Page 22 of Revealed

But maybe that was best. If I’d held onto her, I might never have let go.

Then she’d turned and walked briskly into her building, the dog trotting by her heels. The only one of the group who’d given mea final glance before they’d vanished inside had been the cat, which was a good thing. If Allie had looked back or hesitated at all, I might not have been able to leave.

Even now, I touched my hand to the cheek she’d kissed, sure I could detect the warmth of her lips. I closed my eyes as the transport rocketed through Earth’s atmosphere, away from the planet, and away from Allie. My chest constricted tighter and tighter the farther we flew until I was barely able to draw breath.

I had been so concerned about her being fine, that it hadn’t struck me until that moment that I was not.

Chapter

Sixteen

Allie

The bitter scent of smoke and charred debris assaulted my nostrils as I stood in my living room and peered outside. The once familiar street was now a war zone, littered with overturned cars and chunks of concrete. The brick buildings across from me were pockmarked from the attack, entire sections missing as if bitten away by some enormous monster.

Car alarms wailed in the distance, a dissonant chorus interrupted by an occasional explosion. Thick, gray smoke spiraled in the air, blocking the sunlight and making it feel like perpetual dusk. Dinah had retreated to a spot under the table, while my new dog was dutifully sniffing every inch of my place.

Overhead, fighter jets screamed across the sky in defensive patrols, a constant reminder that while the immediate danger had passed, we were far from safe. The world had changed forever in the span of a day, and I was still struggling to process it all.

As I stood there, taking in the glass scattered on my floor and the thin layer of dust now covering everything, a pang of regret stabbed at me. I thought of Maxxon, already gone, whisked away by his fellow Drexians. I'd been so flippant about letting him go, acting tough and independent. But the truth was, I'd had little choice. He had a life to return to, and I was not part of that world.

"Allie!"

For a heartbeat, I thought it might be Maxxon returning. But the voice was all wrong. And Maxxon was gone.

Before that thought could break me, my neighbor rushed into my apartment and engulfed me in a hug. Despite everything, I felt a wave of relief wash over me that Bryce was alive.

“Thank goodness you’re okay,” he said, his words muffled because his head was buried in my neck. “I was so worried.”

"I'm okay," I managed to say as he released me.

He swiveled his head to take in my own disaster zone. “Did you stay here through the whole thing?”

I shook my head. “We made it to Crystal Caverns and hid underground.”

His brows lifted. “That was a clever idea. When you say ‘we,’ I assume you mean Mr. Tall, Dark, and Hunky?”

I stifled the urge to roll my eyes. Even after an alien invasion, Bryce was all about dating prospects. “Yes, Maxxon came with me.” I jerked my thumb toward the dining table. “And Dinah.”

Bryce cut a look over his shoulder and then did a double take. “Sweetie, I don’t mean to alarm you, but there’s a stray dog in your apartment.”

“That’s not a stray.” I gave a fond look at the dog. “That’s my new pet. We found him in the caverns, and he makes a pretty good guard dog.”

Bryce wrinkled his nose. “He needs a bath.”

“He needs to get in line,” I said under my breath, since dust clung to my clothes, and I was certain my hair smelled like smoke.

“That’s the truth.” Bryce pulled his own lapel to his nose and sniffed. “Let’s hope our water is still working.”

“The building seems to have come through relatively unscathed.” Even as I said this, I felt guilty because so many buildings hadn’t. “We were lucky.”

“You can say that again.” Bryce shuddered. “I could not have withstood another night in the rec center with all those people.”

I threaded my way across the room and flipped on the TV to see if it was still working and if there were still broadcasts. The screen flickered to life, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The more signs of life returning to normal, the better.

But the screen wasn’t displaying a re-run of Law & Order or NCIS like I would have expected. It was broadcasting some sort of press conference. My breath caught in my chest as I recognized the military uniform worn by the man at the podium. Correction, Drexian at the podium

Unlike the shaggy, dark hair of the other Drexians I’d encountered, this one had sandy brown hair cut short, but it washis eyes that reminded me that he wasn’t human. They were an impossible shade of vibrant green that made it impossible not to stare.

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