by Anna Lewis
But the aliens’ DNA weapon was a failure, and the humans grew in strength. They attacked the alien base where Talia was being kept. Talia and B made their escape and ran off by themselves. She knew that she should probably stay behind and fight with her own kind, but the bond they had at that point was too strong to simply ignore, and she wanted to stay with him.
With nowhere else to go, Talia took B to an isolated cottage where she’d hidden out once before, knowing that they would at least be safe temporarily, but once she got inside she realized that it was actually going to be difficult to be around B with all of the confusing feelings that were swirling around inside of her.
So she made a crazy, irrational decision, and she pulled out a bottle of vodka, hoping that alcohol would help dull her swirling emotions, and the feelings she had for him. It hadn't, if anything it had highlighted them tenfold, stripping away her inhibitions in the process.
She found herself drawn in by him, sucked in by the taboo of it all, and she took the brave, crazy step of kissing him. Once their lips had touched, the temptation became too much, and one thing had led to another. It was easy to believe that they hadn't done anything wrong, because B had shifted into the most perfect looking human form ever – one that Talia was really attracted to – but that didn’t take anything away from the truth of the matter, and that was that all they’d just done was so, so wrong. They were on enemy sides on a war, not to mention different species!
It might have felt amazing, it might have been the most mind blowing sex ever, complete with some kinkiness that she hadn't even considered that she would like before. But then there was a knock at the door.
It could not possibly be good news. Talia’s private cottage was obviously not as private as she assumed it was. If there was an alien at the door, they were both going to be killed, and if there was a human, B would definitely be murdered. There really was no good solution for either of them, which was absolutely terrifying.
Talia hadn't been through all that she’d been through just to die like that. She had been fighting this war since she found herself alone at six years old, and she didn’t want the end to be now, just after she’d found a little glimmer of happiness. B was the first person she’d had since she returned home to find her mother dead and her father missing. She had purposely isolated herself from everyone else to ensure that she wouldn’t get hurt, and now it seemed like all of that was going to be for nothing.
“We should run,” B gasped out, clearly in a state of panic too. “We need to…”
But it was too late. The door had creaked open, and footsteps could be heard. Someone was already inside. There wasn’t any way that either of them could escape from the room they were in. They clung to one another, thinking that this could be the end.
“Is anyone there?” An unfamiliar male voice called out through the house. “Hello?”
Talia’s heart pounded in her chest, and a sick feeling consumed her, as they stood frozen in the kitchen, waiting for someone to arrive in that room to find them. She was fully in a state of panic, and she had no idea what to do about it. This was something her life as a warrior had not prepared her for. She tried to glance at B, but he was clearly panicking himself.
“In here,” B suddenly announced loudly, deciding to take the bull by the horns. His bravery scared Talia, but since she didn’t have any better plans, she remained behind him, deciding to trust his judgment. She just hoped that the first time she trusted someone, it wasn’t going to backfire.
A shape slid into the kitchen, proving that this wasn’t a human they were dealing with, which increased Talia’s anxiety tenfold. There was no good solution here, no one would have been good, but she’d had enough bad experiences with the aliens to be fearful. She knew how much they hated humans, despite living among them for many years while they waited and planned their attack. She had the horrible feeling that she was about to experience the brunt of that hatred.
Soon, much to her surprise, the alien shifted his shape and turned into a human form, which this time didn’t make Talia feel any safer at all. He had chosen a completely different look to B, one that was more blond, surfer style, and laid back, but still she was afraid. She felt like he’d chosen this image to try and relax her, but of course that wasn’t going to work – not when she was so anxious.
The new alien gasped in shock. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize that anyone was here… wait,” he stopped suddenly, flicking his dark human like eyes back and forth between the pair of them. “You are a genuine human, and you are one of us,” he was confused, and he was doing nothing to hide that. “What is going on here?”
Talia and B exchanged glances, before B took a deep breath and started to explain himself. “We were at Base R when the humans attacked, and we panicked, not wanting to get involved in the fighting, so we made a snap decision. We raced away without even thinking.”
“And why did you have a human at Base R?” said the newcomer.
“She was being used for DNA testing,” B answered honestly. “The overlords wanted to find out more about humans, to find a way to defeat them quicker, and I was brought in on that project. When the attack happened, I broke Talia out because it didn’t feel right to me to leave her there.” His tone suddenly turned defensive, and his voice took on a growly tone. “I know that you might not agree with me, but I couldn’t allow it to continue. I don’t have to agree with everything that we do… not all of it feels right.”
“No, no, you have me all wrong…” The other alien insisted in a way that made Talia’s head swim. “You have me all wrong. I’m on the run too, and I also disagree with this war.” She glanced at him in shock, her entire opinion of the enemy changing. It didn’t seem like many of them were bad guys after all. “I never wanted it in the first place, and it’s become far too brutal for my liking.” He stepped closer to B and spoke in a hushed tone. “I am part of a rebel group, and we have been helping the humans to survive, which is why they are suddenly doing much better. We have been giving them defensive technology to give them the upper hand too. They are better in strength, and now they have the too.”
“Wow,” Talia gasped as the sudden turnaround of the human resistance began to make sense to her now. “What about if the humans turn on you too?” That felt like a very realistic possibility to her.
“We have an agreement,” he told her seriously. “When this eventually comes to a head, and a battle breaks out, we will fight for the humans. After victory, we will abide by a peace treaty.”
Wow – people were already making a plan for the end of the war. That was almost a little too much for Talia, especially since there was the distant possibility that at least some of the Ec’dua race might be remaining on Earth after all. She wondered if B would be one of them.
The newcomer continued. “The problem is, I’ve been seen so I need to keep hidden, to keep out of view before I screw up everything that we’ve been working towards. That’s how I ended up here.” The other alien continued, a sadness filling the room as he spoke. He was being punished for helping the enemy, but that was exactly what B had done too – and Talia in a way. They were all in the same boat.
He was looking at them both with such pleading eyes that they felt compelled to ask him to stay… they could hardly send him back out there to be killed when he was helping humans.
“You can stay with us,” Talia gushed. “If that’s okay with you B?”
“What’s your name?” B asked, still sounding a little untrusting despite everything that he’s just heard. “Your Earth name I mean.”
“Wade,” the guy shot back quickly, stunning Talia. She assumed that they would all have unusual names like B, but Wade was very typical. She actually had a Wade in her class when she was a kid… not that she thought this was the same guy, but she supposed it was possible. The aliens could shift their shape in any way they wanted after all.
“And what do you personally intend to do after the war is done, no matter what wa
y it goes?” B continued, a harshness to his tone that made Talia wince. All she wanted to do was help this guy and she couldn’t understand why B didn’t feel the same. Sure it put a little stickler to whatever the hell was going on between them, but the war was so much bigger than the two of them – why couldn’t B see it in exactly the same way?
“I don’t know,” Wade sighed sadly. “I just… I like it here on Earth, that’s all. I want to stay, and I do hope that’s possible, but for the time being I’m more focused on the war just being done.”
That statement seemed to be enough to convince B, and he stepped aside to invite Wade in. Talia was glad because it meant that they were helping someone else that didn’t agree with the war, but there was definitely a little pit of upset inside of her too. Sure, this was bigger than them, but she had just become aware that they would have no privacy anymore, not even enough to discuss what had just happened between them.
Sex with B had been unexpected and surprising, but it had lit a fire inside of her that wasn’t settling down. She felt like she’d developed some strong feelings for him during the time he was inside of her, and she couldn’t help but panic that they might never get the chance to explore those feelings more.
Of course, they couldn’t ever become something real – especially since relationships between humans and the Ec’dua were pretty much banned – but that didn’t stop her from wondering and hoping…
***
Things had changed rapidly for Talia. It was as if B had awoken a hungry beast inside of her that couldn’t be tamed. She felt horny all the time, and it was driving her insane. She didn’t get a moment’s rest from being turned on, and the more time she spent around him, the more intense that feeling became – it was almost as if he was feeling it too, and that was making her worse.
The only problem was, it wasn’t even B that was doing it for her… or at least not just B. In a weird way, despite the fact that Wade wasn’t anything like the sort of guy that Talia thought she would ever go for normally, she was finding him increasingly attractive as time went on, and that was awful. She wasn’t the sort of person who would ever cheat on a man, so she didn’t even know what to think. Not that she and B were a definite couple either… her head was simply a mess!
All she knew for sure was that whenever she was with B, she wanted to tear his clothes off and explore his body again, and whenever she was with Wade, she wanted to know what he was like in bed too. She would fantasize about kissing him, about stripping him down slowly and connecting all of his body with hers. She pictured running her mouth over him, tracing her fingers all over his body, and feeling him inside of her too – and that was the same whether he was in his human or natural form – something else that she found incredibly attractive about him.
While that was going on, seemingly oblivious the guys took turns to go out and scout for information about the war, needing to know where it was going while they were locked away. There was talk of some massive battle looming, and they needed to know where it was and when it was happening. While they were out they would get Talia some human food, for which she felt extremely grateful. She hated being such a burden to these guys. She felt guilty that they were doing so much for her and all she was doing was being useless. She hated it, it made her half miss the days when it was only herself that she had to rely on. At least then she felt like she was being strong. She didn’t feel like she was a burden to anyone. She much preferred being the badass she had always assumed she was, rather than this girl who had nothing to offer… not really.
She just wished that she could think of some way to repay them, but she couldn’t. Not while her brain was so confused and all over the place. She could barely even think, never mind make any serious decisions about anything. It was a vicious cycle that she couldn’t seem to get out of.
***
“It is my turn to leave,” B said sadly, stroking Talia’s cheek as they stood alone in the hallway, actually enjoying one single private moment together. It was just a shame that it had to be under such stressful conditions. “You look after yourself, won’t you?”
“I will,” she replied, staring at him, feeling just as emotional. She hated it when either of them were absent, it made her uncomfortable. She was only happy when all three of them together, and she knew that they were all safe. “You be careful too, okay? You’re the one out there, risking your life. I’m just stuck here, being useless.”
“You aren’t useless,” B whispered to her, wanting to fill her up with all of the emotions that were flooding through him, but unable to. He didn’t see how he could make her understand just how much she meant to him, and how amazing she was, but with so much fear coursing through her veins, nothing else would get in.
He couldn’t control her, even with the intense bond they had, but he could fill the room with emotions, which he often did to prevent her from feeling sad. But when her feelings were that strong, there was nothing he could do.
They embraced, saying a tender goodbye, but by the time Talia had turned back around and the door closed behind B, it was as if he’d been forgotten and that her mind was filled with thoughts of Wade. It always amazed her how that happened… well, afterwards when she was lying alone in her bed, pretending to be asleep. At the time she simply became swept away by it all. She simply allowed the emotions to consume her, however confusing they were. She did enjoy them, and she liked the distraction they brought too. If she was agonizing over her feelings for these guys, then she wasn’t getting sad, thinking about the war, and everything it spelled for them. She certainly didn’t like thinking about the end of the war, when everything would change all over again. That was the most terrifying thoughts of them all. Those were the ones that she really couldn’t cope with.
“Wow, I never knew that being on the run was going to be filled with such long, endless boring hours,” Wade joked, trying his best to make her smile. He spent a lot of his time in his human form, but every so often it was as if the façade would slip and he would return to the odd shape that Talia considered his real Ec’dua form. He was purpler, with a much larger head, and at least two more limbs that seemed to move as he needed them. At first, seeing Wade this way made Talia feel uncomfortable, she found it a little too strange for words, but she was much more used to it now, and she found that she actually preferred it. Wade was obviously more comfortable that way, and that was all that she needed.
“I know,” she said, half smiling. She actually hadn't been feeling bored because her mind had been all over the place, but she could see why he would feel the boredom. She was glad she wasn’t bored. She didn’t think that she would be able to cope well with that – it wasn’t the sort of emotion she’d ever had to contend with before. “It’s crazy, huh? It’s a shame that we don’t know when all of this will be over.” She felt like the sort of thing he might want to hear.
“I know,” he murmured, and she could hear the sadness in his tone. She wanted to walk to him, to comfort him, but that felt like it would be inappropriate. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to control herself if she got that near to him, and she didn’t want to step on B’s toes, not when she liked him so much. Urgh, it was so damn confusing for her, never knowing how to behave! “But I’m hopeful that the humans will win out.”
Talia couldn’t help but smile to herself about this comment – it was so strange to hear an alien wishing that the humans would win the war, but it was nice too. It was so like the Wade she was getting to know. He seemed quieter than B, more considered in the things that he said, but he was also funny and very sweet. A part of her wondered what life would be like if she met him under different circumstances, if the war had never happened and they had just met on the street.
Although she guessed it would probably be nothing, since inter-species mixing was against the rules of the Ec’dua.
“I just want this all to end,” he told her honestly. “I really enjoyed living on Earth when we could just be human, and I protested wildly when
I found out what the overlords intended to do because I couldn’t see the point – why fight when we could continue to live among the humans on Earth? But of course no one listened to me and it started anyway. I just want it all to end, I just want to go back to some sort of normal.”
“But what if the agreement with the humans doesn’t pan out and you have to leave?” Talia gasped, feeling overly emotional at the thought of him leaving Earth.
“I don’t know,” he replied honestly. “I don’t know what I’ll do, but at least I won’t have to fight anymore. I really hate the fighting.”
“Hmmm…” Talia replied, seeing Wade as a calm diplomatic person – the sort that should be in charge. He had such a level head, so many good ideas. Why hadn't anyone ever listened to him?
As Talia pondered this, suddenly she feel an intensive change in the atmosphere, and she didn’t know what the hell to do with herself. Wade was sliding closer to her, making her feel all kinds of strange, unexpected things inside. An intense panic set in.
She scooted back against the wall, her heart pounding heavily against her chest, a tight knot of panic forming deep inside of her. She wanted this, she wanted it far too badly, but she was also completely aware that it was very, very wrong.
Think of B, she reminded herself. Think of him, remember what he means to you. Don’t forget that you’ve been with him and that he’s still staying here…
“I like you,” Wade whispered, slipping more back into his human form, causing all rationality to fly from Talia’s mind. “I cannot believe how much I like you… especially considering we’re really not allowed.” He moved closer to her, and Talia opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to think of the best words to speak, but she couldn’t think of anything. “I know that you have something with B, I’m perfectly aware of that. But I’m not talking about that.”