“I demand you let me in. I am here for my mate.”
“She’s not here.”
“Yes, she is,” he said with a hissing snarl, towering over her, trying to intimidate her.
“No, she’s not, and even if she was, you can’t come in.”
“She belongs to me.” His voice boomed over her, angry eyes searching behind her. “You cannot keep her from me.”
“Kora is a human being,” Alyssa said, crossing her arms, glaring defiantly back at him. “She doesn’t belong to anyone. She’s not a dog for you to beat.”
“How dare you!” Sen roared in her face. “You will let me in, right now!”
Sen started to push his way inside, and Alyssa grabbed onto the edges of the doorframe, growling at him. When he grabbed her arms, attempting to move her, she howled in his face.
“Take your hands off me!”
“Move!”
“No! You will not enter my home!”
“Get out of the way, human!”
“No!” Alyssa screeched at Sen, clinging to the doorway. “I am favored by Commander Kayn. You know that, and you know what that means for you if you hurt me. Kayn already knows you abused Kora, and the guards are looking for you, right now.”
Sen stopped pushing against her, glancing around the hallway with wild eyes, spooked. Snapping his head back to glare at her, he stepped back away from the entrance, hands clenched at his sides.
“Keep the filthy whore, for now. She is useless. You disgusting humans have trashed this planet, and will be gone soon. Szu’Kara will have our offspring and care for Earth with respect.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Alyssa feigned ignorance, still glaring at the fuming alien.
“Nothing, human,” he said with a sneer, lifting his chin and looking down his nose at her. “That wench will be returned to me, eventually, so tell her to enjoy this freedom while she can.”
“Go away, Sen. You’ll never put a hand on Kora, ever again.”
With a snarl, Sen spun on his booted heel and marched away with his nose in the air. Alyssa palmed the scanner, leaning against the door to catch her breath, scooting to the floor and trembling with adrenaline and fear.
“Wow. That was amazing, Alyssa.”
She jumped, startled at Kora’s sudden appearance. Holding her hand to her forehead, Alyssa took a minute to gather her reserves before picking herself up and wrapping her arms around her shivering friend.
“That was terrifying.”
Kora nodded against Alyssa’s shoulder. “Yes, it was.”
“We have to go, Jordan’s waiting in the parking lot.”
“Who’s Jordan?”
“A friend. You’ll see, Come on.”
Alyssa opened the door, checking both ways, and finding an empty corridor, she grabbed Kora’s hand, yanking her along. Peering around corners, they made their way out of the housing pod, stopping at the exit to scan the area outside, scared Sen would see them out in the open walkways.
Skirting around the other housing pods and past the greenhouse, Alyssa and Kora rushed to the compound entrance. They approached the guards that had been observing them the last hundred feet or so, and before Alyssa could get a word out, they both stepped aside.
Alyssa pulled Kora through the gate, and as soon as they were a few feet away, she broke into a run, dragging the abused woman behind her. Kora stumbled, barely able to keep up, but Alyssa lifted her up, never losing pace.
When they reached Jordan’s pickup, she gently shoved Kora inside, scooting in behind her, waving her hand for him to go as she attempted to catch her breath. Jordan shoved the gear shifter in place and peeled out of the parking spot.
“What happened? I was getting worried.”
“Sorry,” Alyssa said, still breathless. “Sen showed up, gasp, at my place, gasp, tried to force his way in.”
“Holy shit! Did he hurt you?”
“No. I played the favored card. He wouldn’t hurt the commander’s pet human. He practically ran away.”
“She was amazing,” Kora whispered in awe.
“I bet she was.”
“I wasn’t that amazing.”
“I knew you wouldn’t let him in.”
“Well, he’s bigger and stronger than me. If he really wanted in, he would have gotten in.”
“I doubt it.” Kora shook her head, staring at Alyssa with big eyes.
“Well, you’re both safe now,” Jordan said, glancing at them, his eyes lingering on Kora’s bruised face.
“Yeah, about that, Kora... Jordan is going to take you someplace safer than Granny’s house.”
“Huh?” She whipped her head to gape at Alyssa.
“It’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll go with you and get you settled. It’s for the best.”
“But I don’t want to be without you, Alyssa!”
“Kora, sweetie, I’m right here. I won’t leave until you’re ready.”
“You’re going to be real safe with me, girly. No one will hurt you again. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“See. Jordan will take good care of you. No worries, Kora.”
“Okay...”
***
Alyssa’s heart skipped a beat when she caught sight of Sebastian as they pulled into the garage. Kora gasped, startled when the big, metal garage door banged shut behind them, and Alyssa patted her hand, smiling before scrambling out of the pickup.
“Everyone okay?” Sebastian’s eyes scanned Alyssa.
“We’re good, Bas,” Jordan said, swaggering around the front of the truck, wearing his goofy grin.
“Do you have a room for Kora? She needs some rest and some food, stat.” Alyssa pulled the shivering young woman to her side, smiling down at her.
“Can I have a bath?” Kora asked in a shy voice.
“Of course, sunshine. Let’s find you a cozy room, and you can have whatever your precious little heart desires.”
Kora looked up at Sebastian’s warm, inviting face, his kindness causing a visible change in the frail young woman. Slipping her arm around Kora’s shoulders, she saw a glimmer of hope in those green eyes, and following the guys out of the garage, Alyssa’s heart slid out of her throat to its rightful place.
***
“You doing okay, darlin’?”
“Yeah, just rattled,” Alyssa said, beaming at Sebastian.
They carried trays overflowing with every food they could find in the closed cafeteria. Kora had agreed to let Jordan stand guard outside her room while she bathed as Alyssa and Sebastian scrounged for food. The guys had already eaten dinner, but Alyssa had left in a hurry before dinner. Kora wouldn’t say, but Alyssa suspected she hadn’t eaten lunch, maybe not even breakfast.
“Would you mind if Kora and I ate alone? I think she needs some time to adjust.”
“Sure, darlin’.” Sebastian gave her a sweet, lopsided smile.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll let the others know we have a guest.”
“Others? What others? I’ve never see anyone in the hallways. Granted, I’ve only been here a few times...”
“We actually have a separate building we converted into a dormitory. This building is kind of an intake space where we have all of our meetings, and all guests usually stay here, but your friend will eventually be moved to a regular room in the dorm.”
“You’re not going to tell everyone about her situation, are you? I’m pretty sure that would make her terribly uncomfortable.”
“Of course not. No one needs to know anything she doesn’t want them to know.”
“How long do you think it will be before you move her?”
“Depends on Kora. I’ll ask Shar to check on her, and Kelly. Once they think she’s ready, we’ll make the changes. I don’t want to spook the girl.”
“Thanks, I really appreciate all this, Sebastian. This’ll be one less thing for me to worry about. Now, I just have to figure out what to tell Jess.”
“Tell her the truth. Lorn
is chomping at the bit to get that girl off-compound.”
“Not sure now’s the time. She’s going to want to get her parents out, too. After today, Kayn will have everyone watching for any unusual behavior. I highly doubt he wanted anyone to know about Sen’s abuse and he certainly didn’t sound surprised when I told him.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. He actually sounded annoyed when I called him, and Sen practically admitted to me that they plan to get rid of us humans.”
“No kidding?”
“Mm hmm.”
“Jordy.” Sebastian called out when they got close to Kora’s room. “Knock on the door, would you? These trays are getting heavy.”
Jordan knocked, opening the door when Kora answered, and they filed in after him, placing the food trays on the tray table beside the bed. Kora’s eyes bulged when she saw everything they brought.
Alyssa chuckled and said, “It’s not all for you.”
“Still, it’s a lot of food. Is this for all four of us?”
“Nope, just you and me. The guys have some stuff to do but they’ll be back soon.”
“Oh, good...” Kora whispered, hugging herself and turning away.
Alyssa glanced at Sebastian who nodded his understanding, grabbing Jordan by the shoulder, and herding him out of the room. Alyssa plopped down on the bed and grabbed a roll as her stomach growled. Kora slid onto the bed, on the other side of the tray table, biting her lip and looking somewhat unsure of how to approach the mounded tray.
They sat together, eating in blissful silence. Alyssa bit her tongue when she spied a lone tear flowing down Kora’s swollen cheek.
“You’re safe now, Kora. He can’t get you here.”
She nodded, sniffling, wincing when that tear flowed into a small, open cut on her chin.
“Sebastian said Shar and Nurse Kelly will come see you soon, and I’ll visit you often. I think you’ll like it here.”
Kora looked sidelong at Alyssa. “Where is here, Alyssa?”
“Oh hell, Kora, I forgot to tell you, I’m so sorry. There’s so much you need to know.” She held her hands out, indicating the room around them. “First, this is the coalition headquarters.”
“Coalition?”
“Uh—” Alyssa rolled her eyes upward, searching her brain for full name “—the Coalition for the Freedom of Humanity. It’s a group of humans and aliens that want to save us. These are the good guys.”
“Who are the bad guys?”
“Well, the bad guys are aliens like Sen, and some humans who want to harm people like us who are friends with Szu’Kara.”
“What kind of harm?”
Alyssa carefully explained most of what she’d learned about the plot against humanity, and trying not to scare Kora any more than necessary, left out the part about Kayn killing her parents. Kora listened, wide-eyed and silent, while continuing to pick at the food.
Chapter 14
“Everything good?”
“Yeah, she’s going to sleep now.”
Sebastian leaned against the wall across from Kora’s room, thumbs hooked into his pants pockets. Alyssa slid her eyes down his lean, muscular form, and when she reached his face again, he grinned at her with a twinkle in his eyes. Heat flushed through her body, reaching her cheeks, and although she tried, she couldn’t look away.
“Jordan will be here shortly to stay with her, in case she needs anything.”
“That’s sweet of him.” Her shoulders slumped, losing the tension she’d been holding onto. “I thought I’d need to stay with her.”
“You can stay in the next room, if you like.”
“Thanks, that’s probably a good idea. Kora can be skittish at times, and I’d hate for her to wake up in a panic with only strangers to turn to.”
“It’s dark enough out. You want me to drive you home for some clothes?”
“Would you?”
“Sure, let’s go.”
“Jordan?”
“He’ll be here in a minute. He went to grab his pillow and blanket. Boy’s never had to sleep in the dirt without the comforts of a cozy bed.”
Alyssa snickered, punching Sebastian’s shoulder lightly.
“Give him a break. The war was over before he would have been old enough to get drafted.”
“The war never ended—” he growled “—we just got a new enemy.”
Alyssa wound her arm around Sebastian’s, giving a little squeeze, and he smiled down at her, a distant look in his eyes as he led her into the garage, helping her into a black SUV. They shared a few pleasant moments of peace and quiet as they drove towards town.
“Any news on the upcoming attack?”
“Just that it’s coming soon, but I’m glad you aren’t staying on the compound right now.”
“Me too,” Alyssa said with a smile that became a frown as her mood soured. “Kayn wants to have dinner with me.”
“Really?” he asked with a scoff. “That alien has got some nerve.”
“Yeah. I’m not sure how I can avoid it without making him suspicious.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“What?” Alyssa gasped, spinning on him, sure she’d heard him wrong.
“You should continue to see him.” Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as he frowned deeply. “Stay close to him. We might need you to go back to work, too.”
“Oh... I see.”
“I don’t want you to... I’d rather lock you up in my room.”
Alyssa’s mouth curled up into a small grin. “Oh, really?”
“Uh, yeah, sorry,” he said, suddenly bashful.
“It’s okay. I’d like that, too.”
Alyssa studied his profile in the darkness, and could barely see the smile on his lips when he turned his head to her, chuckling, making her giggle.
When Sebastian parked on the road in front of Granny’s house, Alyssa glanced over at him, warmth flooding her heart, and with a little sigh, wondered how different things might have been if she hadn’t gotten pregnant.
Alyssa let herself and Sebastian in the front door, smiling when she smelled the aroma of baked cookies.
“Granny, where you at?”
“In the kitchen, baby girl.”
“Baby girl?” Sebastian poked her in the side, a teasing smile on his lips.
“Shush, you.” Alyssa scowled playfully and poked him back.
Sebastian held his hands up in surrender, grinning with sparkling cobalt eyes. She grabbed one of his hands and pulled him into the kitchen.
“Granny, have you met Sebastian?”
“Oh, hello, Bas.” She beamed at him, and when Alyssa gave her a confused look, Granny shushed her with a wave. “Yes, yes. We’ve met a few times. How are you, dear?”
“Fine, Ms. Willow. Thanks for asking.”
“Good, good. You taking care of my girl here?”
“Doing my best, ma’am.”
“Excellent. I made some cookies for your friend, Aly girl. How’s she doing?”
“Scared. Bruised.” Alyssa shook her head as a weariness weighed on her shoulders. “I’m going to stay with her for a couple of days. You know how she is—so shy it hurts.”
“That she is,” Granny said, settling in at the kitchen table. “Go pack a bag. Bas can sit with me. You hungry, young man? I made extra cookies.”
“Always, Ms. Willow.” Sebastian gave Alyssa a smile and a wink, making her giggle like a schoolgirl.
Granny caught the exchange, looking at her with an eyebrow arched in question, and she shook her head as she sauntered up the stairs.
In her room, Alyssa dropped onto her bed, the stress of the last few hours catching up with her, but she got back up and packed a bag with enough clothes and toiletries for several days. Never hurts to be prepared.
Alyssa gathered her things and returned to the kitchen, where Granny chatted with Sebastian over milk and cookies, squinting at her when she plopped down into a chair.
“You okay, baby girl?”
“Yeah, just t
ired. Kora’s mate tried to push me out of the way so he could get to her.”
“Did he hurt you? Do I need to give that commander an earful? He should keep his blasted aliens in line.”
“Thanks, Granny, but I’m fine. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to bother Kayn. We have to keep things good with him, for now.”
“So, you’re going to help the coalition, then?”
“Looks like it,” she said, feeling resigned yet resolute. “Besides, I can’t sit around and let Kayn kill us all. He has to pay for what he did to my parents.”
“You be careful, Alyssa.” Granny demanded in a cute, commanding voice as Alyssa swallowed back a giggle. “Bas, I’m counting on you to watch over my girl.”
“I’ll do my best, ma’am, but unfortunately she’s going to have to go places where I can’t protect her.”
“Well, she’s a strong girl, always has been. I believe in her.” Granny grabbed Alyssa’s hand and squeezed, tears welling up in her eyes.
Alyssa gave a half-smile as Granny stood quickly, sniffling, and grabbed a paper bag full of cookies, shoving them at Sebastian. He took the bag, dropping a kiss on her cheek, and Alyssa jumped up to hug her.
“Go on now. Get those cookies to Kora and call me tomorrow, would you?”
“Sure, Granny. I’ll be back in a couple of days, a week at the most.”
“Take your time, baby girl. Your friend needs you, and I’ll be fine, I have book club coming up soon.”
Alyssa hugged her one more time before they left, and as they drove away, she realized she’d never worried about Granny living alone here at the edge of the town, but now, she almost felt scared for her.
They drove back to coalition headquarters in silence, and lost in thought, she hardly noticed when they pulled into the garage. Sebastian touched her shoulder to get her attention.
“Oh, sorry. Guess I zoned out.”
“You need to get some sleep, darlin’.”
“You’re probably right...” She paused, hesitant to leave the SUV.
Broken: The Discordant Earth Series 1.0 Page 16