Chapter One

My mind had just been utterly blown.

I stood, staring at my uncle, in a numb state of shock.

He was lying.

He had to be.

"This is my life's work, Anastasia." Tony continued, growing visibly impatient with me. "He is real."

How was I supposed to just believe that? What he had told me- it was not just ridiculous, it was insane.

But, then again, Tony probably insane so it should have not been anything so shocking to me. Too many years isolated in his lab had left his credibility about as reliable as shoes with no soles.

He sighed, rising to his feet and moving towards the door. "In due time you will come to accept what I have told you. Perhaps you may even meet him for yourself."

With that disturbing statement hanging heavily in the air, Tony left me to my thoughts and walked out of my room.

The final sound came from the soft click of my door being closed.

I blinked several times, hoping maybe I would just wake up, and lay back on my bed.

What a mess my life was turning out to be. Thoughts whirled and crashed in my head like the waves on a stormy sea.

This was one nightmare I would not be waking up from. This was my life now. This was the new reality.

One Month Later

"Now, I just want you to prepare yourself, Anastasia." Tony, my estranged uncle, cautioned, turning to face me. We stood outside a pad locked door, what was just on the other side of it god only knew. "As you already know, we here at Ground Zero, IETF focus on the tracking and study of extraterrestrial life."

I tried to peer past him into the small window, only half listening as he spoke. Somewhere on the other side of that door was alien... and I was going to meet him.

Really, I had no idea what to expect. Tony had given nothing away about the alien sense telling me he was here in the Facility more than two weeks ago. But he had been adamant on convincing me to see it for myself.

"The alien you are about to meet is one of the most gifted individuals of our time. His intelligence and the rapid rate of his learning skills alone far surpasses anything we have ever seen." Tony paused then, glancing through the window for a moment. When he turned back to me his expression was unreadable, "Also, he naturally possesses hand to hand combat skills so precise you could stand him up against a hundred men and he still could not a matched. He is incredible, Anna."

My focus snapped from the door back to my uncle. "And you are only telling me this now?"

Leave it to Tony to leave out all of the important details until it is likely too late to turn back. From what little I knew of the man he had always had a strange way about him.

From the time I was old enough to remember I had seen my uncle a total of five times; once for my fifth and seventh birthdays, once for Christmas, he was there for my grandfather's funeral, and he was also there for the funeral of my parents.
But he had not been there through any of their deaths, and he had not been there for me after their deaths.
In fact, I did not see my uncle for an entire year after the deaths of my parents.

After a month in foster care the courts placed me in the custody of my second cousin and I was moved to south west Georgia. It was not until two months ago that he had finally emerged from the wood work and served Nancy the papers on his rights to my custody.

The court overruled my open objection to the transfer, thanks to Tony's relations to me, him working for the government, and my cousin practically throwing me into my uncle's arms, there was zero cause to deny him. Within a matter of days I had been packed up and moved from my home in Georgia back to California, to this alien compound in the middle of the desert.

Only after I had come here had Tony briefed me on what it was they studied here at this facility. After learning that shocking news I spent an entire month on lockdown. I went nowhere besides the mess hall and the gym. I saw no-one besides my uncle, the cooks, and the occasional scientist, or trainer, but they rarely spoke a word to me.

"Anna?"

I blinked back to the present, finding Tony had already entered the room, standing just on the other side of the threshold. He looked annoyed.

Nervously, I entered the average sized room and looked around. Not surprisingly, it resembled a hospital room. Sanitary white from top to bottom with nothing more to break it up than a grey door stood slightly ajar but nothing could be seen past the shadows cast from the lack of lighting in there.

In the opposite corner across the room stood a treadmill, monitors clustered alongside a small wooden desk and chair.

In the center of the room, held up by four short legs, was a cylindrical stainless steel chamber. A small window was placed at one end and a bright light was mounted above it.

That had to be it. That was where they kept the alien.

"This over here is the cryogenic sleeping chamber, constructed by myself and several engineers. " Tony added proudly as he made his way over to the chamber. "This is where we detain the alien when he is not out with any of his trainers."

I rounded the chamber until I came to stand by my uncle's side. Peeking through the small glass window I viewed for the first time the illuminated features of the aliens face.
And it took me by surprise just how not alien-like he appeared to be.

In all honesty I don't know what I had expected, but I definitely was not prepared for how human he looked.
He was a shade darker than my pasty, ivory complexion, with sharp features and a strong jaw set with a look of pure determination.

Everything about him was pleasant to the eye; high cheekbones, a prominent jaw, and nose. His eyes were rimmed with thick, dark lashes that were the same color as the cropped hair on his head.

Just on the other side of the glass, laying in peaceful slumber, was the alien and all I could think was if the rest of him was as attractive as his face.

I shuddered, disturbed by my own sick thoughts, and refocused.

"And you are certain this is a good idea?" I asked, prying my gaze away from the window long enough to glance up at Tony. My uncle was a tall, fit man of an average weight himself, but from what little he had told me of this alien, he would not stand a chance against him if something were to go wrong.

"Of course." Was his only reply, his focus fixed on a dial pad blow the window where he was busy punching in numbers.

A loud hissing sound filled the room as the lid lifted away and the pressure started to release. I started backing away before the lid could fully lift and uncover the shirtless, sleeping ailen that lay beneath.

As with everything else, I had no idea what to expect with the lid removed. Would he wake all at once? Would be react badly to me being here?

Tony had told me nothing. He had done nothing to prepare me for this.

The lid halted, now fully open, and I waited with baited breath. I waited a full thirty seconds and nothing happened.

I heard the muffled sound of Tony chuckling. Keeping his back turned to me he reached into a drawer hidden under the bottom of the chamber and retrieved a syringe filled with a thick, milky white substance.

I opened my mouth to question the meaning of the syringe, but Tony cut me off.

"I advise you to remember what I told you, Anastasia. For one: he is an alien, his thought and receptive process is quite different from the way you or I think or perceive things. And two: he has been trained under strict and somewhat brutal circumstances."

I blinked, a sickening feeling began to settle in the pit of my stomach. What was he saying?

"I tell you this because he may seem rather callous and rude and I want you to be assured that he will not harm you in any way."

Oh of course he waits until now to tell me this. Because telling me before trapping me with no means of escape would have been far too much to ask for.

Before I could object Tony pierced the aliens arm, injecting him with the contents of the syringe.

My heart ceased a beat and my entire body froze. Whatever happened now, there was no going back.

In mere seconds the alien began to stir. A sleepy groan reverberated deep in his chest.

"This counteracts the gas from the chamber. It's action is similar to a dose of adrenaline and is used for rapidly waking him rather than the usual twenty or so minutes it can take for him to become fully aware."

All at once his eyes flew wide open, blinking rapidly then squinting against the intensity of the overhead light.

For a moment I was considering snapping at Tony for having the light directly in the things eyes and disorienting him. It was already a mystery how he would react to my presence, that light was not going to help matters any.

I could not even finish piecing my thoughts together before he spun around and sat up. His feet hit the floor without the slightest sound, and his eyes landed on Tony. For a mere moment he was completely unaware of my presence.

I used that one moment to ogle his bare, painfully perfect chest. The way his unblemished skin stretched from his muscular chest all the way down his toned abs. The only thing he wore was a pair of grey sweat pants and I will admit I had never seen them looking better. It was drool worthy.

His arms were longer than the average persons, the muscles there evident, but were more long and less bulging than a what I would consider normal. They were still perfect.

The only thing that kep my traitorous eyes from roaming any further was that his eyes were now looking at me. Through me. And they were most definitely not human.

A mixture of fear and excitement sent an involuntary shiver racing down my spine. His eyes were so beautiful. Caught somewhere between the sun and liquid gold and rimmed with dark lashes... They held so much in their depths, I could stare into them for a lifetime and still never understand what lie hidden there.

I hardly had time to rip my mind from my thoughts and realize he was no longer sitting on the bed. Now he was on his feet and looming over me.

What the hell was this guy, a Nephilim Giant? I was no short girl by any means, standing at five feet, seven inches, but being this close to him I felt four foot nothing. He had to be seven feet tall, at least.

Or it could just be that he was standing so close. We were nearly touching.

Maybe he did not understand personal space.

Was it getting warm in here... Or was he just that hot... literally.

A frown creased my brow... Was he- he was radiating heat. I felt like I was standing beside a furnace.

"And you are?" He asked slowly in a gruff, sexy voice that fit perfectly with everything else rough and rugged about him. He had not stopped staring at me, but at least he had spoke. That had to be a good sign, right?

I swallowed, finding my mouth had gone completely dry.

"This is my niece, Anastasia." Tony offered. I watched him easing closer out the corner of my eye, his professional mask beginning to falter.

Well great! Now Tony is worried.

The alien still did not look away, his molten eyes boring into mine with an intensity that was about to turn me into a puddle. "I am Jaycar."

"Or just Jayce for short." Tony placed his hand on my shoulder and pulled me back a step, "She is no threat, Jayce. In fact she will be staying in the Facility for the time being."

His eyes snapped from me to Tony. A heavy silence passed over us before Jayce nodded once and looked away. His body visibly relaxed for the first time sense he had woke.

When his eyes connected with mine again they froze me in place with a look so chilling I truly believed that looks could kill. He looked at me as if I really were a threat to him, which was funny to consider because he could have quite literally crushed my skull with a single bare hand.

Why was he staring at me like that?
My heart stuttered in my chest, fear squeezing it like a vice.

There was nothing between me and Jayce. If he really wanted to kill me he could and there would be nothing anyone could do to stop him in time.

Tony cleared his throat and tugged me back another step. I now stood at my uncle's side, not that it made me feel any better about this entire situation. Tony was the one who had gotten me into it in the first place.

"You can relax now, Jayce. You are overwhelming her."

He glanced back a Tony and took a single step back. Because one step was so helpful.

Tony cleared his throat again. Either he was beginning to sense the tension or he was getting sick. "Your meal is being prepared now and will be delivered to you shortly. I only came by to introduce you to the newest member of our team. We will leave you to freshen up now."

His hand moved from my should to my elbow as he turned towards the door. I hurried along behind Tony, feeling Jayces' eyes on me all the way out the door. Even when it swung shut and locked behind me I could not shake the feeling I was being watched.

"That was incredible!" Tony exclaimed, clasping my shoulder as we started back down the hall. "To be perfectly honest with you, Anastasia, I did not anticipate your first meeting going so well. You are the first female he has encountered of any race, and he took quite an interest in you. I expected some form of hostility upon your first meeting but-"

I stopped walking, the full magnitude of what my uncle was admitting hit me like a ton of bricks.

"You what? You said he was harmless, Tony! You lied to me!" I was yelling now, but I didn't care. I could have died and my uncle stood here celebrating.

A sheepish smile stretched across his lips. "I am aware what I said may have been somewhat deceitful, but try to look at it from a scientists perspective; I was never going to know if I did not at least try it."

I opened my mouth to argue but snapped it back shut. It was useless.

As if I did not have enough reason to hate him already.

I turned and stormed off down the hall. I had no idea where it was I was going, I just needed to be as far away from Tony as possible.

~~~

I spent forty five long minutes wondering down one pristine white hall after another, angry and reflecting on how dramatically my life had changed in the last year.

That in itself was depressing, but it was still better than stewing over how my uncle had nearly gotten me killed all in the name of a stupid experiment. And to think, he was the man who would raise me for the next six months.

How I had gone from popular high school track queen who had literally everyone and everything at her fingertips to orphaned, exposed to the existence of aliens and living in this government stronghold in the middle of the desert was still too mind boggling to comprehend.

These kinds of things were not supposed to happen. This was the kind of sci-fi drama I had read somewhere in a Wattpad novel.

"Excuse me. Miss? Are you lost ?" I turned towards the sound of a man's voice echoing down the hall and was met by a pleasant looking, middle aged man, dressed in a lab coat, black pants and a green button up that did not go with his burgundy tie.

To say he looked absolutely perplexed by my presence would be a harsh understatement. I was a little surprised myself. I had gone to the wreck hall for nearly every meal and I had never seen him there. But surely he had been made aware of my circumstances.

He looked more shocked at my being here than the alien who had never seen a woman outside his own infancy.

Slowly I began to shake my head, realizing I had yet to reply to the man. "No. I am fine. Just taking a little walk."

His brows scrunched together, apprehension forming in his myrtle eyes. "But... What are you doing here?"
Ok, maybe Tony had not told everyone I would be staying here for the time being. That was... odd at best.

"I take it you did not know Tony had a niece he moved in?"

His face lit up like a lightbulb had gone off and he nodded. "Ah, you must be Anastasia. Now that I think about it Dr. Croft had informed me of your stay." Fortunately he did not look like he wanted to press the matter any further.

I offered a half hearted smile, glancing around for anyone else scuttling about the hall. A single man in a white lab coat rounded the corner just then, his pale blue eyes glancing over me in an uninterested manner before moving back to the clipboard he held firmly in hand.

He brushed past us, his height nearly catching me off guard. For the second time today I felt like I had been stood up next to a sky scraper. What was with the tall people around here?

The scientist in front of me followed the tall man's back as he made his way down the hall before his attention snapped back to me. "Right. Well, I should be on my way, but if you should need anything I am sure someone will be within calling distance. Should you ever need my assistance just ask for Dr. O'Neill."

He did not wait for me to say anything, just hurried past me, following after the man who had gone through moments before.

I continued on down the hall, still not sure where it was I was going. My only hope was to eventually come across some place I was familiar with.

Eventually I picked up on the inviting aroma of food and followed that down several long halls until at last I reached the wreck hall. Besides my bedroom this was the only place I had been allowed the entirety of this past month.

Jill, the head cook, stood behind the counter, busy with whatever it was she was cooking over the grill.

She smiled at my approach. "Anastasia, dear! How are you today?"

Aside from Tony, Jill had been the only other person to go out of their way to talk to me. She was a kind hearted woman who looked to be in her late fifties. How anyone could always look so happy working in a place like this was beyond me.

"Great, considering my circumstances."

Her smile softened. "Hang in there, dearie. Now, what can I get you today? I have hot lunch plates, snacks, drinks... I even have a little candy I like to keep on hand."

No longer able to help myself I smiled. She was entirely too kind to be in this place. "One lunch plate and an orange juice, please."

She gathered the items I had requested and handed them over, cautioning me to watch the plate so I would not burn myself.

I offered an appreciative smile and made my way to a nearby table to take a seat. Besides the occasional person entering the wreck hall, for snacks or coffee, I ate my lunch in relative silence.

For once I didn't even mind that I was alone.