An Alien for Her Heart (A New Home #2)

4. Catherine

4

CATHERINE

T urns out I don’t just go to the house for my comm. Once inside, I notice my tunic has dirt stains from when I’d been kneeling and clearing the grass. Thanks to a mirror Xarion supplied, I catch a glimpse of my reflection and realize just how disheveled I look.

I run a hand through the wisps of my hair that have fallen out of the French braid I’d done today. Grabbing the piece of linen I use as a hair tie, I let my hair down, staring at myself in the mirror. I can’t remember the last time I took a moment for self-care. Truth be told, it didn’t feel like there was much of a reason to anymore. And that’s saying something for a woman that’s always taken care of herself.

But there are no more charity dinners to attend. No more hosting events. Out here there are no manicures. My eyebrows have grown out. I haven’t even had the chance to figure out what sort of makeup exists in this world, though I’m sure there must be some that work on my human skin. I’m completely just…me. But now, with the prospect of spending the day with Varek in town, I find myself running my fingers through my hair. I tug at my clothes, wishing I had something nicer to wear. My hands flutter to my face, feeling the lines and imperfections that seem more pronounced now than before. I can’t go to town looking like this . I may have lost a lot, but I haven’t lost my self-respect.

I head to my room and quickly change into a different tunic. They all look the same, just boxy brown linen, but at least I’m clean now. Running a brush through my hair, I let the strands rest over my shoulder, not bothering to put the hair tie in. A glance in the mirror shows a face that’s still flushed from the morning’s exertion, so I splash some cool water on my cheeks, hoping to calm the redness.

It hardly makes a difference.

With a sigh, I gather my comm and tuck it into my pocket. Dresses with pockets. Just one joy of intergalactic travel. As I’m about to leave, I notice my boots are caked with mud. Sitting on the edge of my bathtub, I quickly scrub them clean with an old piece of cloth. It’s a small thing, but it makes me feel a bit more put together.

Grabbing a satchel that looks like a large tote bag, I throw it over my shoulder as I step out of the house. My gaze finds him immediately. How could it not? The pink sky is like a backdrop to his iridescent scales. Like a painting you’d see on computer wallpapers.

He’s leaning against his truck, eyes scanning the horizon. He straightens the moment he sees me, his entire being coming alert.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” I offer him a smile as I head toward him.

His gaze sweeps down my frame and I pretend I don’t notice as I come to stop a few feet before him.

“I have no problem waiting.”

Why does everything he says sound like it has some deeper meaning?

I give him another smile. This one more genuine than the last as my gaze shifts to the vehicle behind him.

It’s a vehicle that hovers off the ground, suspended in the air itself. The front of the truck where the driver and passenger sit is a transparent cab that gives a wide unobstructed view. The back is open and has an array of tools and materials I couldn’t name if I tried, but it’s clear he’s capable. Clear he does this type of job all the time. Turning, he opens the door of the truck for me.

I ignore the heat that rises in my cheeks as I dip my head and duck into the vehicle. Seats that feel like leather greet me. Firm and in perfect condition. The cab itself is spotless, and my eyebrows shoot up as he closes the door and hurries to the other side.

He’s clean. Somehow that makes me a little bit impressed. I relax a tad more.

I’m adjusting the empty tote in my lap when he hops into the driver’s seat and his door slams shut behind him.

“All set?” he asks, glancing over at me.

I don’t understand it. He’s a big male. I’m tall. Five foot ten. He towers over me; and yet, his tone is so gentle when he speaks.

I nod, trying to match his easy confidence. “Ready.”

Varek gives me a slight jerk of his chin, and as we drive away from the farm, I can’t help but feel a mix of anticipation and trepidation.

My confidence in all this wanes as I watch the farm disappearing behind us.

Popping out my communicator, I press through the options on the little device. It takes me a while but I finally figure out how to send Eleanor a message instead of a ping. Apparently, some alien godsend uploaded our language to the universal server. All us humans who were captured are slowly finding our place outside of Earth. Typing is awkward, but I punch in what I want to say. Partially for safety, because, well, no one knows I’m randomly heading off with an alien hunk. And partially because I need to focus on something else than the alien riding in the vehicle beside me.

“ Good morning Eleanor, I’m heading into town with Varek. Let me know if you need anything while we’re there .”

I hit send and tuck the comm back into my pocket, stealing a glance at Varek. He’s focused on the road ahead, his hands steady on the steering wheel that’s shaped like a T. The landscape around us changes from the familiar fields of my farm to more fields, only unfamiliar. Random buildings dot the expanse and I soon realize they’re abandoned homesteads just like mine.

I gaze out of the truck, fully appreciating the fact that nothing is in the way of the view when I turn in Varek’s direction to find him watching me. If he didn’t have such good control of the vehicle I might have panicked. Instead, I pretend I don’t notice that either.

He’s staring. Not blatantly. Side glances, as if he doesn’t want to make it obvious he’s looking at me, and now that I’ve noticed I’m completely aware of it. I try not to focus on it. He’s probably trying to figure out why I decided to come to his world. Or probably just curious. I am an alien after all, one of few humans this world has ever seen. The first day the Raki came to start working on my roof, I was out of sorts. It was hard not thinking of him as an animal. An elephant. Just as he was strange to me as a living, speaking being, so I must be to Varek and all the other aliens on this planet. They’ll stare. It’s just something I have to get used to.

Except, it gets so silent in the cab, I become completely aware of nothing else but the alien beside me.

“I saw your tools in the back.” I try to start some conversation, but my voice comes out much louder than I intended in the quiet cab. “Do you do these types of jobs often?” As soon as I ask, I realize I’m genuinely curious. “I know you’re here to help me with repairs, but what do you do when you’re not saving helpless Earth women from their own ignorance?”

He chuckles, the sound rich and warm. It makes his face light up in a way I haven’t seen since I met him. The reserved unreadable mask cracks and it’s like there’s another view of the male beneath it.

“My siblingkin and I, we build and repair structures. Mostly lodges.” He pauses, gaze shifting fully to me briefly. “It’s more than just work. It’s a way to create something meaningful. Something that lasts.”

I tilt my head now, intrigued. “What do you mean?”

His lips press into something that looks like a sad smile before the look disappears and he stares ahead. I briefly wonder if the question I asked was a prying one. God knows, I’d probably freeze up too if he asked me about my life back on Earth. But then he responds.

“Many of the beings on this section of Hudo III have lost their homes.” Those slitted yellow pits shift to me for a moment and I’m once again struck by the fact that his eyes make him look so dangerous, while his demeanor is so…soothing. “For some, their home is lost and they’re endlessly searching for it.”

That last line is said almost like a whisper before he turns his attention back to the road ahead. My brow crinkles. “Can’t find a home?”

It doesn’t sound right. The whole purpose of the New Horizons Initiative, the one I signed up for, is to repopulate this section of the planet that apparently has an abundance of abandoned homes.

“Maybe they can sign up to the Initiative,” I suggest. “I think I’m part of the trial run, but I believe it will be successful.”

Varek glances my way. His eyes twinkle a little as he agrees with a sharp nod. But something in his gaze makes me think I got it all wrong.

I decide to change the topic. I can sense we’re going into territory filled with hidden memories and thoughts that can be like landmines. Probably because I have so many hidden triggers myself.

“Do you come to town often?” In my periphery, his head tilts slightly and I know he’s still watching the road. It’s the only reason I let my gaze wander over to him. His jawline is frickin’ art.

“Often enough,” he replies, his deep voice sending a shiver down my spine as his gaze suddenly shifts to me. “I live there.”

I feel like a fool, and maybe the look on my face makes him chuckle again. That same deep, rich sound.

“I used to live there with my siblingkin, but he has…” I’m watching him closely enough to see the flicker of something pass through his eyes. “He’s mated now.”

I nod. “And you?”

The moment I ask is the moment I wish I’d bit my tongue instead. It had been such a natural lead on from what he said that the words simply slipped past my lips.

“I have no mate.”

I try to lighten the sudden load of landmines I’ve thrown in my path by chuckling. “Well, I guess we have that in common. I don’t have a mate either…not that I’m looking for one.”

More landmines.

“You aren’t?” His question throws me for a loop, flustering the thin foundation I’ve been walking on between us.

“Well, that part of my life has already passed.” There’s a crack in the wall I’ve built around myself. Enough for me to feel it. Emotions I’ve hidden away threaten to show on my face and I close my eyes briefly just to push them back. “I’ve put that all behind me.”

“Unfortunate.”

Not the response I expected. “For me?” I laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

“No. Not for you.”

I’m not sure what to say next. The silence returns, but it feels more thoughtful now, like we’ve each gone deep into our heads. I look out the window again, watching the landscape change as we get closer to town.

Eventually, the buildings become more frequent, and we pass a few small shops and homes. The town is modest but bustling, with beings going about their daily routines. Varek navigates the truck expertly through the narrow streets until we reach a central square where he parks.

He gets out first and comes around to open my door. I smile at the gesture, again surprised by his gentlemanly behavior. Maybe Eleanor’s been giving them lessons on what we human females like. As I step down, I take in the surroundings. The market is lively, with stalls set up under colorful awnings, vendors calling out their wares, and townsfolk chatting and bartering. There are so many different types of aliens, it’s hard not to stare. Reptilian aliens that look like lizards, some that look like armadillos, even a few that look like snakes. Then there are furry beings; some that look like bipedal canines, others that look like felines, even some that look like human-sized mice people. The sights are staggering, but if I close my eyes, it’s almost like being back home. If I close my eyes, I could pretend I’m visiting the farmer’s market on a Sunday.

I take a deep breath, letting the familiar yet foreign sounds of the market wrap around me. It’s comforting, in a way that I didn’t expect and maybe I grow wistful, because when Varek steps up right beside me, close enough I can smell his cologne, I don’t even react.

Whatever he’s wearing is sweet. Mingles in with the scents all around us while still being distinct. When I pop my eyes open, he’s towering over me, blocking the sun. His shadow falls across my face and I tilt my head to look up at him.

The look in his eyes catches me unaware. His gaze shifts over my hair, watching it blow in the slight breeze before moving to my eyes. He holds my gaze there for a moment before it slips down my face. My nose. My lips. All the way to my throat. When I swallow, he watches the movement, too.

As Varek’s gaze lingers on my throat, a sudden wave of self-awareness washes over me. His focus is so intense. I don’t think he’s doing it on purpose. I don’t even think he’s aware of it.

I clear my throat, breaking the spell between us. “So, where to first?” Even to my ears, my voice is a bit too bright, too cheerful.

Varek blinks, as if coming out of a trance, and his slitted pupils grow slightly narrower for a second. He turns his head, looking toward a far-off section of the town but doesn’t move. I realize then that he’s standing between me and the bustling foot traffic of the street at his back. He’s like a shield between me and the aliens who would be bumping into me as I daydreamed.

He’s very…sweet.

“The lodge vendor should have all that we need,” he says. His gaze turns back to me, growing slightly larger again across those slitted pupils. “After that, if there is anything you would like to do while we are here…”

How thoughtful…

I want to immediately shake my head. I don’t want to take up too much of his time. But who knows when I’ll get to come back to the town again. I don’t have a truck and I haven’t figured out how to use the oogas for transport yet. New Horizons left me a lot of supplies that won’t run out soon, but it wouldn’t hurt if I got a few things I might need, right? I might as well take the opportunity while it presents itself.

I nod, feeling a flicker of excitement going through me at the prospect of exploring the market with him. “Sounds perfect. Lead the way.”