Page 1 of Charmed by the Alien Warrior (Spirit Mates of the Laediriian Exiles #2)

Mara

“The customer is always right.”

The woman in front of me, with teased to the heavens bottle-blonde hair, crosses her arms. Her smug smile tips up the corners of a mouth that is smeared with roast beef-colored lipstick.

In matters of taste, you entitled Karen.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice my manager watching our interaction like a hawk about to swoop down on its prey. Her name actually is Karen, and she hates me. She’s hated me ever since I casually let it slip to the owner that two of the new hires are Karen’s relatives. Ever since then, she’s been looking for a reason to fire me. Too bad for her I don’t intend to give it to her. At least, not right now.

Working as a front desk agent at The Valu-Right Inn isn’t exactly my dream job, but the pay is decent and the hours are flexible enough to give me time to work on my side gig—my actual dream job. Most days I can get through a shift without wanting to scream. Except lately, it’s been harder. Ever since Karen got a bug up her butt about me.

But for now, I still need this job. Which means it’s time to fake it. That’s something I’ve been doing for a long time. So, I paste on my biggest and brightest customer service smile. The kind that makes my cheeks and soul ache.

“Of course, ma’am,” I say in my best professional voice. “Here at The Valu-Right Inn, we value our guests. However, our complimentary breakfast hours are from six o’clock in the morning until ten a.m. It is now one o’clock in the afternoon .”

The guest huffs dramatically, her body practically vibrating with the injustice of it all. She opens her mouth, no doubt ready to unleash another tirade about how good help is hard to find, Millennials have ruined everything, and she won’t ever grace us with her presence again. I really hope that last one is true.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Karen—my manager, not the guest—narrow her eyes at me.

Before the guest can start in on another rant about how shitty service has gotten, I add, “However, we do have muffins left over from breakfast. I would be more than happy to get you one and a cup of coffee or tea.”

I actually don’t have to do any of that, but like my mama always said ‘you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.’ She was from Alabama and had a lot of pithy sayings like that. My heart gives a pang as I think about her before my attention is drawn back to the guest from hell.

The guest huffs out another long-suffering breath. “Two muffins. And I want coffee with cream and sugar. And don’t skimp on either one.” She points her finger at me.

My smile doesn’t even dim. “Of course, ma’am.” Damn, I’ve gotten good at this.

I wish I could say my day got better after that, but unfortunately, the universe had other plans. Just before I was supposed to clock off at three, Karen the manager from hell, sashayed up to the front desk with her best I’m-in-charge expression plastered across her face.

“Sandy called in sick,” she announced, not even bothering with a ‘hello’. “You’ll need to cover her shift.”

It was so hard not to tell her to go to hell, just like I’ve imagined doing so many times, but I need this job.

So, I gritted my teeth and forced the words out. “Sure, no problem.”

God, I can’t wait until I can quit. Just a little longer.

Like a lot of people these days, I have a side gig, and I am so close to making my side gig my full-time job. Very close. My true crime podcast has really grown over the last two years, but until it can pay all the bills, I still need this job. Mostly because I’ve kind of gotten used to luxuries like food and a roof over my head.

Not that it’s a great roof or anything. Just a little two-bedroom house one town over that my sister and I own. But it’s home.

By the time the night auditor shows up just before eleven, I’m dead on my feet and ready to sleep for a week. This day has been rough. The hotel was nearly full thanks to a convention. I lost count of how many overly enthusiastic guests tried to sell me their magical weight-loss tea.

“For just $79.99 a bottle you too can become svelte like me!” One woman had chirped while holding the bottle up. She was not svelte. Neither am I, but I’m also not trying to hawk weight loss tea.

Yeah, more like $79.99 to poop your pants. No thanks.

And the worst part? Tomorrow is day two of the convention, and I’m scheduled to work.

“Bye, Tim. Have a good night.” I call out as I head out the door to my car.

“See you, Mara.” He doesn’t even look up from whatever game he’s playing on his phone.

It’s late and the parking lot is empty of anyone else and nearly silent with just the distant hum of vehicles passing on the interstate audible. There are only two big lights in the lot, and neither of them actually work, just releasing an occasional flicker of light like a half-hearted attempt to do their job.

I’ve told both the owner and Karen the manager that the lights need to be fixed because they’re a safety hazard. A guest—or an employee—could trip and fall, but they don’t seem to care. Or even worse, robbed or abducted. Even murdered. Goosebumps rise up on my arms at that thought.

It’s so dark out that someone could be out there right now, just waiting and watching, ready to pounce on an unsuspecting victim. Like me.

My steps speed up as I cross the dark lot, finally nearing my small silver car. It has nothing to do with the fear that always seems to dog my steps, making me super cautious about everything. No, I’m just eager to get home, finish the script for the axe man of New Orleans episode, eat a late dinner, and go to bed.

Alone. A frown makes my eyebrows draw together.

As I jingle my keys and press the button to unlock the doors, a figure steps out from behind it. I jump, a strangled scream stuck in my throat as my worst fears are about to come true.

Then, recognition makes me exhale in relief.

It’s my little sister, who is not so little anymore.

I rake my eyes over Maddie and concern immediately rises in me, making my voice sharp. “You scared me to death. What are you doing here?”

Her face is pale and her purple hair hangs in tangles around her shoulders. I look closer and notice dark streaks of mascara running down her cheeks.

“Maddie, what’s happened?” I move closer to my sister, ready to wrap my arms around her, but she holds up a hand for me to stop and shakes her head.

Maddie clears her throat. “Can you give me a ride home? It’s been a rough night.”

Her voice is thick with emotion, but she raises her head high, her chin firm with determination. As much as I want to demand that she tell me what’s going on right now, I know my sister and I know that look. She’s not going to tell me until she’s good and ready.

So, I push down my protective instincts and silently nod.

It’s not until about fifteen minutes into our awkwardly quiet car ride that Maddie finally speaks up, her voice soft. “Go ahead and ask.”

“Are you okay?”

She immediately answers, “Yeah.”

I glance over at her, a brow raised in disbelief, and after a moment of silence she responds by shrugging her shoulders. “I mean, not really. But I will be.”

“What happened?”

“Connor and I broke up.”

Her words don’t really shock me. I’ve never really liked my sister’s boyfriend. But it was clear from the very second she brought him home to meet me that Maddie was head over heels in love with him.

So, I bit back any objections that I had about him—his love of partying a little too hard, his outrageously flirtatious manner, his inability to keep the same job for more than a week and the fact that it was always someone else’s fault, the remarks he’d throw out so nonchalantly that seemed designed to make my sister doubt herself, and the smile that always seemed a little forced. Sure, he’s charming, but I learned a long time ago to steer clear of charming men.

The red flags were flying high as soon as Maddie came home gushing about him after their first date, but I knew that no matter what I said, she was in the glow of a new relationship and wouldn’t listen to me. Because when you’re wearing rose-colored glasses, red flags look like all the other flags.

I had seen it once too often with my mom and the déjà vu was immediate.

So, I gritted my teeth and smiled, deciding to wait out the relationship, and reminding myself with relief that at least Maddie had an IUD implanted a while back and wouldn’t have any surprises.

Maddie looks over at me, her eyes narrowed. “Well, go ahead and say it.”

“What?”

“I told you so. That’s what you’re going to say.” She huffs out a breath. “You never liked Connor.”

Her words shock me. I thought I had done a really good job masking my true feelings of the guy who called himself ‘ the ultimate bro ’, but maybe I didn’t. Maybe I’m not as good at faking it as I thought.

I take a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “You’re right, I didn’t. But it doesn’t matter whether I liked Connor or not. You did, and I’ve never wanted you to be hurt by anyone.” My voice is soft in the car, the only other noise the clicking of the turn signal as I pull onto the narrow gravel road that leads to our house. “Will you tell me what happened with him tonight?”

Maddie heaves out a breath. “We were supposed to go out tonight on a date, just us, but he took me to this bar where his friends were hanging out. He kept making eyes at some girl that was sitting across the room with her friends. Then, when I was coming back from the bathroom, I saw him kissing her.”

Her cheeks flush red and she leans her head back against the headrest and mumbles, “I made a scene, and he broke up with me. He told me good luck replacing him.”

“Oh, sweetie. What did you say?”

“I was in shock. I didn’t know what to say, so I just walked away. Then, I walked a mile down the road to the hotel and waited for you.”

“Why didn’t you come in? It’s cold out tonight.”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I didn’t want to face you right then.”

“What?” I do a double take at her. “What do you mean?”

“You never liked him, and deep down, I knew he wasn’t really a good boyfriend, but I liked the attention from him. But now, I feel like a fool for staying with him for so long.”

“Maddie, you’re not a fool. He is. Any guy that would treat my baby sister that way isn’t worth crying over.” I glance at her. “Hey, do you want me to beat him up for you?” She thinks I’m joking, but I really would do it.

Maddie rolls her eyes. Then, after a quiet moment, she looks at me. “Don’t you ever get lonely?”

Her question stuns me, and I don’t know how to answer it.

Yeah, I get lonely sometimes. But I’ve seen the damage bad relationships can cause. I’ve lived through the aftermath and survived, just barely, and after a lifetime, I’ve learned that most people can’t be trusted. Especially men.

No, there’s only one person that I really trust and she’s sitting beside me. Which makes me sound pathetic. But Maddie deserves an honest answer, even if it’s a short one.

“Yeah,” I admit.

“You don’t ever date. I don’t think you’ve ever had a boyfriend, have you?”

My thoughts immediately flash back to a boy with brown hair and hazel eyes. Jason Parker. I haven’t thought about him in years. He was my boyfriend in high school and college, but he dropped me as soon as… Well, as soon as life got a little rough.

“I date.” I bite out begrudgingly, even though it’s not exactly the truth.

I do date, but not seriously. I’m not a nun after all, and I go into any date knowing it’s not going to lead to a relationship. And I make sure they know it.

I try to be as safe as possible. Never bringing them to my house. Always keeping the location services on my phone set to on. Checking out their social media. I even do a quick search for them on one of the background check sites that I use regularly in my side gig.

But I never bring them around Maddie.

At first, it was because she was the little sister I had guardianship over, and I didn’t think it would be a good idea to introduce her to some random guy. But she’s twenty-five, an adult, and I still don’t bring any guys I’ve went out with around her.

Maddie snorts. “Uh-huh. Sure, you do.”

“I do.” I insist.

Thankfully, she drops the subject and goes quiet, but after a while, she clears her throat.

“You’ve always got it together, Mara. I wish I could be more like you, instead, I’m just the screw-up.”

“Hey.” My voice is firm and commanding and my hands clench the steering wheel. “You are not a screw-up. You’re perfect the way you are and don’t let anyone, including Connor or yourself, tell you otherwise. Got it?”

Maddie sighs. “Yeah, I got it.”

We lapse into silence for the rest of the drive, my mind buzzing with thoughts of my sister and her words. Maddie may think I have it all together, but if she really knew how I felt most days, she’d think otherwise.

But my job is to keep it together for both of us, and I take my job seriously.

Finally, I turn the small car into the driveway that leads to our isolated house. Our nearest neighbors own forty acres of land and their house is on the far side of it. I still don’t understand why my mom wanted to live so far from town, but as soon as she saw the small house on half an acre, she fell in love with it. I think maybe it reminded her of the home she was kicked out of when she got pregnant with me as a teenager, but I don’t know.

I park the car in front of the little yellow bungalow and notice that the motion-activated light at the corner has a bulb blown again. Ugh, I’ll have to replace it tomorrow. Without that light, the entire front of the house is dark. I feel a frisson of unease creep into my mind, but I shove it aside. Maddie is always telling me I’m overly cautious. That I need to live more.

I thought I’d be back home by this afternoon, so I didn’t leave any other lights on, and I guess, my sister didn’t think to leave any on before Connor picked her up, so the entire house sits dark and ominous with only a beam of moonlight for illumination.

Maddie reaches to open the car door, and I stop her. “Hey, Mad.” She turns to me, her face solemn in the moonlight. “Listen, I’m really sorry about Connor. I know how much you cared for him. But you deserve so much more. You deserve someone who will treat you with respect. Someone who will love you. Someone who is just as amazing as you are.”

I don’t mention to her that I don’t really believe in love. That’s not something my heartbroken sister needs to hear right now. She needs hope and understanding, not my jaded view of relationships. But really, how could I have any other viewpoint after everything I saw with my mom? Love is just made-up stuff for romance novels and movies.

Except... sometimes, I wonder. When I see a couple check in to the hotel on their honeymoon, their eyes glued to each other, or I see couples walking hand-in-hand in the park. Maybe it does exist.

I shake my head as if I can shake the doubts away, and continue, “And the way he treated you wasn’t love. Connor is the one who will never be able to replace you, okay?”

Maddie nods her head and leans forward to give me a quick hug, whispering, “I love you, sis.”

I wrap my arms around her and a clear memory of the girl she used to be comes to me. Twelve years old with her arms wrapped tightly around me after I told her that our mom was gone. Tears come to my eyes, and I swiftly brush them away as we pull apart.

“Hey, I think there’s some rocky road ice cream in the freezer. Want to finish it with me?” I smile at her, and she returns it, wobbly though it is and I feel the weight lift off my heart.

Maddie is the only family I have left, and I hate seeing her in pain. It will take time to get over this breakup, but one day she will. And I’ll be here for her every step of the way.

Before either one of us can take more than a few steps toward the porch, a white light appears, illuminating the yard and house. The light isn’t just bright, it’s blinding. It burns into my retinas and drowns out everything else.

I squint and blink my eyes rapidly, trying to clear my vision. When I finally manage to see through the haze, I immediately wish I hadn’t.

There, standing just a few feet away, is a figure. It’s short—almost childlike in stature, but there’s nothing innocent about it. I can’t really make out any of its features, but somehow I know there’s something malevolent about it. A wave of cold dread washes over me, raising the hairs on my arms and locking the breath in my chest.

Maddie gasps as she sees it, too. I try to turn my head to look at her and tell her to run. That’s when I realize that I can’t. I’m frozen in place.

The light, which has been steadily glowing, suddenly blinks off, plunging us into pitch black darkness. For a brief, dizzying moment, the absence of light is disorienting, like stepping into a void.

But then the light flashes back on, and somehow it’s brighter and more piercing this time.

White-hot pain explodes in my head. I hear my sister cry out and I assume she must be experiencing the same thing. It sounds like she’s miles away, but I know she’s just feet away from me. I want to go to her, but I can’t. I can’t even turn my head to check on her.

Then, the shadowy figure moves closer, and I try to focus my eyes on it as its features somehow become clear despite the blinding light. Large, unblinking black eyes stare at me from a gray face, studying me as if I’m a bug under a microscope.

Oh my God, aliens are real. That’s my last thought before blackness appears at the edges of my vision, pulling me under until I pass out.