I looked up into his eyes and felt an intense connection. Was he going to kiss me? Did I want him to? At that moment, I did want him to. Although it would send the wrong message if I allowed that, so I stepped back closer to the door.
He cleared his throat and said, “I will try to see you tomorrow if at all possible. Maybe we could have dinner tomorrow night?”
“Yes,” I looked down at my feet not wanting him to see my blush. “I would like that. Call me if you can make it. Otherwise, I’ll just eat with Paris.” I leaned in to give him a hug goodnight. Friends did that sort of thing all the time. There shouldn’t be any mixed signals with a hug. Right?
He whispered in my ear, “Goodnight, my Natalie.” Then he leaned down and kissed my cheek. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than for him to push me up against the wall and kiss the dickens out of me. An extreme need for him filled my entire body, and I almost threw him against the wall. If not for the small voice in the back of my head that said don’t do it, I might have.
He stepped away from me and walked backward a few steps looking intently into my eyes, before he turned around and walked way. I was left breathing heavily and wondering what just happened. Was that the mating bond he was talking about? These next few months were going to be torture if I succumbed to it.
Chapter 13
"Ugh, what is that noise?" I moaned. It had to be the middle of the night still. I lifted my head and looked toward the noise. In the kitchen, I saw Commander Venay had pinned Paris against the wall. "Oh, my word! It’s way too early to see that.” I took my pillow and covered my head.
I didn't get back to sleep until he left for work. When I did wake up, Paris was in the kitchen drinking tea. The V'Zenian tea was good, but I couldn't wait until I got to the settlement and had real, Earth coffee again.
It was strange; I would normally call things American and was very ethnocentric when it came to what I liked. Made in America was a big deal to my family. But then again, my dad did run a business in America.
Now, I would take Columbian or Ugandan coffee any day. It didn’t have to be packaged by an American company either. Anything from Earth would be wonderful.
It would be nice to socialize with humans from different parts of my world too. I wondered if I would get that chance. How many on this planet were from other parts of my world?
“Good morning, Paris. I was just thinking how nice it would be to have some Earth coffee again. Is it strange that I’m actually looking forward to going back to that settlement? Even after the attack?” I fixed myself some hot tea and sat at the table with her.
“Actually, it isn’t strange at all. While it is an alien outpost on a distant planet, so much of it felt like Earth. I hope that I get to go there often as well. Maybe even pick up some coffee to bring back here. Did you want any breakfast? I’m feeling very domesticated lately and could make you scrambled eggs and bacon with toast if you like.”
I giggled. “Paris, all it takes is the push of a button to make that. It isn’t really cooking when you use the replicator.” I shook my head at her silliness.
“No, I suppose not. But, humor me. This is the closest I will get to cooking. Last night Venay told me that we will most likely be heading straight to the border with the Zateelians when his new ship arrives. Their President is in talks right now with their version of a war council, and it looks like they are preparing to go to war with the mutant cockroaches.” She sighed and took a sip of her tea.
“Oh, I am sorry to hear that. I know you wanted to head to their planet to try and change things for us humans. What does that mean for us? Will we get to stay on this planet?”
“Most likely. Although, since we are going to be here for so long, Venay thinks that a lot of his warriors will find their mates here. So, you could end up on the ship with us. As could a lot of our friends. All the human men will stay here. Hopefully, they’ll fall in line and accept their jobs and be happy. There are quite a lot of human women on this planet. Maybe they’ll even find wives, settle down, and raise families." She shrugged her shoulders.
What more could she ask for those who were abducted with us? There was no way the V’Zenians were going to return any of us to Earth. The next best thing would be to leave us all here where we would have some freedoms and a chance to make something of this colony.
“I hope I get to stay here. I know that you guys are expecting me to mate with Zelan.” I sighed and shrugged. “Maybe part of me wants that too, I really don’t know. But I do know that I want to stay here. This is the next best thing to going home. Please don’t be upset with me.” I looked up at her and quirked a small smile. “Can you understand that?”
She reached across the table and grabbed my hand, "Of course I can. Maybe this is your calling. I know what mine is. Staying with Venay, wherever he goes is what I am called to do. Whenever I get the chance to help humans, you better believe I will. And that means accepting when they find their place, even if it isn't where I want them to be.” Paris let go of my hand and got up to fix my breakfast.
“You have become a great friend over these past couple of weeks. Geez, I can't believe it's only been a couple of weeks since we left Earth. Time has really flown by. So much has happened.” I sighed and thought about how much I’ve changed since my abduction.
“If you know where you belong, then fight for it. That is all I can ask of any of my friends." She smiled over her shoulder as she pushed the buttons on the replicator.
“Thank you. I feel the same way. You are more like a sister than a friend. I want you to know how much I truly appreciate you looking out for me,” I honestly stated.
“That is what friends do. Okay, enough of that mushy stuff.” We both smirked. “Natalie, what do you want to do today?”
“I think I want to visit with Sheila and the rest of the mated girls. See how they’re all doing and find out who else is going to the settlement. Also, is there any way to get there sooner? Not that I want to leave you, but they have chocolate chip pancakes and coffee!” I was practically drooling thinking about the Earth foods I used to take for granted. My stomach growled its own desire for chocolate chip pancakes.
Paris opened her eyes wide and then drew out a long WOW. "That’s right! They really do have chocolate chip pancakes. Do they taste just as good as home?"
“Our last morning in the colony Zelan took me there for breakfast. They use a different type of milk, which makes them richer. But man, are they ever good!” I licked my lips thinking about how good they were.
“Hmm, maybe we should take a trip tomorrow to scout out the living arrangements. You know, so we can prepare the girls for where they are going to go? And of course, check out a couple of their diners, just to get an idea of what life will be like there.” She rubbed her hands together, and I could tell she was dreaming of those pancakes, too.
“It’s amazing how something so simple becomes so big when you no longer have it at your disposal, isn’t it? I did a study abroad to Estonia when I was in college. They didn’t have pancake mix or chocolate chips like what we have. I had to make it from scratch. Thankfully, my mom had email and she sent me the recipe. Then I went and found a couple of large chocolate bars. I broke them up into small pieces and used them in place of the chocolate chips.” I got up and went over to the counter and picked up my breakfast that Paris so graciously made for me.
“Estonia didn’t have any maple syrup. I met a missionary’s wife who was from the mid-west and she made her own syrup. It wasn’t the same, but you have no idea how good those pancakes were! I was going through culture shock and those really helped me to have a piece of home. Well, that and I went to Mickey D's a few times a week for lunch. I think our situation here is like that, but a thousand times worse. Since we aren’t even on planet Earth.” I chewed on the side of my lower lip as I thought about all that I had experienced on this trip so far. It was so far above anything I had ever seen in my short life on Earth.
"I never left the states
but living on the streets did bring some culture shock with it. At first, it was all about staying safe. I had to learn to sleep with one eye open to make sure that no one ever got the drop on me. Then I had to learn how to make friends.” Paris made herself another cup of tea before she went back to the table.
“I thought that other women would be good companions on the street, but it turned out the same issues with cattiness are a part of life on the streets as they are in high school. Most of the older men made better friends. Which was weird since the oldest man I ever knew was my dad. Those guys on the streets were older than he was when he died. Making friends here has been much easier, though. I guess that’s one good thing." She shrugged her shoulders.
I thought about her experience before responding, "I think part of it is that you are mated to the head honcho. Everyone wants to be your friend. Not that I like you for your status. I don't work that way. There are some women here who do, so be careful who you befriend. Especially watch out for a girl named Rachelle. She is a social climber if I ever saw one. She’s after Zelan, but he doesn't seem to want her attentions."
That brought a laugh out of Paris. “Of course not, he only has eyes for one woman. Thank you for the warning. I’ll be careful.”
We were both quiet for the rest of our breakfast. I thought about the concept of culture shock and realized we were all probably going through that in our various ways. I knew from my own experience the best way to get through it without going crazy was to find things that reminded us of home and experience them. We also had to come to grips with our situation as it was. If we didn’t accept our fate and move forward, a lot of us would end up going batty.
Not that we had to roll-over and just accept the first male to want us or agree to be slaves. We could, and should, do whatever we could in our power to make our lives better. What I realized was that Paris had it right, we needed to accept we weren’t ever going home. It was time I looked to my future and stopped complaining about my past, or even my present situation.
I did have options. What I needed to do was think about them and figure out what I wanted for myself in this new reality. Did I want to mate with Zelan? Did I want a mate at all? Family was something I had always wanted. But, now that I was on an alien world, did that mean the same thing here?
My current situation was so completely different from anything I had ever fantasized about. I needed time to acclimate to my new surroundings and re-adjust my wants and dreams. I only hoped Zelan would give me that time.
After we got ready, I went with Paris to help feed all of our people. I discovered that pretty much all of them were on the list to get their universal translators installed. “Lucy, when do you get your translator implanted?”
“First thing tomorrow morning. Both Betty and I are on the list! I’m so excited. That means we get to be part of the early group to head out to the colony. What’s it like? Will we all get real rooms? Or just a bigger cell?” Lucy’s eyes were bright, and she had a huge smile plastered on her face. She seemed to be very excited about everything. I hoped she would enjoy her time in the settlement.
Several of the women had moved closer to where we were so they could hear the conversation.
“I don’t know for sure, but from what I’ve heard, we will all live in barracks. So, we will share a large room with other women, but it won’t be a jail cell. We can come and go as we please, and everyone will get a job. They have restaurants too! The best part is they have coffee from Earth! I can’t wait to go.” I sighed dreamily as I remembered the taste of their coffee and the pungent aroma of the arabica beans as they brewed.
Rachelle was in the cell next to us and she asked, “Where’s Zelan? I haven’t seen him for a couple of days. He promised to come visit me.”
I gave Rachelle a tight smile and tried to hide my frustration with the wench. “He’s very busy now that he was promoted to Captain. He’ll be overseeing all the warriors the Commander is sending with us to the colony. It’s his responsibility to train them, along with the other warriors already residing there, to defend the place against the bugs.”
“Really, he’s a Captain now? I suppose that means you are going to go after him? Just remember, I wanted him when he was a lowly Lieutenant. I don’t care about rank. He should be my mate.” Rachelle looked at me with a scowl on her face.
I couldn’t believe she really thought she should have him. A week ago, I would have said, Go for it. Now, it’s more like, Stay away, he’s mine. I think I understand why Paris fell so fast for the Commander. However, I wasn’t going to do that. Like I said before, I was going to take it slow and date the guy before I decided anything more.
“Actually, I think I met just the right guy for you last night. His name is Zelion, and he has a twin brother named Maximillian. They are both here and going to the colony this week. Zel is a real flirt, and Max is a total sweety. You might be able to have them both if you play your cards right." I almost rolled my eyes thinking about her with Max. I bet he wouldn't give her the time of day. But if telling her she had a chance at both meant keeping her away from Zelan, then it was worth it.
“Oh, really? Twins? Hm, that might be a lot of fun. I guess I could meet them and see what they’re like.” She was a piece of work.
Lucy and Betty tried really hard to stifle their giggles but lost that battle. “Natalie, really? Trying to get her to go for two other men? I take it you’ve decided to go for Zelan after all?” Betty asked.
“Well, Zelan and I are dating.” I felt my cheeks heat and prayed no one noticed. “We’re going to spend time getting to know each other. That is all. No mating going on here. But he is off the market. I don’t want anyone else trying to take him away. At least, not until I’m sure what I want.”
“Uh huh, you keep telling yourself that’s all it is. I bet by next month you two are mated and living together in utter bliss, just like Paris and the Commander.” Lucy’s smile was a mile wide.
I waved at them both. “Whatever. I just want the chance to get to know him, that’s all.”
Paris came over and said it was time to go if I wanted to spend time with my other friends today. So we left and went to see Sheila first.
“Sheila!” I yelled and ran to give her a hug. “It’s so good to see you again. How is mated life? Is Cazon treating you good?”
She returned my hug. “Natalie, it’s great to see you again. I hear you’re leaving us soon. To live in the colony? And with that hunk of an alien, Zelan. Nice job!” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.
“Oh, stop it! Not you too! Does Paris have everyone in on this or what? Even the Commander is trying to get us together.” I crossed my arms over my chest and shifted my weight to my left leg.
“Come on. You have to admit that mating with these aliens is pretty awesome. Have you two consummated anything yet?” Sheila was going to get slapped if she didn’t stop it.
I hated discussing sex with anyone, especially with people I hardly knew.
“No, he hasn’t even kissed me yet. Well, not anywhere except for my cheek. Which is exactly the way I want it.” It was, wasn’t it?
“Oh, sweetie, you are missing out! I never knew what I was missing until I mated with Cazon. He is…”
I interrupted her right there.
“TMI! TMI! I don’t need to hear the details of your love life.” I put my hands up in front of my head and turned my face towards the ground like that was going to block her words from me.
"You did ask how I was doing. That is pretty much all I am doing these days if you get my meaning." Sheila winked and nudged my shoulder.
“Ugh, can we please change the subject? How is Lisa? Is she happy with Rotna?” Why did I want to see mated girls? I had to remember to stop talking to them. All they had on their mind was one thing.
Sheila laughed and offered us seats. “Yes, she’s on her way here now. You can ask her yourself.”
We spent the rest of the day catching up, and I told them all about my h
arrowing adventures since we moved to this ship. Rotna was considering moving to the settlement as well. I hoped they did so I could at least have one friend. Well, as long as Lisa didn’t try to tell me about her sex life or try to get me to mate with Zelan. I needed a friend who would understand what I was going through and support me.
Zelan called me late that afternoon to confirm that I would have dinner with him. To be honest, I was looking forward to it. Which was strange. When I was dating Ben, I didn’t get chills thinking about our dates. Excitement wasn’t part of my life back then. Now that I thought about it, it was more resignation than anything else that I felt when I would get ready for a date with Ben.
Life had really changed a lot in the course of a few weeks.
I didn’t have any clothes other than what I was given after my shower at Paris’ place the other day, which was a type of cargo pants and a t-shirt, so I wasn’t able to get all dolled up for him. However, he did have a nice pair of denim jeans on with an iridescent blue button up shirt. The pants were from Earth, but that shirt, it must have been from his planet. It contoured his body perfectly. The cuffs of his sleeves were rolled up to his biceps and stretched taut, showing off his muscles. I was practically salivating thinking about them.
“Natalie, did you want to have dinner in my quarters or in the mess hall?” He put his hand out for mine, and I gladly gave it to him. He took my hand and put it inside the crook of his arm, and we walked out of my temporary quarters.
“Would you mind if we ate in the mess hall? I am not a big fan of the V’Zenian menus.” I also didn’t want to be alone with the giant alien in his quarters. Not that I thought he would try anything untoward, but I didn’t want to give him the idea that I would be open to any such activities.
“Of course, I should have thought about that.”
“No worries. Once we are at New Hope, it shouldn’t be an issue, right? I mean they have lots of human food in their restaurants and most likely in their replicators, right?” I hadn’t thought about anything other than the coffee corner, pancake place, and the ice cream parlor. They had to have plenty of other human food too, right?
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