Page 63 of Alien Haven

They began to stir. First Mitag, then Ilid, cautiously drew their sexes from her. She missed feeling them inside, as if important parts of her own body had been subtracted.

It made no sense. She couldn’t wrap her head around the sensation of loss.

“Are you okay?” Ilid’s gaze was intent on her face.

“Yeah, just wishing you weren’t exiting the premises. That was amazing.”

“If rushed,” Mitag chuckled. “I felt like a teenager who had yet to learn control. Such an incredible experience.”

“It was.” Detodev’s features were relaxed. He looked happy. “Who needs water?”

They all did. They clumsily left the bed, laughing at their awkwardness as they staggered on stiff legs to Detodev’s kitchen. He provided cups of water, fruit juices, and snacks. They sat naked at his table, grinning in a sort of shocked fashion, as if they couldn’t believe what they’d done. They exchanged cautious glances of inquiry as well. Finally Detodev brought up what they all wanted to ask.

“You’re staying the entire night, right? I do believe someone spoke of setting a record for sex? I have stim tabs.”

Their laughter answered. Ilid waved his hand in a ‘come on’ gesture. “Serve them up, my friend. We have maybe six hours until daylight?”

“I guess I’d better com Sara.” Charity flushed to think of the required check-in, but she had no intention of going home. The boys offered too much fun to refuse.

* * * *

Hours had passed, hours he’d normally be in bed asleep, but Wilkes and his guest were still talking after the assistant chief had summoned the man to his home.

“I can’t do anything for O’Neal. They caught him, and Chief Connelly’s determined to interrogate him tomorrow. He swore he wouldn’t reveal the woman’s real identity, because it’ll make it harder for us to take her if Connelly’s aware. The trouble is, when he starts ranting…”

Jeff Eastman, who owned a small sheep ranch five miles from Sunrise, watched Wilkes carefully. “O’Neal’s usually true to the cause of believers, but he’s most loyal to himself. If Connelly offers him a deal…if he convinces him to run his mouth…”

“I know. He spied at the coward Nobek’s house on his own. I never would have trusted him to do that kind of work for this very reason. He’s put the whole operation in danger.” Wilkes pounded his fist on the table. “Asshole.”

“What are you going to do about him? The cause is our priority.” Eastman’s tone was flat, almost disinterested, but his dark eyes set in his weathered face glittered malevolence.

“It is. I’ll see to it he tells Connelly nothing.”

It was too bad O’Neal’s ardent support of a moral Earther mentality was superseded by his stupidity. There were damned few people Wilkes could count on when it came to keeping tabs on the sinners of Haven.

Wilkes set aside the unpleasant task he had to perform for the last trick he had up his sleeve to nab Charity Nath. “Our main mission hasn’t changed. You know who to talk to. Have them ready to go on my word.”

* * * *

Charity woke to see the first light of a new day creeping in the window. It offered her a dim view of her surroundings. She might have muttered a few obscenities to be conscious at such an hour after so little sleep, except the surroundings were extremely nice.

Next to her was Ilid. Ridiculously handsome despite his tousled hair and the crease between his brows proclaiming his dreams weren’t necessarily as sweet as hers had been, he was indeed a fine sight to wake to. Ditto for Mitag on her other side, his features the opposite of Ilid’s: peaceful and content. Maybe it was because of the heavy, scarred arm slung around his waist from behind. Detodev’s fingers on her waist twitched, as if he were awake and listening for her to speak or return to sleep.

She was surrounded by sheer gorgeousness, a decent compensation for having woken after less than two hours of sleep. Thinking how most of the night had been spent brought a grin.

I could get used to this, as long as it’s with these three.

Her high spirits stuttered at the spontaneous thought and the visions it brought. Where the hell had the notion come from? Ilid, Mitag, and Detodev had committed to lives on Planet Farm Hell, a place Charity Nath had absolutely no intention of staying. How could she possibly be happy on Haven and its sad little redneck towns and ever-present aroma of fertilizer?

She loved the excitement of cities and their entertainments. She wanted to go to clubs and dance, to dine in fine restaurants, to celebrate at concerts and the best shows. Beyond experiencing avenues of fun, she wanted to discover new stars and planets and make a name for herself in the astronomical community.

She’d found heavenly bodies, all right. She’d discovered men who seemed to get her as no one else had, even if shemade Detodev’s eyes roll most of the time. But they were only a temporary distraction until she could escape Haven. They couldn’t possibly be a reason for her to remain on this shitkicker planet once the Earthtique and Dark threats were done. She had dreams for a life far from here.

Calm down. It was only a stray brain wave, probably brought on by too little sleep,she advised herself. Nonetheless, her gaze traced the features of the pair she could see, and her chest ached at the idea of giving the trio up.

Detodev lay quiet, listening to his companions breathe. Charity’s respiration hadn’t evened yet, indicating she remained awake. Surely not for the day, however. They’d indulged in exuberant physical activity for hours. Unlike him, she didn’t have to get up in ten minutes to prepare for work. Thank the ancestors he had plenty of stim tabs to get him through the day.

A low buzz filled his ears, and Detodev was up in a flash. Who the hell would be at his door so early in the morning? Surely it wasn’t another asshole attempting to attack Charity.

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