When her eyes slowly opened, he thought for a moment that she might faint again. Instead a shaky hand rose to his forehead, fingers reaching out to grasp one of the dark, agitated tendrils on his head. “So soft,” she whispered.
He worried briefly that she was too dazed.What if her mind has snapped?He wished that he’d never had to reveal himself.
Then again, if he was being honest with himself, he realized that he wanted her to know who he really was. It made things so much more complicated, but he hated lying to her. Now, she would see the real him.
“You look…better,” she said with a slow smile.
The look she was giving him set his heart to racing. “Oh yeah? You like the alien Drake?”
Her face grew puzzled. “Before you just looked…average. But I could tell you weren’t. Now, your features fit the person you are inside.”
Her words amazed him. Maybe her mindhadsnapped.
He stood slowly, being careful not to shift her too quickly. After he settled her on her feet, he took a step back. Although he was nude, he didn’t feel nervous. In fact, he was surprised at how comfortable he felt.
Jamie’s eyes traveled up his body slowly, from his feet to his head and back again. “Wow,” she said, after a moment. “You’re huge.”
She was correct. In his proper form, he dwarfed her. Her head barely came up past his waist.
“And your skin…it’s a funny color.”
Drake peered down at himself. His skin was currently a light green, although there were striations of red that had worked their way into it because of the anxiety he’d felt. “We Zantharians have skin that changes color with our moods.”
Her eyes widened. “Color-changing skin. Now that would be the season’s hottest accessory.”
Drake laughed and barely stopped himself from picking her up and twirling her around. She was taking his exposure better than he could have hoped.
“So it was all true then,” she said after a moment. “You’re an alien and my sister is on your planet and…and she’s hooked up with your brother.”
Drake nodded. “My brother has taken her as his mate.”
“Is that like…they’re dating or…?”
“It’s a bit more serious than that. I suppose the closest thing would be your human marriage, but that even pales in comparison. Zantharians mate for life.”
“Wow,” Jamie said, looking dazed. “I can’t even remember the last time my sister went out with a guy, let alone got serious with one. That happened fast.”
Drake smiled. “We Zantharians know what we like.” He gave her a look that he hoped communicated his own liking for her.
Jamie’s cheeks flushed and he realized she’d caught his look. “So humans and Zantharians, huh? They’re…umm…compatible?”
“Oh yes,” he said, barely stopping himself from offering to show her just how compatible they could be.
He caught her looking below his waist and then averting her eyes. “Are you sure, because you guys look to be…umm…a little on the large size.”
“I’m sure.”
“Oh Lordy,” Jamie replied, fanning her face with her hand. She looked down at the puddle of red jelly on the floor. “And if you’re real, that means those things are real too?”
“Yes,” he replied, becoming serious. “The Hareema are the biggest threat to the galaxy there is. And I’m here to try and stop them from taking over EarthandZanthar.”
“So those things could be anything. Or anybody?”
Drake nodded, watching the wheels turning in her head.
“Oh my God. And you think it goes up to the highest levels. So people here at NASA are aliens.”
“I think so, yes. I can’t figure out a way they could have sabotaged the two missions Earth had sent to Zanthar without being involved in NASA administration.” He didn’t tell her about Danner Thompson, how he’d seen three Danners on the Hareema prison planet. And he also didn’t share his suspicions about her fiancé.
