12
ARIX
I've made a terrible mistake.
I felt Jo's emotions in my Karak brain... and somehow, even though I'd shifted, I felt it in my human chest. An ache that burned like a fire, flames flicking higher into my throat.
I am a Karak scout.
It was a feeble thought.
I watched Jo sprint from the door, and then I went to the window and watched her jump in the truck. The vehicle spit snow and gravel behind it as she peeled out of sight.
I've made a terrible mistake.
The thought echoed in my consciousness, hollow and true. I shouldn't have shown her what I was. Alien species never reacted well to first contact, especially intelligent species. Fear overwhelmed them, and sometimes madness, their brains unable to comprehend and accept what they saw.
I thought my coupling with Jo would elicit a different reaction. That she would accept me for what I was. I felt the love of her embrace when we were in bed, the concern she felt when she leapt up to confront the intruders. The desire to protect me was a warm blanket in her mind, a feeling I had never experienced in my entire Karak life. She felt affection for me, and the need to protect me, as if she was mine and I was hers.
That emotion made what had come next several orders of magnitude more crushing.
I've made a terrible mistake. That was the thought that flashed across Jo's mind when I revealed myself to her. The thought that made her grab her weapon and attack me as if I intended her harm. As if I was a threat.
I showed her what I was, and she regretted everything she'd done.
The ache persisted in my phantom chest as I watched Jo's truck disappear out of sight.
Beyond that, less intense and immediate, was the regret that I'd brought trouble to Jo. My presence had caused those men to come to her cabin, destroying any peace she had. It was my fault, and I regretted it almost as much as my choice to show Jo what I was.
But unlike that, it was a problem I believed I could solve.
I reached out with my consciousness, recoiling when I sensed Jo's bubble of emotions in the truck: aching pain, sharp pain, regret and confusion and fear. I slid away from that consciousness until I discovered the two intruders closer, still walking on foot back to their own vehicle. They were bundles of excitement and curiosity, and they spoke to one another as if they had great plans.
The human part of me, which still lingered like smoke from an extinguished fire, hated them in that moment. They had caused Jo significant pain, and would continue to do so even if I removed myself from the area.
Remaining in my Karak form, I left the cabin.
I moved across the snow gracefully, leaving a trail of melt as I went. I honed in on the Jones brothers like a pointed laser, a singular purpose to my actions.
Then I could see them, up ahead near the main road. A tow truck was parked on the shoulder, and they were climbing the snowy road bank up to it.
I moved faster, and when I knew they would be able to see me I reached out once again.
JONES BROTHERS.
My voice boomed in their minds, which had the effect of knocking them to their knees with shock. The chubby one, Liam, whipped his head around in confusion, but Max had already locked onto my form with his eyes. He smacked his brother in the leg until he looked too.
Their jaws opened wide, but no sound came out.
YOU HAVE DISTURBED JOANNA.
Max blinked a few times, then mumbled, "I, uhh..."
Joanna is innocent of what you suspect, I said, a fraction quieter. She knows not what I am or what I do. Leave her in peace.
Max had an intrusive thought: he wanted to reach for something called a photon isolator, which was in the back of their tow truck. I made myself laugh in their minds, though it was a foreign sound for a Karak.
You are foolish if you think your earth technology can harm me. Do not reach for your photon isolator or you will regret it.
Max began whimpering, then.
So again, I command you: leave Jo in peace. Tell no one of what you have seen. No one will believe you.
I shifted then, as slowly as I could for emphasis. When I was back in my human form I grinned a friendly grin.
"Because if you return here," I said with finality, "you will regret it. Please tell me that you understand."
Max bobbed his head like his life depended on it. Liam tried to say something, but his jaw moved without sound.
Then they were scrambling up into their truck, yelling at each other as they went. The engine roared to life and they disappeared faster than Jo had before.
I waved at them with mock human friendliness as they disappeared down the road.