by Tasha Black
“Lucky for me, it turns out that aliens are super good-looking and strong,” the artist confided. “I guess a lot of guys who bet on blue skin and tentacles are kicking themselves right now.”
Kate laughed in spite of herself.
Kirk was cocking his head and looked like he was about to say something.
“We’ve got to run,” she told the artist, grabbing Kirk’s hand and heading toward the next booth before he could blurt out anything about gaseous masses and other planets.
“What is that?” he asked, looking across the aisle.
She follows his gaze to a booth with a huge three-paneled sign above it:
* * *
What-Would-YOU-Look-Like-As-An-ALIEN?
* * *
“It’s just for fun,” she explained. “Want to check it out?”
“Yes,” he said, his hand still protectively on her back.
They wandered over to where a guy in a baseball cap was explaining the process to an older lady and her granddaughter.
“You just answer the questionnaire, and then it tells you what type of alien you would be,” he said.
“What do you mean what type of alien?” the grandmother asked.
“You know, tentacles or wings or whatever,” the man said. “Then I’ll take your picture and it will print out with all your alien features. You get to take it home in a frame. It’s a good souvenir.”
“Oh, Grandma, I want to, I want to,” the little girl squealed, tugging her grandmother’s shirt.
“Alright, Brooklyn, that seems like a good souvenir,” the lady said, smiling indulgently at the girl.
The man handed the girl his iPad and she began swiping at it and giggling.
“Cute,” Kate said, looking up at Kirk.
But he was looking intently at something else.
Across the aisle and catty-corner to them was another booth. This one was smaller, with a single panel sign that said simply:
* * *
Stargazer Aliens
* * *
A huge crowd of people was packed around the booth.
Kate moved toward it and Kirk followed.
The display was so simple it almost resembled a high school science fair project. Two tri-fold poster boards were set on a folding table. Blurry printed cell phone pictures were pasted to them with handwritten notes.
The woman inside the booth was speaking - her voice had a touch of regional twang to it.
“… and that’s when I knew the man before me wasn’t an ordinary shopper,” she said in a dramatic whisper. “He was… an alien.”
There were sounds of wonder from the crowd.
“But don’t they look just like humans?” a man asked.
The woman chuckled and tapped on her display for emphasis.
“I could pick one out from a mile away,” she scoffed. “They’re not a thing like you and me.”
Kirk’s hand tensed on Kate’s back.
“It’s okay,” Kate murmured. It was clear to her that the woman was only bluffing.
What wasn’t clear was why there were so many people gathered around. There wasn’t even a real alien. And People Magazine had a gorgeous shoot with Bond, Rocky, Magnum and their wives just last week with pictures that put the fuzzy ones on the board to shame.
As Kate watched, a girl in a cosplay Inertia uniform leaned against the corner of the booth and gazed dreamily at the pictures on one of the poster boards.
Two older ladies shook their heads in wonder, pointing at the other board and then whispering excitedly to each other.
A teenaged boy elbowed his way into the crowd, drawn to the booth like a moth to the flame.
And then it hit her.
The people at this convention had spent their whole lives stargazing. They had grown up imagining all the stories taking place in a galaxy far, far away.
And now it was here.
Though none of them were likely to go on an outer space adventure, the aliens had come to them. It was nothing short of a miracle.
So they didn’t care about the presentation or the showmanship. Just knowing it was all real was enough. And this was more real than any glossy magazine spread.
Watching the crowd, Kate shivered at the thought of what Kirk’s life would be like, even if he did manage to click with a woman and come out of hiding.
He would never have a moment’s privacy, not from the paparazzi or even from ordinary people. His image would be plastered on more blog posts and Twitter feeds than anyone could ever read.
The men from Aerie were here. Their lives on Earth were the most amazing sci-fi show that had ever been created.
And it was a show that would never be canceled.
10
Kirk
Kirk watched the people surrounding the booth. It was good to see that they smiled as they looked at the pictures of his brothers, though the lady who ran the booth spoke in a tone that indicated that the men from Aerie were different and dangerous.
Well, she wasn’t wrong. They were surely different, though they were trying with all their hearts to assimilate Earth’s culture.
And they were horribly dangerous. Not because they were a brutal people, but because the leaders of their planet were watching. If the citizens of Earth came up lacking by his leaders’ measurement, they would annihilate this young planet with little effort, and no more regret than -Beatrix had when she tossed an unacceptable sketch into the trash.
“Do you want to leave?” Kate whispered to him.
“Yes,” he said.
They turned from the display and headed out toward security.
Kate seemed to understand why he was quiet. She made no attempt to interrupt his thoughts as they moved through security and down the enormous moving staircases to the street.
It was bright outside, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. The sun was still high in the sky despite the hour. Dr. Bhimani had explained about the seasons, how summer days seemed to go on and on.
On Aerie this bright afternoon would have seemed dim.
Earth’s nearest star seemed to burn in loneliness. She was so far from even this, her satellite. On Aerie, the stars were so close that Kirk felt he could almost touch them.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Kate said softly. “I hope you won’t judge us too harshly.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“People are… curious,” she said carefully. “And we love a good story. That’s why the lady said your brothers were different - not because she meant it, only because she knew it would build dramatic tension. Do you understand?”
“I do,” he said. “But she was right. Maybe not about being able to spot us, but we are different, though we try not to be. Does that frighten you?”
He liked that she didn’t answer right away, politely denying her fear without thinking.
Instead she bit her lip.
“No,” she said at last. “I’m not frightened of you at all. I’ve trusted you from the moment I met you, even before I knew. I think I’m afraid for you though. Afraid of what could happen to you here.”
“I’m not as innocent as I may seem,” he told her.
His brothers had warned him that their lack of familiarity with Earth’s customs, combined with their overall good-naturedness, would cause many humans to view them as innocent or even child-like. Indeed, most people he interacted with seemed to forget all about the fact that he came from a race that had mastered intergalactic travel long before the first human walked the Earth.
Kirk found it endearing.
She looked up at him for a moment, and he wondered what she would ask him.
But movement ahead of them took his attention.
Spencer Carson walked toward them on the sidewalk.
The man’s face was twisted into an ugly scowl, fists clenched at his sides. He was definitely a threat.
“Kate,” Kirk murmured, stopping and placing a hand in front of her to hold her back while he assessed
the situation.
“Katie Bly,” Spencer drawled.
“That’s not my name,” Kate said in a clear, firm voice.
“I don’t know who your new guard dog is, but you can tell him to heel,” Spencer said. “I can walk you home from here.”
“I don’t want you to walk me home,” Kate said.
“That’s not what you said before,” Spencer said. “I don’t want to be alone. Walk with me, please.”
“Those were lines in a script,” Kate said wearily. “It wasn’t real, Spencer. We were actors.”
“We might have been on a TV show, but we weren’t acting and you know it,” Spencer said angrily. “There was a connection between us, and I know you felt it too. I don’t understand why you’re playing hard to get. But it stops now.”
Kirk had heard enough.
“Spencer Carson, it is time for you to leave,” he said in a tone that was calm but firm.
Spencer looked up at him, eyebrows lifted slightly as if in surprise, as if he had forgotten Kirk’s existence.
“Fuck you,” Spencer said. His voice was pitched a bit higher than before.
“Miss Henderson does not wish to speak with you,” Kirk informed him, although it seemed to him that she had made her wishes perfectly clear. “It’s time for you to move on.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Spencer shrieked.
“Please just go,” Kate said softly, breaking Kirk’s heart with the note of hopelessness in her tone.
Spencer stepped forward, reaching for Kate.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that.
Kirk blocked Spencer’s arms, pinning them down against his body.
Then he reached out with his mind to envelope the man’s mass. It was distasteful to stretch his consciousness around someone like Spencer Carson, to take him in. But it was a necessity.
Kirk used his innate ability and reduced Spencer’s weight to something more manageable, then wrapped his arms around the man and lifted him as if he were a pile of clothing. He moved Spencer out of their way and set him down beside the marble wall of the nearest building.
Once again he called on his gift, this time slamming it down in reverse.
“Don’t come near Kate again,” he whispered to Spencer.
“Wh-what did you do to me?” Spencer moaned, going down on one knee under his newly increased weight.
“Leave her alone,” Kirk repeated, and pushed down just a little harder for emphasis before returning the man to his original heaviness.
He turned to Kate.
She stood on the sidewalk a few feet away, her mouth forming a tiny o.
“Are you okay?” Kirk asked her.
She nodded.
“Let’s go home,” he said gently.
She nodded and they began to walk.
Kirk snuck a peek over his shoulder and saw that Spencer was leaning against the wall, an odd look on his face.
Though he hoped the scare he’d given the man had been enough, Kirk was glad Kate was walking quickly. The shock of the experience would wear off soon and he didn’t want her anywhere near Spencer when that happened.
“Thank you,” Kate said.
“You’re welcome,” he told her. “It is my job.”
“You’re very strong,” she noted. “I’m glad you could subdue him without hurting him.”
He nodded.
“Not because I like him,” she said quickly. “Only because I don’t want you to hurt anyone on my account.”
“I don’t want to hurt anyone at all,” Kirk said, smiling down at her.
Kate was an amazing person. She had been hunted and harassed by this man, yet her desire to protect Kirk from felling guilt was greater than her wish for her own safety. There was not a hint of petty vengeance in her. Kate was pure and kind.
A perfect mate.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“Only that I admire you,” he told her.
“Well, I admire you too,” she declared. Then she blushed pink for the third time in a day.
“I love when you do that,” he told her.
“What?”
“I love when you blush.”
Her cheeks grew rosier still and he had to restrain himself from bending to brush them with his lips.
“Here we are,” she said.
So much for his alertness. They had reached the apartment without him even noticing.
He had never been one to let his guard down so easily.
But then, he had never met anyone as damned distracting as Kate Henderson.
11
Kate
Kate walked quickly to the elevator. She needed a bit of space from Kirk, just for a moment, to calm her mind.
And her body…
You’re coursing with adrenaline from the confrontation with Spencer, she told herself sternly. You’re not really attracted to that massive alien.
But she was. Oh, she was.
She pushed the button for the elevator and it sang out immediately, doors sliding open.
She stepped in and Kirk followed.
It was only as the doors slid closed that it hit her that they were alone in the tiny space.
She looked away, but he was reflected back at her in the brass wainscoting of the elevator’s walls - a hundred Kirks standing sure and tall beside her.
He moved and she held her breath, waiting for his touch.
But he was only leaning over to push the button for their floor.
“I forgot,” she muttered.
“You had a busy day,” he said gruffly.
He was so close. His masculine scent enveloped her, and she could practically feel the heat pouring off him.
When the elevator dinged to announce their arrival she nearly jumped.
“Here we are,” he said.
He followed her to the door, which she opened quickly.
“Why don’t you have a seat, I’m just going to change out of this stuff,” she suggested.
“I’ll make us a snack,” he said.
She headed down the hall, grinning like a fool, and determined to change clothes quickly before he ate something that wasn’t food.
Kate removed the wig, let down her hair, and stripped down to her underwear. She went to her bed to grab the t-shirt and jeans she’d set aside for this evening.
But what she saw on the bed made her gasp.
“Kirk,” she called out, her voice thin and reedy.
“Kate?” Kirk’s voice traveled to her from down the hallway. “Kate is everything okay?” he called, getting closer.
She looked down at the bed. A thousand flame colored roses covered her sheets. The note in the center of the garden of loose blossoms was written in thick black ink:
* * *
All the pretty flowers and cruel thorns make me think of you, my love.
I’ll be back tonight so you can thank me in person.
-S
* * *
Kirk stepped into the room and she collapsed into his arms.
“Kate?” he breathed, wrapping his arms around her instinctively. “Oh.”
“He was in here, he was in here,” she whimpered into his chest.
She felt like a baby. This wasn’t like her. Kate was independent, strong, and resourceful. But this was like a living nightmare.
“It’s time to call the police,” Kirk said.
“We can’t,” she replied.
“Of course we can,” he said. “He was on your property without your permission. He left you a creepy note.”
“See? Even you know that’s creepy,” Kate declared. “And you’re an alien.”
“So do you want me to call for you?” Kirk asked.
“Wait,” Kate said. “Wait, wait, wait. Let’s just think this through. If we call the police, they might or might not believe it was Spencer. They might or might not do anything about it. But one thing will definitely happen.”
“What’s that?”
�
��It will definitely make the news,” she said. “They’ll search the apartment and find evidence that Bea and Cecily and I aren’t the only ones living here. They’ll ask you and your brothers questions you can’t answer. Plus, my uncle is the captain of a nearby police precinct. If he gets wind of anything going on involving my name, he will definitely blow it way out of proportion.”
“Maybe you can call him for advice.”
“I haven’t talked to him in years,” Kate admitted. “To be honest, he’s kind of a jerk.”
“Well, you can’t put yourself in danger just to protect me,” Kirk said.
“I may not be in danger,” she replied. “Think for a minute. We just saw Spencer on our way here. He was coming from the opposite direction. That means that he had already done this when you put him in his place. Maybe he wouldn’t have done it at all if he’d had that, um, conversation with you first.”
Kirk was quiet. She hoped he was giving it some thought.
“Meanwhile, I can try to find out how he got in by asking the security guard in the morning,” she went on quickly. “Alvin can look at the key fob log and the footage from the lobby. That way we can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“I don’t like it,” Kirk said.
“I don’t really like it either,” she admitted. “But I like it better than the other options.”
He went silent and she noticed his arms were still around her, the unconscious movement of his hand between her shoulder blades soothing her.
“I’ll go along with this under one condition,” Kirk said at last.
“What is it?”
“You are not to be out of my sight,” he said. “Not for one minute.”
“I’ll need bathroom breaks,” she protested.
“You can have them with the door open,” he allowed.
“I’ll have to sleep,” she said.
“I’ll sleep in the chair,” he said, indicating her reading chair in the corner.
She bit her lip. Normally, she’d be outraged at the implication that she couldn’t take care of herself. But there was something about being close to Kirk that made her feel safer than she ever had on her own.