When They Come:Hot Aliens and the Girls Who Love Them- Book 1

Ch. 49

Macon winced as she pulled her legs in closer. Her body was sore, and it was so cold on the floor. 

At least she'd been placed back in her cell.  Anything was better than being near that abhorrent male. 

Bitterness constricted her chest.  Her nose stung as the tears welled behind her eyes. 

She wasn't going to cry. 

"You're awake," a voice scraped over her senses, and Macon's body tensed. She turned frantically, not daring to hope, but there he was – flesh and bone, sitting just on the other side of her cell.

He sat leaning against the bars that separated them.  His expression hard — still she ran to him without hesitation. 

She fell to her knees at his back her arms snaked through the bars. 

The tears came then. 

Her heart was torn in to.  He was here.  She could physically touch him. 

But there too was the horrible truth of it all. 

He was trapped here with her. 

He remained motionless, his expression hard and distant. Her heart sank, realizing that even though he was physically here, something within him had changed.

"Xane," she whispered his name like a prayer, desperately pleading for him to acknowledge her presence.

"Macon," he replied, his voice void of emotion, and she felt a pang in her chest.

She clutched onto his battered uniform, not wanting to let go. "Please," she begged, her voice breaking. "Look at me."

He swallowed a bitter lump that settled in his chest. 

Slowly, he glanced over his shoulder, and she saw the hardness in his eyes as he assessed her. But in his heart something had broken within him. 

His throat was tight with emotions he was struggling to contain. "I'm sorry," he finally whispered, his voice laced with bitterness.

Macon's heart broke at his words. "This isn't your fault," she said, her voice trembling.

Silence enveloped them for a moment, the weight of their circumstances pressing down on them.

He finally turned to face her fully, and for a moment, their eyes locked, speaking volumes without a single word.

She pulled at his chest kissing him fiercely though the bars dug into her checks.  The tears fell harder now.

The moment the guard returned Xane broke free of her and turned though nothing had happened. His posture unfazed as though she meant nothing to him. 

The truth was he couldn't let them see what she meant. It would only make it worse.

Slowly she retreated—moving the other side of her cell.  The distance only a few feet felt like a thousand miles. Her heart broke with the rejection. 

Straightening her back, she trained her expression into a mask of determination. She had lost so much already, and she couldn't afford to lose herself as well. This twisted game they were forced to play wouldn't break her.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, her mouth set in a firm line. Whatever this game was, she was ready to play. She would keep her emotions guarded, matching Xane's facade if it meant surviving this ordeal.

Xane glanced over his shoulder when the guard left, pain etched in his features as he saw Macon on the other side of the cell. His arms ached to hold her, to protect her, but he knew the dangers that lurked within these walls. He had to be careful, to play the role they expected of him. The thought of escape burned in his mind, and he knew he had to tread carefully if there was any hope of setting them both free.