Page 102 of Claimed by an Alien Warrior

He lifted another hand and waved to the northeast. “Because it is that way.” Then he moved his finger to Buffalo and slid it northeast, ending up in roughly the same place he’d originally indicated. “As we get closer, I am better able to pinpoint its location.”

“I believe you. It’s just that, at least on this map, it doesn’t look like there’s much in the way of roads over there. Even if we get close to your ship, we may have to travel part of the way on foot, and that’s going to slow us down.”

“I will carry you if it comes to that.” He smiled at her. “We areclose,kun’ia. This long journey is nearly at its end.”

“Yeah, it is,” she said, returning the smile.

They continued their drive under a bleak gray sky, and Ren seemed to grow increasingly impatient as the miles passed. They saw another small convoy of black SUVs before they moved off the four-lane interstate, and not long after spied helicopters in the distance, neither of which eased their nerves. At various points on the two-lane highways, they were caught behind vehicles driving well under the speed limit, which almost pushed Rendash to fury.

“I can get out andpushthem faster than they are driving!” he growled.

“Control,” Zoey whispered to him, unable to keep from smirking.

He snapped his head aside to look at her with low brows, but his expression crumbled after he opened his mouth and seemed to be unable to find any words. He shook his head and chuckled.

His frustration was compounded again when it seemed that none of the roads led the right way.

“We’re so close!” He thumped his fist on the dashboard. “This road is going to take us too far in the wrong direction.”

Zoey reached across the space separating them, caught his chin, and turned his face toward her. “We’ll make it. Ren.Patience. You’ve been around humans too long.” Despite her best efforts to hold it back, her smirk had returned.

“You’re the only human who’s influenced these changes in me,kun’ia,” he replied. He smiled, but the expression was strained.

It was dark by the time they neared the small town of Lowville.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stop for the night?” Zoey asked as she held the button to spray the windshield for the thousandth time. The wet roads were likely to freeze over as the temperature continued to drop. “We could wait until it’s light out to search for the ship.”

And I could have one more night with you before we leave for the unknown.

“We have to keep going,” he said, turning his gleaming gaze toward her. “We’re close, but so arethey. Any delay gives them that much more time to find us.”

“Okay…but wedoneed to stop for some gas. We’re almost running on empty.”

The tightness in his expression gave her the impression, for a moment, that he was going to refuse. Instead, his features softened. “Do you feel well enough to continue, Zoey? If you are tired, or need rest, we can stop for a while.” He settled a hand on her thigh and squeezed gently.

Zoey placed her hand on top his. “I’m fine. I’ll just grab some coffee while we fill up.”

A few minutes later — and with Ren cloaked — they pulled into a gas station on the western edge of town, lured by the out-of-place lights at the end of a dark residential street.

Zoey opened her door and hesitated as she climbed out, frowning to herself. “Do you think they can track it when you hack the gas pumps?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “They may be able to detect some anomaly in the computers.”

Biting her lip, Zoey nodded. “I’m just going to prepay with cash this time. Just in case. We have the money, and it’s not worth the risk after how far we’ve come. Do you need to get out to use the restroom or anything?”

“No. I’ll be fine, Zoey.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” She closed the door and crossed the parking lot toward the convenience store.

A bell over the door jingled as she entered the store. Music played overhead — Christmas music; how had she forgotten that was right around the corner? — but it was otherwise quiet inside. Zoey returned the cashier’s friendly smile before walking to the coffee machines in the back of the store. She selected the largest available cup and filled it with the best-sounding flavor, closing her eyes for a moment to enjoy the rich aroma. The smell of brewing coffee behind the counter at Bud’s Diner remained a pleasant memory, despite everything.

The bell jingled again, but she paid it no mind. Once her cup was three-fourths full, she added enough creamer and sugar that the mix couldn’t legally be called coffee anymore, plucked a lid out of the dispenser, and pressed it on.

Did they have anything like coffee on Ren’s planet?

She still couldn’t believe this was happening. They would beleavingEarth. That was a slightly more significant move than Des Moines to California and back again.

Zoey turned, and her smile faded when she noticed a man standing nearby. Her coffee nearly slipped from her fingers. Not just a man, but a police officer, dressed in a heavy coat, staring at her through his sunglasses.

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