Taken By The Alien Next Door

by Tiffany Roberts

  “We have other althicars on Earth, do we not?” Zevris asked numbly.

  Khelvar huffed and briefly bared his fangs. “You know I am not authorized to share that information.”

  Because of Earth’s status as a developing world, races like the falorans were bound by intergalactic agreements to refrain from making contact with the planet’s native species. Zevris was not supposed to be here. None of the alien beings hiding on Earth—many of whom were suspected to be fugitives and criminals—were meant to be here. To keep this operation secure, the individual althicars sent had not been informed of the whereabouts or identities of their comrades. The lack of knowledge would make it impossible for any althicar to betray the other operatives.

  It was also much easier for the Azmus Protectorate to claim a single compromised althicar had been a rogue operative and deny responsibility.

  “Has anyone made progress?”

  Khelvar was silent for several seconds before replying in a gravelly voice, “I believe you already know the answer to that question.”

  Zevris did, at heart. They’d all managed as much—or as little—progress as he had. He wasn’t sure whether to take comfort in that shared failure or be disheartened by it.

  He leaned back on the couch, tipping his head back to stare up at the ceiling. He’d made a grave mistake—he’d allowed himself to hope. He’d allowed himself to plan, if only a little, based on desires that had not yet taken root in reality.

  “How long?” Zevris asked.

  “Thirty days. Earth time.”

  “If I were to advance the mission during that time? If I were to form a mating bond?”

  “Then you would effectively extend your service period.” There was a moment’s pause before Khelvar spoke again. “When you came to me and requested release, Zevris, you were ready to be done. I offered you this mission because you’re my best, and this is important. More important than anything else. But I never meant for it to be a punishment. I hoped it would be a chance for you to find something… more. Something beyond what you’ve always known.”

  Zevris lifted his head to look at Khelvar.

  The ultricar was frowning, his brow heavy and eyes concerned. “You don’t need to push. This is not going to mar your record with a failure. Just…prepare to come home.”

  But Strion—the planet he should have called home—was the farthest thing from Zevris’s mind in that moment. After eleven months of failure, he now had a mere thirty days to woo the female who had captivated him. The sudden imposition of a deadline was terrifying.

  And yet…it was also another flicker of hope. He would have to work harder than ever to solve this problem—to properly court his female. It would be the final, most complex, most important undertaking of his career as an althicar—the most important undertaking of his life.

  It really was too bad he couldn’t just take Tabitha and figure out the rest later.

  Seven

  “I love it! Your new house is freaking adorable,” Mia squealed through the speaker as Tabitha aimed the phone’s camera at the front of the house. “They’re like perfect little dollhouses all lined up.”

  Tabitha raised a hand and shielded her eyes from the sun as she scanned the row of houses along the street. Each home differed slightly in color and layout. They all stood two stories tall, they each had a single car garage and one tree in the front yard, though the species of tree and the shrubs and bushes around them varied from place to place. A few had iron-railed balconies on the second floor—which Tabitha was mighty jealous of.

  There was just enough variety to keep the neighborhood from looking boring and uninspired, but the many similarities between properties made them all seem like pieces in a puzzle fitted neatly together.

  “Huh. You’re right,” Tabitha said. “They do look like dollhouses.”

  And she absolutely loved them.

  She lowered her phone and switched back to the self-facing camera as she walked toward her front door. Mia’s face appeared on the screen. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her dark brown eyes gleamed with excitement, and she wore a huge grin. Her red lipstick was a stunning contrast to her dark complexion.

  “I can’t wait to visit once you’re all moved in,” Mia said, picking up a slice of pizza off her plate and taking a bite. She chewed for a moment before moving the food to the side of her mouth to talk. “How’d the move go?”

  Tabitha wrinkled her nose as she opened the door and carefully let herself into the house. Dexter jumped down from the sofa and rushed toward her, his nails tapping on the floor. She quickly shut the door before he could make a break for it.

  “The movers were horrible.” Tabitha scratched Dexter behind his ears and made her way into the kitchen. “They took forever unloading the truck, and they didn’t pay any attention to the labels on the boxes so everything wound up scattered all over the house. And they weren’t careful with anything.” She set her cell on the phone stand atop the dining table.

  “Did they break anything?” Mia asked.

  Dexter walked to the patio doors. He pressed his wet nose against the glass and stared outside. His breath fogged the glass around his snout, prompting him to shift his nose aside for a clearer view. He repeated this process several times.

  “A few things. I’m glad I was paranoid enough to wrap everything in an extra layer of paper and bubble wrap when I packed, or I would’ve lost a lot more than a couple glasses and a soap mold. Though I still have more unpacking to do, so who knows the extent of the damage.” She opened the fridge, taking out a water bottle. “Oh, and they also ran over my neighbor’s mailbox.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  Tabitha shook her head as she sat down at the dining table and unscrewed the cap of her water bottle. “They were horrible about it, and I don’t think they even plan make it right. But that wasn’t the worst of it.”

  “It’s not? What’d they do?”

  “It wasn’t them, it was Dexter.”

  Dexter’s ears perked, his tail wagged, and he turned his head toward her with his tongue dangling. He looked so sweet and innocent, but Tabitha wasn’t fooled. He was mischievous to his core.

  Mia’s brow furrowed. “What’d that precious pup do?”

  Tabitha rolled her eyes and snorted. “Precious? He peed on my neighbor’s foot!”

  “He did not!”

  “He did.”

  Mia cringed. “Wow. You totally know how to make an entrance, Tabby. I hope she’s not too angry?”

  Tabitha tucked her loose hair behind her ear. “It’s…actually a he.”

  She shifted her eyes to the cute little cactus with the pink flower sitting on the windowsill by the sink and smiled.

  Her thoughts immediately turned to Logan. It’d been so nice of him to bring her a housewarming gift, especially considering everything that had happened, but she wasn’t quite sure what to make of him and his behavior that day. There’d been moments during her conversations with him when she could have sworn he was looking at her like he wanted to, well…devour her. But he’d run away last time like his hair was on fire or something.

  She was pretty sure that anything she’d seen on his face had just been a projection of her own wants, her own desires, that she’d only seen what she wanted to see. And Tabitha wanted Logan—badly. He was her perfect fantasy.

  The only problem was…she wasn’t any guy’s perfect fantasy.

  “Wait… What’s this? Are you averting your eyes? Is that longing I see?” Mia asked.

  Tabitha glanced at the phone, saw Mia’s knowing grin, and dropped her gaze to her water bottle as her cheeks warmed. “No.”

  Mia leaned closer to the screen. “You liar! Oh my, God, and you’re blushing! Is he cute?”

  Laughter spilled from Tabitha, and she shook her head. “My dog peed on his boot, Mia!”

  “Was he angry?”

  “Actually…no, he wasn’t.”

  “Then who cares! Now tell me, is he hot?”


  Dexter scratched at the patio door and whined.

  “Just a minute.” Tabitha took a drink before setting the bottle on the table. She stood, walked to the door, and slid it open. Dexter darted outside. A gentle breeze whisked into the house, fluttering Tabitha’s hair and carrying the scent of someone barbequing.

  Dexter wandered toward the fence, head down as he sniffed the grass. Tabitha closed the screen door, turned around, and went back to her chair.

  “He’s gorgeous,” Tabitha said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man so damn beautiful.”

  “Beautiful? Can guys be described as beautiful?” Mia took another big bite of pizza.

  Tabitha chuckled and took another quick drink from her water bottle. “Yes, Mia, men can be beautiful, too. They don’t all have to be hairy lumberjacks like Josh.”

  “Hey, I love my hairy lumberjack,” Mia said with a laugh. “Okay, so describe this guy to me. Unless…you snapped a picture of him?”

  “Of course not! I’m not some pervy stalker.”

  Mia sighed. “Alas, then you will just have to use your words, and I will have to use my imagination.”

  Tabitha ran the tip of her finger through the condensation on the side of the water bottle. “Well, he has black hair in a gentleman’s haircut. It’s a little on the longer side on top, so he usually has these strands dangling in front of his F-me blue eyes…”

  “Reeeeeally? And was he giving you that fuck-me look?”

  Tabitha laughed, but the fire Logan’s stare had ignited in her core was still burning. He’d been standing so close to her the other day when he’d hooked her hoodie with his finger that she’d actually felt his body heat. “Stop. He’s a total stranger.”

  “So? There’s always lust at first sight.” Mia snickered. “You’ve obviously been struck.”

  Tabitha grinned. “Yeah, cupid hit me with an arrow right in my lady bits. This guy’s like a total fantasy come to life. He has golden skin I’d like to run my hands all over, and he’s really tall, like we’re talking at least six and a half feet.”

  “Shh,” Mia said, putting a finger to her lips. “Don’t let Josh hear you. You know how he is about his height.”

  “Josh isn’t short.”

  “No, but since I’m an inch taller than him, he gets all self-conscious. Anyway, continue! I want to hear more about this sexy mystery neighbor or yours.”

  Warmth flooded Tabitha’s cheeks. Why was she doing this? What could ever come of it? She wasn’t looking for a one-night stand. She’d been someone’s one-night stand once, and she’d hated it. Afterwards, she’d had this icky feeling, like she’d been used—because she had been. Worse, she’d been used as joke.

  No, she’d had it with men that didn’t love her for who she was, no matter her size. She wanted someone who would be her forever. Someone who didn’t want to rush things, someone who wanted to take the time to get to know each other before jumping into bed. Someone who wanted a relationship, not just a quick lay.

  Yet still…

  “He’s built, too. Not like a bodybuilder, but like…a sword-swinging warrior from a romance cover. And his eyes!” Tabitha propped her elbow on the table, settled her chin in her palm, and looked toward the cactus with a smile. “Oh Mia, his eyes are breathtaking. They’re so blue they nearly glow.”

  Mia laughed. “I take it you really like Mr. Fuck-Me-Eyes. What’s he like?”

  Tabitha turned her gaze back to Mia and arched a brow. “I just met the guy.”

  “Yeah, but from your expression, you’ve had more than just the my-dog-pissed-on-your-foot encounter with him.”

  Dexter barked outside, but Tabitha ignored him as she ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back in her chair. “Logan is…strange, but in an endearing way.”

  “Strange how?”

  “I’m not sure.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

  Are you spoken for? Do you have a male?

  “He says things differently,” Tabitha said. “He has an accent, too, though it’s not anything I can place. He probably just words things a little oddly sometimes because English isn’t his first language.”

  Mia laughed. “Okay, you just made him one-hundred times hotter now that you said he has an accent. Accents always make men hotter.”

  So true.

  “Anyway, enough about my neighbor. It’s not like anything is going to happen.” Before Mia could refute that, Tabitha hurried to asked, “How’s things with Josh? He moved in, right?”

  “Yeeeeeees.”

  “Why are you saying it like that?”

  Mia grinned, lifted her hand, and brought it closer to the camera, allowing Tabitha to see the sparkling diamond ring on her ring finger.

  Tabitha gasped. “He proposed?

  Dexter barked again.

  “He did, just last night actually,” Mia said, lowering her hand.

  “And you’re just now telling me?” Tabitha clasped her hands to her chest, feeling both a terrible ache of longing and a warm flare of excitement. “I’m so happy for you!”

  Mia looked down at her ring and smiled. Her eyes softened before she looked back at Tabitha. “You’re going to be my maid of honor, right?”

  Dexter’s barking continued.

  “It would be my honor…as long as you don’t stick me in some ugly dress.”

  Mia laughed. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “As if I’d believe you,” Tabitha said with a chuckle. “Your favorite color is orange.”

  “Orange is a perfectly good color!”

  “I refuse to look like a pumpkin.”

  “But pumpkins are adorable, and so are you.”

  Tabitha laughed, shaking her head. “I hate you. One second, let me check on Dexter.”

  Capping her water, Tabitha stood up and walked to the door. She frowned as she scanned the yard for Dexter. Where was he? Sliding open the screen door, she leaned outside and called his name.

  Motion caught her eye; Dexter poked his head up out of a hole in the ground next to the fence before disappearing again.

  “Are you for real?” she asked, aghast. Hurrying back into the house, she moved to her phone. “Mia, I’ll have to call you back another time. I swear this dog is going to be the death of me.”

  Mia laughed. “Okay. Enjoy your new home and talk to you soon!”

  “Thanks. And congrats on your engagement! Love you. Bye!”

  Tabitha ended the call and rushed back to the door. “Dexter, come!”

  The dang dog ignored her.

  Growling, she stepped outside, closed the screen behind her, and made her way toward Dexter. Though the cement patio was warm and dry, the grass was cool, soft, and still slightly damp from watering.

  “Nan, I don’t know how you put up with his antics,” she muttered. “Though he does give some good cuddles and loves. Guess that makes up for some of this…”

  Tabitha reached the hole the dog had dug, and her heart jumped. There was no Dexter.

  There was no Dexter because he’d tunneled under the freaking fence and was now in her hot neighbor’s yard!

  “No. Nope. Cuddles and loves definitely don’t make up for this.”

  The fence was too high for her to see over, so she leaned forward and peered between two of the wooden slats. She spotted Dexter roaming the lawn—a very nice lawn—with his tail wagging as though he didn’t have a care in the world.

  “Dexter! Get back here,” she said, trying to instill her voice with as much authority as possible.

  Dexter paused, glanced back at her, ears perked, and continued wandering. He stopped when he reached a cluster of yellow daisies.

  “Dexter. Come. Here. Now.”

  The dog sniffed around the daisies before pawing the ground, digging up a few of the flowers. The daisies flew behind him and fell on the grass, crumpled and limp, looking like shadows of their former selves. Dexter turned and squatted.

  Tabitha’s eyes widened in horror. “No! Don’
t you dare take a—Dexter, stop!”

  Unwilling to bear further witness to the desecration of those daisies, to the desecration of her neighbor’s yard, she closed her eyes.

  What was she going to do now? She couldn’t just walk up to Logan’s door, smile, and be like, Hi, my dog is in your back yard, and he just took a massive dump on your daisies. Good news is that his business is done, so he probably won’t pee on your foot again. Mind if I go get him? This was just another thing to add to the growing list of how horrible of a neighbor she was.

  “He’s going to hate me.” Tabitha tipped her head back and opened her eyes. The sky was bright blue with big, puffy white clouds, far too beautiful for the defilement taking place here on the ground.

  “I got this. I’ll just sneak over, get Dexter, and repair the damage he did without Logan ever knowing what happened. Simple.”

  Okay, well, maybe not simple, but how hard could it be?

  Tabitha darted back into the house, stuffed a doggie poop bag into her pocket, and returned to the hole Dexter had dug. She placed her hands atop the fence slats and frowned. The fence was taller than her; how was she going to get over without tearing the planks off?

  Taking a deep breath, Tabitha turned her head toward the overgrown flowerbed at the back of the yard. It was a shady area with a tree in the center that had flowers, ferns, and bushes growing around it. The flowerbed also happened to be raised a couple feet above the rest of the lawn, walled in by bricks and stone.

  Bingo.

  She moved over to the flowerbed and climbed onto the mossy stone wall. Once she was standing atop it, the top of the fence was just above her waist. From this vantage, she could see over a few of her neighbors’ fences, could see their landscaping, their décor, their barbeques and patio furniture. But only one yard mattered.

  She watched as Dexter, the naughty mongrel, moseyed over to Logan’s patio and jumped up onto a wide, blue-cushioned chair. He turned about in a couple circles and lay down.

  Tabitha glared at him. “You’re lucky I love you.”