Page 19 of I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com (Cosmic Chaos #1)

I woke up with a terrible crick in my neck. I got up with a stretch, vowing to never again sleep on a bench. The chapel was bathed in daylight as last night’s storm had faded into a light drizzle, and as an added bonus, I didn’t see any T. rex–shaped silhouettes looming by the windows. Both Toto and his lady love were still sprawled out on their own bench fast asleep. Intern and Sol were nowhere to be seen.

Their voices drifted in from the main hall, and I tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake Toto and his queen. Pushing the heavy wooden door open a crack, I peeked inside. Intern and Sol were both standing near the Steamboat Willie statue, their voices raised in argument.

“—can’t just ignore it, Sol!” Intern sounded pissed. “We need to get her to the research center now. There’s no telling how quickly the poison is going to take effect.”

Sol crossed his arms over his chest, his expression stubborn. “You don’t think I know that? We’ll head there as soon as we find Lok.”

“No! There’s no time to find him. Convince her to go with you now. Make something up and tell her you’ve seen the poison before and, I don’t know, it’ll rot her from the inside out or something. She’ll listen to you.”

An indignant snort. “When has she ever?”

“He’s right,” I called as I entered the room. “I’ve never been much of a listener. Seems like you aren’t either, Intern. Seeing as I told you last night that the plan is to look for Lok first. Judging by the sea of pink magnolia outside, I’d say we already reached the Fuchsia Grove. Let’s just—”

“No!” Intern shouted. “Clearly neither of you understands the gravity of the situation. I gave you until the morning to come to your senses; clearly, that was a waste of time.”

“I feel like you’re forgetting the T. rex that was prowling around looking for human tartare.”

“I would have handled it!”

“How, Intern? How is a twelve-inch-tall bird going to stop a T. rex?”

“Never mind the how. We’re wasting time. Both of you get on Beast. We’re leaving.”

“Dory, maybe he’s right.”

“Sol, don’t you turn on me too.”

“I’m not. But we still need to consider the very real possibility that this could turn into a you-or-him situation. Should that be the case, then I know Lok would agree that saving your life is what’s best.”

“Oh my god, I am so sick of that horseshit! It’s my life. Mine! And lately, everyone but me seems to be forgetting that. No one else has any right to tell me how much value I assign to it, and if I want to spend it making sure the man I love doesn’t drop dead in some stupid power struggle, then that’s what I’m gonna do.” I shoved past him to grab Beast’s reins. Pausing at the door, I looked back. “Are you coming or not?”

“I…I have no desire to force you to do anything, you know that. Enough has been taken from us already. But I am bound to you, you know that, right? If you run off and die, then I will not be far behind.”

“Could you live with yourself if we left him? I’m not sure I can.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.

“Sol.”

“I’m thinking.”

“You are so dramatic.”

“All right, fine. If you tell him I said this, I will deny it completely, but this world would be too quiet without the loud idiot. So be it. If you want to play the hero, then I’ll stand with you.”

Intern flew to roost at the top of Beast’s saddle and sighed like he wanted the dino to trample us both. “That was a lovely speech, truly touching. Now get on the dino, it’s time to go. I do not want to force your hand with this, but I will.”

“It’s not going to work, Intern. Our minds are made up.”

“Let me ask you a question, Subject 4.”

“Dory.”

“Of course,” he conceded. “Tell me, Dory , how long did you study those meerkats before we took you?”

“About two years.”

He nodded and replied, “In those two years, did you ever ask any of them what they thought before ensuring that the conditions for their survival were met? Did you check to see how they felt before gathering DNA samples or conducting behavioral experiments?”

“I…”

“Of course you didn’t. Why would you? Your job was to collect data and ensure the animals in your care stayed alive and well. So I think you know what comes next.”

“Intern, you can’t just—”

“Just what? What am I doing wrong, Dory? You would do the same in this situation. This entire planet was terraformed with the sole purpose of you and the other test subjects forming a successful breeding population with the Sankado. I admit I didn’t think Lok would end up getting himself assassinated when I separated you two, but fortunately you have a spare,” he said, casting a quick glance at Sol.

The coldness in his gaze sent my pulse spinning. “What do you mean you separated us?”

He laughed, then pulled out the Tamagotchi, turned it on, and tossed it to me. “Look at your affection meter. You said it yourself, didn’t you? Humans need time apart to sort out their feelings. What did you call it again? Ah, that’s right. Pining. ”

I stared wordlessly at the affection meter. Both Lok’s and Sol’s bars had risen dramatically from the last time I’d seen it. Sol’s was nearly full at nine notches, barely beating out Lok’s seven.

“Honestly, I was shocked at how well it worked. As soon as Sol and I were separated from you after that vellshoten T. rex attacked us, your affection for him went up three whole notches! Three! I’d be an idiot not to try and replicate that. Especially with that power-hungry Osid so desperate to get rid of Lok. All I had to do was guide you to him, and sure enough, as soon as you began worrying about him, your affection for him shot up. Pining works—far better than the ‘only one bed’ trope our manual kept harping on.”

He pulled up his screen and began typing. “Your cooperation up until now has been helpful. I’d hoped to continue working closely alongside you to better document your progress, but if you insist on doing this the hard way, then I’m afraid I have no choice.” With a ding, the screen faded away.

Faint buzzing filled the air.

“Dory, watch out!” Before I could blink, Sol shoved hard at my back, and a net burst through the window and enveloped him in glowing blue rope.

Through the broken window from where the net had burst in, I could see the rain break against the telltale outline of alien saucers. The aliens hadn’t just come for me—they had arrived in force.

Intern’s betrayal stung. I couldn’t tell if I wanted to cry or scream. “You’ve been in contact with them this whole time?”

With a tilt of his head he replied, “Did you really think we’d risk losing this big of an investment because of a broken hover scooter? You alone cost more than this containment. Your escape from the ship was unplanned, to be sure, but it did present something better. Opportunity. The data I’ve gathered while traveling with you three is invaluable, and for that, I thank you. But it’s time to go.”

The net wrapped around Sol tightened until he let out a pained hiss.

“Do as I say and no one has to get hurt.”

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, hard enough to taste blood. The net wound tighter around him, and drops of blood spilled from the cuts until something in me snapped.

My fingers wrapped around the phone in my back pocket.

A high-pitched shriek burst from Intern as I threw my phone hard enough at his head to send him flying off Beast’s saddle.

“Toto!” I screamed.

The lion burst into the room, paws sliding on the smooth marble floor. He took in the scene with wide eyes. “What’s all this? What’s happening?”

I stared at the Intern picking himself up off the floor. “Grab your queen. It’s time for a hunt.”

“Yes!” The lion grinned wide like a Cheshire cat before he charged directly at me. A slight tinge of fear wormed its way up my spine before the lion leapt clear over my head and smacked down a cloaked hover scooter. The force of the blow shattered its windshield, and the green Biwban inside was sent flying out of his craft. Toto landed not far from me, and bloodlust and joy radiated from the big cat in waves. “No need to wake my queen, I will bring her a feast of sour birds and she will know of my devotion!”

Grabbing a chunk of broken glass from the shattered hovercraft, I knelt beside Sol and hacked away at the ropes binding my alien.

“Hurry,” he gasped. “I can’t breathe.”

“I’m going as fast as I can.”

The rope fell away and he slumped against me. The smell of iron was thick in the air. “Thank you,” he breathed.

“Don’t thank me yet; we’re not out of this,” I said, grabbing Sol by the arm and hoisting him to his hooves. Drops of water fell to the floor not far from us, and without a second thought, Sol raised his arm and shot a fireball. His aim was true, and the craft’s cloaking feature fizzled away before the pod crashed against the statue of Steamboat Willie. The room exploded in a shower of debris and dust. I coughed, blinking tears from my eyes.

“You’ll pay for that,” a voice sneered from behind. I whirled around and saw the Biwban had a ray gun trained at Sol’s head.

“No!” Intern shouted. “That’s her only other Zhali match. We need him alive!”

Sol chuckled.

Which, hold on…was his voice always that deep?

Hello?

“Now, why in Jelrath’s name would you tell me that?” He placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned to whisper, “Get to Beast. I’ll take care of them.”

“Are you crazy? There’s a swarm of them.”

He rested his forehead on my shoulder and chuckled. “Would it kill you to let me show off a little?”

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

“When have I ever done anything stupid?”

“I’m not dignifying that with an answer.”

He stepped forward, arms outstretched, and the firelight glinted off his horns.

Another saucer fired a net, but my alien dodged with ease. Sol returned the favor, flicking his wrist to send a fireball careening into the spacecraft. The ship spiraled out of control before it slammed against the ceiling and crashed down on the other side of the room.

“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this.” He smiled.

Two more craft flew in and took aim. I ducked behind the statue as their ray guns went off.

A scream rang out, followed by the sound of glass breaking and flames crackling.

I peeked out and saw Sol’s flames dancing around the room, scorching the walls and the statues and the carpet, but not once did they touch me or Toto, who was happily mauling his way through Biwban.

“Why is this so hot?”

Sol whipped around and sent a wave of fire crashing against a hovercraft. The Biwban inside jumped out, only to be swallowed up in a ring of fire.

“Move, now!”

Sol’s flames cleared the way and I ran back to Beast, Sol close behind. I swung myself onto the saddle and helped him up behind me. “Toto, let’s go!”

The lion spat feathers out of his mouth to speak. “Just go, find your mate. These are mine.”

I would have objected if the lion didn’t look like he was having the time of his life. Toto launched himself into the fray gleefully , tearing apart the closest Biwban.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” he said. Toto leapt into the air and caught another hovercraft. “My queen needs breakfast.”

With a crack of the reins, we flew out the chapel’s double doors. The drizzle hadn’t abated and the storm clouds hung low in the sky, but not far off, the sun shone through.

“Hold on!” Beast picked up speed as we galloped through the trees.

“I heard from the other Singing Arrows that King Osid plans to face Lok at the spot where he cast off his honor,” Sol commented, forcing my head down with him to avoid smacking into a low-hanging branch. “Do you have any idea where that is?”

I racked my brain for answers, replaying Lok’s and my conversation in the cave. “He said something about a shrine, a tall rock pillar with strange writing.”

“The Glyph Stone.”

“You know where it is?” I asked hopefully.

“I know of it, but I’ve never been this far outside of Night Ridge territory.”

“So you don’t actually know where we’re going?”

“You could say that, yes.”

I sighed. “Perfect. Just perfect.”

We could hear the whiz of a hovercraft as it grew closer. Sol shoved the reins into my hands and turned around in the saddle to spit fire in a wave behind us. The flames damaged the ship’s cloaking feature, but its pilot was determined and flew up high out of the smoke. Sol fired another shot. The ship dodged the blow but overcorrected and spun out, smashing against the trees.

“They’re still gaining on us,” I called over the chaos. “Any ideas?”

“None that you’re going to like.” He sprayed fireballs behind us, taking out a hovercraft and clipping another.

“You said that so ominously, I already don’t like it. What’s the alternative?”

He pulled me to him and snaked his hand under my shirt and squeezed my tit.

“WHAT THE FUCK?”

Sol buried his nose in my neck, groaning as his fingers trailed a path of heat along my thigh. “If I’m meant to keep my hands off you, why would you let this perfect ass bounce around in front of me? Honestly, Dory, it’s cruel to tempt me so boldly. You know I’m injured.”

My mouth hung open in disbelief. “We are…we are in the middle of a high-speed chase! Why the hell are you choosing now to cop a feel? You are unbelievable.” My voice rose several octaves when his hand slipped into my panties and stroked my pussy.

“And you love it, don’t you?” he purred against my neck.

My nails dug into his skin as he pushed a finger inside me, and a hiss escaped my lips. “Sol,” I bit out, despite the way my breath hitched as his fingers moved faster, stroking a deep, slow rhythm inside me.

“Go on, Stardust, lie to me.” My legs quivered when he nipped the shell of my ear. I bit my lip and fought to keep my eyes from rolling into the back of my head as he curled his fingers; a sharp cry tore from my throat.

“Shove me away; tell me you’re not about to come on my fingers for all these Biwban to see. Tell me how much you hate the way I make your knees shake.”

“I’m so confused but strangely into this. Continue.”

“Do you think the Biwban would like to watch me fuck you? I’m sure the two of us could give them a few more training modules for their manual.”

“Mmm, you’re losing me on the sex tape.”

“I can feel how much you’re dripping down my wrist. What do you say? Should we give them a show? Make your tits bounce so prettily the birds can’t take their eyes off you, maybe even slip my knot inside you, let them hear how loud you like to beg for it before you come. Say the words, and I’ll make you come all over my hand.”

“You wish,” I gritted out.

Sol laughed. “That’s right. My Zhali is a dishonest little thing. Fine, if you’re not ready to tell the truth, then I’ll start,” he said, pushing a second finger into me. My breathing came out in shallow pants as his lips brushed against my temple. Sol placed a kiss on my neck and whispered, “I love you.”

Several things happened in rapid succession.

First, that damn Tamagotchi went off.

Second, a hovercraft flew past us, and the bright yellow Biwban inside spun his ship around and readied his net gun. I made a valiant attempt to both tug on the reins to avoid the net and shield myself so I wasn’t out here letting every alien trying to capture me get a full showing of my kibbles ’n’ bits. That plan was thwarted when Sol’s tail knocked my hand away and sucked hard on my clit.

Neither my nor the Biwban’s attempts mattered, however, because the damn Gruulorak burst through the trees and chomped down on the hovercraft.

I don’t know if it was the adrenaline, the love confession, the alien tail sucking the soul out of my clit, or some combination of all three, but I’d never come so hard in my life .

Beast jerked his head, tearing the reins from my hands before veering around the Gruulorak. Sol grabbed me by the hair and kissed me. His tongue delved into my mouth, swallowing the moans that spilled from my lips. His tail released my swollen bud and the thick appendage wrapped around my thigh, holding me steady against him as he rubbed the slick coating on his fingers over my aching clit. When we broke apart, I was left panting, dazed, and wet.

“Now, was that so hard?” he purred, licking the last drops of my juices from his fingers.

“I—that was—what—” I tried to force coherent words out of my mush brain to no avail. Beast slowed to a halt, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath.

“You’re welcome,” Sol said, his tone smug.

I punched his shoulder. “I was not going to thank you!”

“You were thinking it.”

“Smug bastard. We’re in the middle of running for our lives and you decided it would be a good idea to stick your tail down my pants and finger-fuck me. What were you thinking?”

He rolled his eyes and pointed behind us. The Gruulorak ripped another Biwban from their hovercraft and snapped it up like a prized dumpling. Our remaining pursuers fired shots at the massive T. rex, but the pink glutton was undeterred. With a swing of her tail, another ship was down. “I was thinking we weren’t the ones she’s been chasing this whole time.”

A second T. rex emerged from the forest. It was smaller than the Gruulorak, and the blue stripes on its muzzle made it appear younger. Its mother roared, a deep bellow that echoed through the grove. More little ones appeared out of the trees and charged toward the remaining ships. The Gruulorak slammed a foot on a felled hovercraft and used her mighty jaws to pry the top off like a can opener. Her baby made short work of the pilot.

“Oh my stars,” I breathed. The last of the ships disappeared in a sea of carnivorous teeth. It wasn’t pretty. My stomach rolled, and I swallowed down the urge to gag. Sol was right; we were not the ones being chased. His hand tightened around my waist, and he pulled the reins. Beast took off, and we left the carnage behind.