by S. E. Smith
No! No more of your people must know of my existence. It is too dangerous. Your world is not ready to know that others exist outside of your world, Merrick pushed through.
Addie winced at the force of his thoughts. It was almost the equivalent of someone ‘shouting’. Her mind swept through a wide spectrum of solutions, trying to figure out a way to save him.
She so did not have time for this, but she couldn’t just ignore it either. It was obvious that he needed help. After several long seconds, she had to admit that he was right about no one else knowing. People would freak out worse than she was planning to do once she got him out of her head!
Aliens! God, I totally don’t need to have the world go to hell right now. I am so close to finally getting my life where I want it. She thought before she flushed at her selfish thoughts. You said that others of your kind would come for you. Why haven’t they come yet? Addie asked in frustration as she walked over to the thermostat and turned it up a little.
The people who hold me prisoner move me to different places every few weeks, Merrick reluctantly admitted.
So, what is different now? Addie asked pointedly. Besides that I know about you. Is it possible for me to contact them? I can tell them where you are.
No!
Ouch! You don’t have to shout, Addie grumbled, pressing her trembling fingers to her forehead as she walked into the small kitchenette. Why not?
I will not endanger you, Merrick insisted. I have another who will contact my friends.
What, so you would endanger someone else? Addie asked with a touch of skepticism. Who is going to help you?
The guard who found you last night, Merrick admitted before a low snarl escaped him. I will not be able to talk to you for a while.
Why? Addie asked, pausing as she lifted the carton of orange juice to her mouth. What’s going on?
They come for me again, he bit out.
Who comes for you? Addie demanded, setting the container in her hand down on the counter. Who is coming for you? Merrick?
“Damn it!” Addie muttered, bowing her head when she felt the familiar silence surround her again.
*.*.*
“The tests coming back are inconclusive,” Dr. Margaret Rockman argued, glaring at the two men standing at the entrance to the room. “I need more time.”
“You’ll have to finish the tests at the Reno lab,” Weston stated. “He has been here too long.”
“How do you expect me to get any work done if I have to keep interrupting it?” Margaret demanded, pulling off her gloves and throwing them in the trash can.
“You have his blood, what more do you need?” Weston demanded, glancing at Merrick’s still figure.
“You are such an ignorant ass, you wouldn’t understand,” Margaret replied, looking at Merrick. “His ability to heal is unbelievable. I cut a two inch incision across his forearm yesterday and it has already healed until I can barely tell where it was! That is just the start. The bone and muscle scans, not to mention the endurance tests, prove he has increased speed and strength. I need to get a sample of his bone marrow.”
“You can cut him into tiny pieces when we get to the Reno lab,” Markham replied in a sharp tone. “That will be the last chance you have to get what you need, Dr. Rockman. I’ve been ordered to terminate him. My client is not impressed with your findings to date considering that the last four facilities he owns has been shut down. The cost has exceeded your lab rat’s value.”
“I need more time!” Margaret snapped.
“You’re out of it,” Markham replied dismissively as he turned and walked out of the room.
“Asshole,” Margaret muttered under her breath as she glanced at Merrick’s inert figure strapped to the exam table. “It will take years to study him. I need him alive, not dead.”
“You’d better figure out a way to clone him if you want to study him,” Weston said as he turned away. “That’s the only way you’ll have anything left after Markham gets done with him, Doc.”
Margaret glared at Weston Wright’s back as he walked out of the door. Fury at the constant interruptions, lack of equipment, and fragmented time frames she was given to study the huge male burned through her. Her gaze returned to the still face of the male on the table. A calculating look suddenly glinted in her eyes.
“Perhaps not a clone,” she murmured as she ran her eyes down over his body. “But something that I can keep without the others knowing about. It might not be completely alien like you, but close enough.”
Margaret looked up at the two guards that stood in the doorway. She stepped to the side so that they could wheel the exam table back into the cage. Her mouth curved upward. Now, all she needed to do was find the right enticement.
Chapter 7
Will you be quiet! I need to concentrate, Addie growled silently, staring down at the paper in front of her. Has anyone ever told you, you think too much?
The low sound of tired masculine laughter echoed in her head, pulling another soft groan from her. She glanced up and saw her Anatomy professor looking at her. She gave him a weak smile, before lowering her head.
Her hair fell forward, screening her face as she gazed down at the final exam paper in front of her. For the past two hours, she had been having a silent argument in her head with the man she saw last night.
Merrick, he insisted. Say my name.
Correction, I’ve been listening to him constantly try to boss me around for the past two hours, she grimaced when he repeated his name… for the hundredth time.
I know your name! She snapped back when his chuckle echoed through her mind again. I have to finish this test. Once it is done, I promise I’ll talk to you, okay? Now, will you just shut up for a little while? This is important and I can’t concentrate with you growling and snarling at me.
You should not have shut me out, Merrick retorted in irritation. I am your bond mate. You should never close me off.
I wasn’t the one who shut you out first, remember? Besides, I was driving and didn’t want to get myself killed. Traffic is brutal in the mid-mornings. And for goodness sake, will you quit calling me that! I am NOT your bond mate, Addie responded forcefully. Now, will you just let me finish my test? It is my last class. Once I’m done, I’ll talk to you again.
Only if you promise me that you will give up your ludicrous plan! Merrick insisted. You must not come here.
I’m supposed to work tonight. If I don’t, they will get suspicious. Listen, my plan will work. You’ll see, Addie insisted, glancing up at her teacher again, who was frowning at her. I’ve got to go. My teacher is giving me a nasty look. I swear, I’ll be back in a few.
No, Addie, Merrick repeated. Please… I cannot protect you yet.
Don’t you worry about me… Merrick, Addie said, trying to ease his mind. I’ve got a plan and I can help you. I know I can do this.
Addie sighed and blinked several times when she felt him pull away from her. Tears burned her eyes when she thought of the tiredness and pain in his voice. She suspected he had no idea that she could hear or feel it, but she could. Whatever had happened to him earlier when he cut her off must have been bad.
Releasing her breath, she focused on the paper in front of her. She pushed everything away, except for what she had to do at this moment. It didn’t take her long to finish the test. She had been studying like crazy for it for weeks and Anatomy was one of her favorite classes so she felt fairly confident when she stood up twenty minutes later to hand it to her teacher.
Sighing her thanks, she quickly left the room. The moment she was out the door, she picked up speed until she was practically running. Waving her hand at a car that stopped to let her pass, she crossed to the car park and to her car. Pressing the remote, she climbed in and quickly started it. She had a lot to do before she showed up for work tonight.
*.*.*
“Merrick, are you there?” Addie thought anxiously as she opened the door to her apartment.
Tossing her keys onto the count
er, she glanced at the clock. Ted would be leaving for Keiser soon. She would need to get the set of lock picks from him before he left.
Yes, Merrick finally replied. You have finished your exam?
“Yeah,” Addie replied with a sigh.
You did well? He asked.
Addie rolled her eyes. After so many years with nothing but her own thoughts in her head, it was kind of weird to be having a conversation with someone else in it. If talking to an alien in her head wasn’t freaky enough, the fact that he was asking how her final exam went just added to the unreality of the situation.
“I’m pretty sure I aced it,” she replied. “It was my favorite class.”
What are you learning? He murmured.
“Anatomy,” Addie responded as she stepped out of her apartment and across the hall to Pam and Ted’s. Knocking, she waited impatiently for Ted to answer. “Listen, do you swear you won’t hurt me and that your people aren’t here to take over the Earth and all that?”
The deep laughter that echoed through her was filled with amusement, not menace. Addie was pretty confident that anyone that sounded like that couldn’t be bad. There was no ‘evil madman’ in it, just pure delight.
No, we have no desire to invade your world, Merrick said. I swear on my life.
“Oh, okay. Hold on a second, I’ll be right back,” Addie muttered when the door opened.
“Hi, Addie,” Ted greeted her in a startled voice. He quickly signed to her. “Is everything okay?”
Addie smiled reassuringly at Ted. Signing, she asked if she could ‘borrow’ his lock pick set. It wasn’t the first time she had to use it. One of her nephews had locked her bathroom door the last time her sister Alisha visited. Since it was the only one, it had been imperative to get it open.
Ted grinned. He nodded and turned back into his and Pam’s apartment. Addie followed him inside and watched as he bent to lift his tool bag. She looked around, puzzled, when she didn’t see Pam.
“Where is Pam?” Addie asked in a husky voice.
Ted turned so he was facing her. “She went to her mom and dad’s for the week. She’s expecting, and wanted to tell them in person.”
“That is awesome! Congratulations!” Addie replied with a grin.
She impulsively stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ted’s waist to give him a brief hug. A surprised gasp escaped her when she heard a low, menacing growl ricochet through her head. Pulling back, she blinked up at Ted before releasing an uneasy laugh.
Knock it off, Addie pushed out, trying to cover her discomfort.
You should not touch another male, Merrick retorted, disgruntedly.
Ted is my best friend! I’ve known him and his wife, Pam, since I was a kid, Addie snapped silently. They are having a baby. Of course, I’d give him a hug.
I… apologize, Merrick finally responded.
Yeah, you should, Addie muttered. Just… chill for a minute more.
“So, did you lock yourself out of the bathroom again?” Ted teased before he turned to pick up the small plastic case holding a wide variety of picks. “You can hold onto this set,” he added, holding it out to her. “I don’t need it back any time soon. I bought a really nice set to replace it.”
Addie nodded as she read his lips. Signing her thanks, she turned to head back to her apartment. She paused in surprise when she felt a hand on her arm. Turning, she looked back at Ted.
“Are you okay?” He signed.
“Of course,” Addie replied. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” he said, shifting from one foot to the other. “You seem a little pre-occupied.”
“I had my final exam today,” Addie said with a shrug. “I’m just worried about how I did.”
“Oh, okay,” Ted replied with a nod. “I’ll see you later tonight at work.”
“See you later,” Addie responded, thankfully escaping.
It is too dangerous. I told you, I gave the guard information to call for help, Merrick insisted.
Well, think of this as Plan B, in case he doesn’t, Addie silently retorted, stepping back into her apartment and closing the door. I don’t know what happened to you this morning, but you can’t take much more.
You are the most…
A chuckle escaped Addie at the obvious curse that fluttered through her mind. She didn’t care. It was a good plan… and not that dangerous, at least for her. She would do her job. When she got to his level, she would slip the set of lock picks she had borrowed from Ted to him.
It would take seconds at the most. She would be in and out. After that, it was up to him. Well, sort of. He would need a distraction to help him get out of the building. She was still working on that part of the plan.
And that is why you should not be doing this! Merrick’s voice interrupted her thoughts again.
Addie crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out. Growing up with a hoard of older siblings led one to use a lot of creative faces when you didn’t want your parents to see the numerous silent battles. Addie’s repertoire had grown significantly since she lost her hearing.
“You need to just either help me figure out an idea or keep out of my head. This is going to be scary enough as it is without you making it worse,” she complained. “If I get the tools to you, do you think you can undo the locks?”
YESSSS! His voice hissed back in annoyance.
Addie winced at the heat behind the single word. You don’t have to be so… forget it. Once you get out, follow the path I’ll include with the tools. I’ll leave my keycard with you as well. Once you reach the back parking lot, I’ll be waiting. You jump in the back, I drive us through the gate while you call your friends to pick you up. I drop you off and we both get our lives back. You go home and I don’t have to mop anymore floors. Problem solved.”
You forget about the cameras, Weston and Markham, and Dr. Rockman, Merrick replied in a surly tone.
“I told you, I’ll cause a distraction,” Addie pointed out as she packed her backpack for work later that night. “The bad guys won’t be there. It will be late. They’ll be home in bed… I hope.”
Addie winced again when she realized the last two words slipped past her before she could stop them. She was learning two things about this way of communication. First, she could close him out, but it wasn’t easy and not for very long. Second, if she didn’t want him to know what she was thinking, she better not think it in the first place.
That is why you must not do this, he growled.
“Has anyone ever told you, you sound like a broken record?” Addie muttered under her breath. “I’ve got this. I can do this. In and out, simple, fast, and run like hell. I used to do it all the time to my older brothers. I can do this.”
Silence greeted her words. Addie tentatively reached out trying to see if she could find the strange feeling that she had begun to recognize that he was there. Yep, he was still there. Silent, stubborn, aggravating, hard-headed…
Did I list stubborn? She wondered as she slung the backpack over her shoulder and headed for the door.
*.*.*
Yes, you mentioned it already, Merrick chuckled in response before he pulled away when she told him she needed to focus on driving again.
A sigh escaped Merrick as he laid tiredly back on the bed. He had woken with a thunderous headache. He didn’t know what Dr. Rockman had done to him, but his head felt as if it was about to explode.
It may have been the drug they used to sedate him. This was one of the first times where they had sedated him and returned him back to his cell before he had woken. A sense of unease and urgency was building inside him. This time had been different. He hated not knowing what was done to him while he was unconscious.
As much as he detested Addie’s plan, he had to admit it might be his only chance of escape. He relaxed, forcing himself to take a deep breath and calm his mind. His thoughts turned to Addie. She was an unusual female, much like those he had met back on Prime in the Council’s chambers.
A smile cu
rved his lips and he closed his eyes as he remembered the human sisters, Tink, Hannah, and Tansy Bell. Each were different from the other, but strong in a surprising way. The more he learned about them, the more intrigued he had become. The fact that he had also found his own bond mate among this species both thrilled and concerned him.
He was thrilled to find Addie, there was no doubts about that. In his mind, he remembered her curvy figure. She wasn’t tiny, like J’kar’s mate Tink, or lean like Borj’s mate, Hannah.
No, Addie had a fuller figure with hips that made his hands itch to hold and breasts… a soft groan escaped him as he felt his body react to imagines playing through his mind.
Knock it off, Addie suddenly interrupted. You almost made me run into the back of the car in front of me! Add dirty mind to the list of descriptions for you.
I am sorry, Merrick replied sheepishly.
No, you’re not, Addie chuckled. I grew up with three older brothers. Knowing what they are thinking is not something I ever wanted to experience. So, I think it is best to keep some things to yourself. And, for your information, my hips and breasts are not THAT big.
I think they are perfect. From what I have seen, he added.
I am blocking you out before I have an accident, Addie replied in exasperation. You’d better be thinking of how you are going to get free rather than what my body looks like.
True, but it is not as enjoyable, Merrick teased.
Whatever, Addie retorted before he felt her slam the wall up between them, shutting him out.
That was something else he was learning about her, she had a sense of humor that both amused and fascinated him. She was also stubborn and not in the least intimidated by him, or didn’t appear to be from her determination to help him. And that, is what concerned him.