“I knew it!”
“You know nothing, female. And you are coming with me. Those who hunt us are dangerous, and you will now be a target.”
“Me? Why?” And why did he assume the attackers were after him? They could just as easily be after her. She had been asking a lot of questions lately. She’d tried to be discreet, but some people didn’t take kindly to anyone poking a nose in their business.
“Because you are here. You have been seen in my presence.” Falden moved into a kneeling position, keeping her down with a hand pressed firmly across her soft, yielding thigh. So soft.
“I can walk.”
“No. Not yet.” Looking to his side, he confirmed that Cassiel had Jessica tucked safely behind the booth, out of sight of the front door, a handheld DEW cannon pointed at the entrance. The Directed Energy Weapon would cause tremendous damage if it was fired. There would be nothing left of the front half of the building. Cassiel meant business.
“Gareth, what is your status?”
“Your vehicle is clear in the back. I am returning to the front to assist Vander. He’s got his hands full. They’re humanoid, Commander. Species unknown. I count forty, all with black market tech. Be careful.”
Falden growled. “Understood.”
Moving slowly, he gently helped Isabella to her feet and looked at the irresistible, sexy shoes that she’d worn. They made her legs look far too long, long enough to wrap around him as he pounded into her body with his hard cock. He admired them but knew they were completely ridiculous and impractical in a fight. Damn.
“Enough,” he said to no one in particular. He needed to focus on keeping her safe, not thinking about what he would do to her if they were alone and she were naked. Except for the shoes. She would be magnificent wearing nothing but…
“I’m not doing anything!” Isabella yanked her arm from his hold. He let her go, as holding on would have required bruising her delicate flesh.
“I was not talking to you, female.” No, he was berating himself. He’d grown complacent on this planet, his normal focus drifting while they were under attack, unable to stop thinking about touching her. He would need to double his training regimen. Meditate more often.
Vander and Gareth’s shouting mingled in his ear. “Commander! Get out of there. Now! They’re coming in.”
There was another door to this place—three doors, actually. The front, the kitchen and the back hallway, where an emergency exit had been placed in case of fire. Falden moved Isabella to stand behind him and backed toward the hallway she and Jessica had exited earlier. Beyond that door waited the car they had purchased to make the facade of “John Doe” complete.
She was supposed to meet someone else. But who? They had intercepted her attempts to sell her goods, arranged this meeting to lure her out into the open. But who did Isabella believe him to be? Who was the real John Doe? And why did the idea of her meeting another man make his mind feel like it was burning inside his skull?
Quickly, with the skill of long practice, he slipped his scabbard over his shoulder and connected the strap, the blade hanging down to his lower back, the pommel at the perfect height so that it was easy to reach over his shoulder and pull the invisible blade free. The blade was made of an ancient, otherworldly material, semiliquid and swirling like smoke around ancient, electric blue runes. When cloaked, only he could see the sword. Furon was a deadly weapon, and together they’d never been defeated.
Falden’s grip tightened around the hilt. He knew what his enemies didn’t. His sword was an ancient relic, even for Lumerians. When he’d first chosen Furon, as was tradition, a rite of passage for every Lumerian Knight, Furon was so old the ancient had not been fully functional. All that had changed when King Dagan married a human woman. She’d undergone some sort of transformation after using their maju paste in a claiming ceremony. No one had expected it. No one had been prepared for the transformation. But at the end of the event, she had developed tremendous powers of her own. She’d been able to do what none of the ancient elders could do; she’d tapped into the energies of his sword and replenished it. Not only was the blade itself sharp enough to slice through the toughest human and alien metal compounds, but the new queen’s touch had awakened ancient technology embedded inside the weapon that even he did not fully understand. He knew Furon was a storm caller. He could create storms where there was nothing but sunshine. Beyond that, he had not had time nor opportunity to learn what this new power could achieve.
Shadows moved in the entrance, stepping forward into the dining area of the restaurant as three humanoids holding various weapons of nonhuman origin moved into the light. “We know you are here. Don’t make us kill everyone here to find you.”
Oh, shit. They were here for her.
“Falden, get out of here.” Cassiel shoved Jessica
“Falden? Is that your real name?” Isabella asked.
“Yes.” No sense denying that now.
“Why would they want you?” Isabella was peeking around his shoulder even as he maneuvered her into the shadows of the back hallway, her phone lifted as if she were taking video of the encounter. Annoyed, he grabbed the phone with his free hand and squeezed, sending a bit of Furon’s energy through the device so that it crumpled in his palm, smoke rising from the wreckage. He dropped the offensive object to the floor and blocked her with his shoulders to protect her from attack.
“Hey!” Her protest was whispered. He chose not to answer.
“Come out now! We know you are here.” The buzzing sound of a zyphrion blaster echoed through the restaurant as several humans screamed in terror where they huddled under their tables. There weren’t many things that could kill a Lumerian, but this was one of them. The shot would slowly eat a hole through the body until every system shut down. Whoever the attackers were, they meant business.
The distant sound of human police sirens registered. Falden’s hearing was better than any human’s, but soon even they would hear the sound as well and attack in earnest.
“Cassiel?” Falden asked through the communication device in his ear.
“Ready.”
“Vander? Gareth?”
“Ready,” they said, one after the other.
Falden wrapped his arm around Isabella’s waist so she would not be able to break loose and used his much larger body to move her toward the back door. “In three, two, one…” He shoved the emergency door open. A loud alarm blared through the entire building.
“Go! Go! Go!” Gareth ordered. Falden knew his unit would make quick work of the attackers. He didn’t concern himself with the screams of the humans. Neither his Knights nor their enemies would pay them any attention.
Falden was confident that once again, their enemies had underestimated him and his Lumerian brethren. Their gifts. Their skill. Their rage. That was the fatal mistake all their enemies had made over the years. The Lumerian people were nearly gone but never helpless. In fact, through hardship and grief they’d grown more powerful since the attack that had destroyed their planet. More secretive. More determined. Focused. Lethal. And he hadn’t survived as their leader for more than two thousand years because he was weak.
The heavy door swung closed behind them, the loud clamoring of the alarm not so jarring once they were outside.
“Now what, He-Man?” Isabella asked.
He did not know what a He-Man was, so he ignored the question. “Come with me. My vehicle is over here.”
She ran next to him as sounds of shouting, glass breaking and wood splintering continued from inside the building. The police sirens were loud now. Close. Isabella lifted her head to listen. “The police will be here soon.”
“I am aware of their presence. Do you wish to await their arrival? I will wait if that is your wish.”
“No way. Are you kidding me?” Hands on her hips, she turned her attention to him as he dug into his pants pocket for the odd key that had come with the primitive vehicle the dating guru had insisted upon. “You owe me a phone.�
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Rather than argue, he pulled the small black device from his pocket and stopped next to the vehicle. The Porsche had been delivered to the Caldorian base just two days ago, and Vander and Cassiel had taken great pleasure in experimenting with the archaic Earth technology. As for Falden, he disliked the vehicle immensely. It smelled of burning oil, and traveling within proved to be both slow and jerky, leaving occupants at the whims of gravity during sharp turns and acceleration. He much preferred the Caldorian ships. They were fast and maneuverable. The fact that Vander had spent the entire trip to the restaurant making sure Falden was thrown side to side in the passenger seat had not improved his opinion. Cassiel and Gareth had followed close behind in their own ridiculous Earth vehicle, insisting they must also look legit.
“You have the keys?” Isabella asked, her tone urgent.
Falden turned to find Isabella next to him, staring at his hand. “Yes, if this black device is what you are referencing.”
“Yes,” she said, fidgeting in agitation. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.” Isabella ran to the passenger side of the car, opened her door and disappeared inside. With no other option, Falden opened the driver’s door and took a seat, grateful that Vander was nearly identical in height to himself. Closing the door, he looked at the controls. The wheel that Vander had turned to guide the vehicle. The oddly shaped stick in the center with numbers on it.
“Well?” she asked, her eyebrows raised in question.
Shit.
Chapter Four
Isabella couldn't believe her luck. An attack? While she was with the aliens? Her wingman, Jessica, had been right as usual. The other two hot men had turned out to be aliens as well, and obviously all three of them had come together. Not one, but three. Icing on the cake.
And they had called Falden Commander. Not Communications Officer. Not buddy or hey, you. Commander. Isabella took a moment to stew. The commander had ordered her a Scotch and a damn spinach salad? Hadn’t even asked what she wanted. Jerk.
And while she was on the subject—commander of what? The whole base? A fleet of Star Destroyers? Was he Sevron’s replacement? Was he here to explain to her what had happened to the stone-silent alien she’d begun to consider a friend? And who had been attacking them? And why had they wanted Falden specifically? He had to be someone really important, someone who had answers, and she was not leaving his side until she knew everything.
Everything.
Isabella hunkered down, sinking low in the bucket seat, subconsciously digging her proverbial heels in. Her hands gripped the side of the seat. She could be stubborn when she wanted something, and she wanted answers. Besides, she’d never been in a car like this. It was the GT model. The car was fire-engine red and wicked fast and she knew it could reach over two hundred miles per hour.
Assuming she didn’t get stuck here. Damn it. She wasn’t worried about Jessica. Those two hotties would take care of her for sure. And Jessica wasn’t exactly a shrinking violet. She was probably having the time of her life right now.
Looking out the window, she could see the flashing lights coming down the back streets. They were close. Maybe three blocks away with more most likely headed their way from the front. All she needed was to be trapped in the parking lot when the police arrived. They’d run her ID, find out she had a concealed carry permit, and then she’d lose hours while they interviewed her, cataloged her firearm, took it to the lab. If she was here when the police arrived, she’d never get out with her alien commander. Never figure out the truth about what was going on at the Caldorian base. He would leave, and she’d be stuck trying to figure out how to get date number two with the most inconsiderate asshole ever to walk the Earth. “Falden? Let’s go! Drive it like you stole it! The cops are almost here!”
She turned away from the window to find him staring at the controls like he was inside an alien craft. “Falden? You do know how to drive, right?”
His gaze shifted to hers in the dark, and she could have sworn she saw shame in his eyes. Embarrassment? The alien commander was embarrassed? And he didn’t know how to drive his own car?
“You own a Porsche, but you don’t know how to drive it?”
His silence was all the answer she needed. Of course he didn’t. “Don’t tell me, your other car is a spaceship?”
“This is an archaic and outdated vehicle.” His glare, directed at the dashboard like he held a personal grudge, told her everything she needed to know. “It is also slow.”
Slow? She’d show him slow. She’d always wanted to drive one of these things.
“Get out. Get out now. I’m driving.” Not waiting for his response, she opened her door and ran around the car. She reached the driver’s side just as he opened his own door to unwind his tall, powerful frame from the small vehicle to tower over her. She hadn’t thought this out. He was close. Too close.
Staring up at him, stuttering in front of him, she knew she needed to get out of his way, but her body seemed to be paralyzed from the brain down. No one home but hormones, and they weren’t interested in moving. Not. One. Bit.
“Uh, I, ummm, need the key?” She held out her hand, and he placed the key fob in her palm without breaking eye contact.
“There is no key, only this black rectangle with buttons. And you will speak of this to no one.”
Ah, the big, bad commander was embarrassed. “Sure, hotshot. Your secrets are safe with me.” As the words left her mouth, she realized she meant them, one hundred percent, which confused the hell out of her. The only reason she was sticking around was to dig for information so she could expose his secrets to the world, not protect them.
He bent close, their lips nearly touching, and even though she should have moved or turned her head away, she did neither. Even in her four-inch stilettos, he towered over her.
Heated breath fanned her lips, and she swayed, the urge to touch him more powerful than anything she’d ever felt in her life. He was like a magnet.
Large hands wrapped around her shoulders, and he pulled her closer…
“Too many of them. Stay down. One of them got through,” Gareth said from his comm device, his voice cool. Unemotional. Stating facts for his commander.
Whirling so fast her head spun, faster than a human could move, Falden lifted her off her feet and twisted around so his back was to the building they’d just left. Coming out the back door was one of the attackers. He looked human, but there was something off about him. The way he moved was just…wrong. She squinted, trying to figure out what was making the alarm bells go off in her head when he pointed a gun of some kind and aimed at Falden’s back.
“Look out!” She yelled the warning in his ear, but all that did was cause him to lower her toward the car and curve his taller body around her as the sound of a shot being fired exploded through the parking lot.
Falden’s body jerked as if he’d been hit, but he calmly nudged her down and into the driver’s seat, his hand reaching behind the seat as she swung her legs into the car and faced the steering wheel. “Get this thing started. I’ll join you in a moment.”
The attacker was moving quickly in their direction, snarling, “Not so tough without all your buddies around, are you?”
“Start the car, Isabella,” Falden reminded her gently.
“First I’m going to kill you, and them I’m going to take the female.”
Nodding, hands shaking, fingers numb, she dropped the key fob into the cupholder and pressed the ignition button as Falden turned to face the attacker. He closed the driver’s side door behind him, his large body blocking her view of what was going on outside.
Scared for him, wondering if he’d been shot, she looked up but could only see the back of his head as he turned away. When he reached over his shoulder, his muscles bulged as if he were lifting something heavy, but she couldn’t see anything. In fact, she couldn’t see his hand. It had disappeared.
As in i-n-v-i-s-i-b-l-e. “I knew it!” she mumbled to herself as she put the car in gear.
The rumors were true. The information she’d worked the last few weeks was proving to be true, at least part of it. The Caldorians did have technology to make themselves totally invisible. She thought she’d imagined seeing the other one disappear. But two of them? She wasn’t just seeing things. Falden’s hand was gone. Poof. Which was both disturbing and fascinating. Kind of like Falden himself.
Isabella didn’t have time to jump around and shout in triumph at the proof right before her eyes. Falden move away, facing off with their attacker. Whatever he was holding was freaking invisible. She wanted to let out a girlish squeal of delight but held back. She was a professional. Staring at where his hand should’ve been, she saw a light flicker. Then another. She squinted as big, fat drops of rain plopped onto her windshield. What the hell? Her eyes glued to Falden, she watched in fascination as a long, smoky sword with electric-blue runes flickered in and out of sight in his hand. He shouted something, and the sword solidified. Crackled with blue fire.
The cold, wintry night air seemed to drop several degrees as she watched. Shivering, she let out a long, slow breath as every hair on her body stood straight up. What she was seeing was unreal. Amazing. Incredible.
A blast of lightning hit the corner of the building behind Falden’s attacker, and the man jerked out of the way in reflex.
Falden didn’t move, and he didn’t seem surprised.
The blast of light momentarily blinded her. Blinking to clear her gaze, she fumbled with the controls until she figured out how to turn the windshield wipers on high. Rain poured from the sky in huge drops now, a deluge.
“Great. Can’t see anything. What the hell?” The rain was annoying, but she’d driven in worse. Never one to sit still and wait to get shot, Isabella gave herself a mental and physical shake, slammed the car into reverse, stomped on the gas and had the tires squealing as she backed up and swung the car in a tight circle so that he could get in. Slightly behind Falden, she hoped the headlights would make it difficult for the attacker to see Falden’s movements.
Alien Knight Blind Date Disaster (Lumerian Knights Book 3) Page 5