Page 75 of Her Alien Neighbor

My chest tightens at the mere thought of her. She is currently at her school reunion, and I find it puzzling she chose to attend without me. Why would she not want me by her side, protecting her from another confrontation with Trevor? It makes no sense.

A loud rumble catches my attention as a man on a motorcycle pulls up to the pump next to me. He is not wearing a helmet, which is extremely idiotic, especially on a night where the roads will be covered in snow, but I would expect nothing less from the rider in question.

“Well, well, well,” Trevor says in a cocky tone as he climbs off his bike. “It’s the gigolo.”

“Trevor,” I say without looking up from the gas pump in my hand. I would prefer to avoid seeing his face, with his small nervous eyes and horrendous facial hair. He has a nose you cannot help but want to break.

I hear him chuckle, the sound most unpleasant, as he strolls inside the food mart. He seems to be dressed somewhat nicely, or what I imagine is nice for him. His navy-blue pants are pressed, and he is wearing a white dress shirt with blue dots that seems to be tucked in. He comes out of the food mart with a pack of cigarettes in hand. “Missed you tonight at the reunion, bud,” he says as he crosses the barrier between us and leans against the pump I am using.

I busy myself with cleaning the windshield of my truck, continuing to ignore him.

“We’re having an after party for everyone, you know…” he says, his breath sour with the strong scent of alcohol. “I think Vanessa and Sam are on their way now, in fact.”

My hand stills. No. There is no way they would willingly attend a function hosted by Trevor. He must be lying.

“Man, they sure looked good tonight,” he adds, his tone wistful. “Especially Vanessa.”

I will not let him goad me. I cannot. Things will turn ugly, which will lead to me causing irreparable harm to this frail human’s body. I must remain calm to protect my family.

“That dress she was wearing. Wow,” he says with a gleeful scoff. “It left nothing to the imagination.”

Protect the family. I must protect my family.

“Though, you have to like big girls.”

He says the wordbigin a disparaging way with his cheeks puffed out. I do not understand it––why her size would be something to mock––but I know I do not like his tone. How easy it would be to wrap one hand around his throat and squeeze. And squeeze and squeeze until his small eyes grow big and bulge from their sockets.

“Is that your thing?” he asks, tilting his head to the side as if he is genuinely curious about my response, and not simply mocking me. “You have a fat fetish or something?”

How long would I need to choke him before his face turned the same color blue as my natural skin?

Do not kill him this way, my draxilio notes. Take him to the edge of death, so he is forced to witness his entire, pitiful life flash before his eyes.

I cannot argue with how delightful that would be.

“Hey, no shame in chasing fatties, bro,” Trevor continues. “I get it. In fact, I had a thing for Vanessa a long time ago.”

Protect the family. Protect the family. Protect the family.

He leans forward and slaps his hand on my shoulder. “A word of caution from someone who’s gotten a piece of that pussy…”

My gaze lingers on his small, weak hand as a growl rumbles inside my throat. He is testing every boundary I have. Every last shred of willpower is being used to keep myself from snapping his neck.

“She’s kind of a bitch, you know? One of those wicked sensitive, high maintenance feminists, so just watch yourself,” he says in a quiet voice as if offering me valuable advice and not slandering my mate. Such a foolish choice on his part. “One minute you’re fucking her, and the next thing you know, she’s crying and making up bullshit lies.” He lifts his hand from my shoulder and shrugs. “Women, right?”

My hands begin to shake as Trevor smirks. I clench my fists to make it stop, but the tremors spread throughout my body. I feel sweat form on my forehead as I focus on breathing in and out through my nose.

End him, my draxilio growls.

He desperately wants me to shift so he can take over. His rage pulses through me like hundreds of tiny heartbeats.

Kill. Kill. Kill, he chants in my head. Protect our mate. Kill him. Kill him now.

No, I send back through our mental link. We cannot. We must keep our secret to protect the family. We must behave in the human way.

He grunts at my lack of action.

“Anyway, I’ve gotta get the house ready for the party,” Trevor says, smacking me on the back. He returns to his pump and finishes paying. “I’ll give Vanessa your best,” he adds, laughing maniacally as he revs the engine. Then he is off, taking a left out of the gas station parking lot and speeding off into the night.

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