Page 5 of Revealed

Whatever color Bryce had had in his face drained, and he sank onto the couch, not even bothering to push aside a magazine that crunched underneath him. “This can’t be right. Aliens aren’t real.”

I wanted to tell him that aliens were very real, but not all were violent and terrifying like the Kronock. But seeing his face told me this was not the time to convince either Allie or Bryce that I was one of the good aliens. When creatures were scared, they lashed out, and I did not want to be on the receiving end of fear.

Allie’s cat jumped onto the couch next to her friend and nudged his arm. Bryce managed a weak smile and petted the cat’s head. “Hey, Dinah. What do you think about all this?” His gaze was glued to the news report, and he let out a mournful sigh. “You just know the aliens aren’t going to be hot and horny, no matter how much we want them to be.”

Allie walked closer to me. “My friend seems a bit freaked out.”

“Understandable.”

She eyed me, her voice low. “But you don’t. You seem pretty calm, all things considered.”

My mind raced as I thought of an excuse, but she put a hand on my sleeve before I could come up with something convincing.

“Don’t worry. I think I know why.”

My heart lurched. Had she figured out that I was an alien?

“You’re one of the Men in Black, right?”

I stared at her. Men in Black? I glanced down at my standard issue black suit that all Drexian tribute bride procurers wore. I suppose I was in black, but what was a Man in Black?

She cut her gaze to Bryce then back again. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell him that you’re here to fight off the aliens. It would probably freak him out more.”

She was right that I wanted to fight off the Kronock, but I sensed that she meant something different. Still, if it meant she wouldn’t question my presence or my appearance, I didn’t mind going along with it. What was one more deception to keep her calm?

Bryce quickly stood, causing the cat to yowl and jump to the floor. “If this is an honest-to-God alien invasion, I need to pack a bag.”

“What?” Allie followed him to her door. “Where are you going?”

His gaze darted around as he stepped into the hallway. “If we need to go to a shelter, I do not want to be wearing this getup for days. I’ll be right back, sweetie.”

Once he was gone, Allie turned to me. “Maybe he’s right. Maybe I should pack a go bag in case we need to bug out.”

I peered outside, but I was unable to see much. Still, it did not seem safe to stay in a building that was above ground. I’d known of Kronock lasers to take down much more substantial structures than this one. “You should. This building is not made to withstand an alien attack.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak, a deafening explosion shook the building. Instinctively, I dove toward Allie, tackling her to the ground as the window shattered and shards of glass rained onto the carpet.

My ears rang, but I remained hunched over her to shield her from any falling debris. Her small body rose and fell, as she drew in shaky breaths, reminding me just how fragile humans were. In that moment, nothing else mattered but keeping her safe. Not my mission, not my own safety. All that mattered was protecting her.

I finally uncurled my body from hers, and she blinked up at me, her eyes wide. My gaze drifted to her lips as she inhaled quickly, but I forced myself to look away and stand, pulling her to her feet with me.

It was clear now that I couldn’t stay here, and I couldn’t leave her. I wouldn’t leave her to the mercy of the Kronock. But I also needed to see what was happening and try to get a message to my ship and the station.

“I need to go out there,” I told her, “but I promise I’ll come back.”

This snapped her from her daze. “Are you insane? You can’t go out there. We’re supposed to shelter in place.” Then shehesitated. “But you’re probably trained for this, right? You know how to deal with aliens.”

For once, she was right. “I do.” I took one of her hands and squeezed it. “And I will come back for you.”

I made myself drop her hand, despite the buzz of heat her touch sent dancing across my skin. Then I turned and hurried out the door, down the hall, and back onto the sidewalk. I craned my neck to take in the sight of a hulking Kronock battleship overhead, the only comfort being the Drexian fighters whizzing around it and firing relentlessly at the scaly hull.

I pulled out my device, ready to send a message to my pilot telling him to prepare for some extra passengers. Then I saw the message from him, and my blood turned to ice.

He had taken off to join the battle. He would not be able to save me or Allie. He was gone—and I was stuck on Earth in the middle of the invasion we thought would never happen.

Chapter

Four

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