All the saliva in my mouth dries. My heart beats wildly. He dressed in what looks like black leather pants that conform tightly to his body, showing off long, strong legs that carry the same musculature as humans. Well defined, bulging musculature. A red shirt wraps over his chest and abdomen, leaving a deep V that shows off the inner corners of huge pectorals. The sleeves hug his biceps and forearms before wrapping around his wrists.
He’s wearing a series of necklaces that appear to be made from shells and bone and stone. One earlobe is adorned with small cuffs of brightly polished metals. His thick dreadlocks are tied back with a leather band. Adrenaline dumps into my gut, warming my blood and heightening my senses. Interestingly, the fight or flight instinct doesn’t kick in. I am grounded to my spot, unable to do anything but watch as his long, tall, and broad body approaches me.
He’s a pure white alien. A real one. Analien-alien.
He stops about five feet away and tilts his head to study me. His unusual eyes pin me in place. Warm tension seeps into my muscles, anticipation quickening my breath. It’s the same sensation I had while waiting for something amazing to happen inside the Desire Dimension tunnel. I’m not afraid, just apprehensive and, well, curious. At some point, my brain stopped fully functioning, probably due to the shock of realizing my situation. My mind is trying to protect itself from reality, but it’s making it difficult to process each moment as it happens.
The alien takes another step toward me and stops. A lock of his hair unfurls from behind his back and extends to me like a thick, silky white snake. Frozen from awe, I can only watch as the lock touches my cheek. Softly, tentatively, and then with more confidence, rubbing along my jaw in a fluttery caress.
I’m being stroked in the face. By an autonomous lock of alien hair.
The alien makes an odd sound, and his scales light up at the tips. Color rolls over his body and I completely lose my ability to move, to speak. To do anything but watch in utter disbelief as this guy lights up like a cosmic Christmas tree. The colors outline his form in a gossamer veil and he legit shimmers, flashes brightly, before the colors disappear completely. His hair drops quickly away from me and the colors fade.
A confounded expression crosses his features, as if he’s as stunned as me.
“You are who?” His words are gruff, and he regards me as if I’m a dangerous predator.
“Fern. Fern Bostacheck. From Fargo? North Dakota. Uh, what just happened to your body?”
His jaw works to one side as he eyes me warily. It’s difficult to read his expression fully because he doesn’t have pupils or irises to display emotion. I usually take people at face value, but that’s exponentially more difficult considering he has not discerning inner eye features.
“My body signals its intentions to mate. What sorcery is this?”
Mate? Gripping the sheet harder, it’s my turn to back up. “Whoa, buddy. You’re interesting looking and all, but we are not mating.”
He’s not listening. Turning his hands over, he looks at them and then looks at me. I don’t have a chance.
“You give me color.”
He’s on me in a blink, taking my arms in his huge white hands and wrapping his fingers around my biceps. My veins react as if I’m getting an intravenous line of molten liquid. It burns from the inside out, my skin growing warm and itchy. The sensation crawls up my neck and lines the inside of my thighs. My breasts ache, sweat beading between them and along my hairline.
The sheet flutters to the ground and tangles around my ankles. Half of my brain is mortified, but the other—the side that suddenly wants to fight back—could care less that I’m stark naked in front of this creature.
His eyes rove my body, something shifting in his expression. Damn, I can’t tell with his blacked-out eyes, but his lips pull tight and a muscle jumps in his cheek, but I think he’s assessing me.
Reacting on pure instinct I didn’t know that I had, I kick his thigh and twist, breaking one of his hands free. Ducking beneath his arm, I grab his wrist with both of my hands and pull down with all my body weight. His arm buckles, but he grabs me again. Gasping, I roll to the ground. The alien tumbles on top of me and grabs my waist as our eyes lock.
He’s glowing again! Brighter than before. His body could be a mirror for the cosmos, reflecting every pastel swirl and swatch of vibrant jewel tone. He blinks and the ink of his eyes becomes highlighted with star dust. My own eyes widen. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, and I can’t look away. I’m rooted to his face, locked on his glittery gaze as if we’re knotted together by invisible bonds.
“This is outrageous!”
A shrieking female voice breaks the spell. He jumps back and gracefully resumes his posture, coming to full attention as his colors fade. The female who stabbed me reaches for a dagger in a holster at her side. Grabbing for the sheet, I curse under my breath and pull it over my body.
“Why did you open the portal? To let this creature in?”
“I did not open the portal, Maneshha.”
“Lies. You broke the treaty that was to be sealed with our union. My demands have changed, Gamalt. The price you must pay for deceiving my people is very, very high.”
He looks annoyed. “They areourpeople. And I deceived no one.”
She smirks. “Does your Queen feel the same? Is that why you’ve been placed under house arrest? You’ve lost the favor of the royals. You used your weakened powers to open a portal on our wedding day! An act of treason equal to slicing the Queen’s throat.” Her eyes go wide as she looks again at me. “You saved this assassin from my brother’s sword. Why?”
The wound she inflicted on me earlier pulses painfully. Blood pools to the surface of the gauze. Despite the injury and the pain, I have the urge to fight. My fingers curl into fists, my muscles tightening.
“I cannot explain that.”
“Oh, I think I can,” she sneers. “You will find yourself accountable for what you have done. My people already demand retribution. Since it is clear that you’re still able to manipulate portals, my price now includes access to whatever realm this creature came from.”
