by Alana Allen
"Du kan inte gå tillbaka kommer de döda dig!" Kadyn's tårar glidit ner hennes kind.
Han höll hennes ansikte i sina händer och borsta bort hennes tårar med sin tumme. "Vissa saker är värda att dö för", började han, "gillar du." Han kysste henne hårt, och kvävde henne whimpers med hans mun.
"Jag-jag kan inte bara låta dig gå. Jag kan inte förlora dig nu när jag har bara funnit dig. Nej, jag vägrar att ge upp." Kadyn rösten upp i en Orörbar ton som vågat honom att lämna henne.
"Kadyn, du har blivit en del av en mycket viktig kedja av händelser. Du måste skyddas framför alla andra." Han insisterade.
"Varför? Vad är det plötsligt så viktigt om mitt välbefinnande?" bad hon.
"Eftersom du kommer att ha mitt barn." Max tittade på henne rakt i ögonen tills nyheter sjönk.
En plötslig andetag gjorde henne sucken som hennes ögon vidgas med insikten att han talar sanning. Hur kunde han veta så snart? Hur kunde han säga när de endast hade delat sista natt tillsammans? Men på något sätt att hon visste han berättade henne sanningen. Deras bond växte, hon kunde känna hans energi. Ibland tyckte hon att hon kunde höra hans tankar, men skulle avfärda idén. Det var definitivt något om deras anslutning att validerade hans ord.
Kapitel 17
Järnvägsstationen heter all aboard för sena resenärer före slår avresa signal. Kadyn satt ensam intill fönstret och stirrar ut på väl wishers som dröjde sig kvar på plattformen. Det var bara ett par dagar sedan hon var inte säker på om hon skulle dö, eller om det ens rörde henne om hon gjorde, och nu hon skulle kämpa för att överleva bara vara nära honom igen.
Hon vilade handen på hennes buk djup eftertanke. Det var nu all anledning att leva. Hon kommer att ha en baby.
En baby.
Hon hade aldrig tyckt om att vara mamma. Till skillnad från de flesta flickor, det var aldrig hennes dröm växer upp. Andra flickor lekte med Barbies, hon var tvungen att överleva och skydda sin syster. Nu var hon kommer att ansvara för en son eller dotter i hennes egna.
Tåget gräto som hjulen började flytta ner banor, skaka och rasslar det flyttas framåt. Kadyn stirrade ut genom fönstret tittade på tågstationen försvinner undrar vad framtiden hade i butiken för henne och Max. De skulle bo på flykt från myndigheterna eller skulle de så småningom finna fred? Hon bestämde sig för att det inte spelade någon roll. Så länge hon kunde vara med honom, skulle allt arbete själv.
Hon var redo att möta det nya liv hade i butiken för henne.
OWNED BY THE DIRTY ALIEN
Kindle Edition
Copyright © 2016
Kindle Edition, License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to where you bought this from and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without the expressed written permission of the author.
All characters in this novel are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
CHAPTER ONE
The cross breeze blew through the dingy Pinto she was driving down the highway causing one of the spaghetti straps on her sheer floral print sun dress to slip off her shoulder. Kadyn pulled the strap back to its original position before returning her hand to her belly.
Reality tried to absorb into her brain. Running from the police and pregnant? How could all of this happen to her? What was she going to do now? Life was surreal. Her father was dead and she was responsible for his death. The only comfort she felt was in Max’s arms, but even he could not help her now.
Kadyn pulled into an old, dusty gas station. She stopped alongside one of the gas pumps, put the vehicle in park and turned off the engine.
The rusty sign read full service, but she got the feeling that that was from an era long since gone. It must have been a pleasant experience to receive such customer service. Life seemed easier back then. She supposed it was easy to romanticize the past when you didn’t live it. She shook the thought from her mind and got out of the car. Unscrewing the gas cap and inserting the pump into the car, Kadyn’s mind drifted to Max.
Fear enveloped her. What if the police caught up to him? What if he was hurt? Bile rose in her throat as she became nauseous. She turned around and threw up in the nearest garbage can, thankful it was nearby.
Wiping her mouth with her arm, Kadyn finished pumping her gas and tried to calm herself. The last time they saw each other he pushed her onto a train heading out of town. She knew he wanted her out of harm’s way, but she wasn’t sure if she could live without knowing if she would see him again. Maybe she should go back for him, but where would he be by now?
No, she thought. She should follow the plan and drive to meet him at the hotel he described along this highway. Kadyn pulled out cash from her back pocket as she walked in to the gas station. The attendant wore filthy mechanic overalls and was missing a couple of teeth. Everything in there looked a decade or two older than present day. The television behind the counter played a news program on low volume. As she handed her money to the man, she heard her name on the news program.
Her heart dropped. She felt her face turn red and flushed. Her head jerked in the TV’s direction as she listened.
“Police are on a manhunt today as a couple accused of shooting Arbor County Sheriff John Gregory have fled… Kadyn Gregory and Max Collier were last seen…”
Kadyn and Max’s picture flashed on the screen. Shocked, her eyes shifted from the television to the gas station attendant. She was self-conscious, wondering if he was going to notice. She willed him not to turn around to see it. Instead, his hand was extended toward her trying to give her change. She accepted it and left as fast as possible.
***
“Police are on a manhunt today as a couple accused of shooting Arbor County Sheriff John Gregory have fled… Kadyn Gregory and Max Collier were last seen…”
Max looked up from his coffee at the television propped over the diner counter. He immediately wondered if Kadyn had seen the news yet. He knew she would be worried about him. He threw a couple bucks down on the counter, grabbed his keys and walked out to his truck.
Until now, had been successful at evading the law. Now, with their names and faces all over the news, he hoped Kadyn was having the same luck. Getting into the truck, he looked in the rear view mirror as he sped out of the parking lot and onto the dirt highway past the city limits toward her. Dust particles glowed against his headlights as it blew up over the hood of his truck. The city behind him faded into the horizon line.
He had to admit to himself he was feeling what humans would call worrisome. He hadn’t had much experience with this feeling as most things on the ranch he was able to handle. However, this latest string of events caught him unprepared in unfamiliar territory. His thoughts were focused on Kadyn and their baby. He hoped she listened to his instructions closely and was at the hotel already.
The engine roared as he stepped on the gas pedal. His hands tightened their grip on the steering wheel. A worried expression showed on his face. He massaged his forehead to alleviate the build up of stress.
He knew the news of the pregnancy must have come as a shock to her. Forcing her onto the train as the police were closing in on them wasn’t exactly the best time to tell her that she was pregnant with his child. He didn’t have any time to explain further before they separated. It couldn’t be helped. There was no time and she was fighting him about leaving. He knew he had to give her a good reason to listen to him.
Only now, he was worried he may
lose her. Would she be able to comprehend to what extent her life is about to change? He understood the concept that a woman’s life changes when she becomes a mother, but the mother of a half human, half alien baby is a different matter.
That’s an understatement. It is an entirely different concept. Something that he wasn’t sure if even he would be able to predict.
Max shook his head. He hoped she would accept the future. This meant a new experience for him, but also for his research. No alien had ever bred with a human before, at least not that he was aware. He hadn’t planned this, but he knew the others would want a full report followed by extensive testing. He wanted to spare her from that.
All he wanted was for her not to run away from him. The fear of being rejected by her was to consuming him. He struggled to analyze these feelings and make sense of them, but none of it seemed logical.
He pulled off the main highway onto a smaller road heading toward the hotel. The speedometer needle pushed north of ninety miles per hour; faster than he realized. He had to get to her as soon as possible.
CHAPTER TWO
Kadyn unlocked the hotel door and opened it. The wafting smell of mildew and faint cigarette smoke permeated her nose. The bedspread and matching curtains were reminiscent of 1980s decor, reminding her of a trip her family took to Disney when she was a kid. Back then it was fun to stay in a hotel on vacation. Now, the circumstances frightened her.
She closed the door behind her and shut the drapes. The side table light clicked twice before illuminating the room. Uncertainty filled her heart. She wasn’t sure what she should do now other than wait and hope that Max recognized the blue string he instructed her to tie on the door knob.
The string!
Kadyn almost forgot to tie it on the door. She opened the door and tied it on the knob, looking left then right before closing it and locking the bolt.
She picked up the phone and put it to her ear listening to the dial tone before replacing it on the receiver. At least it was working. She remembered he told her not to use the phone. She couldn’t even if she wanted to because there was no way to contact him. Neither of them had a cell phone.
Exasperated, she sat on the bed. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. She had never been in trouble with the law. Not because her father was the sheriff, but because she never got into any real trouble. She was terrified to do anything growing up. The law didn’t scare her. Her father’s punishments did.
Kadyn was obsessing over bad memories when a slight movement outside of the window caught her attention. Through the curtains she could see a shadow outline of a human standing still. She moved closer to the window to inspect.
Adrenaline shot through her veins as she thought it could be the cops or investigators. Maybe they had been watching her and followed her all the way here. A firm rapping on the door startled her. She stood still, too afraid to move.
***
Max watched the door open as Kadyn’s face appeared behind it. He studied her expression as it melted from fear and panic into joy. He had never witnessed something as beautiful as Kadyn’s smile directed at him. It was something he hoped he never took for granted.
“Max!” Kadyn screamed in delight.
She opened the door wider and jumped into his arms. Max held her, relieved that she was happy to see him. He carried her inside as he shut the door behind them. She placed kisses all over his face and neck, his body tingling as he knew she was receiving the electricity that reverberated off of his body.
“I was so worried you were hurt or caught.” She began.
“I told you to trust me.” He said.
Max kissed her deep and slow with every part of him. He stroked her hair. He was relieved to touch her again. It was nice not to be preoccupied about what could happen to her. She was safe with him now and that’s all that mattered.
“Did you see the news? Our faces are on it.” Kadyn’s worried look returned.
He walked over to the window and pulled the blinds firmly closed. His only concern now was whether or not they should stay here for the night or leave. Kadyn pulled his face into hers, forcing him to focus his attention on her.
“Look at me,” She said. “What are we going to do?”
“Do you trust me?” He asked her.
“You know I do.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
Feeling her warmth close to him, he was no longer concerned about anything or anyone but her. He connected eyes with her, his groin stirring. He walked her over to the bed accepting her kisses.
The peace of their reunion overtook him and for a moment he forgot where he was. His only focus was being with her right now in this moment.
CHAPTER THREE
“Kadyn, we need to talk about the baby.” Max gently pushed himself back from kissing her and instead took her hand and held it in his.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
He brushed the top of her hand with his fingers and stalled for the right words. He wasn’t sure what to tell her. It wasn’t that he had definitive knowledge about the pregnancy. No alien had ever mated with a human that he was aware of, so there was no precedent on how a half human, half alien baby would be born. Still, he was alarmed that she still didn’t know his entire story about how he got here, who he was, or how all of this would affect her. In his mind, they couldn’t move forward if she didn’t know what she was getting into.
“There are things about me that you don’t know.” He began.
She put her finger up to his lips. “I know all I need to know.”
“No, I don’t think you do.” He said.
“What’s wrong, Max?” Kadyn saw the conflict in his eyes and feared bad news was about to come out of his mouth.
“This baby. It won’t be entirely…human.” He let the words linger for a moment hoping it would click in her brain the direction he was going.
Kadyn sat there next to him processing his words. The muscles in her throat began to tighten. “What do you mean ‘not entirely human’?”
“I mean that I’m not who you think I am.”
Max reached for her but she pulled away. Instead, she stood up and paced the room.
“I know exactly who you are, Max Collier. You are the heir to the Collier ranch. Your family has worked that land in our town for decades. Your name is more common than my family name is.”
Kadyn searched for some understanding in his eyes to validate what she was saying, but found none.
“No,” he began, “I’m not the Max Collier you know, Kadyn. This body is, but the Max you knew is gone.”
Kadyn backed against the wall, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“What are you saying, Max?” She asked.
“You know what I am saying.” He replied.
“So if you aren’t Max Collier, who are you?”
Max stood up to walk toward her but she rejected his advance. He wasn’t sure how to comfort her, or that there was any good way to break this to her.
“Why are you doing this? Are you trying to get rid of me? Do you want me to leave?” Kadyn’s eyes filled with tears. She looked like a wounded animal backed into a corner dealing with the death of a loved one.
“I want you to know the truth. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us.” Max tried to reason with her.
“So what does this mean? Whose baby am I carrying if it isn’t Max’s?” She starred at him, her eyes flared in anger.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I also know that you have suspected something was different about me from the beginning.” Kadyn’s gaze dropped in silent acknowledgment. He took that opportunity to move closer to her.
“You felt it from the first moment I touched you.” He said.
Forehead to forehead, he grabbed her. “You feel it now. The electricity between us.”
Kadyn, too weak or unwilling to protest any longer, followed his lead.
“What does this mean?” She asked in a quie
t whisper.
He closed his eyes. He wanted to stay in this place with her forever, but he knew that the next bit of information could send her over the edge.
“The baby,” he began, “is going to be half human and half alien species.”
He tried to hold onto her but she pulled away in one violent movement.
“Half alien?” Her voice turned into a high-pitched squeal. “As in extra-terrestrial?”
“Yes.” He said.
Kadyn’s panic returned. She cried loudly as Max comforted her. Her breathing deepend as she started to hyperventilate.