Page 9 of Shadow Mark

And that was how the princess found her, on her ass in the mud.

CHAPTER THREE

LENORE

“Hi. So this is going to be a lot, but let me get it out of the way.” A woman emerged from the trees and offered a hand to help her stand. She had pale skin, obviously dyed red hair, and an open smile. Behind her stood an alien, half hidden in shadows.

An alien. All four eyes and pointy ears, just like in the guidebook’s diagrams. The gray skin was a surprise as the pictures had been in black and white. The gray complexion was perfect for blending into the shadows under the canopy. He—assuming gender was binary and the alien was male based on stature and a gut feeling—wore a serious expression, but that could have been his happy face for all Lenore knew. This was an alien.

Lenore wondered why she wasn’t more freaked out. Maybe she was just so glad to see someone, anyone, for the first time in months that it didn’t matter who they were. Maybe studying the guidebook diagrams prepared her for seeing her first nonhuman being. The cabin had obviously been built by someone, so discovering that someone really wasn’t a shock.

What was a shock was how human-shaped they appeared. Two arms. Two legs. No obvious tail or extra appendages. High cheekbones and thick eyebrows—four of them, one over each eye, and long dark hair. It was a compelling face.

He wore a silken shirt with flowing sleeves, tucked into tight-fitting pants that left little to the imagination. Judging by the way the fabric clung and the bulge at the front, he was definitely male. The outfit seemed a little fussy for traipsing through a jungle, but Lenore wasn’t going to complain. He was…handsome didn’t do him justice. Stunning. Exquisite, despite being in the steaming hot jungle with humidity thick enough to scoop into buckets. Mostly, he was pretty. Really, really pretty. Like kick your feet and giggle pretty.

Aware that she was staring like a lovesick tween, embarrassment flushed her cheeks, and she tore her gaze away to focus on the woman whose outfit, by comparison, was far more practical. She wore thick boots, a long-sleeved knit shirt, and stretchy pants.

Yes. Lenore, the fashion critic. That was super helpful at the moment. At least it was marginally less creepy than drooling over the wildly attractive alien.

“I’m Sarah Krasinski from Philadelphia,” the woman said, completely ignoring the alien behind her.

“Lenore Kelley. Chicago,” she replied.

Sarah gave a cheerful smile. “I got portaled, just like you. In fact, lots of people got portaled. You’re on another planet.”

“I figured out that much.” Lenore grimaced. She didn’t mean to sound bitchy, but her social skills were never what anyone would call charming, and she was way out of practice. Also, her foot fucking hurt. It felt like she stepped on a thorn or a sharp rock. She shifted her weight, taking the pressure off her injured foot. “Sorry. This is a lot. Is that guy real, or am I hallucinating?”

Sarah glanced behind her. “Baris? He’s real.” She turned her attention back to Lenore. “And aliens are real. Surprise! By the way, I’m glad you speak English. That helps a lot. The last person spoke Mandarin, and it took forever to get the portable translator going. It was a whole thing. Never mind. That’s not important. What is important is that I’m glad Ghost found you.” Sarah gave another smile, completely unbothered and full of sunshine.

Lenore nearly laughed in relief. She had no idea who or what a Ghost was, other than the strict definition, but she got the impression it was a name and not, you know, a specter, and it was so absurd. The tension inside her chest eased. She wasn’t alone. There was another human who, judging from the clean clothes and healthy appearance, was doing well for herself. Was that mascara? Very well for herself.

Sarah’s gaze swept over Lenore, taking in the mud, the unflattering jumpsuit, and the red welts all over her skin. “Are you hurt?”

“I’ll live.”

Behind them, the two monsters snarled at each other. Lenore twisted around to witness the shadowy wolf and lizard-cat slowly circle each other, backs arched and tails whipping wildly. Lenore didn’t have to be an expert at animal body language to know a fight was coming.

Good. At least if they were fighting each other, they’d be too busy to eat her. No way she was risking going back in to get her shoes, though. Those were a lost cause.

Baris said something in a smooth voice. Whatever he said caused Sarah to nod her head as if in agreement. She said, “Let’s get out of here, and I’ll explain.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Lenore said.

They booked it through the trees and headed toward the cabin. Lenore went as carefully as she could, mindful of where she set her feet. Cleaning the wound was going to be a pain. “You’ve got medical supplies?” she asked once they were a reasonable distance away.

“Plenty. What’s wrong?” Sarah finally noticed Lenore’s limp. “You’re hurt. Why didn’t you say anything? And where are your shoes?”

“Between the shadow wolf and the lizard-cat, I imagine.”

Baris spoke again. His voice was deep and just so pleasing. His face, however, was full of judgment.

“You’d better not be saying anything mean,” Lenore said. “I’m doing the best I can.”

He turned to face her and it was a lot of eyes. A lot. He offered out his empty arms like he wanted her to hand him something. Lenore had zero idea what that was about.

He tilted his face as if exasperated and pleading to the heavens, then jiggled his empty arms. Without speaking a word, Lenore understood that he offered to carry her.

“Sure. Carry me,” she said, feeling a little strange because she didn’t speak alien and he probably didn’t speak English.

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