Sinth Source - A Sci-Fi Alien Romance: Sinth Strain Book 2 Read online

  “Maybe he just wants to learn more about their culture here?” Lifting her hair from the sides of her face, I pull it back on each side, studying what she’d look like with it worn similar to Teresa’s.

  Brushing off my hands, Lana pushes against my chest, forcing me back. Without another word, she turns and heads to the living area off the kitchen. “What? That’s it?” I ask to no avail.

  I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face as I watch her head to the main staircase. She’s pissed—again—which is kind of her default setting. She may be a bitch, but she’s physically flawless.

  Watching her start up the stairs, I admire her perfect ass. Perfect but unattainable … by design. Maybe Payak has the right idea? Maybe it’s time to look around this base at the multitude of Earth species females?

  CHAPTER THREE

  - Jade

  As Teresa and I walk onto the dance floor at The Pit, I can tell I’m just starting to get enough alcohol in me. Teresa didn’t tell me she set us up to meet these guys at the only bar on base, but she must have. It’d be a little too coincidental if they just happened to be here when we’re all dolled up.

  Mike, who’s now all over Teresa, is even toting along a friend. I suspect for me. I’ve seen Tim around the base, but had no idea he was even remotely interested in me.

  Laughing with Teresa as we suggestively shake our hips at each other, I glance over at Mike and Tim, who’re ordering another round at the table we claimed. Teresa could do worse, but Tim’s not even worth asking out on a date. Nice enough, but he seems like the type that’ll get clingy. I already know that’d be miserable—for both of us.

  I’ve dated a lot. Like a lot, a lot. But usually only once or twice with the same person. For some reason, guys are not interested in just being friends and hanging out casually. They always assume they'll be friends with benefits.

  Teresa has a hard time saying no to invitations for dates, at least without preparation. So I know pretty much what happened. The problem is she’s been in a relationship for so long that she’s always fallen back on that as an excuse to say no. Now, since she ended it with the asshole, she doesn’t have a default answer when she’s asked out.

  Clearly, she ran into Mike at one of the gates during her rounds, and he asked her to meet him here. It’s interesting she didn’t tell me. It seems like there has been quite a bit she’s left out recently. Mike’s attractive with his dark skin and bright smile. He has an incredible body, even if he’s a bit short for my tastes. Not that I have an ideal … okay, maybe I do.

  My measuring gauge for men is impossible though, since I know I’ve built him up in my mind. My eternal flame has always burned for Charles. Charles … my first crush.

  When the state removed me at eight years old from my mother’s home, I was lucky enough to be placed in a loving family by the time I was ten. It’s been four years since I’ve seen Charles. He was another adopted child in my permanent home, five years older than me. With dreamy large, blue eyes and dark hair, I remember wondering how his mother could have given him up as a baby. By the time I was twelve and hitting puberty, I was a goner.

  I looked up to him, and he treated me so well, always taking time to listen to me and letting me talk to him about my day. He had me telling him more about my life with my mother—those first eight hungry years with her—than I’d ever discussed with the therapist at the group home. It’s no wonder I fell for him.

  As the song ends, I lean in, “Ready to drink?” I need to shake myself out of this funk. The right guy will come along for me … eventually.

  Teresa shakes her heavy curls, and I can’t resist sinking my fingers into it. I’m so jealous. My own hair is thin and blond. There’s no point in even trying to grow it out. It’s so fine, it never gets past my mid-back, breaking off even from minor sun damage.

  “For sure.” Linking hands, we weave through a crowd that’s getting bigger by the minute. It’s not surprising, though, since it’s Saturday night and this is the only bar.

  Tim stands as we reach the table, holding up another glass of wine for me. “Are you ladies ready for your drinks?” There’s another shot of tequila on the table too. What a sweetie, getting me exactly what I had before. Not that I need another shot. I usually just kick off my drinking with one, but we can’t have that go to waste.

  I accept my new glass of wine, wiggling my eyebrows at Tim. “Of course, but I’m actually here to pressure you. You coming out to dance?”

  Teresa throws her head back, laughing harder than she needs to, but she has had a couple of drinks already and she looks nervous as her gaze shifts to Mike. Uncomfortable. Interesting …

  “What? You don’t think I have the moves?” Mike swivels his hips suggestively, misinterpreting Teresa’s laughter which quickly turns into her choking on her wine at his suggestive thrusts. Hot!

  Everyone I meet goes through a pretty harsh review process, and now that I’ve reached twenty-four as a virgin, there’s no point in just throwing it away. With the way Mike swivels his hips, I bet he’s good in bed. Just a simple observation, but I must be horny or something.

  Laughing at his antics, I turn my back to the table, rocking my hips provocatively back at him. “Well, I’m definitely ready to see them.”

  Grabbing me hard, Teresa tugs me away from my drink with a dour look on her face. Liquid sloshes over the rim and onto my hand. Setting it down quickly, I admonish her. “Whoa, girl. I’m coming.”

  “Hardly,” she responds without turning around, spinning in a circle in front of me on the way back to the jammed dance floor.

  Without another word, Teresa spins, twisting in front of me. Grasping her shoulders, we shimmy with each other. This is why I love Teresa so much. I’m sure half the base thinks we’re getting it on at my place and she dumped Ted to be with me, but our relationship isn’t like that.

  Mocking each other slightly, twirling our bodies, we enjoy teasing the men around us with flirty glances. The men have joined us now, and switching partners, the four of us all dance with each other. Tim isn’t bad for a white boy, but Mike does steal the show. As the next song begins, I’m facing Teresa as her eyes widen when she looks over my shoulder.

  Her mouth is a round “O” as her brow furrows, and she scowls, scrunching her eyes. Rocking us to the right, I see an incredible looking man leaning against the wall at the end of the dance floor. Wearing tight khakis and a T-shirt that molds to the muscles in his powerful upper chest, I almost drool.

  Fuck yeah. Where did that specimen come from? He’s as gorgeous as Ian Somerhalder.

  Wrapping my arms around Teresa, I pull her in to yell over the music. “Who’s that?”

  Shaking her head, Teresa looks away from him to answer directly into my ear. My eyes are locked on his, and my breath catches as I realize how light they appear in his face. “That’s Payak … you know the new visitors—”

  “Oh, yeah!” Teresa came home the other day all whipped up about this guy. Now I see why! Holy shit.

  While Teresa continues to keep her back to him, I study him as he starts to wave at us with a big smile. I wave back at him over Teresa’s shoulder, and he smiles, straightening slightly and pulling to his full height. He’s very tall.

  Whoa! Okay. I get it.

  With his cropped black hair and striking eyes, he’s fucking devastating. Teresa does house walk-throughs with incoming arrivals, and sometimes outgoing parties too. All the hoity-toity groups arriving at the base from all over the country get set up in the two to three bedroom houses that are built into the mountain behind us, and they’re always the biggest pains in the butt for her.

  This time, I can see why she felt so overwhelmed. “He looks friendly enough.” He’s still smiling, accentuating a square jaw covered with stubble. I’d say the only thing that detracts from his features—or makes him look different than Charles—is his skin. He looks paler.

  Teresa snorts, moving closer to Mike after she gives me a “what the fuck”
look. I don’t blame her. Studiously refusing to look at him again, I focus on Tim, dancing casually as the song winds down.

  Too bad he seems so into Teresa, and she did see him first. She doesn’t want him, but she vaguely told me how he originally came onto her when she met him at the home. But damn! When she said hot, I hadn’t dialed it up far enough for what I was imagining—

  “Can I cut in?” I do a double take as I look over and see a large man that looks a lot like the guy I just saw talking to Teresa and Mike … wait!

  He’s asking to cut in and dance with Teresa, but this definitely isn’t the same guy I saw against the wall a minute ago. This guy’s wearing a button down and dress slacks, and the guy I thought was Payak was in a T-shirt. Similar. Both are striking. Are they brothers?

  Mike’s voice is barely audible over the song. “Uh, sure. If it’s okay with the lady?”

  Looking like a deer in the headlights, Teresa swallows hard, but otherwise remains mute. The new guy is already wrapping his arms around her, and she isn’t running off screaming. This is clearly the guy who hit on her the other day.

  Glancing over to where the other guy was, I don’t see him any longer. Damn. That’s too bad.

  Tim grabs my hands, leaning in to get my attention as his lips hit my ear. “Hey, Mike’s going to sit this one out. Do you—” Gesturing to the table, I nod.

  Scanning the room, I tell him. “I think I’ll hit the bathroom.”

  Nodding and smiling, he pulls away, and I don’t bother to watch their retreating backs. My eyes are drawn to Teresa as she and her man move on the dance floor. So, if that’s Payak … where’s his friend?

  Spinning in a slow circle, I glance around the room. I don’t see him. Walking away from the dance floor, I move into the tiny hall next to the bar to wait for one of the bathrooms to become available. I continue eyeing the room, trying to remember what she told me about them. Weren’t there six of them? Could they all be that good looking?

  I remember how upset she was about her reaction to him when they met. She was embarrassed and humiliated, feeling she wasn’t professional in front of a superior. She did ask him how long they’d be here, and he said he didn’t know. So, they’re going to come and go. Too bad.

  Just as someone leaves one of the bathrooms, making it available for me, I see him! Pushing through the crowd around him as he walks in my direction, he towers over even the tallest men in the room. He has to be six four, maybe taller. Yummy.

  Shaking off my temporary paralysis, I turn to enter the bathroom, releasing the door behind me. But instead of the closing slam, it collides with a large shape. I watch, stunned, as the door is pushed open further, and Mr. Incredible enters the small space, towering over me.

  When I flatten myself against the opposite wall, he holds up both his hands, palm up. “I’m … I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you … I just wanted to introduce myself since you know Teresa … and I know Payak.”

  “In the bathroom?” My tone is indignant, even though I can’t help but be flattered. His move is weird, but it’s still sexy he even noticed me. Compared to Teresa’s exotic looks, I’m small and washed out. If she’s the beautiful princess, I’m the side-kick.

  He looks around the bathroom, before holding out his hand, announcing, “I’m Desin.” His voice is deep and fills the tiny room, sending a shock wave through me and making me experience a full body shudder. Woah!

  Flattening my hands against the wall behind me, I watch his expression as he takes in the room. I can tell the instant he realizes we’re in a bathroom. His hand drops slightly, and I immediately feel bad. Although, what did he think this was?

  Trying to salvage the moment, I laugh slightly and step forward to take his hand before he lowers it. It feels totally ridiculous to be introducing myself in a bathroom, but whatever! “I’m Jade,” I announce, putting on a bright smile.

  As soon as my fingers wrap around his, I try to yank it away. It’s as if a jolt of electricity shoots through me, but he doesn’t release me. Instead, he draws me closer, stepping into my personal space, staring at our entwined hands.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  - Desin

  I’ve been gone from Earth for three of its rotations—the Earth-dwellers call them days—and being quarantined, poked, and interrogated in the “special” Ashen way. All I want to do is go back to our assigned residence and think about … nothing.

  It’s extremely tiring to be with the Ashen species. Maintaining your own thought processes while you’re with them is like trying to complete complex math equations while intoxicated. Possible, but exhausting.

  In addition to their small stature and gray bodies, their personal abilities with mind communication are so advanced that they inadvertently “push” against your own boundaries while you’re with them. The obtrusive way they come across is natural, and most advanced races can tolerate it. Personally, it makes me sick to my stomach.

  That’s why when Payak asked if I wanted to stop at the Earth military base’s equivalent of a nightclub called The Pit, I’m not immediately jumping up and down. After finishing with the Ashen when they transferred us back to the base, I’m ready for a break. Unfortunately, upon our arrival back, we had to deal with the Taxin. Their species is working with the human government representatives here at the military base, and it seems like almost every position of high rank is occupied by one. However, I did want to see more of the local Earth-dwellers—specifically the females, and I do feel a strange pull to the squat, square building.

  As we enter The Pit, the music is playing so loudly the floor vibrates under my feet. Off to the side, I see many of the Earth species milling about on a dance floor past a bar which wraps around two walls. It only takes a moment for me to see where Payak is heading. Moving deeper into the building, I see him scanning the dance floor before catching on to the dark-haired Housing Coordinator he’s been so fascinated with.

  Right. But now that I’m looking at who she’s with, that’s all I can concentrate on. Looking over at Payak, who was right in front of me, I realize he’s phased. Quickly, I do the same so I can study the woman without anyone knowing because what I’m seeing … I couldn’t look away if I wanted to.

  My heart slams against my breast bone, almost in beat with the music as my eyes pop out of my head. Dancing with the base’s Housing Coordinator is the most intoxicating female I’ve ever seen. From where I’m standing, all I can see is her light-colored hair, slightly wavy and swaying to the music, but there’s something about the way she moves and how the lights dance around her that won’t let me look away.

  She throws her arms around Teresa’s neck, arching her own far enough that I can see her face, smiling and laughing as they sway together. I try to take everything in as the crowd mills around her, showing me peeks of different details. She’s wearing a red dress that clings to her body, accentuating her tiny frame. Although very petite, there are still healthy curves on her chest and hips. A strange possessive sensation stabs at my heart as she twirls away from Teresa and into the arms of a small man with glasses.

  Ah. Now I see. She’s here with her friend and the two men dancing nearest to them.

  Teresa has begun to dance with a dark-skinned man as I watch impatiently to see how familiar her friend appears to be with the man wearing glasses. I don’t have to see Payak to know he’s seething next to me. Is this the reason for his quick trip here? How did he know?

  “Is that her former lover that she lived with?” Questioning him through our inter-dimensional communication, I wait to see if he’ll answer me. Payak shared the background information on Teresa he received from her direct supervisor, a Taxin named Cameron who lives permanently on this base.

  When Payak doesn’t answer right away, I know he’s too angry and focused to pay me attention, since he’s certainly not far enough away that he can’t hear me. Based on the interaction three days ago, right before we were summoned by the Ashen, he felt he was making headway on turning her a
way from her previous lover. But maybe now he’s realizing she’s courting numerous options. That is one thing the Earth species has going for itself.

  Ignoring his silence, I watch intrigued as Teresa appears to see us lounging against the wall. “No, that male has been reassigned to another military base on Earth,” Payak finally growls before he demands, “Move further down the wall. Is it me Teresa sees? Or does she see you too?”

  He’s right! She does see him. Walking further down the wall, I put some space between us, watching in fascination as Teresa looks at where Payak should be—if I could see him. I can’t, of course, because we can’t see each other when we’re phased in our own personal dimensions. She shouldn’t be able to see him, either.

  What’s going on? Could she be seeing us both? Are there certain Earth-dwellers who are able to see us like this?

  Taking a step off the wall, I wave, smiling brightly, waiting to see if anyone notices.

  Teresa doesn’t smile back at the spectacle I’m making, but moments after her and her friend swap places her friend waves and smiles at me! Freezing, I glance around curiously, confirming that no one else is looking at me. No one is or can!

  I’m only partially in this Earth dimension. We often think of this spot as the “gate.” While standing in the gateway between the two dimensions, you can see both. The calm shift room I’ve created for myself looks dull and boring compared to the colors and flashing lights in the bar.

  My skin tingles with excitement, and a strange premonition settles over my nerves. A haze of light illuminates the female creature in the tight, red dress as she smiles at me. Her deep blue eyes are accentuated by dark makeup. She turns away from me, and leans into Teresa, clearly discussing … who?

  Can they both see us?

  No wonder Payak’s so taken with this Earth woman. Despite the fact that I know I shouldn’t pursue her, I already know I will. There’s something about her that calls to me.