I rolled my eyes and sighed. I would just have to find a way let her matchmaking schemes pass me by. I wanted some time as a single lady, I didn’t want to run from one man right to the next and never have any time for fun. To be honest, I wanted to date around. Meet several aliens before choosing a partner for life. How else was I to know who was right for me?
“That sounds like a perfect night! Almost like a night out back home. I could get used to this.” I felt lighter than I had since I was first abducted. It was amazing how much I took my freedoms for granted back home.
◊◊◊
Oh, this was going to be an awesome night! There were hot warriors everywhere, and they were not looking to put me in chains!
“Paris, where’s Zelan?” I looked around for the big lug but didn’t see him anywhere.
“He’s still on duty. Why? Do you want him here to hold your hand?” She said in a childish sing-song voice.
“Actually, the opposite. I was hoping to be able to flirt a little without having him turn all caveman on me.” I smiled at a guy I hadn’t seen before, and his veins turned red. “Paris, what does a red vein mean?”
She laughed and said, “Do you really want to know? It might make a difference in how you view tonight.”
I smiled and said, “Yes, it’s been bugging me. I love it when Zelan turns purple, but the red gives me a strange vibe. One I’m not sure I like.”
Another hot alien walked past me towards the microwave, and his veins went from green to red as he checked me out.
She gave me a devilish smile, “It means they are turned on. So be careful with the warriors who are flashing red. I would say have fun with the guys who are purple for sure! That means love or adoration. Green is friendly or comfortable. That is a good color for just a flirt. If you don’t want more, be careful you don’t lead anyone on. Once they learn that a certain Captain has his eye on you, they’ll stop flirting.” She winked at me and went to turn the TV on.
I hadn’t flirted since high school. When you’re told who you’re going to marry at the ripe old age of seventeen, you don’t get too many chances to flirt after that.
Although, there was that one spring break in college. I went to Cozumel with a group of girlfriends, and we met a lot of hot guys on the beach. Flirting was definitely something I did that week. It was supposed to be my week for fun in the sun, and it truly was. However, this was different. I will be working with these guys going forward. How weird would it be if I flirt with them all tonight, and then two days from now, fly to the colony with them?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s a darn good thing that my veins didn’t pulse out colors demonstrating me emotions for all to see. Two very tall and extremely good-looking alien guys walked up to me and introduced themselves. One guy was flashing red, "Hi, my name is Balin. It's nice to finally meet you, Natalie." He reached out to shake my hand.
“How did you know my name?” I was certain Paris hadn’t used it since we arrived.
“Who doesn’t know your name? You are to be the new assistant to our Commander, a pretty important job. Everyone is going to want to meet you tonight.” He tried to put his arm around my shoulder, “Stick with me, and I will keep away the piranhas.”
It was strange, my universal translator was installed only that morning, but listening to them speak in their own tongue and hearing the translation inside my head was a bit much. It was like trying to listen to two different conversations at once. The nurse did tell me it would take a while to get used to the translation. What I didn’t expect was a small ache in my head while Balin spoke.
I moved away from his arm. “I would actually like to meet everyone. Especially if I am to work with them all.”
The other guy was chuckling under his breath. “Hi, I am Eshen. Pay no attention to my friend. He can be a jerk at times, but he’s harmless.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. He was flashing green so I felt a bit more comfortable with him, even though he was defending the other guy.
“Are you the one I need to watch out for then?” I tried to smile in a seductive way, but since I have never tried to be seductive before, I doubted it worked.
Eshen laughed. “Sorry, I think you have us confused. He is the one to watch out for, but he would never hurt you. He might try to convince you that you are his mate, but that is as far as it would go.”
“I see. Well I don’t want to be anyone’s mate. If you will excuse me, I see Paris has the movie started.” I walked away from them thinking this could be fun, if not totally overwhelming.
"Natalie, come join us." Paris waved me over. She had saved me a seat next to her and a couple other guys. "You met my bodyguard, Golen, and this is Maximillian and Zelion. They’re twins!”
“Please call me Max.” One twin reached up to shake my hand, and his brother eyed me up and down while pulsing a very deep red.
Zelion said in a seductive voice, “You can call me anytime.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
“Um, those Earth movie pick-up lines don’t really work, Zel,” Paris said while she was chuckling at him.
“Paris, have you been showing them Earth movies? Or was that the Commander’s influence?” I eyed them all and wondered if Zelion had ever had a chance to use that stupid line before or if was his first.
"Oh, it was Venay's alright. He even has a copy of the old "B" movie, Earth Girls Are Easy!” Paris rolled her eyes and chuckled.
I busted up laughing. “I can’t believe you guys watched that one. You do know it was a cheesy movie even when it was made, and we are nothing like that movie, right?” I looked at both Max and Zel, who seemed a bit sheepish.
“Well, I did wonder if that was true or not. Now I know. I haven’t seen anyone from Earth since I joined the fleet. This is my first tour with the Commander, before this I was on the Zelus Free, patrolling the border with the Zateelians. The only humans I knew growing up were actually pretty easy.” He looked at his brother and hit him on the arm. “Am I right?”
I shook my head at them as they laughed. “Somehow I doubt they were easy. Let me guess, you have never even kissed a human girl?”
Paris high-fived me, and we both laughed as Zel’s veins flashed orange, before they turned to a deep forest green.
“Alright, quiet down now. We have a great movie to watch tonight. I specifically chose Independence Day, just for you guys.” She raised her eyebrows at me, and I stifled a grin, knowing exactly what she was up to.
This was going to be fun!
I loved this movie as a kid, but watching it with actual aliens who could invade my world, made it that much more intense. As we sat there watching, the aliens started to grumble that it was lame. “Oh come on! We don’t have shields like that. Who do they think they are fighting?”
“Max, they aren’t fighting you guys. Just wait until you see the aliens. They are more like the insectoids crossed with a species who has tentacles. We made them up, silly. Along with the technology of the invaders.” I shook my head at them. Men.
“Oh, well, yeah the Q’tueliens do have similar shields.” He went back to watching the movie, and I looked over to Paris.
She shrugged her shoulders, and I mouthed, “Seriously? Another species?”
Max shushed us and pointed to the screen. He was obviously engrossed now that he knew the aliens were someone else.
Once the movie was over, I asked Zel, “So, there is an alien species out there that looked similar to the ones from this movie?” I pointed to the movie screen.
“Similar, but not exactly. We have a truce with them, but some of the technology of those Zateelians was similar to the Q’tueliens ships. So it is possible our truce is over. If so, I will have to remember the weakness from the movie. Maybe it is the same.” He shook his head as he continued to watch the movie credits.
“Zel, you do know that movies aren’t real, right? This was not some historical re-enactment. It was just fiction.” I guess I know who got th
e brains when that ovum split in two.
"Huh? I thought it was a documentary. That was what Paris told us. That we were going to see a movie based on an event from your planet's history." He scratched his cute head. Both of them were really cute. Sad Zel wasn’t a bit brighter.
“Um, we have never had a known encounter with aliens, unless you believe in Roswell.”
Max piped up, “What is Roswell?”
Paris covered her mouth and tried to hide her little laugh. "It was where a spaceship tried to land on Earth, but we shot it down about 75 years ago. The aliens we found were taken to a top-secret base and dissected."
I kept a straight face, trying to tell myself this was a true story.
Commander Venay walked in at that point, “She is right. Another species did try to land on Earth back in their year 1947. One of my ancestors was on a ship that orbited their moon watching. That was when we decided they weren’t ready for us yet, and probably never would be.”
“Nuh uh! That isn't true. It was just a story I was telling Zel.” He believed anything about Earth that came from a movie. Zel was so gullible. “Hey, Zel, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you back on Earth. It might help you get places faster." I couldn't keep a straight face, and neither could Paris. We both broke down laughing. The guys all looked at us like we were nuts. Maybe we were.
“Venay, did you guys really witness an alien get shot down over Roswell back in the forties?” Paris narrowed her eyes at him.
“Yes, but that is a story for another day. Let’s go home, I have to get up early tomorrow to prepare the next group of troops for the colony.” He started to walk away with Paris but looked over his shoulder. “Golen, I expect you to take good care of my new assistant. Bring her back to my residence when she is ready to leave.”
He turned around after he saw all the warriors ogling me. "You should all know that Captain Zelan has claimed her as his mate. Make sure she is treated with respect." He smiled at me and walked out.
Oh, that man, alien, whatever! He was pushing to get me to agree to mate with Zelan too! At this rate, I would have no other options even if I wanted them. Both Max and Zel moved a bit further away from me. Great, no more harmless flirting for me.
Once the Commander and Paris were gone, I looked at the warriors around me who had gone quiet. “You know, just because Zelan likes me, doesn’t mean I’m going to be his mate. I haven’t said yes.” I crossed my arms over my chest. This wasn’t fun anymore.
“Yes, but you will. It is only a matter of time. Most human women take a couple of weeks at most to succumb to the pull of the mating bond. If you are his true, fated mate then you won’t be able to stay away from him.” Max patted me on the shoulder and then stood up. “I am tired and have an early morning. It is time I went back to my room. Especially since Captain Zelan is probably on his way here now. If the Commander is done for the night, then the Captain will be too.” He waved at me as both he and his brother left.
I overheard the two guys from earlier. They were talking in their native tongue. However, my universal translator worked just fine. “Balin, don’t. She isn’t worth the trouble you will get into if Zelan finds out you messed with his mate.”
“She is beautiful and sitting all alone. What can it hurt if I just go keep her company? It’s not like I plan to bring her back to our room for the night or anything. I just want to have some fun. Lighten up Eshen. It’s just a little harmless flirting.” Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn he winked at his friend before getting up.
I wanted to have fun but I wasn’t sure if he was my speed or not. He sat down next to me. “Hey there. I don’t blame you for not wanting to mate with Zelan. He can be a dud. I don’t think I have ever seen him relax and have fun.” He moved his arm behind me. Which reminded me of some lame 80’s movie. I almost laughed. Instead, I moved back just a little bit.
"Zelan is actually a nice guy, and we did have fun when we were in New Hope the other day.” I did enjoy my time with Zelan.
“That’s cool. It’s nice to hear that he can loosen up a bit. But what do you say to having some fun with me before you leave? I am staying here so I won’t get to see you again for a while.” He moved closer to me again, and I was about to get up when Golen interrupted.
“Excuse me, Balin, but I think it is time I took Natalie back to the Commander's quarters. I think they will all be up quite early tomorrow." Golen pursed his lips and put his hands on his hips.
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Balin waved him off before standing up. He put his hand out to help me get up and I accepted.
However, he did not let go of my hand once I was up. Instead, he cupped it in-between both of his. "Natalie, if you want to spend time with another male let me know. I think you and I could have a lot of fun before you leave. And I won't claim you as my mate… well unless you want me to." He winked, and then leaned in to kiss my cheek.
I felt eyes on the back of my head. It had to be Zelan. I turned around, but it was only Golen not Zelan. “Right, I do think it is time for me to head off to bed. Alone. Good night, gentlemen. This was an… interesting evening." It really was fun and made me realize that I wasn't cut out for flirting with lots of guys. If they wanted to be friends, I could do that. Anything more would not be welcomed.
“Natalie, I must warn you. Warriors who have found their mate tend to be very territorial. Which is why my people have made it a rule to never mess with another’s mate. Wars have started over it in the past. Please keep that in mind next time you want to have some fun.” Golen had his hand on my shoulder and was guiding me out the door.
“I know. I didn’t realize that they would be so intense. It was just supposed to be some light flirting and fun, nothing more. None of those guys wanted me as their mate. They were just looking for a way to blow off some steam. It was harmless.” I bit my lip as I thought about Zelan and what he would have thought if he had walked in to see all those guys surrounding me. Even I knew he wouldn’t like it.
“Golen, are your kind very promiscuous?" I hadn't met too many of these guys, and so far I had seen several guys flash red when they looked at me. I wasn't ugly, but I also wasn't going to win any Miss Universe pageants. Wow, how ethnocentric are we as a people to think that we were the only ones in the universe? That pageant means something totally different to me now.
“What do you mean?” He continued to walk facing forward and had his hands behind his back.
“Well, I have only met a few of your males, and already several of them have had red flashing veins in my presence. I got the feeling that they wanted more than to just kiss my cheek. Is that normal with your kind?” I fidgeted with my hands, not really comfortable with this conversation. However, it was necessary.
Zelan came around the corner. “There you are, Natalie. The Commander told me I should go get you and take you home tonight. That you were stranded in the mess hall with a room full of single, male warriors. Are you alright?” He walked up to me and grabbed me in a tight hug.
To be honest, I was a bit happy to see him. He had never been anything but a gentleman with me. Not once did I feel weird with him. The hug felt right, like a friend comforting someone they thought was upset, which I wasn’t. Although, it was welcome.
“I’m fine. Golen was walking me back to Paris’ place. How was work?” I was still wrapped in his arms, but it felt nice.
Golen cleared his throat. “I will be heading to bed now. Captain, I take it you will see that Natalie gets back safely?”
“Hm, oh, yes. I will take her home. Thank you for looking out for her safety tonight. I owe you one.” Zelan put his hand on my low back. It felt much nicer than when Golen put his hand on my shoulder. It was like all was right in the world. Zelan even had his purple veins again. They really did relax me. I wondered why.
"Zelan, why is it that I feel so much better when your veins pulse purple? Is that some sort of calming effect of the color?" I had an idea but wanted to hear what he had to say.
<
br /> He smiled at me, and then leaned down and kissed the top of my head. "It just means that you are responding to the bond which is forming between us. As mates grow closer, they become more in tune with each other's emotions. Since you are human, your emotions won't affect me nearly as much. But my emotions will affect you. Over time, you will come to understand exactly what I am feeling. At times you will feel the same as me unless your emotions are stronger than mine. When that happens, your emotions will rule you." He pressed his palm into my back a little bit more, and it was quite relaxing.
“Hmm, that’s very strange. I think I have felt it happen a few times already. One time you were pulsing blue, and I was sad that your purple veins were gone. I thought it was just because I love the color purple. I didn’t realize I was picking up on your sad emotions. Doesn’t that get in the way of doing your job?”
“Sometimes, but this way there is no fooling each other. It is very important for a leader to understand those serving under him. We can better lead when we understand our crew or team. Sometimes words aren’t even necessary. It works quite well, for the most part.”
We walked up to my door and stopped in front of it. “Thank you for walking me home. Will I see you tomorrow? I understand you have a busy day with sending troops over to New Hope.” I put my hand on his arm and felt a bit flustered when my hand touched his bare arm. His muscles flexed and I felt the raw strength in him and could feel my face heating up. I only hoped he couldn’t see my blush.
Ben didn’t really have any muscles, at least none on this level. I hated to admit it to myself, but I was a little bit turned on. Who knew I was a muscle girl? At least my veins weren’t pulsing red. That would have been embarrassing.
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