All Novel Sweet
92
Occasionally one of the commando team would wander by and give him a nod to let him know they were on the case. It did make him feel safe.
As he sat on the bench a small boy approached him bravely so he gave the boy a smile.
“Are you a monster?” the little voice said.
Jack smiled in surprise at the innocent question and saw the boy’s mother, not too far away, gasp in dismay. He leaned forward to speak quietly. “Only for my daughters and only when they ask me to be.”
The boy’s face lit up with a brilliant smile as he knew what that meant. His eyes went to the large horns and a small hand reached up to touch them. Jack just held still until the boy’s curiosity was satisfied. He pulled his hand back and grinned at Jack as he ran back to his mother who was sending Jack a grateful smile. Jack just nodded to her with a smile of his own. He felt… much better.
Done with his shopping he saw the new skis came with bags to carry them and thanked the shop owner after he made his purchases. The man gave him a business card and looked at him hopefully. Jack smiled then posed for several pictures with the him and the staff who were super excited. The mother and her son got a picture as well. He and the Altarians then carried their purchases out to the bus, their silent escort scanning the street with their eyes.
Comfortably seated in the bus once more as it headed back to the Gate Terminal Gee and Bal were discussing the shoes they bought and how they could be customized. They did this while scanning the roads around them.
“All quiet Major, aside from a local radio station reporting on the surprise visit at a neighborhood shop from the Ambassador.” Ray called out.
She nodded and turned to Jack. “You can call on us any time you need to visit Earth.”
Jack looked her in the eye and saw she was still carrying her guilt for letting him get taken from the planet. He’d already explained he didn’t hold them accountable but he wasn’t going to dredge that up again so he just smiled and nodded.
“Maybe a dance club in Russia next time?” he said mischievously seeing Corporal Orlov’s eyes widen in delight.
“Gods, no!” Maxim moaned causing the others to chuckle.
“You don’t know good music,” Leo huffed.
They made it back to the Terminal with no fuss and went inside. Jack shook their hands and saw Bal doing a trade with Maxim. She handed him a small box and the man’s face lit up in a broad smile. In turn he handed her a set of three deadly looking, ceramic throwing knives. She gave him a rare smile for the items.
Jack saw the Major doing her best to pretend she hadn’t witnessed the exchange. “Thank you very much for your protection. It did make me feel much more at ease. I’d like to be able to come back to Earth more often.”
“You have an open invitation. As I said, call on us anytime!” Cha’Risa replied.
Waving at the team Jack followed the Altarians down to their Gate and stepped through to find themselves back on Altaria.
When they reached the exit Gee stopped Jack. “We will meet back here tomorrow morning at 10AM. Wear your… what did you call them?”
“Long Johns,” Jack smiled.
“Yes, wear the warmest ones. I understand they will be having a snow storm when we arrive on Chrystan. It will be cold.” She shuddered.
“Listen, I don’t want you two doing anything you don’t want to do! I know Altarians don’t like snowy conditions-”
“We are going,” Bal said with a frown.
Jack held up his hands in surrender. “Fine! We will see you both at 10AM.”
“We?” Gee asked.
He looked at their curious faces. “Yes, we. I’m not going on my vacation alone. I’m going to a resort so I’m going to invite Diana, SennLann, and… well, not Eve as Joseph is ill but the other two and the kids.”
Gee shared a knowing smile with Bal. “We will see you tomorrow at 10AM.”
Jack watched them walk away feeling more than a little annoyed. They didn’t know what the ladies in his life were going to say.
“What do you mean, no?” Jack said incredulously to Diana and SennLann at the dinner table that night.
Diana looked at him while she fed Emily. “Jack, I’m originally from California. Southern California. I don’t do snow. I’m certainly not taking Emily to such an inhospitable place!”
SennLann was nodding in agreement. “Phem Kalos is a hot place. I do not like being cold. I will stay here with our daughters.”
Jack pouted. Eve looked at him with sad eyes with the sleeping child in her arms. “I cannot go-”
Jack held up his hands. “No, I get it. Sorry. I understand you can’t leave Joseph. That’s fine. I just thought one or both of you might like to come. It’s ok. I won’t be alone. Gee and Bal will be there with me.”
The ladies relaxed and he sighed.
That night when everyone had gone to sleep Eve slipped into Jack’s bed and cuddled up to him. He typically went to bed alone but most nights he’d get a visitor… or two. It wasn’t always for sex. Sometimes they just needed the comfort of another’s touch or in this case they knew he did.
“I’m sorry I have not been here for you lately,” Eve whispered.
“Please don’t apologize for that. I understand that Joseph needs you now.”Material © NôvelDrama.Org.
“I’m also sorry we can’t join you on your vacation.”
“Again, you don’t have to apologize. It’s fine. I am going to miss you though!” he said kissing her forehead as she snuggled closer to him.
Jack fell asleep wrapped up in Eve’s arms and her love. It was just what he needed.
>>>>>
The ground raced past under his pounding feet as Jack explored the pathways beyond his neighborhood in the early hours. There were very few others out exercising at this time of day and none would have been able to keep up with him. He was breathing like a bellows and his body felt good. His music player played the tone indicating it was time to head back.
He took the next path that veered to the right and smiled when up ahead he saw the opening to a single track path through the woods. It was a beautiful narrow earth path that hugged the side of a gently burbling brook weaving between the trees. As he turned off the paved path to slip into the forest he stopped his music and listened to the sounds of nature, his breathing and the muted thuds of his feet on the soil as he nimbly ran on the twisting trail. He was entering a state of Zen where running was life and life was running and he was one with the trail and-
FUCK-
In the split second before the collision Jack leapt sideways to avoid trampling three male Altarians who were suddenly standing in the center of the path facing him. His new vector drove him horns first into the trunk of one of the nearby trees.
Cr-CR-CRACK!
Jack fell back on his ass on the hillside, dazed by the sudden stop. His vision was filled with stars which gradually faded. He heard laughter and looked to the trail where the three males were enjoying his addled state.
“Look at the stupid look on its face! How incredibly dull witted it is.”
“Not much more than a beast really.”
“Ugh! Look how shiny and big his muscles are!”
The first two looked at the third. “And it smells funny!” number three quickly added.
Turning back to him the middle one snorted. “You didn’t even see us step out onto the trail in front of you. Do you run with your eyes closed?”
With that bachelor number one kicked a little dirt onto Jack’s chest with bachelor two following suit. “Stick to the paved paths, smelly human! The wooded paths are for civilized beings!” One said with a sneer.
With that the three males went on their merry way enjoying the sounds and sweet scents of the forest. Jack lifted a hand to his head and when he pulled it back he froze as his fingers were dripping with something red. He stared at his fingers then he realized it wasn’t blood. He sniffed it and noticed the scent seemed extra sweet then it was all around him. He took a deep sniff and smelled… GowGow juice. He looked down and saw his hand was resting in a pool of the sticky red sap which was bleeding from the injured tree he’d run into.
Crk-CRIK-CRACK! BOOM-boom-boom!
Jack rolled away from the base of the tree just as the structural integrity of the trunk failed spectacularly. The damaged area had sheared off where he’d struck it, the top sixty feet of the trunk suddenly dropping five feet to slam into the ground and bounce. Jack looked up and saw the canopy was pulling loose of the surrounding trees. It began to lean towards the gap between the trees. Towards the Altarians.
“Oh… fuck.”
Jack leapt to his feet and dodged around the slowly accelerating trunk to sprint down the trail.
“RUN!” he yelled.
“No, we won’t because civil-” Bachelor number one said haughtily as he turned but his voice stuck in his throat when he saw the tree toppling towards him.
“RUN, YOU SILLY BASTARDS! RUN!”
Squealing in fright the three began charging ahead to outrun the falling tree. They could hear the smaller branches of the top snapping and popping. That’s the section Jack really didn’t want to be in when it struck the ground.
The canopy of the GowGow tree is where the GowGow seed pods lived. Fist sized, barbed grenades filled with extremely sticky goo. They exploded on impact tossing their hooked seed everywhere. Even if the barbs missed you the seeds would stick to any surface. Getting the sticky residue off was apparently a painful experience.
Jack quickly caught up to the Altarians but number three who’d been out front tripped and fell. His friends trampled him in their haste but didn’t stop. Whimpering, number three held his arms up to be picked up like a child.
Scooping up the crying male Jack put on a burst of speed to dodge around the other Altarians by surging up into the forest and back down onto the path. He had a number of scratches on him from this move but now he was able to pour on the speed as he could hear the crashing sound behind him. The Altarian in his arms clung to him and shrieked in fear. Jack burst out of the trail onto the paved path and kept on running as the top branches struck the ground with a mighty crash.
Jack gradually slowed and then looked back.
There was no sign of the two other Altarians.
Jack stayed back as he could hear the occasional pop of a seedpod bursting. He gently set the male back on his feet. “Do you have a com? You’d better call for an ambulance-”
“HUMAN!”
They froze as they heard the voice of rage coming from somewhere inside the trees.
“Are you guys ok?” Jack called out.
“I… HATE… you,” the voice petered out into a whimper.
“Yeah, I get that a lot from you guys,” Jack said to himself then looked to the one standing next to him. “How about you? Do you hate me too?”
“No! You saved me!” it cried.
“Why did you guys jump out in front of me?” Jack asked.