Chapter 55: Chapter 55: World Tour

CARTER

It was dark outside the window when he opened his eyes alone in own bed. Given it had been mid-morning when Tommy showed up, that told him he’d been out for hours. Shit. He’d missed his shift at Subway, again, and worse, he hadn’t called to let anyone know.

Subway John had to be getting impatient by now. Anyone who didn’t have Rick speaking up on their behalf would likely have been fired already. And oh, right. He’d also been shot.

Getting shot in his own apartment seemed like a decent excuse for missing work, but he couldn’t offer it. He didn’t imagine telling Subway John “I got shot by the drug-dealing asshole your son stole a brick of cocaine from” would go over well with anyone. So what now?

A soft female hand rested on his arm, and he looked up hopefully to find someone he didn’t expect. The blond-haired woman kneeling beside his bed wasn’t Allison, though she was wearing one of Allison’s little white tops. It strained every more on her.

As drop dead sexy as Larika looked right now, all he felt was worry. Where was Allison? Was she hurt? How much had she given up to heal him? He’d just started to sit up when Allison’s mitosic twin sister pressed a hand to his chest and eased him back down.

“She’s perfectly fine, stud,” Larika assured him with a soft smile. “She’s resting. We had to burn a lot of energy to fix up your lung and heart, pretty much everything you gave us last night. Reconfiguring mass is easy for us, but generating new mass is a bitch and a half.”

“Oh,” Carter said. “But she’ll recover?”

“So long as you keep fucking her like you have been, she’ll soon be good as new. She passed out on the couch because she didn’t want to crowd you. She’s fine.”

Carter breathed. “Thank God.”

“Oh, and don’t worry about your job. I called in sick for you.”

Oh no. “You called in for me?”

“Hey, it’s me, Carter.” Larika spoke in a deep male voice that sounded exactly like his, which made him stare. “I can’t make it to work today. I got shot being heroic. I’ll be back after I get done fucking my hot alien girlfriend until she can’t walk.”

“You can do other people’s voices.” Of course she could. Since Larika could reconfigure her body into any form she liked, it wouldn’t be hard for her to replicate his vocal cords. That was creepy... but also useful, and even kind of cool.

Carter finally relaxed on his bed. He and Allison were both okay, and even if he’d lost his job today, he could find another one. Belatedly, he glanced down at himself.

He wore a set of his comfortable sleep pants, but no shirt. So far as he could tell, his chest looked no different. Had he really been shot? He craned his neck to look for the bullet wound, but couldn’t see any trace of the bullet wound.

Larika’s hand settled against his side just below his armpit. “Here.” She was speaking in her own voice again, which was a relief. “You won’t even have a scar. We took care of that.”

Carter frowned. “Should have kept my arms down.”

“You were too busy saving a stupid bounty hunter from getting his hood shot off.”

“Hood?”

“Because...” Larika frowned, then waved her other hand on the side of her face. “They’re like cobras. They have hoods.”

“Right, I remember.” He grimaced. “So where is Agent Holloway?” Carter couldn’t imagine the bounty hunter had just left after encountering Allison and Larika... and an asshole with a gun. “Did you tie him up?”

Larika cocked an eyebrow in interest. “I didn’t know you were into that.”

Carter rolled his eyes. “Seriously, is he going to be a problem?”

“Not after you saved his life. That’s a big thing with Tharons. You really tried to tackle him so he wouldn’t get shot?”

“Don’t see how that would have helped anyone.”

“Dork.” Larika smirked. “Anyway, yes, you impressed him. Enough that he used his FBI shtick to get the cops out of our hair, took that Tommy asshole off to jail for attempting to murder a federal agent, and even let us alter his mind so he doesn’t remember us being here.”

Carter blinked. “He what now?”

“Holloway consented to let us create some false memories for him. So far as he remembers, he came here, interviewed you, and verified you knew nothing about Allison’s ploy to find their base. You are no longer a suspect. The Tharons will keep looking for me and Allison, but they won’t think you’re involved. They’ll have plenty of other leads.”

“Really?” Carter still felt a bit woozy, but he knew he’d heard her right. “Are you going to do the thing where you fly Venus out to the junction and make them chase you?”

Larika grinned and brushed his cheek. “Look at you, learning! I am, but not for a few days. Before that, the Tharons are going to hear all about Larika’s Worldwide Sex Tour.”

Carter was definitely a bit woozy. “Sex tour?”

“That’s what I wanted to do once we got here, anyway,” Larika said. “I know you’ve never been to another planet, but when it comes to getting laid, Earth guys are easy. You should try getting a Darzelian to fuck. Courting rituals for days.”

“Let’s go back to the sex tour thing,” Carter insisted. “Isn’t that dangerous?” Sleeping around was, after all, how he understood Larika got captured the last time.

“Well I wouldn’t be doing it here, silly.” Larika offered the cutest little pout. “Setting down roots in one place was Allie’s idea. She wanted a relationship. Naturally, staying in one town too long let the Tharons sniff us out, which is how we got into this whole mess.”

“Right,” Carter hedged.

“I wanted to hit up Rome,” Larika said. “Then Paris. Then maybe spend a few nights in Berlin and check out some fetish clubs. But it’s hard for me to deny Allie anything, so I agreed to stop moving for a few months so she could find a nice human male to fall in love with.” Larika leaned over him. “Fortunately, that was you and not the other guy. I like you better.”

So Larika found it hard to say no to Allison. He recalled her saying the exact same thing about Larika. His smiled as he considered what Larika planned next. “So you’re basically going to fly around the world getting laid, leave some clues at each place that a syren passed through town, and get the Tharons looking for you somewhere that’s not here?”

“That’s the plan!” Larika grinned at him. “You and Allie get snuggle time in your cute little apartment, I get all the dick I can handle, and the Tharons get a globetrotting cocktease where they’re always just one step behind those irascible syrens. Everyone wins.”

“Everyone wins,” Carter echoed softly.

Was this really happening? Were he and Allison really safe at last? It was difficult to accept that they might just be able to live their lives like a normal couple, but it seemed like they could now. The Tharons had lost their scent entirely. Tommy was in jail. Larika was free.

Larika eyed him up and down, then rested a hand on his midriff. “So, you up for a quickie before I leave?”

Carter laughed as relief washed over him. “Thanks, but not right now.” He suddenly wondered if he’d upset her. “I mean, you’re great, but with Allie out of it...”

“I know.” Larika affectionately ruffled his hair. “I’m still the side dish.”

He grabbed her hand. “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. You’re awesome, and I really had fun last night. It’s just—”

“You love Allison, not me.” Larika patted his chest. “Also, you’d be a dick to fuck her sister while she’s passed out after making you new organs.”

“Yeah,” Carter agreed.

“Don’t sweat it, stud. You already know how happy I am for both of you. Also, to be clear, I don’t want anyone falling in love with me. I’m here to have fun and get laid, not settle down with someone. Even a dude as awesome as you. That’s Allie’s fantasy, not mine.”

“Great,” Carter said.

“But hey, next time you’re both feeling frisky, you let me know. I’m down to fuck.”

“Sure thing,” Carter promised.

“Good! Then it’s sex tour time.” Larika stood.

Carter frowned in surprise. “Don’t you want to wait until she wakes up?”

“We already said everything we needed to say. Or... thought. It’s much quicker with us, given we’re sisters and also telepathic. It’s a syren thing. We can be apart, just not forever. I’ll be gone for a couple of weeks.”

“Right.” That did make sense.

“I promised her I’d watch over you until you woke up and make sure everything went okay with the new organs. I’ve checked you over and you’re fine, physically, so neither of you have anything to worry about. Now, as long as you don’t need anything else, I’ve got a ship to fly.” Larika grinned hungrily. “And so many virgins to deflower.”

Carter laughed as he imagined Larika partying her way through Rome, then Paris, then Berlin. She really was a handful. He was also going to miss her.

“Aww.” Larika dropped down next to him again. “You’re so sweet. Can I kiss you goodbye?”

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“Sure, that’d be—”

Larika kissed him far more passionately than he expected, and used a lot more tongue than he’d expected. He even kissed her back. She was just another part of Allie, after all, so there was nothing wrong with frenching her sister goodbye. Was there?

He yelped as Larika bit his lip.

She giggled as she rose and he glared, though he couldn’t really stay mad. He knew she was just messing with him, and it actually felt good when she teased him. Because it was obvious she was teasing him... affectionately.

Larika waved as she walked out his bedroom door. “I’d tell you to be good to her, but I already know you will be. So I’ll just remind you to remind her she deserves that. Every good thing that comes to her, she deserves. Don’t ever let her think any different.”

Carter mulled that over. “What do you mean, exactly?” He was worried now he’d missed something important about the woman he loved.

“Our galaxy is... transactional.” Larika watched him curiously. “You’ve probably figured that out by now, haven’t you?”

Carter considered her. “Allie did talk a little about that. But not a whole lot.”

“Sure. So, I’ll expand. From the moment we start traveling, for a syren, every interaction we have with others is a trade. Doesn’t matter whether it’s food, fuel, or something else. Sapients in the galaxy don’t just give other sapients anything for free.”

“Oh.” She was serious. “So... even with sex?”

“Not with us,” Larika said. “Not usually. You’re different. You give it up for free.”

Carter laughed softly. “And that’s a bad thing?”

“It’s not. It’s great.” Larika grinned at him. “But Allie... most of our trading fell to her. She’s always been the one looking out for both of us. Tracking our resources and making the deals. So she’s still not used to having anyone just give her things.”

“Right,” Carter agreed softly. “Well, I’m damn sure going to fix that.”

“You already are.” Larika smiled warmly. “So just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Also, teasing her while she’s mentally blind pretty much makes her cream herself. I’m leaving you the muffler, so stuff her good when she wakes up. Just lock the doors first.”

Carter blinked. “Thanks?”

“I’ll be back before you know it. See you when I see you.”

“Right,” Carter agreed softly. “See you later.”

He heard his front door open and close, then even heard it lock. Larika must have locked the deadbolt from outside with her telekinesis. He didn’t hear her leaving in her ship, but given how silent her ship was, there was no way he would have. He sat up in bed.

He felt only a bit dizzy. Normal dizzy. He pushed up cautiously, checked his balance, and found he could stand without issue. He was still tired, but he wasn’t about to lie here alone in his bed. Not when Allison was passed out in the next room.

He had to make sure she was okay, too.

Before he walked into the living room, he took deep breaths and searched for any trace of pain. He knew he’d felt pain when he took a bullet through the chest, though he’d mercifully passed out before he had too much time to think about that. He felt no pain now.

Was his lung really part alien now? And his heart? He didn’t see any way he could feel this good if it wasn’t, which meant the deal he’d made with Allison was done. He was an alien now, by interstellar standards. If the Tharons ever caught him, they’d take him off planet.

Yet the Tharons weren’t looking for him now. They had no reason to ever look for him. And as scary as it was to know the stakes were higher than they had been, for him, he also knew he’d made the right decision. He wasn’t about to give up the woman he loved.

He walked into the living room to find Allison still asleep on the couch with her arms wrapped around a pillow, curly red hair in disarray. She looked as exhausted as she had the first night he’d brought her home.

So she’d changed back to her original Allison configuration before she passed out? She’d had no reason to do that. Unless she wanted him to see her like this when he woke up.

She wore the fuzzy sweater she’d borrowed from Izzy and a pair of his sleep pants, but she didn’t have a blanket. He pondered grabbing one from the bedroom, then decided he had much better ways to keep her arm. He settled onto the couch and snuggled in between her and the back of the cushions. He gently wrapped one arm around her waist.

All the while she didn’t make a sound. She was breathing, but she was obviously still in hibernation... or whatever syren did when recovering from expending large amounts of energy. She’d done all that work to save his life. He couldn’t imagine anything more generous.

Snuggled up against her like this, he felt impossibly content. He nuzzled her hair, kissed the back of her head, and settled in to nap beside her. He was surprised when she stirred almost immediately in his arms, then eased back against him with a contented sigh.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Carter said.

“I meant to be awake. Hold me tightly, please.”

As Carter ensured she didn’t fall off the narrow couch, Allison wriggled around so she was facing him instead. Their heads rested on the pillow as he locked his hands together at the small of her back. She stared at him from inches away.

Her green eyes looked anxious, and then she kissed him. They kissed a lot. Eventually, Allison sighed contentedly and eased back to stare at him.

“How do you feel now?”

“Fucking perfect.” He grinned. “No pain. Clear breaths. You fixed everything.”

“It was not easy, but we were glad to do it. I only wish the cost had not been so great.”

“In energy?” He knew she’d spent a lot of it to fix the holes in his chest.

“In ensuring you can never rest easy again. You will be hunted now, like me.”

He brushed her red hair away from her face. “Don’t you worry about that. Larika told me about Holloway and the deal you made. The Tharons are off her backs and have no reason to come after us again.” He raised one eyebrow. “Unless you plan to start sleeping around?”

She smirked. “Unlike Larika, I am currently only interested in one human male.”

“Really? Who’s the lucky guy?”

She kissed him softly once more, ran her palm down his cheek, and smiled at him. “Though I would appreciate it if you would stop getting stabbed. And shot. Let’s try for no life-threatening injuries for a week and expand our plans from there.”

Carter chuckled quietly. “I’ll do my best. And hey, you know what this means, right?”

“We get to be normal for a time.” She sighed contentedly. “I cannot wait to be normal with you. To be with you like this and live a life here, on Earth, is all I’ve ever dreamed of.”

“So what do you want to do first?”

She blinked. “On the couch?”

“For our next date? Now that we don’t have to worry about you getting found by bounty hunters or me getting stabbed by drug dealers? We can do anything you like.”

“Anything I like,” Allison whispered. “Do you have suggestions?”

“A movie? Bowling? Road trip? Or we could just go do a picnic somewhere.”

“I like all of those. Can we combine them somehow?”

Before he could decide, the phone rang, and it wasn’t the same ring Carter was used to. This wasn’t the quiet trill of the cordless phone he kept for normal calls.

This was the artificial ring of a mobile phone. That phone he kept plugged in and never used. The phone to which, so far as he knew, only one person had the number.

His uncle Eli, in Texas, had given him that phone, but Uncle Eli never called on the mobile phone unless something important had come up. He was calling now. That meant something had changed in Texas.

The only question was whether that change was good or bad.

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