Alien Bond

by Tracy Lauren

  “Reagan,” Mel warns and her friend falls silent. “I get it, Gabby; I share your concern. But whatever the Red King did to Val, wherever they went, no one here knows,” Mel assures.

  “So they say,” Gabby retorts. Her narrowed eyes are pinned on me, though I can’t seem to fathom why.

  Outside the dinner bell rings.

  “Come on,” Lo tells Gabby, tugging at her friend’s arm, and the two head for the door.

  Alessandra, April, Dani, Gwen, and V depart as well, making their apologies to Mel for the tense way group ended.

  “Can I help with anything?” Reagan asks.

  “No, I’m good. But look, you can’t get so defensive with the others. It makes people feel like we aren’t all on the same team,” she warns Reagan.

  “Yeah, well, some people are acting like they never got the memo about whose team we’re on.”

  They speak quietly and I linger behind, waiting for a chance at a private conversation with Mel.

  “Hey! Good job today, big guy,” Reagan shouts over Mel’s shoulder before she slips out the doorway.

  “Thank you!” I call, standing a little taller. I am happy that I have taken the initiative to join in the community more deeply, even if Mire refuses to do so. The door shuts and Mel turns to face me. An unfamiliar feeling swells within my chest. Even though Mel looks at me as if she’s gazing upon an old friend, I find myself strangely nervous.

  Finally it is just the two of us. Now the true work begins—or the true fun, depending on how one looks at it. I am a free man. For the first time in my life, I am without guidance or leadership. I can make my own decisions and think about what I want to take from this life. I owe it to myself, and to all the Sovolians that came before me, to drink deeply from this cup of life. I know what I want—it is a mate and a family of my own, and since the moment my eyes connected with Mel’s I knew that she was the one for me.

  Now, all I must do is convince her.

  Chapter 4

  Mel

  When I turn to face Gile he’s pulling my broom down from its peg on the wall. I smile at how polite he is and head for the pile of cups waiting on my kitchen table. There’s no running water in the bedrooms, so I keep a bucket in my kitchen so I can wash throughout the day.

  “So, that was our dysfunctional little support group. What’d you think?” I ask as Gile sweeps up the trail of dirt he left on the floor.

  “I think I misunderstood the purpose of these meetings,” he admits.

  “Oh!” It wasn’t the answer I was anticipating. I set down the cup in my hand, worrying about what Gile’s expectations might have been compared to how we actually spent our time. “What were you expecting?”

  He looks thoughtful for a moment and joins me at my kitchen counter. Picking up a towel, he helps dry the cups I’ve already washed. I must really be a horn dog, because watching a sexy man do simple household chores makes a flush run over my body. I bite my lip and try to focus on his words. “Truthfully, I imagined you would all be discussing your time on the UPC ship,” he admits. “Or perhaps your abductions. Instead you spoke of your lives from before you came here.”

  “Yeah?” I furrow my brow, not quite getting his point.

  “I just do not understand. When we rescued you from that ship… It was bad, Mel. One of the worst things I’ve ever seen.”

  “I remember,” I tell him. I’ll never forget my time on that ship and I wager it will haunt me for the rest of my days.

  “How could some of the other things discussed today be compared to that? Many of the women here spoke of their childhoods.”

  “Oh. I see. Hmmm.” I think about how I can best describe it to Gile. “What happened to us on that ship was terrible—hell, really. But it was five days. Don’t get me wrong, I still have nightmares about our time there, and there are definitely days we talk about it. But imagine two cups,” I say, setting a pair down in front of me on the table. “One cup is filled with the painful things that happened on the UPC ship. “Waking up after an abduction,” I pour water from my bucket into the cup. “Realizing we had been kidnapped by aliens.” I add more water. “Being beaten, threatened, manipulated.” I pour more water in. “And then we were saved.” I push the cup away. It’s about two thirds full. “Then there’s this cup and this one represents every day of our lives before our time on the UPC ship. This is when Lo was teased as a child.” I pour water into the cup. “And it wasn’t once, it was often, throughout her whole childhood.” I pour more water. “This is the way April’s parents favored her sister. Not just for five days, but every day. Every holiday, every birthday, every night when their parents tucked them into bed and there wasn’t enough time, effort, or love left over for her.” I keep pouring water. “This is V’s mother being addicted to drugs and later losing her grandmother. This is Alessandra being eight years old and trying to fill her mother’s shoes…” Soon the cup is overflowing and water splashes down onto the floor. “These things might seem smaller, but there is just so much more of them. And all this affects how well we’re able to deal with this,” I say, pointing to the first cup.

  Gile’s expression is solemn as he watches my demonstration. I can tell he gets it. “This would be a good place for Mire,” he says finally, and I must say, I’m a little surprised.

  “You can invite him next time,” I offer.

  “He would not come. He is not much of a talker.” Gile has this way of cocking his head to the side and letting his lazy smile shine that makes even the benign things he says seem flirtatious. I catch myself leaning toward him and returning his smile like a dope. Mentally I shake myself and focus on the conversation.

  “Yeah, I get that impression. So, what did you come for, Gile?” He sets the towel aside and leans on the table next to where I stand. Crossing his arms over his chest, he looks both thoughtful and troubled. And his chest looks deliciously muscled… but I digress.

  “I am facing a new stage in my life. It is exciting, but I also have concerns. I worry about Mire and what we will do if this does not work out. My troubles are not something in the past, but in this moment and in the moments to come.”

  “It’s okay to talk about that here, Gile. There’s no rule saying everyone has to talk about their childhood or anything. You bring whatever you need to get off your chest and we’re happy to listen.”

  He nods, but keeps his arms crossed over his chest. Chewing on his cheek, the sexy alien still does not look convinced.

  “What is it?”

  “I did not follow much of what was discussed today. There were times I felt like I was not a useful member of the group.”

  “Oh! Oh my gosh, no, please don’t feel that way. I promise, no one else was thinking that.”

  Gile eyes me skeptically.

  “Look, maybe I can help explain the things you didn’t get?” Instantly he lights up at my offer.

  “That would be very helpful, Mel. I have many questions.”

  “I’m happy to help,” I say with a smile, watching as the brawny and dirty alien hurries to take a seat in one of my dining chairs. He looks ready for a lesson in human idiosyncrasies, but as he leans forward, dried mud crumbles from his pants and falls onto the floor.

  “My apologies!” he says quickly, jumping to his feet. More dirt cascades down his body, landing on the stones beneath him. I can’t help but laugh.

  “How about this, you go get your shower and when you’re done, we can sit and talk?”

  “That is a better idea,” he agrees with a boyish grin. Grabbing the broom, he hastily sweeps up behind himself as he makes his way to the door. “I will be back soon!”

  “Sounds good!” I call after him, but he’s already racing down the corridor.

  Chapter 5

  Mire

  “What took so long?” I ask gruffly as Gile rushes onto the bridge. He wears only his boots on his feet and a towel wrapped tightly around his waist.

  “I remained after group to talk with Mel,” he shouts on
his way to his room.

  “Are we going to the evening meal now?” I question.

  “I am not going,” he tells me, re-emerging from his quarters, now wearing pants. “But you should go. Holly and Gorrard will be there,” he encourages. I frown. While I enjoy Holly, and Gorrard is like a brother to me, I do not wish to go if Gile is not there. When Gile is around, he commands attention. If I sit alone with Gorrard and Holly, their focus will be solely on me. Holly will begin to ask me questions or speak of personal matters and Gile will not be there to buffer the conversation.

  Gile interrupts my thoughts. “Do you know where my shirt is?”

  “Which one?” I ask, dismayed.

  “The one with no sleeves and made from Chymerrien silk.”

  “Why do you want that shirt?” My frown deepens.

  “I have plans with Mel this evening and I would like to wear a nice shirt.” My brother shrugs like this is nothing.

  “Plans with Mel?”

  “Just to talk.”

  “What will you talk about?” I demand to know, suddenly feeling very jealous. “She is my secret Santa,” I remind him.

  “Christmas was weeks ago.” He laughs. “That does not matter anymore.”

  I grunt in response, still feeling possessive. While I am not close to many people, Mel is the one human I’ve felt strangely curious about ever since we rescued them from the UPC traitors who held them captive.

  “She has offered to help me understand more of what is going on in group. I had difficulty making sense of the hardships the humans spoke of.”

  “Hardships? Is there anything we can do?” I ask, perking up. I am good at helping people. Better at that than the work we did in the field today—at least, I enjoy it more.

  “That was the problem. It felt as if there was nothing I could do. There was no one to fight, nothing taken that could be recovered. I was at a loss,” Gile tells me. He has found his shirt and pulls it on over his head while I frown over the information he shares.

  “I still do not understand why you are dressing up,” I point out.

  “I made a mess of Mel’s room today. I want to show her I am not a complete slob,” he tells me as he works to slick his hair back in the way that he does when he wants to look good.

  “Why?” I press, but Gile does not answer, he simply shoots me a sly grin. The kind of grin that tells me he is planning something.

  I refuse to play this game with him and instead turn to the control panel. Annoyed, I activate the scanners. Our Elysian leaders have been making enemies lately and I like to run periodic scans to ensure we are alone in this sector of space. I mean to focus on my work, but my curiosity gets the better of me.

  “What did Mel discuss in her group?” I question, schooling my expression so Gile does not become suspicious of my curiosity.

  “I cannot say.”

  “You cannot say?” I scoff, already abandoning the control panel. “Why not?”

  “It is like Vegas. What happens in group stays in group.” Gile’s expression is filled with humor…humor that I do not share. The fact that his words make no sense to me only frustrates me further.

  “What does that mean?”

  Gile laughs, “It is some Earth reference. But still, I cannot share information outside the group. It is meant to be private.”

  “Surely they know you would tell me though?” Obviously, I would keep it private as well. I mean, who would I tell? It is not as if I converse with the humans much…or at all.

  Gile gives me a challenging look. “If you would like to know what is discussed in group, perhaps you should join me next time.”

  The idea of sitting in a room and sharing private details of my life with a crowd of people is highly unappealing to me. I much prefer talking to a person one on one. Or two on one—which gives me an idea.

  “I will go with you to talk with Mel,” I announce, but Gile shakes his head at me.

  “That would not work. She is going to explain the things we discussed in group. If you were there, we could not discuss them.”

  I want to growl at my brother’s refusal to share Mel with me, but I bite my tongue. Fine, if that is how he wants to be, let him. At the very least though, he should tell me if Mel is alright or if she was one of the humans who had a burden to bear. “Is she troubled?” I ask Gile. Surely, he would tell me that at the very least.

  But Gile simply frowns. “I cannot say, brother.”

  “Truly, you refuse to share even that?” I am shocked.

  “No. I cannot say, because I do not understand her burden. Why don’t you join us next week if you are so curious?” he presses, the smile creeping back to his face.

  I wave him away and pace the bridge, my frustration growing. “I do not like the idea of sitting around all those women as they expectantly wait for me to speak.”

  “That just shows how much you know about group,” he tells me. “The main thing you are supposed to do is listen.” That stops me in my tracks.

  “I am a good listener,” I point out, and Gile gets that mischievous look about him once more.

  “Indeed you are, my brother. You should reconsider joining us next week, but for now I must go. I do not want to keep Mel waiting.”

  Unhappily I take another look at his Chymerrien silk shirt. “What is that smell?” I ask, as a sudden perfumed scent assaults my nose.

  “I do not know what you are talking about,” Gile replies, heading for the hatch.

  “Are you wearing that spiced oil you got from market station?” I demand. “What are your intentions, Gile?”

  My brother sighs and hangs his head for a moment before he turns to me. His grin is as bright as ever though.

  “I like this Mel. She is a leader amongst her people, she gives them order and direction as they struggle to acclimate to their new lives. And I think you like her too.”

  I stare at Gile, stony and expressionless.

  “Mire, look at our friend Gorrard. Do you see how happy he is? Have we not earned happiness in our lives as well?”

  “Are you not happy?” Even as I ask the question my voice sounds far away, and I wonder if I myself am happy. I suppose I never considered such a thing before. As a slave, one considers survival. But as Gile frequently, and enthusiastically, enjoys pointing out—we are slaves no longer. Is happiness something that is for me now? A tangible thing that is out there waiting for me to claim?

  Gile sighs. “I am happy. I am happy with our freedom. I am happy with this world and the work we have ahead of us. I suddenly feel like I have purpose beyond what I am accustomed to. We will find more of these humans and rescue them, and in the interim, we will make their village strong and safe—and we will make it our village too. Perhaps one day we will even help find the lost Vendari. We are building something here, Mire. And I want to do as Holly urged. I want to find a place for myself here. I am not these people’s slave; I am one of them. As are you. What I want is a life, I want my own happiness. Never before did we have an opportunity to think about the things we want, the things we deserve. Do I not deserve the happiness Gorrard has, do you not?”

  “You plan to stake a claim with Mel?” I ask, keeping my own emotions close to my chest.

  “If you agree…but I already know you do. You have been strange about her since the Christmas.”

  I turn and walk back to my seat on the bridge and methodically readjust the instruments on the control panel. Inside me my heart pounds against my chest and I wonder if this is a leap I can take. An image of Mel comes to mind, her soft smile and those haunting eyes of hers. Before I have the chance to change my mind, I give Gile my consent. “You may begin courting her,” I tell him without looking up. I pretend I have no investment in his endeavors and hope he doesn’t see my hands shaking.

  “You will not regret it, brother!” Gile says, sounding thrilled. I nod, hoping he is right.

  “Let me know when she is ready for me.”

  Gile slaps me hard on the shoulder, his
joy radiates off of him. “I will keep you updated on our progress.” He turns then and I can hear his footsteps pounding on the metal flooring as he hurries back to Mel.

  I never thought Gile and I would court. Hell, I never thought we’d be anything more than slaves. But Gorrard won our freedom, then he brought us to this place--a safe haven where we can spend the rest of our lives if we choose to. This is perhaps the one planet in the whole galaxy where Sovolians can still share a mate. I marvel at the idea and think of Mel, her blonde hair and the sun-kissed color of her skin.

  The idea of it all makes me anxious. I don’t get close to people. I keep my distance to protect my heart. Courting Mel would be the antithesis of all that. Still, I find the notion appealing in a way that I cannot deny. My mind says no, but the rest of me feels drawn to her.

  I am jealous that Gile has gotten more time with her and I find myself wondering if she and I would get along. All I know of her is the look she gets when her lips are smiling but her eyes are not. And I remember well the day we took her from the UPC ship and how beaten and bruised she was then.

  If I am honest, I think that is when my fascination with the woman began. She was weak and injured, yet she refused the aid of the Red King’s men. Instead, she chose my arm to lean upon. It was me who she felt safe with. My chest still swells with pride over the thought.

  I think of the possibility that she might choose me once more. Could we have what Gorrard has with his mate? I recall the ways Holly threw herself at my old boss as I continue my scans of the solar system. I wonder if Mel will be the same. While the idea is foreign to me, it is also exhilarating.

  Chapter 6

  Mel

  There’s a knock at the door and I self-consciously straighten my hair and check my teeth in the mirror before heading over to answer it. I don’t know why I’m being so silly. Gile is only coming over so I can help him understand the group. Still…all these aliens are just so ridiculously attractive. It’s hard to not feel at least a little girlish around them.