Dark Planet Falling Read online

  There was something absurdly surreal about it all. This was an ordinary suburban living room in an ordinary suburban house, and there were actually freaking Kordolians staying here. Of course, security was tight here in the Diplomatic Zone, but it all felt bizarrely domestic.

  “Come in, Miss Aquinas.” The voice that greeted her was deep and melodious, and a little thrill went through her, much to her surprise. She mentally kicked herself. Now wasn’t the time to be getting all giddy over these exotic visitors. They were still considered the enemy until proven otherwise. She and the rest of the Human race still had no idea what their true agenda was.

  She trusted them as far as she could throw them.

  Sera peered into the darkness, trying to identify the owner of the voice.

  “I forgot that Humans need light to see.” A corner lamp flickered on. “Forgive my lack of consideration.”

  Sera stifled a gasp as she stepped further into the room. Before her sat a beautiful demon.

  That was the first thought that entered her mind. She blinked, taken aback by his otherworldly appearance.

  The Kordolian inclined his head, his amber eyes roaming over her. If he wasn’t an alien, Sera might have thought he was checking her out, but she dismissed his bold appraisal as simple curiosity. He probably wasn’t used to Humans yet.

  Sera stared back at him, taking in his elegant features. Long, silvery eyebrows came together in a slight frown. His cheekbones were razor-sharp, gracing slightly hollowed cheeks. His lips were a slightly darker shade of grey than his skin, and they were full and expressive.

  The Kordolian’s ears were long and pointed, and he had long almost-white hair that was tied back from his face. From his temples rose a pair of curved, black horns. He wore midnight-blue robes that accentuated his luminous skin.

  His appearance was impossible, almost ethereal, and there was a wildness about him. He somehow reminded Sera of a wolf.

  Damn it. Sera hadn’t expected the alien to be so damn attractive. She opened her mouth to speak, trying to regain control of the situation, annoyed that she had been thrown off-balance.

  Behind her, scary warrior-guy broke the spell, whipping his hand out and plucking something from the air.

  “Hey!” It was her drone-recorder. The tiny device was worth a small fortune. Sera’s heart sank as she heard a metallic crushing sound.

  The Kordolian opened his silver palm, showing her the object. It was now a mangled mess of components. “No recording,” he snapped, and stalked out of the room before she could say a word.

  Sera resisted the urge to turn the air all kinds of blue with her swearing.

  “He gets a little overprotective sometimes,” the polite demon murmured, motioning for her to sit. Sera raised an eyebrow at the understatement, unable to take her eyes off the Kordolian.

  He held out a hand. “Xalikian Kazharan. Xal, for short. This is how you Humans greet, isn’t it? This ‘handshake’ thing.”

  Sera reached out. His hand engulfed hers. It was big and warm, his fingers long and elegant. His grip was firm and spoke of restrained power. She met it with her own strong grip, and something about her response made him smile.

  “So, Miss Aquinas-”

  “Please, call me Sera.”

  “Sera.” Her name rolled off his tongue, as if he were savoring it. “Perhaps you can explain to me why there are so many Humans crowded around our quarters all of a sudden.”

  “Does this mean you’ll grant me an interview?”

  “Interview?” He smiled, revealing his fangs. “I’m not sure what that is. I just wanted to ask you a few questions about Earth, and Humans.”

  The warmth she’d detected in his eyes earlier had disappeared, replaced with a calculating look.

  A flicker of irritation sparked in Sera, and she shook her head. “An interview is where I ask you the questions. I’m with the media, just like every other asshole standing outside your front gate. They’re all trying to get a piece of you guys. Surely you would have expected this when you set foot on our soil.”

  “Why should I only speak with you, when there are so many others wanting to hear from me?”

  “Because I asked first.”

  Unexpectedly, he laughed. “Are the others unwilling to come forward?”

  “Actually, I think they’re scared shitless of you guys.”

  “We don’t bite, Sera,” said the silver alien with sharp, pointed fangs.

  “How are we supposed to know that? I mean, you guys have been throwing your weight around the Nine Galaxies for a couple of centuries now. We all prayed you’d never, ever set foot on our doorstep, but here you are, in the flesh. So why are you here, Xalikian Kazharan? What does Earth have that you Kordolians can’t procure from one of the many planets you’ve stolen?”

  “Females,” Xal shrugged. “We would like the chance to meet Human women. You’re right about the stealing planets bit, but that’s all my mother’s doing. I approach things differently. Now it’s my turn to ask you a question.”

  “Hang on just a minute.” Sera held up a hand. “You can’t just give me some flippant answer and then expect me to start answering all your questions.” She blinked. “Females? That’s your excuse for being here?” She didn’t know whether to laugh hysterically or bang her head against the wall.

  He wasn’t being serious, was he?

  We want your females. It sounded like the plot of some terrible B-grade movie.

  Her skepticism must have showed, because Xal almost looked offended. “I don’t lie, Sera Aquinas. Is something funny?”

  “Not at all.” Outwardly, she recovered her composure, hiding the fact that she was flustered. Sera shook her head. This wasn’t going the way she’d planned. She couldn’t imagine Xal’s answers passing for news on the Networks.

  Nobody would take her seriously.

  “My turn.” Xal leaned forward, startling her with his speed. He took her hands into his, tracing his thumbs along the callused skin of her palms. Sera tried to pull out of his grasp, but he held onto her. He turned her hands gently, examining her knuckles.

  His fingers were warm, but rough. The feel of his skin against hers sent a shiver down her spine. In a good way.

  “Why do you have fighter’s hands, Sera Aquinas? Is it common for Human females to fight?” He traced the little bump on her left hand; an old, healed fracture. He brushed over the grazes on her knuckles.

  “That’s none of your business, Kordolian.” She pulled her hands out of his grasp, not liking the way his touch made her go a little weak at the knees. He was being inappropriate and overfamiliar. She glared at him in annoyance. “That’s your question?”

  “I’m curious. I haven’t had much experience with your kind, and I want to learn as much as I can about you.” He gave her a sly look.

  “You mean you want to learn about the Human race,” Sera clarified, as heat crept under her collar and the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. This guy was either very smooth, or very naive.

  She decided it was the latter.

  “Do Earth women really fight?”

  “We do whatever the hell we want,” Sera snorted. “Military service, systems analysis, underground cage fighting, cross-stitch, you name it. Does that surprise you?”

  “You have to understand that where I’m from, females wouldn’t dream of such things. They are protected at all costs.”

  “Huh.” Sera couldn’t begin to imagine what Kordolian society was like. “Well this is Earth, so you’d better get used to it. Feminism is dead, because gender equality is alive and well.”

  “Is that so.” Xal’s golden eyes shimmered in the lamplight. “I’m looking forward to discovering your planet, Sera. Earth is undoubtedly a fascinating place.” His low voice was like honey, smooth and mellow. Once again, Sera felt that warm, tingly sensation at the back of her neck. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like the fact that this strange, mystifying being had slipped under her guard so easily.

/>   Wolf-eyes was getting under her skin.

  He wasn’t the Kordolian she’d planned for. She’d been expecting some stoic, official type, a diplomat who would rattle off generic, pre-prepared answers. She thought she’d get the usual colonization isn’t so bad after all propaganda; fodder she could tear apart in a savage opinion piece.

  Instead, she got this charming, unsettling, amber-eyed, horned creature, who had completely derailed her.

  Who and what the fuck was he, anyway?

  “What’s your exact title, Xal? Are you some kind of emissary?” He wasn’t a warrior. He was too smooth; too refined. Oh, he could be dangerous, of that she had no doubt, but he wasn’t military. He just didn’t give off that vibe, unlike the grim, no-nonsense Kordolian who had opened the door earlier.

  Xal looked at her with a deadpan expression. “Imperial Prince of the Kordolian Empire.”

  Sera froze in disbelief. “What?”

  “That’s my title,” he replied. “I don’t rely on it so much these days.” There was a trace of irony in his voice. “Aristocracy is overrated, don’t you think? You Humans have a much more sensible system of government. You actually choose your leaders.” He clasped his hands together, and Sera’s palms tingled with the lingering memory of his touch. “We could learn a lot from your people.”

  A prince, huh? He didn’t exactly strike her as the royal sort, yet on the other hand, it made perfect sense.

  “So you’re the Empire’s representative, then. A figurehead coming to Earth to gently introduce us to the idea of Imperial Kordolian rule?”

  “Absolutely not.” Xal managed to look shocked. “We want to forge an alliance, not become your overlords. I can assure you, I don’t represent the Empire. I’m not interested in procurement and expansion. I come here on behalf of the Kordolian race, as an equal.”

  “As an equal.” Sera found that hard to believe. “You want to live side by side with Humans?”

  “Why do you find that so far-fetched?”

  “You know, we do get news in this corner of the Universe, Prince. The Kordolian Empire has a reputation for brutality and exploitation.”

  “I’m different to them, Sera,” he said softly. “I have no interest in trying to enslave your people. The same goes for the Kordolians who came with me. Believe it or not, some of us just want to live in peace.”

  He was overwhelmingly close, and she was at risk of getting lost in his mesmerizing golden gaze.

  Part of her wanted to believe him, and that was bad.

  She really shouldn’t be getting flustered over this Kordolian, but he was unlike anyone she’d ever encountered. He was polite yet arrogant, bluntly honest yet inscrutable, and completely mystifying.

  Sera couldn’t stop staring at him. Her mouth was dry, her palms were clammy, and she couldn’t think straight.

  She was reacting to him. That was bad.

  As a journalist, Sera had developed a knack for figuring people out. But this alien? He was doing her head in. He wasn’t what she’d expected a Kordolian to be like.

  The guy who’d answered the door had been what she was expecting. A gruff, no-nonsense warrior type. She could deal with those.

  This guy? He was complicated, and that made him dangerous. He was asking her a lot of questions, and she wasn’t sure she was doing the Human race a favor with her answers.

  Sera needed to terminate the interview, now. She needed to get out of here, because she didn’t understand him, and she didn’t understand why her heart was suddenly pounding.

  She didn’t trust him; she didn’t trust Kordolians in general, and that would be the theme of her article. If he was going to try and be cryptic with her, then she would use a little journalistic license and fill in the blanks herself.

  Served him right for being such an infuriating, sexy Kordolian.

  She wouldn’t be swayed by his good looks. Just because he was an alien and a rare species in this corner of the Universe didn’t mean he was getting a free pass.

  Oh, no. She had to remain objective at all costs.

  ~~~

  Abruptly, the female called Sera stood. She moved with an easy grace, rising to her feet in a fluid motion. Her strange high shoes were the only hint of color in her dark outfit.

  There was so much Xal didn’t understand. Why did she wear such shoes? They had a long spike at the heel, angling her feet upwards so that she walked on her toes. They were silver, with swirls of deep blue. They looked terribly uncomfortable.

  Despite their crazy angle, she balanced on them effortlessly, and he stared at her legs, which were encased in dark fabric. The swell of her calves was clearly visible and her pants became taut around her thighs, accentuating their roundness as they curved upwards to meet generous hips.

  The black jacket she wore nipped in at her waist and flattered her rounded breasts without revealing too much. She had strong, athletic shoulders and a graceful neck. Her jaw was clenched in irritation, and her dark brown eyes held fire.

  Her skin was a light brown color. It was almost golden, a shade he had never seen on any individual before, human or otherwise.

  She was so different to his kind; she was completely, utterly Human. Some Kordolians might have found her appearance strange, repulsive even, but Xal appreciated beauty in all its forms.

  A single tendril escaped her tightly bound hair. It was curled, something he hadn’t even thought possible. Kordolians only ever had straight hair.

  Like many of the Human women he’d seen so far, her face was painted, lending a slight sheen to her skin. She had full, expressive lips that were tinted red and her dark eyes were lined with black.

  It added to her allure, and yet he wondered why she felt the need to decorate herself in such a way. He was certain she would be equally as beautiful without the face-paint.

  Humans. They were still such a mystery to him.

  For example, he didn’t understand why she’d suddenly become upset.

  “I think I have enough information for now,” she said tersely. She reached inside her jacket and pulled something out. It was a small chip. “My data chip. My contact details are inside, if you ever change your mind and want to give me a serious interview. You can also easily find me on the Networks, once you figure out how to navigate them. We can always meet over a virtua-link. Actually, that might be better for both of us.”

  The corners of her crimson lips curled upwards ever so slightly. Was she mocking him? She was poised and utterly confident, and he found that combination rather seductive.

  And yet for a moment there, when he’d grasped her hands, she’d been startled, and the mask had dropped. He’d seen a flicker of warmth in her eyes, and a glimmer of vulnerability.

  She had fighter’s hands, and he didn’t know why.

  Most Kordolian females would never think of doing such a thing. They were sheltered from the harsh realities of the Universe. A cultural difference, perhaps.

  Interesting.

  He took the chip from her, intentionally allowing his fingers to linger against hers.

  She didn’t react. That was slightly disappointing, but she was Human, after all. Maybe she didn’t find his type attractive. He could imagine how startling he might look to Humans, especially with his horns.

  When all the other Kordolians in Kythian society went around hornless, Xal refused to have his chopped and sealed. He didn’t see why he had to mutilate what nature had given him.

  And he wasn’t about to change that for the sake of Humans, even females.

  Goddess; this was too much for him to process. He’d come from the harsh environment of Kythia to a planet where he’d seen more females in a single day than he’d encountered in an entire orbit. And Human women completely scrambled his understanding of the opposite gender.

  Perhaps his reaction to her was simply a result of having been deprived for too long.

  He needed fresh air; he needed to run and feel the wind against his face.

  “Sera.” He liked
her exotic sounding name. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue. “Is there some place on this island where one can run? An open space, free of Humans?”

  Suspicion danced in her eyes. “Why do you want to know?”

  “I’m the sort who doesn’t do well in confined spaces, and I’ve been stuck on a battle cruiser for the last six cycles. I’ve been starved of freedom and it’s been driving me insane. I just want to get out in the open and stretch my legs.”

  “Cabin fever, huh?” She sounded oddly sympathetic. Indecision flitted across her face, and she hesitated. After a pause, she sighed. “There’s a hundred kilometers of seawall on the Northern side of the island. It’s isolated at the best of times. Just be mindful that it’s outside the Diplomatic Zone. They won’t let you out without a pass.”

  “I will go as soon as this side of the Earth tips into shadow. Perhaps you would join me,” he suggested, surprising himself. Where had that come from? “I would go sooner, but sunlight doesn’t agree with my kind.”

  “Thanks for the invitation, but I have work to do tonight.” She shook her head. “I’d suggest you be a good visitor and stick to your side of the fence. If for some reason they actually let you cross over, you’ll be shadowed by drones and you’ll attract a lot of unwanted attention. Be careful, Prince. I know you Kordolians are big and bad and scary, but you never know what might happen. Not everyone on Earth is tolerant towards aliens.” She straightened and turned. “Goodbye, Xal. Thank you for your time.” She seemed to be in a hurry to leave all of a sudden.

  Xal stared at her blankly, wondering why she thought the Human authorities could keep him from going where he wanted. It was absurd. Even when he’d lived in the Palace of Arches, he’d always found a way to escape. The wild, open plains of the Vaal had always called to him, and eventually he had returned to the Tribes. They had always given him shelter when he needed it most.

  It had driven his minders mad and infuriated his mother. She’d blamed his father, saying Ilhan had turned him into a savage.

  Sera started to walk away, her scent lingering behind her, teasing Xal with hints of something sweet and forbidden. Earth was full of the sounds and smells of life; things grew here, unlike on Kythia, where everything was cold, flat and frozen.