The Alien Who Fell to Earth Read online

  The Alien Who Fell to Earth

  A Nocturne Falls Universe Story

  Fiona Roarke

  Dear Reader,

  Nocturne Falls has become a magical place for so many people, myself included. Over and over I’ve heard from you that it’s a town you’d love to visit and even live in! I can tell you that writing the books is just as much fun for me.

  With your enthusiasm for the series in mind—and your many requests for more books—the Nocturne Falls Universe was born. It’s a project near and dear to my heart, and one I am very excited about.

  I hope these new, guest-authored books will entertain and delight you. And best of all, I hope they allow you to discover some great new authors! (And if you like this book, be sure to check out the rest of the Nocturne Falls Universe offerings.)

  For more information about the Nocturne Falls Universe, visit http://kristenpainter.com/sugar-skull-books/

  In the meantime, happy reading!

  Kristen Painter

  The Alien Who Fell to Earth

  A Nocturne Falls Universe Story

  Copyright © 2017 by Fiona Roarke

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.

  This book is a work of fiction and was made possible by a special agreement with Sugar Skull Books, but hasn’t been reviewed or edited by Kristen Painter. All characters, events, scenes, plots and associated elements appearing in the original Nocturne Falls series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Kristen Painter, Sugar Skull Books and their affiliates or licensors.

  Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or Sugar Skull Books.

  Published in the United States of America.

  Table of Contents

  THE ALIEN WHO FELL TO EARTH

  Welcome from Kristen Painter

  Copyright

  About the Book

  Dedication and Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  About Fiona Roarke

  More by Fiona Roarke

  The Alien Who Fell to Earth

  Pilot. Guard. Prisoner. … Stowaway.

  Crashed in the Georgia woods, all are lost on a world where aliens are the stuff of science fiction. But what if the locals are far from human themselves, with secrets of their own?

  Holden Grigori is lost on an alien world, and his memories are just as lost. All he knows is a beautiful woman says she’s his wife, she loves him and he’d do anything for her.

  Security specialist Victoria Greene’s mission is to find the heroic pilot of a downed spaceship and keep him safe while he recovers in a human hospital in the Halloween-themed town of Nocturne Falls, Georgia. Part of her ongoing mission is, as always, to keep the humans from realizing that aliens walk among them, hiding in plain sight.

  Pretending to be Holden’s wife is far from a hardship. Falling in love with him is even easier. But what will happen when he gets his memories back and realizes that to him she is…no one.

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  And Twitter: https://twitter.com/fiona_roarke

  Dedication and Acknowledgments

  To Kristen for letting me crash a UFO in her awesome paranormal world because it was just so much fun. To Keri Knutson at Alchemy Book Covers and Design, thank you so much for the awesome covers. I love them all so much. To my amazing editor Raina Toomey, what would I do without you? To Marlene Engel at Precision Revision and proofreader extraordinaire, thanks so much. To Amy Atwell and the crew at Author EMS for taking care of all the nitty gritty final details, a thousand times thank you! To all my friends and family for your unwavering support especially when I go off to play in my newly created alien world with…well, aliens. You all have my undying gratitude.

  Prologue

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  Alienn, Arkansas – Mission briefing room in the basement facility of the Big Bang Truck Stop

  Victoria Greene marched out of the mission briefing room, Fearless Leader Diesel Grey’s parting words ringing in her ears: “Keep on truckin’.” Her brisk pace matched the urgency with which she and her two teammates were being dispatched.

  All missions were important. This one, however, was elevated, partly due to it being an out-of-state operation, but mostly because the spacecraft that crashed in a Georgia forest several hours away was from their home planet, Alpha-Prime.

  They were being sent to Nocturne Falls, Georgia—a Halloween-themed town, of all things—to ensure no earthlings discovered the truth about aliens roaming around on Earth.

  Stella Grey, Diesel’s cousin, was heading up the mission. It would be the first time the newest member of their team was in charge of such an important endeavor. But according to the rotation, it was Stella’s turn regardless of the level of the mission’s significance.

  The truth was, each mission they took part in was vital for their continued effort to keep folks from learning that aliens hid in plain sight all over the place in Alienn, Arkansas. Next time it would be Victoria’s turn in the rotation. After that, the responsibility would fall to the last member of their regular trio, Elise Midori, a redheaded warrior who was not one to be trifled with.

  As the newest member of the Grey family stationed on Earth, Stella wanted to prove herself worthy with a mission success. She hadn’t said that out loud, but Victoria and Elise knew it was on their friend’s mind and they certainly understood and supported her.

  The three women headed toward the tactical room. Cam Grey, the Big Bang Truck Stop’s security officer and Diesel’s brother, would meet them there to hand out their Defender weapons and the rest of their gear needed for this mission.

  Victoria’s mind traveled back to her parents’ home, where she’d been trapped in a conversation destined to follow a predictable path. When she got the call about the mission, she was supremely grateful for the intrusion that allowed her to escape.

  Victoria had barely put both feet inside the entryway of her parents’ home when her mom asked the familiar question.

  “Are you seeing anyone?” The older woman’s obviously forced indifference didn’t fool Victoria about the answer she wanted to hear. Specifically, that Victoria was in a torrid relationship about to become a lifelong marital romance.

  “No. Not lately.”

  Her mom’s face shifted quickly from hopeful to disappointed, exactly how Victoria hated to start every visit here. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to find the perfect person and settle down to give her mother more grandchildren than the two she already had, courtesy of Victoria’s older brother, Drew, the golden boy. She simply hadn’t found anyone who made her heart speed up or heat rush to her cheeks or feel any sort of attraction whatsoever. Still, it wasn’t like she was an old maid without prospects. Was it?

  Compounding the problem was the fact that last week her youngest brother Alex, announced an engagement to his longtime girlfriend, giving him golden child status and instantly mak
ing Victoria the only sibling in her immediate family without any type of a special someone in her life.

  She didn’t even have the tale of a recent date or brief romance to appease her mother. And likely why the conversation had started there upon her arrival at her parents’ house.

  After Victoria’s disappointing answer, her mother didn’t even bother with “hello” or “how are you.” Instead, she leaned closer and said, “Well, guess what? The other day I was talking to my good friend Mrs. Ashworth. You know, her nephew Jessup is still available—”

  Victoria put her hand up. “Stop right there, Mom. I’m not going out with Jessup Ashworth ever again.”

  “But maybe he’s changed—”

  “He hasn’t. Trust me.” Jessup Ashworth was the most notorious lothario in the greater township of Alienn, Arkansas, and perhaps even the entire Natural State. He’d managed to keep a shockingly low profile for quite a while regarding his typical Casanova antics. More recently, the nickname “Jessy Rubbernecker” had become a standard whispered warning among all the single ladies she knew.

  No matter who he sat with, friend, family, foe or random female, whenever a pretty girl—or attractive woman of any age—walked by, he turned exaggeratedly to watch her, sometimes calling out to ask for a date, even if he was already on a date.

  Victoria had learned that unfortunate detail the hard way. The initial rumor of how slimy he acted on dates had been so outlandish she hadn’t believed it, willing to give Jessup the benefit of the doubt. After their well-meaning parents set up a movie date between Victoria and Jessup, she heard even more rumors, but they were so bizarre she hadn’t believed they could be true.

  Jessup had been very cordial when he picked her up at her parents’ house. He’d amiably put up with her mother wanting to take pictures of them together, as if the occasion of Victoria being on a date was the event of the century. Maybe it was.

  He’d been a perfect gentleman through the first part of the date at the Black Hole Movie Theater, and the loud action thriller he’d chosen, buying her popcorn and a soda with an affable attitude. She’d waited for him to change before her very eyes. He hadn’t. He’d also been decently animated and talkative later as they walked to the Cosmos Café to get a bite to eat. He exuberantly listed his favorite parts of the movie, then asked for her opinion and actually listened to what she had to say.

  Victoria had almost dismissed all the foolish rumors she’d heard about him, wondering who could be so awful as to say these unkind and untrue things about the man. She considered rather steadfastly in the moment that perhaps he’d been framed by some horrible mean girl.

  But the truth of his nickname and his exact character flaws became all too clear when they got to the Cosmos Café for dinner. They hadn’t been seated for a whole minute when he started flirting shamelessly with their waitress, Kristine, a new girl recently hired at the café.

  Kristine glanced at Victoria a few times during the initial exchange, as if puzzled by the playful way Jessup acted with her, but ultimately didn’t dissuade him. She giggled and flirted back, Victoria guessed to earn a better tip or because she also had a mother who wanted her married and generating grandchildren sooner rather than later.

  Whatever the reason, Victoria had a free tip for the new waitress: Don’t date this loser. Jessup acted like Victoria was suddenly invisible, or blind to what he was unashamedly doing right in front of her. Or perhaps he didn’t care about her thoughts. Maybe he was always on the lookout for someone better than the one he was with. Maybe he could only act interested for short periods of time, like the length of an action movie.

  Jessup opened his roll of silverware, set it aside and flattened out the paper napkin band to write his phone number down. He folded it up into a square and made a great show of tucking it into the pocket of Kristine’s apron when she brought their water. That was worse.

  Victoria lifted one foot up beneath the table, wanting to kick him in the kneecap to get him to pay attention and stop being such a jerk, but was afraid she’d miss and slam her foot into the booth pedestal.

  There was no need to break her big toe over such a loser jerk.

  When Kristine got around to asking for their order, Jessup told her he wanted her wrapped up to go, then laughed like it was the greatest joke ever told. Only he wasn’t kidding.

  “Seriously, when do you get off of work, honey? Maybe I can pick you up later. I should be free in an hour or so.” He even waggled his eyebrows like a lecherous old man on the prowl.

  Victoria felt an odd smile shape her mouth as she considered he might be joking. Maybe? Please be a joke. Kristine glanced at Victoria, a question in her eyes, then finally pointed a thumb and asked, “Is this your sister or cousin or something?”

  Jessup rolled his eyes. “No. I don’t have any sisters or girl cousins, silly.” But he didn’t respond with any information about Victoria or explain they were on a date.

  “I’m his date,” Victoria said loud and clear, standing up as heat filled her cheeks, completely mortified. “And if you are foolish or desperate enough to go out with him, this is the way you can expect to be treated, too.”

  Jessup looked at her with a frown. “That’s kind of mean, isn’t it? I just took you to a movie and I also paid for the both of us and bought you popcorn and a drink to boot. It seems to me like you should be more grateful. Also seems like you would have been more appreciative by now, too. You haven’t even kissed me yet.”

  Victoria blinked, unable to speak for several seconds as a black cloud of fury gathered within. “More appreciative? I didn’t realize your definition of gratitude meant I was supposed to slobber and crawl all over you during our movie date because you fed me a snack.”

  Kicked back in the booth seat, Jessup’s eyes narrowed, but he soon responded with half a shrug as if that would have been the perfect way to treat him at the theater. What a vile, slimy little crust-fish you are. Victoria repeated the insult out loud.

  A crust-fish was the worst thing she could think to call him, as it was the meanest, most disagreeable, irate, spiny sea creature ever encountered in any of the limited water sources back on Alpha-Prime.

  Jessup frowned. “Obviously gratitude isn’t in your vocabulary.” He looked affronted, like he was the injured party, which infuriated Victoria even more.

  Before she could kick Jessup in the shin or slap the smirk off his face, an older waitress tripped over nothing and “accidentally” dumped an entire pitcher of ice water in Jessup’s lap. He stood up straight like he’d been struck by a well-placed lightning bolt, banging his knees underneath the tabletop on his way and snapping it from its moorings. The tabletop clattered to the floor with their freshly delivered drinks also crashing into the mess.

  Splashes of icy cold water sprayed her shoes, ankles and calves. She’d had to step out of the way when the tabletop came loose, but it was worth it to see her date scramble away from the wrecked booth as he howled in shock at being thoroughly and icily drenched from shoulders to knees.

  The waitress, Dixie, said, “So sorry,” a couple of times, but the older woman was laughing so hard she could barely get the two-word apology out through her very obvious glee. Likely no one in the entire café believed she hadn’t done it on purpose.

  With a smiling nod to Dixie, Victoria stomped out of the place and walked home alone, damp ankles and all, vowing never to be so desperate for a date ever again.

  Staring at her mother as she recalled the horrid ordeal only galvanized her attitude. Victoria would never go out with Jessy Rubbernecker again.

  “He might have changed,” her mom insisted, as they still stood in the foyer of her childhood home. “Both Mrs. Ashworth and his mother assure me that he’s a completely different young man from the last unfortunate time you two went out and—”

  “Oh, he is not. He’s the exact same person. I know for a fact he’s just moved his act on the road, going out of town to get dates because every girl in Alienn knows how he operat
es.”

  “Now Victoria, don’t—”

  “Don’t what, Mom? We both know that his mother—and his aunt, come to think of it—are desperate for him to get married so they’ll have a chance at grandchildren. He’s the only shot they both have at a next generation in their family. It’s not a secret.”

  Victoria’s mom opened her mouth for another round of convincing, but Victoria’s communication device buzzed clear and loud, thankfully, taking her away from the pressure any future romantic dates with Jessy Rubbernecker Ashworth could produce.

  She was grateful to leave Alienn on an important mission. It would keep her mind off the lack of prospects she faced with regard to romance and any further insistence by her mother that the last guy she’d been out with had changed one iota. Maybe she needed to take a lesson out of Jessy’s playbook and search for romance out of town.

  When she returned from the mission, she should consider looking around for a boyfriend in Skeeter Bite, Arkansas, or better yet, Old Coot, Arkansas. Perhaps there were a few young coots she could date. Any age of coot would be better than Jessy Rubbernecker.

  Victoria had lots of very good guy friends in Alienn, none of whom could be categorized as any type of romantic possibility. There was not a single man in Alienn she considered boyfriend material, including every one of the Grey boys, who in one way or another ran the upstairs and downstairs at the Big Bang Truck Stop. They were all as much like brothers to her as the two she shared blood with.