Page 50 of Her Alien Neighbor

My hand stills as I blink my eyes rapidly. Maybe I’m seeing things. Yes, that must be it. Because if I’m not hallucinating, that means Axil has two horns curling out of his head. The horns are dark, probably black, and end in sharp points. My hand shakes just above the part where horn and head meet, and I wonder if I reach out, will they just disappear? Holding my breath, I drop my hand, inch by inch, until the tips of my fingers land on the smooth, velvety exterior of his thick, black horns.

A choked scream escapes me, and I throw my body backward, scrambling on my elbows until I fall off the bed completely.

Axil hears my scream and awakens, lunging toward the lamp on his nightstand. It clicks on as Axil turns, and as he sinks into an attack stance, his eyes widen in horror as he sees me seeing him for what feels like the first time.

He stands in front of me, but he has cerulean blue skin and thick, black horns jutting out of his head.

Axil is not human.

It’s unclear what happens after that. I’m certain that I scream my head off, but only because Axil chases me around the room and begs me to stop. I scoot past him and get the bedroom door open, which feels like a victory, but I’m caught by Mylo and Kyan, and carried into the living room with both of them restraining me. They sit me down in the middle of the brown leather couch, and plop down on either side of me, preventing me from escaping.

“Are you going to kill me?” I whimper through panting breaths, the moment Axil steps in front of me with his arms crossed, still in his…whatever version of him this is with the horns and blue skin.

He winces at my words. “Of course not, Vanessa. I would never lay a hand on you in anger. Never.”

I want to believe him. God, I want to so badly, but it’s difficult when he looks like an actual monster. I mean, he has dry, coarse scales rather than soft human skin, and frightening horns that end in points as sharp as a knife.

However, the shade of blue is rich and lovely, and his scales look like they contain multiple shades of blue and a hint of silver. They also have a shimmery quality to them. The horns look deadly, sure, but unless he plans to gore me to death, which I doubt he does, I don’t think he’d ever use them to hurt me. He’s actually really beautiful in this form. Terrifyingly beautiful.

What does it say about me that I just discovered my sort-of boyfriend is an alien and I can’t stop thinking about how pretty he is? Shouldn’t I be afraid? Shouldn’t I be trying to call the authorities and report him? Shouldn’t I want to do something other than run my hands over his bare chest?

Mylo nods vehemently. “We are not dangerous. I promise you,” he says in a soft voice. “And we have no intention of causing you or your kind any amount of pain. We’re just trying to live our lives. Quietly. Undetected.”

My next question comes easily. “So, what are you, exactly?”

Axil sighs, rubbing a hand down his face.

“Shall I do the explaining, brother?” Mylo asks since Axil is still as worked up as I am.

“No,” Axil replies, looking down at the floor. “It must be me.” He moves the coffee table back about three feet and grabs the recliner from the corner of the room, lifts it above his head as if it were a pillow, and places it on the carpet in front of me. Then he sits, his knees almost touching mine. Axil clears his throat, and rubs his palms together, preparing himself for what he’s about to tell me. Or, more likely, preparing for my reaction.

“We come from a planet called Sufoi,” he says. “I suppose that would make us ‘aliens’ to you. We are born with blue skin,” he gestures to his bare chest, “and horns. We…” he trails off, looking at Mylo nervously.

“You what?” I ask.

“We have another form,” Mylo replies.

“The one that looks human?” I ask, knowing that’s probably not the answer, given how hesitant they are to say it.

Axil shakes his head solemnly. “No, that is our mask. It is an ability we were given at birth to mask our natural form to blend in with other races.”

“See, now you’ve lost me,” I say, looking around at the three brothers.

Kyan leans forward, putting his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers. “I think we need to go outside. Showing is much easier than telling.”

“That is not a good idea,” Axil says in protest. “She is already afraid of me. I do not wish to make it worse.”

“Well, now you have to show me,” I say. I have no idea what they intend to show me, but there’s nothing more irritating than someone telling you they have a secret and then not sharing. I would wager the not knowing would haunt me more than any kind of monster would.

I turn to Axil. “Please?”

He runs his fingers over his beard, pondering my request. “Fine.”

They drape a puffy winter coat over my shoulders and shove my feet into someone’s boots before Axil leads us out the back door, quickly masking his skin and hiding his horns the moment we step outside. My heart squeezes at the sight of him hiding his horns and natural skin tone to fit in with other humans. I understand it, but it’s also sort of heartbreaking to see how quickly and easily he hides his true self. Mylo and Kyan flank me on either side as we walk through their backyard, stopping when we get to the edge of the wooded area that spans about half an acre wide.

“If you murder me out here, I’m going to be very upset,” I tell them as we get deeper into the woods.

Mylo chuckles. “If we wanted to kill you, we would’ve done it inside. Anyone could spot us out here.”

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