Naura (2 page)

Chapter Three

To say that Anthony Vaughn was livid would be a gross understatement. Things were dangerous enough without the responsibility of protecting Vaulcron’s younger sister. She obviously had no sense of danger when it came to being on land. Even after everything they’d been through with Hauke and Abbie.

Tony could feel her gaze boring into his back as they trekked through the trees in search of the evacuated subdivision.

“
You are angry with me.”
Her softly spoken words whispered through his mind, laced with hesitation.

He ignored the accusation, closing himself off from her mental invasion.

A moment later, a house came into view, telling him they had reached their destination.

“Keep to the shadows,” Tony whispered, glancing back at Naura’s brother. “And approach with caution.”

Vaulcron nodded, stepping up next to Tony. “Which home are we looking for?”

“A green one with 121 on the mailbox.”

Gripping the handle of his knife, Tony scanned the area for signs of activity and slipped silently along the side of the first house he came to.

He waited a beat for Vaulcron and his sister to catch up before moving across the yard toward his destination at the end of the cul-de-sac.

The door had been left unlocked, allowing Tony to let his small crew in without incident.

Paper sacks were stacked on the kitchen counter and two black duffle bags rested on the floor near the refrigerator. Tony dropped to his haunches in front of the first duffle and unzipped it.

An assortment of weapons lined the inside, everything from handguns to automatic rifles.

He opened the second bag to find boxes of ammo, disposable cell phones, and a note containing his informant’s contact information in case of an emergency.

“Your resourcefulness is immeasurable,” Vaulcron murmured, stopping to study the contents of the bags.

Tony rose and ambled over to the paper sacks on the counter. “We have Melvin to thank for the supplies. He’s, bar none, the most capable soldier that I know.”

“You have known this Melvin a long time?” Vaulcron sidled up beside him to sift through the food in the bags.

“More than twenty years.” Tony changed the subject, not wanting to expose anymore of himself than necessary. “The electricity is on, but no one is to use the lights for any reason. We can’t risk being seen by a possible passerby.”

Naura appeared in Tony’s peripheral, running her fingers through her still-damp hair. He nodded toward the hall without looking at her. “You can take the last room on the left. You’ll be safest in there.”

“Thank you.” She turned in the direction he’d indicated.

“Wait.” Tony reached into one of paper sacks and retrieved a toothbrush and toothpaste. He tossed them to her. “There may be shampoo and other toiletries in the bathroom, if you’d like to take a shower. If you don’t have everything you need, I’ll check the surrounding houses for more supplies.”

“I would very much love a shower,” she muttered with a blush. “Would you mind directing me on the proper way to use one?”

Tony ground his teeth. The last thing he wanted was to be in a small enclosure with a scantily clad Naura. The outfit she wore clung to her like a second skin.

Pushing away from the counter, Tony skirted around her toward the bathroom. He wasn’t about to walk behind her while she sashayed down the hall in those damn sharkskin pants.

“You can use the light in here once the door is closed. There are no windows to allow the light to escape, so it should be fine. But make sure that you turn it off before re-emerging.”

“I will,” she assured him, crowding into the small bathroom behind him.

Tony leaned over the tub and twisted the knob closest to him. “This is the hot water. Make sure that you turn it off first before touching the other knob, or you’ll burn yourself.

He then turned on the cold, holding his hand underneath the water to gauge the temperature.

“That should do it.” He straightened and turned to go. If you need anything…” The words died on his lips.

Naura stood in front of him, unlacing her pants. The vest she wore lay open down the front, displaying a pair of perfectly rounded breasts with a hint of nipple half hidden behind the material.

His gaze traveled down her ribcage to the slightly prominent abs of her stomach. His mouth went dry.

She reached for the waistband of her pants and wriggled her hips as she attempted to tug them downward.

Tony found his voice. “What are you doing?”

A tiny wrinkle appeared between her brows. “You expect me to shower in my clothing?”

“No,” he growled, keeping his gaze trained on her face, praying that his erection would calm down before she noticed it. “Do you strip in front of every man you meet?”

She had the audacity to grin. “I am not sure how to respond as you are the only human man I have been alone with in a bathroom.”

That pissed him off even more. He stepped in close, his nose nearly touching hers. “Do not
ever
disrobe in front of anyone else. Do I make myself clear?”

A quick nod was the only evidence that she understood.

He moved to slip around her, but her next words stopped him.

“Why do you dislike me, Anthony Vaughn?”

Tony lowered his head momentarily before meeting her gaze once again. “I do not dislike you, Naura. That would require feelings, and I don’t possess any.” He calmly exited the room, pulling the door closed after him.

“Do not judge my sister by her actions,” Vaulcron announced from the room across the hall. “She has spent her life below the surface and has no knowledge of the ways of land walkers.”

“And you do?” Tony shot back.

“I do not know everything about the human way of life, yet I would not consider myself to be on the same naive level as my sister.”

“Thank God for that.”

* * * *

Vice President William Pratt hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair before facing his wife, Jaqueline. “Something doesn’t sit well with all this, Jackie.”

“What did you find out?”

“The alien that’s responsible for the outbreak?” At her nod, he continued. “He’s not alone.”

Her eyes grew huge, and a small gasp escaped her. “There is another one?”

“More than one,” William admitted in a hushed voice. “It would seem that they are holding two of them at Eglin Air Force Base.”

Jaqueline’s mouth fell open. “That makes three of those things, Bill. And God knows how many more may be out there. What if other aliens come in search of their missing? They could kill us in our sleep.”

William skirted around his desk and pulled his wife into his arms. “No one is going to die, sweetheart. I promise.”

“But how can you be so sure?” she cried against his shoulder. “When thousands have already died because of those things.”

Pulling back to make eye contact with his wife, Bill decided to let her in on what he’d learned. “I’m going to tell you something that goes no further than this room.”

She studied his solemn expression for several seconds before nodding. “I won’t say a word.”

“The aliens are not solely responsible for the outbreak that’s sweeping across the land.”

“I don’t understand?”

“Have a seat,” he coaxed, directing her into a nearby chair. “And I’ll explain.”

He knelt in front of her and clasped her trembling hands. “The aliens carry a virus that can be deadly to the old and young alike, but the majority of our people would have been able to survive had the CDC not spliced the virus with one of their own, mutating it into this pandemic we are witnessing now.”

The color drained from Jackie’s face. “
We
did this? Our own people?”

“Yes. I’m sure it wasn’t meant to get out of control, but…there it is.”

“Does the president know about this?”

Bill nodded. “He’s the main one behind the cover-up.”

“But why would he do such a thing?”

“He was up for re-election…” He left his meaning hanging in the air.

“Oh, Bill. All those innocent people.”

“I know, love. And if it’s not contained soon, the virus will continue to mutate into something far worse than what we are seeing now.”

She jumped to her feet, throwing her hands in the air. “How can it get any worse? And what of our daughter? Lily is just a year old, Bill. She would never survive an exposure.”

“Go visit your mother in Maine. Get out of here for a while. At least until a vaccine can be found.”

“You mean
if
a vaccine can be found.”

“It will work out, Jackie… It has to.”

Chapter Four

Naura stepped from the shower and switched off the water the way Tony had shown her.

The human hair-soap smelled delicious, as did the bodywash she’d found on a shelf attached to the shower wall.

She decided she rather liked the land walkers’ inventions and would have one made for the bathhouse when she returned home.

Her damp clothes lay in a heap on the floor where she’d stepped out of them. She picked them up and brought them to her nose.

They smelled of salt water and something else she’d never noticed until that moment.

With a wrinkle of her nose, she laid them on the side of the sink to brush her teeth and hair before wrapping the towel around her body to go in search of something clean to wear.

Entering the room she’d been designated, Naura noticed an open closet off to the right of an oversized bed. She trailed over to plunder the closet’s contents.

Her eyes lit up with joy as she sifted through the droves of colorful material hanging from strange-looking contraptions along a wooden bar.

She plucked a garment free and held it up to her chest. There were no sleeves on the top, and small white laces were tied together above the shoulders.

“You will do quite nicely,” she murmured aloud, slipping it over her head and wandering across the room to open a drawer on a giant wooden box perched against the wall.
What had Abbie called it? Oh, yes. A dresser.

Grabbing a pair of soft white short pants, she pulled them on and went in search of Tony. She found him sitting on a couch in front of the television, loading a handgun.

He glanced up as she stopped in front of him. “You couldn’t find anything less revealing to wear?”

Unsure of his meaning, she took a seat next to him and turned her attention to the woman speaking from the television.

“Although no cure has been discovered,” the pretty blonde proclaimed, “we are told that a vaccine is still in the works and that the CDC is working around the clock to put an end to this madness. I’m Mallory Cahill. Stay tuned for more on the Incola Virus after a word from our sponsors.”

Tears stung Naura’s eyes with the knowledge of the virus’s origin. She couldn’t help but feel responsible for the epidemic’s existence.

“If you’re going to insist on blaming yourself, do it somewhere else besides in here. Your guilt is choking me.”

Naura shook off her gloomy thoughts and watched as Tony pulled something from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

“What is it that you ingested?”

“It’s gum.” He held up a small, clear container with even smaller white squares inside. He shook it once before extending it to her. “Hold out your hand.”

Naura did as he commanded, marveling as the gum rolled onto her palm.

“Don’t swallow it,” he advised, returning the container back to his pocket. “You’re supposed to chew it until the flavor is gone.”

Placing the gum in her mouth, she hesitantly bit down, gasping as the flavor burst across her tongue and took her breath. “I have never had gum before,” she breathed, fanning her mouth with her hand.

“Not all gum is alike. I prefer the icy flavor; it opens my sinuses and keeps me alert when needed.”

He suddenly looked uncomfortable. “You better get some sleep. We are leaving at daylight to take you back to the beach.”

“I’m not going back,” she stated, staring into his eyes, refusing to back down.

He ran his palm over the length of his beard. “I am not going to be responsible for you getting yourself killed.”

Naura studied his gray-streaked hair. “I am thirty years old in human terms, Anthony Vaughn. No one is held accountable for my actions but me.”

He appeared surprised by her confession. “You’re thirty?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “What age are you?”

“I’m forty-two going on sixty,” he replied in a sarcastic tone.

“I do not understand.”

“It’s a figure of speech. I’m forty-two.”

“Why then is your hair gray with age?”

A shadow passed through his eyes. He averted his gaze and went back to cleaning the handgun he held. “It’s probably hereditary. There’s food in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

She
was
hungry, Naura thought with a glance toward the kitchen. She’d consumed the land walker’s delicious food on several occasions since Abbie’s move to Aukrabah.

After being raised on a diet of saltwater creatures, she found the humans’ cooked food had been a welcome treat. “Are there any of the crunchy circles with salt stuck to them?”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “You mean potato chips?”

“Yes. Potato chips. They are my favorite.” She bounded off the couch and made a beeline for the kitchen.

“You should eat more than chips. The salt will dehydrate you,” Tony announced, entering the room behind her.

Ignoring him, Naura grabbed up a bag of chips and rolled it in her hands in search of an opening.

Tony stepped in close. “Here, let me.” His hand brushed against hers, sending goose bumps along her flesh.

He plucked the bag from her grasp and pulled, opening the top to reveal the coveted chips.

“Thank you,” Naura whispered, relishing the feel of him standing so close. He smelled of salt water and man.

Food suddenly took a back seat to desire. She wanted him to touch her again, if only for a brief moment. “Tony?”

He stilled, his hand hovering above hers. His breath tickled her cheek as he spoke. “You’re playing with fire, little girl.”

“Is it so wrong for me to find you curious, Anthony Vaughn?”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” he growled, spinning on his heel and leaving the room before she could ask him what cats had to do with anything.

Naura stared down at her trembling hands in disappointment. Did Tony truly find her repulsive? Perhaps if she’d been born human instead of Bracadyte, he would show an interest in her.

She glanced back toward the living room to see that he’d returned to the couch to clean his weapons once again.

A vision of his dead wife passed through her mind. The woman had been lovely, with her blonde hair and tiny frame. The complete opposite of Naura.

“Are you going to eat or just stare at it all night?” Tony questioned from the couch.

Naura took a seat at the table with her bag of chips and closed off her mind to him for fear he would read her thoughts. She could never compete with Tony’s deceased wife, no matter how hard she tried.

With a sigh of defeat, Naura did what Abbie would do in her situation… She ate.