“None of the above?” I asked.
“Nope,” she said. “It's just me.”
I found that hard to believe. A pretty, peppy Southern girl like her didn't have a boyfriend? Impossible.
She continued. “My father abused me growing up, my mom walked out on us when I was three. I have an older brother, but he turned out just like dad and I cut my losses years ago,” she said, the bitterness in her voice apparent. “And men? Screw them. I can't bring myself to think about sleeping with a man after the shit my father did to me.”
I could hear the emotion in her voice long before I saw the tears. She didn't have to go into too much detail, I knew exactly what she meant. Not that I'd experienced anything like that in my own background. Back when they were alive, things had been pretty good. But then they'd died and my life had fallen to shit. Not to the level Charlotte was talking about perhaps, but I'd been around enough to know the awful things people did to one another. It was as disheartening as it was disgusting.
“I'm sorry, Charlotte,” I said, holding her hand and giving it a good squeeze. “I'm so sorry.”
She wiped away the tears and put a smile on her sweet face. Despite everything going on, she managed to keep smiling. Only now that she'd shared a bit about herself, I knew it was an act. A protective device. It was like she wore her smile like an invisibility cloak – that magnificent smile masked the real darkness that lurked just beneath the surface. That was something I could relate to very, very well. I knew that deep down, this woman – like so many of us – had been hurt by the ones we loved the most. The ones who were supposed to care for us.
“What about you?” she asked me. “I'd like to hear about your life, Riley – and stop thinking about mine for a bit, if that's okay?”
I barked a dry, sarcastic laugh. “My story isn't a whole lot better, I'm afraid,” I said. “Given some of the similarities, I tend to think that it wouldn't take your mind off your life all that much.”
“I get that we're all like that,” she said. “All of us have been tossed aside, used, abused, degraded, and humiliated. But that's okay. It really is. Because we're also survivors, Riley. So tell me, what did you survive?”
Though young, this girl was wise beyond her years. She'd probably seen and experienced so much, and had been forced to grow up too fast. When I looked into her eyes, I could see that although they remained bright and shiny, there was a darkness lurking beneath the surface. A haunted look. It was just the sort of thing a girl her age should never have to experience.
As I looked at her, I felt a lump form in my throat. My life and everything that had happened in it, wasn't something I'd talked about to anyone before. It was never conversational fodder. But if I were to actually open up and talk about it, this would probably be the time and place. Hell, we were like a built in support group for all the lonely women of the world – right here in outer space.
I opened my mouth to speak and then closed it again without saying a word. I looked at Charlotte who sat patiently and waited for me to say something. To invite her into my life. To share my own experiences with her so that maybe, she would not feel so all alone. I didn't share my life with anybody. It wasn't there business or their concern.
Ninety-nine percent of the people probably couldn't relate. But looking into Charlotte's eyes, I knew she'd been where I was – just as I'd known that Charlotte was in a place where she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of sharing either. She'd gone out on a limb by sharing what she'd shared with me. And now she was looking for a little reciprocation from me.
“Well, my parents died when I was young,” I said. “A car accident. I was raised by my aunt and uncle, but they were a bit – delusional. They were strict. Really tough on me at times.”
They were actually religious zealots who felt the need to control every little thing I did. And if I didn't obey or I dared use the wrong word in their presence, I was punished harshly for it. But that seemed to be more information than I needed to give. Delusional about covered it, because they were. They thought they could control every aspect of my life and being – and somehow turn me into a Godly person. Which was something that always struck me as a bit odd and hypocritical given that the their idea of Godliness had nothing to do with actual Christianity as most people know it.
But I didn't know Charlotte's religious beliefs and didn't want to offend her or get into a sensitive subject with her right then, so I avoided that bit. Besides, she wanted to know my story and my story didn't officially begin until after I left their household.
“I was seventeen years old when I ran away,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “I'd met a guy on the internet and he seemed like a really great guy. Kind of a Prince Charming type. We talked on the phone and he promised me the world, as they often do. But he seemed like everything I'd ever wanted in a man. Or at least, what I imagined I wanted in a man. But Mike wasn't the man I'd gotten to know online. He was much different in real life and he certainly wasn't a Prince Charming type after all. The things he did to me... ”
I trailed off, unable to continue. I hated crying in front of anyone, and yet, there I was, in tears. Just thinking back on everything that had happened, everything Mike had done to me filled me with more emotion than I could deal with at the moment. I remembered how it started off with the mental abuse – the tear downs, the insults, the demands. And then when I talked back or stood up for myself, the abuse turned physical. It started small at first and always seemed like accidents. But eventually I couldn't lie to myself anymore. Mike was beating me.
“Shhh, I'm sorry, honey,” Charlotte said as she wrapped her arms around me. “I shouldn't have asked.”
“It's fine,” I said, wiping my face with the back of my hand. “I mean, we've all been to hell and back, right? That's why we're here.”
“It sounds like it,” she said softly.
“And we're survivors, like you said. And we're going to keep on surviving, right?”
“That's right, honey,” she said, smiling back at me with tears in her blue eyes. “We're going to keep on surviving.”
Chapter Three
Jendrish
I checked the controls and made sure the proper course was laid in before heading to bed myself. We were on track to reach Earth quicker than I had initially thought, and I'd need to start figuring out a plan. Earth was a large planet, and I had no idea where any of these women came from. And even less of an idea of where they needed to be returned. I needed some answers. But I also didn't want to disturb any of the women right now. They needed to rest.
As did I. But I couldn't manage to shut my brain off, no matter how hard I tried.
How could my people do that to other living beings? Humans may be different from us, but they weren't all that different. Had my father been alive, I knew he'd have been with me. He would have joined my outrage and disgust. And I would like to believe he would have been with me in taking action to right that terrible wrong.
But going against my own people like that put a target on my back, I was sure. But there's no way I could have let that go on. Like Tarkonil, I couldn't sit by and do nothing, say nothing when such an egregiously horrible practice was taking place on my home world. We were better than that.
Or at least, at one time, I thought we were.
I clicked over to the surveillance camera to check on the women. Most of them were sleeping, but I could hear a voice. Somebody back there was talking. It was the young girl I'd heard called Charlotte – at least, that's what I thought some of the other human women called her – and Riley speaking with one another. They were speaking softly, but my sensors picked them up all the same.
And what I heard them saying – let's just say, I wasn't likely to be all that surprised by anything after what I'd seen earlier. But to hear their stories, to know the suffering they went through – it hurt me more than I could explain. No one deserved to go through that. Nobody should have to endure what they'd had to endure.
&n
bsp; I listened until the conversation stopped, feeling even more determined to help give these women their lives back. Once it grew quiet and they stopped talking, I shut off the cameras and considered laying down when my sensors alerted me to someone standing outside my cock pit door.
Turning on the camera, I saw Riley standing there. Just standing there, as if she was considering knocking but hadn't quite worked up the nerve to do it just yet. She pushed her hair behind her ear and stared at my door before shaking her head and turning around, as if to leave. I quickly punched the button and spoke to her through the computer system.
“Is everything okay, Riley?” I asked. “Did you need to see me?”
She stopped dead in her tracks, as if she'd been caught doing something wrong. But she turned to the camera once more, without meaning to I was sure, and hesitated before speaking.
“It's okay,” she said. “I just can't sleep so I'm walking around. I – I wasn't sure where this door led.”
I pressed another button and the door opened with a soft whooshing sound.
“I can't sleep either,” I said. “Care for some company?”
“I – uhh, well... ” She trailed off, scratching her head and looking around as if she was trying to find a way out of a sudden predicament. “Sure. I guess so.”
“You don't have to,” I said, leaning back in my seat. “You can continue wandering the ship all night, if you'd prefer. You're welcome to go anywhere you'd like.”
But she surprised me by walking in and taking a seat next to me instead. She stared down at the controls in front of her before she turned and looked out the large window that gave her a dramatic view of the galaxy. Her eyes grew wide and she reached out, grabbing my hand as if to steady herself. Her skin was warm and soft. It was smooth and had a pleasant feel. Riley quickly pulled her hand away as she realized what she'd done.
“I'm sorry, I – ”
“It's okay, I understand,” I said.
Part of me wanted to ask her about what I'd heard, about this man named Mike who had hurt her. But I could tell that she wouldn't be okay with me knowing that. I didn't know her well, but because of my upbringing and the lessons of my father, I was rather adept at reading people and getting to their true thoughts and motivations. And I could tell that Riley wasn't the type to open up to just anyone. She seemed very closed off and guarded with her personal information. So, for her to know that I'd listened in would do little to build up trust between us.
“When do you think we'll be home?” she asked me, her voice cracking.
She was staring down at the controls again, her hands trembling. It was as if she was too afraid to look outside all of the sudden.
“Hopefully within a few hours or so,” I said. “But the hard part will be figuring out where to go once I get near Earth. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Not really,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “I mean, I don't know the first thing about space ships and landing them.”
“Oh, landing isn't too big of an issue, it's trying to get everyone home,” I said. “Your planet is a vast place, and I wouldn't know where to go. I don't know where the others are from.”
“I live in Sapphire Bay, California,” she said. “But the others – well – they come from all over.”
Bells began ringing in my head. I wasn't sure why Sapphire Bay sounded so familiar to me, but it did. I filed it away in the back of my mind to figure out where I'd heard of it before, but it was not likely Riley would know.
“Can you get that information for me, please?” I asked. “And I can punch in their locations and find them. It looks like I'm going to have to take them all home one-by-one?”
“Won't that take forever?”
“It might take some time, sure,” I said. “But it will be worth it, knowing that everyone got home safely.”
She looked at me again, her eyes sparkling as she tried to hide a smile. “You really are too much, you know that?”
“Too much what?” I cocked my head to the side, confused at her phrasing.
I was pretty well-versed in English. Our biosystems had been uploaded with the language as soon as we'd made contact with the first human – Paige. But I was lost as to what she meant by her statement. And that was when it hit me – that was where I'd heard of Sapphire Bay. Paige and Baz!
“Never mind, it's just a saying,” she said. “So if I get all of their hometowns, we can take them home?”
“Yes,” he said. “That's the plan.”
“And me? You can take me home too?”
“Yes, of course,” I said.
In fact, I might have to stick around Sapphire Bay and meet our former king. I admired Bazarok for everything he'd done, he would always be a hero in my eyes. And when he'd abdicated the throne, I was sad for our planet – but ultimately, happy for him. I knew it wasn't what he wanted from his life. He wanted to do more with his life. And that was something I could respect. In human parlance, as long as I was in the neighborhood, I couldn't wait to reach out to him once we'd landed. Perhaps he could help me figure out what to do next. Help me come up with a plan of action.
But the first thing I needed to do was make sure that I got everyone home, safely.
Chapter Four
Earth was in sight, and I let everyone know that we would be home soon. They stood, excitedly, looking out the windows and stared down at their planet. I heard the murmurs of excitement – as well as a few expressions of fear – from those who hadn't looked out the windows before. This was a view of a lifetime for all of them, as space travel wasn't as common for them. Riley stood with me at the back of the crowd, smiling and shaking her head.
“I can't believe it. We're almost home,” she said softly. “And it looks exactly like it does in pictures. It's just so beautiful from up here.”
A small smile touched the corners of my mouth as I looked at her. The view wasn't nearly as beautiful as she was – the thought seemingly came out of nowhere and surprised me. For a human, Riley had a beauty I could appreciate. What surprised me though, was that I found myself attracted to her and that the attraction was as strong as it was. Though I'd learned to appreciate other cultures and species, mostly thanks to my father, I never really thought I'd find myself genuinely attracted to somebody who wasn't Optorion.
But there it was.
I bit back my observation though. Not only did I feel uncertain about sharing my feelings, I wasn't sure that she'd appreciate me giving voice to it. Not with everything going on and not with everything she'd been through.
“We're going home, Riley!” Charlotte cried, tears running down her cheeks. “We're actually going home.”
Charlotte rushed over to us, and surprised me by hugging me tightly. She clung to me with a ferocity inspired by a fear that she was never going to see home again.
“Thank you, Jendrish.”
“You're very welcome,” I said with an uncomfortable laugh.
My cheeks were flushed and my face felt hot as I hugged her back, to be polite. Riley was smiling wide, as if she were enjoying my discomfort. I wasn't typically one for physical displays of emotion. But humans were different. They were far more – expressive – than my people were. I cleared my throat and carefully disengaged myself from the girl without being rude.
“I've entered the coordinates of your homes into my ship's command system, and it's plotting the best route to get all of you home as quickly as possible.”
Once Charlotte pulled away, Riley took my arm, pulling my attention back to her. Her green eyes were sparkling and her smile was mesmerizing. I felt my heart flip flop in my chest as I looked at her. What was wrong with me? All I could think about was how good it was to see her laughing and see that she appeared to be happy for the first time in days. Truly happy.
“Really, thank you, Jendrish,” she said.
“Are you going to hug me too?” I asked.
“Do you want me too?”
I shrugged, hiding my red cheeks from her. The idea
of her flesh touching mine, her body pressed to mine – even something as simple and innocent as a hug – made my heart race and my mouth dry.
“It was really only a comment made in jest. You don't – ” I said, but it was too late.
Riley threw her arms around me and hugged me, though not as tightly as Charlotte had. It was just a friendly hug, but what she did next was what excited me the most. Her lips brushed against my cheek, softly and sent a bolt of electricity through my body.
“You're amazing. Jendrish,” she said. “You actually give me hope that there are good men out there. Even if – well – you know.”
But as soon as she said it, she pulled back and rushed off to join the others, as if she hadn't intended to say any of it. Or perhaps, felt badly that she'd made the comment knowing I was – well – an alien, and not a human man. I wasn't sure what it was, but how quickly she'd rushed away from me filled me with questions and uncertainty.
But I could still feel the tingling of where her soft lips pressed against my cheek. Her breath had been warm and I imagined that I could still feel it caressing my skin. I could only stare at her though, as others were gathered around her, everybody staring at the Earth as we approached. We'd come close enough that we could start making out the individual land masses that made up their planet.
Soon, we'd be in their atmosphere and not long after that, soaring through their skies. And one-by-one, these women would get home safe and sound. I was honor-bound to see to it. Including Riley – it was a thought that filled me with some small sense of regret and longing. But soon, she'd been home and I'd return to my mission. Once I'd spoken to Baz and figured out what else I could do.
There was a sound coming from my control room, a loud buzzing.
“There is an incoming message that might interest you,” Ozul, my AI biosystem informed me. “Shall I read it to you?”
“No,” I said, drawing strange looks from a few women. “I'm on my way.”
I excused myself to check, mainly to get myself away from the group of people – and to prevent myself from standing there staring at Riley any longer. The message had not been intended specifically for me, but it was about me – which caught me off guard.
Mated to a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 3) Page 38