Page 58 of Prize for the Alien Grumpus

"Miss me already?" His gravelly voice sends relief flooding through my chest.

"You stupid alien, I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere!" My hand trembles as I press the phone closer.

"Your concern is touching. Though I should point out that Earth ditches pose no threat to me."

"Where have you been? I've been driving all over looking for you."

"Staten Island. I'll text you the address. Bring coffee - the good kind, not that instant will you drink."

"You disappear for hours and now you're making beverage demands?"

"I prefer to think of it as providing detailed mission parameters." He says.

The text comes through with an address. I punch it into the GPS while trying not to smile at his ridiculous coffee snobbery.

"Fine. But when I get there, you better have a good explanation." I say.

"Don't I always?" He says.

"No. No you don't."

His rumbling laugh fills the car before he hangs up. I merge back into traffic, following the GPS directions toward Staten Island. The relief of hearing his voice mixes with irritation at his cavalier attitude. Still, knowing he's safe lets me breathe easier than I have all morning.

The GPS leads me to a run-down warehouse district. Broken windows and graffiti decorate the concrete walls. Perfect alien hideout material. I park behind a dumpster and grab the coffee carrier.

"This better be worth the forty-minute drive." The winter wind whips my hair as I hurry to the rusty door.

"In here." Krampus' voice echoes from inside.

Red scales shimmeracross humanoid features. A forked tongue flicks out to taste the air. My fingers go numb around the coffee carrier.

"Mel, meet Pyke." Krampus takes the coffee before I drop it. "Don't worry, he's mostly harmless."

The lizard man - Pyke - inclines his head. "Ms. Carson. We've been monitoring your situation with great interest."

"Monitoring?" My voice comes out higher than intended. "Who's we?"

"Veritas. We're an organization from the future, like your other alien acquaintances. Our sole purpose is protecting the human timeline from grolgath interference."

My head spins. More time travelers? More aliens? "Wait, so you're telling me there are good guy aliens?"

Pyke's scaled features remain impassive. "That's correct."

The implications hit me like a truck. I turn to Krampus. "But that would make you..."

"One of the bad guys," Pyke finishes.

Krampus throws back his head and laughs, the sound echoing off the warehouse walls. "You say it like it's a terrible thing."

"I don't care about your war or your timeline or any of that." The words burst out before I can stop them. "I just want my daughter to be safe. To grow up happy and normal without looking over her shoulder for aliens."

"We can help with that." Pyke's scales shift in an iridescent pattern. "Both of you."

I cross my arms, studying his reptilian features. "Why do you even care? What's one human timeline to you?"

"Well, I am married to a human woman," Pyke says.

The coffee cup slips from my fingers. Krampus catches it before it hits the ground.

---