choice, I girded myself for my first and what I vowed would be my last leap from a tree. Nudging my way to the edge of the limb, I offered up a silent prayer and stepped off the bough. My body hurtled through the air. My eyelids squeezed tight, tensing for impact. It never came.
Lad’s hands and arms materialized gently under me as if I’d simply rolled out of bed instead of falling from such a height. I opened my eyes again to his very pleased expression. He held me high against his chest, his muscled arms pressing into me, supporting me like I weighed nothing.
“I’m alive,” I said with a little laugh.
Lad grinned. “See what happens when you trust me?”
I couldn’t answer. Now that I was no longer in mortal fear of plummeting to my death, I was acutely aware of how close his face was to mine. Impossibly, his eyes were even brighter than before, the delicious fresh-green color of growing things.
Part of me knew I should stop staring at him, but I couldn’t seem to. He’s really here . The living breathing reality of him was so much better than any memory could ever be. He set me down, keeping his hands on my waist.
“Ryann, can you stand?” He released me. “There you go. Safe and sound on solid ground.”
He was right. I looked down at the green grass beneath my feet then up at our surroundings. The daylight was almost gone. The red and gold of sunset had faded into gray streaks low in the sky. A shiver worked its way through my body.
“Are you all right?” Lad pulled me close again. Heat radiated through his paper-thin shirt, bathing me in warmth everywhere he touched me.
“Yes. Wow. You’re really, really warm.”
He held me away from him at arm’s length. “Sorry. Am I making you hot?”
An involuntary giggle slipped past my lips. Yes. “It feels good. I like warm. Thank you,” I said. “And thank you for saving my life. I don’t even care that you were following me. You showed up when it mattered. But… you’ve got to tell me what’s going on. I mean, this is not normal stuff here.”
Now that we were safe, I wasn’t giving up until I got the answers to the questions I’d carried around for the past few days… for years actually. And now I had some new ones—why he had kept his distance and how he could do the things he’d done today.
Lad’s face contorted, making him look tortured, like he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the right words.
How could I get him to open up to me? I was so afraid he’d disappear into the woods again, leaving me with more questions than answers. “You said you wanted to talk to me, to see me again, too?” I prodded.
He let out a breath. “I did, I do. I’m not happy you were in danger today, but in a way I’m relieved something happened to force my hand. I didn’t know how much longer I could go on just watching without going to you… being near you…” His voice drifted as his fingers brushed the outside of mine.
I took his hand in both of mine and ran my fingertips lightly across his palm. He shivered. Tilting my head back to look up into his face, I said, “I’m really, really happy to see you. I have so much to ask you.”
Lad’s breathing changed. It was getting quicker, shallower. He withdrew his hand and turned away, gazing back toward the tree line. He swallowed hard then turned and met my eyes again.
“I know you have questions. I don’t blame you. I missed you, too, Ryann, but this—” He gestured back and forth between us. “—isn’t possible. I come from a very private… group. You can’t understand how serious they are about that. All contact with outsiders is forbidden. In fact, you’re the only one I’ve ever really spoken to.”
Chapter Eight
Alien Girls from the Planet Blind and Stupid
“I don’t understand,” I said.
He exhaled a harsh breath that was almost a laugh. “I’m sure you don’t. I’ve basically just admitted to being a stalker from a very strange family.”
“No. I
Lad’s hands and arms materialized gently under me as if I’d simply rolled out of bed instead of falling from such a height. I opened my eyes again to his very pleased expression. He held me high against his chest, his muscled arms pressing into me, supporting me like I weighed nothing.
“I’m alive,” I said with a little laugh.
Lad grinned. “See what happens when you trust me?”
I couldn’t answer. Now that I was no longer in mortal fear of plummeting to my death, I was acutely aware of how close his face was to mine. Impossibly, his eyes were even brighter than before, the delicious fresh-green color of growing things.
Part of me knew I should stop staring at him, but I couldn’t seem to. He’s really here . The living breathing reality of him was so much better than any memory could ever be. He set me down, keeping his hands on my waist.
“Ryann, can you stand?” He released me. “There you go. Safe and sound on solid ground.”
He was right. I looked down at the green grass beneath my feet then up at our surroundings. The daylight was almost gone. The red and gold of sunset had faded into gray streaks low in the sky. A shiver worked its way through my body.
“Are you all right?” Lad pulled me close again. Heat radiated through his paper-thin shirt, bathing me in warmth everywhere he touched me.
“Yes. Wow. You’re really, really warm.”
He held me away from him at arm’s length. “Sorry. Am I making you hot?”
An involuntary giggle slipped past my lips. Yes. “It feels good. I like warm. Thank you,” I said. “And thank you for saving my life. I don’t even care that you were following me. You showed up when it mattered. But… you’ve got to tell me what’s going on. I mean, this is not normal stuff here.”
Now that we were safe, I wasn’t giving up until I got the answers to the questions I’d carried around for the past few days… for years actually. And now I had some new ones—why he had kept his distance and how he could do the things he’d done today.
Lad’s face contorted, making him look tortured, like he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the right words.
How could I get him to open up to me? I was so afraid he’d disappear into the woods again, leaving me with more questions than answers. “You said you wanted to talk to me, to see me again, too?” I prodded.
He let out a breath. “I did, I do. I’m not happy you were in danger today, but in a way I’m relieved something happened to force my hand. I didn’t know how much longer I could go on just watching without going to you… being near you…” His voice drifted as his fingers brushed the outside of mine.
I took his hand in both of mine and ran my fingertips lightly across his palm. He shivered. Tilting my head back to look up into his face, I said, “I’m really, really happy to see you. I have so much to ask you.”
Lad’s breathing changed. It was getting quicker, shallower. He withdrew his hand and turned away, gazing back toward the tree line. He swallowed hard then turned and met my eyes again.
“I know you have questions. I don’t blame you. I missed you, too, Ryann, but this—” He gestured back and forth between us. “—isn’t possible. I come from a very private… group. You can’t understand how serious they are about that. All contact with outsiders is forbidden. In fact, you’re the only one I’ve ever really spoken to.”
Chapter Eight
Alien Girls from the Planet Blind and Stupid
“I don’t understand,” I said.
He exhaled a harsh breath that was almost a laugh. “I’m sure you don’t. I’ve basically just admitted to being a stalker from a very strange family.”
“No. I
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