Page 21 of My New and Improved Alien Lovers

For the first time in my life, I don't feel safe in my home. Maybe these walls keep me protected, but it seems we have no control over what we are expected to do. Repercussions for not falling in line must be high if everyone in the triad refuses to go against the kruul in any manner. I wonder what would have happened if I had just stayed on earth, continuing my pathetic existencewith the job that I hated, never even thinking twice about living elsewhere.

I guess that's part of the problem. I never considered moving. Never considered I could make a fresh start for myself down there, because change is difficult.

I don't know if I'll ever get used to the fact that they don't use proper clocks here, but my body still feels sluggish, so I know I haven't slept long enough. I can't lay in this bed any longer though or I'll scream.

Wanting to stretch my legs, I wander out to the main living area and lift the blinds so I can look outside. It's surreal to see galaxies and find myself among the stars instead of under them, and I feel so far away from everybody I know. Probably because I am.

“You should be sleeping, Margaret.” Owiin’s suddenly there, stepping up beside me.

I have to fight against the desire to hug him, to wrap myself around him, but I know it's for my own good that I refrain. “Turns out it's not easy to sleep after your entire life’s been upended several times in the last couple of days.” I offer him a tired smile, but he merely frowns back.

“Even more reason you need sleep. Can I make you some tea to help you sleep?”

“Yeah, okay. Let's give it a try.”

I notice he's barefoot as he walks to the kitchen area, a detail I enjoy. I've never actually lived with a romantic partner before, so this is very new to me.

“I have been talking with Kass and Adeema,” he tells me as he pulls down a few mugs and turns the hot water dispenser on. “They ran into another triad while they were heading to the shipand were able to ask them some questions about things around here.”

“How's it looking?”

“Well, they were fleeing the station,” he says in a way that's supposed to sound a little casual but instead raises my hackles.

“To where? Earth is not an option, where else is there to go?”

“This is the not the only settlement for our kind. It is one of many, in fact. This is merely the one we grew up on, but it is far from the only option.”

I return to the window, this one facing a different direction, so it's a slightly different perspective as I stare into the starry void, wondering. Could I ask them to move for me? Could moving actually better the circumstances, or would we just find ourselves in a worse situation?

He approaches with a mug, their version of a tea bag hanging out of it. “We are considering all of our options, and we have no wish to disrupt you further, but what are your thoughts on trying a different settlement?”

“If you've lived here your whole life, I can hardly ask you to move because of me.” I try to blow on my tea, even though it does hardly anything to cool it down.

He takes the cup out of my hands and places it on the table nearby, pulling both of my hands into his. His eyes, when I look at them, are intense. “You can, actually. You are our greatest responsibility now. We brought you somewhere that is dangerous for you. It is up to us to fix that.”

“You really had no idea they’ve got all these rules for humans? Do they keep single Violetians so removed from the mated ones?”

“They do, and no, we did not know. I don't wish to scare you, but the males that Adeema and Kass spoke to told us their mate was taken during one of the morning meetups and was operated on to remove her breasts. It seems this triad has the right idea in leaving, if there's a chance their mate could be happier elsewhere.

“I wish I could stand up for my kruul, he's been a great leader for many years. He's done many great things for his ship, for the Violetians, but I've never had reason to think about his policies for human females. I didn’t think they were this extreme, but I never had reason to expect them to be anything other than welcoming. Why create a mating program, if the mates themselves are treated so poorly? It makes no sense.”

“Sometimes there's no real answers for questions like that,” I say, mind trailing off. There are thoughts running through my head, thoughts that I'm not sure I should say aloud, but they're hard to ignore. “I kind of got the feeling during the meeting that the kruul’s mate envied us. Maybe she's put on a pedestal because she is one of the few Violetian females here, but it must be difficult to be in the minority, to see females of a different race brought in while you’re made to watch how sought after they are. I mean, you guys are literally crossing the galaxy to get to us. Is she shown that kind of deference?

“You saw the way your kruul looked at me when we were in his room. My body is very different than his mate’s. I wonder if she feels threatened by all the humans here, if maybe she's worried her mates might find humans more desirable than her eventually. I don't know. Those are kind of big assumptions to make, but her policies are just so extreme. It's clear she's trying to chase us out of here. I have no desire to fight her. This is her home, and if she has the power to make herself feel safer and happier, then she should be allowed to do that. I don't agree withthe way she's going about it, but if she doesn't want me here, then I have no desire to be here.”

“I'm unsure of the conditions on the other station we are looking at. We've heard good things, but it's hard to find actual evidence and testimonies. All we have to go off of is the handful of people who have visited or done deals with them.”

“And what did they say about it?”

“The triad we know that is fleeing to there, their mate wishes to be pregnant, and they worry that will not happen if they remain here. They were told there were many humans on the station, that they have healers for them, and that families there are supported more. We just got you here, though. We are concerned with moving you again so quickly.”

“If the alternative is sitting through those fucked up meetings where we get yelled at and told to shut up at the same time, then I'm happy to move whenever you are. If that's what you truly want.”

He leans forward, and I know he's going to kiss me, and I know that it's a bad idea, but I want it too badly. It's been nearly painful trying to ignore them just for this evening, and he smells so good, so sweet, and maybe I'm a fool, but I don't stop him.

As our faces get closer together, it's impossible for me to not interrupt the moment with idle chatter that really doesn't need to be spoken. “Do you think we can lie to ourselves and pretend like this won’t affect anything?”

“It's impossible to even think such a thing,” he rumbles as he puts his mouth to mine. I'm still not complaining about the fact that he seems to have an aversion to shirts, because his torso is so fun to touch. So many divots to explore and muscles to feel, all under deep purple skin that has an almost satin feel to it.

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