Caveman Alien’s Trick
Page 20
“It would be pretty cool to convert a dragon to being good,” Ashlynn says and drains her fifth mug. “I mean, not convert to a choirboy, of course. He’d still be fierce. But, like, I don’t know. Tame him just for me. No, no. Don’t listen to me. I’m drunk. I don’t mean a word of it. Just trying to make those freaking things a little less dangerous in my mind. They’re so different.”
“Cavemen are different, too.” I say slowly. “But most of it is on the outside. When you see them being themselves, they’re so human it kind of fucks with your mind. And then the alien stuff on the outside just starts to seem… cool? Endearing? Hot?”
Aurora puts her hand on my forearm in agreement. “Girl, I had the exact same reaction. They grow on you so much! And they make you better. Did me, anyway. And you, Phoebe. Just a few weeks ago, on a night like this, you would be alone in that house, making your map. While everyone else was outside here, partying.”
“I would,” I agree. “I was a real thundercloud.”
Mia squeezes my shoulder. “Nah. Just reserved. And Rax’tar got you out of your shell. Looks like that’s their thing.”
Tamara comes out of the cave and saunters over, throwing a glance at the caveman that are sitting around a little further out. “Those guys are almost as excited as we are. Most of them have no idea how an actual birth works.”
“They are confused about that,” I agree. “I’m having a bitch of a time explaining to Rax’tar that just because a woman has a daughter, it doesn’t mean that daughter is just the mother’s offspring. But it’s uphill work when there are only girl babies in the tribe. How is Caroline?”
“Seems fine,” Tamara says and sits down. “You know her. The bravest soul on the planet. But I think it’s about to start. So Heidi and Sophia are in there now, with a good amount of the MSG.”
I lay my head back and look up. The stars are coming out. “I’m so glad we have that stuff. That magic space gel seemed to have saved Rax’tar’s arm. It was really badly burned. Deep, too.”
“My Car’rakz looks much better,” Tamara agrees. “Not perfect, maybe. But I don’t want him perfect, and I told him that. So he said-”
Heidi comes out of the cave with a tight smile on her face, as we all turn to look at her.
“Aaaand the unboxing is done,” she calls in her perfect cavemanese so everyone can hear. “One new tribal member delivered. Mother and child in spectacularly good condition. But there is an issue.”
The entire village goes so quiet you could hear a feather drop. Someone whispers ‘oh no!’
Heidi has a serious look on her face when she continues. “In a scandalous break with tradition, Caroline has seen fit to provide the tribe with… a boy.”
There’s a second of silence. Then cheering breaks out, and it’s definitely on par with the tribe’s ear-splitting expression of joy when I married Rax’tar.
No, actually, this is louder. We all want Caroline to hear it inside that cave.
“I knew it,” Ashlynn bawls. “Caroline is such a freaking star!”
Rax’tar comes up to me and touches the back of my neck. “A boy is born? From a woman?”
“It’s all very mysterious,” I deadpan. “But yeah. We’ll look at him later so you can have it confirmed. See? Told you.”
“You did tell me,” he rumbles. “And I did believe you. It’s just that I had some trouble wrapping my mind around it.”
“I have something more for you to wrap your mind around,” I say, mentally preparing for giving him the big news. Then I realize that everyone has gone quiet.
Because someone new is suddenly standing right next to me.
“Eleanor?” I ask. “Aren’t you with Delyah?”
“She sent me home,” Eleanor says, her face drawn and tired after a long trek through the jungle. “She needs someone else. Someone who understands physics.”
We all look at Ashlynn, still busy wiping happy tears from her face.
“Huh? Physics?” she sniffles. “That’s supposed to be my thing. Well, my major, anyway.”
I put an arm around Eleanor’s shoulders and hand her my mug of juice. “Is everything okay?”
She takes a big sip and wipes her lips. “Delyah’s fine. But stressed out. She’s made a breakthrough with the spaceship, she says. But she needs to understand something about physics. And I’m a psychology major, so… you know. Not much use with those things.”
“I’ll go,” Ashlynn says. “But I’m drunk as fuck. And I’d love to see Caroline’s son first.”
“I think tomorrow is fine,” Eleanor says. “But you need an escort. A caveman. I saw too many of those freaking raptors today.”
I sit her down in my place. “Are you okay?”
She grabs my wrist and squeezes it. “I’m fine. I saw them from a distance. A whole herd of them. It’s rare for those things to ever come this close to Bune or the village. And this many? I’m a little freaked out.”
The other girls bring Eleanor drinks and food, and I take Rax’tar aside. “You know anyone who would be a good escort for Ashlynn? A reliable guy? One of yours, maybe?”
“Juri’ex,” Rax’tar says without hesitation. “He has proved himself many times lately. Completely reliable. Honorable. Capable.”
“All right. I’ll suggest him.” I crane my neck to look up at my husband. I could just stay here forever.
He glances up at the sky. “Anything of interest?”
“I wasn’t looking at those stars. I was looking at mine.”
“I know there is some joke about my name,” he growls. “Apparently it’s similar to the word for ‘star’ in your alien speech.”
“It’s a little similar. But it’s not really a joke. Just admiration.”
“I see. I was never prone to stargazing.”
“And I always was. See? We complete each other.”
He smiles, and his fangs sparkle. “That feels like the way it should be.”
“Doesn’t it, though? So, you want to go in and see Caroline’s and Xark’on’s new son?”
He scratches his chin. “I suppose. Just to confirm that he is indeed a mix of both of them.”
Butterflies are taking off in my stomach. This is as good a time as any. “My love, there is something you should know.”
He sighs. “Indeed there is. I’m ignorant about many things. All the alien words, for instance.”
“Yes, but I mean something specific.”
“Specific words.”
“No, forget the words! You’ll get the hang of them.”
“Okay.”
“Yes, just like that. No, it’s not about words. It’s about us.”
His eyes pierce me harder than any dragon’s could. “Then enlighten me, my love.”
I unconsciously put one hand on my lower stomach. “I will. So here’s the thing...”
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© Calista Skye 2019
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To be continued with Part 9, which is Ashlynn’s story.
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