Page 22 of The Alien's Major Dilemma

“I assume this call contains an explanation about why you felt the need to steal a truck and leave the base where you were guarding a very important diplomat.”

“Sir, the truck was stolen by someone else while they were in the process of kidnapping me,” she said, tripping slightly over the explanation. “I have convinced him that he needs to return me to the base and open negotiations with my people.”

“And why would we want to negotiate with a traitor?”

Chapter 10

“I’m not sure what you’re implying, sir,” Major Ozark said stiffly.

“You abandoned your post while helping an unknown enemy combatant steal top secret files and equipment,” General Wahrberger said. “You are hereby ordered to return to the base and surrender yourself to stand trial for treason.”

“That is a malicious misrepresentation of what happened,” Major Ozark replied. “At no time was I complicit with the removal of either the device or myself from the base.”

“Like I said, you look very healthy for someone who was kidnapped,” the General told her. “If you’re innocent of wrongdoing, you will surrender at the closest base to stand trial. If you run, your guilt will be self-evident. Is that clear, Major?”

She gritted her teeth before she bit out, “Yes, sir. Understood, sir.”

“Very good, I’ll have the Commander notified to watch for you,” he said. The screen went blank when the connection was ended.

“That wasn’t the call you were expecting, was it?” Cooper asked.

“No, it wasn’t,” she said. She looked up at him with a frown. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Did you want me to?”

“I mean, showing up in the background with your disguise off might have made some difference to the ‘helped an unknown enemy assault the top secret base’ assumption.”

“Oh, maybe,” he said. “It could also have been used as proof of collusion with an unknown enemy because you didn’t seem to be afraid of me.”

“I’ve never been afraid of you,” she said.

Cooper reached out and ran his hand down her cheek, and she shivered. “I know.”

Marissa closed her eyes and nuzzled her cheek against his hand. They needed a plan, but she just wanted to enjoy the feel of his hand on her skin. “So, what do we do now? We can’t hide in your ship and I really don’t want to go back to a court martial.”

“Clear your name before we get back?” He stepped into her space and put his other arm around her waist.

“I mean, having you confess to kidnapping seems like the best option, but I don’t want to risk having you arrested and tortured. And there’s still the complication that I don’t look like I’ve struggled much. Which I haven’t, really. I’ve actually enjoyed myself a bit.”

“What if I tie you up and roll you around in the dirt to make it look like you struggled?” he said. “Do you think that would help?”

Marissa laughed and leaned against him. “I don’t know. Maybe. Why am I so comfortable around you? I should be mad as hell but I really just want to cuddle.”

“Ah,” he said. “That might be the pair bond at work. I don’t know how it is with your people but it messes with how my brain processes things.”

“How? Give me an example.”

“Well, part of my training involved controlling my reactions and controlling how others reacted to things. Mostly, it kept me from panicking in new situations and allowed me to control how and when other people panicked. Very handy for infiltration work.”

“Sounds like it,” she agreed.

“Well, when a member of a bonded pair is around the person he’d bonded to, he’s less likely to panic in extreme situations, more likely to think clearly when under attack, and highly unlikely to be able to hurt the person he’s bonded to. Causing them pain isn’t even an option. Part of that is because they can now feel any pain their partner is feeling, but not all of it.”

“You said you can control people’s reactions to things,” she said. “Can you control my reactions? Are you manipulating me?”

Cooper squeezed her tight and kissed the top of her head.

“I am the last person you should ask that,” he said. “I’ve made my career out of manipulating people, both with my mind and just in general.”

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