Page 52 of The Biker Alien

“Don’t shoot!” Luther calls.

Teri’s untying him.

“What is going on?” I growl.

“Do not fire,” Teri says. “No one.”

Her voice, it’s strong and commanding. Spoken like a president. Like a leader.

A co-leader.

Once Luther’s untied, he lifts his hand in surrender.

“Listen to me,” he says, addressing his fellow Grelites. “This was Joelo’s beef. He hated all of the Koxians for killing his woman, and he blamed them all. We only came here because he wanted to kill them all. He dragged us into this. Why? It’s not our fight! We left Grel not to continue fighting but to make new lives for ourselves, and we never had that chance because of Joelo. Let us go. Joelo is dead. We don’t have to be. We can be free to do what we want. Who knows?” Luther gestures to Teri and then to me. “Maybe one or more of us has our fated mate right here on Earth, and we haven’t realized it yet because of this hatred. Let’s go. Set up shop elsewhere. We can even split up, but there does not have to be any more fighting.”

There’s grumbling among the Grelites, and I gesture for my men to lower their weapons.

The one I shot in the shoulder makes his way to the front. “Alecor could’ve killed me. He could’ve killed Joelo earlier, and he didn’t. We knew from the first that Alecor came here for peace. He didn’t know that he killed Joelo’s woman, but how many of us killed Koxians? Male and female? Who might have had fated mates? Not one of us is blameless, but if we stop assigning blame, we can finally have peace.”

One by one, the Grelites nod or even voice their agreement to leave.

And that’s that. the Grelites file back into the limo, and they drive off, not heading back into the city but away.

We did it. with minimal bloodshed.

We’re free.

19

Teri

I rush over to Alec,who sweeps me into his arms. He lifts me into the air and spins around before kissing me soundly, still holding me. He’s so strong that it doesn’t even seem like I’m too heavy for him.

Eventually, though he does put me down, but his lips are still on mine, and his hands start to rove.

That’s when I draw back, taking his hands in mine. “We have an audience,” I remind him.

“Yes, so?” he says gruffly.

I laugh as I pat his cheek. “I had to tell Stacy and Josh the truth.”

He grunts. “I figured you would have to.”

“They swear they won’t tell anyone, though.”

“For their sake, I hope so.”

I glare at him, and he laughs.

“I’m joking.”

“You better be,” I say lightly. “Now where re we off to?”

“My place is probably a mess yet,” he says.

“I… I don’t know if there’s still blood on the ground… Do Grelites bleed red or…”

“Red. I’ll have your place cleaned, but until then, we might as well return to that hotel room.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

---