Were they the ones controlling the orbs or are they fighting against them?

They destroyed one.

But why?

Who are they?

The chances of Earth being invaded by two separate species of alien in such a short time is highly unlikely.

That only brings me back to my previous conclusion.

The two are related somehow and I’ve seen enough shit in the past few months to just throw caution to the wind.

I know it’s a miracle I’m still alive.

I’m not about to throw that away.

And Sam…Mina…

I gulp hard and readjust myself against the tree trunk.

Everywhere aches and my stomach is empty.

My arm lies limp at my side and my wrist is throbbing.

I feel battered and bruised. The only thing I want to do is take a moment to rest.

To breathe.

But every cell in my body is still on high alert.

I’m not safe.

Not yet.

No more sounds have come from the lakeside since I heard that scream.

I wonder if Sam and Mina are still alive.

For one brief moment, I squeeze my eyes shut and think.

I can do this. I’ll get out of this somehow.

The stars are beginning to appear when I realize it has been some time since I heard any sound outside my hiding spot.

Maybe the alien has finally left.

I sure as hell hope so.

I need to head back to the lake, check on Sam and Mina.

I have to at least know if they are alive and maybe we have a chance of making it out of here together.

I can’t just leave. I have to check on them.

But I have to wait a little longer.

The darkness is my only ally.

Minutes tick by and it soon becomes so dark I can’t see my hand before my face.

Only starlight guides me as I ease forward, my ears perked for any sound.

I haven’t heard a twig snap in ages and though I assume the alien finally left, I’m not sure that’s the case.

For all I know, he’s out there close by.

Watching.

Waiting.

I lean out of the tree, gritting my teeth at the pain that ricochets up my back.

I have some pretty bad bruises. Healing is going to take a long, long time.

I wince, the pain causing me to hiss, and then I freeze, cursing myself for making any noise at all.

But there is no other sound.

Nothing, not even a slight breeze moves in the trees.

Gathering some courage, I squeeze the rest of the way out of the tree and pause, cocking my head as I listen.

Still nothing.

Twigs snap under my bare feet as I head in the direction I think the lake is.

A part of me prays the aliens have left and somehow Sam and Mina are still alive, but even as I think this, I know the thoughts are like those of a juvenile.

The world doesn’t work that way. It never did. And especially now, this world doesn’t work that way.

I break into a limping sort of jog, fighting the pain echoing across my entire body and the tears that spring in my eyes as a result.

I’m making progress and my courage begins to build when the darkness to my left moves.

My breath hitches in my throat.

There’s only a single second before something crashes into me.

Pain shoots through me but I am dimly aware of it. All I can feel is that I’m being encased by something, someone, much bigger, much stronger than I am.

A terrified glance behind me and molten lava eyes meet mine. I can’t breathe, choking on air, choking on the scream trying to barrel through my chest.

I’m in his arms somehow, his chest against my back. He holds me in place without much effort.

“No!” Oh God, please no!

I kick back against him, slamming my heels and my elbows back, but it’s like hitting against a wall.

It is clear I am having no effect on the beast that has me in its grasp.

My life flashes before my eyes.

I don’t want to be captured again.

I don’t want to be a pawn for another race once more.

Thoughts of my time within the orb, waiting for the day I’d be bred, the day I’d die, those thoughts flash across my mind.

Since the aliens landed, I’ve never been free.

“Please,” I beg, a sob tightening my throat. “Please, just let me go!”

The alien grunts and it feels like his arms tighten around me even more.

I can’t imagine what he wants to do to me.

But even as I struggle, I realize something.

He’s not…manhandling me.

As a matter of fact, his arms are simply like a cage. He isn’t moving.

I’m so terrified, my heart thumps so hard I swear I can hear it.

I can’t think straight but fighting against the alien’s strong grip isn’t working. I’m like a fly caught in a web, weak and overpowered, just waiting for the predator to devour me.

There’s a click above my head as the alien speaks, and then he does something else.

I can only describe it as a vibration that starts in his chest. It runs up my back as the alien lifts one hand from my waist and grasps my neck.

My head is forced back against him and as he leans down, it feels like I am being attacked by darkness itself.

He melds into the shadows as if he is a part of them.

His face is covered again but nothing can shield those eyes.

I grit my teeth, struggling to break free as I stare up into my end and the red-eyed demon holds my gaze.

I grasp the hand holding my neck and it’s almost as if I can feel his skin—no, his suit—writhe under my touch.

I lift my foot and kick backward. If he has nuts, I surely just made them retract into his body but this motherfucker is tough.

He doesn’t flinch.

I don’t even see any indication in his gaze that I managed to hurt him.

Reality is slowly sinking in as the seconds tick by, and I have to face it.

He’s bigger.

Stronger.

Before all this happened, before Earth was captured, I wouldn’t have stood much of a chance against him.

I sure as hell don’t stand a chance against him now in my condition.

Muscles flex against me as the alien adjusts his grasp and that deep vibration of his continues as he lowers his head to my neck.

I jerk and try to get away. I’ve seen his teeth.

It’s clear what they can do.

But the alien only holds me steady.

This vibration he’s emitting is interjected with clicks and the intensity increases as I lose the energy to fight back.

Outside of this situation, the sound he’s making would be almost…comforting. Calming.

I stiffen as my heart continues to hammer against my chest.

Is that what he is trying to do? Calm me?

The click-clicking and the thrumming purr don’t stop.

The alien continues to vibrate and I swear there is a strange sensation against my skin.

The throaty vibration seems to surround us even as the alien spins me to face him.

I’m suddenly lifted and a screech leaves my lips.

In one movement, he throws me over his shoulder in a sort of fireman hold and my front is crushed against the pure, hard muscle of his back.

I try to fight, slamming my lesser-damaged fist against him as I kick my legs.

But he’s moving now. Ignoring my pitiful attempts at freeing myself.

I choke on a sob before I roar at him—at the universe—at fucking everything!

But my actions have no effect.

Once again, I am helpless.

Chapter Nine

ADIRA

The alien clutches me as he heads through the trees.

If I lift my head, I can see where he’s going but that doesn’t help much.

I thought darkness was my ally.

I was wrong.

It’s his.

His suit melds seamlessly into the night. Even if I’d be fast and silent, I wouldn’t have spotted him before he caught me.

This had been his plan all along.

I shudder, my gaze flicking around through the darkness, as I try to think of a plan.