Read Online The Wild One by Melinda Metz - Free Book Online Page A

their parents’ spaceship. Was that Nikolas?
    Why would he follow them? Who was he?
    This was so stupid, Isabel thought. What if Nikolas is working for Project Clean Slate? What if he’s working for Valenti? What if he knows the truth about me? Her heart began to pound. She could feel it beating in her throat, hear it thudding in her ears.
    Nikolas sped right up to the crack in the desert floor that opened into the cave. He brought the motorcycle to a squealing stop. He climbed off the bike and lowered himself into the cave without even glancing at Isabel.
    She thought about taking the motorcycle back into town and telling the others what had happened. All she had to do was just rev it up and go, leaving Nikolas far behind.
    But that would be giving Nikolas way too much power. Besides, if he worked for Valenti, he wouldn’t leave her up here by herself, giving her the chance to escape. Right?
    Isabel jumped off the motorcycle and swung herself into the cave. When her toes hit the big rock she used as a stepping-stone, she let go, caught her balance, then hopped down to the cave floor. She crossed her arms and stared at Nikolas. “I’m waiting.”
    He laughed. “Does that usually work for you?” he asked. “Do the human guys quiver in their sneakers when you give them a little of your attitude?”
    Isabel did not believe this. Didn’t Nikolas know the rules? Didn’t he know
he
should be trying to impress
her?
Didn’t he know that she could have any guy she wanted and that it was his job to make her want him?
    Wait a minute, Isabel thought. Did he just say
human
guys?
    Nikolas crouched down and ran his hands over the metallic surface of the incubation pod Isabel and Max had shared. “Bigger than mine,” he muttered.
    â€œThan
yours?
” she repeated. Nikolas was trying to get her to believe he was an alien, too. But that was impossible. There were no other aliens. She struggled to act calm. She needed to think. She needed to figure out what was going on here.
    Could this all be a big setup? she thought wildly.
Was
Nikolas working for Project Clean Slate? Was his assignment to pretend to be an alien so that he could get information out of her?
    Isabel took a few steps toward the mouth of the cave, ready to bolt. But that would look totally suspicious if Nikolas was some kind of agent trying to figure out if she was an alien. Just act like you have no idea what he’ talking about, she ordered herself.
    Nikolas straightened up. He studied her coolly. “I can feel the fear pouring off you. I’m disappointed, Isabel. I thought you’d be someone worth my tame. Not a scared little mouse.”
    Could he feel her fear because he was another alien? Or was he just guessing?
    â€œNo,
I’m
the one who’s disappointed,” Isabel shot back. “Like I’m supposed to think this is fun. If you want to hang out with me, you have to do better.”
    She stared right at Nikolas, meeting his gaze directly. No matter what happened, she wasn’t going to give him any clue that she knew about the cave or the pods or anything else.
    Nikolas raised his eyebrows. “That was almost convincing. Except, like I said, I can feel your fear. You really should learn to block your emotions. I bet you can’t feel a thing coming off me.”
    â€œIsabel’s bored. Isabel’s leaving.” She turned away from him. She had to get out of there. She needed to go home and discuss this with Max, Michael, Liz, Maria, and Alex. They would help her figure out what Nikolas’s game was. And then they would come up with a plan to deal with him.
    â€œWhat about all your questions?” Nikolas asked. “Didn’t you want to ask me something about my dream? You know, the one you just walked into, uninvited.”
    The dream. It
was
the dream of another alien. Isabel hesitated.
    â€œThe second I got back, I felt you,” Nikolas whispered from