Page 9 of Her Alien Neighbor

She grins in a smug sort of way and turns to leave.

“Wait!” I shout. She turns to face me and lifts her brows in a questioning glance. “Why would you sell it? Lady Norton wanted you to have it. She said as much to me.” It was Lady Norton’s wish for Vanessa to inherit her home and create a life here. She thought it would make Vanessa happy to be given a house and a car and not have to struggle financially anymore, as she has done for so many years on the other side of the country.

“Because I have a life in L.A. I’m not just going to it throw away.”

Though I have spent a significant amount of time studying humans and their odd choices––both before we fled Sufoi and after we crashed––there is still much that puzzles me. Like refusing to honor a late relative’s wishes simply because those wishes are inconvenient. “So you are selfish,” I say with a nod. “I see.”

That certainly keeps her from leaving. She plants her feet where she stands, her eyes blazing with fury. “Excuse me?”

I keep my eyes trained on her, saying nothing.

“You think I’m selfish? Why? Because I don’t want a house I never asked for?” Her neck reddens, the color traveling up to her cheeks in her rage. “A future I never, not once, said I wanted.” Her lips flatten, then she lifts them, exposing her teeth. “I’d gargle broken glass before I’d live here again.”

“And Lady Norton was aware of your disdain for this town?” I ask, not offended by her feelings toward Sudbury, this is not my homeland to defend, after all. But Lady Norton loved Vanessa as if she were her own daughter. I am certain she had nothing but her happiness in mind when she was drawing up her will. Vanessa’s vitriol does not make sense. “Why would she leave you the house then?”

Vanessa throws her hands up. “The fuck if I know.” Her chin dips, and her large, light blue eyes swirl with sadness. “It’s not like I don’t appreciate the gesture. She wanted to take care of me by giving me the house. She always took care of me.” She sighs, her eyes locking on mine. “But I don’t believe in ghosts or heaven or any of that, so I’m not convinced Aunt Franny is watching over me, disappointed by my decision. I’ll honor her wishes by sprinkling her ashes where she wants me to, but I’m not keeping the house. I’m meeting with a listing agent tomorrow at ten a.m. to see how quickly I can sell it. Then I’m going back to L.A. the moment it closes.”

“Very well,” I reply, scratching my beard. “Then I suppose this is good-bye.”

She nods, and I could swear there is a flash of longing in her expression. “Yeah, guess so.” She steps forward, offering her hand. I take it, knowing this is a gesture of politeness among humans. “It was entirely unpleasant, but nice knowing ya.”

A chuckle bursts from my lips at her sardonic tone. I let her go, and only then do I notice the tingle that lingers in my hand. It feels as if she branded me.

Before she steps outside, she turns, “Oh! I didn’t get your name.”

Though my given name is Axilssanai Buunii iy Xen Dwai, surely Vanessa would find that suspicious, so I offer the shorter, human-sounding name I chose after we crashed, “Axil,” I say, my voice dropping low. “My name is Axil Monroe.”

Her gaze travels from my lips down to my hands as I roll the cuffs of my flannel shirt to the middle of my forearms. Her lips part, looking almost…frazzled by my newly exposed skin. A scent hits my nose, ambrosia breaking through the harshness of the metal, wood, and chemical scents that fill my shed. My mouth waters, and I feel my heartbeat quicken.

It is her. Vanessa. Though, it is not her normal scent, which is also quite pleasing. This is different. Heady. She is aroused.

Byme.

When her mesmerizing pale blue eyes lift to meet mine, she shakes herself free of the trance she was in, and says, “Right. Okay, bye,” then slams the door shut behind her.

I continue to breathe in the sweet scent she left behind, hoping it remains for the rest of time. As I turn the table saw back on, my eyes land on the love book Lady Norton gave me the day before she passed. She said it was aromancestory that was good to learn from, and my purpose becomes clear.

Lady Norton wanted her home, her sanctuary, to go to Vanessa, and for it to remain in her name until Vanessa’s last breath. It was a gift––a generous one. A gift Vanessa should not be so quick to discard. If Vanessa intends to sell Lady Norton’s house, then I intend to stop her.

CHAPTER 4

VANESSA

“Denise! So great to see you.” I greet my former biology lab partner at the front door, stepping aside so she can enter. “I didn’t realize you had gotten into real estate.”

The front door of Aunt Franny’s house opens into the dining room with a small office off to the left and the rest of the house on the right. I take Denise into the hallway and a few short steps inside the living room. She tells me about how she got a business degree at Plymouth State, which is about forty minutes north of here, and felt lost afterward until she helped her mother sell her house. It was then that she found her calling. She tells me about her four kids, and their asshole father she finally divorced last year.

“Can I get you something to drink?” I ask as she takes a seat in the oversized accent chair with the faded pine-green upholstery.

I spent all yesterday afternoon cleaning, and continued into the night, trying to get this place ready. Especially after that horrible encounter with the neighbor, Axil, I’m more eager than ever to get the hell out of here.

“Do you have orange juice?” Denise asks, placing her purse on the floor beside her feet.

“I do,” I reply. “Be right back.” I scurry into the kitchen and pour her a large glass. Handing it to her, I take a seat on the deflated cream leather sofa across from her.

“So,” I say with a smile, patting the tops of my thighs, “I need to sell this house. And I need to do it quickly. How can we make that happen?”

She takes a long sip of juice, draining half the glass, and makes that satisfied “ahh” sound. “Well,” she begins, pulling out her phone. She swipes across the screen a few times and opens a blank note page. “Let’s have a look around, and I’ll see what I can do about expediting the process.”

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