Chapter 14
Embarrassment didn’t seem strong enough a word to explain Colette’s feelings as she emerged from the bathroom to see Dr. Ouellet standing there with a smirk.
“I take it the specimen collection was a success.”
Cade replied by exiting behind her and holding up the sample jar. “The semen as requested.”
Colette’s face almost burst into flames as the doctor snatched the bottle of blue goo.
“Thank you.” Ouellet practically bounced in excitement.
“Now what?” Colette asked, trying to regain her composure.
“For now, you return to your respective rooms until we have more questions or tests to run.”
“Rooms?” Colette couldn’t help a snort. “You’ve got him in a cell that is barely fit for a beast.”
“Patience. Once we can be assured he’s not a threat—”
Colette cut the doctor off. “Cade’s done nothing to merit this treatment. He has cooperated fully.”
“Be that as it may, it’s not up to me.”
“It’s okay,” Cade murmured. “I’ve stayed in worse.”
“Doesn’t make it right,” Colette’s grumbled in reply. “How long are you planning to keep us prisoner?”
“Again, that’s up to—”
“The general.” Colette’s lips pinched. “When can we speak with her?”
“Soon, I’m sure. She’s currently busy dealing with a developing situation.”
“What could be more important than first contact?” Colette couldn’t imagine anything taking precedence over something so historic.
A knock at the door led to a soldier poking his head inside. “Ma’am, the general is requesting to speak with you.”
“Coming. Can you escort our visitor back to his quarters?”
“At once.” The soldier agreed and held open the door to show the previous entourage waiting with their guns and tranquilizers.
The sight of them angered Colette for some reason. Could they not see Cade didn’t pose a threat?
Sensing her ire, Cade brushed his hand against her. “I’ll be fine,” her hunky blue alien promised before docilely leaving.
Colette didn’t feel so calm. “I can’t believe you’re going along with this. We should be learning from Cade and Jaspar. Forging an alliance, not treating them like criminals.”
“I agree,” the doctor said with a shrug. “And I intend to speak with the general about it, but show a little patience. We only just met this morning. You can’t expect us to trust in a single day.”
“How many then? Two? Three? A month? How long will it take? Because I’m aware of how slowly the government moves.”
“I don’t know what else you want me to say.”
Colette didn’t either. A part of her understood that the doctor showed reasonable precaution.
The Xamian were an alien species who’d been abducting women and made no bones about the fact they wanted more to make babies.
The feminist in her should have been outraged.
The woman who’d just enjoyed a second intense sexual bout, though, wanted her lover freed.
Lover. Which implied she wanted more. The question being, with which one? Both brought her to incredible pleasurable heights. How to choose?
If only she didn’t have to.
Colette stalked from the doctor’s office but didn’t immediately go to her room. She headed for the viewing window of Cade’s prison and stared at him sitting in a meditative pose. Legs lotus style. His hands on his knees. His eyes closed.
At least he didn’t seem agitated, unlike her.
Colette couldn’t stand watching for long, as it only served to compound her frustration. Why did she care so much about a virtual stranger?
Having been hours since she’d drank or eaten, Colette asked someone for directions to the cafeteria, where she ingested an uninspired sandwich and drank a coffee strong enough to possibly peel paint.
When the murmur of those also taking a food break suddenly went up a few decibels, and a few seated soldiers suddenly took off at a run, she wondered what had happened.
Had Cade escaped? Had Beta found a way to teleport him? She didn’t hear explosions, so it didn’t seem like an attack. Curious, she headed back for the level with her room, only to overhear someone who’d rushed past her exclaiming, “Another one just showed up.”
The claim paused Colette, and she pivoted. “What showed up?”
The person in the white coat couldn’t contain her excitement. “Another blue alien.”
“Jaspar is here?”
Had he come to rescue Cade? It would be suicide to attempt it, given the number of soldiers loitering around.
“Is that his name?” the wide-eyed gossiper asked.
“Where is he?”
“Being taken to the general for questioning.”
“Where?” Colette barked, causing the woman to recoil.
“Her office. One level up.”
Colette moved as soon as she had a location, which proved to be useless, as the elevator wouldn’t let her activate the button for that floor.
On the contrary, the stupid contraption closed its doors and descended.
She kept jabbing the button while cursing under her breath.
Might have started kicking the panel, too, if the elevator didn’t stop and open its doors to let on a new passenger.
Dr. Ouellet boarded and glanced at Colette. “I take it you heard.”
“About the capture of another blue alien? Yeah.”
“The general requested my presence. Want to come along?”
The offer surprised. “Yes, please.”
The doctor swiped her keycard, and the damnable button lit up for her. As they ascended, Colette asked, “Is it Jaspar?”
“I don’t know. Guess we’ll soon find out.”
The elevator stopped, and when the doors opened, a tiny sea of soldiers stood in the way. An undaunted Ouellet shoved her way through. “Move. The general is waiting for me.”
They parted to let them through, the tunnel made of bodies exposing a door that had four soldiers pointing guns at it. Ready to shoot if the wrong person emerged.
The doctor didn’t knock but barged right in, Colette on her heels. Colette entered to see Jaspar standing rigidly a few paces from the general.
His expression eased somewhat at the sight of Colette. “You are unharmed.” Not a question so much as a statement of relief.
“I’m fine. What’s going on? Why are you here?” Colette didn’t spare a look for the general, but she ended up being the one replying.
“That’s what I was just about to find out. He showed up suddenly outside our facility’s main entrance and demanded to be taken to the person in charge.”
Jaspar nodded. “I apologize for my abrupt arrival. However, there is a matter of urgency that needs addressing.”
“You want your friend back,” the general surmised.
“I do, but that’s not the reason I’m here.” Jaspar paused before saying, “There is a grave threat approaching your planet.”
“More aliens?” drawled the general, who seated herself and placed the pistol Colette only just now noticed on the desk in front of her.
“Yes. But unlike me and my brethren, they are not coming here to foster peaceful relations. The Krampusonians are a violent race, and humanity is in grave danger.”
“According to you.”
He blinked. “According to everyone who’s ever encountered them and lived to tell.”
The general arched a brow. “And I’m supposed to trust the word of one alien that a different alien is bad? Seems to me like you might be trying to manipulate us.”
“How?” he asked with a frown.
Colette, though, immediately caught on to the general’s suspicion. “You think they’re creating a false crisis.”
“I think it’s odd that we suddenly have not one but two alien species making an appearance. And what do you know, one of them, who happens to be desperate for our women, is claiming the other is dangerous. Let me guess, you’ll agree to help us against this threat if we give you what you want.”
“Whilst that is an excellent negotiation tactic for the unscrupulous, I’m afraid, in this particular case, we cannot provide the defense you need. The Krampusonian ship is mightier than ours.”
“Meaning what?” The general narrowed her gaze.
“Meaning we don’t have the weapons needed to render them impotent against your planet.”
“I find it hard to believe you came all the way down here just to tell us that.”
“There is a possibility we can fight back, but it would require some of the nuclear missiles that your military has access to.”
The general laughed. “You want us to give you our nukes? You’re out of your fucking blue mind. No way are we handing over our best possible defense against you and whatever army you’re planning to use to invade.”
Jaspar’s frown deepened. “What army?”
“The one on its way.”
“There is none. Did Cade say otherwise?” Jaspar shook his head and muttered, “That idiot. I should have known better than to let him negotiate.”
“Your partner in crime claims you’re here to make a treaty and to ask permission to take women of Earth back to your planet.”
The statement by the general cleared Jaspar’s expression. “That is correct.”
“What happened? Did you panic when we took him prisoner and you couldn’t just teleport him away?”
Jaspar’s expression screamed of annoyance.
“A Xamian warrior never panics, and why would I worry about Cade when he is perfectly capable of caring for his own wellbeing?
As for my abrupt appearance, it seemed best to do this in person, as I thought a communique from an unknown source would be ignored and this situation is of utmost urgency.
“To which we only have your word.”
“Are you accusing me of lying?” Jaspar recoiled with affront.
“You and your friend expect us to simply trust every word that comes out of your mouth, but I didn’t become a general by believing everything I’m told. I require proof.”
“I can have my ship send our findings.”
“Which could be faked,” the general countered.
“You think I would fabricate this threat?” Jaspar sounded aghast.
“I think that we’ve heard your side of the story, and we should give an equal chance to the other.”
“Did you not hear what he said?” Colette interjected. “Those other aliens are coming to destroy us.”
“Are they? We only have his claim they are.”
“What’s your plan, then?” Colette snapped. “Wait for them to invade and, when it’s too late, say oops, sorry, should have listened to you?”
“We won’t let it get to that point. Soon as this meeting is over, I’ll be working with NASA to craft a message, which they will then project on several frequencies into space. One assumes this secondary set of aliens have the ability to receive and reply.”
Jaspar shook his head. “You’re wasting your time. The Krampusonians do not negotiate.”
“Maybe not with you. Guess we’ll see if and when they reply.” The general leaned back in her chair. “This meeting is over.”
“Should you change your mind or simply desire more information, then you can contact my ship with this device.”
Jaspar put a round smooth disk on her desk. He might as well have given the general a bomb the way a watching soldier dove on top, using his body as a shield.
The general pursed her lips. “Did no one think to frisk him before letting him into the base?”
“Sorry, ma’am.” The soldier apologized from atop the device.
“I swear the recruits are getting dumber each year,” she muttered. “Have the item contained and, after you strip our visitor and ensure he doesn’t have any other surprises, put him with the other one.”
“You’re keeping me here?” Jaspar sounded shocked.
“Yes.”
“But I need to return to my ship to monitor the situation.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. You will remain with us until we know more about the developing situation.”
“You are making a grave error in detaining me,” Jaspar growled, and while the situation might be dire, it was kind of sexy.
“Just for a short while, until we determine how to proceed.” The general signaled, and soldiers surrounded Jaspar.
Anger filled Colette. “What is wrong with you? He came here in good faith, and this is how you repay him?”
A cold stare met her that matched the general’s tone when she said, “I’m getting very tired of your attitude, Ms. Wilson. Since you are so enamored of the visitors, then you can stay with them.”
An order that led to Colette being shoved into Cade’s prison cell along with Jaspar, not willingly, though. Colette yelled at the soldiers that they were making a mistake, a contrast to the silent and rigid Jaspar.
As for Cade, at the sight of them, he grinned. “Well, at least I won’t be bored anymore.”