Page 36 of Her Alien Neighbor

“You’re leaving? Really?” she asks, clearing her throat, trying to seem unbothered, but failing. “Do you have a wife or girlfriend you haven’t told me about?” She chuckles as if trying to cloak her fear of rejection with humor.

If only she knew how badly I wanted to stay. How my entire body is fighting me with every inch I put between our bodies. But I cannot fall asleep at her side.

The mask I don at will, the one that hides my horns and changes my blue, otherworldly skin to a light cream color, cannot hold while I am asleep. If she were to wake before me and catch me in my natural state, it would ruin everything. My brothers and I would be exposed. We would need to flee Sudbury, just as we fled Boston after Luka met Harper. I would like to think I can trust Vanessa to stay quiet about our existence here on her planet, but I do not know for certain.

My draxilio growls, fervently agreeing with my hesitation.It is not worth the risk. Protect the family.

If she were my mate, it would be different. We would be forever linked by the mate bond. But my eyes have yet to turn, and though I can no longer imagine my days without her, I cannot risk my brothers’ safety over an infatuation with a beautiful human.

“There is no one I desire but you,” I tell her honestly. “I promise I shall return in the morning.” I take her hand and kiss her knuckles. “Sleep now, Vanessa.”

I steal one last glance at her before I leave, going through the kitchen and out the back door.

As I stride along the narrow path between her house and mine, I hope I was successful tonight in helping her forget. Judging by the smile I cannot seem to wipe from my face, and the ache in my chest that appeared the moment I left her, this night will be burned in my memory for centuries, and I know there will be no sleep for me.

CHAPTER 11

AXIL

“There you are,” Zev mutters from the recliner in the living room the moment I enter. He gets up and races over to me, grabbing my face in his hands.

I shove him off. “What are you doing?”

“I was certain you would come home with eyes blinking the color of blood,” he says, leaning back against the kitchen island. “She is it, right? Your mate?”

Staring at him for several seconds, I finally say, “My eyes have not turned, so no. I do not believe so.” It disappoints me to be so unsure, especially when, in many ways, Vanessa feels like the one I have been searching for. The one I gave up on ever finding.

My draxilio disagrees.We cannot trust her. She is leaving soon.

I cannot argue with that. The latter is still of concern.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I quickly type a message to Luka.

Me:Need your help. When did you know Harper was your mate? How long did it take for your draxilio to agree with your feelings about her?

I hope he answers me. Outside of our annual family visits with him, Harper, and their two children at Christmas, he keeps his distance from us as we are “troublemakers.”

Kyan strides through the front door, loosening his tie and grumbling something under his breath.

“How was work?” I ask out of politeness. His answer is always the same. “It was work” he will say each night before pouring himself a large glass of water, tossing a bag of kettle corn into the microwave, and taking both up to his wing of the house. His obsession with kettle corn, particularly as his nightly snack before bed, has puzzled all of us since we arrived.

“It was work,” he replies, right on cue. He tosses his blazer over the back of the couch and comes into the kitchen to begin his evening routine.

After taking a large sip of water, he asks, “Why do you both look strange? What has happened?”

“We are draxilios pretending to be humans,” Zev says with a smirk. “Do we not always look strange?”

Kyan glares at Zev, then shifts his narrowed gaze to me. “Dish. Now.”

Zev rolls his eyes at Kyan’s demand. It has become a catchphrase of sorts for Kyan, ever since he discovered that “dish” can also mean “reveal your secret.” Kyan is also the one we deliberately hide things from since his temper is the least predictable, and the most likely to get us into trouble with the authorities.

It is why I cannot tell him about the earlier events of the evening. The moment he discovers a rapist living in our vicinity, he will kill him. And he will do it in a messy, spectacular fashion that will lead the police directly to our door.

Although, the thought of severing Trevor’s head while he sleeps and mounting it to the wall does sound appealing…

My draxilio purrs in agreement.

For now, I must keep Trevor’s crimes hidden from Kyan. He will be angry when he finds out, but I can handle Kyan’s wrath. Getting locked in a human jail for who knows how long, I cannot. “We went to Tipsy’s bar earlier, and met Vanessa and her friend there,” I say, simplifying the events of the evening into a single sentence that will bore Kyan. “It was enjoyable.”

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