Alien Fae Mate (7 page)

P
op
!

A gum balloon exploded on my face. I peeled it off and threw it in the trash, catching myself on the sink at the last minute. “Oops.” I picked up a bottle of whiskey. “Almost slipped. Careful,” I told the bathroom mirror, then threw my head back and chugged. The alcohol burned its way down my throat and settled in my empty stomach. Whiskey used to make me gag, but after drinking half the bottle, it went down smoother than water.

My sister walked into the bathroom and picked up a toothbrush. After breakfast, I went home and cried myself to sleep. As usual, Apple stayed in her room and hadn’t come out until after noon. I couldn’t even care anymore.

“A bit early for that.” She stuck a toothbrush in her mouth.

“Look who’s talking,” I said.

“It’s noon. I start drinking at lunch.”

“It’s after noon. Why wait? You should start now. Here.” I nudged her shoulder with the bottle. “This way, you don’t have to worry about eating lunch either. Maybe you could sustain yourself on alcohol alone.”

She tilted her head, and her brow furrowed. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing. Let’s drink.”

“No, thanks.”

“Why not? You’ve been drinking for months, and now you can’t share? That sucks for me.” I chugged, then shrugged and turned away from the mirror.

Water splashed behind me, and Apple wiped her mouth with a towel. She slapped it over the rail and folded her arms across her chest. Leaning against the wall, she said, “What happened?”

“I fucked Titan.”

“Ah.”

“Actually, it was more like ‘Yes, please, may I have another?’”

“I see. Did you have another?”

“A few.”

“And?”

“Nothing. Back to usual, he said.”

Her head thumped the wall. “It happens. Maybe we’re cursed.”

“Hm. Maybe. Can fae curse people?”

“Don’t know. What’s his problem?”

“His mate is found in death. He thinks he’s dead because they don’t have heartbeats, and technically he
is
dead and has death powers, but he is very much alive. Very much alive. Yup.”

Apple blinked.

“See, beyond the words, beyond the fae male persona, Titan can’t come to terms with who he is and how different the fae are from us. They float up there in space, hoping they’ll meet a woman to share their life with. They want to live on the ground, but they can’t. He doesn’t see that I don’t care about who or what he is and where I’m gonna live as long as he’s with me.”

“I know someone who can’t come to terms with who they are,” she said.

I shrugged. “We’re a match, then. I loved him from the day he came to the science booth and asked for my business card. I wrote my phone number on his pale hand with a black magic marker. A permanent one. And he let me. I didn’t even know who he was, and he let me draw on him. So, I don’t need any superpowers to tell me he’s mine. But”—I lifted my finger—”he’s got a point about dying, and I get his point. I hate that I can’t hate him for it, because he’s looking out for me.”

Apple said nothing. She was there to listen, and for better or worse, I got my sister back. I knew I had her back when she stripped off her clothes, showered, and asked me to pass her a razor. She hadn’t shaved in a while; didn’t care about anything. Some nights, I stayed at the front door, scared I’d walk in on her dead body. Apple wasn’t one for drama, and she’d always been a bit odd. I worried she hadn’t unloaded all of her sorrows and that she’d call it quits.

I swigged from the bottle and passed her a razor. In the bathroom, the sound of the shower drowned out the neighbor’s loud music. I guessed Cross had taken a day off too.

By the time Apple got out of the shower, I was almost done with the bottle. Wrapped in a towel, her hair wet, she took the bottle from my hand and spilled the last sip down the drain. “This’ll just make it worse. I’d know.” The bottle flew into the garbage. “You need to sober up and get on the warp-train. I’ll go with you. You can’t miss work. I need money to get back on with my life, and I’m gonna borrow a few thousand from you. Come on.” She pointed at the toilet and held up my toothbrush. “Let’s hurl. It’ll be epic.”

“I’m not going to work. I quit.” I wasn’t chugging whiskey, but my heart burned anyway. My eyes watered.

“You love your work.”

“I’ll get another job.”

We locked eyes. The job market for my specialty was scarce, and the fae paid me a fortune, so I could afford my beautiful apartment. At this time of day, traffic buzzed over the San Francisco Bridge and under the bridge; the bay’s blues sparkled. I’d have to sell my apartment.

“How do you think he’s gonna feel about you working on another ship? The smaller one they’ve got docked up there.”

I barked a laugh. “He’ll go crazy. Still, I’m not going back.”

“I’ll call my ex-boss, see if I can have my job back,” she said. “When you go on unemployment, we can put up a tent on the grass somewhere near the bridge and have the view. No worries.”

E
very day on the ship
, I ate lunch at one o’clock sharp. Five minutes after one in the afternoon, Apple flipped through her phone, looking for lost contacts. With her makeup and hair done, I remembered why Apple was the pretty one and I was the smart one. My sister was beautiful. “Looking good,” I told her.

She winked. “Getting my groove back. Wait. Your phone is ringing,” she said.

“I hear it.”

“Go get it, then.”

“Nah.”

“Is he gonna stop calling?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Can you change the ringtone at least? Gimme some rock ’n’ roll. The country ringtone isn’t working for me.”

“Sure,” I said.

She got the phone from the kitchen and swiped her finger over the screen. “Hola.”

I gaped.

“What’s up, T? Yup, she’s here. Hold on.” Apple plopped her ass next to me and passed me the phone. She motioned with her hand. “I wanna hear, and I don’t have all day. Hurry up.”

My sister was evil. I kicked her in the shin, then said, “Titan. Hi.”

“Lunch was at one. You are not here. Why aren’t you here?”

“Well, I called your Human Resources this morning—”

“I haven’t heard anything. What’s going on? Are you ill?”

“I quit.”

A pause. “Quit what?”

“My job. I’m not working for the fae people anymore.”

“You never worked for the fae, you worked for me.”

Tears gathered in my eyes, and I inhaled deeply, then held my breath. I didn’t want my voice to quiver. “Technically, I worked for the fae people and not—”

“I think I deserve a call or even two weeks’ notice.” I said nothing, because he was right. I should’ve told him. ”It doesn’t matter,” he continued, “I don’t have anyone to fill your position. Come to work within an hour.”

“I’m not coming in.”

“You’re coming in.”

“I can’t.”

“Don’t do this. I’ll stay away. Or if you want me around, I’ll be here. What do you want me to do, hm? I’ll do it.”

“I want to mate,” I said. “I don’t want to settle for less. I’ll always want it, so I don’t see a point in settling.”

“We’ll get through today, and it’ll be over. Come on in.”

And that was the problem. I didn’t want to get through today. I wanted today to be the best day of my life. “All right.”

“One hour.”

“Sure thing.”

I could never tell him no. I’d tried.

A
t sundown
, Apple and I finished a movie, a tragic romance in which the couple didn’t end up together. We sobbed. Each and every time we’d watched it. 

“We should watch cartoons next,” she said and fluffed up our pillow.

“The Road Runner,” I said. “Beep, beep.”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “Morbid and depressing, coyote never gets the bird. Dies every time.” 

“Never learns.”

Headlights brushed over the movie credits on the screen. Neither of us moved. “Cross is having a party again,” Apple said. “You think we should start charging for our parking spaces?”

“Mm-hm.” My eyes were closing. “Income.”

Apple nudged my side.

“Mmm.”

“Wake up.”

“I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Wake up.”

“No.”

“There’re spaceships in the front yard.”

I snapped my eyes open. “What?”

Apple was already at the window, and I hurried after her.

Twenty satellite ships hovered in the sky. From under their bellies, multiple small lights shone on our entire neighborhood. Small doors glided open, and fae, one by one, jumped to the ground. It was about a four-hundred-foot fall. 

“It’s raining fae,” Apple said. 

“Hallelujah,” I whispered. “At sundown.”

“There’s your man.” She tapped the glass.

Titan stood on his balcony. The very same balcony of his suite. How was this possible? He lived on a huge ship. I tilted my head, paying attention to the architecture. Oh! His suite was a small ship that fit into the mother ship, sort of like a drawer fit in the dresser with all the other drawers. From the outside, the mother ship looked like one piece, but in fact, it was a complex structure of many smaller ships. “It’s brilliant,” I said.

“What is?”

“His ship.”

“You are the only human who is looking at his ship,” Apple said. “And you think I’m weird.”

Titan ripped his shirt to reveal his chest. The people at the party next door whistled. Phone cameras flashed. 

He jumped on the balcony’s railing and ripped his pants off. He threw them, and they fluttered to the ground. Arms spread out, he crouched and bellowed, “Raaaainnnn!”

When he thumped his chest, my girly bits fluttered.

“Now that’s a mating call,” Apple said. “He’s like a rooster fluffing up his feathers. I think I need a fae man.” Her eyes scouted the ground, and she pointed. “That one. That one’s gonna make my pains go away. Let’s go.” She tugged my hand, and we stepped outside, where Dohan approached, eyeing my sister. “Hi there,” he said.

“He’s here for me,” I whispered.

Dohan stopped ogling Apple long enough to say, “You’re the nicest and prettiest girl he knows, and the only girl who knows how to handle him. He loves you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Of course I know that. What I didn’t know is that you have a sister.”

Above, the news choppers came, flashing their cameras. Titan would have some explaining to do. I doubted he’d asked for clearance, and with so many fae males in black robes, they looked like they were invading.

A dark, cold cloud appeared over our neighborhood. The neighbors went silent, whispering of fae powers. An army of wraiths peeled away from the ships’ shadows and floated above Titan.

The fae males chanted.

The wraiths arranged in a formation to make an arrow.

Their robes fluttering on an invisible wind, they descended.

“What are those things?” Apple asked.

“Witnesses,” I said. “To our mating. I’m going to become a fae.” I didn’t hesitate. I walked to the street, removing my clothes as I went. I shed everything, and before the world, I bared my body. And soul, if the mating didn’t take. I loved him, and love transcended death. It always would.

Wraiths circled around me and wrapped their bodies around mine. I shivered. They were so cold. They lifted me and carried me across and above to drop me on the balcony beside Titan. He turned, and his eyes measured me from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. He smiled and ran a hand through my curls. “Cute,” he said. “It suits you.” He pressed his hard body against mine and walked me back until my ass hit the rail. ”You left me.”

“I love chips,” I told him. “When I eat chips, I don’t eat a handful, I eat the entire bag. You offered me a handful.”

“I’m crazy about you. I’m crazy enough to do this. You ready?”

“Been ready for some time. Here?”

“Right here.”

“The news choppers have cameras.”

“Good. We’ll watch ourselves later.”

“Um, so will the whole world,” I said.

“Then let’s put on a good show.” A wraith screeched my name. Titan eyed the thing and ground his jaw. “I’m terrified,” he admitted.

The wraith who’d called out rushed down. Titan wrapped his arms around me and turned. It hit his back, went through him, then me. I gasped, my teeth chattering on impact. It felt like an iceberg hit my heart. Titan closed his mouth over mine as the second wraith ran through our bodies. When the cold hits shook my body, Titan lifted me, and when the third wraith hit me, Titan plunged his tongue inside my mouth. His hands on my ass tightened, his claws dug into my flesh, and I screamed into his mouth.

He impaled me on his cock.

My spine bent backward, and the wraiths attacked with force. Their bodies rushed through mine while Titan lifted me up and down on his cock. My pussy stretched in pleasure while I absorbed the pain. I held on to his shoulders at first, but then my hands gave out. He lowered me onto the railing. He pounded into me, my tits bouncing until he bit one nipple and held it between his teeth. A growl escaped his chest. I gripped his hair, unsure if I wanted to yank it away or press him closer. Wraiths wheezed at us, maybe with their version of a growl. They circled above us, their bodies covered in worn black robes and their skeletal faces hollow. Behind them, choppers spun and cameras flashed. I was becoming dizzy, my heart beating a mile a minute.

My nipple hurt as he sucked and bit. His cock stretched me, and I was close, heat pooling in my belly. I gripped his biceps, and my blunt nails raked his skin. In response, he peeled back his lips and snarled. The wraiths circled faster, their chants grew louder, until I was coming and so was Titan. Inside me, his cock grew, and he pounded so fast, my whole body rattled. His eyes locked with mine. At my lips, he said, “Don’t be afraid. You’re mine.” He was trying to comfort me. He’d warned me about the mating. Titan threw his head back, his neck muscles straining, and with one deep thrust, I felt his release surge inside me, “Take her!” he shouted and wrapped his arms around me. His chest heaved. “Take her,” he whispered at the crook of my neck.

The wraiths rushed down as one.

My lungs froze, and I gasped. On instinct, I hitched my breaths, my heart slowing. Titan placed a hand over my heart. It stopped beating. I exhaled and closed my eyes.

D
arkness fell
.

I
nside the black vacuum
, I couldn’t see a thing. Alone in pitch-black, I tried not to panic when the air grew thick and hard to breathe. I wasn’t even sure if I needed to breathe but worked my lungs anyway. I touched a palm to my chest. Behind my palm, it was quiet. I had died. If I had a beating heart, it would beat out of my chest right about now. “Hello?”

A low-pitched screech echoed over the space.

“Oh man,” I said into the void. I’d been warned, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t afraid.

A screech echoed again.

As if on cue, my eyes started itching, and I rubbed them with the back of my hand. My vision blurred and my head swam. I was dizzy. I wanted to sit down, but there was nowhere to rest. I floated in a…space vacuum of some sort. Another screech. The dead fae army was here, but I couldn’t see them. The itching became painful. I pressed the pads of my palms against my eyes. God, it hurt so bad, I wanted to scratch my eyes out. Another screech. Closer and much louder. I scratched my eyes. I couldn’t help it. “Stop it!” I screamed at the screeching voice.

The pain went away, and I blinked to clear the blur.

I saw them. Everywhere. An army of thousands of wraiths surrounded me. They hovered above the ground, humming. I wiggled my toes and realized I was floating just like them. It was pitch-black all around us and yet I saw them. I could see in the dark! My hands flew to my ears, and under my fingertips, the smooth, curved tops reformed into pointy tips. My vision sharpened. This was it. In death, I’d become a fae.

One of the wraiths floated to me and paused to hover so close that its robe tickled my knees. It extended its skeletal hand, and I took it, thinking it’d take me back to Titan, but it didn’t. It simply stared at my flesh.

Wait a second. Was I stuck here?

Even though I was sure Titan was mine and I was his, panic rose in my chest.

“Titan!”

Nothing.

“Titan!”

“Rain.” My left ear twitched at the low whisper of my name, and my head snapped in that direction. I’d heard him. I took off, running through the bodies toward Titan’s voice.