Free Alien Protector: Sci-Fi Alien Invasion Paranormal Romance by Ashley West

rise and fall of her chest as she slept.
    The beeping broke its way back into the peace, though, and he groaned, fairly certain that he knew exactly what the sound was.
    He slipped from the bed, careful not to disturb Stephanie and then made his way to the bedroom door where his pants had been kicked when Stephanie had sunk to her knees to… Draco groaned slightly at the memory of her hot mouth around him and shook his head, reaching into the pocket for his comm device, which beeped louder, a light on the front pulsing to let him know that he had missed a call.
    No points for guessing who it was from, and Draco sighed, stepping out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him as he made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water.
    For the moment, his mind was far from the task at hand. His plan had been to get Stephanie to trust him so she’d let him see the blade or so he could convince her to take it for him, but in the time they had spent together, he’d come to see her as much more than just a convenient person for helping him fulfill his ultimate goal.
    Draco wished that he wasn’t being rushed because more than anything right then he wanted to slow down and be able to take his time to get to know Stephanie more. His guilt at trying to use her was eating at him, and the beeping comm device wasn’t helping matters at all.
    Plintos wouldn’t understand. Draco already knew that. One day, his friend would have to find a bride to make his queen, but until then, he was hardly interested in being with members of the opposite sex. He wouldn’t get that Draco had met someone who spoke to deeper parts of him. Stephanie was a human, and she wasn’t a part of the plan, so Plintos wouldn’t have time for her or for Draco to explain.
    But… But there was no reason why he couldn’t get the blade and then come back, assuming he could do so without hurting Steph in the process. Maybe she’d even like to come back to Aldara with him.
    It was possible.
    The beeping brought him out of those wishful thoughts and then the shrill chime of another call coming in shattered the otherwise peaceful air of the early morning. Draco scowled and swiped his finger across the screen, not even needing to see the transmission number to know it would be Plintos. Who else would it be, after all?
    “What?” he hissed as soon as Plintos’ face was visible. And if he’d been less irritated and more alert right then and there, then he might have seen the frantic look on his friend’s face. But he was barely paying attention, frustration mounting.
    “We have a problem,” Plintos said. “A big one.”
    “Is it that you can’t go more than two days without asking me the same question over and over again?” Draco snapped. “Do you think that if I had information I wouldn’t just call you and let you know. There’s no need for you to keep-”
    “ Draco ,” Plintos said loudly, cutting him off. “We. Have. A. Problem.”
    It was the firm tone of voice that snapped Draco out of his rant and made him look at his friend properly. Just like the last time he’d seen him in person, it was clear that Plintos hadn’t been sleeping. His eyes were wide and frantic, darting back and forth the way they always did when he was distressed. When Draco peered closer, it even appeared that Plintos had been crying, something he hadn’t done since the death of his father some five years earlier.
    “What happened?” he asked, all the fight draining out of him.
    “They’re gone, Draco,” Plintos whispered. “They’re gone.”
    “What’s gone?” He knew his friend better to think that it was people he was lamenting, and then something like cold dread filled him. “Not...the Artifacts.”
    Plintos nodded, miserable. “Yes. Someone...someone came and they broke into the tower, and the items are gone. Just them, so.”
    “So whoever it was knows that they’re worth something together.”
    Something flickered in Plintos’ eyes then, and he