Page 24 of The Alien Who Saved Christmas
“I am. But, ‘Sadie’ is what people call me. The ‘Malone’ part is a family designation.”
“You come from an important family, then?” He wasn’t surprised. Without constant and expensive guards, she’d be long dead.
She shook her head. “I don’t have a family, anymore. I was raised by my grandfather, but he died four years ago. On Earth, people who are related to each other have the same last name. And when they marry, women often take theirhusband’s…” She broke off, like she didn’t want to say anything further. Talk of marriage seemed to unsettle her.
“In your culture, women take the name of their mates?” Xane extrapolated. “Is Mal-Own the name of some former husband, then?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I never had a former husband.”
Satisfaction filled Xane. He didn’t know why, but he enjoyed being her first spouse. “So, you will take the name of my familial line, then.” Yes. He liked this custom. “My familial line is 1.”
“I have no clue what that means.” She said after a beat of confused silence. “Like… your last name is a number?”
“Yes. I am Xane 1. You can be Sadie 1.”
“No, I’mnotgoing to be ‘Sadie 1.’ We’re not married, so…”
“Wearemarried.” He interrupted firmly.
“You need therapy. Probablyliterally, given the trauma you’ve been through today.”
“I giveotherstrauma. I do not experience it.”
“God, you’re just so…ergh!” She made an exasperated sound, like she couldn’t decide on an insult, and stomped a foot. “I’m not arguing about this anymore.”
Xane watched her fume, inexplicably charmed by the small creature fate had dropped into his life. “There is no argument. Until you choose another or kill me with your chaotic scheming,Iam your husband. According to the laws of this planet, and my planet, and every other planet in the civilized world, it was sealed when you chose me.”
She didn’t say anything, but her brow furrowed in thought.
Slightly encouraged, Xane pressed onward. “I want my wife in my bed, every night that I have you. Even if you will not consent to sex, you need to stay beside me.”
He wasn’t shocked by her refusal to mate. He wasn’t sure how the process would even work, given the fact she was so… soft. He was certainly willing totry. Desperate to try. But had he been Sadie, he would have refused him, too.
“You want me to justsleepnext to you?” She asked cautiously. “Just sleep?”
He would probablynotsleep, for a variety of reasons. Sexual frustration, obviously. The need to be on watch, in case the Vipri awoke. Xane’s own mind, whirling with thoughts. Concern that his strength was sapped and someone might have followed them from the bar. He’d covered their tracks, but still, there was a risk.
“At least in the same room.” Xane told her. “I will get no rest, if you are sleeping elsewhere.” That was true. “The gods themselves cannot predict what sort of trouble you might get into, if I allow you out of my sight for long.”
Sadie’s brows compressed, like she was thinking it over. “You promise not to hurt me?”
“Rtaharions do not make promises. We let our actions speak.”
She made an irritated face. It was oddly adorable. Everything she did captivated him. “Fine. Let’s try this a different way: In broad and rhetorical terms, would a Rtaharion kill someone who’d saved his life today?”
“In broad and rhetorical terms, it would depend onwhymy life was saved and who saved it.”
“For argument's sake, let’s pretend it’s a dumbass like me and she did it because of your very beautiful eyes.”
Xane snorted. “Doesn’t sound likely.”
Sadie grinned at his dry remark, her aggravation fading. It did stupid things to his insides.
He sighed and surrendered to the inevitable. “No.” He vowed softly. “I would not hurt such a woman, if she somehow existed.”
No Rtaharion had ever pledged such a thing before, but then no Rtaharion had ever held such a fragile and irreplaceable prize.
Sadie considered him for a long moment. “I will sleep beside you, but I won’t have sex with you.” She eventually decided. “That’s a fair compromise.” She jabbed a finger at him. “And I am not admitting we’re married. If you do anything to make me uncomfortable, I’m going to kick you off my spaceship. I mean it.”
