Page 24 of Alien Healer's Touch

My markings burned beneath my sleeves. "What are you doing to these people?"

"Protecting humanity." He stepped forward. "The markings are changing you, Selene. Turning you against your own kind."

"They're not changing me, Hammond. They're part of me."

"Part of you?" He laughed bitterly. "Those things are alien technology implanted in human tissue. And I intend to remove the contamination before it spreads further."

He moved toward me, reaching for his sidearm. "You'll understand once we've completed the decontamination. It's for your own good."

As his hand closed around my arm, my markings flared with sudden, blinding intensity. Silver light blazed through my clothing, and Hammond recoiled as if burned. He stumbled backward, momentarily blinded.

I ran. Past him, through the doorway, down the corridor. Alarms blared throughout the facility. Voices shouted behind me. I discarded caution and sprinted for the nearest exit, my markings still glowing through my clothes like moonlight through gauze.

The cool night air hit my face as I burst through a heavy service hatch that hadn't been properly sealed. Guards shouted. A spotlight swept the perimeter. I ran for the tree line, lungs burning, the knowledge of what Hammond planned driving me forward.

The forest swallowed me into shadow, branches whipping against my face as I plunged deeper into the darkness. Behind me, Hammond's voice rose above the others.

"Find her! She's compromised!"

I ran until my legs nearly gave out, then stumbled to a stop, gasping for breath. My markings gradually dimmed until only a faint silver sheen remained visible on my skin.

"Selene."

I whirled toward the voice, heart pounding.

Kavan stood among the trees, golden eyes reflecting starlight. "What happened?"

"Hammond," I gasped, still struggling for breath. "The artifacts he stole during the attack. He's found more from the ruins. He's experimenting with them on marked women."

Kavan's expression darkened. "Did he harm you?"

"No. My markings..." I looked down at the silvery tracings on my wrists. "They reacted to the artifacts. They flared when he tried to use one on me. I've never seen them do that before."

"They responded to the threat," Kavan said quietly. "Just as lifelines do when their bearer is in danger."

Distant shouts penetrated the forest. The search party was spreading out.

"We need to move now," I said. "Hammond won't stop looking."

Kavan nodded, taking my hand. "Then we go deeper, where they cannot follow."

KAVAN

Iheard them before I saw them—the crunch of human footwear against forest debris. Six, maybe seven of Hammond's hunters. They moved with purpose but lacked the quiet grace needed to truly hunt these woods.

"Selene," I whispered, squeezing her hand. "We must move. Now."

Her eyes met mine as the voices drew closer. Three rapid heartbeats gave me time to calculate our options. The patrols fanned out in a search pattern. With seismic instabilities to our west and Hammond's men closing from the east, our path narrowed to one choice.

"Hold on to me."

She barely nodded before I gathered her into my arms. Her weight registered as nothing—a stark reminder of human fragility despite their resilience. I tucked her close, her head against my shoulder.

"Close your eyes."

I ran. Not as a healer moving through the forest for herbs, but as a warrior on the hunt. My feet found purchase on surfaces no human could navigate. Each bound carried us five lengths forward, covering distance that would have impressed even my hunting brothers.

Selene gasped against my neck, fingers digging into my tunic. Her breath came in short bursts, yet she made no protest.

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