth and breathed, his breath warm.Flicking his forked tongue over the skin, he glanced at me beneath his brows, something wicked and mischievous dancing in their depths.
The staccato pounding of my heart competed with the heat rushing down my chest to my stomach, settling in my core.Keep it together.I survived death.I’m feeling this way because my body has been flooded with adrenaline and now needs release.That’s it.
“I’ll connect a data pad for you.”He sat upward and released my hand, grabbing a tablet and giving it a few taps.
Was he flirting with me?If so, I couldn’t deny our chemistry.Hell, I’d felt it in the lab, even when I’d tried to ignore him and any traces of his personality.
I can make a life with these people and become the mother and doctor I should’ve been a long time ago.And who knows?If he’s open to the idea, maybe I can even be something to Jet.Learning their culture and rituals appealed to me.To add to that, I’d also love to study their anatomy and physiology in detail and learn what their doctors had to teach, if they’d be willing.
This is a clean break for Aaron, for me.The wonders my son will see, the things he’ll learn; it’s so much more than I could give him on Earth.
