Page 15 of Eclipse Bound (Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides #7)
Chapter Nine
Rowan woke to the sensation of soft, humming energy caressing her skin.
For a moment, she kept her eyes closed, savoring the impossible feeling of being wrapped in twilight.
Her body felt different, like her nerves had been rewired overnight, each one now hyper-aware and tingling with lingering pleasure.
She'd had sex with an alien. An actual, honest-to-gods alien. And it had been transcendent.
She opened her eyes to find Eclipse watching her, his true form still unmasked, twilight energy flowing in mesmerizing patterns. In the morning light filtering through the blinds, he looked even more ethereal than he had last night, less solid, more like the embodiment of dusk itself.
"Good morning," she murmured, her voice husky from sleep.
"Your Earth greeting is accurate. The morning appears to possess positive attributes," Eclipse replied, his melodic voice vibrating through her more than just her ears.
Rowan couldn't help but smile. Even after the intimacy they'd shared, he still spoke like a scientific observer of human customs. It was oddly endearing.
"Did you sleep at all?" she asked, stretching languidly.
"My kind does not require unconsciousness for rejuvenation," Eclipse explained. "I maintained awareness while you cycled through your sleep patterns. Your delta waves were particularly harmonious."
"You watched my brainwaves while I slept?" Rowan propped herself up on one elbow. "That should probably creep me out, but somehow it doesn't."
"The resonance between us creates unusual acceptance parameters," Eclipse said, his energy field shifting closer to her. "Your tolerance for my alien characteristics defies predicted human responses."
"Yeah, well..." Rowan reached out to touch a swirling pattern in his twilight form. "After last night, I'm pretty sure we're past the point of being weirded out by our differences."
The memory of their connection sent a flush of heat through her. She'd never experienced anything remotely like the way his energy had flowed through her, illuminating her from within, creating sensations that shouldn't have been physically possible.
Eclipse's form brightened in response to her touch. "The harmony between our energy patterns remains strong even after rest. This is uncommon."
"Uncommon good or uncommon bad?" Rowan asked, suddenly aware of the larger implications. She'd known him for all of two days. Two incredible, mind-blowing, reality-shattering days, but still. This was fast, even by alien abduction standards.
"Uncommon in its intensity and persistence," Eclipse clarified. "Such resonance typically requires extensive exposure and intentional attunement."
"So what you're saying is..." Rowan traced her fingers through his twilight essence, "we've got chemistry."
Eclipse seemed to consider this human term. "An oversimplification, but not inaccurate. Though quantum harmonic convergence would be more precise."
Rowan laughed, the sound bright in the quiet morning. "Only you could make the fact that we're compatible sound like advanced physics."
The moment of levity faded as reality began creeping back in. Rowan glanced at her phone on the bedside table, checking the time.
"Shit. It's almost nine. I should have been at work an hour ago." She sat up, running her hands through her tangled hair. "And we still need to warn Solar and Lunar about Milano."
At the mention of Milano, Eclipse's form shifted, condensing slightly as if preparing for a defensive posture. "Yes. The corporation's interest in our arrival presents significant complications."
Rowan swung her legs over the edge of the bed, reluctantly leaving the warmth of Eclipse's nearness. "Understatement of the century. Milano doesn't just take an interest in things. They acquire them, study them, and usually weaponize whatever they learn. You need to be careful."
He nodded. “I will listen to your advice.”
She stood and headed for the bathroom, talking over her shoulder. "I need to shower. Then we should head to the retreat. I'll call in and say I'm running late."
In the shower, the hot water cascading over her skin felt oddly flat compared to Eclipse's energy touch.
Rowan tried to focus on the practical concerns ahead, but her mind kept circling back to the night before.
She'd experienced something profound, something that had changed her.
But they were also facing a very real threat.
Milano wouldn't stop with just observation. If they'd identified Eclipse and his companions as extraterrestrials, they would be marshaling resources for capture right now. James Petersen's appearance at dinner wasn't a coincidence. It was reconnaissance.
By the time Rowan emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, Eclipse had resumed his humanoid form, the skin-suit reapplied though visibly deteriorating around his eyes and hands.
"Your suit is failing," she said more to herself as she headed to her closet.
"As I said before, the polymer matrix breaks down in Earth's atmosphere," Eclipse confirmed. "It was designed for short-term use only."
"Well, we'll need to figure something out." Rowan pulled clothes from her closet, deciding to wear practical jeans and a lightweight long-sleeve shirt. "If Milano's tracking you, we need to make you look as human as possible."
As she dressed, Rowan's journalist instincts kicked into high gear, analyzing the situation from multiple angles.
"We need to know exactly what Milano knows and what they're looking for," she said, tugging on her boots. "And I need to understand what kind of danger you're in if they find you."
Eclipse moved to the window, carefully peering through the blinds at the street outside. "The danger extends to you as well, Rowan. Your association with us places you within their acquisition parameters."
A chill ran down Rowan's spine despite her attempt to stay practical. "Yeah, well, they were already on my shit list before you guys arrived."
She finished dressing and checked her phone again. Three missed calls from the retreat. She quickly dialed back.
"Duskrock Yoga and Spa, this is Darren," answered the retreat manager.
"Darren, it's Rowan. Sorry, I'm running late. Had a situation come up with those special guests in the Desert Suite. I'm heading in now."
"Actually," Darren sounded relieved, "I was calling to tell you that your schedule lightened.
We've had a group cancellation due to the incident .
Some corporate retreat from Phoenix. Apparently, their legal department advised against bringing executives to a location with unidentified aerial phenomena.
" He laughed nervously. "So we're pretty quiet. The VIPs in the Desert Suite still need attention, though. Stephanie said you booked it and they’re to be left alone? "
“Yeah, I got them handled. Wannabe celebs needing complete privacy. You know those influencer types. Want to feel special, but they paid top dollar,” Rowan lied. Her internal alarm bells went off. "What corporate retreat canceled?"
"Um, let me check... Milano Enterprises. They were booked under the name M.E. Tech. Ring any bells? They're pretty big in biotech, I think."
Rowan's blood ran cold. "Yeah, I've heard of them.”
“Oh, hey, isn’t that the company whose founder disappeared off the map a few years back? Yeah, yeah, he’s that crazy billionaire who tried to build a rocket. There were those rumors that he was abducted by aliens, but others think he’s living in a compound in South America or something.”
“Oh, yeah, I remember seeing something about that on TV,” Rowan dismissed. “Listen, Darren, I'll head straight to the Desert Suite and make sure our special guests are taken care of. I’ll have my cell today if anything comes up. Thanks for letting me know."
She hung up, turning to Eclipse with wide eyes. "My manager said Milano had a corporate retreat booked. They canceled this morning."
Eclipse's expression remained calm, but his energy field visibly contracted. "Your manager has inadvertently provided valuable intelligence."
Eclipse retrieved his Earth clothing.
“If they needed the retreat as a cover for surveillance operations, why cancel?” Rowan wondered, before answering for herself, “Because they saw us together last night and recognized me. They know I have full access to the retreat, including the security cameras. I could have kept an eye on them.”
"We must relocate to the retreat immediately,” Eclipse said. “Solar and Lunar need to be warned."
"If they don't already know." Rowan checked the windows and doors, making sure everything was locked before they left. Not that locks would stop Milano if they decided to search her place.
As they headed for her car, Rowan scanned the street with new wariness. The isolated neighborhood suddenly seemed full of potential threats. Why was that van parked down the street? Mrs. Lowen stared intently at it through her curtains.
In the car, Eclipse remained unnaturally still, his attention fixed on their surroundings. Rowan pulled out of her driveway, obsessively checking her rearview mirror.
"So what's the plan?" she asked, taking a route that would avoid the main roads. "If Milano's actively hunting you guys, we need a strategy."
"Strategy requires accurate intelligence," Eclipse replied. "We must first gather information about Milano's capabilities and objectives. Then we can formulate an appropriate response."
"Well, I can tell you their objective," Rowan said, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.
"They want alien tech. Before I got shut down, I was investigating rumors that Milano had acquired unusual materials from a meteor crash site in New Mexico.
They hushed it up, but my source claimed they extracted something with non-terrestrial properties. "
Eclipse absorbed the information with a disturbing calm. "This suggests prior experience with extraterrestrial entities or artifacts. Their pursuit of us is likely informed by that knowledge."