Chapter 8
I think a bathroom on Earth would be bigger than this module, and that only worsens my anxiety. The ceiling must be less than two meters high, there are two chairs bolted to the floor, side by side, and I can't see any food or water that this place should have stocked for my mission.
"They wanted a very pure virgin." He shrugs, and I feel my breath quicken along with my heart, but of course Unob notices I'm about to freak out, so he hurries to speak. "It was either that or lose the deal, Kitty. And it’s similar to Earth, there are trees, lakes, rivers, mountains, you’ll see. I'm sure you'll like it!"
Unob and I have had deeper conversations before, and just like he’s obsessed with humans, I’m in love with Earth, with the idea of its nature. So the idiot is using that to convince me not to lose my mind, knowing that I’ll have to lie about everything about myself. I’ll have to pay attention to absolutely everything that comes out of my mouth.
"Okay, virgin, submissive, and polite..." I mutter irritably, thinking that even though I stopped with the “shows,” I’ll still have to please men around here. I then open one of my suitcases and take out the white dress I set aside this morning.
I asked the seamstress to copy exactly a design I saw on the internet, and she did a good job. The piece is white, flared, and has little flowers, very similar to what I see humans wearing in spring on Earth, and it feels nice to the touch.
"Are you sure you want to wear a dress?" Unob asks, narrowing his eyes, still standing in the doorway that he’d have to lower his head to pass through.
"Several clients have already praised this dress, and Faleia is pretty warm, right?" I ask, holding the dress up in the air, and he just nods.
But then I make the mistake of taking a better look at the module and start sweating cold. I think if I spread my arms wide enough, I could almost touch the walls on both sides at the same time.
Shit, it’s better for me to sleep than keep staring at this or I’ll go completely crazy!
"Are you ready?" the alien asks, and I notice my hands are shaking as I put the dress away again.
I'm definitely not ready.
With all this Diana thing, I almost forgot what I was supposed to do today, but now that I’m thinking again, my heart is racing like crazy.
"I think so," I lie, because it’s the only option I have.
"You just talk to the module, and it responds and gives you food and fluids, there’s enough for several days," he informs, and I nod, noticing that Unob is actually sounding careful now, which is unusual for him. "Good luck, Melissa."
I think it's the first time since I arrived that he calls me by my real name, and that has a strong impact on me.
"Polite, virgin, pure, and very well-mannered," he repeats slowly, as if I were a teenager, and I roll my eyes.
On Earth, humans say goodbye with kisses on the cheek, handshakes, or even waves. But in Unob’s species, they raise a finger making the number one sign and shake it from side to side, so he does that, and I reciprocate, for the last time.
The alien didn’t even give me a chance to rethink this "marriage," and I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I might be getting into the biggest trouble of my life, and at the same time, this is my first chance to finally have a real home, something that has never happened before.
"Goodbye, Unob," I respond, and seconds later, he is closing the mini-module, leaving the room where he’s docked. Soon after, I feel a strange tremor, confirming the ship is taking off.
POV Kaleo
I ride through the safe part of the Dark Forest when I see a clear line cross the gray sky of Selvaria, then I make Lica stop immediately. This is the signal that she has arrived.
Just like most of my people, I don't like these beings from other worlds entering Selvaria and bringing their rules. But for the first time in my life, I feel my hearts beat with a good kind of anxiety as I see a foreign ship entering my home.
I'm sure this is my little wife’s ship, on the date Unob said she would arrive! The male didn’t lie!
"Faster, Lica! Let’s go meet my Melissa!" I order my mount, and she starts moving again, probably sensing the smell of my excitement.
It’s not snowing, and the day is less cold than usual, but it will soon get dark, and if Melissa can’t be left alone during the day, it would be even worse at night. Lincoyos attack much harder at night, and while my skin is thick and scaly in some places, Melissa’s is soft and would be shredded.
I follow the path of the small ship that the female must have come in alone, and it doesn’t take long for me to realize that she will land in a more distant part of the Dark Forest, but still in a safe area, with no carnivorous plants.
So, I make Lica increase her speed, galloping through the dark earth of Selvaria, cutting through the cold winds, and soon I find the exact spot where Melissa’s ship is.
The forest is full of tall trees, which humans would think are pines, and in the safe parts, it’s as green as Selvaria’s cold allows, but the deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. That’s why I live closer to the trees than to the village, receiving few visitors and only having to worry about animals.
Lica’s galloping gets stronger, my tail keeps whipping from side to side, and the closer I realize I am to the ship, the more nervous I become.
And there’s still one more problem, because just as I follow the unknown ship, other males are coming too, but on foot. I see them running through the trees, and Lica growls at them, getting irritated, which makes her move faster than ever, only stopping when we reach a clearing.
The only thing that calms me down a bit is knowing that she’s on the right side. If she had gone to the lilaris' area, I would have been forced to break the treaty and invade their lands.
"I’ll kill the first bastard who touches this ship!" My voice echoes through the forest, and Lica skids on the dark earth until she stops at the edge of this open space, with tall trees around.
Calm down, Kaleo.
You knew rescuing her wouldn’t be easy, and your plan still has a few steps to go before it’s complete.
I struggle to keep myself under control now that the female is so close, but there are at least six more males around me, and all I want to do is burn them.
I’m a general because of this, because the blood in my veins is mixed with spark, and these bastards hiding behind trees with their red eyes glowing won’t take anything that’s mine.
"Get away from here now and go back to your homes and shelters! I am your general!"
None of them have translators, they wouldn’t even understand Melissa!
"It could be a trick from the lilaris!" one of the males responds and makes himself more visible to me, which makes the heat rise in my throat as I analyze him.
But with these males here, I notice that we really do have many similarities with humans, more than I ever imagined. It’s as if the gods took a human male and threw light blue, dark blue, and black paint on his body however they wanted. This male I’m looking at right now is named Aven, for example, and doesn’t have as many dark spots as I do.
Of course, we still have the two sharp horns between our hair, the velvety tail with a tuft of fur at the end, and thicker skin with scales on our shoulders, but the resemblance is still huge, and it’s probably why the mating cycle of my species is compatible with Melissa’s.
"I told you to leave now!" I snarl again, letting my voice echo as if this were a battlefield.
I used a good part of my inheritance from my late father, also a general, and now I must be careful not to lose it and not attack these males with fire, which could ruin everything. Azuris are fireproof, humans are not, and I don’t want to burn her.
"But, General Ni, the lilaris might have broken the agreement and..." Aven starts to speak again, but in the middle of his sentence, a loud noise happens, and the door of the ship begins to slide to the side.