“Yeah. I’m surprised you hadn’t since you were so cooperative.”
“As you obviously were, you fucking hypocrite.”
“Hey! I didn’t attack you back then. That was all Gavin. I just didn’t step up and put myself in front of the firing squad. They stopped him from hurting you because of him”—he pointed at Kader—“but I’ll bet they would have let Gavin beat on me and taken notes.”
“You were glaring at me.”
“I was in pain and trying to hide it.”
“Pain. They were hurting you?”
“No. Not really. It’s just…” His cheeks got redder.
Kader flicked his tongue out and then said, “He has a mate. A true mate.”
Royce nodded. “She said that. Yeah. She wasn’t happy when I got yanked to congregate with the others on the ship. She’s a bodyguard, not a scientist, so she wasn’t allowed to come with me. Not even telling them she was my true mate made them change their minds.” He took a breath and winced as his expression turned strained. “It’s been kind of rough being away from her. The docs have been dosing me with pain meds this entire time, but today’s dose is wearing off.”
Imoor said, “We shall return you.”
“Thanks. Really, thanks.” Royce’s face lit up with a grateful smile.
“You will keep in touch. If ever you face trouble, contact us.” Imoor handed him a cell phone. “We use a design you’re familiar with. Our number is programmed already.”
“Appreciate that.” He pocketed the phone.
“Goodbye, Royce Abraham of Earth.”
Before Semeera could think of what to say, Royce was gone. Disappeared. She stepped onto the spot where he’d just stood and then looked at Imoor. “You have transporter technology?”
“We do. We have sent him to the location of his mate. It was good he spoke up when he did. Any longer and we would have been out of range.”
Shanti said, “That means you could have transported us from where we were instead of putting us through that wild ride.” She shot Kader a look. “No offense.”
He nodded.
Ijmru said, “We could have, but Warrior Kader of Home World wanted his people to see us.”
Semeera said absently, “He’s a captain.”
“A rank he never wanted and was given as a punishment. Warrior is better.”
Kader said, “Warrior is better. Thank you for the honor.”
“You’re welcome,” the Watchers said in gleeful unison.
Semeera asked him, “How did you contact them without someone stopping you or interfering?”
Kader opened and closed his mouth several times, his tail swishing quickly. “I… I contacted the Watchers using the black market site where we downloaded your entertainment. The movies you told me about. I used their titles.”
“This is the message he sent,” said the Watchers, gesturing behind them.
On the wall, a list appeared:
Watchmen
We Bought a Zoo
Taken
Taken 2
Taken 3
Seven
Yours, Mine, Ours
Contact
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: Civil War
Secret Window
Meet the Parents
Semeera looked at the list and shook her head. “I don’t get it.”
“Read the first word of each,” Kader whispered.
She said, “Watchmen—”
“That’s us,” the Watchers said, giggling.
“—we taken taken taken seven yours contact captain captain captain secret meet.”
Shanti snorted. “Good thing there were seven of us. There aren’t any movies with six or eight in the title. None that I can think of, anyway.”
Semeera ignored her friend to stare at her mate. “You sent this using the information I gave you?”
“Yes. The true reason I needed your help that day.” He grimaced and bowed his head. “Another lie, my mate. Forgiveness.”
“Kader…” She looked at the message and then back at him. “Forgiven.”
He showed her a thankful smile.
“We answered and sent secret messages only Warrior Kader of Home World could read,” the Watchers said. “We agreed to his plan and came. Thank us too.”
Semeera said, “Thank you.”
They both showed her the same smile. “You’re welcome.”
Shanti asked, “What’s with the stuttering though?”
Kader said, “Sssemeera indicated it would be strange to retrieve one movie without its sequels. I could not be sure the scientists had not learned how to read your language.” He shrugged. “The message went through, so I guess they cannot. Or they did not think to see the obvious.”
“We did,” the Watchers said. “We monitor all who take from us.” Imoor and Ijmru both frowned but their expressions differed slightly. Imoor’s was more a frown of annoyance while Ijmru’s was one of confusion. “Except that day. There was interference from star flares.”
Imoor said, “I told you my count was off.”
“Your count is always off,” Ijmru snapped.
“Only on days when their single moon gets in the way.”
“Then don’t count on those days.”
“I didn’t. The next day my count was off.”
Semeera waved her hand at them, getting their attention. “You monitor Earth?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It is ours.”
“And that means what?”
The Watchers smiled. “What we said. Earth is ours. We claimed it first.”
Gavin scoffed. “Shades of Columbus up in here. Did you happen to notice the few billion occupants already living on it? Pretty sure it belongs to us.”
“Incorrect. Earth and all on it are ours. We claimed it many millennia ago when your kind worshipped us as gods. It has been ours ever since. We protect what is ours.”
Semeera didn’t know what to say to that.
Shanti said, “I’m out. I need food and a nap. Point me to my room.”
“This way, Shanti Stone of Earth.”
“How do you know my name?”
“You are ours. We know.”
Shanti shrugged with a sigh. “Whatever.”
The entire group followed the two Watchers.
Semeera asked, “You can really take us home? I thought it was far away.”
“We can. And it is.” Ijmru waved his hand.
Stars surrounded them, making everyone stop and stare in wonder.
“We are here.” Ijmru pointed at a twinkling star. He pointed far into the distance where another twinkle was, very faint. “Earth is there.”
Semeera’s chest tightened. The doctors hadn’t lied to her about their location, after all. She looked at Gavin.
He rolled his eyes with a dismissive wave. “So they weren’t lying about that. Doesn’t mean shit.”
She wanted to smack him. It meant a lot to her. Days of self-doubt, thinking she’d doomed her planet and her race, were alleviated… sort of. She looked at Kader. “Do your people have ships that could travel that distance?”
Before he could answer, Imoor said, “It would take them generations to arrive, especially now that we have destroyed their device and all information concerning it.”
Kader stiffened. “You destroyed the transporter?”
“Yes. It’s best that way. As built, it could have destroyed many ships when it finally self-destructed. That it didn’t on the day it retrieved our humans is a minor miracle. We saved your people from themselves by taking it from them.” Imoor smiled. “You’re welcome.”
Semeera didn’t trust that smile one bit. The Watchers may sound and act like children, but they were dangerous. Nothing so small and weak-looking could be anything but dangerous when they had Kader acting nervous. Her warrior shied back every time they spoke to him.
&n
bsp; Josie asked, “Generations means we’re not going home, then. Great.”
“Not so, Josie Monroe of Earth,” Ijmru said. “Kader’s people would take generations. For us, the journey will take a month. Less, if certain stars align properly. But we’ll see.”
“A month?” Semeera’s surprised question was echoed by more than one mouth.
They all stared at the star map and then looked at the Watchers, who giggled in childish glee.
Imoor said, “Our travel time will give us the opportunity to devise a cover plan for reintegrating you with your society. It would have been easier if we’d learned of you when you first arrived on Kader’s ship—” she pinned him with a reproachful look that made him step back with his head bowed “—but the damage is done. We need only fix it now.”
Semeera asked, “Fix it how? People will want to know where we’ve been.”
“They will want to know, but you will not have the answer,” the Watchers said, speaking in unison again. “In situations such as these, amnesia is best. From the time of the purple lightning until the day we put you back on the planet will be wiped from your minds. Ask whatever you wish. Look at anything you want. You won’t remember it after you go home.” They started walking again, waving away the star map. “Come. Food and rest await.”
The others followed, except Semeera, who couldn’t make her feet move, and Kader, who stared at her.
Amnesia.
She would have to forget Kader. Their bond. Everything.
Semeera looked at her mate. There was a plea in his eyes that he didn’t give voice. He’d called the Watchers, knowing it would mean losing her.
“Kader—”
“I could say nothing to prove myself, but I found a way to do something.” He took a step toward her but stopped short. “I regret the pain it now causes me, not my actions. I would do it all again to return you to your home.”
“And what about yours? You will get in trouble for this.”
“I will, but it matters not. No punishment my people could conceive will equal losing you. Not even death. My hope is they will show me the kindness of granting such a mercy.”
“Kindness? Mercy? Death isn’t mercy, Kader.” She didn’t want him to die. Just talking about it made her heart hurt.
He gave her a sad smile. “You can say that because you are human. Denying our bond hasn’t affected you the way it has me. Were I not a warrior, I would not have been able to fight my possessive instinct as long as I have. And it is a battle I fight even now.” He fisted his hand over his heart. “This pain will only increase, the farther you are from me. The worst thing you could want for me is to live with it.”
Semeera didn’t know what to say. How could she beg him to live when living was the last thing he wanted to do? And how could she leave him, knowing that was sentencing him to death?
“Semeera Boswell of Earth, Warrior Kader of Home World, your food turns cold,” the Watchers said through unseen speakers.
Kader gestured in front of him. When she started walking, he fell into step several paces behind her. Every step he took echoed. She’d never before heard him make noise when he walked. And the soft pained sigh he probably thought she wouldn’t hear ripped her heart to shreds.
Chapter 18
Starjumping. Semeera had asked what it was and still didn’t understand it. Something about hopping from star to star, picking up fuel at each, and using it to push them to the next. However it worked, it was propelling them toward Earth so fast she didn’t realize they’d moved until they’d stopped to refuel and she noticed the scenery—such as it was—had changed.
They were one week into the month-long journey, and she still hadn’t figured out how she felt about Kader hoping for death when he returned home.
No, that wasn’t right. She knew how she felt about it—so sick to her stomach she couldn’t eat more than two bites of any given meal before the urge to puke drove her to tears. Knowing that as bad as she felt, Kader felt so much worse, only increased her anguish.
“What troubles you, Semeera Boswell of Earth?”
She looked over her shoulder at the Watcher who had spoken. They all looked alike. And it wasn’t race prejudice talking when she said that. The Watchers had manipulated their DNA to ensure they all looked exactly the same as a way to hide their numbers. And they were genderless… or maybe gender fluid was the better descriptor. They had no genitalia until they wanted to engage in coitus, at which time they chose a set and went at it. After hearing that, she hadn’t bothered to ask them how they procreated.
They only difference from one to the next were the slight changes in their voices. Some sounded more feminine, and some sounded more masculine, which wasn’t saying much since they all had childlike voices.
The one who had just spoken to her sounded feminine, but Semeera still asked, “Are you Imoor or Ijmru?”
The Watcher cocked their head to the side and smiled. “Does it matter? You can call me either.”
She didn’t recognize this Watcher’s voice so they weren’t Imoor but Semeera would not call them on it. “Imoor, I’m not sure I want to return to Earth. Do you know about my situation with Kader?”
Not-Imoor shifted to the right several steps and then nodded. “We do. Congratulations.”
“Not congratulations. He said he’s returning to Home World after you drop me off so he can face a death sentence. I don’t want that, but I don’t want him to suffer either.”
“Stay together, then.”
“We can’t.”
“Why not?”
“We just can’t. And even if we could, where would we live?”
Not-Imoor glanced around and then lifted their small hands. “Here.”
Semeera gaped at her host. “Excuse me?”
“Warrior Kader of Home World cannot live on Earth. He would cause a riot.”
“To say the least,” Semeera said in a wry tone.
“Semeera Boswell of Earth cannot live on Home World. They will seek revenge on you both for the loss of their machine.” Not-Imoor smiled mischievously. “And the other things we did.”
She started to ask, but changed her mind. It was better she not know. “But we can’t live here.”
“We invite you. Stay with us, human child. You’ll like it here.”
Wow. That didn’t sound creepy at all. Semeera took a step back, hoping she didn’t appear as freaked out as she felt. “Um… That’s really generous of you, but wouldn’t you get sick of having us around after a while?”
“The addition of two hurts nothing. You would be doing us a favor. You specifically. Warrior Kader of Home World would simply be along for the ride, as you humans say. A companion for you.”
Every alarm bell went off in her head. “Why me specifically?”
“You’re human.”
“Uh-huh. And?”
Not-Imoor tittered and shook their head. “Apologies, Semeera Boswell of Earth. I forgot you don’t know.” They waved their hand over their head.
Hundreds of tiny screens littered the room, floating in the surrounding air. Each screen showed a different TV show or movie from Earth.
Semeera turned in a quick circle before bringing her attention back to Not-Imoor. “You guys like Earth entertainment.”
“We deal in Earth entertainment. Earth and all on it is ours. Our clientele pay us much for the latest episode, the newest movies, the most recent music. But they think we fake it all. Our technology is vast and can do much. Our clients feel everything they pay for is fabrication, citing the many remakes as proof.” Not-Imoor scrunched up their face in distaste. “I hate remakes. You humans are losing your imaginations.”
“Sorry?”
“Make it up to us. Stay. Be our human.”
“And that entails what?”
“Tours, talks, interviews, celebrity status where you will be pampered. Show the universe humans are real, and that we didn’t create you to make money.”
“Just to be clear, you didn�
��t create humans, right?”
Not-Imoor shook their head. “Not us, no.”
Semeera really didn’t like the way Not-Imoor said that but she let it go. “So I would be your human on parade. That’s it? You just put me on tour for the rest of my life and I smile at the cameras, as it were?”
“Yes. An easy life. Lots of travel and meeting new species. Boredom will take a long time to set in. Stay.”
Not-Imoor’s invitation solved Semeera’s problem nicely. She and Kader could work things out and stay together. Not that there was much to work out after Kader had completely ruined his life to make it so she could get back to hers. And she loved the big lizard so much for that.
She loved him for a lot of reasons. That was why it hurt so much when she’d thought he used that love against her to betray her own people. Now she knew that wasn’t the case, but it wasn’t right to rekindle their relationship when the Watchers would dump her on Earth in a few weeks.
“I need to talk to Kader about it.”
“Yes. Communication in a relationship is good. Talk lots. Fuck more.” Not-Imoor snorted. “With you two, it’s better the other way. Fuck first and then talk. Or not talk at all. That’s best.”
A week living with the Watchers and she still hadn’t gotten used to the blunt way they spoke. It didn’t help that they were the size of and sounded like children. But Semeera couldn’t fault Not-Imoor’s logic. Talking seemed to get her and Kader into a lot of trouble.
Semeera asked, “This isn’t some weird ploy to get us on an exam table so you can dissect us, right?”
“Dissecting is messy, and no one likes to clean up after. That’s why we stopped. It’s easier to just scan you while you sleep. We fixed your heart murmur.” Not-Imoor smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“I had a… Wait. You fixed my heart murmur but not my eyes? I wouldn’t have said no to perfect vision.”
“We talked about it. The glasses stay.”
“If I were returning to Earth, that makes sense. Everyone would wonder how amnesia had given me 20-20. But I’m staying… I think…” She didn’t want to agree just yet. “Fixing my eyes shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Stay or go—the glasses remain. They add to your credibility. Many humans in media wear glasses. Our clients will like them.”
Alien Mate Experiment Page 21
