Page 7 of ReBOrB

Glancing down at the gauges, he realized there was a second reason he needed to find a place to hide. The hover was solar-powered. He required a place to land where they could spend the day resting—and recharge the power cells at the same time.

Glancing behind at the woman curled up on the floor, he worried about how she was doing. Cameron had fallen asleep almost immediately. He needed time and space to do a thorough scan of her body—and the opportunity to help her heal.

Reb refused to allow doubts to creep in. He knew his limitations. As the Master of Biology—his ability included the study of all living things. Scanning Cameron meant he would know if she remained ill, or if she simply needed more rest. If necessary, he could determine what treatment she needed. He could heal minor issues, but most of the time he required the help of medicine or medical equipment. Especially for anything critical.

That scared him. That his skills wouldn’t be enough to help her.

Peering out the navigation window, he noticed the rows of yama vines ended soon. He slowed down and rose higher into the sky—searching for a place to conceal the hover. In the distance, he noted moonlight glinting off water. There must be a nearby river or lake. He also saw several large boulders in the middle of a small grove of tall trees. Perfect.

As he turned in that direction, he caught sight of a cottage. Probably the caretaker’s living quarters. It was on the opposite side of the yama plants from where he planned to hide the hover for the day. Which meant their hiding spot was ideal.

A few moments later, he put down the small hover right in front of the water. High boulders and tall, bushy trees surrounded the aircraft on three sides. In the light of day, he’d adjust their position to take advantage of the sun, so the power cells could reap the benefits. The hover would remain invisible, so it didn’t matter if they were right on the lake’s shore. He didn’t want someone tripping over their ship, but when they had to be locked inside, it would be nice to have something to look at.

Turning off the engine, he disconnected from the small craft and knelt beside Cameron. Her eyes fluttered and then opened—her startling blue gaze reminded him of an Anokian ice lake. Incredibly thick lashes and brows framed those amazing eyes.

The sprinkling of freckles across her nose caught his attention. Her skin was pale. Her lips... pink and plump. Reb wanted to kiss her. Desperately.

Cameron

Her gaze met his. Reb looked as if he was going to kiss her. Like he wanted to kiss her.

Cammy took a breath. Drawing that spicy—camping in the woods scent—deep inside her.

She wanted him to kiss her.

That thought surprised her so much… she jerked backward and struggled to sit upright. This was all wrong. She’d just run from an abusive relationship—into the hands of human traffickers.

Cam blinked. Well—the red aliens certainly put an entirely different spin on that phrase. Human trafficking. Alien abduction was real. At some point, she would need to deal with the alternate reality her life had become. But today was not the day.

Reb gave her some room—and the almost kiss gleam in his eye—disappeared. Damn if she wasn’t disappointed.

But he didn’t know anything about her. She didn’t know him. And her track record with men was lousy. Cam absolutely refused to trust her judgment right now. She’d been with Dawson for three months before he hit her the first time. The night she left him was their second anniversary.

Then Cammy ran into aliens in the kitchen.

Nope. Her luck right now was horrible.

As Reb helped her stand, she became lost in the comfort of his warm hand and his gentle manner. He’d been so careful with her. That care was like a balm to her soul.

Guiding her to one of two chairs, Reb pointed her toward the window and said, “This will be our home for a few days. We need to recharge the hover in the sunlight. Then I’ll do a little foraging and see if I can gather some supplies. You need to heal.”

Cam watched Reb’s beautiful dark eyes while he spoke to her. She heard the murmur of his words—his alien words—and then something in her brain switched everything to English. She hadn’t noticed that before. Lifting her right hand, she scratched behind her ear and felt a bump. And another scar.

Before she connected the dots—Reb did. “It’s a translator. We know the Siloth operated on you and Casey about five days before they landed on this planet. They examined both of you and inserted the translators.”

Cammy frowned. “Operation? I don’t remember anything from the moment I saw the red aliens in the kitchen until you woke me up in the hospital. But Casey…” her voice trailed off when she raised her chin and looked out the window. Gasping, she lost her train of thought and stared. Amazed at the scene in front of her, she reached out and gripped Reb’s hand. “It’s so beautiful,” she gushed.

And it was. She could see a full moon in the dark, star-filled sky. There didn’t appear to be any clouds. But the moonlight danced on the surface of the lake in front of them. Closer, there were several large boulders scattered around the left side of the ship. Trees flanked their right-hand side. But the shape of these trees didn’t look like anything she’d seen before.

Cam couldn’t see clearly in the moonlight. So many things were in shadow. It was dramatically gorgeous, but she couldn’t wait to see this panorama in the light of day.

Reb chuckled. “It is beautiful. I think we’ll be here for at least a couple of days. Once I’ve looked around, I can set out a few sensors. Those would warn us if anyone appeared. The hovercraft will remain invisible, so while we are inside, we don’t have to worry. If we open the door, we could give away the hover’s location. And of course, we’re visible whenever we are outside. We’ll need to be careful.”

She nodded. Cam had no intention of being captured again. She didn’t need to go outside unless Reb made sure it was safe.

Reb watched her for a moment. A worried expression on his face. “Your sister woke up when the Siloth medic inserted her translator. She said her body reacted differently to most medications. Sometimes they didn’t work, and sometimes they caused more problems than they helped. You are her twin. I’m worried that you might have the same problems. Do we need to consider that anything done at the Viant Medical Center might not have worked for you?”

Chapter Five

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