Aliens on Earth

Aliens on Earth AMARYLLIS MEDIA / RHETASKEW PUBLISHING Contents HEAT LEVEL 1 Alice's Illusions by Maya Black The Chosen by Tori Kellett HEAT LEVEL 2 Azuria's Heart by Rhylie Matthews The Alien & The Crime Boss by Naomi Valkyrie Dark Thief by Melissa Riddell HEAT LEVEL 3 Mated to the Serpent Prince by JC Brown and Lena Lane My Alien Mates by Jodie A'Lores Prodigal Granddaughter by Marley Tobin Exiled by Aurora Hunter HEAT LEVEL 4 Her Alien Rock Star by Elle Ryan Taken by the Asani by Elizabeth Dunlap Xalan Claimed by AJ Mullican Nova Lost by Kerry Keller and Kira Roman Haven on Earth by K. Rose Her Secret Alien by Susanna Eastman A Ruthless Bargain (Alien Enforcers, #1) by Zadie Fox A Mate for Haax – Mated to the Grekarian Series by Evie Burks Rebel Mate by K.O. Newman and Miri Stone Prometheus Bound by Mariah Thayer Chastity Unchained by Ashley Amy Her Virgin Alien by Mariyam Hasnain My Boss is an Alien by Ashlyn Hawkes Loving the Alien Exile by K.N. Fray Representing the Alien Bride Lottery by Margo Bond Collins Just a Space Fling by Nyx Black and Lore Nicole Cookies for the Space Man by Star Wing The Trouble with Aliens by Tricia Schneider Red Stars Crossed (DragonFire Soul Mates #1) by London Kemaker Taming The Alien Beast by Aerin Ida Celestia Bought by the Aliens by Delilah Rose Zenith’s Anchor by Dove Priest and Raven Hush My Brother’s Alien Match by Sienna Sway Hunting Darkness by Sheri-Lynn Marean Totally Launched by Zoey Indiana My Destined Aliens by Aurora Welkin Sasha’s Bounties by Deysi O'Donal Alien Prince by Danielle Jacks Cover Illustration © 2023 – Jodielock's Designs Interior Design © 2023 – EmCat Designs All characters, settings, locations, and all other content contained within this book are fictional and are the intellectual property of the author; any likenesses are coincidental and unknown to author and publisher at the time of publication. This work and its components may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author and Rhetoric Askew, LLC. © 2023 - individual authors of their respective stories all rights reserved This collection was made possible by the support of our readers and we are extremely grateful and humbled to bring this collection of short fiction to you in support of St. Jude’s and their mission to end childhood cancer. Thank you for helping us support our communities and those who need it most! Note: St Jude’s is not affiliated with the individual authors, this collection / anthology, and/or Rhetoric Askew, LLC in any way. Heat Level 1 Alice's Illusions MAYA BLACK Chapter One The school bell rang loudly through the halls and classrooms, signaling lunch break for the students. In a flash, the once silent hallways of the high school building were crowded by students milling their way out of their classes and towards the cafeteria. Trying to peel away from the crowd of students was Alice; a seventeen-year-old blonde with an athletic skinny frame and gray eyes. Alice was somewhat a reclusive figure at school, seeing as she had absolutely no friends and didn’t look like she was intent on brushing up on her social skills either. With her earphones plugged in and Nirvana blasting into her ears, Alice felt like she was in a world of her own. A world where the hideous bullies who cackled at her throughout the length of the hallway were just voiceless ugly gremlins. Alice wasn’t new to being bullied as she had always been at the receiving end of some distasteful jokes by her classmates. She never let it get to her as she barely cared what anyone thought of her. “Hey, Loo Loo…you heading over to your five-star loo for lunch?” Brad, a burly teenager who couldn’t play any sport except lacrosse, jeered at Alice as she silently walked past him and his group of buddies. Alice barely gave him the time of day as she couldn’t make out his words, but the exaggerated laughs she noticed his friends laughing made her somewhat sick to the pit of her stomach. Arriving at an empty bathroom, Alice sauntered in, choosing her most favorite stall and shutting herself in. She settled down on the toilet and then began to rummage through her paper bag, picking through her lunch as she softly nodded her head to the raging music blasting through her headphones. Alice had never been one to fit into the crowd and she wasn’t looking to. She preferred to be by her lonesome and spent her lunch breaks eating in the bathroom and taking walks to the high school’s special rabbit farm which she absolutely adored. Alice always made sure to make herself available whenever the rabbit farm needed an extra hand, most times causing her to stay longer at school. A faint smile formed on her face as she munched through her lunch whilst thinking about the rabbits, wishing she could have her own rabbit at home. She was barely done with her lunch and personal musings when the shrill bell rang aloud through the hallways and classrooms again, signaling the end of the lunch break. Groggily getting herself up from the toilet, Alice tossed the remains of her lunch in the trash and washed her hands. She let out a soft sigh as she paused for a tentative moment in the middle of the restroom, then threw her arms around an imaginary giant rose which she imagined was hugging her. Due to past experiences, Alice was literally immune to bullying and she also did her best to never think about them. Her headphones blaring Nirvana helped her secure the illusion as she walked out of the bathroom and made a beeline for her next class. Alice’s next class was Art class and just like it was customary with the students, very few paid attention as the lecture went on. Sitting by her lonesome and staring stoically at the whiteboard, Alice