Page 20 of Wrong Bed Right Alien

“No.” He hated to deceive her.

“This way, please.”

Linda led them up a sketchy staircase made of crumbling steps that were littered with debris from the crumbling wall. Linda maneuvered the worn, slippery stairs like a pro while Kimber palmed the wall the keep from slipping. The condition of the building got worse the higher they went. Cracked windows and unfilled crevices between the stones allowed the breeze to enter. Puddles formed where water dripped steadily through.

His cellular device chimed with a text from Tristan.Are you with the woman?

Yes. I’ll be back tomorrow.

Tristan hovered like a worried mother. He was born to watch over A’zal Ost Hilstra—Ethan — and bound to be his First Companion and advisor for life. Ethan often felt guilty that duty tied his friend to him this way, forbidden from ever having a mate or family of his own. He’d hoped Tristan would take advantage of his relaxed status on Earth during the Ruspa. He hadn’t so far. And the clock was ticking.

“This place it literally crumbling around us.” Kimber’s wary voice pulled him from his thoughts. “Belinda was right to warn us about bringing hard hats.”

Her sweet scent washed over him. He pulled it in with a deep, quiet breath.

“By the way, Ethan, what happened to you last night? One second you were with me and the next you were gone.”

He’d thought about how to explain it to her, but covering his actions with lies wasn’t a human skill he’d yet mastered. Telling her the truth was out of the question. Was there a good way to inform her that he was an alien from the planet Luxxor who’d come to Earth to enjoy himself before entering a long period of intense military warfare training? The disappointment in her tone when she’d spoken about her father’s experience with alien abduction was telling. She wasn’t ready for the truth. Any of it.

“I… had an emergency.” It’s what they always said in the movies. “I’m sorry I left so abruptly.”

Her face skewed. She clearly didn’t believe him. But it was the truth. The electrical storm caused his already malfunctioning holographic skin to glitch. If he hadn’t teleported to the cottage he and Tristan were staying in, she would have seen his actual form. Every inch of his purple and black alien form. He was pretty sure that qualified as an emergency.

“You could have mentioned it instead of leaving me standing there, looking for you like an idiot.”

They reached the top of the landing and followed the servant down a dimly lit, narrow hallway. The scent of dampness and stale air was stronger up here. Wrinkling her nose, Kimber frowned in distaste. This place wasn’t acceptable to her. He could take her to Luxxor and show her the ancient palace, a stone compound with turrets that reached toward the stars, and a grand ballroom with a clear dome that absorbed the shine of the moon and lit the entire lower complex each night in a silver-green glow. They lovingly maintained it, even though no one lived there anymore.

“Here you go, Ms. McLeedy.”

They went past several doors before Linda stopped and opened a thick arched wooden door with a fling of her skinny arm. It creaked loudly before banging to a stop on the inside wall, causing dust and small bits of debris to rain down.

Ethan frowned. No, this place was not suitable, and he wished to take her out of here. Now.

“Sir, will you follow me?”

Reluctant to leave Kimber, Ethan hesitated before relenting. His room was two doors down on the same side. Thanking the maid, he waited until she left to return to Kimber’s room. She’d left the door open and was standing just inside with her hands on her hips.

“This isn’t creepy or anything.”

The room was lit with flickering sconces on the wall and a large overhead chandelier that had half of its crystal embellishments missing. An oversized bed sat in the center of the room with a black canopy and matching midnight sheets and blanket.

Curious, he inspected his room and found it exactly the same, right down to the broken chandelier. Kimber stood outside her door with her arms crossed. “There’s no way I’m sleeping in this room tonight.”

“You said you weren’t staying.”

“That’s right, becauseyou’regoing to drive us back to Dingle.”

He hated to disappoint her, but he’d teleported. “I got a ride here.”

She tossed her hands up. “That explains why I didn’t see your car parked next to the death trap I drove. Can you drive a manual? I got the clown car here, but I’d kill us heading back in this storm.”

Unless he could control the car with his mind the way he did his Y-wing fighter craft, no.

“No, sorry.”

She pulled a breath through her nose, clearly discouraged. “It’s fine. The storm will probably stop before it’s time to go. I don’t mind driving in the dark. It’s the rain, lightning, and mud that bothers me.”

She needed comfort. Moving to her, Ethan took her hand lightly in his. Her lips were pinched with worry. He could kiss it away, kiss her until she was pliable and willing in his arms like she’d been last night. His mating urges had plagued him all night. It was perplexing and strange. The Luxx had never intermixed with humans before now. They didn’t abduct or perform experiments to determine if humans and Luxx were biologically compatible. He’d felt sexual urges toward human females since arriving on the planet, but the chaos inside him with Kimber was more than the need for a quick release.

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