Guard (A Sci-Fi Alien Romance) Page 5

  “But how can they afford to run the trains.”

  “I don’t know.” He stopped at a carriage half way down the train and pushed me ahead of him.

  We were the only ones in the carriage. I kept walking until we came to the center of the carriage. He put his hand on my shoulder to stop me before I sat down.

  “Keep going.”

  “Why?”

  “Stay by the door in case there’s trouble.”

  I jumped to my feet again. The normality of it all had lulled me into a false sense of security. This wasn’t some sweet family outing with my foster family of the month. I walked to the end of the carriage and took the seat closest to the door. I huddled against the window.

  Simo put his huge hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  I shook my head. “You didn’t. I just forgot why we were here for a while.”

  He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “How’d you do that?”

  “No idea. I wish I knew. Feels like pretty soon I’m going to need to be able to escape in my head.”

  His grip on my shoulder tightened. I looked up to see a fierce look in his eyes, like the one he had just before he grabbed Yenta. I shrunk back against the window.

  He let go of my shoulder. “Are you afraid of me?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know,” I said finally. “You had the same look in your eyes as you did just before you lifted that guy clean off his feet.”

  “Clem,” he said softly.

  He reached his hand over to stroke my face but hesitated. His hand hovered in the air between us. I stared into his amber eyes, terrified and mesmerized in equal measure. I wasn’t in the habit of trusting other people, even before the takeover. And now here I was, totally dependent on an alien for my survival. A hot, angry, strong alien at that.

  “What?”

  “I would never hurt you. Believe me. I’m sorry if I scared you. But you can trust me. I swear.”

  “Why did you react like that? What did he do?”

  He looked away. I stared out of the window. I’d made this trip a couple times in my life. I searched for memories of the previous trips but I couldn’t conjure them up. In the dark, everything outside the train window was deceptively normal-looking: we passed through towns and industrial areas. I knew we were getting closer to the city because the intervals of total darkness were growing fewer and fewer.

  “You won’t see them here.”

  I turned to look at him. I had assumed he’d fallen asleep. “What?”

  “The prisons. They keep them in the heart of the country. Away from the cities.”

  I shook my head. “I wasn’t looking for the prisons. Although I guess I should.”

  He took my hands in his. “You’re not going to prison. My brother will find a way.”

  “And if he can’t?”

  He leaned closer to me until our noses were almost touching. I gasped for breath, suddenly feeling like I’d run for miles and miles.

  “You’re not going to prison, Clementine. Not while there’s a pulse in my body.”

  His amber eyes burned with such fierce protectiveness that I felt tears prick in mine. “Why are you helping me like this? We only met days ago. And I’m a human.”

  He smiled. He opened his mouth to reply but then changed his mind. I squeaked with surprise when he leaned closer and kissed me.

  “You don’t want me to?” he whispered.

  I shook my head vigorously. “No, no, I do. I really do. You caught me off guard is all.”

  He smiled and leaned in to kiss me again, resting his forehead against mine. I kissed him back like I’d never kissed anyone before. I hadn’t - at least not for a long, long time. He surprised me again when he held my shoulders to stop me.

  “What is it?” I pulled him back to me, impatient. My body was experiencing feelings I’d never felt before. Good feelings. Sparks of desire burst through my body, so intense that I wanted to cry out.

  “Not here.” He pulled my hands gently from his neck and pulled away.

  “But we’ve still got ages before we get to New York.”

  He snorted. “We’ve got around thirty minutes.”

  I leaned over and stroked his leg gently with my fingertips. “That’s plenty of time.”

  I watched his face, relishing the reaction I was causing in him. He swallowed. I could see the doubt and hesitation in his features. He wanted this just as much as I did, and that knowledge made me want him even more urgently.

  He took my hand off his leg and placed it back in my lap. “That’s nowhere near enough time for what I want to do with you.”

  I turned and stared out the window so he wouldn’t see my burning cheeks.

  “I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” he said softly, putting his hand on my knee and sending my body wild with desire again.

  I wondered why I was reacting like this to him. Here we were, lives in danger, and all I wanted to do was pause time and have this tall, strong alien do what he wanted to do to me. I’d hooked up with guys before, but it had always been boring. I’d never been able to go all the way with them. They’d put their hands in my pants, and I’d find my mind drifting. All Simo had to do was brush his hands off my legs or my arms and I melted. I shivered as I imagined how my body would react when – if – we got to go further.

  “You didn’t.”

  “You’re blushing like crazy.”

  “Am not.”

  “You are too,” he teased.

  I turned to look at him. “You talk differently. To the rest of them.”

  He shrugged. “Erostrians learn your languages at different ages. We don’t all sound the same.”

  “That’s not it. You sound like you grew up here.”

  “Maybe I did.”

  “Maybe?”

  He sighed. “I grew up here. I was one of the first.”

  “How old were you when they brought you here?”

  “Does it matter?”

  I shook my head. “I just wondered.”

  He hesitated. “I wasn’t brought here. I was born here.”

  “So you were one of the first? Is that why your brother’s on the higher council?”

  He shrugged. “He wasn’t born here. He inherited my father’s place on the council.”

  “Why aren’t you on the council?”

  He looked sad. “Why so many questions?”

  “I know another way were could pass the time,” I smiled.

  His eyes flickered with desire. “No. Not here.”

  I leaned against the backrest with a sigh. “It wasn’t a spur of the moment thing, was it?”

  “Was what?”

  “Helping me escape.”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “When did you decide?”

  He thought about it for a moment. “I’m not sure. When the others called you Zeepa and you looked like you were gonna pounce on them.”

  I smiled. “I probably would have if you hadn’t stepped in.”

  “Oh, I know.”

  “But why did you want to help me? You must’ve guarded thousands of takings.”

  He looked sad. “I don’t know.”

  “You said I reminded you of someone.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Please,” I interrupted. “I’d like to know.”

  He stared down at his huge, strong hands. “You reminded me of my mother. You have the same strength. The same stubbornness.”

  I watched several different emotions flash across his face – I couldn’t identify a single one of them.

  “Was it the radiation?” I asked softly.

  He looked at me like I’d broken him out of a trance. “What?”

  “Your mother. Was it the radiation? Like the others?”

  His face was still blank with confusion. I wished I hadn’t mentioned it.

  “No. Why would it be?”

  I frowned, still as confused as ever. “What do you mean? I heard no one was saved.”


  A loud buzzing noise came through the speakers before he had a chance to answer. I looked around. I hadn’t noticed that daylight had turned to dark as we entered the tunnels in the city.

  “We’re almost there,” I whispered.

  “I know.”

  “How long will it take us to get to Saman?”

  “Ten minutes. I hope he can see us. I didn’t want to risk letting him know we were coming.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The train pulled into a dimly lit platform and came to a stop. Simo leapt to his feet and took my hand. We walked through the station in silence. I was amazed by how quiet it was. There was none of the hustle and bustle I’d seen there years before. It was empty except for small groups of Erostrians making their way into or out of the station with brisk, long strides.

  Outside, the streets were busier, but it was still nothing like the city I’d remembered.

  “Where are all the people?”

  Simo looked at me as if I was crazy. “The ones that are still here are probably asleep.”

  “The ones that are still here?” I echoed.

  “The specialized workers. Of course,” he muttered. “How would you know? All the others were sent to factories in smaller cities.”

  “Why?” I asked, out of breath already from keeping up with him.

  “I’ll tell you everything I know when we’re safe, Clem. Save your breath. We’ll get there faster.”

  We walked the rest of the way in silence. I was still out of breath when we arrived – it was impossible to walk at his pace and not be.

  “This is the Empire State Building,” I gasped, craning my neck to look up at the huge building I had visited once before.

  “It was.”

  We walked through the doors. This time, there were no uniformed ushers to tell us where to go, and no crowd of tourists queueing to board the lift to the top of the building. The lobby was empty except for two Erostrians, who were standing behind the reception desk on the other side.

  “Is there no security?” I whispered.

  Simo shushed me. “Don’t say anything. It’s not safe. Don’t speak again until I tell you to.”

  I was about to open my mouth to protest when we reached the reception desk. Then I understood.

  One of the Erostrian receptionists looked me up and down with utter distain.

  “What is your business here with her?”

  Simo stared at him impassively. “She is my brother’s zeepa. He asked me to bring her here to him.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? He is Saman of the higher council. Who are you?”

  The receptionist took a step back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. Go ahead.”

  The elevator doors opened and we walked to them in silence.

  He finally spoke when the doors had closed on us. “It’s different here. There are so few humans that your presence in the city during working hours is suspicious.”

  The elevator whizzed through the core of the building, making my ears pop. When it began to slow, I glanced at Simo. He had a sad look on his face. It looked like he was a million miles away.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  He glanced down at me, still distracted by his thoughts. “Both our lives are about to change, and neither of us has any control over what they’ll become.”

  I shrugged. “So? Compared to what my life with Kefi would be like, it’s a change for the better.” I watched his handsome face. “How about you? What have you given up?”

  The elevator doors opened with a hiss before he had a chance to answer. I stepped out into the corridor but he put him hand on my arm, stopping me from going any further.

  “I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s a change for the better.”

  I wanted to fall into his arms after hearing that, but he held me at bay.

  “We’ll talk later,” he whispered. “When we finish talking to Saman, I’ll show you the city.”

  “I’ve seen it before.”

  “Okay, it was just an idea.”

  “Oh,” I whispered, realizing what he meant. I glanced up at him. “I’d like to see it again. With you.”

  He smiled down at me and took my hand.

  “Have you been here before?” I asked as we stopped to study a floor plan.

  “In this building? No.”

  “You’ve never been to see your brother?”

  He shook his head.

  “Why?”

  “I was assigned to the guards shortly after we seized power.”

  I shuddered to hear it described that way. “Wouldn’t you have preferred to stay in New York?”

  “I guess.” He looked down at me. “But now I’m glad I didn’t.”

  I squeezed his hand as we walked to Saman’s office. On the floorplan, it looked like the biggest suite on this floor, and we knew which one it was as soon as we got around the corner. Unlike the others, it had ornate double doors and several anterooms.

  Simo reached for the shiny brass handles but paused at the last minute and knocked. When there was no response, he opened the doors quietly.

  “Where is Saman?” he said, stepping inside and stopping at the small, tidy desk just inside the door.

  I knew from the floorplan that this room was dwarfed by the one beyond it. Saman’s assistant glanced up impatiently.

  “He’s busy.”

  “When will he be free?”

  “He’s always busy.”

  “I’m his brother.” Simo put his hand firmly on the table.

  “I didn’t know he had one.”

  Simo flinched.

  “You’re not a very good secretary then,” I bristled.

  The assistant glanced up at me, seeing me for the first time. “And who is this?”

  Simo glared at him. “None of your concern. Is my brother in there?”

  The assistant followed Simo’s gaze to the huge gilded doors that dominated the wall opposite us. “He doesn’t wish to be disturbed.”

  “Then we’ll wait.”

  The other man face screwed up in distaste. “Fine. You can go wait in the library.”

  “Wher—”

  “Through that door,” he pointed without looking at us.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “How much longer do we need to wait?” I groaned.

  Simo shrugged. “It hasn’t been that long.”

  “It feels like forever.”

  He came and sat next to me. “I know. But he’ll be finished soon.”

  “How much time do we have before…”

  “Hours yet.”

  I relaxed as much as I could with Simo sitting in this close proximity to me. The tension between us was starting to drive me crazy. “What if he leaves without seeing us?”

  Saman shook his head.

  “But you saw his assistant. He looked down on us. I bet he hasn’t even told Saman we’re here.”

  He stood up.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Finding my brother.”

  I stood and took his hand. Before we’d even made it across the room, the door flew open. I did a double take: the Erostrian standing in the doorway bore a remarkable resemblance to Kefi.

  I looked up at Simo in alarm. Instead of fear though, he was beaming. I tugged his arm.

  “Brother!” Simo let go of my hand and crossed the room to where the horrible being stood.

  “Simo,” he said coldly, stepping away to avoid Simo’s warm embrace.

  “Saman.” I could hear the confusion in his voice. “Don’t you recognize me, brother?”

  “I’m not your brother,” Saman hissed. He glanced at me. “And what is this?”

  Simo glanced at me, his brow furrowed. “That’s Clementine. My friend. Saman, what’s up with you?”

  Saman shook his head. “Don’t speak to me like… like you’re one of them.”

  “I’m not, Saman, what the hell?”

  “There you go again.”

  “Wha
t are you talking about, brother?”

  Saman took a step closer to him. Simo had at least half a foot’s height on him and was noticeably fitter and stronger. Yet he shrunk back like he was the weaker of the two. “I’m not your brother. Don’t make me correct you again.”

  Simo’s face fell. “What are you talking about?” he croaked. “You’re my…”

  Saman was shaking his head dismissively. “We share a father, boy. That doesn’t make us brothers.”

  “Actually, it kinda sorta does,” I sneered, walking to Simo’s side.

  “Don’t address me.”

  Simo looked deep into my eyes before he grabbed me and pulled me behind him.

  “Is that what you’re doing now? Fraternizing with human whores?”

  “She’s not a whore.”

  “And you have the gall to call me brother.”

  I bit my lip to stop myself from speaking. Proud, strong Simo was standing up to his brother, but this close, I could see the slump in his shoulders. I wanted to slap Saman. Saman, Kefi. All of them.

  “You are my brother,” Simo said, sounding exhausted. “I don’t know why you deny it, but do what you want. You’ll always be my brother.”

  Saman snorted. “My mother was a proud Erostrian. Yours was a whore.”

  Simo’s shoulders shook. I took a step toward Saman again but Simo realized what I was doing and held me back. He took a deep breath.

  “I need your help, Saman.”

  “So does the rest of the city,” Saman said, sounding bored.

  “You don’t understand. I’m in trouble. We’re in trouble.”

  “Why are you speaking to me and not your commander?”

  Simo shook his head. “It’s way too serious for that. I needed to come to you.”

  “Did anyone see you?”

  “No, luckily. I bumped into one of the guards from the prisons unit before we caught the train, but I don’t think—”

  “I mean here, in New York,” Saman snapped. “Did you tell anyone you were on your way to see me with that wh—”

  “Careful Saman.”

  “With her in tow.”

  Simo shook his head. “Only your assistant.”

  Saman muttered under his breath.

  “It’s okay, we still have time to escape before anyone realizes.”

  “It’s not you I’m concerned about. The President of the higher council returns to Eros next year. What do you think it’ll do to my campaign if other members of the council hear about my father’s half-human son?”