1

"Stop fighting me. You know you want it."

He was so close, his hot breath fanning her face. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and she only had to look into his eyes to know he was high as well as drunk. Yet despite being trashed, he was still stronger than her. He easily pinned her arms down with one hand while using the other to grope her breasts painfully.

"Get off of me!" She yelled, cheeks flushed in rage. "I said I wasn't in the mood!"

"Well let me get you in the mood, baby, c'mon." He purred, words slurring slightly.

She nearly gagged when he shoved his tongue in her mouth, the taste of stale alcohol and cigarettes flooding her mouth making her stomach turn. Why was he being like this? He was never this insistent.

She managed to free a hand, shoving him off of her in frustration.

"I'm going to sleep on the couch." She muttered as she climbed off the bed.

She had barely made it two steps when she was being yanked back by her hair making her scream. 

"Don't you dare fucking walk away from me you little bitch!" He snarled, slapping her so hard her ears were ringing. "Now do your fucking duty as a woman and spread your legs."

The blaring sound of a car horn woke Camille with a start, her heart hammering in her chest like a race horse while her blue eyes darted around to take in her surroundings. It took a couple of seconds before Camille realised she was still on the greyhound bus and that she had only been dreaming. Thankfully no one was near enough to see the look of sheer terror on the woman's face as she was ripped from a fitful sleep and forced back into reality. 

Night had fully settled in and with it came the rain which soaked the window by Camille's head until the lights of the city and the passing vehicles became blurred and bled into each other. Even though it was difficult to see outside, Camille knew she had finally reached New York. It had taken nearly two days by bus to get to the bustling city from Colorado but she had finally made it. 

Now all she needed to do was find her friend. 

It had been two days since she last spoke with Charlotte and that was to confirm which bus Camille would be coming in on. After that, their communication had ceased. Camille couldn't run the risk of bringing her phone with her. What if Nathan could track it? It had already been risky calling Charlotte on it but Camille had used the factory reset function and hoped it was enough to prevent her ex from figuring out where she was and who had helped her. Nathan would no doubt kill Charlotte if he knew she was involved in Camille's escape. 

Charlotte had been nothing but supportive when Camille reached out begging for help. They had grown up with each other in the foster system but Charlotte eventually decided to try life out in the Big Apple. They had remained in touch but hadn't seen each other since they were eighteen. Charlotte had been there when Camille met Nathan. He had been polite, caring and sweet to the point that neither girl suspected him of having a much darker side. It was Charlotte that had convinced Camille to leave Nathan in the end, offering her a new life in New York along with a new identity. She could even get her a job cleaning which also came with accommodation. 

At the age of twenty-two, Camille had witnessed and experienced enough violence and fear to last a dozen lifetimes and she had finally found the courage to escape. She still didn't know how she had been seduced by such a sick and twisted monster and yet somehow Camille found six years of her life had passed and all she had to show for it was a controlling and abusive boyfriend and the scars that came with it. Even now she was sporting a busted lip, black eye and numerous other bruises. 

She didn't want to think about the past right now though.

It was only another ten minutes before the bus was pulling into the terminal and the remaining passengers filed off the bus. Camille headed up the rear, keeping her head down to hide her bruised face. Despite the terminal being busy, everyone was rushing to get to their destination and so blind to others around them. The weather certainly wasn't helping as people tried to avoid walking in the rain or were unable to see from under their umbrellas. 

"Camille!" 

Camille turned at the sound of someone calling her name to find a girl with hot pink space buns and piercings running towards her. 

"Charlotte." She breathed in relief, managing a small smile as her friend engulfed her in a hug. 

"I'm so glad you made it." Her friend gushed, sadness filling her eyes when she pulled back and regarded Camille and her bruises. "I was so scared Nathan was going to find out and do something to you." 

"Me too." Camille nodded. 

"Come on. Let's get you home and then we can talk." Charlotte entwined her arm with Camille's to lead her out of the bus terminal. 

Camille was eager to get out of such a crowded area. She knew New York was a busy place and while that didn't bother her, after everything she had endured over the last few weeks, she didn't have the energy or the nerves to deal with numerous people. However, if she wasn't in the mood to deal with busy streets then she was definitely not ready for what was waiting outside. 

No sooner had she stepped outside she nearly walked straight into someone. Except this wasn't just any person. In fact they weren't even human. 

Ten years ago, a message was picked up via satellite claiming to be from another solar system. No one knew exactly what was going on but shortly after receiving the transmission, anomalies had been picked up, UFOs were what the news outlets called them. Then came the space ships. Camille remembered seeing them on the TV when she was just twelve. She had been both terrified and in awe as the first images of the colossal ships were broadcast around the world. There were five of the hulking structures in total, each like a hybrid of skyscrapers, satellites and a war ship. Lights blinked on their bellies like on planes while they sailed through the skies almost silently. One alone could eclipse the sun as they passed and yet they never stopped over any of the cities but rather remained over open waters or stretches of land that were uninhabited. 

Small ships like jets and cargo craft escorted the behemoths as they sailed into view. There had to have been hundreds of them flying around the larger vessels or hovering close by. Some were small while others reminded Camille of  all the guns attached to them. Those were the ships that eventually touched down.

After that day, everything humans thought they knew changed. The Draygonians not only proved there was life out there somewhere in space but that it was intelligent and peaceful despite the impressive display of power. They offered to share their knowledge in medicine and technology in exchange for help with a delicate matter. 

Their female population had been attacked by an enemy which left them infertile and in some cases dead. Only the females who had been working off planet had been unaffected but this only amounted to just over one hundred thousand fertile females in a population of six billion. So they had gone looking for another species that could help and found Earth. 

Not every human female was compatible though. About thirty percent of the population had the genetic code that seemed to be the key to them being compatible with the Draygonians. 

But not everyone was happy about the visitors nor were they happy about their reason for being on Earth. In several countries civil unrest had broken out with anyone accused of associating with the Draygonians being murdered. In other countries extremist groups were born that attacked civilians, the governments, the military and of course the Draygonians. For a long time cities became dangerous places to be until finally, the allied forces were able to push the terrorist factions out of the cities and begin to dismantle them. However, it was no easy task and attacks were still happening on occasion. 

For someone like Camille who came from a small town in the Midwest, this had all seemed a million miles away. Sure she had seen the news and social media but she had never seen a Draygonian in the flesh until now.

The alien had to be at least 6'5". Black armour and military styled clothing covered the heavily muscled body while a helmet covered the head leaving just the face free of any coverings. Gold feline-like eyes glowed against grey-blue skin. White specks littered sharp cheekbones like freckles while markings sat above this particular soldier's left eyebrow and on his chin. 

S-sorry." Camille stuttered when she realised she was staring, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. 

The Adonis-like creature said nothing but gave a small nod before moving towards his partner, both holding their weapons downwards. Camille couldn't help but watch the two soldiers as they spoke for a few moments before beginning to walk through the crowd, eventually disappearing out of sight.

"Come on." Charlotte guided her friend away gently. "Don't worry, you get used to them. They're actually pretty nice but they take their jobs seriously." 

"How do you know that?" Camille asked, frowning in confusion. 

"Well, because I work for them." Charlotte shrugged. "And so do you too now."

"Wait, what?" Camille gasped. "How did you pull that off without my credentials?" 

"Relax." Charlotte laughed softly, her brown eyes twinkling mischievously. "We work on the Draygonians' base but technically we work for a facilities management contractor. I happen to be very good friends with the head of HR and I was able to pull some favours. All you have to do is keep your head down and not attract any attention to yourself." 

The walk didn't take long, much to Camille's relief. New York has changed a lot since the Draygonians had turned up but sadly, not all of it was for the better. While the aliens had brought with them some great technological advances that had helped numerous ways, they had also divided opinions. Most had welcomed the visitors once the initial fear and shock wore off but there were still factions that saw the Draygonians a threat to the human way of life. 

They approached a collection of squat apartment buildings that looked like they had been built very recently. Beyond them, towering over nearly everything were three towers of glass and steel. Large fences with barbed wire and God knows what else surrounded the imposing buildings while a mixture of military, government officials and Draygonians wandered across the large forecourt. 

"The US headquarters for the UN-Draygonian alliance." Charlotte explained. "Come on, you can stare at it from inside the flat." 

Camille nodded, quickly following Charlotte towards one of the apartment blocks.

"Home sweet home." Charlotte announced as she flicked the lights on to the small studio apartment situated on the third floor of the staff accommodation block. 

The open plan kitchen-living room gave the illusion of space despite being a little cluttered with a sofa bed, armchair and coffee table. A flat screen TV hung on the wall amongst photos, postcards and posters. Curtains separated the sleeping area from the main part of the apartment and a door to the left led to the bathroom. 

"I know it's not much but you'll be safe here." Charlotte explained as she shut the door behind Camille and dumped her bag on a side table. "You can either just sleep on the couch or pull it out and make up the bed." 

"Thanks, Charlotte. I really appreciate it." Camille smiled softly, dropping her small duffel bag of belongings by the side of the couch.

"Oh, I also got you a gift." Charlotte smiled mischievously and practically skipped to the bathroom. She returned moments later with a box of hair dye and a pair of scissors. "New life, new style?" 

Camille couldn't help but laugh even if it hurt her ribs. 

"Sure." She agreed and let Charlotte lead her to the bathroom. 

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