Alien Bride, page 18
part #2 of The Alien Series
Chapter 28
Kye
“Have a seat,” I offer once we are back in my suite. Madreed looks around the living space, noticing the sparse seating, and chooses a place at the dining table.
“Would you like anything to drink?” The indomitable politician before me declines, looking like every inch of her is here for business alone. “If you could start from the beginning?”
“Of course, Ambassador. You see, there was an incident recently, just beyond the borders of United Planets territory. A ship on a science expedition stumbled across a trafficking ring. Sentient beings were the cargo, and the primary subject of this barbaric and insensate operation was a race of aliens called humans,” Madreed explains.
“Unfortunately, human females are highly coveted as slaves within United Planets territory, as they look remarkably similar to our Goddesses of worship,” she goes on. “A small number of these females were rescued from the slave ship, but the majority vanished, along with their captors. I am working with the recovered humans to locate and retrieve any and all lost members of their kind.”
“Why are you not working with the Earth government?”
“That is not an option available to us. Of the six rescued, none have any idea of how to get back to their home world, and Earth is not a charted planet in any of our databases.”
“You’re saying there is no way for the humans to get back to their home?” Selfishly, I feel relief at this development. Without coordinates to get Alessandra back to Earth, she will have to make a new life for herself here now. Why not with me?
“As of this moment, there is no known route back to Earth. Though we are hopeful that upon recovering more humans some might possess the knowledge to direct their people home. If they don’t, we will ultimately apprehend the slavers and comb their navigation history for answers. However, that does not mean there is no home for the humans.”
“You said yourself they can’t get back to Earth.”
“The original six have created a refuge on a planet that, up until recently, has been uninhabited.”
“You left these six women alone on an uninhabited planet to fend for themselves?” I ask, shocked. This isn’t an option I will allow my wife to consider.
“No, of course not. They are joined by the males from the science expedition that originally recovered them. As a matter of fact, the planet as a whole is now being settled. Additionally, I imparted to them a portion of my own personal guard to aid in the early stages of community development.”
“So, it is a colony.”
“The beginnings of one, yes,” she agrees. “Now, tell me. Where is the human you have aboard this ship, Ambassador?”
“You are aware of the circumstances surrounding her arrival here?”
“I have been informed, yes. You can expect that the Makaan will be included in our investigation. Make no mistake, I will do them no favors if they are not forthcoming with information surrounding the humans. Now, Ambassador.” Madreed stands. At her full height she is intimidating—of course she would probably still be so, regardless of height. “I would like to thank you on behalf of humankind for caring for your passenger up until this point, but I ask again: where is the human?”
“She is getting ready for the evening with one of our crewmembers,” I tell Madreed distractedly.
“I will speak with her at the event then. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter, Ambassador. The United Planets will remember your role in this.” Madreed clasps my arm and leaves me in a daze.
Chapter 29
Kye
I lay in the bed I share with Alessandra for some time in the dark, drifting in and out of a restless slumber. My wife’s soft scent, bittersweet on the pillows. I dreamt of the Makaan stealing her away from me and of myself being trapped in a cage, unable to hear anything, not even the sound of my own voice.
I know the outcome of this. Alessandra will leave. She will choose her people over me. Whatever progress we have made is trivial compared to the loss of her planet and her fellow humans. I know this to be true because I would choose Isleria over anything, or at least… there was a time when I would have.
I don’t kid myself. For Alessandra, home has been the only thing she has ever asked for. Even when it came to bargaining with me she asked for nothing save her home. I think of the week she lost in the hologram room, looking at Earth like an old photograph. Now she will discover that she might never return there. It will be devastating for her. Being with her own people will be all she has left. How can I compare to that?
My thoughts are heavy as I head to Loret’s event. I take the elevator down, pausing to stare out at the stars before I exit. Could one of them be Earth’s sun system? Or the star shining on the human colony? The elevator pings; someone on another level has pressed the call button. I step out into the hall and check my handheld. I am early. The event has only just begun. I typically make a practice of being fashionably late.
I hesitate at the door. If only Anu were here, my old friend. She would guide me through this fog. But that thought is a double-edged blade. I resent needing so much help. The past weeks have been a painful awakening to every shortfall and deficiency I have. My career, my goals for the colonies and Isleria, my hopes to find a worthy woman to bond permanently with… It feels as if I’ve only just been skimming the surface of life but never fully dove in. It makes me question everything.
This is even true when I think of Loret, my fellow Ambassador. Loret is a fool, of course, but he is a sincere fool. It is apparent that he believes in what he does, and not just because he’s looking for something to believe in. Which is my own sin. I hate to admit it, but Loret is a good man. I wonder if the same can be said of me.
Then, as if my conscience has summoned another reminder of my shortcomings, So’Leke appears in the hall. Another of the refugees that I have done nothing to help. If I had given them a higher priority than my work with the colonies, would So’Leke be home even now, dining with her people rather than waiting here on my ship? I don’t think I fully realized it before, but now I see my own motives more clearly. I have been buying time with Alessandra. Time that has now run out.
I duck into the ballroom before So’Leke reaches me. A coward running from one of my many failures. Anger flits at the edge of my consciousness, because I have nothing else to fall back on, right now… Anger is the safest emotion I have.
I stride through the room, looking at all the familiar faces and dividing them according to their side of the aisle. I wonder if I can muster the energy to try and plead my point to any of them. That was supposed to be my goal tonight—to sway these people and spin their perception of events. But then, I see the only person worth talking to.
Alessandra wears an Islerian gown, long and fair, glinting like soft ocean waves in the pale sun. Her wild tresses are piled atop her head in a style I’ve never seen a woman wear before. It leaves her neck completely exposed. A risqué sight for an Islerian, but perhaps without meaning to humans, considering they have no pheromone spines marking their jawlines. When Alessandra turns I can see the high slit up the side of the gown and the bare places where skin peeks out through eyelets in the delicate fabric of her dress.
It is as if a gravitational force pulls me towards her, but she turns away as I draw near. I realize it is because someone is calling to her. I strain to make my way through the crowd, hoping it is not Madreed. When I am able to see her caller, I am equally dismayed. Loret has beaten me to my wife.
It is the sight that follows that brings the whole of my anger to the forefront of my mind. Loret takes ahold of my wife’s hands and leans in to gift her with a taste of his pheromones.
Chapter 30
Alessandra
I sit with my legs curled up underneath me on the couch in Keone and Unalay’s quarters. Keone and Prev sit across from me, lazily picking at their instruments while Unalay retrieves a snack from the kitchenette. She plops down beside me and holds a bowl in my direction. I grab a handful of the crunchy contents and start munching on it, purposefully not asking what it is I’m eating. I’ve learned that the Ebunati have… unique… tastes when it comes to food. As long as I don’t know what I’m eating I can still enjoy myself.
“I have the perfect dress picked out for you. Kye is going to lose his mind when he sees you,” Unalay tells me.
“I don’t see how it’s any different than what she normally wears then,” Keone remarks.
“Quiet yourself!” Unalay reprimands.
“Keone has a point,” I laugh. “I seem to bring out the crazy in Kye, and Keone has firsthand knowledge of that,” I remind them. Keone winces and rubs at his face, remembering when Kye punched him.
“You quiet yourself, too!” she says, swatting at me.
“What?” I laugh in response.
“I will not have anyone speaking ill of the Ambassador tonight,” she says reverently.
“Why are you defending him all of a sudden?” I ask, cocking a brow at her.
“She wants to be a matchmaker,” Keone informs me.
“Bah! You traitor, that was to be our secret!” she tells her husband.
“A matchmaker? I hate to break this to you, Unalay, but I’m already married to the guy.”
“Married, yes, but I think there could be something more there,” she admits.
“Do not meddle in their affairs, wife,” Keone tells her.
“Meddle? Talk about meddling. Why don’t you wet blankets get out of here so we can start getting ready for the night?” Unalay tells the guys.
“Fine,” Keone replies, getting to his feet. He leans over to give his wife a kiss. “Come on, Prev. Let’s give the women their privacy.” Prev stands and follows Keone to the door. On his way there he ruffles my hair.
“Good luck, kapat,” Keone tells me.
Before they disappear behind the door I hear Prev’s voice. “I think there’s something more there, too.” The bassist shrugs. All I can do is laugh.
“Finally! Now that we’ve gotten rid of those pests I can show you everything I have for you to wear tonight!”
“Everything? All I need is a dress, right?” I ask.
“Alessandra! Do not forget what you will be wearing underneath the dress!” she says, running to her room.
“Underneath?” I echo, but Unalay can’t hear me. When she returns she is holding up a thin strand of gemstones and the look on her face is mischievous.
“Please tell me that’s a necklace,” I tell my friend.
“Come on, I’ll show you how it works,” she offers, and I follow her to the bedroom. “You’ll thank me for it later, I promise.”
“Oh man, what am I getting myself into?” I lament.
“Whatever it is, I want all the details in the morning,” she says excitedly. I grumble in response, but I can’t hide the smile creeping across my lips. Nor can I ignore the butterflies in my stomach at the thought of Kye responding positively to the sexy little things I will be wearing tonight.
“Now… what are we going to do with this hair?” Unalay asks, pulling me in front of the mirror in her bedroom. I sigh at my reflection, enjoying the bond between us and, heck, all the others, too. It feels so good to have friends in this place. It makes me feel like myself again.
“Hey, Unalay?” I ask.
“Yes?”
“What was it that Keone called me? Kepit? Kapad?”
“Kapat,” she supplies. “It means ‘little sister’.”
***
I’m excited when I get to the ballroom. It’s funny. Life after an alien abduction is a slurry of emotions you wouldn’t think possible. All things considered, it’s been a good day. It was really nice spending the afternoon with Unalay, being girly and getting ready for a formal event. It felt so normal, and I have to say, I crave normalcy after everything I’ve been through. Hand to god, give me bland and boring for the rest of my life and I’ll be content.
Though, the highlight of my day was the comm link I had with Anu and Khalil. Miraculously, Khalil is healthy enough to travel now, and the couple will be heading back up to the ship later this evening.
It’s amazing to think about how advanced the medical field is among these alien cultures. I mean, if a laser gunshot can be healed in less than two days I wonder what other ailments they can cure. I also wonder if I can bring any of that stuff back with me when I return to Earth. Or are they just going to drop me off in the middle of the night and I’ll have to keep my alien abduction a secret for the rest of my life? I mean, sure, I could tell people… if I don’t mind being dubbed a tin foil hat-wearing nut for the rest of my life.
It’ll be weird to go back, after everything I’ve seen… now that I know what’s out here. But I don’t let my mind travel too far down that road. It’s been a good day in outer space and I am going to just sit on that feeling for a moment, because you never know what tomorrow will bring.
I’m hoping Kye gets here soon. The band is going to start up any minute and I really want to spend time with him before that. I smile at the realization. Things certainly have changed. I mean, he’s probably the person I feel the closest to. It’s a far cry from the night I beat him over the head with a book, I smile to myself at the memory. I grab a drink from the bar and I’m just about to start mingling when I see Loret making a beeline towards me.
He is walking with such purpose that I worry something is wrong and so I hurry to meet him. “What is it, Loret? Is everything okay?” I ask, but his response is not what I expected.
Instead of answering me with words he grabs my hands and pulls me close to him, almost in a hug, nuzzling his pheromones into my neck. These people have the weirdest customs. I laugh.
“Um… Hi? Can I help you?” I say playfully but pull away nonetheless. While I do consider Loret a friend, this feels a little more intimate than I’m comfortable with.
“Alessandra, I need to speak with you,” he says, holding me at arm’s length.
“Okay… I’m all ears,” I say. He looks at me a little confused but still presses on.
“I have been thinking heavily about you since we returned from Ipoch. That situation was a danger to you, and to think I allowed Amara to put you in such a position—”
“Come on now, Loret. Kye couldn’t have known the Makaan would even be there, let alone that they would start something. We can’t hold him responsible for their actions.”
“Perhaps not, but I question the decision to even bring you and the other refugees there in the first place. He has been to the surface, he should have been more cognizant of the possible risks. He should have been more cautious with your wellbeing.”
“Loret, he invited me. He didn’t hold a gun to my head and force me to go to Ipoch.”
“I just… I don’t trust him with you, Alessandra! You deserve more than what he can offer you.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa… I think you are misunderstanding the relationship,” I begin. “I’m not asking Kye to offer me anything. This is just a layover until I head home,” I explain, but something about my words betray my emotions. Something I can’t quite put my finger on.
“Is it, Alessandra? My first question when I heard that Amara was harboring refugees was: Why hasn’t he taken them home yet? Even with as much as I care for you, and I do care for you, I would take you home if that is where you wanted to be. Yet here we are. How many weeks have you been on this ship, Alessandra?”
“Kye has to finish his work here before we go to Isleria.”
“This is his ship, Alessandra. It is not government issued. He could have taken you back anytime he wished, or sent you on without him, for that matter. There are any number of options available, but Kye has made no move towards any of them. Hell, you don’t even need to go to Isleria. I could take your testimony against the Makaan and you could leave for home directly from here. You are not a priority for him, Alessandra, and you never will be. That man has spent his entire life only thinking of himself. He is a child. Selfish and self-absorbed.”
“I’m sure Kye has a good reason for his actions. I mean, he wouldn’t intentionally keep me from Earth on a whim,” I try to defend, but do I honestly know that to be true?
“Everything that man does is on a whim. That is my problem. You are too precious to be used for his political gain, only to be discarded like all his past brides,” Loret says passionately. I try to argue, but he starts again before I even have the chance to form a coherent thought.
“Alessandra, I would like you to consider dissolving your union with Kye and being with me—” His words are like a physical thing and they hit me with every ounce of the weight he puts behind them. “I would like you to consider staying with me. I think a union between us could be a lasting one. I would like to bond with you permanently, if you would have me,” he says, and his eyes are so sincere and full of passion that I’m dumbstruck. He leans toward me again and caresses me with his pheromone producers once more.
