I nodded, smearing the runaway paint with my brush.
“You know, I have no idea why I’m giving you lessons, but for some reason, you inspire trust.” Her lips quirked into a smile.
“Do you believe in fate?” My words were soft.
She frowned, then stood, putting her brush inside a cup of water sitting near the ladder and wiping her hands onto her apron. “Fate, destiny, free will. I don’t know what I believe in, but I believe everything happens for a reason.”
I mimicked her movements with my brush then faced her. “What if I said we are…soulmates. Would you think I am crazy?”
Gerri shrugged. “I’ve heard crazier stuff. Besides, who am I to judge? Most people thinkI’mcrazy for being alone and not owning a house.”
So, she did not balk at the soulmate question. Interesting.
“It is rare in my culture, but when one’s mate is found, the bond is undeniable. It pulls at a person’s very being, driving them to do anything for that person.”
“I’m not really that kind of woman, Drayven.” She gave an apologetic smile. “I’m a one-and-done, leave-them-before-the-morning kind of gal.”
Slowly, giving her time to anticipate my movement, I lifted a finger toward her face.
She did not pull back.
Gently, I placed my hand against her cheek. “Who are you running from?”
Under my touch, I could sense her muscles shifting, stiffening. She knocked my arm away. “I’m not running fromanyone.” Her tone lowered. “Not anymore.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but something hit the pavement with a metallic ping.
She and I both followed the sound.
“Godsdamn it all,” I whispered. The ugly lifecord lay on the asphalt, its dark metal absorbing the sun’s rays.
Pure dread settled into the pit of my stomach.
Gerri let out a gasp, her attention moving up my body to land on my face.
Inside, I yearned to run away, knowing my human projection no longer showed. Instead of a man, she saw a purple-skinned Volderen with black horns jutting on either side of his forehead, sharp white teeth, and a forked tongue.
“What in thefuckare you?” She stumbled backward, the whites of her eyes so pale against her skin.
“Wait, please wait.” The scent of acrid fear poured from her body. “Do not leave. I am still Drayven. This is my true form. That bracelet is what we call a lifecord. It does many things, including allowing us to visit your planet incognito.” Unbridled panic overwhelmed me.If she goes to the human police, if anyone drives by and sees me, XVU will descend on this town in a heartbeat.The Xeno Vigilance Unit, a secret branch of the Air Force, had been after my kind for decades, ever since one of our craft crashed in Roswell in 1947 and they could not extract or understand our technology.
“Stay away from me. Jesus Christ.” Her voice shook, but she managed to stand. Sweat beaded on her brow.
Despite my desire to touch her, to calm her, I did not step forward. I did not want to make a terrible situation worse.
“Gerri, I am sorry for…this.” I extended my hands, nodding down to my body. “I came here looking for inspiration, and instead I found you.”
She pressed her back against the brick wall, splaying her hands against the surface. Every muscle in her body seemed tense, ready for flight. For a moment, she closed her eyes and shook her head, as if I were a nightmare she could not escape.
“I never intended to cause you pain. I will not bother you any longer.” With an aching pang in my heart, I turned to the wooded area on the other side of the road.
“Youliedto me. You let me believe you’re someone you’re not,” she whispered.
I froze. The morning sun glimmered over the trees lining the field; the golden rays bathing my body in warmth. “If I had revealed myself when we first met, would you have accepted the truth of what I am?”
A few birds called from the branches. In the air, my nose detected green plants, like the ones in the hydroponics lab on Mars. The sounds and smells of life on this planet threatened to overload my senses. I had come to Earth looking for beauty, and I had found it, but at what cost?
Gerri’s breathing leveled, but she remained still.
