Exposed

by Tana Stone

  Get a grip, Katie told herself. Even if he was the greatest guy in the universe she still needed to use him to get what she needed. And what she needed was to get off the space station and get back to Earth. The alternative was living with aliens for the rest of her life. As cool as the Boat was, it was almost too perfect for someone like her who’d grown up on the gritty side of the street. She hadn’t done anything to deserve a life of luxury with a gorgeous guy, and so far everyone up on the station seemed too perfect. She didn’t fit in.

  Katie ignored the bed, as well as the knot in her stomach, walking to the sitting area to the side of the bedroom and lowering herself into one of the ebony rattan chairs positioned on top of the Persian rug. In the moonlight, the colors of the rug were muted, but she could still make out the geometric patterns and feel the tight weave on her bare feet. Another section of the balcony extended to the side, with cream-colored curtains tied back to reveal more open savannah. A cluster of gardenia trees grew up next to the railing, the perfume of their white blooms drifting inside.

  She had to give it to these Drexians. Their holographic recreation was amazing. Between the distant sounds of animals and the smell of impending rain she could almost taste, it was hard to believe she wasn’t back on Earth. Would anyone believe her when she did blow the lid off this project? It was a challenge to wrap her head around it even as she was experiencing it, much less believe the far-fetched idea without hard evidence.

  “I’ll just have to get evidence,” she murmured to herself, missing her camera for the hundredth time that day.

  She twisted her neck to see Zayn still standing at the other railing, his massive form casting a long shadow across the polished wood of the floor. Why did she feel so guilty already? She hadn’t done anything. Not yet at least.

  But you will, the little voice in her head told her. You’ll have to use him to get the information you need. If you’re going to be a believable tribute bride, you’ll have to convince him and everyone else.

  She let her head fall back against the chair’s cushion and closed her eyes, even though she knew sleep wouldn’t come. Not when she felt like this. She let out a breath and tried to will the knot in her gut to unclench. Even though she hated always looking at people as marks, she couldn’t help it. It had been imprinted on her so young, she wondered if she was even capable of caring for someone without having an angle. Which was probably why all her boyfriends had been losers or jerks. She couldn’t let herself get close to someone truly good because she knew she’d end up hurting them. Of course her latest, Mark, had beaten her to it, but she would have used him and left him if he hadn’t done the same to her first.

  She rubbed a hand over her forehead, feeling the creases that formed when she worried. At this rate she was going to be wrinkled mess before she was thirty.

  The crackling sound made her eyes fly open as the sky flickered and the savannah disappeared for a moment, revealing the domed ceiling covered in white tiles. Katie jerked up, expecting the furniture under her to vanish, but it remained, although the soothing thrum of rain in the distance disappeared. The environment reappeared almost as quickly as it had dissolved.

  She looked around muttering, “What the hell was that?”

  Zayn crossed the room, one hand pressed to his temple. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She watched him knead his temple. “Are you?”

  He dropped his hand from his head. “I’m sure it was a brief malfunction. Probably a residual effect from the Kronock attack.”

  “The what?”

  “Our sworn enemy mounted a failed attack on this station a little while ago. Some systems were damaged, so this is probably a result of that.”

  “Sworn enemy?” Katie suppressed the urge to giggle, even though she knew he wasn’t joking.

  “Yes.” Zayn’s face was solemn. “We’ve kept the Kronock at bay for decades, but if they succeeded it would be the end of your planet.”

  The laughter died in her throat. “Oh, right.” It was hard to imagine that violent aliens were hell-bent on destroying Earth, and no one on the surface had any idea. Not yet at least. “Should I be worried?”

  “The Boat is probably safe for now.”

  “That’s a ringing endorsement,” she said under her breath, then held a hand over her mouth as she yawned.

  “You can take the bed. You need to sleep.”

  “Thanks, but I can’t sleep right now.”

  “You’re worried I’ll…” he began, then paused and exhaled loudly. “I promise I won’t touch you again.”

  “Ever?” She cocked an eyebrow. “That’s a pretty big promise, considering we’re supposed to be mated.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice was hoarse. “I need to protect you, even from myself.”

  “I’m not afraid of you. I know you won’t hurt me.” She craned her head to look up, tipping her neck back to take in all of him. As she said the words, she realized she believed them completely. “It’s not you. It’s that my mind won’t let me sleep.”

  “Do not worry about the Kronock. The Drexians will fight to the death to protect the station.”

  The intensity of his words made her instinctively feel better. “It isn’t that.”

  “Do you get nightmares?” He took the overstuffed rattan love seat across from her, his massive arms extending across the entire length as he stretched them out behind him.

  “Not exactly, but sometimes memories haunt me.” She shifted in her chair, surprised she’d admitted so much to a virtual stranger.

  He studied her face and nodded. “People you’ve lost?”

  She shrugged. More like people she’d hurt.

  “Tell me about your life on Earth, Katie.” He said her name in two distinct syllables, Kay-tee, making it sound exotic rather than commonplace.

  “Not much exciting to tell,” she said, “especially compared to all this.”

  He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “This is not normal for Drexians, either. Most of us spend our lives on battleships or military outposts.”

  “You’re all soldiers?” Her eyes dropped to his scarred arms and away again before he could notice her staring.

  He dipped his head in a curt nod. “We are a warrior race known throughout the galaxy for protecting other species from violence. It’s why we battle the Kronock and protect Earth.”

  “I thought you protected Earth so you could get women.”

  “All the planets we save contribute to our greater purpose,” Zayn said. “Our scientists, artisans, and workers all come from races we’ve rescued.”

  He sounded like he was spouting lines from a brochure, Katie thought. “And all your women come from Earth.” She tilted her head at him. “So when you guys ride in on the cavalry to save other planets, it’s not completely altruistic.”

  It was his turn to angle his head at her. “Cavalry?”

  She waved a hand. “I guess it’s an Earth thing.”

  “You were going to tell me about Earth.” He reclined on the cream-colored couch cushions again.

  “Was I?” She tucked her feet under her. “Well, it’s not like this, but I guess since you guys modeled the holographs after Earth, it is like this. At least parts of it. I’ve never been to Africa, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”

  “What was it like where you lived?”

  “LA?” She laughed. “Big, loud, crowded, busy. Important people always going somewhere in a rush.”

  “Were you happy there?”

  His question caught her off guard. She couldn’t claim she’d been happy sneaking around, trying to catch celebrities in embarrassing moments. And Mark was cute enough, but he’d never made her happy. Had she ever been happy? Really, truly happy? That was easy. “No, but I was too busy trying to pay the rent and keep gas in my car to think about it.”

  “Happiness is a luxury I’ve never had, either.”

  She looked hard at the shirtless man sitting across from
her, with his massive bare arms and rippled stomach. He seemed a lot more insightful than she would have expected, although she didn’t have much experience with alien warriors to base her opinion off of. She knew she shouldn’t assume he was empty-headed because he was so good-looking, but living around so many beautiful, brainless people in LA had not helped. “You aren’t what I’d expect.”

  “I do not understand. I thought you didn’t know about Drexians until today.”

  Thunder rumbled in the distance, but she suspected the fake rain would never reach them.

  “I used to photograph famous people on Earth,” she said, trying to explain. “People who were beautiful, with great bodies, who were paid to look great on screen. Some were okay, but a lot of them were full of themselves and a pain in the ass. I guess I got used to seeing people like you and expecting them to be divas.”

  “Like me?” He furrowed his brow.

  “You know.” Her eyes dropped to his chest and she felt her face warm. “Hard-bodied and beautiful.”

  “I am hardly beautiful.” He frowned. “You are not one of the beautiful people on Earth?”

  A burst of laughter escaped her throat, louder than she would have liked, and she clamped a hand over her mouth. “Not movie star beautiful.”

  Zayn’s face contorted and he raised his hands to his temples. The holographic suite flickered again, and they were sitting under the white dome once more. The lights went off, thrusting them into darkness before the entire system came on again and the idyllic setting returned.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  “The malfunctions are increasing,” he said, giving his head an almost imperceptible shake.

  “I don’t mean that,” Katie said. “I mean your head. You looked like you were in pain right before it happened. Could you sense it?”

  A confused expression crossed his face. “I don’t think so. How could that be possible?”

  She shrugged, but didn’t take her eyes off him. Something else was going on. She was adept enough at reading people to know that Zayn genuinely had no idea why he’d been able to sense the station’s glitch before it happened, but she also didn’t believe in coincidences.

  Now, she not only needed to get enough evidence for her story, she also needed to figure out what was really going on with Zayn.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Rise and shine, lovebirds!”

  Zayn looked up from where he’d curled up on the love seat, his long legs bunched up and his chest hanging halfway off the cushions. He braced himself with one hand on the floor before he rolled off entirely.

  The purple-haired Gatazoid from the day before led a small procession into the suite, waving at the one Vexling guiding the hovering breakfast cart and the other holding a clear clipboard. He directed the Vexling to leave the breakfast before tapping one hot-pink platform boot on the gleaming wooden floors.

  Zayn breathed in the savory scents coming from the hover cart, his growling stomach a reminder that he’d drunk more than he’d eaten the day before. Blinking hard, he scanned the room until he saw a mess of red curls tangled with the bed sheets, his heart beating faster at the thought of her under the soft bedding.

  “What…?” The remaining Vexling looked from the towel in a pile beside the bed to him on the love seat to the red hair peeking above the sheets.

  The Gatazoid—Serge, that was the little alien’s name—elbowed her. “Not now, Reina. We need to focus.”

  Katie lifted her head and moaned, flopping back down and pulling the sheets back up over her face. “Is there coffee?”

  “Coffee?” Reina asked, glancing at the silver domes covering the hover cart. “We have moi-moi juice, which is delicious and filled with nutrients. Do you require a morning stimulant?”

  The lump under the sheets moaned again. “Whatever you need to call it, I need it.”

  Zayn stood and stretched his arms up over his head, his hands nearly brushing the inside of the tented ceiling. He crossed to the cart filled with food and began lifting the shiny domes off plates. One thing he could say about the Boat, the food was excellent. Picking up a slice of fried padwump, he bit into it and closed his eyes to savor the salty flavor.

  Opening his eyes, he found Reina and Serge gaping at him. He swallowed and realized his drawstring pants had slipped down below his hips; the only thing holding them up was his substantial erection. He tugged his pants higher and spun around.

  “Now then,” Serge said, clapping his hands. “I believe I mentioned the dress appointment yesterday. There’s no time to waste, Katie.”

  Zayn knew seeing the human getting out of bed would do nothing to reduce his arousal, so he plucked a glass of juice from the cart and walked out to the balcony. A group of black-and-white-striped animals grazed near the railing, and he focused on them so he wouldn’t think about the half-naked woman in his bed. The sounds of the birds cawing and hooves thudding on the ground distracted him from the noises of Serge rousing Katie inside the room.

  “There we go. A nice little nibble and then off to the shower with you.”

  He refused to turn. He heard the sounds of domes being lifted off plates and could imagine what she looked like standing with the sheet draped around her well enough. If picturing her wrapped in a sheet made his heart race, he did not want to know what would happen if he actually saw her.

  The noise of the shower being activated was followed by a yelp, and Zayn couldn’t help laughing. Nothing like cold water to wake you up.

  Now that she was out of the bedroom, he turned and walked back to the food. Reina was gone, he assumed helping Katie get ready since she was female, but Serge stood waiting outside the bathroom door.

  Zayn pointed to the plates of food. “Hungry? There’s more than enough.”

  The little man shook his head. “Thank you, but no. I had the chef prepare a little bit of everything since we didn’t know what she liked to eat.”

  Zayn poked at a shiny ring on a square plate.

  “From what I understand,” Serge said, “that is called a doughnut. Very popular breakfast food on Earth. Apparently, your bride is a fan.”

  Zayn picked it up by two fingers and took a bite. The ring was soft, sticky, and so sweet he flinched as he swallowed.

  Serge gave him a knowing look. “Humans love sugar.”

  Zayn put the rest of the sugary ring back on the plate and licked his fingers.

  Serge thrust a napkin at him. “Here, sweetie. You may have nailed the warrior vibe, but let’s not scare the female.” He shifted from one platform boot to the other as he watched Zayn wipe his mouth. “Is everything okay with you and the tribute?”

  “Fine.” No way would be admit what had happened last night, although he wouldn’t blame her if Katie told someone.

  “If there’s a problem, I’d rather know now, than after I’ve spent days planning a wedding,” Serge said. “You have no idea how excruciating it is to have to see a wedding design go to waste.”

  Zayn wasn’t sure what the alien meant, but he noticed the roots of his hair turning pink as he bounced up and down.

  “Listen,” Serge said, leaning close to him. “I know you weren’t on the list to get a tribute, so all this must come as a surprise, but from what I hear, no Drexian needs this more than you do.”

  Zayn felt his stomach tighten. What had the Gatazoid heard about him? Did he know he’d been the only one of his team to survive? Did he know he’d left a Drexian back in a Kronock prison?

  “If you’re one of those purists who doesn’t believe in mating with humans, or if you find their lack of a third breast off-putting, tell me now.” Serge tapped his foot. “I can work a lot of magic, but giving your tribute an extra breast is beyond even my abilities.”

  “No,” he said. “Katie is acceptable.”

  Serge cocked an eyebrow. “Well, aren’t you the sweet-talker?” He gave Zayn the once-over. “I suppose you have other qualities.”

  So the Gatazoid could see it too? He didn
’t belong here, and he certainly didn’t deserve a tribute as pretty as Katie. He wasn’t sure at this point if he hoped he would be discovered as a fraud or if he was terrified of it.

  “We’re ready,” Reina called out, as she and Katie emerged from the bathroom bringing a cloud of steam and a flowery scent with them.

  Zayn was glad he’d put down the sticky ring, or he surely would have dropped it.

  Katie wore a silky, green top, and a black skirt that hugged her curves. Her feet were in high, strappy shoes that showed off her long legs and lightly tapped the floor when she walked. Her hair had been pulled half up so that he noticed the soft green shade of her eyes.

  His mouth was parched as he tried to speak and failed.

  She walked toward him, twisting her hips with each step—something she had not done the night before. Her eyes locked with his, and she smiled at him. “I’ll be back later. Don’t miss me too much, hot stuff.”

  He reflexively stepped back, startled by the transformation. This was not the introspective woman he’d talked to the night before.

  Katie leaned in, placing her palms on his chest. Her touch jolted him, the warmth and softness of her hands electric against his bare skin.

  Her expression faltered, and she glanced at her hands, and then looked back up at him. With a determined look in her eye, she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down to her. Their lips brushed, and he felt this jolt like a shockwave. His body hummed as he responded, crushing his mouth to hers and feeling her yield to him as his tongue parted her lips. Her breathless moan made him wrap his arms around her, sweeping her off the floor and holding her tight to him. The sweet taste of her caused the blood to pound in his ears, and only the feel of her nails digging into his chest brought him back to reality.

  He dropped her, stepping back and gasping for air. She staggered away from him, the seductive smile gone from her face.