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Alien Tango

Alien Tango

Titel: Alien Tango Kostenlos Bücher Online Lesen
Autoren: Gini Koch
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and beauty names, like Tiger Blesses the Sun or Dragon Dances on Air. We had a technique at my studio called Crane Prays to the River that we’d all nicknamed Crane Opens a Can of Whuppass. Shannon was perfectly placed, and it was time to open the can.
    I jumped to the side to avoid his punch while blocking with my arms, which threw him off-balance. Kicked out his knee with a side-blade kick; he went down. Hit his temple with a left palm-heel strike, followed by a right palm-heel strike to his face, double right side-blade kicks to the floating ribs and the side of his head. Turned and did the pretty on-guard stance. Watched Shannon burble with his neck at a funny angle. Hey, at my studio, our rule was they went to the ground, and then we’d decide if we let them live or not. I’d chosen not.
    Martini still seemed to be channeling the Hulk and Raging Bull at the same time. His body was shaking, and his breathing was heavy. He was staring at me, and he looked close to insane. I wasn’t sure if I should say something or run or what. But all I wanted was for him to hold me.
    “What did he do to you?” Martini’s voice was a menacing growl.
    “Not as much as he wanted to.”
    “He touched you.” He stalked over to me, and I started to cry. I didn’t want to be afraid any more, I wanted it to be over.
    He reached for me, and I cringed. “Jeff . . . please . . . I didn’t want him to.”
    Martini’s expression changed. He didn’t look enraged or out of his mind any more. He looked as though he was going to break down. “I know.” He stroked my face, gently, where Reid had hit me. “I’d have been here sooner, but you were actually driving faster than I could run.”
    “We’re a hundred miles from Caliente Base, maybe more. How did you get here?” The aftermath was starting to hit me, and my body began to shake.
    “I ran.” He slid his hand around to the back of my neck and massaged.
    “The whole way?” He put his other hand on my waist and drew me toward him.
    “Yeah.”
    “How?” One hand was at the back of my head and one at my lower back. But our bodies still weren’t touching.
    “An effect of the drugs they gave me with a massive amount of adrenaline.”
    I looked down at his inner forearms. It was still dark, but we were close and my eyes were adjusted—I could see needle marks. “Jeff, what did you do to yourself?”
    “What I had to.”
    “Why?”
    He gave me a shaky smile. “Because I love you. I always have, I always will. Even if you never want anything to do with me again.” He swallowed. “Baby, can you ever forgive me?”
    I started to bawl, buried my face in his chest and wrapped my arms around him. He held me tightly against him. I tried to tell him I was sorry, but the words weren’t coming out coherently.
    He kissed the top of my head. “It’s okay, baby, it’s all right. I’m here.”
    “Don’t leave me.” It was the only thing I could get out.
    Martini squeezed me. “No, not if you don’t want me to.”
    I looked up. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were sick.”
    He bent and kissed me—it was deep, powerful, a bit frantic. It was wonderful, and as his tongue twined around mine, my body finally started to relax.
    He ended the kiss slowly, slid his hands down my arms, then backed away just a little, but he kept hold of my hands in one of his. “I’ve . . . been trying. . . . ” He stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then he went down on one knee and my chest got tight.
    Martini opened his eyes and looked up at me. “Our culture doesn’t get engaged or give rings. When we find the person we . . . want to spend the rest of our lives with, we make a declaration, of love, fidelity, and trust.” He gulped and put his free hand into his pocket. He opened my hands and laid something across them. “It’s called a Unity Necklace. It shows that the person wearing it has accepted someone’s declaration. You wear it until you’re married.” He was shaking, but I didn’t think it was from the drugs. “They . . . they’re passed down through families, through the male children. This one’s been in our family for centuries. The stone and the metal are from our home world.”
    I stared at it. It was an unusual design, geometric shapes intertwining to create something very lovely and very non-human. The stone in it was dark, I couldn’t tell if it would be black, blue, or green in the light.
    “Oh, Jeff . . . I can’t put this on.” His

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