Zuran: A Paranormal Sci-Fi Alien Romance: Albaterra Mates Book 6

by Ashley L. Hunt

  She shook her head. “No, no one’s bothered me. I just don’t like being alone,” she said. “I don’t know how much Phoebe has told you about me, but I kind of like to talk.”

  “Yes,” Zuran replied with a grin. “I have noticed.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him, a childish gesture but one very Edie-like, and I laughed. She laughed too, but Zuran’s eyes flashed, and I knew that if these two were to socialize in the future, there would be a lot of teasing shooting back and forth. I didn’t mind that, though. It was just like any other boyfriend-girlfriend relationship -- even though I didn’t know if that’s what we were -- in which the boyfriend made fun of the friends.

  We left when the sky was pitch-black, and, on this particular night, there weren’t even stars. Clouds had overtaken the heavens above and left us in utter darkness. I could barely see my own hand in front of my face. Luckily, Zuran’s sight was much keener than mine, and he took my hand and guided me.

  “You know,” he murmured as we exited my old house. “We are going to have to sneak out, just like we snuck in.”

  “You mean we have to do another distraction?” I asked, feeling a little nervous. I didn’t want to have to do anything like wrangling another wild animal.

  He tilted his head and considered my question. “No, not necessarily,” he replied. “We may be able to scale a wall where there are no guards.”

  “How are we going to do that?” I demanded disbelievingly.

  He smiled. “I think it is time you met my parents.”

  Thankfully, maneuvering through Ka-lik’et from the colony to the A’li-uud residences was not difficult. The market way was as busy and bustling as it had been the night before, and nobody seemed to pay us any mind, even though I had taken off the laaka silks and replaced them with clothes I still had in the hut.

  “How come these people are able to do what they’re doing without being caught?” I asked Zuran quietly as we walked.

  He looked at me with a furrowed brow. “I am afraid I do not understand the question.”

  “Well, I mean, everybody out here is doing something illegal, and the guards have to know that. How are they getting away with it?” I expounded.

  “Oh,” he replied, understanding dawning on his face. “This is all cover.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean the guards know that most of what is being sold here is illegal. The guards know that most of the transactions being done here are illegal. In fact, the guards know that most of the A’li-uud you see right now are known criminals, but part of the point of the night market way is to distract the guards from the worst. As long as they are kept busy up here, they are too bothered to go underground.”

  It made sense, but I still didn’t grasp why so many would willingly subject themselves to possible arrest, so I questioned it. “So, all these people are just patsies? They’re volunteering themselves to be arrested to prevent the more experienced criminals from being arrested?”

  “In a way,” he said. “Not exactly, though. Most of who you see out here, including the merchants, are involved in only low-brow crimes. Their offenses are so minor that, most of the time, they receive only a slap on the wrist, maybe a month of labor at most. To them, the risk is worth the reward.”

  We wound our way through the crowd with ease. I no longer found the faces and muscles and hulking figures intimidating. After last night, I doubted I would be scared of much anymore. It had been so intense and emotionally taxing, I couldn’t imagine bouncing back to who I used to be. I felt changed, strengthened somehow in my trauma.

  And I definitely felt more connected with Zuran.

  We hadn’t even kissed once we’d reached my bed. We’d slipped under the covers, and I barely remembered lying awake for more than a few minutes. I was so physically exhausted that sleep had come to me like a bullet, speeding and unexpected. It wasn’t until I woke up in the morning I realized I’d spent the entire night next to the Interplanetary Affairs Officer who I’d lusted after for a long time and I still had all my clothes on. I would have liked to credit myself with extraordinary self-control, but I wasn’t deluded. Our lack of intimacy had purely been a product of our circumstances.

  Several vendors called out to Zuran in A’li-uud, but he kept his hand tightly on mine and moved past as though he hadn’t heard them. He was even approached by a laaka, who eyed me with distaste and eyed him with honey, but he brushed her off without so much as a glance. I definitely felt like his girlfriend, and I didn’t even know if A’li-uud culture had such a thing.

  Finally, the bright glow of the market way started to fade as we rounded the back of the palace and found ourselves in the midst of well-ordered homes. I felt my stomach flip with anxiety suddenly. Just like a normal girlfriend, I was nervous about meeting the parents. What if they didn’t like me? Worse, what if they didn’t accept me because I was human? Even worse than that, what if Zuran introduced me as just a colonist with whom he was acquainted?

  We halted before a modest two-story clay home. No lights were visible in the windows, which indicated his parents were either sleeping or away, but he strode right up to the door and knocked. There was a pause, and then I heard a shuffling inside. He looked over his shoulder and flashed me his characteristic grin.

  “I should warn you,” he said, “my parents have never met a human.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Zuran

  It was Father who opened the door.

  “Zuran!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

  His eyes darted back and forth between Phoebe and me. He was so stunned he did not move, and his mouth hung open an inch.

  “We have come because we need to collect some supplies,” I said.

  He did not respond immediately, but, when he did, it was in a hiss. “You are not to be in Ka-lik’et.” Anger was beginning to flourish behind his eyes just as it used to when I was a boy and got into trouble. “Do you wish yourself to be arrested yet again?”

  I narrowed my eyes back at him. “No,” I replied. “I wish to rescue Venan from his unfounded arrest.”

  “What are you talking about?” Again, he looked at Phoebe. He did not look at her judgmentally or with disgust, but he looked at her as if expecting her to break out with an explanation. Unfortunately, he was speaking A’li-uud, and she was unable to comprehend anything we were saying.

  “We came to Ka-lik’et because I needed to get a message to Venan,” I explained. “We have been at a hospital treating ill Novai, and I have proof that Venan’s actions, which resulted in the untimely death of our Elder, were justified.”

  “You surely do not believe there is any evidence that will justify the death of an Elder,” Father remarked.

  Phoebe was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. I knew it was because we were speaking A’li-uud, and she had no idea what was being said, but I also felt a similar sense of discomfort. “May we come in?” I asked. “I do not believe it is wise to be speaking about this out-of-doors, even if it is the middle of the night.”

  Father stepped back finally, and he gestured with his arm for us to come in. I entered first with Phoebe’s hand held firmly in mine, and she followed. She was walking tentatively like she was expecting my father to round on her and say she was not welcome. He did not, of course. He closed the door behind us, and I heard a sound on the stairs.

  “Zuran!” My mother exclaimed it just as my father had. She was standing on the stairs in her nightclothes with shock on her face and sleep in her eyes. “You are not to be here!”

  “It is nice to see you again, too, Mother,” I commented lightly, offering her a small grin.

  She did not return it. “Zuran, I already have a son in prison. Please do not make it so I have two.”

  “Mother, I understand your concern, but I am already here,” I pointed out. “Now, we need to collect some supplies to enable us to leave stealthily without being discovered.”

  “What do you need?” Father
asked.

  Mother finished descending the stairs and came over to me. Even though she was clearly displeased that I had snuck into the city, she was still glad to see me. She wrapped her arms around me in an embrace before turning to Phoebe. “You have brought a human,” she observed to me.

  “Yes,” I said. “And I think she would appreciate it if we spoke English.”

  “Oh, I am so sorry,” Mother immediately apologized, now speaking English. She was still looking at Phoebe. “I hope you do not think us rude.”

  “No, I don’t,” Phoebe responded timidly.

  Mother walked to her. I expected her to incline her head in traditional greeting, or possibly step up close to analyze Phoebe with detail. To my surprise, she pulled Phoebe into her arms in an embrace much like that which she had given me, though not nearly as tightly. When she stepped back, she said, “I hope he has not involved you in something illicit.”

  Phoebe shot a look at me. “No,” she said again. “I volunteered. I wanted to help.”

  “You wanted to help our son?” Father asked. “Have you met him?”

  I grinned, realizing Father was poking fun at me, but Phoebe missed the insinuation and assumed he was referring to Venan. “Not officially,” came her reply. “But I have become very close to Zuran over the past few weeks, and I could see how important it was to him. I thought I would be able to offer my assistance with the medical knowledge I have.”

  Mother and Father looked between each other. Father looked doubtful, but Mother looked delighted. It was evident she was aware of the spark between Phoebe and me, which I did not mind. Mother had always been intuitive.

  “You have come to help Venan?” she asked. “How do you intend to do that?”

  “I needed to get a message to him,” I told her just as I had Father. “He has asked that his trial is moved up.”

  Now, when Mother and Father met eyes, there was alarm. “Why would he do that?” Mother demanded.

  “He intends to enter a guilty plea,” I explained. “He believes he deserves whatever punishment the Council deems appropriate.”

  Father shook his head, and he said, “I have never condoned your illegal activities, Zuran, but I commend you on your loyalty to your brother. What do you need from us?”

  “We need to scale the wall,” I announced. “We snuck into the city by distracting the guards last night, but it was not an optimal choice for its risk and potential failure. I am hoping you will have something that can help so we can lower our chances of being caught.”

  “If I remember correctly, we still have some of your old things out back,” Father said. He even smiled a little. “Your things from your days as a rogue.”

  It amused me to think my parents had rogue contraband in their possession, but I nodded. I had assumed as much; Mother was quite sentimental and rarely discarded anything related to her children. I turned to Phoebe and asked softly, “Do you mind waiting here?”

  “Of course not,” she said quietly.

  I looked at my mother and silently begged her with a gaze not to make Phoebe uncomfortable, then I followed my father out of the house to the back where a small shack they had built when I was still very young waited. A number of lost and forgotten items had made the shack their home over the years, and I was sure I would be able to find something that would help us.

  Father led me in, and he talked as he did. “I do not know what is going to happen to Venan,” he said, “and I do not know what is going to happen to you, but you seem different. Changed.”

  “Do I?” I asked nonchalantly, beginning to rifle through the stacks of baskets, shrunken clothing, various tools, and other miscellaneous items.

  “Yes.” I could feel Father looking at me out of the corner of his eye, but I refused to turn and look back at him. “I believe it may be the human.”

  “Her name is Phoebe,” I informed him. “She is a nurse.”

  He nodded, and, again, I could see an almost-smile tugging on his lips in my peripheral vision. “You care for her?”

  “What makes you ask that?”

  He put a hand on top of the pile I was beginning to shuffle through to stop me. Then, he said, “Son, I still look at your mother the same way you just looked at Phoebe.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Phoebe

  Zuran’s mother made it difficult for me to be nervous. She was very friendly, very outgoing, and just generally cordial. She told me her name was Oraaka and asked what mine was.

  “Phoebe,” I told her. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Oh, the pleasure is mine,” she said kindly. “You are the first female my son has ever brought to my home.”

  That was difficult for me to imagine. Zuran seemed like such a bad boy, for lack of a better term, that I had thought he would’ve had a long string of women behind him. Maybe he did. Maybe he just never brought them home. Either way, apparently I had the honor of being the first, and I felt my cheeks glow a little bit with pleasure.

  Oraaka smiled. “How do you know Zuran?” she asked.

  “We have been working for the Council together,” I said vaguely, uncertain of how much information to give. “I was a nurse in the colony’s infirmary before, and, as I’m sure you’re well aware, he was the one who the colonists went to if we ever needed anything.”

  “Yes,” she said, shaking her head. She was smiling still, and she almost looked like she wanted to roll her eyes. “I still am in awe he was ever able to obtain that position.”

  We continued to talk, but it was casual discussion focused on things like Zuran as a child and what had been going on in Ka-lik’et since we’d left. She sighed heavily when a mention of Venan came up, and she shook her head once more, this time not in amazement but in frustration.

  “I do not know what to do sometimes,” she admitted. “I have one son in prison, unjustly, in my opinion. I have another son who is a reformed criminal, though it seems he may not be as reformed as I had hoped even if this time it is to save his brother. And I have a daughter whom my boys refuse to speak to.”

  I gaped at her. “Zuran has a sister?” I asked, stunned.

  “Oh, yes,” said Oraaka. “Ola. She is the youngest. Neither Zuran nor Venan has spoken to her for years.”

  I wanted to ask why, but I didn’t want to be nosy, and I didn’t have the opportunity anyway because Zuran and his father came back into the house. Draped over Zuran’s shoulder was a thick series of strings that almost looked like a rope ladder, but they hung vertically rather than horizontally. I eyed it with trepidation, and he grinned broadly.

  “Are you ready?” he asked enthusiastically.

  “Sure,” I agreed. I wouldn’t have minded staying longer, especially as curious as I was about Ola, the little sister, but I also thought it would probably be best that we returned to the hospital as soon as possible in case any Elders showed up in our absence. I got to my feet after having been sitting on the couch beside Oraaka, and she, too, stood.

  She hugged me again. “I quite like you,” she said boldly.

  One of the things I liked about A’li-uud was they didn’t hold back their thoughts or feelings because of societal proprieties. She was not afraid of rejection. She didn’t seem to worry that I wouldn’t like her in return or that I would be uncomfortable by her declaration. I wasn’t, of course. I hugged her back and said, “Thank you for your hospitality. It was great to meet you.”

  “I do hope I will be seeing you again soon,” she said, casting a pointed glance to Zuran. “I think you will be good for my son.”

  Zuran gave me a look with his smirk lingering in the shadows on his lips and clapped his father on the back, who responded in turn. He then crossed the room to his mother, hugged her tightly, and said his goodbyes. Before we made it to the door, however, Oraaka ran forward with something in her hands, and she stuffed it into mine.

  “Here,” she said. “You will need nourishment for your trip. I imagine it is quite a journey.”

  “Yes,
it is,” I agreed gratefully. “Thank you.”

  When we departed, Zuran turned me to the right, and we strode together past several blocks of neatly-lined desert houses until we reached one of the towering walls. It was massive, at least twice his size, and I had no idea how he intended for us to get over it. The rope ladder-like thing he had thrown over his shoulder didn’t seem to be sufficient and, even if it was, I couldn’t fathom how he was even going to get it over the wall in the first place.

  “Take this,” he ordered, handing me one end of the equipment. I tugged, and I watched it unravel as he pulled it from his shoulder and took the other end.

  It was definitely a rope, but it was more like a rope checkerboard than a ladder. There were places to step and plenty of rungs to hold onto, but it was flexible and wobbly. An image flashed into my mind all of a sudden of it thrown over the wall and me trying to finagle my way up. I could picture myself wrestling to keep my balance until my weight pulled the rope clear off the wall, sending me flying to the ground.

  Zuran didn’t seem concerned. “Hold tight,” he said. Then, with a great heave, he whipped the other end into the air. It soared over the wall gracefully like an arcing football, and I heard it land with a clunk on the other side. I stared at him in confusion, and he chuckled. “I will show you how it works someday, but, for now, we must go.”

  He held the grid of rope at the base so I could climb on stably, and I scrambled up it in an effort to reach the top of the wall as quickly as I could. I was terrified I would fall. Thankfully, I managed to successfully scale the wall to the top, where I was able to throw my leg over and straddle it. I felt safer there than I had on the ladder, but I still had to get down the other side. I looked at Zuran.

  “I’m going to fall,” I told him.

  “You will not,” he replied confidently. “Just go down the same way you went up.”