Chapter 1
Leigh
I didn’t think the day would end up like it did. There I was, milking Snoop Coww in the barn, when a loud crash outside shook the whole structure. I ran out to see what had happened, and that’s when life changed forever on our small farm.
The ship was like nothing I’d ever seen, all sleek metal and glass lines, with odd purple lights and a low humming that vibrated through the ground it had embedded itself in.
That ground being, of course, our main dairy pasture.
Lil Moo, Fanny X, and Das Milk—our oldest heifers who, like Snoop Coww, were named when I was quite a bit younger and a lot less creative—all huddled in the back of the enclosure, their eyes wide. They lowed and mooed at the bus-sized machine while the younger girls inched closer, sniffing the air around the ship.
Dad ran out of the slaughterhouse a few hundred yards away, bloody apron billowing. He shouted at me to stay back, but I couldn’t help myself.
I’d seen the news over the past year about Earth’s new visitors: the Xalanites. They first appeared to the public on the White House lawn, and since then most of their sightings had been in upstate New York, though there was one noteworthy crash landing in Chicago during the summer. I never had thought I’d see one of their ships in person, especially not on our remote Wisconsin dairy farm.
By most accounts, the Xalanite visitors to Earth were supposed to be friendly. My aunt, Ann Hall, even worked with them on a daily basis. As the Director in charge of the AARO—the USA’s alien investigation division—she knew every Xalanite on Earth. Sure, there had been a few bad eggs in the news, but overall, the media portrayed shy, reserved women and jovial, outgoing men among the alien species.
Jovial andstacked.
I’d be lying to myself if I said I hadn’t fantasized about meeting one. Word was they had some … bonus “equipment” that human men didn’t have.
Dad always teased me about that when he caught me watching news reports featuring the alien hotties. He joked that, as a virgin, I wouldn’t know what to do with that special equipment, but growing up on a farm where we bred and raised our own livestock, I knew enough about the birds and the bees to have developed a healthy curiosity about the human mechanics of sex. The internet helped, showing me the human side of it in all its varied forms. After as much research as I’d done into my own species, I figured I could learn Xalanite mating practices easily enough, provided I was lucky enough to meet one.
I climbed over the fence and crept up to the still-smoking ship, wondering who was inside. Most of the Xalanites on Earthhad been men so far, with a handful of dutiful wives joining their mates on a trip across the galaxy. Was the pilot a male? Was he alone, or did he bring others with him? My heart thumped in my chest as I moved forward.
A sudden loudhissstartled me, and I jumped back in sync with the heifers. A few of our girls sprinted away from the ship, leaving me mostly alone in the pasture. I put a hand on Taylor Hoof’s shoulder, though whether to calm her or myself I didn’t really know.
With the sound a panel came off the ship, descending into a ramp. I froze as a pair of large, black, scaled leather boots appeared on the ramp. The boots stomped down the angled panel, revealing muscular legs in fitted leather pants and a well-defined chest in—you guessed it!—more leather. If I had a leather kink, this would have been a dream come true. As it was, I caught myself staring with my mouth gaping open as he finally came far enough out of the ship to show his face.
I knew Xalanites had purple scales instead of skin. Everybody knew that. What I didn’t know was how incredibly hot those scales could be. His chiseled jaw shimmered in the light emanating from the ship, and when he turned to face me, I was met with mesmerizing yellow eyes framed with thick, dark lashes. His short black hair was shiny and tousled, getting further mussed when he ran a leather-clad hand through it. He smiled, revealing iridescent white teeth and fangs, and I held onto Taylor Hoof for dear life as my legs turned into jelly.
“Hello! I am T’raat. What is your name?”
His voice was rich and deep, though his pronunciation was a bit stilted and overly formal. I paused with my jaw hanging as I pondered his question.
My name? Whatwasmy name? I seemed to have forgotten …
“Leigh Ann Hall! Get away from that thing!”
Oh, right. Leigh Ann. Dad’s shouts reminded me of who I was, and I opened my mouth to speak when T’raat’s expression changed into one of abject horror.
“Look out! There is a beast beside you!”
I turned and looked around, but the only “beast” around was Taylor Hoof, and she certainly wasn’t anything to worry about.
“Her?” I said, confused. “Taylor Hoof isn’t a beast. She’s our prize heifer.”
“Heff-err?” T’raat cocked his head, looking just as confused as I felt. “My nanites do not readily find that word. What does it mean?”
Nanites? “She’s a cow.” It felt stupid to say. Of course she was a cow! But I tried to remind myself that T’raat was maybe new on Earth, and maybe he hadn’t ever seen a cow before. I mean, if I saw a Xalanite animal that was considered perfectly harmless on their planet, I’d probably freak out too.
I took another step forward, my hand still on Taylor Hoof’s shoulder. “She’s okay. She won’t hurt you … well, as long as you don’t scare her.”
T’raat paused. “Cow … Beast of burden. Food source. Interesting.” He took a few more steps down the ramp until he was on solid ground, approaching slowly. “May I … touch the cow?”
I shrugged. “Sure. She’s friendly.”
My eyes followed his every step as he strode towards me. I took in his hips, his legs, his chest, his eyes … I couldn’t believe my luck.
