Chapter 1 #2
When I get to the lobby, there are three men in black shirts with a security logo on their left pecs. All three of them are Lokans, shifter aliens who were among the first to arrive and help save Earth when it was invaded by Zothans two hundred years ago.
After the invasion, Earth integrated into the Intergalactic Alliance.
Humans were gifted technological advancements and the protection that came with being part of the alliance, as long as we followed their rules.
Since then, Earth has been a part of the group, and over time, we've become more technologically advanced.
Some species still outpace us, but we have spaceports, transports, healing pods, and advanced weapons.
We also have a vast variety of species that come to our planet thanks to the ease with which humans and many other species can reproduce.
The second largest species population on Earth is Lokans, and it's easy to see why.
They were viewed as heroes when they first arrived on Earth, and their interest in Earth grew even stronger when it was discovered that humans and Lokans could form mating bonds.
The fact that they shift into enormous, bear-like creatures is actually a plus for quite a few people.
All three men look stereotypically Lokan.
They're larger than human men, the shortest of them easily a foot taller than me, putting him solidly into six and a half foot tall territory.
They're well built, but have a bit more fluff on their bodies, like they work out a lot, and they also like to eat their fair share of sweets.
They're also all dark-haired with hair in all the normal places a human has it, but just more of it.
"Miss Martin," the leader of the Lokan security guards says as he holds out his hand to me.
I take it, shaking it gently and trying not to be intimidated by the three men.
They're now in my life to protect me, and I don't need to think about the bear-like animals they can shift into.
The man smiles as he speaks to me, his hand resting against his thigh when he releases my grip.
"I'm Marr, this is Ingo, and Brandr," he points at the two other men.
The only way I'm going to be able to tell them apart is by the cut of their hair.
They all look too similar. Marr is the biggest of them with short-cropped hair, kind eyes, and a neat amount of stubble.
Brandr is the shortest, with his hair long enough to style and his beard trimmed neatly.
Ingo has no facial hair, which is surprising given that his hair is cropped just as short as Marr's.
As long as he doesn't grow out his beard, I should be able to tell them apart.
"Mauve told me you three were going to be my shadows from now until she decided." I try to say it like a joke, but it's exactly what she said and how she said it.
"That's correct," Marr says.
I'm glad he's happy about all of this because it would be a pain if my security were grumpy. I already deal with that enough, and knowing that at least Marr is fine to be watching over me, even though I live a pretty boring life as Reese, makes this easier to swallow.
"We can talk about this more in the transport if that's okay with you?"
"No, yeah, of course," I say, ushering them through the lobby and out front.
One of Mauve's personal transports is already waiting for us. Instead of the normal driver Mauve sends to get me to and from her office, Ingo slides into the driver's seat, Brandr into the passenger seat, and Marr and I take the backseat.
"Mauve's given us a layout of the apartment building and your apartment. She told us you're uncomfortable with us being in your space, which we completely understand. We currently have an apartment rented across the hall from you."
I cut Marr off from his explanations. "What about George?"
"George?" His brows pull together, and he pulls out his comm like he needs to look up the name.
"He was my neighbor across the hall. He's elderly, and I take him my food when I can't make a recipe work for just one person. Did something happen to him?"
I can't stop the excess details coming out because I'm so nervous about all of this.
If Mauve had her way, I'd be in a penthouse somewhere, but when I was Reese, I liked being a normal person.
Now that Empress and Reese have been combined, I don't want to flee from everything I've known, but at the same time, I feel like I'm not doing enough to keep myself safe.
Ever since my real identity was leaked, I've been waiting for this to go from bad to worse.
"He was compensated heavily for lending us his apartment and is staying with his daughter in the suburbs. She's been trying to get him to move in for the last year, but he was too worried about the nice, single girl across the hall."
My cheeks heat, but it does sound exactly like something George would say.
He was determined to make sure I had someone in my life before he moved into a retirement home, so he knew I had someone else to eat with when I made too much food.
Told me he wouldn't feel right if it went in the trash.
I didn't have the heart to tell him it could've been saved as leftovers because he seemed to be speaking from a good place.
"Okay, that's good, so you'll be across the hall."
"We will. If you need anything, our contacts are all in your comm. There are also panic buttons in each of your rooms. If you even feel like something is off, you press them. I don't care if you think it's a little warmer than what you set the climate control to. You call us over."
He stares at me with way too much intensity, so I nod, because I'm not about to tell him that I sometimes have problems thinking I'm inconveniencing people, and that there's a chance I check out the thermostat before calling them over in that instance.
"Mauve told us you prefer to be self-reliant.
That's fine, but know we are tools for your use.
We're not here because you can't take care of yourself.
You're a grown woman who's been living on her own for a while.
You just need a little extra now that you're going through something.
It's nothing to be ashamed of, and if you don't use us, we'll get bored.
So press the panic buttons even if it's just to get us off our butts, okay? "
"Okay," I say, my voice small.
I appreciate what he's trying to do, and it helps me in this moment decide I'll call them over if my gut gets a flicker of uncertainty. I make no promises of actually doing it when the time comes, but right now I feel good about putting my worry of inconveniencing them to the side.
Marr goes over a few more details of their schedule.
He tells me who will be the primary in the morning, evenings, and at night.
If I'm going to leave the apartment, at least two of them will accompany me.
They have access to the cameras in the apartment building, as well as the parking garage and exterior.
If I choose to leave on my own, they can't stop me, but they make no promises not to tail me to ensure my safety.
By the time we pull into the parking garage, my mind is racing with how drastically my life has changed. It's almost as many changes at once as it was when I accepted Mauve as my agent and she skyrocketed me into stardom.
I used to be able to go grocery shopping without anyone looking at me twice. Now I can't leave my apartment without being swarmed by paparazzi or asked about my sex life by some perv who works at a gossip blog site.
The elevator ride up to my apartment is uneventful, but I don't worry about someone running up and trying to accost me in the parking garage when the three men surround me.
This already doesn't seem like the worst idea in the world.
They stop outside of my apartment, Marr watching me as I slide my keys into the lock.
The other two have already stepped into George's apartment.
"Thank you for being here," I tell Marr. "I already feel a little bit better about all of this knowing you guys are out here."
Marr looks like he couldn't be happier with my words. "You need anything, let us know."
"I will," I promise. I'm pretty sure I mean it for real this time.
Marr stays where he's standing, making it clear he's not moving until I'm inside and probably staying there until he hears the deadbolt.
I lock the door, the deadbolt, and the little chain lock, even though that might be the least helpful of the three.
By the time I take a peek outside the little peephole, Marr is disappearing into the apartment across the hall.
I let out a long sigh, dropping my purse and keys on the little table by my door and kicking my shoes off. I'm going to get into a pair of stretchy pants, open a pint of ice cream, and sit on the couch watching trashy dating shows until I'm too exhausted to do anything but sleep.
Or that's the plan until I turn on the light in my bedroom and see the mess that's been made in there. I don't even know where the panic buttons are, but I slap at the wall like a mad woman, throwing my arms to either side of me, slapping at the wall as I try to take in the scene.
My clothes are thrown all over the place, my dresser drawers are scattered on the ground, and my bed doesn't look touched except for the stains on the dark comforter that weren't there when I left this morning.
I'm still slapping at the wall when I hear my front door get kicked down.
Strong arms wrap around me, hoisting me up and out of the apartment as Brandr and Ingo enter my bedroom, looking for a threat.
"Tell Mauve I want whatever her idea is for someone in my apartment," I say, my voice sounding too loud and too faraway at the same time. "I don't care what it was. Tell her I'll agree to it."