Page 2 of His Brazen Bride

“What? I’ll buy you one. Then you never have to worry about losing your v-card to one of these disgusting pigs that call themselves men.”

Lacey blushes, crossing her arms over her chest.

Iris had gone through a messy divorce. She had doted on her ex-husband and it crushed her when he cheated on her with his secretary and blamed it on her. These days she’s increasingly bitter about love and she’s not shy about sharing her feelings.

Lacey, meanwhile, comes from a religious household and has no experience with love or sex yet. She lives in a fantasy of what could be, even as she worries thatmostmen are only looking to get in her pants. Despite that, she still believes in fate…true love…all that garbage.

I’ve been around the block. It doesn’t work that way.

I glance in the mirror once more when I notice movement in the back of the room.

“Nataliya?” I whirl around when I see a dark shadow attempting to hide. No answer.

Iris grabs a heavy candlestick from the vanity as I see another shadow near the other side of the room. “Who’s there? Show yourselves!”

“What’s going on?” Lacey asks, backing up.

What the actual fuck? Something feels…off. The air is different and a strange ozone-y smell is wafting through the room.

Then the shadows move into the light.

Holyshit.

Three…beings—it’s the only word I can think of to describe them—are before us, with wide mouths, mottled greenish-brown skin, and large, reptilian eyes. They stand tall on two legs like humans, their lean limbs covered in what looks like leather garments. Large metal guns are strapped to their arms, though they don’t look real. More like toys with colorful lights and buttons.

Standing there frozen, all I can hear is the thick breathing of these…remember those interdimensional guys fromLand of the Lost? Sleestak or whatever? Yeah. Spitting image.

“Oh my goodness,” Lacey whimpers.

“What the f,” Iris croaks. “Is this some kind of a joke?”

It can’t be a joke. These guys are much too real.

My gaze darts around the room. We’re cornered.

Have these things come for just us, or have they surrounded the entire church? Is this be part of some all-out alien invasion of Earth?

Did I just admit these arealiens?

“Who are you and what do you want?” I ask, just in case we’re jumping to conclusions.

Iris scoffs. “Something tells me these guys haven’t come in peace. Listen.”

We hear screams and yelling outside the church. Dammit.

Lacey grabs onto the wall, trembling.

“Keep it together, Lace,” I say, trying not to let my own voice waver.

The sleestak-type guys continue to stare, then communicate with each other using grunts, clicks, and other odd sounds.

“What do we do?” Lacey squeaks.

“Get ready to fight,” I say. “Let’s put all those krav maga classes to use, okay?”

“And stay alert to wherever they point those weapons on their arms,” Iris adds.

“Last chance, guys,” Iris says to the creatures. They only make more grunts and clicks.

---