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  APHELION

  Skywatchers, Book 1

  L.J. Higgins

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by LJ Higgins

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed in the United States of America.

  Cover by Maria Spada.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Also by L.J. Higgins

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  Chapter One

  Lifting my firearm in a slow sweeping motion, I rested my left knee on the bitumen using my right to prop up my elbow as I stared down my weapons scope. I drew a silent breath, focusing on my target from the corner of a brick building. She was a brunette in her late teens who worked nights at a general store. If it weren’t for the way her silhouette emitted a blue glow through my scope, it would’ve been near impossible to know she wasn’t from this planet. My jaw clenched as I thought about her neighbours, her work colleagues who stood in the alley with her, talking and joking, the people she spoke to every day. None of them knew what she was or the heinous things she could do.

  Darkness shrouded the laneway I hid in, the light of the sliver of moon barely lighting the alley it branched off. I pressed myself close to the corner of the cool brick wall to avoid casting shadows ahead of me. Patiently, I waited for her to say goodbye to the humans she worked with as she had the past three nights. They’d leave the back of the store and walk towards the street while she’d proceed alone down the alley towards me. Only a being capable of monstrous things would brave a dark alleyway, alone, on this side of town.

  She tipped her head back with laughter and reached a hand out to touch one of her co-workers’ arms. Watching her touch the lady made my fingers clench tighter around the grip of my weapon. I drew in a deep breath, relaxed my tense muscles and exhaled against my gun. After tonight, she wouldn’t touch another human being again.

  I narrowed my eyes, ready for her approach. The other two ladies waved before leaving, and as planned, my target walked towards me. A small grin spread across my lips. I kept my gun trained on her forehead as she drew closer until I was confident I had a perfect kill shot. It would be silent and clean, and I’d leave no trace anything had ever happened. Exactly how I was trained.

  Her footsteps echoed through the silence of the alley as she approached, and I pressed my finger a little tighter over the trigger. A few more steps…

  Crash! The sound of pallets toppling onto the asphalt behind me made me jump, throwing my aim. I squeezed the trigger, firing a silent shot across the road. The bullet ricocheted off the bricks, sending a spray of clay in front of my target. Startled, she squealed, her eyes widening before she took off in a sprint back down the alley the way her co-workers had gone. I rose to my feet and took a step out of the shadows to chase her down and finish what I’d set out to do, but I stopped myself before sinking back into the darkness. They’d trained me to keep it clean or leave it be, and this was one of those times I needed to leave it be.

  My jaw tightened as I watched her disappear into the darkness. I’d failed my mission. It was the first time I’d missed a target in the two years I’d been an alien hunter.

  “Crap!” I punched the brick wall with a gloved hand, ignoring the ache reverberating through my knuckles.

  Another round of falling pallets echoed through the alley, making me cringe. I spun to shoot daggers at the new recruit who was supposed to be hiding in silence behind me. Guess I needed to put more emphasis on the ‘silence’ part.

  “Sorry.” He offered me a dorky smile that made me want to punch him in the nose.

  “Are you freaking kidding me? Do you realise what you’ve done?” I snapped.

  He scrambled to push the pallets back up against the wall, but one fell onto his leg, making him wince.

  He wore the standard black Skywatchers uniform. Black long pants, black utility belt and black skin-tight shirt, all tied together with black combat boots and black fingerless gloves. Thankfully, I wasn’t the type of girl who enjoyed any hint of colour in her wardrobe, as I wore the same outfit he did. The rookie’s sheepish grin turned to a grimace as his gaze flicked between me and the barrel of my gun. Realising I’d trained my weapon on him out of instinct, I lowered it before securing it onto my back.

  “I’m sorry. I was trying to sneak closer to see what you were doing, and I must’ve knocked them over,” he said.

  I shook my head and let out an exasperated breath. Yeah, the guy was good-looking. Blond hair, blue eyes, nicely built from what I could see through his smooth black suit, but as for brains…

  Another pallet tumbled over, the bang reverberating down the alleyway, making me flinch. I looked behind me, hoping no one would investigate the ruckus. Lucky for us, people on this side of town tended to ignore any strange sounds and keep to themselves. Stealth was not this guy’s forte.

  “Ryan. That’s your name, right?” I asked.

  “No, it’s Reece.” He shot me a tight smile.

  “Reece. I know this is your first time in the field, but the first thing you learn in training is stealth. You know what stealth is, rookie? Being really, really quiet so you don’t alert the alien to the fact you’re about to put a bullet in its brain. That’s if they even have brains.”

  “Well, they must have brains, right? They wouldn’t be able to think or function without them,” he replied.

  My nostrils flared, and I squeezed my fists tight at my sides.

  His eyes found my tightened hands and he swallowed hard. “I know. I screwed up. I’m really sorry. I just…”

  I held my palm up, and he slammed his lips shut. Maybe he understood sign language better than English.

  “I don’t care why you’re so useless or why you’re giving me an alien biology lesson. I’m just thankful you aren’t carrying a weapon so you can’t damage yourself, or more importantly, me. What I do care about is the fact we’re going to have our asses kicked for missing our target. You know why?”

  “Because I’m useless?” he guessed.

  “There’s that. But also because after the fright you gave her, she’ll go into hiding and we won’t be able to kill her,” I replied. “Because of you, that alien can murder more people.”

  He glanced at his boots, and guilt crept into my steely resolve. Maybe I was being too harsh. He was a new recruit after all. But no one had been soft on me when I joined. I’d had to jump through every fiery hoop they threw at me. That’s how I’d grown into a hunter with a rep for never missing a target. At least, not until today.

  I released a breath. “Look. You screwed up. You know the only good alien is a…”

  “Dead one?” he replied as though there was any other possible answer.

  “Do you want one of those things to creep into your home and
kill the people you love?” I bit at him, the familiar pang of hurt gripping my chest.

  “No, Kylah.” He stared at me with his sapphire eyes.

  Damn Commander Kane for partnering me with someone so damned hopeless. I knew what he was doing. He was testing me to see if this handsome young man tempted me. He was always sending me curveballs to see if he could throw my concentration off or shift my focus from my job. I don’t know why he bothered. I’d proved time and time again there was nothing left in this world that could distract me from hunting down alien vermin. But Commander Kane wasn’t going to be happy we’d missed our target. I’d spent a good month tracking her and learning her routine. Three nights in that alley alone. But, I was the lead hunter on this mission and I was responsible for the rookie. That meant I was going to be punished for his clumsiness.

  “Ryan?”

  “Reece.”

  “How did you pass the final test, anyway? Stealth and keeping hidden was a big part of getting through.” I lifted the last pallet and leant it against the others along the wall.

  “I told you. It was an accident,” he replied.

  “Getting through was an accident?”

  His nostrils flared but he kept his cool. “No, knocking over the pallets was an accident.”

  I quirked an eyebrow. “They must be desperate for hunters if they’re letting rookies who can’t be quiet through.”

  “I actually passed all of my testing with flying colours.”

  “That’s what worries me. How are we going to rid the world of aliens if rookies like you scare them all into hiding?” I set off walking down the alleyway with the rookie right behind me.

  “I said I’m sorry. I screwed up. I promise it won’t happen again.”

  “No, it won’t. Because Commander Kane’s about to give you the worst reaming of your life. You’ll be lucky if you get to hunt aliens ever again. And don’t call me Kylah. My name’s Ky.”

  Chapter Two

  “One month off hunting. That’ll give you both time to reflect on how long it takes to track and watch a target, only to lose it,” barked the Commander.

  The rookie and I had gone straight to Commanders Kane’s office after returning to Skywatchers headquarters. When we’d broken the news about losing the target, it’d gone down just as I’d imagined. The Commander sat in silence, running his fingers over his moustache as I described what transpired in the alley. He’d kept his face straight the entire time. His small dark eyes didn’t widen or narrow even once as I spoke.

  Bookshelves lined Commander Kane’s office, and a desk sat across the middle of the wide room where the man who ran Skywatchers reclined in his big leather seat. I stood in front of his desk while the rookie sat on a wooden chair behind me in silence. Now he knew how to stay quiet?

  “I’m disappointed, Ky. You haven’t missed a target since you I first sent you out into the field. What happened? Were you distracted by the new rookie?” He leant back in his chair and clasped his hands on his timber desk. “I thought you’d be adverse to the effects of a young, good-looking boy, but apparently I expected too much of a seventeen-year-old recruit.”

  I knew he’d been testing me. “He didn’t distract me because he’s good looking, sir. I was distracted because this dimwit knocked over a pile of pallets while I was taking aim at the target.” I pointed to the rookie without turning around.

  “Reece?” The Commander leant to the side to see the rookie.

  “Yes, Commander?” replied Reece.

  “You’re dismissed for now.”

  Heat seethed in my veins and I clenched my jaw tight as I heard the scrape of the rookie’s chair.

  “Sir, she’s telling the truth. I screwed up. It was me who scared off the target,” said Reece.

  I licked my bottom lip and kept my stare forward, past the Commander, focusing on one of his framed certificates.

  “There’s a lot to remember on your first hunt. That’s why we partnered you with one of our best recruits, so she could make sure you were safe and doing what you were trained to do. I appreciate you trying to cover for her, but you were her responsibility. You might be off the hook, but you’ll be required to attend extra classes and do extra training to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future. You’re a new recruit, and it was Ky who let you down.”

  “Sorry Ky,” were Reece’s last words before he left the Commander’s office.

  “Are you serious?” I spat at the Commander. “What sort of rookies are you letting through if guys like him are allowed out in the field? I get he was my responsibility, but I didn’t instruct him to knock over a pile of pallets and scare off our target.”

  “You need to remember your place, Ky. I may have taken you in at fifteen and allowed you to train as a Skywatcher hunter, but that doesn’t entitle you to special treatment. And it doesn’t entitle you to speak to me with so much malice on your tongue. I’m your Commander, not your friend.”

  His words were like a slap to the face. I bit the inside of my mouth to keep my boiling anger at bay.

  “Now, sit,” he instructed.

  I obeyed, hating how he knew how to make me feel like that fifteen-year-old girl who’d just found out her brother had been murdered. That with no one left in the world had decided her only hope was to join Skywatchers so she could hunt down the aliens who’d killed him.

  “That’s better,” he said. “I know you pride yourself in being one of my best hunters. What you’ve achieved in only two years, and at such a young age, is beyond even my expectations, but you’re not perfect. And neither are the rookies. Reece was your responsibility, and you failed him. You got so caught up in your mission, you didn’t stop to teach him what he was there to learn. Do you remember your first kill?”

  I thought back to the day I’d followed my trainer, Ricko, into a park late one night. We’d hidden behind an old run-down toilet block and waited for a young man walking home from the train. I’d nearly pulled out, nearly let him get away. Lucky I’d had Ricko in my ear reminding me he was an alien, despite how human he looked. He’d kill me and anyone else who gave him the chance in an instant. I’d drawn in a deep breath and released it slowly, my extensive training kicking in as I squeezed the trigger. The shot went straight through his skull, and he’d fallen to the grass moaning. I followed Ricko over to the man’s body, blood oozing from his wound. Ricko pressed an auto-injector into his leg, and the alien’s eyes rolled back into his head. He was dead. I’d helped Ricko dispose of the body while fighting a wave of numbness. I waited for days for the relief to hit me, for the joy at killing a creature like the one who murdered my brother Tyson to creep in. It never came. But killing them did get easier.

  “Yes, sir.” I hung my head.

  “I know you don’t like to get close to people. I don’t think I’ve seen you speak more than a few words to anyone other than myself or Agent Rickson. You might be a hunter, but you’re also seventeen. You should have at least one friend. It’s not healthy to be alone all the time. Relationships aren’t a weakness. They’re a strength. They give you something to fight for.”

  “I already have something to fight for,” I replied, returning my gaze to his.

  The Commander shook his head, and a sinking feeling settled in my stomach.

  “Just as I told Reece. One month of hard training and classes. I also want you to spend some time with Agent Rickson. He knew how to tap into your potential in the beginning, maybe it’s time the two of you worked together again.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Commander Kane rose from his chair, and I followed suit. “You’re a good Skywatcher, Ky. Spending some time with the other recruits will make you a better one. Do me a favour and try to make a friend or two.”

  I gave him a curt nod and left the room swallowing hard to fight away the tightness in my throat. Friends were the last thing I needed. How could he possibly understand what it was like to lose everyone you ever cared about? Relationships weren’t a strength. Losing them could b
reak you and change you beyond recognition. Where was all of this talk of making friends coming from anyway? In two years, the Commander had never cared if I talked to other recruits. Now this rookie screws up out in the field, and I’m supposed to make friends because he’s hopeless?

  I couldn’t wait to get into a training room with the rookie. I’d put him through his paces and make sure he knew how important it was to be alert on a mission.

  Commander Kane’s words echoed through my mind as I stepped into the elevator and punched in Below Ground level five. I hated to admit it, but part of what he’d said was right. As useless as the rookie had been, he was my responsibility. Instead of training him, I’d urged him to stay out of my way so I could complete my mission. Our mission. But it didn’t matter how much the Commander’s words resonated with me. There was one thing we’d never agree on. Being close to people wasn’t a strength. It gave the aliens something to take away, something to break you. It’d broken me when my parents died when I was thirteen. And I’d been broken all over again when I learned about my brother’s death. I couldn’t get close to anyone because I didn’t think I’d survive another loss.

  “Ky! Ky!” The rookie’s voice chased me down the hallway of level five.

  I approached two recruits who looked towards him and back to each other before offering me a polite smile as they passed. I’d helped train both of them in the field when they were rookies, but I couldn’t remember their names. They’d moved on after I took them out a few times. They always did.