been nothing but women for me for so long, I forgot what a man could do for a girl.â She fanned her fingers in front of her face. âEvery single one of those guys is so damned hot.â
Lizzie leaned over and gave Kiera a hug. Funny how sheâd thought this one was sort of stuck up and not all that friendly when theyâd first met. Amazing how first impressions could change. âI hope everything goes okay. Arnecâs going to be in that final fight against the Gar, and I know Torâs chosen to stay, too.â
âTeev and Sakel arenât back yet, either.â Kiera sighed. âI hardly know them, but I canât stop worrying. How can they matter so much to us, so fast?â
âI think itâs because theyâve been in our heads as well as our bodies. Theyâve taken their forms from our minds, which makes them familiar to us. And face it, weâve probably been more intimate with these guys than we ever have with any human lovers, male or female. I know Iâve never been so uninhibited in my life. Not that Iâm complaining, mind you!â
Lizzie leaned over and picked up Zianneâs tote. The tiny squirrel slept soundly. Sheâd not moved at all during Lizzieâs shift and hadnât awakened when Kiera came into the shack. Poor thing, and poor Mac. She couldnât imagine what he was going through right now. So much riding on their success, and so many things that could go wrong.
âIâm taking Zianne with me,â she said. âWeâve got enough Nyrians here with their soulstones; they should be able to share more energy with her.â
âI hope so.â Kiera ran her fingers over the squirrelâs fluffy tail. âIt would be horrible if we managed to save everyone but Zianne. I donât know if Mac could handle that.â
âDink, either. He loves her as much as Mac does.â Lizzie took a step toward the door and thought of one more thing. âI guess Morganâs probably not going to be relieving you.â
Kiera nodded. âI know. He and Finn should be leaving about then. Can you believe those two? It still seems impossible that theyâre going to somehow get transported to a spaceship thatâs on its way to attack the earth. I mean, a week ago I thought aliens were a bunch of hooey.â She sucked in a deep breath, slowly let it out, and cocked her head to one side as she looked at Liz. âRemind me to keep an open mind about shit, okay?
Lizzie just laughed at the perplexed look on Kieraâs face.
âAnyway,â Kiera said, âI imagine theyâll leave from here. If Mac asks, tell him Iâll stay on duty as long as they need me.â
âOkay. Weâll probably all end up in here by this afternoon, anyway. I know I want to be as close to the action as I can get. And Iâll admit I never thought the idea of aliens was hooey. I always figured there had to be someone out there, but to actually meet them? To be involved in a rescue and a fight against some really scary aliens? Not in this lifetime.â
Except it was all much too true. Liz opened the door and a bright shaft of sunlight spilled into the small building. She glanced at the tote sheâd slung over her arm to check on the squirrel. Zianne slept on. Then she shot a quick glance over her shoulder at Kiera. âBoggles the mind, ya know? Iâll see ya later.â
She closed the door behind her and took a deep, controlled breath. The August heat reflected off the rocky ground and shimmered in waves across the plateau. The nights were so clear and cold, it was hard to believe how warm it could get during the day. The smell of burned wood lingered, a reminder just how volatile the forest was this late in the summer.
And just how volatile and dangerous their position had become. She wondered about the guys that had been spotted on the back side of the plateau. Wondered what they really wanted, because no
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