Carlo Russo is having the worst day. Not only has he lost his job, caught his boyfriend cheating, and had one too many shots with his best friend Grace, now he’s seeing aliens too. Big, black, tail-equipped aliens. After a futile struggle, he and Grace find themselves on a spaceship leaving Earth. Zenon Scoreceds Qhainqons doesn’t know what it is about the earthling male. Their mission is to bring back ten females in hopes of them being able to provide their planet with children, but he wants the male. What he’s going to do with the male, he doesn’t know, but he’s claiming him as his payment for going on the mission. Carlo doesn’t approve of kidnapping, but the aliens aren’t too bad, and once the language chip is installed, he finds it entertaining to talk to them. Zen in particular. They’re standoffish and never show any emotion, but Carlo has no problem cuddling up next to Zen at night. All Zenon wants is to spend time with Carlo, but it’s his job to get them all home in one piece. Will he be able to keep Carlo safe from all the dangers lurking along the trip? He has to because Carlo is his, and he’s not letting him go.

There Will Be Aliens

Someone squeezed his right arm, and he squinted in their direction. Grace. He tried to talk, but his throat was too dry and the noise too loud.


Carlo sat up straighter and hissed as a wave of pain and nausea rolled over him. What had happened? He looked around, his vision still blurry, and it was too dark to make anything out.


Seconds bled into minutes, and finally, the roar of the engine quieted down to a low buzz.


“Are you okay?” He raised his arm to wrap around Grace. They were strapped into seats, but Grace was leaning into him as much as the seatbelt allowed. He moved as close to her as he could.


“I have no idea.” The way she wiped her cheek made him suspect she was crying, but no matter how many times he blinked, he couldn’t get his sight to clear up. “Are you in pain?”


He was. “It’s okay.” He swallowed hard. “I might puke, though.”


Chapter 5