by Sabrina Kade
“Do you even know how to use the Flat?” he asks, narrowing his eyes further. “I know you speak the language, but can you read it?”
My eyebrows furrow and my ears get a little warm. “There’s pictures.”
Exdrux doesn’t say anything at first, and though it’s weird to have him in the room with me without Chimase, I’m not afraid of him trying anything funny. He said he has a Chosen, and even if he didn’t, I’m sure a human female is the last thing on his mind. He probably sees me as nothing more than some useless pet. I look down at the tablet, or what Exdrux calls a Flat, trying to make sense of the words. My knowledge of the written language is considerably weaker than mine of the spoken word, but I don’t want Exdrux to know that.
I don’t want anyone to know my weaknesses if I can help it.
“You’ve been looking at that thing since Chimase left to go speak about getting permission to explore the watercrests in private,” Exdrux notes. “Is there something you’d like me to assist you with?”
My eyes widen down at the Flat, and I jerk my head up.
“Are you offering to help me read some of this?” I say, holding up the Flat. I don’t want to admit it, but some help would be excellent. I see the pictures on the Flat as clear as anything, but I’m not sure what the images are trying to show me. I see plenty of bloody red water and pink coral, but I don’t understand the significance. It would be nice to have some things explained to me.
Despite all these thoughts running through my head, I can only cock my head to the side at Exdrux who enters the room slowly as though expecting an alarm to go off. Maybe Chimase told him to keep his distance. I have no idea how territorial males can be with their… uh… humans… or slaves… or whatever I am to Chimase. All I know is men don’t care for their mates.
Really, I’m kind of more interested in asking about Exdrux’s Chosen mate and asking to see Soh rather than learning about red water, but of course, I don’t say that.
Exdrux stands awkwardly beside me while I remain seated at the end of the bed. “May I ask you a question, Howl-Eaze?” he asks.
“Sure.” I’m a little nervous, but I try not to let that show.
“Why the interest?”
“Interest?” My cheeks grow hotter for some reason.
He nods. “Yes. I mean, you are human. Humans are not generally interested in anything our planet has to offer.”
“How would you know?” I snap. “It’s not like anyone can speak Sidese. How would anyone be able to tell you if they’re interested or not? Besides, don’t you all treat them like slaves?”
He bristles, hissing quietly under his breath. “We prefer the term service workers.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes, not necessarily wanting to get into a heated discussion about slaves versus service workers. It’s an argument I think I could easily win, but one Exdrux would not easily accept defeat. I hold the Flat out to him, presenting the picture I’m looking at. “I think it’s important for me to understand where Chimase is taking the time to take me. I should understand what’s safe and what’s not, you know?”
He ignores this. “Did Sohmac never show you the watercrests?”
It’s an innocent enough question, but one that makes my make-believe hackles rise. “He was busy. Some people have jobs, you know? He’s always busy doing something. He doesn’t have time to take me to see the beach.”
“That is a no, then.” He shakes his head. “So, you are concerned about danger, yes?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“I see.”
I lower the Flat a bit, worried that Exdrux isn’t going to offer me any information. If anything, he’s probably hoping I won’t figure out what’s dangerous and die in the waters or fall off a cliff or something.
“Since you’re not going to answer my questions—”
“I did not say I would not—”
“Then how about I ask you a few?” I interrupt. “Would that be okay with you?”
He frowns but pushes his shoulders up to his ears once before dropping them. “If I am permitted to express an answer, I shall. What is it you would like to know? How to win Chimase as a Chosen mate, yes? I should let you know—”
“I don’t want Chimase to Choose me.”
Exdrux has the nerve to look shocked. Well, as appalled as Exdrux can look.
“You do not want him to Choose you?”
“I care about Soh. The only reason I’m here is so Chimase will give me a chance to explain myself to him.”
His golden eyes look away from me, but when they return, they’re stern, borderline disappointed. “Humans are a loyal breed, that is for sure.”
The way he says it, almost sounds like an insult. “Being loyal to someone who’s been kind to me isn’t a bad thing, Exdrux.”
“Has Chimase been anything but kind to you?”
“That… that’s different,” I stammer, looking down at the Flat in hopes that Exdrux won’t see the blush flash across my cheeks. “Besides, I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Yes. You have established that fact. There is a question you would like to ask me, yes?”
I don’t give myself a chance to hesitate. “What do you think of me?”
His eyes widen. I guess this wasn’t a question he expected. With just a few steps, he stumbles back to the doorway of Chimase’s bedroom and stares down hard at me. Oh fuck, does he think I’m hitting on him? Trying to tempt him? Trying to get him to betray Chimase’s trust?
“I am not interested in you sexually,” Exdrux says.
Oh dammit. Well, that just confirmed all my fears.
I hold up my hands. “Relax, bucko. The feeling’s mutual. I just wanted to know, what do you think of me? Or even humans in general? Do you think we’re all stupid? That we’re like animals just because we haven’t been taught your language? Do you think all that we say is gibberish?” I smirk, switching to English. “Because I can assure you that I’m no idiot. I may have needed a translator to learn, but I can fluently speak both my language and Sidese with ease. You can’t understand me, can you? Do you have a translator with English?”
His expression lets me know that he doesn’t. I can’t help but smirk.
“Maybe if you ever stayed on my planet, you would be the one viewed as an animal. Because you can’t speak this language. What would you think of that, Exdrux?”
“Think of what?”
I bark out a laugh. He didn’t understand a single word. Thinking of it now, it’s almost comical how Sidyths believe humans can be nothing more than service workers or slaves. Some, if not most, probably know we’re not idiots, but by eliminating the language and creating a divide, they create a separation.
Sidyths high. Humans low.
Suddenly, I don’t feel so frightened.
Exdrux certainly doesn’t look amused by this fact.
“You need to be careful, Howl-Eaze. I warn you not to get overconfident simply because Chimase has thrown you some tidbits of kindness. You’d do well to remember that you are not Sidyth. Chimase is a male of status and power. He may talk a good ganta, but he plays by the same rules as everyone else. And you will be gone from here at some point. If Vydeka does not kill you first.”
All confidence drains from my body like oil paint on a canvas on a hot day.
Exdrux isn’t wrong.
Chimase, for all his kindness, is not going to solve all my problems. Chimase isn’t going to make living on this planet any better. Soh is. Soh will take me back and allow me to live in my safe little bubble with him. Maybe he does see me as a pet, but at least I’m one he plans to keep for life. Maybe Chimase does see me as nothing more than a pleasure toy. A chance to live out his alien fantasies before Vydeka squeezes him to unconsciousness and makes him her mate.
I lick my lips and return my attention to the Flat.
I’m not really in the mood to talk about anything anymore.
***
I’m so engrossed in the Flat t
hat I don’t even notice Exdrux leave the room. Or Chimase enter. I have no idea how long he plans on watching me research, but I can’t be bothered to ask. And as much as I want to be upset with Exdrux for reminding me of my place on this planet, I’m also kind of excited to learn something new about it. Soh only let me go to the town square and back. He never told me about the waters, the beach or the oceans. I know Sidetha is hot and desert-like but is it like Earth? How big is the planet, itself? Is everywhere on Sidetha like a desert or are their rainforests? Are their animals? What kind of animals? There’s so much I don’t know, and even if I don’t want to stay with Chimase forever, I want to learn as much as I can because when I do go back to Soh, I’ll have mental images I can hold on to.
I can hold on to every moment. Every picture. Every memory.
I try to keep focused, but after almost an hour of Chimase sitting in his chair watching me research, it’s starting to get a bit creepy, so I flip over to a new window on the Flat and purse my lips.
“How long are you planning to stare at me?”
“How long are you planning to ignore me?” he returns with a smile that’s way too sexy for a mouth full of fangs.
“You could have told me to stop.”
“I gave you the Flattelion so that you could research. Did you learn anything about the watercrests?” He stands from his seat and joins me on the bed, brushing his shoulder against mine. His skin may be cool to the touch, but it sets my thighs on fire.
Suddenly, the only thing I can think about is the time we spent in his shower last night. That shelf under the blazing hot water. My thighs spread apart by his large, powerful hands. His forked tongue grazing up and down my slit—
“Did you find something troubling?” Chimase interrupts.
“No. I guess my Sidese reading skills are a bit rusty,” I say with a shrug. “Soh wasn’t a big reader.”
“Few Sidyths are. Reading is not considered a valuable skill. Do you enjoy reading? Back at your homeworld, I mean.”
“Me?” I’m a little surprised by the question.
“Yes.”
“I guess I was. I wouldn’t call myself a huge reader, but I always found time for a little smut here and there.”
“Snut?”
I chuckle. “Smut. It’s uh… romance novels. A guy and a girl getting… uh… together.” For some reason, this brings a blush to my face.
“Humans document sexual interactions?”
“Not in real life! They’re stories, Chimase. Books?”
The corners of his eyes crinkle, and his nose scrunches up as though he can’t quite process this. It dawns on me just how little Sidyths have for pleasure. There isn’t music. There aren’t movies. And now, it seems that reading is only for documentation. It’s sad. Seeing that Chimase is having a difficult time understanding the concept of fiction, I decide to change the subject.
“Even if I were at home, it wouldn’t even matter now. All the information on here is in Sidese.”
“I can have your language added to the Flattelion. It would not be difficult.” He snatches the tablet out my grasp before I can say anything, and with a few quick swipes of his finger and a lick to the side, he hands it back.
“Eww,” I grumble.
“Any changes must be approved with my saliva,” he explains. “I assure you it’s not wet.” He smiles confidently and opens a fresh window. “And now there. You can read information now.”
I glance down, not expecting much, but sure enough, he’s right. English. True and honest-to-God English under the pictures of the watercrests. The translation isn’t perfect. More like a poorly subbed anime, but it’s better than the intricate markings of Sidese.
“I apologize. I did not think to do that before I left,” Chimase says, leaning a bit closer. “I assumed your reading skills were as strong as your verbal ones.” He catches my eyes. “If you’d like, we don’t have to go to the watercrests yet. You can do more research now that you can read about where you’re going, yes?” His eyes narrow. “Did Sohmac ever allow you temporary possession of his Flattelion?”
I shake my head. And now knowing this, it kind of stings.
Why wouldn’t he let me use his? Why not set it to Earth English if it only takes a few swipes and a tongue flick?
“He must have known you would tire of him more quickly.”
I nearly drop the flat. “What did you say?”
“I said that Sohmac must not have allowed you a flattelion because you would search out information with it all the time. You would become bored with him. Just having it this morning, you have not removed it from your sight. I say you have left Exdrux quite perplexed.” He chuckles. “I do not know many who can tussle his scales like you, Hollis. I must say… it is… intriguing.”
It’s such a simple compliment, but for some reason, it sets my cheeks ablaze and my thighs…
“Aroused again,” Chimase notes without tact or shame. “It seems that my words cause this reaction, and yet when I asked Exdrux if the same occurrence happened around him, he detected nothing.”
I frown. “You asked Exdrux to see if I get turned on by him?”
Chimase doesn’t look the least bit embarrassed. “I was merely curious if it was any Sidyth who made you react that way, or just me.” He leans a bit closer, brushing the tip of his nose over the exposed skin on my shoulder.
I shiver slightly and arch my back, nearly dropping the flat again. “And… and what did you find out?” I’m surprised by how breathless I sound, but I can’t help it. Chimase’s oral ministrations are enough to make me hot with need. And now that he’s leaning closer, starting to drop soft kisses to my skin, I pinch my thighs together.
“He detected no arousal from you,” Chimase hisses lowly, kissing me again.
“What do you think about that?”
“It pleased me, Hollis. Very much.”
I close my eyes and wind my hand around his neck, seeking out his long, pale hair and tug on it slightly so I can maneuver my mouth to his. He’s big. Even for a Sidyth, but I’m not exactly a petite princess. For so long I’ve done what I’ve had to do to survive, but if someone’s going to let me be myself, I’m not going to shrink away. If Chimase wants to kiss me, he’s going to kiss me.
Rather, I’m going to kiss him.
When our lips touch, I swear all my senses come alive. I taste him. I smell him. I hear the soft hisses in my ears and against my mouth. I feel scales scattered over his jaw, shoulders, and chest. And most of all, I see him. Wanting me. I see his cock hardening and rising beneath his tight trousers.
This all may be temporary, but right now? I don’t want to turn him away. Besides, Chimase makes me feel alive. Even more importantly, he makes me feel like I’m a person who matters again.
I moan into the alien’s mouth as his tongue dances with mine, and his kisses are so intense that his fangs clash against my teeth once again. Suddenly, I’m back in the college dorms with my drunken fling for the night, kissing in the bathroom between smoking flavored cigarettes. It feels so good. So fucking good.
“Soh…” I mutter, pushing my hands through his hair.
The kissing stops abruptly, and Chimase pulls away. “What did you call me?”
“I said… uh… so…” I trail off, trying to think quickly, “so when are we going to the watercrests?”
Chimase doesn’t believe me. I turn sheepish.
“You just didn’t let me finish, that’s all.”
“You were thinking of him,” Chimase says accusingly. “Even when we… you were thinking of him. You are still thinking of him.” He pulls away and stands from the bed, fixing his long hair into a braid, so the shaved sides are exposed once more. “How can you be thinking of one male while being intimate with another? Is this occurrence common with humans?”
“No! And I’m not just thinking of another male!” I squeal. I’m angry for more reasons than I can count as Chimase storms into the bathroom and hunches over the basin. “I’m thinki
ng about Soh. You know? The Sidyth I’m going back to after this… is all finished?”
Chimase ignores me, all but nudging me away from the basin with his hip when I approach. He’s so fucking intense; I’m practically jolted backward. He spares me a small look of concern, but it’s not enough to kill my anger… and embarrassment.
“Come on,” I grumble. “You can’t honestly be pissed at me.”
“Can’t I?”
“No. You can’t. Jerkoff.” I frown, trying to remember what Exdrux said earlier. “I’m not going to pretend to forget about Soh just because you’ve thrown me some tidbits of kindness. You know why? Because at the end of the day I’m still human. You’re still Sidyth. Not to mention you have status and power. You play the game like everyone else! So when it’s time for you to take Vydeka as a mate, I don’t want to be there, okay?”
He flashes in my direction. “I will not be taking Vydeka as a mate.”
“Whoever it is! Come on, Chimase.” I bark out a laugh. This conversation is starting to get a bit silly. Time for both of us to take a reality check pill. “Do you think you’re going to Choose me? We barely know each other. Not to mention all the other stuff I said.”
“You think Soh would Choose you,” he says in a low voice.
“Because I’ve known him.”
“And I’m getting to know you. Or at least I’m trying to.” He shakes his head. “Exdrux says you are frustrating, and I have to say that I agree with him.”
“I couldn’t give two fucks what Exdrux thinks.”
“I could give you two fucks right now, and you wouldn’t care about that either.”
My mouth opens, but I quickly close it again. I can’t tell if he’s playing verbal games, or we’re just misunderstanding each other, but either way, we’re not getting anywhere.
“Tell me this, Hollis. If we were to go the watercrests, would you only think of Sohmac?”
“I…” Chimase leans over me, and the words die in my throat. He’s not wrong to ask me this.