The Chosen One Read online

  “Do you always have to lower the tone?” Maddox asks.

  “Just keeping it real.” Coop licks his lips as his gaze rakes over me. “It’s molded to her body like a second skin, and don’t pretend you’re not sporting boners too.”

  “If you like it that much, I can wear it next time we’re in the bedroom,” I tease in my best seductive voice.

  “Hells yeah, baby.” Coop slaps me on the ass a second time.

  “I’m getting you a Wonder Woman costume,” Maddox says, and my eyes pop wide as Coop chuckles and Beck stares at all of us like we’ve gone mad.

  “Wonder Woman does it for ya, huh, stud?” I inquire, sliding my hands up his chest.

  “You do it for me,” he corrects, slamming his lips on mine in a fast kiss. “But you wearing that costume?” He waggles his brows, grinding his hips, and I giggle. I love how the guys distract me in the most inappropriate ways.

  “You guys look hot, too, although I doubt that’s what Glennev had in mind when he got these made.” It’s true though. The black long-sleeved shirt and combat pants combo are molded to their ripped bodies, and my libido has definitely noticed.

  “Two minutes,” Dane projects into all our minds. “Buckle up for landing.”

  Dane lands smoothly in the large field just outside town. After we’ve exited the ship, he turns the invisibility shield on, cloaking it from sight. “From our aerial view, most of the fighting appears to be clustered on the main street,” Dane explains as we speed run in that direction. “We counted twenty-one non-human lifeforms. Glennev’s troops should be arriving shortly, so all we have to do is contain them until then.”

  A loud explosion rips through the air, and a plume of smoke shoots up into the air, forming a muggy cloud in the sky. I act on instinct, pushing off the ground and shooting into the sky.

  “Get the fuck back here,” Dane hisses in my mind.

  “There’s no time. I can get there quicker than you and hold them off until you arrive. Trust me, I’ve got this.”

  I don’t wait for him to argue, shutting off my mind to telepathic comms and flying in the direction of the smoke.

  CHAPTER 22

  I slow down as I approach the main street, sickened at the scene that awaits me. It’s exactly how it was in my vision. Various different aliens—motley crew bounty hunters, if I had to guess—are toying with the townsfolk, laughing and joking as they chase terrified people up and down the street. Several bodies litter the sidewalk, some in pools of blood, and others are still alive, trying to crawl away with clear injuries.

  Rage builds inside me, and I fly down to the ground, dropping right in front of two assholes who are terrorizing a woman with two small children clutching her hands, both kids crying hysterically. I push the woman and children behind me, straightening my shoulders and smirking at the two idiots in front of me. “Sup, assholes?”

  “Chosen One,” the stocky guy with blue skin and tusks sprouting from his forehead says. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

  “I guess it’s your lucky day then.” I smirk again, lifting my palms as flames dance atop my skin. “Who wants to go first?”

  “Me.” The tall, thin guy with milk-white skin and blood-red eyes says.

  “I met one of your species one time,” I say, walking forward and deliberately pushing them back, leaving space between us and the woman with kids. “He was locked up in a human compound, and I had to kill him to survive.” I let the flames dance higher on my hands. “It was as easy as breathing,” I taunt, and he lunges.

  So predictable.

  I’m itching for a good fight, but I can’t indulge my craving because these people are scared shitless, and we need to end this quickly. I dart sideways before he reaches me, lifting my leg and punting him across the street. Grabbing the smurf by the scruff of the neck, I fly over to his buddy, tossing him down on top of his friend, and I set both of them alight without hesitation.

  More screams accost my ears, just as the guys show up.

  “What the fuck, Alinthia?” Coop says, instantly jumping into the melee. “You can’t just take off like that without us.”

  “I don’t fucking care if you’re the savior of the galaxy,” Dane, hisses, grabbing a guy around the neck. “You can’t pull shit like that. You’ll get us all killed. This isn’t the time, but we’ll be having words about this.”

  “I don’t answer to you, Dane,” I retort, spinning around and punching the guy creeping up on me from behind. He tumbles to the ground, and I firebomb his ass too.

  “The fuck you don’t. I’m ultimately responsible for all our safety,” Dane adds, dropping the guy’s lifeless body to the ground. “And you will follow my instructions.”

  “We need to settle this shit between you,” Maddox says, ripping the helmet off a guy encased in a shiny silver metallic suit. “Because divisions are occurring, and we need to remain a team.”

  “It’s not my fault there are divisions. He’s the one who has the issue with me.” Although, I shouldn’t have taken off without them. If the opposite had happened, I’d be spitting blood at them for leaving me behind. I was just anxious to get here before further lives were lost. “But I shouldn’t have taken off like that. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  I fly down the road, pulling a guy with weird gills on top of his head and along his arms away from two men I know, ending the heated conversation. For now. The men used to go fishing with my dad. “Hey, Mr. Barnes. Mr. Powers.” I nod respectfully at them. “Is this freak bothering you?”

  They look at me with their jaws hanging open as I grab the guy by the throat, lifting him up off his feet and soaring into the sky. “Hasn’t everyone ever told you to be nice to your elders?”

  “Fuck you, Chosen Bitch.”

  “Now, that’s not very nice.” I shake my head. “I was going to make this quick and painless, but oh well.” I shoot up into the air, ripping the adapter band off his neck—the one that allows him to move freely in Earth’s atmosphere—watching with a certain sense of achievement as the skin flakes off his bones, his gills flap away in the wind, and his eyes roll back in his head. When there’s barely anything left of him, I let go, and what’s left of him disperses. I fly back down to the ground without giving him another thought. I should be concerned at how complacent I’ve become at killing, but I feel little remorse because these jerks were scaring innocent people for no reason other than they unknowingly gave me shelter seventeen years ago.

  I lower myself to the ground carefully in front of my father’s fishing buddies. “You should get home now. We’ll deal with this, but I’d like as many people off the streets as possible to minimize further casualties.”

  “Thank you, Victoria.” Mr. Barnes takes my hands in his without any fear. “You saved us.”

  “Don’t thank me.” I shake my head. “It’s my fault this happened. The fact I grew up here has made Eaton Lake a target, and I’m sorry about that, but rest assured, I will do everything in my power to ensure the town is protected from now on.”

  “You mind yourself, girl.” Mr. Powers squeezes my shoulders before winking. “We’ll let you get back to whooping ET’s ass!!” He chuckles at his own joke, and they shuffle off in the direction of the town parking lot.

  “Alinthia.” Dane appears at my back. “We need to leave.”

  His voice is grave, and prickles of apprehension tickle the back of my neck. “Why?”

  Maddox wraps his arms around me from behind as Beck and Coop materialize by my side. I inspect them quickly, to ensure they’re okay, but no one has as much as a scratch on them.

  “We are needed elsewhere,” Dane cryptically says, his eyes glazing over for a second. “Glennev’s troops will be here in minutes, and most of the enemy have been dealt with.”

  I look over his shoulder at the group of men facing off with the remaining aliens, not quite accepting that assessment. “We’ll leave when Glennev’s men arrive,” I say, attempting to wriggle out of Maddox’s strong a
rms. I could use my supertouch to free myself, but I made a vow to never use my gift against any of my loved ones unless it was a life-or-death situation.

  “Babe.” Coop brushes his thumb along my cheek. “This was a planned distraction.” His face contorts unpleasantly, and I’m picking up on crazy emotions coming from all of them. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just putting it out there. They went after the farmhouse. That was their real target.”

  Before I can escape and fly to my house, Maddox teleports us there. I’m too shocked to even close my eyes this time. In a flash, we’re standing in the field in front of my house with the rest of the guys by my side except for Dane who has yet to arrive.

  “No!” I gasp, holding a hand to my mouth as tears leak out of my eyes. The farmhouse I grew up in is engulfed in flames, bits of charred debris already dropping to the ground. Small blackened particles float through the air, and acrid smoke fills my nostrils and sticks to the back of my throat.

  “At least your mom wasn’t here,” Beck quietly says, and I nod through my tears. I’m sure she was the intended target, and the thought that someone—Arantu—tried to kill her boils my blood.

  “He is so fucking dead. I don’t care how I do it, but I’m getting that rune stone from the caves and blasting his ass into smithereens.”

  “He set fire to every outbuilding too,” Dane confirms, blinking into existence. “I’m sorry.”

  “What about the other farmhouse?” I inquire, my blood turning cold.

  He nods. “That’s razed to the ground.”

  “No! Jensen!” I shuck out of Maddox’s arms, using superspeed to run the mile to Jensen’s family’s house.

  I drop to my knees in front of the plot that once contained Jensen’s house, sobbing profusely with the worst pain imaginable cutting my insides to shreds. Beck and Coop surround me on either side, hugging me as I cry, and it’s not pretty. My eyes and nose are streaming, and I’m rocking back and forth like I belong in a psych ward.

  “Tori?”

  I stop rocking, and my tears dry at the sound of his voice. At first, I think I must be imagining it.

  “Tor.” His voice sounds closer.

  I lift my head up, meeting Jensen’s concerned blue-gray eyes, and I burst out crying again, flinging my arms around his neck and clinging to him. He holds me tight, whispering comforting words in my ear. “I thought you were dead!” I sniffle. “How? Why?” I splutter.

  “We’re okay. We’re all okay. That nuclear fallout bunker I built underground just saved our asses. When I saw your farmhouse on fire, I knew it was aliens, and I got everyone inside the bunker just in time.”

  “You freaking genius!” I smack a kiss off his cheek, laughing as I ease out of our hug. I spot his parents and sister standing in a huddle behind us, and the gravity of the situation hits me full force. I slap him, and he stumbles back, eyes widening. “You fucking asshole!” I scream. “I thought you were dead again! That’s the second time in recent weeks I’ve felt like that, and it sucks! Don’t do that to me again!”

  “Tor.” He straightens up, offering me his hand. “No one is taking me out. Stop worrying.”

  I let him help me up, and I’m surprised none of my guys object, but they are all wearing solemn faces as they survey the destruction to the only place I’ve ever called home.

  “He destroyed everything,” I say, almost choking on a sob. “All Mom’s mementos of Dad are gone. And you’ve lost your home.”

  “We can build another one,” Jensen says, slinging his arm around my shoulder in a friendly gesture. “Everyone is alive, and that’s all that matters.”

  “He’s going to pay for this, Jensen. I’m going to ensure it.”

  “I’ve no doubt, Tor.” His eyes turn fierce. “Make him pay good.”

  CHAPTER 23

  “This is just what I’ve always wanted,” Coop says a few hours later when we’re holed up in our house in Eaton Lake. The rest of the guys have gone to bed, and Jensen and his family are settled in the guest rooms, so it’s just me and Coop talking in my bedroom. “Living with your ex and his family.”

  “Stop it.” I thump him in the arm. “I don’t want them to feel unwelcome.” He mutters something indecipherable under his breath. “Don’t be mean. They have nowhere else to go, and it’s only temporary. Besides, this house is big enough that we don’t have to cross paths that often.”

  “You’ve the biggest heart, babe.” He pulls me onto his lap, burying his head in my chest. “And the biggest tits.” He cups one of my tits, squeezing it as he hardens underneath me.

  I swat the side of his head. “Don’t lie. I have looked in a mirror.” I mean, my tits are decent, but calling them big is a stretch.

  “They’re perfect,” he murmurs, fondling both breasts. “Just like the rest of you.” He presses a hot kiss just under the sensitive spot behind my ear, and a rake of shivers cascade over me.

  “I think your horniness is rubbing off on me,” I purr, lifting my sleep top up over my head and shucking out of my shorts.

  Coop catches on fast, tugging his pajama pants down and freeing his erect cock. “I have zero complaints about that,” he says, grinning as he pulls me back on top of him.

  I slowly lower myself down on him, moaning as he fills me up. “I thought as much,” I pant, gently rocking my hips back and forth. “Now, stop talking and let me ride you.”

  “I really don’t know about this,” Glennev says the following morning as we congregate in Beck’s tech hub in one of the outside buildings. “Arantu could still have men stashed around town.”

  “They’re gone,” I say with confidence I feel all the way to the tips of my toes. “He made his point, and he knows it’s too risky showing his face here again.” Overnight, Glennev and Director Tanner joined forces to establish a joint human-alien task force, and one of their first missions is to guard Eaton Lake. Now that Arantu’s ships have left Earth’s airspace, it appears we’re all back on the same team.

  For now.

  “I’m committed to rebuilding the town, and we’ve plenty of helpers. I don’t see why you need to stay here.”

  “C’mon, Glennev.” I plant my hands on my hips. “You know me better than that.”

  He shakes his head, but he’s fighting a smile.

  “I don’t see any harm in letting us stay here a week or two,” Dane says. “We’ll ensure Alinthia continues her training each night, and once the rebuilding work is well under way, we’ll return to the compound.”

  “Very well, but continue to keep in close contact.”

  “Could I have a word in private?” I ask, as he prepares to leave.

  “Of course.”

  “Walk with me?” I suggest, opening the barn door and stepping outside into the crisp, morning air.

  We walk toward the woodland at the rear of the property in companionable silence for a few minutes. I test my shields are rock solid and shut off my mind so no one can invade. “You mentioned you had a psychiatrist at the compound, and I was wondering if the offer still stands?”

  He shoves his hands in his pockets, looking sympathetically at me. “Of course. I can talk to him about Dane the minute I return.”

  I wet my dry lips. “It’s not for Dane. It’s for me.”

  He arches a brow, and I feel the need to elaborate. “Things are getting worse between us, and I don’t know how to act around him anymore. Everything I do seems to set him off. I thought if I spoke with the therapist, he might be able to offer me some guidance on how to handle things?” I shrug, because maybe it’s a stupid idea. I’ve never had reason to talk to a therapist before, and I don’t know if it will help, but I’m willing to try anything, because the tension with Dane is becoming unbearable.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Alinthia, and I’ll set something up for you. Maybe you could have a couple of comm sessions until you’re physically back on base?”

  “That works. Thank you.”

  He places his hand on my shoulder. �
��Anytime, Alinthia. You know I am here for you for—”

  A piercing pain rips through my skull, and I cry out the same time Glennev does. I grab onto the fence, on my left, to steady myself as my vision blacks out and my head spins. After a couple minutes, it passes, and the world comes back into focus. “What the hell was that?”

  “I don’t know,” Glennev says, clinging to the fence as if it’s the only thing keeping him upright. “But I don’t feel so hot.” A sweaty sheen glistens on his forehead, and his skin is a shade paler.

  I tug lightly on his elbow. “Come back to the house and let Beck take a look.”

  He shakes his head, shucking out of my reach and averting his eyes. “I just need to get back to base.” And then he’s gone, leaving me standing there a little perplexed.

  The next week flies by in a flurry of activity. The five of us work with Glennev’s men and a bunch of residents of Eaton Lake to rebuild the main street, which suffered massive devastation during the attack. Most of the stores were damaged, some more severely than others, and the street and sidewalks were upended and filled with potholes and cracked surfaces. Glennev has donated considerable resources, and we make excellent progress in a short period of time. Mom and Aunt May have stayed out of town, holed up wherever Glennev has stashed them, but I talk to them daily. Mom was understandably upset over the house but less so than I expected. I hate that she’s becoming complacent with all this crap too.

  Coop went out of his way to find a suitable rented property for Jensen and his family. Even paying the deposit and six month’s rent out of his own pocket. I’d like to say it was out of the goodness of his heart, and it was, in part, but he definitely had ulterior motives.

  Glennev has promised to rebuild the farmhouse, Jensen’s house, and reinstate the farm to its original status, but that will take time. We all agreed to focus on the main street first before tackling the farm.

  I sneak a peek at the clock on the wall as I tiptoe out of my bedroom, groaning when I see it’s only four a.m. The nights are becoming tedious, and I’m seriously exhausted from lack of sleep. I managed to get a few hours’ sleep tonight, without any creepy red eyes appearing to haunt my dreams, but I woke up with familiar panic flowing through my veins, and I decided to get up.