Page 77 of Alien God

He already told them.

Why else would Aiko knock now, when she’d always entered unbidden before? And she was calling me my lady...

I’d have to nip that right in the bud.

“Come in!” I called shakily. I smoothed my hair, a panicky, half-asleep gesture, as if my bedhead would somehow detract from the image that I was truly Wylfrael’s mate. I swallowed hard, telling myself that the bargain began right now. I had to succeed at this. I had to.

Aiko entered with a tray full of food. She smiled, something she’d done before, but then flattened her ears, something she hadn’t. At least, not to me. I’d noticed her do it in front of Wylfrael, though.

“Good morning, my lady,” she said, bringing in the tray and setting it down.

“Oh, please, don’t call me, ‘my lady,’” I said. I didn’t care if that was supposed to be part of the illusion of our marriage – I couldn’t stand it. And I was from a whole other planet, after all. Wanting to be on equal footing with the Sionnachans could just be considered one of my human quirks.

“Oh! If my lady wishes! Ah, I apologize, miss, ma’am, my...”

“Just call me Torrance, please,” I said. “Thank you so much for the food!”

I slid out of the bed, still an incredibly awkward task because of the height of the furniture. Aiko observed my movements, then delicately said, “I’ll be sure that the lord’s chamber – I mean, your chamber – will have a stool beside the bed.”

“The lord’s chamber?” I froze, halfway between the bed and the table where Aiko stood.

Aiko’s fur, tinted pink in the room’s light, shifted as she cocked her head at me quizzically.

Oh, no. Had I already messed up?

“Ah, yes! Wylfrael’s chamber. My chamber. Yes. Of course.” I grinned widely, babbling and nodding. “Yes, thank you. A stool. That would be fine. Thanks. Yes.”

Aiko smiled, and I breathed an internal sigh of relief. She’d only just started to understand me last night, no doubt due to more of that webbing, and she didn’t know my human speech patterns well enough to know that I sounded like a fucking idiot right now.

The bastard could have warned me, I thought, my smile turning hard. I assumed he’d be in here first thing this morning, ready to coach me and hammer out all the details of this new arrangement. But instead, he’d already gone ahead and made all these changes and decisions – including moving me into his room! – without even telling me.

We are going to have a talk when he gets back, I vowed as I seated myself in one of the huge chairs at the table. The Sionnachans may call him lord, but I won’t. I will have my say in how this all plays out.

Although he’d already set the expectation with Aiko and the others that we’d be sharing a chamber, and I’d just confirmed it, so I didn’t think I’d have much say on that particular matter now. Well, he can sleep on the fucking floor, then.

I must have been scowling, because Aiko’s voice turned tremulous with something that sounded like distress.

“Is the breakfast not to your liking, my – Torrance? I can make you something else right away!”

OK, first I need to have a talk with Aiko.

“The breakfast is great, thank you,” I said, relaxing my face. “Would you sit down with me for a moment?”

Aiko hesitated, then did so. It was much easier for her tall frame to fold itself into the chair than it had been for me.

“Aiko, I want to make something clear right now. I may be about to-” Oh God, oh my fucking God, “-marry Wylfrael, and he may be a lord of some kind, but that’s not me. That’s not how I grew up. You don’t have to worry about pleasing me or anything like that. In fact, if you wanted, we could be something more like friends.”

Aiko’s tail fluffed behind her, and her eyes got big.

“Sorry,” I said quickly. “Not if that’s weird for you.” Shit. Maybe that was inappropriate. Was I her boss now? But then again, she’d helped Wylfrael when I was a prisoner, so who the hell was to say what was appropriate now?

“No, that would... that would be lovely, thank you,” Aiko said, smiling. It got bigger, turning into a grin with sharp little teeth. “You don’t know how dreadful it’s been around here with only my father and brother for company for so long! We haven’t had another woman here since Osha left, and that was back when I was a child.”

“What about your mother?” I asked.

“She died when I was very young. Shoshen barely remembers her. But I do.”

My throat got hot.

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