Planted by the Alien Vampire Scientist

By Crymsyn Hart

Jaril came to Earth to study its plants. He didn’t intend to rescue a human when she falls and hits her head on a rock after she runs into him. To save her, Jaril must implant his technology in her.

Overcoming her fear, Abigail returns to the cave where she first met the alien. This time he’s the one who’s injured. The longer she’s around Jaril, the more she’s drawn to him, but Jaril needs to return to his ship to be healed properly.

Abigail doesn’t want to give up her life on Earth, but she might not have a choice if she wants to be with Jaril. Whoever said understanding plants was easier than humans never met a green alien vampire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Changeling Press
• Release date: Oct 28, 2021

Book preview

Chapter One

Do you think this is a good idea?

We’ve had this discussion. I’ll be fine. The lunar caves will keep you concealed. The humans won’t be able to detect you hidden so deep beneath the surface.

It’s not me I’m worried about. Talix leaned against the ship’s gray metallic wall and crossed her arms over her chest. Her solid form dissolved until Jaril could see the console behind her.

Jaril rolled his eyes while he gathered more instruments to take to the planet with him. He could always come back up for more. It offered more risk of exposure, though. The idea of all the various specimens he would encounter made him giddy. He scanned the instruments once more and decided he had enough devices to set up his habitat and lab on the planet. I’ll be deep enough in the cave the humans won’t find me. The humans are primitive. I’ll be fine.

They’re not as primitive as you think. Didn’t you go over the manifests brought back by the other ships? The humans have new technologies. They are aware of us. They’re planning on going to Mars. You’re excited to delve into the vegetation of this puny world. I told you there are better --

Talix. Enough. He threw up his hands and closed the case. Jaril hefted it from the workstation and went into the docking bay where the scout ships were moored. He pressed his hand against the side of one. The metal melted away to reveal a door. He ducked inside and set the case next to the others. Jaril would be cramped with everything he was taking, but he preferred it to scattering his atoms. Do you have the coordinates programmed into the navigation computer?

Yes, they’re entered because we both know you’re a horrible navigator. I’ll be doing most of the flying. Talix’s image flashed inside the small ship. The instrument panel lit up and the pilot’s chair glided backward for Jaril to sit.

Yeah, I know I’m better with plants than living creatures.

You don’t have to tell me twice. This is still an isolated planet. We really don’t…

He glanced at the shaky image of his ship’s computer. The artificial intelligence had been his constant companion as he went from one planet to another gathering specimens. He had all the different plant species cataloged on his home planet of Tilleron. Each time others of his race returned from their travels, they brought back data about the worlds they had visited or scanned. The last three ships which had returned from Earth had given him the idea to explore this particular planet for himself. Talix had tried to tell him to stay on Tilleron. He hadn’t want to hear it. The idea of Earth was stuck in his mind. At the moment, they hovered near Mars.

We’re almost to their moon. We have the coordinates for the lunar cave where you will stay while I’m on Earth. You’ve programmed the route to the cavern in the planet where I’m going to park the scout ship. I don’t intend to be bothered by humans. If I need to go out among them, I have garments to blend in along with our cloaking tech to keep me invisible if needed.

Let’s hope you do. How are you going to survive down there without any Plasma Units?

I’ll find one among the humans as the others did. I have enough bottled substance to last me a while. If you’re done, we’re in range. I’ll be fine.

* * *

The thought lingered in his mind as he replayed the conversation he’d had with Talix five months ago, before he arrived on the planet. The scout ship remained nestled deep within the caves of the mountain range. Jaril had parked it in an uncharted cave system. The underground caverns led up and into a lush forest area. Each day he discovered new types of vegetation. Each day Jaril ventured outward in the grid he’d set for himself, until his underground lab was full of different plants.

Jaril couldn’t help but feel satisfied that he had amassed quite the assortment of plants growing under the lights in his cave hideaway. Many species he couldn’t identify. The ship’s database contained limited knowledge about all the different types of vegetation on Earth. He’d had Talix download several Earth books on botany to discover more about the plants he encountered.  Others of his kind weren’t as interested in properly naming and cataloging all the different species he’d encountered.

Seasons changed. A white blanket of snow melted away and gave way to spring. He discovered more signs of humans in the wild than he thought he’d find. So far, he hadn’t had to interact with the primitive species except to observe them from a distance. As his stomach tightened and his veins felt stretched, Jaril glanced at the dwindling supply of plasma. He only had three bottles left. He hadn’t anticipated the snow blocking the cave entrance and him being cut off from his home ship.

Jaril took one of the last three and opened the bottle. Once the plasma touched his tongue, his sucker bloomed on the end of it. He ached to latch onto a throat or a wrist of a donor, but he drank the life-giving substance down. It hit his stomach and rushed through his system easing the tightness in his veins. He would have Talix scan the population and find him a suitable donor. He finished the bottle and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. A smear of crimson came away. Jaril flicked his tongue over it to catch the last drops.

With his hunger sated, he could return to testing the soil and watching the flora. He had set up his sun lamps to help the plants grow and brought more of the native soil into the cave. The one thing he hadn’t anticipated was that he couldn’t communicate with Talix from this far underground. Some of the minerals made it difficult to obtain a secure signal. He had to go up to the surface to converse with her.

Jaril donned clothing he had replicated from the ship’s database which would allow him to blend in if he came upon a human. Some blue leg coverings made of a thick stiff material and an orange vest. He packed a light, took a small case to gather more samples, and a bag he slung over his shoulder in case he discovered something more interesting to bring back. He maneuvered up through a variety of passageways until he arrived at the small cave opening. A splash of yellow sunlight reached across the cave floor. He had observed red stars, purple ones, and even a green one that matched his skin tone. Life always found a way to grow.

Jaril stood by the mouth of the cave and noticed the clusters of red and black fruit. He plucked a few, sniffed the berries, and slipped the bunches into his bag. I’ll test them later to see if they are edible and what the classification is.

As Jaril pushed away the branches, he heard voices. He stepped back into the cave as two humans walked by. He heard their lyrical speaking, but he couldn’t understand what they said. They stopped outside, a few feet from the entrance.

The breeze stirred. Jaril detected a whiff of something sweet. It smelled like a flower, but had another, deeper scent which roused his hunger. His tongue darted out