“Now, this next one’s not a rule so much as a request. Stay in the car. Don’t get out unless you’re in danger. I’m going to go in, pay for some gas, and see if they’ve got any clothes for you. Deal?”
“Yes, Timber.”
Twenty minutes and a wardrobe change later, we were back on the road. Timber had acquired a hooded shirt, a “ball cap,” and some darkened glasses for me, along with some leg coverings she called “jeans.” It was difficult to change clothes in the car, but she still refused to let me get out. Since I didn’t need bathroom facilities at the time, she said it wasn’t crucial for me to expose myself and risk detection.
The clothing was rather warm given the humid weather, but Timber insisted I keep the hat on and the hood up, even in the car. She pressed some buttons on the console, and cool air started to pour out of a vent in front of me, somewhat alleviating the heat.
“That better?” she asked.
“Yes, but …”
She raised a brow at me. “But what?”
I gestured to her outfit. “You have not changed since we met. Do you not wish to change clothes as well? As I understand it, humans change clothing frequently, often more than once a day.”
“No time for that,” she said. “I’ve gotta keep you safe. I’ll worry about what I’m wearing later.”
“Where will we go?” I worried less for my own safety than for that of Timber. She was nearly injured when her partner attacked us. “Where could we possibly find a safe place that I won’t be spotted?”
Timber grinned. “Ever been to a comic convention?”
Chapter 7
Timber
It was pure luck that there was a pop culture con happening that weekend in Michigan, but it was also the perfect place to hide N’kal in plain sight. If anyone asked, I could just say he was in costume. What do the kids call it? Cosplay. Besides, it would give him a chance to mingle with humans before the AARO locked him up or sent him home or did whatever they planned to do with him.
We had to redirect and add some time to our trip, but it was the best plan I had for keeping N’kal safe until Steve and his agents could verify that it was okay to bring him to the intake center.
Thankfully, the hotel hosting the event had an open room, though it was pricey. Three hundred bucks a night for one bed! Outrageous—but I understood supply and demand, and with all the nerds sharing rooms to save money, it figured that the only room left would be a single-bed suite.
At least, the AARO was footing the bills for now.
What the room lacked in extra beds it made up for in amenities. A mini fridge, complete with tiny bottles of liquor, a microwave, a small couch (thank God!), and even a small balcony with some chairs. Not that I planned on allowing N’kal use of the balcony, but it was a nice touch.
I immediately snatched the sugar packets off the coffee station and ripped them all open, flushing the crystals down the toilet before N’kal could get any ideas. I didn’t need a coked-up horny alien added to my already full plate.
Once we had settled into the hotel room, I got on my burner and looked up ticket prices for the convention. I groaned as I saw the cost for last-minute tickets, and I hoped the accountant at the AARO didn’t have an aneurysm when they saw my expense report.
With our tickets for the long weekend obtained, I realized N’kal’s ruse of being in costume wouldn’t quite work with his hoodie, jeans, and hat. I’d have to find him something that fit better with “alien visiting Earth”—which meant a shopping trip. Did I trust him to stay at the hotel by himself while I went out in search of something appropriately sci-fi? Not really, which meant I’d have to take him with me.
Luckily for us, it seemed the nerds and freaks were out pregaming in the city, and we ran into several people already in costume while at the mall. N’kal got quite a few compliments on his “makeup,” and I quickly explained that it was a practice run for the weekend. He seemed to enjoy the attention, but I made sure to drag him away from any swooning fangirls before he could get any bright ideas about finding a mate and bringing her back to the hotel. If he didn’t understand that masturbating in front of me was wrong, he likely wouldn’t understand that mating in front of me would be equallyfaux pax.
I found him some black skinny jeans with buckles and chains at a goth clothing store, and a pleather vest with more hardware.He looked alien enough in them, I guess, and the final touch was a pair of chunky black boots with—you guessed it—more chains.
He actually looked pretty hot in all that gothy gear, if I was allowing myself to admit that much. I’d never tell him, but he looked almost … mate-worthy.Almost. I still wasn’t going to fuck him, but a girl might imagine what it’d be like.
I picked out a few more outfits of similar construction to get us through the weekend, then, after much pressing from N’kal, got myself some coordinating stuff to wear. I figured if I was gonna be his guard for this, I had to play the part. I wasn’t too keen on the Japanese schoolgirl skirty-skirts and the knee-high boots I found, but at least the button-up shirts provided a modicum of cleavage coverage. I wasn’t going to accidentally flash anyone in them, anyway. I also picked up some oversized band tees and female boxers for sleeping in, since it was clear I wasn’t going to be relieved by an AARO agent anytime soon.
N’kal insisted on wearing his getup out of the store. I rolled my eyes but agreed, having the clerk take all the tags off for him. He nudged my shoulder and made a comment about humans changing clothes daily, and I rolled my eyes again before changing back into one of my costumes for the drive back to the hotel. I, personally, was fine in my two-day-old outfit, but I guess N’kal wanted to see me in something else … and maybe I was starting to get a bit gamy.
I felt N’kal’s eyes on me all the way through the crowded hotel parking lot. I ducked between the packed cars easily while he followed behind with the bags, but he still managed to keep up fairly well.
Getting through the hotel lobby proved a little more challenging, as many of the congoers had gathered there to chat, hang out, and possibly hook up. I had to peel several young women off N’kal on our way to the elevator, and one industrious woman even tried to hop on with us to ride up to our room.I pushed her off as discreetly as I could, claiming N’kal as my boyfriend just to get her to back off. He smirked at that one, and I quickly reminded him that we were in no way dating. This was just to get the hoochie-mama nerd to leave us alone.
We finally made it back to our room, and I plopped on the couch, taking the annoying boots off and kicking up my feet.
N’kal stopped shy of the bed and cocked his head, looking at me like I was nuts. “You are not going to sleep tonight?”
