Possessive Alien’s Mate by Luna Hunter
Chapter Ten
Viliana
Thiray keepshimself locked up in his quarters without explanation for the next couple of days. I only see glimpses of him in passing, but I’m too angry to confront him.
After all that sex, all those lovey-dovey words, he’s just straight up ignoring me? The nerve of that white-haired bastard!
Instead, my anger builds and builds with every passing day. I share Naomi’s bunk, which is far from ideal, but we make it work. Somehow.
The girls don’t seem to mind Thiray’s absence. They busy themselves playing silly games, day dreaming out loud, and pushing the replicator to its limits.
“Banana Fudge Sundae, madam?” Aliyah offers. She has fully embraced the role of ship’s chef, spending hours tinkering with recipes, egged on by Naomi and Skylar’s suggestions. Meanwhile, I’ve lost my appetite.
I shake my head. “No, thanks.”
“Have you eaten anything today?” Skylar says.
“Who are you, my mom?” I snap.
Her eyebrows rise in mock-shock. “If I was, I’d tell you your attitude has been shit, Viliana,” Skylar counters.
“Girls!” Naomi says, always the mediator.
“What? I’m right. Vil has been stewing in anger for days. I’m not happy being a prisoner here either, but at least my attitude doesn’t stink up the place.”
She’s right. I’d love to cuss her out, to start throwing things, to smash the stupid Banana Fudge Sundae against the wall and have a hissy fit for the ages… but Skylar’s right.
Not that I’m about to admit that.
“Sorry for not being as chipper as all of you, okay?”
“What’s gotten into you?” Aliyah says. “This isn’t like you at all.”
“It’s Thiray!”
“What do you mean?”
“Yeah, it’s been quiet without him around,” Skylar says.
“We banged, okay?!”
The girls all fall silent. Three sets of eyes burn into me.
“You what?” Skylar says. “When?!”
“When you were all hungover.”
“I thought you were oddly energetic that morning,” Aliyah hums.
“Yeah, it was all that alien peen!”
“Skylar, don’t call it that, please.”
“So how was it?”
“Yeah, give us all the dirty deets.”
“No way,” I say.
“Oh, come on. You can’t bang an alien and then NOT share the intricate details.”
“I’ll admit to it being really good. That’s all you’re getting from me.”
And even that’s a lie, because it was fucking amazing.
“Thiray doesn’t seem to think so, though, because he’s been straight up ignoring me ever since and I’m pissed the hell off.”
“Well, don’t take it out on us!” Skylar says. “Go tell him!”
“Yeah!” Naomi shouts. Even the quiet Naomi is all fired up. “What an asshole! Go tell him off, right now!”
“You’re right!” I say. I launch myself from my seat and ball my fists. “You’re all damn right!”
I storm over to Thiray’s quarters and rap my knuckles on the heavy door. Behind me, three girls peek around the corner and give me the thumbs-up. I angrily wave them off. They don’t need to hear our lover’s quarrel.
There’s no reply. I bang on the door again, even angrier this time.
“Thiray! Open up!”
I kick the door in frustration. It opens right on time for me to kick air and nearly fall down on my ass. The room is pitch black.
“Thiray?” I ask.
The lights brighten ever so slightly. “Enter, farlin.”
I enter somewhat hesitantly. The door slides shut behind me, and my eyes slowly adjust to the darkness. Thiray lies on top of his bed wearing a black shirt and matching sweats, his silver skin now pale and discolored, his black eyes dulled.
“Thiray?” I ask again, much softer this time. “What’s going on?”
“You shouldn’t see me like this, farlin.”
“Like what?”
He gestures at himself. “Ill. A Thaana is never ill.”
I sit down on the edge of his bed and place my hand on his ankle. He’s burning up. “What do you mean?”
My anger fades away, replaced by a deep-seated worry.
“It does not matter, little one. He will be here soon.”
“Who?”
“My brother. He will protect you.”
“I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know. It is for the best this way.”
“What are you talking about?”
Thiray looks away. “It is for the best.”
My anger returns with a vengeance. “Screw that. I’m going to nurse you back to health. I’ll be such a damn good nurse, just you wait!”
I storm back into the kitchen. Naomi, Aliyah and Skylar do a terrible job at hiding their giddiness.
“And? Did you tear him a new one?”
“The bastard is sick! And he didn’t even tell me because… I don’t even know. He didn’t want to appear weak, I guess? Men and their fucking pride!”
I stab the buttons on the replicator angrily. I’m going to make him soup so good he’s going to be as healthy as a spring chicken.
That is what must happen, because I don’t know what I’d do without him. I need the silver alien around.
He can’t quit on me.
Not now.