Stolen By the Alien by Ashlyn Hawkes
4
Omur
It’s not long at all before Hannah is asleep beside me. As much as I want to sleep with her, I know better than that. I’ve located my mate, even if she hasn’t accepted me yet, and I have to allow the maestro to know.
The maestro is the leader of the Garrux. His name is Shule, and he is one of the fiercest Garrux there has ever been. He’s ruled over us for three decades now, and I have no doubt that he will for another three decades, if not longer.
I sit up and hesitate, watching Hannah. She hasn't moved at all, sleeping soundly. Still, as much as I'm sure she's all settled, I do not want to risk disturbing her, so I leave the room and pace up and down the hallway as I use my communicator, a second implant similar to the panlanginator.
Shule answers after a five-minute wait, which honestly is rather quickly. He is, naturally, a very busy Garrux.
“Omur,” he says, his voice booming.
“Maestro Shule.” I bow at the waist deeply even though he cannot see me.
“Why is it you have called?”
“I have found my mate.”
“Have you? What is she? A Novan? A Tuncel? A—”
“An Earthling, actually.”
There’s no response.
“Maestro Shule, are you there?” I ask.
“Yes, yes, I’m here, but I did not hear you correctly, did I?”
“That depends.”
“No,” he snaps.
“Maestro, I cannot—”
“You are a fool,” he hisses.
“I am not a fool. I have found my mate, and her name is—”
“Her name does not matter. You will return her to Earth immediately.”
“We already departed,” I lie.
“Then you can turn around and return to Earth, can’t you?”
“I will not.”
Maestro Shule must be fuming, but honestly, I am as well.
“You are not at liberty to do as you wish,” he snaps.
“I will not live my life without my mate.”
“You will do as instructed.”
“You would condemn me to a life without my mate? To a life without love?” It’s getting harder and harder to keep my voice under control.
“I am certain you are mistaken,” Maestro Shule says, his tone changing. His voice is still sharp, but it’s smoother now, as if he thinks that his being slightly kinder will have me accepting and obeying his ridiculous decree.
“What do you have against Earthlings?” I ask.
“Earthlings, bah.” He probably is waving his hands and flaring his nostrils. He does both when he’s agitated. “No Garrux has ever mated with an Earthling before, and none ever will. We need strong mates, smart ones—”
“Why do you think Earthlings are weak and dumb?” I interrupt.
“I don’t think that,” Maestro Shule states. “I know that to be true.”
“You’ve been to Earth, Maestro?”
“What does that matter?”
“I was just curious,” I say smoothly. “My mate was telling me about—”
“She is not your mate.”
“Maestro, I—”
“You are young and foolish and mistaken. A union of a Garrux and an Earthling… No. Just no. We cannot allow for such a travesty to happen.”
“But why would it be such a travesty? We live to find our mates,” I protest.
"Earthlings are weak. They're ignorant, and that is for a good reason. Do you know how many wars they have fought just amongst themselves? If they were to learn about the existence of Garrux, they would attempt to reach Garrus, and that would be a disaster. They would try to take from us, to defeat us. I have no doubt this would be the case. No, you must turn her around and wipe her memory before you return her to her life."
“No.”
“If you fail to comply…” The maestro leaves the threat dangling.
“Maestro, please. I… She’s my mate. You cannot do this to me.”
“I have already told you that she is not your mate. Her kind… She could very well be the one to inform the others all about us and have us be all destroyed.”
“Not if her mind’s wiped,” I say bitterly.
“You do not have to worry. Your real mate—”
“Is it just because of their fighting? Their wars?”
He sighs. “You are lucky that I am willing to talk to you and explain all of this to you even though you are so very ignorant and unwilling to listen to me. Earthlings are terrible people—”
“You cannot and should not condemn an entire species.”
“When they are as wicked and intolerant and unintelligent as the Earthlings are, exceptions can and should be made.”
“How is it that you know so much about the Earthlings?” I ask.
“I am the maestro. It is my duty to know about each and every humanoid species there are out in the universe.”
I swallow hard. “And you think the Earthlings are…”
“The worst of the worst,” he declares.
I grit my teeth. “There is no other for me,” I whisper.
“There will be. If you need my help in finding her, perhaps I can be persuaded to assist you.”
“I do not need your help,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Then I suggest that you will do what is necessary? Do not forget to wipe her mind. Actually…” The maestro pauses for a long moment, and my stomach sinks, and my heart skips a beat. “I think it might be best if you were to go ahead and kill her.”
“What?” I yell before recovering. “No. I will not do that.”
“Why not? We cannot risk having her tell others about us.”
“If I… If I were to wipe her memory…”
“I am no longer certain that is good enough,” Maestro Shule says coldly.
“I will not do anything else.”
“You must learn your place, Omur,” the maestro snaps.
I flinch. He can have me killed. Tortured and killed. He could have Hannah tortured and killed and force me to watch it all.
No. I could not handle that. I would not allow him to hurt her. No, that would not be the case. I refuse to allow that to happen.
“You must do what you must do,” the maestro says firmly. “Can I trust you to do what must be done?”
I hesitate. Lying is not in my nature, but what choice has he given me?
“Yes,” I mumble.
“Very well.” He sounds utterly pleased. “See to it.”
I have no chance to respond. He's already disconnected the call, which is just as well, considering I do not wish to talk to him a moment longer. He is a cruel and vicious man. How could he want me to kill my mate?
Never. I would never do that. I would never harm her.
More than a little unnerved, I pace up and down the hallway, trying to burn off some of my anxious energy, but I can’t shake it. I’m too upset and overwhelmed and overworked and stressed beyond belief.
Finally, it gets to the point that I’m almost hyperventilating. I need to calm down, and I open the door and lie down next to Hannah before I even realize that’s what I want to do. I’m already drawn to her in so many ways, and just staring at her sleeping form has me mellowing out.
Maestro Shule is a right ovian bastard. I will not do anything to harm her, and I will not wipe her memory.
But what if when she wakes, she insists on wanting to return to Earth? Would I have no choice but to wipe her memory then?
Or could I trust her? Could I send her back without removing her memories of our meeting on the off chance that she might wish for me to return one day? But what if she does tell others about what happened to her, about her being stolen by an alien?
Will she ever accept me as her mate? Or will I be doomed to live a life without love? If any harm comes to her as a result of her meeting me—whether that harm comes directly from me or indirectly from another—I would never be able to forgive myself.
Slowly, I brush her blond hair away from her face so I can see her more clearly. She’s breathtakingly beautiful, but I already appreciated her inquisitiveness, her curiosity. Her questions must be a good sign, yes? She wants to learn about me. That can only be a good thing. At least, I hope that is the case.
Fuck Maestro Shule. He will not dictate how I act toward Hannah. I am a man with a mate who is uncertain if she accepts me in the first place. That is the obstacle I must face, not any other. The maestro is the least of my concerns, and his prejudice against Earthlings might well be unfounded. Hannah would not ever harm another. She would not fight in any wars. She is not ignorant or crude or anything else the maestro might think of her species.
Hannah is my mate, whether she recognizes that fact or not. With or without her, my life hinges on Hannah for me to experience true happiness, but to leave her behind on Earth just might undo me.
And if that’s the case, perhaps I am the weak one and not her.