Taken by the Alien Next Door (Aliens Among Us #1) - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,123

and walked away.

The boxes and tubs on the dolly rattled as Zevris hurriedly caught up with her.

“I’ve decided to be a magnanimous conqueror and return the spoils of war to their rightful owner.” With a bit a flourish, he presented her the bag of cotton candy. “I am not so shortsighted as to believe this sweetness can compare to that which I truly desire.”

Tabitha laughed and took the bag. “I knew you’d see it my way.”

They shared the cotton candy as they walked along the paved street, though Tabitha stopped eating after a few more bites when a scent she couldn’t place wafted over to her. It was faint at first, but it was very distinct—and, as she walked forward, it grew increasingly unpleasant. She swallowed thickly as her stomach turned, feeling ill. She took several slow, deep breaths, trying to calm her stomach, to calm herself, but the nausea only worsened.

She came to a sudden stop. “I…I think I’m going to puke.”

As soon as the words left her, her stomach lurched, and she ran for the nearest trash barrel. All that delicious cotton candy—along with what remained of her lunch—came back up. She clutched the sticky sides of the trashcan and gagged again as the smell of the garbage inside filled her nose.

Zevris was there in an instant, his big hands gathering her hair and sweeping it back. He said her name, and probably said some other words, but she didn’t really hear him. Her focus was elsewhere.

Nope. Not gonna puke again. I’m okay. Just gonna straighten and keep walking…

That thought had barely finished before she retched again, emptying what little had been left in her stomach.

Tabitha whimpered. Why did throwing up have to hurt so much?

The only good thing about this was the soothing hand on her back moving in gentle circles.

“Tabitha,” Zevris said, his deep voice laced with worry, “what’s wrong?”

She spit, cringing at both the disgusting taste in her mouth and from the mess in the garbage. If she didn’t move away from the trash barrel—and the stench wafting from it—she was definitely going to puke again…and she didn’t think she had anything left to come up.

“I’m okay,” she said. “I think I just smelled something that didn’t agree with me.” She slowly straightened and raised a hand, using the back of it to wipe her mouth. She hated to do it, but she had no choice but to clean that hand on her skirt.

Zevris caught her wrist before she could do so. She glanced at him to see him reach up with his free hand and tug off his bandana.

His frown was heavy, and his brow was furrowed. He first cleaned off her hand, then used another corner of the bandana to wipe away the tears that must have spilled down her cheeks. Tabitha could just imagine what she looked like right now. The makeup she’d worked so hard on to perfect her sexy cat look was likely running and smeared.

Once he finished wiping her cheeks, he dabbed at her lips. “I have not seen you react so strongly to any smell, and you work with many potent ones.”

“The smell from one of these concession stands just hit me wrong. I’ll be okay.” Her stomach clenched again, giving her pause, but at least it didn’t force her back over the disgusting trash can.

Ew.

He shifted his arm, wrapping it around her back, and led her to a bench in the grass off the side of the road. Fortunately, it was right by a trailer where funnel cakes were being cooked. The scent wasn’t as appetizing as it would normally have been, given what had just happened, but at least it wasn’t making her stomach churn.

Once she was sitting, he hurriedly wheeled the dolly over, set it down, and strode to the funnel cake vendor.

Tabitha stared at the ground, sitting slightly hunched over with one hand braced on her thigh and the other clutching her stomach, which was now achy and crampy.

Zevris’s boots entered her field of view a little while later, and she lifted her gaze to find him holding a bottled water out to her. “Drink, Nykasha.”

“Thank you,” she said as she took the water bottle. She brought it to her lips and took a drink. That first mouthful tasted like vomit, so she used it to rinse her mouth and spat it into the grass. A hint of that nasty taste lingered when she took a second drink, but she forced the water down,