Taken by the Alien Next Door (Aliens Among Us #1) - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,92

pink to yellow, and, nestled amongst the ice cubes, were a few pieces of strawberry and a thin slice of lemon. The glass’s rim was crusted with glittering sugar. It was the fanciest glass of strawberry lemonade she’d ever seen.

It was also the most delicious drink she’d ever tasted, and she was making it last—she was determined to relish every single drop.

The lemonade symbolized the restaurant as a whole for Tabitha. She swept her gaze around the place for the hundredth time. Her eyes were drawn in every direction, wanting to take in everything, though there was no single feature that particularly called her attention. Everything was in harmony. This was easily the nicest restaurant she’d ever been to.

The lighting was relatively dim but quite atmospheric. Soft, warm yellow and orange lights dangled from the high ceiling in short strings and tastefully minimalistic fixtures. Much of the décor, including the walls, booths, and floor, were colored dark; blacks, deep reds, and browns abound. Rather than all that darkness making the space seem oppressive or grim, it served to make the warm glow over each booth and table all the more welcoming and comforting. It certainly made the booth Tabitha and Zevris were sharing feel far more private and intimate despite all the other patrons seated nearby.

Conversations from the other diners created a gentle hum in the air, backed by music that was either some sort of unobtrusive jazz or light classical. She couldn’t tell which—and couldn’t really bring herself to focus on it too much, anyway.

But her favorite feature was the tall windows that spanned the entirety of one wall—the wall against which their booth was positioned. Those windows looked out over the Willamette River, which was sparkling with the reflected light from the surrounding city as though its waters were laced with molten gold. This view would’ve been lovely at any time of the day, but it was particularly magical now, when the sky was dark.

Still, she’d have to convince Zevris to bring her back to the area during the day sometime soon so they could walk along the river while all the trees were wearing their autumn colors. Dexter would love it, too.

Her smile softened. Fall hadn’t even begun, but here she was already planning ahead—already planning to be with Zevris when the trees were all gold, red, and brown.

A big, warm hand settled over hers, its touch gentle despite the roughness of its calluses. She looked at Zevris.

He smiled at her. Even in his human disguise, even under this low lighting, his eyes were such a clear, vibrant blue. “What are you thinking about, Nykasha?”

“I was…thinking about you, me, and Dexter walking along the river.”

Zevris glanced out the window. “We’ll have to plan for it. And, at some point, I think I’d like to see what Earth looks like in places that don’t have quite so many people.”

Tabitha glanced to the side to make sure no one was near when she lowered her voice. “You said the cactus reminded you of your home planet. What was it like?”

He leaned closer to her, lowering his voice as well. “I don’t remember very much, to be honest. The area in which I lived was all low, rolling hills with those cactus-like plants and a great many others you would think looked quite strange. Few things grew tall, but many grew quite wide. In the rainy season, those hills would become more like islands amidst marshes that teemed with vegetation and life. I left as soon as I reached adulthood to join the Exthurizen…to become a soldier. And I have not often thought of my homeworld in the time since.”

She turned her hand beneath his so they were palm-to-palm. “Did you always want to be soldier, or did you ever dream of doing something else?”

“I never really wanted to be a soldier,” he said, brushing his fingers across her wrist.

Even though they were invisible, she felt the tips of his claws against her sensitive flesh, and their touch sent a delightful thrill along her arm.

“But I never could imagine myself as anything else,” Zevris continued. “My people have been in decline for so long, and I simply wanted to do my part. Science, engineering, and mathematics were never my strengths, so I decided early on that I would become a soldier. More, that I would join the Exthurizen and become an althicar, that I would do my duty and face whatever danger I needed to face in order to safeguard