Read The Visitor: Alien Hunger Special Edition for Free Online

shame of discovering the woman he worshipped like a goddess
only saw him as a dirt poor, white trash boy destined for
prison.
    He hadn’t been so far gone, though,
that he’d even considered telling her the truth.
    Possibly because he was pretty sure
she’d believe the invented past before she’d believe the real
truth—which, very likely, she wouldn’t have believed at
all.
    And if she had, she would’ve
considered him more of a monster than she did already.
    He’d been so furious after that
lecture, he’d gone out of his way to prove that she was right about
him—which was probably the stupidest thing he’d ever
done.
    Or maybe not.
    He’d managed to put her out of his
mind long enough to complete the study he’d been sent to make and
put together his report in a more or less timely manner.
    He’d managed to avoid far more serious
repercussions that anything the local authorities might mete out to
a juvenile delinquent.
    It had been hellish, though. For a
while he hadn’t been able to get past the fact that he’d screwed
around and deprived himself of the possibility of even worshipping
from afar. It might’ve been sheer torment to know that he was never
going to come close to having her, but he’d wanted to keep his
fantasies.
    After a while, he’d managed to
convince himself he was well away from temptation.
    Mating was forbidden.
    He would’ve done something truly
stupid if given the opportunity.
    Because, unfortunately, he hadn’t been
on this world long at all before he’d discovered it was totally
unsuitable as a colony and it wasn’t likely he’d be moving in
permanently. Earth people were facing pretty much the same problems
they were—overpopulation and dwindling resources.
    He couldn’t stay and he couldn’t take
her with him.
    And then they’d discovered new worlds
capable of sustaining healthy colonies and they’d removed the ban
on mating—were allowing them to breed … so long as they kept the
birth rate down.
    He was only coming to this world to
find a mate because theirs was a compatible species and a fresh
gene pool.
    He was only going to this country
because the culture was so similar to his own that he saw a higher
likelihood of finding a compatible partner.
    He was only going to this city because
he’d established an identity for himself here when he’d been sent
to scout this world.
    He wasn’t looking for anyone in
particular.
    He just needed to accumulate enough of
their currency to attract a mate he found pleasing.
    In that respect the culture was no
different from every other culture he was familiar with.
    He had to prove he was capable of
taking care of his mate and any issue of their union. In a more
primitive society, that meant being a good fighter and a good
hunter.
    The more advanced they were, the more
the focus shifted toward energy and mental capabilities and away
from the physical superiority.
    Any delusion he’d allowed himself that
he’d completely forgotten her, completely and totally buried his
youthful infatuation, had vanished the moment he saw her, though.
Everything he’d worked so hard to convince himself of had fallen by
the wayside. He’d felt as hungry, and as unworthy, as he had when
he was a stupid kid … and he’d behaved as badly.
    His stomach churned as he
recalled what he’d said to her, the way he’d said it, and the look in
her eyes. His throat closed. “ Jod , mabay ! I didn’t mean it!”
    But he had, he realized. He’d felt
like dirt when she’d looked him afterwards and made the damned
comment about the fucking condom! As if he was some fucking disease
ridden piece of trash! He wasn’t a … fucking man whore! He used
protection on the rare occasions when he indulged!
    He just hadn’t seen any
need to protect himself from her—when mating was the objective —and he’d been
too stupid to realize she would be upset by it.
    And he hadn’t taken anything with him
and there was no fucking way he could stop himself once