Roark's Baby Page 8

The sun dropped below the trees, casting a shadow over everything. Perfect. I could only hope that tonight would be as successful as last night.

  Chapter Four

  Murda

  All day, I tossed and turned as thoughts of the dark-haired female plagued my thoughts. Not being able to decipher some of her words irritated me. What did she know?

  Dressing in my black leather pants with chrome spikes down the outside of each leg, I buttoned the dark charcoal gray shirt. This was the closest I could find to match my tattered official uniform before the great battle.

  Heading down for mealtime, I still could not stop thinking about the female. The agitation must have shown on my face.

  Gar stood, as did the other males, when I entered the room. “Are you well?”

  “Yes.” I sat at the head of the heavy wooden table with lavish designs etched in the outer edges. Once seated, everyone else took a seat.

  Gar sat to my right, Venge sat to my left. I ignored both and reached for a piece of ham, two pieces of bacon, and eggs. Not that I liked the food very much, but it would suffice. It had for almost two of their earth years.

  Gar kept glancing over. Finally, I asked, “still no word?” even though I knew the answer.

  “No.” He hesitated, then added, “Venge and I have been discussing the problem. We think that Earth government is somehow blocking the signal.”

  With a bite of food at my lips, I froze—momentarily. That made more sense than thinking that our brothers left us here. A thought I refused to believe. I knew that father would be searching for us, unless they presumed us dead.

  “I will go back out tonight. If the female is there, I shall ask questions, find out what she knows.”

  Venge glanced my way, “Is that wise?”

  “Yes, it is.” It’s also what I want to do. She intrigued me like no other, and if she knew things, I needed to interrogate her without her realizing.

  “Are the rumors true? The ones about Human females?”

  I thought about it then laughed, startling everyone around me. “Yes, they are true.”

  I heard the low rumblings of everyone around me, but I ignored them. As soon as I finished eating, I would fetch my cloak. This time I would use the solar board, hopefully find the female earlier before the sun came up.

  __________

  The darkness settled around me as I waited, hoping that the female would show. The loud croaks sang lullabies. It was easy to spot one of the tiny but loud critters.

  It was perched on a stone, one of many that surrounded this edge of the water, making an artificial barrier. Strange.

  I picked the slippery creature up and stared into its strange eyes. “To small to eat unless for a snack.” It had to taste better than the meat the Humans insisted was good for us. My long tongued unfurled and I tasted the saltiness. Not bad. I opened my mouth wide, planning on swallowing him whole when I heard, “Eww…”

  I turned; the female stood five feet away with a repulsed look on her face. Anger surged. How could she sneak up behind me like that? I was losing my edge.

  “Let the little froggy go,” she said, marching over and taking it away.

  The smell of blood hit strong, my lips curled back as my hand circled her neck. She froze. Leaning in, I sniffed her neck and followed the smell down between her breasts, sniffing down her stomach until I reached her crotch between her thighs. Still lower.

  Standing straight, I grabbed her cloak and tore if from her body. As I went for the pants, she shoved hard. Rooted in place, I did not budge.

  “Don’t. Rip. My. Pants.” She bit each word out between tight lips. Anger twisted her face.

  I let go of her neck, crossed my arms and ordered, “Then take them off.”

  “Why?” It was a silent standoff. After a tense minute, she huffed under her breath. “Fuckin’ asshole. Just like all the others.”

  I had no idea what she was talking about, nor did I care. I watched her hand as she flicked open the button, lowered the zipper, then shimmed the pants over her hips and down her legs, letting the material pool at her ankles.

  I sucked in a deep breath, shocked at the two knifes. One strapped to each thigh. I grabbed the hilt, unsheathed the steel and held it to the moonlight. Fresh blood dripped from the tip. “Who?” I ordered.

  Deathly cold eyes stared back at me as the rage I once sensed surfaced and I knew she would not talk.

  My respect for her grew.

  Using one hand, I quickly flipped the knife and held it out for her to take the hilt. Cautiously, she gripped the handle and took a quick step backward and almost fell. She sheathed the knife, pulled up her pants while shooting daggers with her eyes.

  “Why are you here?” she asked. “This is the neutral area.”

  “I could ask the same of you.”

  Bending down, she washed her hands in the water, then headed to the metal bench and eased down. “I’m tired, it’s been a long night.” When I did not respond, she glanced up and said, “Are you just going to stand there looking at me or are you going to sit?”

  Hesitantly, I eased over and took a seat next to her. But I remained cautious knowing that she was a killer.

  “Thanks,” she sighed. “Were you really going to eat the frog?”

  “Yes.” When her mouth twisted in disgust, I laughed.

  “Why? Why would you do that?”

  “Human insist that we eat meat called ham and bacon. It is tolerable, but barely.”

  “And you think frogs would be better?”

  “Until I try one, I cannot say.”

  “Before eating a frog, why don’t you try a big juicy steak.”

  “What is that?”

  She glanced my way, shook her head then said, “Never mind.”

  “What are you doing out this early?” I asked.

  “You mean late?”

  “What are you doing out at the peak of night?”

  “3 am. It’s around 3 am. I came to wash the blood off. Thanks to you, I still have some on me.”

  I waved a hand toward the water. “I am not stopping you from finishing your task.”

  “No. You almost strangle me then rip my clothes off.”

  This conversation started to grate on my nerves. “I should go.”

  She stretched her neck from side to side. “Why are you here to start with?”

  “I wanted some fresh air.”

  “Lie.”

  My spine stiffened. “It is not.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “If you say so.”

  Could she know? That was not a human trait. Or was it? I had the overwhelming urge to ask but would she tell me the truth? Probably not.

  “I wanted some fresh air, but I also wanted to see you again.”

  “There’s the truth.”

  “How do you know?”

  She stared longingly at the water. “You’d be surprised what I know.”

  “Tell me.” I said softly, wanting her to reveal her secrets.

  She never looked my way, just stared at the water. The silhouette of the side of her face looked better with the gray shadows. What would she look like in the light of day?

  Her short spiked black hair, the slender but firm muscles that curved underneath her shirt. She looked so different from Tizun females. I had given up on her answering when she finally started.

  “Did you know that the Andores were here long before they made their first official appearance?”

  “No, I did not.” But I did not doubt it.

  “They were. They raided my friend’s house yesterday. Or I guess I should say two days ago.”

  “In Andore territory?”

  She scoffed. “No.”

  “Did you alert the Human government?”

  “No.” She glanced my way, eyes narrowed. “Why are you still here?”

  “At the water?”

  She waved her hand dismissively, “No, Earth. Why are you still here?”

  “We activated a beacon and sent a message, b
ut our people have yet to respond. We suspect that the signal is somehow being blocked.”

  “I’d say you’re right. Your technology is superior to the Andores and the government is greedy enough to keep you here.”

  Of course it was, and I suspected the government would do that for its own gain.

  We had given them the holograph call chips to replace their modern cells. The chips looked like a small bronze coin that chirped when someone wanted to speak with them. To activate, the user only had to place the thumb across the coin and a small holographic image projected from the chip. It felt like the person was standing right in front of you while talking.

  “You think the Humans would block the signal?”

  Her gaze raked over my face before she said, “Yes, I do.”

  If that was true, then we needed to find a way to deactivate whatever was blocking the signal. I needed to speak with Strikr.

  She surprised me when she suddenly asked, “Do you think humans are ugly?”

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “It’s a rumor I heard once.”

  I chuckled. Not knowing if she could detect a lie, I did not want to ruin this budding, but mutual friendship. “I have not seen you in the light of day, so I could not say for certain.” When she started to say something, I held up a hand. She closed her mouth and let me finish. “But I have seen other human males. The warm pink skin, full checks, it is difficult to look at.”

  She laughed. It started low then turned into a loud boisterous laugh. When the laughing faded, she looked me in the eyes and said, “Thank you.”

  “And me? What do you see when you look at me?”

  “With your sunken cheeks and ash colored skin, I’d say you are sickly and need to eat more.”

  A huge grin spread across my face. Talking to an honest human renewed my faith in their race, or at least this one female. I liked her.

  Hoping she would answer my one burning question, I asked, “How do you know I am not a cold-blooded killer?”

  She laughed. “If I hadn’t of stopped you, you would’ve been a cold-blooded frog killer.” I smiled back at her and when the smiles faded, she added. “I can see your color.” Looking at me, she continued. “I have only told one other person that, so if you repeat it, I’ll swear you’re lying.”

  “My color?”

  “Every heart has a color, so does every emotion. I can see your true nature among other things.”

  “Like when I tell a lie?”

  She nods. “That’s how I know that you are not opposed to killing, but with a good purpose.”

  “That is why you were not afraid.”

  She nodded. My hearts leapt in my chest but I kept my features neutral. If her people knew she had a talent, they would enslave and force her to do their bidding. Something shifted inside. Just knowing how they could use her made my protectiveness flare. Which has never happened, especially not for a different species. My mother, my sister, but never a stranger. And she was a stranger.

  Reaching into my pocket, I turned the small device over and over in my fingers. Finally catching her eyes, I opened my hand for her to take the small, cylinder shaped device.

  “What is this?” she asked, taking it from my hand.

  “It is hard to explain it in your language.” She lifted her eyes to mine. “If you have need of me for any reason, press,” I flipped the top up and showed her the button, “here.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.” I wrapped my hand around hers and the device she was holding. “But only if it is an emergency. Understand?”

  “Yes, I understand.” She looked it over once more and then slid it into her front left pocket. “Thank you.”

  “You are welcome, human.”

  She glanced at the rising sun. “I must go.”

  I looked over my shoulder and grimaced. I never meant to be gone so long. “So must I.” Looking her in the eyes, seeing her pink glowing skin in the morning rays, I grinned, “In the light, you are as ugly as the males.”

  She laughed, her face transforming to pure delight. “Go home, eat an extra meal or two and try to put on some weight.”

  I laughed. She may be ugly but I enjoyed her company. “Goodbye.”

  We both stood.

  “See ya later.” I watched as she headed the opposite direction. Half way to the tree, she glanced over her shoulder and shot me a cheeky grin. I turned around and walked away.

  Chapter Five

  Millicent

  Dressed in black and gray pin stripe pants, a black camisole and gray jacket, I paired it with black six-inch heels. My five-feet-five now looked more intimidating. I would tower over Uncle David.

  I hadn’t slept much. Thinking about the night with the Tizun—I forgot to ask his name, but maybe it was better not knowing.

  Looking at the emergency call button, I turned in over in my hand before sliding it into my right front pocket. I never expected a gift like that, but deep inside, I knew it was because I had opened up, at least a little.

  Thinking back to when I finally made it home this morning, Jenna greeted me with a sharp, accusing gaze. And then I told her about running into him, our conversation. I even showed her the little device he’d given me.

  “I can’t believe you don’t even know his name,” Jenna said.

  Even now, I smiled. I didn’t even find him attractive and yet, I did.

  Nearing the government building, my palms grew a little sweaty. I hated—hated—playing the niece of Colonel David Petroff. He felt like a stranger pulling my puppet strings. He didn’t know I had secretly brought a pair of scissors, playing my own game and underscoring his.

  Walking inside, smiles and pleasantries greeted me. “Hello Ms. Castillo,” “Hi Millicent, you look nice,” they just went on and on. I smiled, said my thank you’s as I headed for Uncle David’s office. This couldn’t be good.

  Taking my time, I looked around. High vaulted ceilings with murals painted across the top. Why would anyone look at the ceiling and expect to see half naked women with wings? Strange.

  As I took the white marbled stairs, I touched the thick wooden curved rail with its deep rich dark color. Everything here screamed money. Endless money.

  As I took another step, I wondered if Uncle David knew that with all this elaborate stuff, he’d still lost. He lost his family and all their respect. He’d lost my respect a long time ago. I didn’t even consider him family any longer.

  Making it to the top, I started down the long hall of wooden doors, following the white tile floor. The air smelled of nothing. Sterile. No blooming flowers, not trees, just faint cleaner.

  Standing in front of his heavy wooden door, I took my time and read the golden plate. Colonel David Petroff, Alien Liaison.

  I lifted my hand to knock. Before I got the chance, the door swung open. Uncle David grinned, which gave me the creeps. “Millicent, come in. We’ve been expecting you.”

  I stepped inside and froze. My eyes landed on Snark, the leader of the Andores. He was handsome enough with his blond, perfectly styled hair, and bright blue eyes. Beautiful except for the black aura surrounding him. I shifted my eyes and fought hard not to react. The Tizun, the one I knew all too well, held my gaze. Why was he here? As all three of them stared at me, my heart galloped in my chest. I knew things had changed.

  “Millicent,” Uncle David practically purred, “come in and have a seat.”

  I tore my gaze away from the Tizun and took the ten steps needed to reach the chair furthest from everyone. The steel against my thigh gave me a little comfort, but not much.

  “Now, where were we?” Uncle David continued, then swung his gaze to the Tizun. “You claim your people had nothing to do with it?”

  He nodded, but remained tight lipped, relaxed, but I saw the subtle tightening of his shoulders. His eyes strayed my direction and lingered.

  Shit!

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