Alien in the Depths (Thryal Mates #2)

Chapter 1

Sofia

The Thryal sun was beating down on Sofia as she crested a hill. She paused, taking in the sight before her. Her nose was slightly scrunched from the smell as she turned to her guide.

“Seriously, Blitto? This is what you’ve been raving about?”

The alien laughed, his typical ethereal-looking Thryal skin glimmering in the sunlight. Sofia offered the older man a hand up, and they stood staring at the swamplands in front of them.

“Tell me the story again,” Sofia demanded. Blitto groaned good-naturedly and sat down on a nearby rock.

“Let an old man catch his breath, yeah? Then I’ll tell you the story again. For the hundredth time.” Blitto winked at her and grabbed his water canteen. Sofia scoffed but obediently sat down on a patch of dry grass near him. She tilted her head back to feel the sun on her face.

When she was sitting like this, it was almost as if she was back on Earth, relaxing in her grandparents’ garden. She could pretend that her grandparents had never disappeared and that her grandma would be calling her in for lemonade at any moment.

Well, besides the stench of the wetland stretched out before them.

Reaching for her own canteen, Sofia smiled as she thought of the past few months. After discovering an alien in their inherited house, her and her two sisters’ lives were completely upturned.

Blitto caught her eye, raising a dark gray eyebrow to her strange expression. Her smile widened.

“I was just thinking how our lives have changed,” she told Blitto. “Finding Arccoo in the mansion was strange, to say the least. And we sure didn’t expect Carmen to fall for the alien prince! What a rush.”

Blitto smiled. “I’m sure it was a shock.”

Sofia sighed and leaned back on her arms. “Carmen’s always been the strongest of us. She took on the mantle like a champ when our parents died. When Arccoo left, she was a wreck. I’d never seen her like that.”

“That must have been hard for you and Elena,” Blitto replied thoughtfully.

Sofia shrugged.

“It was good for us, I think. It made us step up and made her understand that she doesn’t always have to be the strong older sister.” She smiled at the memory. “She had made her peace with him leaving, and then we found the crystal core that had burned out on his ship. Elena figured it all out, smart cookie that she is, and boom, here we are.”

“I sense a bit of abbreviation in the story, but I’ll allow it.” Blitto laughed when she rolled her eyes.

“Your turn. And no abbreviation!”

Blitto leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and staring out at the sun glinting on the puddles of purply green water. He squinted for a second and then pointed ahead to their left.

“See that column there? It’s covered in moss, but you should be able to see the tall shape between those yellow bushes.”

Sofia sat up, mirroring his expression. “I see it! Is that the memorial building?” she asked excitedly.

Blitto nodded.

“The old legends say that a celebrated war hero was buried here, thousands of years ago. The memorial marks where the catacombs start. Rumors say that the old general’s ghost still wanders around them. Explorers who come across him either get granted a wish, or they disappear, never to be seen again.”

An exhilarating thrill went through Sofia at the thought. She was obsessed with ghost stories—anything paranormal, really. Part of the reason she so easily agreed to travel through space with her sisters was because she was running from a failed paranormal investigation career. She smirked. Why is it that once you stop looking, things start happening?

Sofia jumped up, brushing off her black cargo pants. Blitto handed her a map of the catacombs, holding it fast when she tried to take it.

“You sure about this, lovely? Your brother-in-law would have my ass if something happened to you.”

Sofia laughed, pulling the map from his hand. “I’ve never been surer. Trust me, I’ve explored weirder, and smellier, places back on Earth.”

Blitto shrugged. “All right then. I’ll meet you back here in two days when the sun is highest.”

Sofia grinned and waved over her shoulder as she started descending into the marsh. A cobblestone path led between the puddles and steaming pits along with strange orange weeds threatening to trip her up. From what she’d read, the path was a relic from when Thryal soldiers would pay their respects to the fallen general. It was clear no one had been around clearing the path for centuries.

As she walked, kicking loose stones out of her way, she reflected on the past few weeks. After Arccoo and Carmen’s wedding, the four of them set off on an adventure to explore Thryal, the alien planet that Arccoo was the prince of. Arccoo had acted as the perfect tour guide. A few weeks had gone by of Arccoo showing the three sisters his home planet when Sofia and Elena called it.

They had seen the effect that Arccoo leaving Earth had had on Carmen, and they felt the two deserved a real honeymoon. So the two younger sisters had made excuses to go on their own adventures.

Sofia still wasn’t entirely sure what Elena was up to, but she knew her youngest sister would be blowing the local engineers away with her engineering brain.

A sudden wind whipped her ponytail into her face and she brushed it aside before pausing to peer around her. The entrance to the catacombs lay just ahead. A foreboding feeling ran through her. Instead of deterring her, she grinned excitedly and moved forward.

“Time to meet the old general,” she mumbled to herself. What would she even wish for if the rumors were true? “Probably something to do with my abysmal love life.” She laughed to herself.

Being a ghost hunter didn’t leave much time for dating. When that career option failed, her confidence had taken a huge hit, and she didn’t feel up to dating at all. Then her grandparents disappeared, and the sisters traveled to Thryal… It had been ages since she’d even felt an attraction to anyone, never mind getting involved with someone.

The catacombs were cold as she entered. Sofia paused for a second to grab her trench coat and flashlight from her trusty explorer’s backpack. She never went anywhere without it. After a moment’s deliberation, she pulled out her radiation meter as well. It couldn’t hurt, could it?

Sofia confidently strode forward, keeping an eye on the map. The warnings were clear. If you got lost here, you would never be found. Her adventurous spirit relished the risk.

The silence was absolute as she reached her first milestone. Her eyes widened at the sight of millions of glowing crystals adorning the cavern walls. She studied the map again.

“The structure and composition of the crystal cavern is so balanced that removing even one crystal will cause a complete collapse, killing all adventurers inside,” she read aloud. “Hm, death by a thousand cuts. Poetic.” She laughed at herself and then stopped to snap some pictures.

“Amazing,” she whispered.

“It really is,” a deep, husky voice sounded behind her.

She jumped, spinning around to direct her flashlight to the sound. Her light illuminated a muscled Thryal man with dark eyes that squinted in the sudden brightness.

“Who are you? Wait, are you the general? Do you really grant wishes?” Sofia stammered out, lowering her light to spare his eyes. His ethereal-looking skin shimmered in the light, making him seem almost translucent in the glow of the crystals. He laughed, and Sofia’s face grew warm at the seductive sound.

“Apologies, my lady. I am but an explorer, not an army genie,” he replied.

Sofia huffed. “You scared the shit out of me! And I’m not a lady,” she corrected. “Well, I guess technically I might be, now…” She frowned. “No, not a lady. I’m Sofia. Just another explorer looking for wishes.”

She forcefully closed her mouth, cursing herself for her rambling. Very suave , she thought.

“I’m pleased to meet you, my… Sofia.” Her name on his tongue made her flush. “I’m Zaraq.” He held out a large, callused hand to her. A tingle ran through her fingers as they shook hands.

“I thought shaking hands was a human thing,” Sofia mused as she studied him.

He smiled. It was a beautiful sight to behold, his dimples giving him a youthful visage.

“It is, yes. I guessed you were from Earth.” He seemed pleased with himself.

“Have you come across many people from Earth? I didn’t think many others had traveled through space before…”

Zaraq shook his head. “No, my father used to be a scholar. We traveled a lot growing up, and I used to sneak into his study to read his research. I read about Earth there.”

Sofia laughed. It sounded like something she would have done. “The research didn’t mention how beautiful humans could be, though,” he said with a smirk.

Sofia’s eyes widened, and she gave a startled laugh. “Okay, charmer,” she said, rolling her eyes. Butterflies erupted in her stomach at his answering grin, those dimples once again making an appearance.

She studied him as he did the same to her. His black hair was longer than she was used to, falling to his shoulders, and it was tied back with a leather band. A black polo shirt hugged his masculine figure, giving her a glimpse of his pecs and the outline of his abs. She smirked as she looked at his black cargo pants, which were a perfect match for hers. They had been a gift from Arccoo, and the fabric was strong but impossibly soft and comfortable—perfect for exploring. Upon closer inspection, she could see his eyes were a dark purple. The reflection of the glowing crystals made them look like the night sky.

Sofia grinned as she met his eyes. His brow was furrowed in confusion. He looked back down to her T-shirt, tilting his head slightly as he tried to make out the graphic on it. She held it away from her body to inspect it. It showed a classic outline of a ghost, with the text, Boo unto others as you would have others boo unto you.

“It’s an Earthly saying that’s been changed to, um, ghost-lingo, I guess.”

Zaraq shook his head, and Sofia remembered how she had to explain the concept of ghosts and human beings’ irrational fear of them to Arccoo.

“Never mind, it’s a long story. So, what brings you to the magical catacombs?” she asked.

Zaraq looked uncomfortable for a second and then shook himself. “Same as you, I suppose. Exploring.”

“I assume you’ve heard the stories, then? Have you come for a wish? I call dibs on the first one!” She pointed a finger at him accusingly.

Zaraq laughed. “You believe that stuff?”

“Hey, you never know what could be real. All myths and legends originated somewhere,” Sofia said with a shrug.

Zaraq studied her with new interest. “That’s true, I guess. But no, I just wanted to come see the catacombs. Their beauty is legendary—the real kind.” He winked. “Though no one talks about the smell out there,” he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

“Oh my god, right? I could seriously have done without breathing in fart-smell while huffing and puffing up that hill!” Sofia giggled.

Zaraq snorted at the description. “I was about to break for lunch. Would you like to join me?” he asked.

“Ooh, yes, I’m starving!” They walked to the edge of the cavern, sitting on the hard rock with their backs against the cave wall. Sofia pulled out the lunch that Blitto had prepared for her, and Zaraq rummaged in his backpack for his own. As he dug through it, Sofia thought she spotted the barrel of a blaster. She’d thought the Thryal weapon was only allowed for the royal guard and the army.

She glanced at Zaraq as he pulled out his food and closed his pack. She couldn’t imagine this wide-eyed explorer carrying an illegal weapon, so she shook her head. It must have been something else. She’d used a blaster gun before, but she was by no means an expert.

Sofia settled back, biting into her sandwich. The silence between them was comfortable as they ate. She stole little glances at Zaraq between bites, catching his gaze on her more than once. It made the butterflies kick up a fuss again in her stomach.

When they finished, Zaraq turned to her.

“How did you end up on Thryal?” he asked, a slight furrow on his brow. She smiled.

“It’s a long story,” she warned.

Zaraq settled back. “Well then, good thing we have nowhere to be.”

Sofia huffed. “Speak for yourself. I’ve only just started exploring the caverns, and I really want to find the hot springs. There’s nothing like a swim in naturally heated water!”

Zaraq’s eyes lit up. “I found them yesterday. They’re amazing, and there are glow worms all over the walls.”

The thought made Sofia’s nose scrunch in disgust, and Zaraq smirked at her.

“Don’t worry, they barely move. And they don’t bite… I think.” He burst out laughing at her expression and jumped up. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Sofia bit her lip, looking up at him through her lashes as he offered a hand. She could hear Carmen’s voice in her head, warning her about trusting strangers. She had her own map, though, and she’d know if he was leading her astray.

With a shrug to her inner trepidations, she grabbed his hand and let him pull her up. They tidied their packs. Sofia felt herself growing more and more curious about this handsome alien.

Zaraq grinned at her as they finished up. “Come on, there’s a shortcut this way,” he said, pointing toward an ominous-looking tunnel. Sofia hesitated, looking down at her map.

“Here, let me show you.” Zaraq leaned close to her and traced the path on her map. She inhaled subtly, picking up a light sulfur smell from the hot spring and a fresh, woodsy smell underneath it. Along the way, her map noted a caved-in tunnel. Zaraq tapped his finger on the spot.

“I went through that a few days ago and cleared up the rocks. It wasn’t as bad as it says on here.”

Sofia looked at him. He seemed genuine. Fuck it , she decided.

“Okay, let’s go.”

The tunnel was narrow, forcing them close together as they navigated through. Sofia’s heart was racing, and she knew she couldn’t fully blame it on the excitement of her adventure. Just like when they ate, they kept stealing glances at each other in the faint lamplight, blushing every time they caught the other in the act.

“So, how did you end up here?” Sofia asked after a while.

“You first,” Zaraq replied cheekily.

She laughed and bumped her shoulder against his. “Well, it started with a ghost in our grandparents’ house…”