He smiled, then brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Haven’t you learned yet? I always leave something out.”
“Another choice?”
He nodded. “It won’t be easy and I’ll need your help to pull it off.”
“Again. I totally saved your bacon with Kag-man there.”
He laughed, and her heart seemed to skip at the sound.
“It would mean that we could stay together,” he said.
She shrugged one shoulder, shifting a little closer to his chest.
“I’m listening.”
Chapter Fourteen
With the main bay doors open, the hangar was chilly, even with the small ship’s heating system trying to fight back the cold air. Brooke sat on a crate that Zemanni had carefully inspected for hazards before letting her use.
“You can still change your mind,” he said.
“Shut up.”
He smiled, walking toward the open doors with his hands held up. His feet crunched on the snow
“I surrender,” he shouted.
The air rippled as a ship decloaked in front of him. It was shaped like a thin crescent moon, with a hull of gleaming black. A standard Sadirian skimmer.
A voice shouted out from a loudspeaker set in its hull. “Do not move.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
He heard movement behind him—footsteps on the ramp. Brooke joined him, but she couldn’t lift her hands.
She was holding the container of quicksilver.
“I told you to stay inside.” Zemanni stepped forward, putting himself between her and the skimmer.
“Yeah, and since when do I do as you say?”
“We said don’t move,” the voice from the skimmer boomed.
Zemanni let out a sigh. “She’s an Earthling. And I am not a threat to you. We need to talk.”
The skimmer landed in front of them. Its hatch opened and a ramp descended. Within seconds, two male figures approached. They both wore the silver uniforms of Sadirian soldiers.
One filled his out impressively, his chest bigger than some of the young trees around them. The other was thin and wiry, and walked with a hesitance that no Sadirian soldier would show.
Curious.
The large one held his arm up toward them, pointing his bracer—along with all its weapons—at them. The other didn’t.
“Brendan,” the big one said. “Your wristband.”
“Oh, right.” The thinner one held up the wrong arm, then quickly shifted. “Don’t try anything,” he said.
“Where are you guys getting your soldiers nowadays?” Zemanni said.
“I ask the questions.” The big one took a few more cautious steps forward. “You both read as humans, but it wouldn’t be hard for Scorpiians to fool our sensors.”
“I’m aware,” Zemanni said. “But your sensors are correct in this case.”
He stepped aside, revealing Brooke—and the canister of quicksilver. When he nodded to her, she set it down on the ground, then they both backed away.
“What is that?” the thin one asked.
The large one tapped on his bracer a few times. He paused, then tapped again, more urgently.
“Quicksilver,” he said. “And a lot of it.”
He tapped the side of his helmet. The opaque metal broke into inch-wide segments that folded in on themselves before collapsing into the housing around his uniform’s neck.
His skin was dark gold, his scalp and face either hairless or shaved. He glared from Zemanni to Brooke and back again.
“Awesome.” The thin one hit the control to remove his helmet as well. As soon as it was in its housing, he took a few deep breaths. His bright orange hair made a striking contrast to the snowy background around him. “Those things make me claustrophobic.”
“An Earthling?” Zemanni shook his head. It was the only explanation that made sense.
He knew that the Sadirians were working with humans on their First Contact committee. He didn’t know they were letting them run around in Sadirian uniforms.
“I’m Brendan.” The thin man waved. “And that’s Ari.”
Ari glanced over his shoulder, casting a glare at Brendan.
“What?” Brendan said.
“I’m Brooke.” She stepped forward and waved back. “And this is Blorvo.”
“Zemanni.”
“It’s a family name.” She smirked at Zemanni, even when he glared back. “He doesn’t like it.”
“So, she’s definitely human,” Brendan said. “Only Earthlings can make aliens glare quite like that.”
Brooke laughed.
“Which makes him what?” Ari kept his wristband trained on both of them. “Standing in front of a Scorpiian vessel, holding a container of quicksilver, wearing a friend’s face.”
“I was kind of wondering about that, myself,” Brendan said.
“Change it,” Ari said.
“I can’t.” Zemanni gestured toward the quicksilver. “All of my quicksilver is in there. Well, almost all of it. I had to keep a little bit to hold myself together.”
He slowly pulled down the collar of his shirt, letting Ari see the scars around his neck. “I hear you’ve let the Lyrians join your group. How’s that working out for you?”
“Actually—” Brendan said.
Ari interrupted him. “I said I ask the questions. I’m just…kind of stumped about where to start.”
“Let me help you,” Zemanni said.
“Scorpiians don’t help anyone.” Ari said. “Not for free.”
“True. But I’m not a typical example of my kind.” Zemanni gestured toward the huge Sadirian, and said, “I’m guessing you know something about what that’s like?”
Ari’s glare intensified. Zemanni knew it was a gamble to try to connect with Ari on such a sensitive subject, but it was the only thing he could think of that they had in common. They were both what their people would consider “glitches”.
Zemanni tried a different approach. “You’re looking for sentients who aren’t supposed to be on Earth. So was I.”
“We’re trying to help them,” Brendan said. “Not skin them.”
“Oh my God, did you try to skin somebody?” Brooke said.
“I’ll explain later.” Right after he came up with a plan for how he was going to get the Lyrians to not tear him apart again as soon as they saw him.
“You can’t believe anything he tells you,” Ari said. “Scorpiians are masters of deceit.”
Brooke crossed her arms. “I know. But Zemanni doesn’t lie to me.”
“Unless he’s lying about not lying,” Brendan said.
“I’m not lying to any of you. I know I have choices and actions to atone for, but I am interested in helping you.”
“Why? What’s in it for you?” Ari said.
“Protection for myself and my mate.” He gestured toward Brooke.
“Mate?” She dropped her arms and smiled at him. “I’m your mate?”
“Again, now is not the time,” Zemanni said.
“What is it about these Earthlings?” Ari muttered, shaking his head.
It seemed a good sign that he hadn’t disintegrated either of them. Zemanni tried to push the matter further.
“I have changed. Give me a chance to prove it to you.”
“How?” Ari had lowered his arm a bit, but brought his wristband back into firing position as Zemanni slowly reached for the front pocket of his shirt.
“I have removed all of the quicksilver from my system that I don’t need to survive,” he said. “I’m trapped in this human form unless I receive an infusion.”
“Which is sitting right in front of you,” Ari said.
“I could have escaped with Brooke and this ship. But I stayed. I intend to give this quicksilver to the Department of Homeworld Security. I will only be able to resume my shapeshifting abilities when and where you deem appropriate. I’m putting myself at your disposal, in exchange for you keeping Brooke and I safe.”
&nb
sp; “And also providing meals to a really sweet elderly couple that lives in my apartment building,” Brooke said.
Zemanni glanced at her.
She met his gaze without flinching. “What? They depend on me. You said Brendan has money and could hire them a private chef or something if we had to leave.”
“Sure, I can—” Brendan stopped and cleared his throat when Ari glared at him again. “But first, finish your demonstration.”
Zemanni pulled out the small pocketknife he’d borrowed from Brooke. He cautiously opened it, not making any sudden moves with Ari’s weapons trained on him. Zemanni rolled up his left sleeve, then cut a shallow line along his forearm.
Thin, red blood flowed from the wound. He held it out for Ari to see.
“Okay, that seems legit,” Brendan said.
Brooke nodded. “That is how they do it in scifi movies.”
“We need more than…” Ari’s voice trailed off, his gaze fixed on the red seeping from Zemanni’s wound. He ran a hand over his face, lowering his other arm to his side. “Actually, that’s pretty convincing. Scorpiians don’t bleed.”
“Well, unless an angry Lyrian rips them into pieces.” Brendan shrugged when Ari glared at him. “What? Henry and I are BFFs and he told me all about it.”
Brooke took off her scarf and started wrapping it around Zemanni’s forearm. He folded the knife and put it back in his pocket.
“Does that mean you’ll help us?” Brooke said. “And let us help you?”
“A Scorpiian working with the Department of Homeworld Security,” Ari said.
Brendan inched toward them, his attention on the cylinder. “It was his mission to hunt down the sentients that were on Earth without permission. And let’s face it, we could use all the help we can get finding them and sorting out the good guys from the bad.”
Ari shook his head, glaring at Zemanni. “You won’t be loyal to us. Don’t think you have me fooled on that point.”
“You know the man whose form I’m wearing,” Zemanni said. “When I try to revert to my natural form, this is now the shape I take. His DNA has altered me as much as Brooke has.”
“I don’t know how I feel about that,” Brooke said.
Zemanni pressed on, sensing that they were close to the beginnings of a…bond with this group. “I’m loyal to Brooke and—”
“And I’m loyal to Earth.” She shrugged. “Plus I love helping people. From what Zemanni has told me about you guys, that’s what you all do.”
Brendan smiled broadly. He patted Ari on the shoulder, then reached down and picked up the container of quicksilver. “I’m going to go call Kira.”
Ari sighed. “If our planetary liaison says you can join us, I can’t go against her orders. But I will be watching you, Scorpiian.”
“I have no doubt about that.”
“So, that’s it?” Brooke said. “Because if we’re going to be waiting around for a while, I’m going to do it inside where it’s warm.”
“I’ll join you.” Zemanni started after her, but paused and turned back to Ari. “My loyalty isn’t just to Brooke. It’s also to Earth. It feels like… It feels like my homeworld now.”
Ari shook his head. “It has that effect on many sentients, it seems. But I can’t help but wonder how long it will last.”
Zemanni smiled. “As long as she’ll have me. And as long as there’s work to be done.”
About the Author
Cassandra Chandler has been obsessed with stories for as long as she can remember. A prolific writer, she has several Paranormal and Scifi Romance series that feature aliens, psychics, werewolves, and vampires—sometimes all in the same book. When she's not writing super-sexy love stories, you can find her knitting, chatting with readers, or making weird puppets.
If you want to talk to her, head over to Twitter (@CassChandler), Facebook (CassChandlerAuthor), send her email at AuthorAtCassandra-ChandlerDotCom, or, of course, leave a review. Remember to sign up for her newsletter (cassandra-chandler.com/newsletter) to receive exclusive content!
Look for More Titles by Cassandra Chandler
The Blades of Janus
PACK
The Department of Homeworld Security (novellas)
Gray Card
Resident Alien
Business or Pleasure
Tied up in Customs
Entry Visa
Duration of Stay
The Summer Park Psychics
WANDERING SOUL
WHISPERING HEARTS
LINGERING TOUCH
Other Works
“Second Sight” (short story)
“Second Skin” (short story)
CRAFTING A WRITER’S LIFE: Building a Foundation
Coming Soon
The Department of Homeworld Security (novellas)
Duel Citizenship
Duration of Stay (The Department of Homeworld Security Book 6) Page 8