Chapter 14

Author's note: I will be posting Chapter 15 within a few hours after this chapter's release. Stay tuned.

~Alannah's POV~

Shortly after the procedure with my friend, I send my son along with a few of my daughters to investigate the tunnels.

I sense the presence of an armed human, and I don't want to take any risks with my friend still recovering.

I look at the sleeping female, and press a hand on her forehead. The skin is cold, and I frown in concern. I better give her some more nutrient secretion when she wakes up to prevent a fever.

I sigh as I rub my temples. Man, I never thought becoming Queen would have so much drama involved.

I look up as my children return from their scouting duty. My son comes in last, carrying an unconscious human over his broad shoulders. He steps in the middle of the small room, and drops the human onto the ground.

I kneel down, and turn the human onto its back. I recognize him as one of the dark-haired companions of my friend.

I check his neck, and nod in satisfaction when I hear a strong pulse.

I get up, and look at my son. "I hope you didn't scare him too much," I mock-scorn.

My son smiles, revealing his rows of daggers. "Heh, I may have made him expel some feces."

I laugh briefly in pure amusement, and then look back at the unconscious human. "Let's get him comforted. We don't want him shitting his pants anymore."

My son picks up the human male, and carries him over to a separate room.

In the meantime, one of my daughters returns with the water I asked for, and gives it to me in a pot-like object.

I rub her domed-head affectionately, and she purrs in contentment.

I send her away to rest, and I bring the pot of water over to my friend. I set it down beside her, and dip in a cloth from her shredded shirt, and wipe it over her chest. The slightly dried blood and residue drips off, leaving a trial of colors blending together.

I continue to clean her until her chest is free of any mess. Her large scar is more prominent, but it will heal in time.

I put away the materials, and caress my friend's cheek. I just hope that she can accept was has happened to me without judgment. Maybe she can even stay with me.

I snort, and shake my head. Forget it; her goal is to go to where human survivors are. Yours is to protect and raise your hive.

I sigh once more, my heart heavy with an impending sadness. I really don't want to be separated from her once more, but I won't force her to stay simply for my sake when the time comes.

Wanting a distraction from my negative thoughts, I stand up with the half-empty pot of water, and make my way to where the human male is resting.

I arrive at the dark room, and lie down beside him. His breathing is quick which suggests that his dreams are not pleasant at all.

I can't help but chuckle at the thought of my son scaring the living daylights out of this human.

I take a closer look at his face, and can't help but find him attractive. He has curly, dark brown hair, a prominent nose; overall, a nice masculine-looking face.

I absentmindedly purr as I stare at him. He would make a good mate.

A frown comes upon his face as he groans in discomfort.

Humming in thought, I lean my face close to his, and press a gentle kiss on his lips.

That seems to calm him for the frown relaxes into a semi-smile. I like the look on his face, so I kiss him again, this time slightly longer.

The man starts to mumble incoherently as I continue to kiss him on his lips, before moving to his irresistible neck.

I'm surprised at my actions as I've never felt this attracted to anyone, especially when I first met someone. I guess this is what it means to feel "love at first sight", though I'm reluctant to call it love.

My display of affections eventually rouses the man awake.

His equally dark eyes widen in surprise as they spot me. "Whoa, am I dreaming?" He asks incredulously. "If so, then don't wake up me."

I smile as I rub my cheek against his. "This can be whatever you want," I reply breathlessly.

The man moans when I press my body flat against his. I allow my instincts to take over as I begin to unbutton the man's shirt. When his chest is exposed, I run my hands all over, teasing him with my sharp nails. The man's breathing quickens with my actions, and I purr as arousal causes me to shudder. Yes, this man was the one.

As I'm about to unbuckle on his belt, the man snaps out of his haze, and catches my hands with his.

I look at up him questioningly.

He breathes hard as he stares at me. "Okay, this is obviously not a dream," he states.

I cock my head back. "Why does this need to be a dream for you to mate with me?" I ask.

The man's eyes widen like saucers, and he tries to scurry back, but ends up hitting the wall.

He looks behind him, and hisses in disbelief before he turns his sweating face back to me.

In turn, I lean forward so that our noses were barely touching. "Why do you try to run from me?" I ask slightly offended.

The man's sight focuses on our noses, before he looks up at me. He swallows hard. "Look miss, you're beautiful and all, but I have to find my friend."

I stare at him in boredom. "You mean the human female?" I confirm.

The male looks at me with hope. "Wait, you mean Sharon is here? Where is she?" His body tenses to jump up, but then he halts. A look of confusion then passes over his face. "Why did you call her 'human female'? You're human too!"

I chuckle lowly as I step back into the dim light that shines through the entrance.

The man audibly gasps as he takes in the sight of my diminishing human form. "What the hell are you?" He asks harshly.

I growl as I try not to be offended by his tone.

Instead, I cross my arms, and stare at him blankly. "I'm a human female, sort of. I'm part Xenomorph as well." I reply.

A dumbfounded look is plastered on the man's face. "How?" He squeaks. "Are you the result of an experiment or something?"

I shake my head. "No, I was pure human before my transformation. I believe my friend has told you about me."

Recognition fills the man's dark eyes. "You mean you're Sharon's friend?"

I nod as I smile softly. "Yes." I confirm. I momentarily hesitate before I continue. "I suppose I should tell you what happened when we got separated."

The man nods as he looks at me in expectation, but also in interest.

I sit down to be comfortable, and then stare blankly at the floor. "Sharon and I stumbled upon a Xeno nest when we were trying to reach the metro. It looked abandoned; there were no guards whatsoever protecting the nest. We tried retracing our steps, but then a Praetorian came out of nowhere. It chased us throughout the nest, when Sharon throw a Molotov at it." I smile with pride at the memory. "It hit its intended target, but the Praetorian managed to extinguish the flames by jumping into a nearby river. It was furious when it came out." I sigh as I hug my legs, and rest my chin on my knees.

After being quiet for so long, the man chuckles softly. "So that's why the Praetorian looked so hell-bent on killing her." He comments.

I look up at him in surprise. "That's how you met her?" I ask.

The man nods. "Yeah, she was trapped in front of a safe-house with the Praetorian just meters away from her. I saved her life that day." He replies.

I smile at him in gratitude. "Thank you for saving her." I say.

The man's face flushes as he rubs his head. "Yeah, no biggie."

I giggle at his bashfulness. The man cocks his head at my behavior.

I merely smile. "Just because I don't look 100% human doesn't mean that I don't feel what you can." I justify.

He throws his hands up in surrender. "Now now, no need to get sensitive. It's not every day that one wakes up with a hot half alien/half human chick kissing them." At his last remark, he turns away to avoid looking at my face.

I smirk at his obvious shyness of his statement.

I crawl over to him, and purr audibly. "If you want, you can wake up like that every day." I say suggestively.

The male's eyes widen, and his mouth opens and closes as he tries to formulate words. "I, umm, err…"

I smile at him in amusement.

He coughs awkwardly, and avoids looking into my eyes. "So what happened to you when you got separated?" He asks.

Disappointment from his lack of interest fills me, but I know that I have to tell him the whole story.

I suppress the need to sigh, and lean back onto my behind. "The next thing I remember is waking up back in the nest with a sore throat, and one hell of a headache."

The male glances at me with wide eyes. "You were impregnated?" He asks.

I briefly laugh humorlessly as I lose myself to my memories. "I was," I say. "Naturally, I panicked, and I fell deeper into the nest. I ended up being covered in this thick goo, and since then, I've noticed the transformation occurring. My senses heightened, my skin became thicker, and suddenly numerous voices began whispering in my head."

A snort comes from the male, and I glance at him.

His mouth is covered by his hand, and I realize in annoyance that he's trying not to laugh. He probably envisioned me as the crazy woman who hears voices in her head.

Luckily, he has the courtesy to look embarrassed. He then coughs. "Umm, please continue." He says.

I huff inwardly, but I do as he says. "As time passed, I realized that it was the hive mind I was hearing. They saved me from starvation, and I learned more about them. They had no Queen; she was killed by a rival hive. They then made me their new mother." I smile softly at the thought of my children. "Because of my transformation, the embryo within me never developed, and here I am." I raise my hands up for dramatization.

A few moments go by in silence as the man takes in my story.

I anxiously wait for any reaction from him, but the stubborn male's face is frustratingly blank.

After what feels like an eternity, the man whistles in disbelief. "Wow," he comments, "that's quite the story."

I shuffle nervously from limb to limb. "Yeah, I guess so."

I can feel the male's gaze on me as I overanalyze the details of the concrete floor.

To my surprise, the man presses his fingers under my chin, and forces me to look at him. A soft expression blesses his face, and I'm tempted to kiss him again.

Hs dark eyes swirl like onyx as he continues to stare at me. "What's your name?" He asks quietly.

I take in a sharp breath. "My name is Alannah," I say.

A gentle smile adorns his face. "That's a beautiful name; I'm Pete." He replies.

I purr at his comment, and stand up. I then offer him my hand. "Come, you want to see Sharon, don't you?" I ask.

He glances at me, then at my hand before he finally accepts it.

I effortlessly pull him up, and then guide him out of the room.

A few of my smaller children are outside as they sniff curiously at the male.

He gets nervous, and presses against me for protection. I push down the want to jump him, and hiss gently at my children to let him be.

They move back, though their gazes continue to follow us as we move along.

With my children out of view, the man slightly relaxes. "Hey Alannah, I'm not going to become a host or lunch, right?"

I glance at his wide eyes, and smile. I then place my hand on his cheek. "Of course not; your taste is reserved only for me."

His horrified facial expression makes me laugh, and we arrive at the birthing chamber.

We step inside, and I lead Pete to the bench where Sharon is still resting.

The male quickly runs up to her, and starts examining her. He then looks back at me. "She's still alive, right?" He asks.

I nod, and he sighs in relief.

He then looks back at Sharon, and cocks his head back abruptly. He stands up, and takes a few steps back. I raise an eyebrow at his comportment.

Pete meets my gaze, and he looks away. He then coughs as he shifts his weight on both legs. I follow his line of sight, and realize that he's trying to avoid looking at Sharon's bare chest.

I smirk at him in amusement. "What, you've never seen a naked woman before?"

The man looks at me with a slight blush, before he quickly turns away. "Of course I have! It's just that if Sharon knew that I saw her half naked, she'd kick my ass to next month, and serve it on a silver platter," he says nervously.

I chuckle as I imagine the scenario in my head. That would be very amusing to watch.

I decide to tease the man more. "Well, I wouldn't mind having a piece of that sweet ass of yours," I comment innocently.

That causes Pete to whip his head to my direction. He stares at me in shock, and I merely wink.

A barely audible groan brings both of our attention to the sleeping female.

If I wasn't paying close attention to her, I would not see the tiny twitches in her fingers.

Pete steps forward to glance over her, and a protective urge fills me. "Stay back; you don't want to startle her awake." I say.

The man looks up at me, but promptly ignores me.

Rage starts to develop inside me; no one ignores my orders!

I grab a hold of Pete's arm, and yank him back. "I gave you an order; stay back from my friend." I whisper harshly as I try not to wake up Sharon.

The man narrows his eyes at me. "I'm not leaving until she wakes up." He replies.

Another, more audible moan escapes my friend's parted lips.

I glare at Pete fiercely. "She's barely aware of her surroundings; leave so that she can rest." I say in a soft, but stern tone.

The male stubbornly refuses to give in. "She's my friend too! I have a right to know how she's doing," he demands.

I hiss at him in warning, before I focus my attention on Sharon.

A slight frown is plastered on her face, so I rub her chest to sooth her. A hum develops in the back of her throat, and I freeze.

Satisfied that she isn't yet awake, I continue my gesture, and purr quietly.

Wanting to get close to her, Pete steps around me, and leans over Sharon on her other side.

I hiss in displeasure, and smack him with my tail. That causes him to swear, and glare at me which I meet evenly.

He pulls his gaze away to look at Sharon. "Sharon?" He asks softly. "Come on girl, open your eyes."

I can't help but snort at his antics. "She's not going to just do what you tell her. She's completely out of it."

Pete looks up, and glares at me slightly.

I glare in return, and we start to bicker until we catch movement from the corner of our eyes.

I turn my head in the direction, and I can see Sharon's eyelids flutter madly.

I lean over her face, and am met with the welcomed sight of her chocolate eyes meeting my own.