In His Alien Hands (22 page)

“How long will you be gone?”

He shrugged. “As long as it takes.”

So he planned to go out there and face the Cadeyrns in battle, to put his life on the line for the sake of humanity. She felt sick with dread. “But how are you going to get out? You said the shield is impenetrable. Are you going to take it down to fly out?” He’d have to lower them to the ground first obviously.

His tight smile appeared to patronize her. “There’s a device onboard my ship that allows me to pass through the shield without causing any damage.”

“What if the Cadeyrns possess that ability as well?”

“They don’t.”

She couldn’t believe he was going to leave her there while he went off into battle. “What if something happens to you?”

“Like I said, the shield will protect you as long as it’s needed. If the threat to the town ends, the orb will lower back into place and the shield will come down.”

“But what about me? What about us?” She wanted to grab hold of him and shake that blank look off his face. He had finished his dinner and pushed his plate aside. As he got to his feet she could see he was becoming irritated.

“You’ll be safe as well.”

She stood up. “But you might not be. You’ve never been in battle before. You’re a writer for God’s sake!”

“And now I’m a Sentinel. I assure you, necessary skills have been hardwired into my being.” He seemed annoyed that she’d dared to remind him of his earlier existence. “Why don’t you go to bed? You look tired.” He walked past her and went out the door, his heavy steps pounding down the stairs.

After staring long and hard at his back, she picked up the cat and went to bed.

The next morning when she got up Bane was already gone. He’d taken his ship and she had a gut feeling he wasn’t coming back to say goodbye before he left. Annoyed, she fed the cat, got dressed, and put on her hiking boots, determined to walk into town. If she followed the dirt road to the main road, she could probably make it in an hour or so. Even though Bane was being an asshole she was determined he wasn’t going to leave her without a proper goodbye.

Chapter 8

Bane was coming out of the police station when Josie finally spotted him. She’d noted on her trek through town that some of the stores had signs in the windows announcing they now had power. That was fast.

“Bane,” she called out, increasing her pace to match his swift strides. Wherever he was going he was in a hurry. Hearing his name, he stopped and glanced around. Josie waved and went over to him. “Are you leaving now?”

He smirked. “In a hurry to get rid of me?”

She couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. They stood on the sidewalk in front of Albion’s library. Bane hadn’t bothered to connect the power in there she noted, as it was still locked up tight with a closed sign on the door. A number of people were on the street, most of them carrying bags, anxious to stock up on supplies now that some shops were open for business. The inevitable stares and guarded looks were directed their way.

“I was afraid I’d miss you before you left,” she said.

“You would have. I’m leaving now.”

She bristled at his callous tone. “Can I walk with you to the ship?”

He shrugged and turned to walk away. “Suit yourself.”

She fell into step behind him. He’d parked his ship in a clearing surrounded by tall trees. He took a remote from his pocket and opened the hatch without slowing his pace. Josie reached out and grabbed hold of his hand. “Wait! Aren’t you even going to kiss me goodbye?”

He exhaled in a huff. Stiffly, he bent his head and kissed her hard on the lips. As he went to move away she grabbed hold of his jacket and pulled him close again. Entangling her fingers in his collar, she held him captive and went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Despite the coldness of his lips she felt him slowly relax. Heat washed over her as his tongue darted into her mouth. Greedy hands began pawing at her breasts before moving down to cup her ass, lifting her up against his arousal.

“I want to fuck you before I leave,” he said, his breath hot against her neck.

She nodded her head in agreement. Oblivious to their precarious surroundings he undid her pants and pushed them down around her knees. She felt the cool air against her skin and self-consciously peered around. Bane undid his pants and pulled them down enough to free his cock. She reached for the hard length of him that felt like smooth steel in her hands. Swiftly, before he lost interest, she bent to untie her bootlaces and kick off her jeans and panties.

Dropping to her knees, she grasped hold of his cock again and put it to her lips. Swirling her tongue around the tip, she fondled his balls and stroked his long shaft. He tensed and reached down to pull her to her feet. He moved his hands to her ass and lifted her into position so her legs wrapped around his hips. Lowering her, he eased his cock inside her and backed up to brace himself against the spaceship. His strokes were swift and intense, deep and unforgiving. She lost herself in ecstasy while he took her masterfully without reserve.

Her climax came fast and hard, overwhelming her and making her cry out, “I love you, I love you!”

His grip on her ass tightened. He stiffened and came hard, gasping and grunting his release. Moments later he lowered her and tugged his pants back into place. She felt saddened by his refusal to offer her the slightest endearment, considering they were parting for what might be forever.

She dressed with haste. “Be careful. Don’t take any chances. I love you, Bane. Come back to me.”

His cool expression faltered momentarily. He reached out and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I’ll do what has to be done. If I die completing my mission, so be it. Goodbye.” He nodded his head in her direction and turned to leap up into the open door of the ship.

He stood facing her as the hatch swished down, blocking him from view. A few minutes later the ship lifted up and was gone. She lost sight of it briefly as it disappeared high into the sky. The sun glinted off the top and sides of the orb, and she spotted the ship as it approached the barrier.

A ray of light shot forth from the ship. It appeared to penetrate the translucent wall, but then she saw that the shield changed to a dark blue where the ray of light hit. Slowly, the vessel eased forward. She held her breath as it slipped easily through the small circle of blue. Once the ship was outside of the shield, the bluish color quickly faded away as though it had never been. A few seconds later the ship shot off and was gone from sight.

Josie sat down on the grass and began to cry. As her sobs subsided she heard what sounded like someone clearing their throat. She got to her feet. “Is someone there?”

The man who’d pulled the gun at the park had appeared. His hands were raised, displaying he was unarmed, and he wore a bashful look on his face. “I’m not packing, I swear.”

She took an involuntary step back. “What do you want?”

He didn’t move any closer, only swept his gaze around the area as though searching for something. “I’d say I didn’t mean to interrupt, but it looks like you’re alone. I would have sworn I heard something.”

Yeah, me and Bane having sex, she thought with embarrassment. “I wasn’t alone.” She looked up into the sky.

The man followed her gaze and then nodded in understanding. “Ah, he took off.”

“Yes.”

He smiled. “So I wasn’t hearing things.”

Despite what had happened yesterday, she felt her defenses lift slightly. Everyone had been terrified at the park, and she could understand how things had gotten out of hand. She smiled back at the young man. “No, you weren’t.”

Encouraged, he moved toward her and stretched out his hand. “I’m Vincent. My friends call me Vince.”

“Okay…” She trailed off, not sure how to address him.

He laughed. “Or, in your case, you can call me Neurotic Jerk.”

Now she laughed. “Everyone was pretty tense,” she admitted.

He looked at her without a trace of humor. “I wouldn’t have shot anyone. The gun wasn’t even loaded. I’m sorry if I freaked you out.”

“In view of the circumstances, I can understand your reaction. We were all pretty freaked out, I think.”

“Yeah, but not everyone was pulling out weapons.” He laughed again. “He got me good though. Serves me right for pulling a gun on an alien...or what was that he called himself?”

“A Sentinel.”

“Yes, a Sentinel, an imposing title. Although, I guess it should be seeing as how they’re here to, you know, save the world and all.”

She would have taken offense if he’d sounded sarcastic, but he hadn’t.

He gestured upward. “So where’s he off to?”

She wasn’t sure if she should reveal Bane’s plans or not, but considering he’d already told the leaders of Albion that he’d be leaving, she figured it’d be a matter of public knowledge soon enough.

“Now that the town is secure, Bane left to battle the invaders.” She felt a little shiver run through her at the thought. He was actually gone, and she didn’t know if she would ever see him again. A stray tear slipped down her cheek, and she rubbed at it absently.

Vincent stared at her with confusion. “He left? But how’d he get out? I mean that’s what our huge beef was yesterday—not leaving once the shield was in place. He said no one leaves and no one gets in.”

“He must have meant only the townspeople. He obviously didn’t mean himself since he planned to leave all along once we were safe. Although, I just found out about it last night.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice. “His ship has special technology allowing it to penetrate the shield without bringing it down or undermining it. I saw him go, he passed right through it.”

“Wow. Impressive.” Vincent stared up at the sky then dropped his gaze to hers once more. “That must have been a bit of a shock to you—him springing it on you that he was leaving.”

Josie nodded once. “I understand. I mean, he’s so focused right now on keeping everyone safe.”

Vincent looked at her with compassion. “Of course. The pressure he’s under must be considerable. But still…”

If he kept looking at her that way, she was afraid she’d break down again. “I should get going. It’s a long walk back.” She headed toward the trees and Vincent fell into step beside her.

“You’re staying out at that cabin in the middle of nowhere on Bentley Lake, right?” The look she gave him obviously portrayed her confusion. “It’s what a bunch of us in town thought, since it’s so secluded and all. It’s the perfect place to hide out,” he explained.

Josie figured there was no harm in him knowing where she was staying. “Yes, I am.”

“Hey, my truck is just across the street in the lot. Would you like me to give you a lift? I’m actually a nice guy, I’ll have you know.”

She laughed. “Oh, you are, are you?” She’d heard about residents in small towns being so neighborly, and she knew she needed to make an attempt to fit in. Who knew how long they were all going to be stuck inside the orb together?

He laughed as well. “I can’t have you running off thinking I’m an asshole.”

“I didn’t…”

He placed his hand over his heart as though wounded. “Oh, you did! All this time you were being polite, but really you were thinking—”

“No, I wasn’t, really.” She knew he was teasing her, but it felt good to laugh again. “All right, I accept your offer.”

Together they left the shelter of the trees and crossed the street to his truck.

Josie invited Vince—as he insisted she call him—in for lunch. He hadn’t given off any crazy vibes along the drive home and she found herself enjoying his sense of humor and the way he poked fun at himself. They soon sat on the back deck, eating sandwiches and drinking cola. She admitted to herself he reminded her of Bane. Not Sentinel Bane, but old Bane, the one she’d fallen head over heels for. Markley sat in the bedroom window behind her, and she could hear his tail thrashing back and forth.

“He knows I’m allergic to him and he wants to get his claws into me,” Vince said, indicating the cat. As soon as they’d walked in the cat had hissed loudly at the intruder. Josie, noting Markley’s murderous look, had suggested Vince head out onto the front deck.

“He’s upset his daddy’s gone.” Although Bane hadn’t acted overly fond of Markley the past several days either.

“His daddy? Oh, that’s cute.”

The expression on his face made her laugh. “There’s been so many changes for him. I’m surprised he’s handled it all so well.” She meant Markley.

Vince set his empty plate down and rubbed the crumbs off his hands. “There have been a lot of changes for the entire world. I’m surprised we’re all not waving guns around.”

She was thoughtful for a moment. “I think that’s why the Sentinels concentrate on the smaller towns—a lot less people to worry about. They seem more laid-back here and not as prone to the hysteria you’d see in the big cities with a mass population.” She’d seen firsthand the effect the invaders had on her city. She could only imagine how insane it was there now.

When Vince didn’t respond to her ponderings and remained silent and thoughtful she asked him what was wrong.

“Oh, nothing. I just find my mind wandering to all kinds of dark places sometimes.”

“Are you worried? Bane assured me we’d be safe here.”

He didn’t appear convinced. “I know, but don’t you ever question what he tells you? From what you’ve said I get the impression he’s not the same man you knew.”

“He’s not. He’s completely different,” she admitted.

“Different how?”

She shrugged, not really wanting to talk about her concerns, yet at the same time relieved to have someone to confide in. “He’s completely focused on his mission. It’s a huge weight to carry and probably the reason why he’s been so commando, so cold.”

“I know I shouldn’t mention this, but yesterday in the park, the way he spoke to us—
at
us—I got the impression he didn’t even want to be here. As though he resented having to protect us. But it’s probably as you said, he’s carrying a huge weight.”

Josie didn’t want to admit that Vince was right. She’d felt an underlying resentment, almost distaste in Bane, not just for her but for all humans. Maybe it was stress, or maybe it was because the Acacians were so vastly superior. Who knew?