Soul-Bonded to the Alien (2 page)

“Jennifer, I’m Paige and I will definitely tell her you recommended her.”

She took the directions from Jennifer before picking up her bags and walking out into the snow.

Chapter Two

Paige walked down the street, her suitcases rolling behind her. She was glad they weren’t cloth or everything in them would be soaked as she tugged them over the accumulating snow. The town was alive with people going places and children making snowballs as they followed parents down the street. Newburg was bigger than she hoped it would be, but it still had a cozy feeling. This was a long way from a large city.

She passed several shops as she made her way towards Selma’s establishment. Her stomach wanted to stop at the diner as the smell of home cooked food wafted out, but she kept walking. First order of business was a room, then when the bus left she would go back to the diner for dinner. The less people who realized she stayed in Newburg the better her chances of not being tracked down.

Knocking on the door of the bed and breakfast she hoped Selma was in.

“Come in.”

She walked in to see a beautiful young woman with black hair standing on a scaffold cleaning the light fixtures. Paige stopped in her tracks not wanting startle her.

“I wasn’t expecting visitors. Welcome to Selma’s bed and breakfast. How can I help you?”

Paige tried to open her mouth but she was held captive by the woman speaking. She had an aura about her that reached out and grabbed Paige making her feel like she was in a trance like state.

“I was hoping I could rent a room here for a couple of days until I found a permanent place to call home.” She mentally gave herself a shake.

“Perfect. We are always looking for women who want to find a home. Victor come catch me.”

“Darling, when did you start needing help?” a male voice rumbled out of a room close by.

“Since we received a visitor.”

Victor entered the room making Paige gulp. He was huge and handsome. The woman up on the scaffold was perfect for the man who entered. What had her heart beating faster was how he reminded her of the hottie in the alley. The one who starred in both her fantasies and her nightmares. There was no way he could be related to the men she fled from in California.

“Catch me.” The woman launched herself off the scaffold making Paige’s blood run cold as her heart speed up.

Victor laughed and caught her with an exaggerated umph. The woman laughed hitting his shoulder before giving him a quick kiss and sliding down to the floor.

“I’m Selma and this is my husband, Victor, we would love to have you stay with us for as long as necessary.”

“Thank you. I’m Paige and I only need a few days until I can find someplace else. I just need an apartment and a job.”

“I am sure you will find one. You can sign in over here.” Selma walked over to the desk indicating several pieces of paper she had out.

The spell that kept Paige from moving was broken, giving her an opportunity to look around the foyer. It was large with ornate lights on the ceiling; on the right was the desk that Selma stood at and on the left was an open door that seemed to lead into a large living area. Right in front of her was a beautiful staircase reminding her of the ones she saw in movies. She could imagine a kiss for the ages being played out on that staircase.

Shoving the romantic inside of her down, she walked over to Selma. She read over the paper work before signing, then she did a little internal dance when she saw the price of the room. She would be able to stay a while if needed. Coming in the off season would give her some breathing room financially.

“Let me show you to your room. Victor will bring your bags.”

“Why am I always doing the grunt work?”

Selma’s laughter floated down the stairs as she ascended.

He stood there with a smile on his face not looking one bit like a disgruntled worker.

“Come on, Paige,” Selma called down.

Grabbing her over the shoulder bag and her purse Paige followed Selma up the stairs.

“You must love living here, it’s beautiful.” The pictures that lined the walls were actual paintings. They were so detailed and precise catching the different scenes with an intensity that reached out to grab her. “I love these painting, they look like they should be in a museum.”

“Victor will be glad to hear that. He’s the artist in the family.”

“He painted them?”

“Uh huh. He painted those in his spare time. When he’s not painting he’s catching images with his camera. When you have settled in you should have him show you around his studio.”

“He must be famous.”

“He is, but you’ll never know it because he produces and releases under several different names. We like our quiet life in Newburg and want to keep it that way.”

“How many floors do you have?”

“We have three floors. This floor and the one above it are for guests. The top floor is where Victor and I live.”

Selma led her down the hall that held two doors on one side and one on the other. She stopped in front of the single door opening it. This will be your room.

Paige stepped in and turned around. This wasn’t a room, it was a suite. The kind she was sure she couldn’t afford.

“This is much too large, all I need is a small room.”

“Nonsense, this is perfect. You’re in the living area now. Behind the door to your right is the bedroom and the door on your left leads to the bathroom. We serve dinner at six, that gives you two hours to rest and refresh yourself. Here’s Victor with your suitcases.”

Paige turned around to find her luggage in the room but there was no sign of Victor.

“Thank you, Selma.”

“It’s my pleasure Paige, see you at six.” Selma closed the door as she left.

The living room was elegantly decorated in browns with accents of rose. The chairs and couch looked comfortably overstuffed. Paige took off her coat hanging it in a closet that was hidden in the corner of the room. Rolling her luggage behind her she headed for the bedroom, she might as well enjoy the luxury while she had a chance.

The bedroom made her dream of home. Not that she knew what home was. She was raised in an orphanage. She was never adopted, never fostered; she was the kid that no one ever noticed. She knew what institutionalized beds felt like and mass produced turkey as well as impersonal gifts under the tree. After she was old enough to go it alone she wanted to resent the orphanage but couldn’t. They did what they could so she would have a chance at life. It was too bad she never quite landed on her feet.

Touching the bed, she felt her hand sink in. The mattress would feel like she was sleeping on a cloud, she was sure of that. Quickly she stowed the clothes she brought thinking several of the items were impractical now that she actually saw the snow. After putting her suitcases away, she grabbed a change of clothes and headed towards the bathroom. She couldn’t wait to see if her bathroom was as luxurious as the rest of the suite.

The bathroom looked like it came right out of one of those beautiful homes magazines she bought when she was in the mood to torture herself. It was large with a deep soaker tub and a separate shower with several shower heads at different levels. As much as she wanted to try them out, her body was begging to slip into a tub of hot water with scented bubbles.

She turned on the faucet and searched the cabinets hoping a bubble bath would reveal itself. Eureka, she found several scents and sniffed each until she found the one that appealed to her, Summer Apple. Adding a liberal amount, she slid her tired body into the water and groaned with relief as her muscles began to relax.

Maybe this was just what she needed. A change of scenery may be the new start that would kick her life into gear. The last couple of years she had been drifting. When she left the orphanage she went directly to college on a full scholarship. The staff at the orphanage were proud that one of their children proved the system wrong. The house mother said to her, ‘You are strong and smart, you will beat the odds. I’m so proud of you.’

She studied to become an accountant. The work was tough, but the holidays were tougher because she had nowhere to go. In the end she prevailed. Graduation was a bitter-sweet time for her; no one held her tight or gave her flowers. She was a loner in college, driven to prove herself. The few friends she made were all going to different parts of the world and she was headed somewhere in California, the only state she knew.

Finding an entry level accounting job wasn’t hard. With her job and her apartment she thought her life was set. She would be rolling in friends and male company. Life didn’t always work the way she wanted. She found making friends on the job harder than when she was in school. It was cut throat and each person had their eyes on the position above them. Climbing the corporate ladder was the goal and anyone who got in the way was stepped on. Life there had been lonely, but the money wasn’t too bad.

Leaving the tub, she dried off and went to get dressed. As much as she wanted to sink into the bed, she wanted to explore more. She still hadn’t actually touched the white stuff drifting down from the sky. The thought of making a snowball made her smile. Yes, this was definitely what she needed.

She looked in the mirror; the jeans looked good on her slightly thicker size sixteen frame. She liked herself just as she was and she even met a few guys who liked her curves. Too bad none of them were keepers in the end.

The door to her room opened, catching her by surprise. A little bundle of energy flew in her direction. She caught him.

“Hi.”

“Oh, I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

“That’s ok,” Paige said letting him go. “Who are you?”

He drew himself up until he was as standing at his full height. “I’m Victor the second, but they call me Vick,” he said with all the pride of a young boy.

“Hi Vick, I’m Paige. Who are you running from?”

“My uncle is in town. He’s chasing me!” The laughter in his eyes and voice brought a natural smile to her face.

“Well you can hide in here for as long as you want. I was thinking about going out in the snow.”

“Are you going to make snowballs?”

“Uh huh,” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “I’m going to throw them also.”

“I’ll meet you outside we can see who has the best arm and make a snowman too.” With the energy of the young, Vick reversed paths and ran out the room.

Laughing, she went to the closet to get her coat and a thick pair of mittens.

Chapter Three

Her new boots and wool socks warmed her feet. Paige was glad she took the saleswoman’s advice on what to buy. The tennis shoes she was wearing earlier were still soaked through. She was standing outside in what she could only assume was their large yard surrounded by mountains of snow. Small mountains, still she’d only seen snow like this on television.

Reaching a hand out she let it swing back and forth through the top of a snow drift. The more she looked at the snow drift the wider her smile became. She backed up a little ways, turned to make sure no one was around before running, and then threw herself at the top. She landed with a thump, snow going everywhere as she slid off the edge of the drift. Her excitement rang loud and clear through the yard.

Jumping up, she couldn’t wait to do it again, it was the male laughter twining with the laughter from a child that stopped her.

Turning her head she saw a male with impossibly wide shoulders and a tall body standing with Vick at his side. She might have thought it was Victor but the brown hair peeking out from underneath the cap told her differently. He had on pair of wraparound sunglasses keeping her from seeing his face. This must be the uncle Vick told her about earlier. Her cheeks reddened a little, but she knew they would simply think it was from the cold.

“I love jumping into the snow. Did you like it?” Vick asked, his eyes alive with pleasure as he looked at her.

“I did, it was my first time ever trying it.”

“Why did you wait until you were so old to jump into the snow?”

“Where I come from there is no snow.”

“No snow! I would hate to live there.”

Paige laughed. “There are great things about living there, and maybe I’ll get a chance to tell you about them later. Although honestly I think I love the snow. Not sure about the cold though.”

She turned her attention back to the uncle, he really was broad with a slender waist. She didn’t realize how attractive a man like that could be, in the past she was always attracted to the nerdier type of guy.

“Vick, is this your uncle?”

He nodded his head. “This is my uncle, Calix. Uncle Cal, this is Paige, she’s the one I told you about who smelled real good like food.”

Paige found herself blushing as she tried to figure out what Vick meant. The Summer Apple bath wash came to mind. She tried to sniff herself discretely, she did sort of smell like heat and apples.

“You’re right, Vick, I can smell her apple scent from here. Paige, call me Cal, everyone does.”

“Nice to meet you, Cal. Selma and Victor were nice enough to let me stay even though it’s the off season up here.”

“They are always open to the ones who need them. Where are you from that you never saw snow before?”

“I’m from California and I’m fascinated with the snow.”

“Well around here we get lots of it and you can’t say you’re fascinated with it until you hit and have been hit with it.”

“Snowball fight,” Vick yelled diving into the snow and coming up with a ball of it in each hand.

He threw one at Paige and the other at his uncle.

“It’s on,” Paige yelled out, making an oddly shaped ball and throwing it at him.

It came apart before it reached Vick. Not phased, she got another handful of snow and tried again.

“You have to pack it tight,” Cal yelled as his snowball tagged her in the arm. “Like that. Vick, go help her. It will be me against the two of you.”

“Somehow I don’t think the odds are in our favor.” She bent over picking up more snow.

Paige followed Vick’s instructions for making a snowball and this one made it across the yard to hit Cal in the leg. She gave a victory yell and immediately made another one. They laughed and threw snowballs back and forth until she finally had to concede. Cal had taken it easy on them, but he was still declared the winner in the end.