Page 55 of Alien God

He still didn’t fucking look at me.

“Yes.”

“Why do you even care!” I cried. Now that I could understand him, and him me, all the confusion and fear of the past few days exploded into questions. “Why did you even let me live at all? I’m supposed to answer for my people’s crimes but you don’t want to break me, so what does that even mean? I’ll just stay here forever in this tower?”

“Do not mistake yourself,” he said, finally turning around. “I have plans for you. Interrogation, to start with, now that we can speak to one another.”

I reached up and rubbed my ear, shocked not to feel anything inside it. No chunk of metal, no technological translator clipped on like something from a sci-fi movie.

“What did you do to me?” I asked again. “What did you put in my ear?”

“A piece of the whisper weaver’s web. The pain has stopped, I presume?”

He asked it almost flippantly, like he didn’t care about the answer, but there was a slight adjustment of his posture – a nearly imperceptible straining forward and tensing of his wings. His whispered words from before came back to me in a tumble. Just hold on, Torrance...

I gave my ear one more stroke to be sure, but other than some lingering sensitivity, there was no pain. I still had no fucking clue what he’d put in there, and I could only hope that it wouldn’t start burning a hole in my brain from the inside out eventually. But as of now, my ear pretty much felt OK.

“I’m fine.”

He straightened, his wings easing into a folded position behind his back.

“Then we will go now.”

I didn’t want to go anywhere with him. But I also didn’t want to get dragged. And I couldn’t pass up the chance to leave this chamber – who knew when I’d be allowed to do so again? Arms still crossed tightly over my chest, I went to him.

Together, we went out the door. Unlike last time when he’d led me through this place, he didn’t walk ahead but rather walked beside me.

I decided to take full advantage of the positions and started asking more questions, even if he wouldn’t answer them.

“So, who is this visitor, then? Another fox alien?”

“Fox?” Asha Wylfrael’s blue gaze remained ahead. “I do not know what a fox is. Our language has no equivalent.”

“Like Aiko and Shoshen.”

“They are Sionnachans.”

“Alright. So, is this visitor a Sionnachan? Are there more of them around here?”

“He is not Sionnachan.”

He... I didn’t consider it a great sign that this visitor was male.

“And why does he want to see me?” I asked, my steps faltering, dread pooling in my belly.

Asha Wylfrael’s reply turned that liquid dread to stone inside me.

“His name is Maerwynne. He’s come to see if you are meant to be his bride.”

I stopped walking, reeling like his words had punched me.

“His what?”

Instinctively, just as I’d done when Asha Wylfrael had stormed into my room, more tempest than man, I started backing away. We were in the tunnel now, and I whirled and stumbled back towards the stairs. Stairs that led to a prison that now felt like a safe haven.

A strong fist closed around the back of my T-shirt, like someone grabbing a kitten by the scruff of its neck, halting me.

“No!” I said, reaching back for his hand, my bare feet slipping on the crystal. “Please, no! I don’t want to marry an alien, please!”

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