Page 90 of Claimed by an Alien Warrior

“Men,” Zoey muttered as she screwed on the fuel cap.

“It was on TV,” he said, tone slightly defensive. “Male humans seem fond of doing it.”

“You shouldn’t do everything you see on TV, Ren.”

His hand slipped between her legs. She gasped, and heat immediately flooded her.

“I’ve done many things I saw on TV, without you complaining before now.”

“I’m not complaining,” she said breathlessly.

“Good. Now cease your argument,” he commanded, and his hands moved away. “Go see to yourself,kun’ia, so we may be on our way.”

Zoey walked away with a big, stupid grin on her face, and it took a surprising effort to wipe it away before she entered the convenience store.

The clerk, a young man with long, dark hair, looked up from his magazine and raised a hand in greeting. “Hey.”

“Hi. I just need to use the restroom, and I’ll be right back.”

“Sure thing. It’s in the hall at the back of the store.”

“Thanks.”

In the restroom, she moaned as she emptied her bladder; she hadn’t realized how badly she had to go before sitting down. They hadn’t stopped since leaving Vail. It didn’t help that Ren usually pumped her full of enough seed to start a damned farm.

She chuckled to herself.

After washing her hands, she exited the bathroom and strolled through the aisles. She grabbed two large bottles of water from the fridge and, though she cringed at their prices, selected two sandwiches from the deli area. At the register, the gold-and-red wrapper of a Twix bar caught her eye. They were Ren’s favorite.

She added it to the pile and paid.

“Ren?” she asked quietly when she returned to the car.

“Here,” he answered softly from nearby.

She opened the passenger door and leaned in to deposit the drinks and snacks in the center console. She stepped back when she was done, allowing him a few moments to climb in before she closed the door again. Rounding the car, she slid into the driver’s seat, closed the door, and buckled up.

The engine started as she picked up one of the sandwiches.

“Here,” she said, handing it to him.

“Thank you,” he replied. The moment it left her hand, the sandwich vanished. The only evidence that it had existed was the soft sound of the wrapper being opened.

Zoey tilted her head. “Why don’t I vanish when you touch me?”

“I have to extend the cloaking field to encompass other objects or individuals.”

“Does it…feel strange, when you’re invisible?”

As she stared at the seemingly empty space where he sat, she caught sight, for an instant, of falling crumbs. They disappeared before she could tell if they were real or not.

“No,” he said with his mouth full. “But I was trained to use it for a long while and have employed it frequently during my service. It is natural to me.”

Maybe it was because she was tired, but a naughty thought slipped into her mind, making her grin.

“What does that look mean, Zoey?”

“Oh, nothing,” she replied, grin widening as she shifted the SUV into drive and pulled back onto the highway.

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