Her Alien Priest by Michele Mills
Lorelei
Iwake up the next morning naked in his bed. And he’s gone.
I’m still sore between my thighs after four rounds of epic sex last night and the um, losing of my virginity. I’ve been used and abused by the Hyrrokin High Priest of Westmore and I’m very, very satisfied. My nipples are sore and there are light red trails of fang and claw marks all over my chest and thighs. His seed still leaks out of me. It’s delicious. I’m in his room and the bedding smells like our sex, and it’s intoxicating.
Did he wake up before me and go for a shower? I daydream of how he’ll fuck me again when he returns. Then I roll over and see the letter he left for me on his pillow, hand-written with quill and ink. I gingerly sit, push back my mess of tangled bed hair and pick it up with a trembling hand.
Lorelei,
I am leaving to take care of everything. Trust in me. I will return.
Cabal Firestone
I reread it a thousand times,wishing he’d left words of love. Words that maybe were a little more specific about his intentions. What is he taking care of? He’ll return—when?
I sit in the bed and cry.
The morning turns into midday and still I’m in bed, weeping. Originally, I was going to leave him and instead he’s left me? I should’ve known something was wrong. He broke his vow of celibacy, but he still had the vow of silence to contend with. I’m only a simple trainee but even I know that vows of this magnitude can only be formally revoked on the altar at Minos.
Is that where he went?
Eventually I pick myself up and carry on with the daily chores and rituals. I put on clean underwear and a fresh robe. I should take a shower first but I don’t want to wash away his smell just yet. I want it with me as a reminder of him, just as the sweet ache between my thighs reminds me of his possession. I walk downstairs and see the huge mess we’ve made of the altar. The dried, flaky juices. The broken bowls and the discarded candles. The statues scattered across the floor. But I find I’m not embarrassed in the least. I think it’s romantic that this was our marriage bed.
Marriage? Is that what happened last night? Does Cabal Firestone consider the two of us married? I hope so, because I love that Hyrrokin with all of my heart.
I tidy up the altar. I pray for Cabal’s safety and his swift return. I continue my absolutions three times per day. It’s what gets me through.
I entertain eight separate groups of pilgrims while he’s gone, which helps greatly. It keeps me busy and I’m happy to not be alone in the monastery. I grew up in a commune so living amongst large groups of beings is familiar and actually brings comfort. I enjoy their company. I give tours, cook for them and lead the absolutions, as if I weren’t a trainee but an actual nun. No one objects so I carry on. I think they like my hymnals because they are starting to be requested. They ask about the whereabouts of the High Priest and I say he’s on a sabbatical. What else can I say? I don’t know where he is either and I don’t have any way to contact him.
And then one morning I throw up in my chamber pot. “Oh shit,” I mutter.
And then it happens the next day, and the next. And I know for certain that I’m pregnant. I love Cabal so much and we’re going to have a baby. I wish he was here so I could tell him the joyous news, that he’s going to be a father. I want to stay here with him forever and raise our family together at Westmore.
Where did he go?
There’s a knock on the front door of the sanctuary and I instantly race to open it. This is always my response to a knock, thinking it’s Cabal but in reality, I know it’s always just more pilgrims. I continue to remain optimistic that he will return any day now.
But this time I open the door and I find the exact same Gravian guards who brought me here, standing on the threshold. Oh hell.
The one I hate the most speaks first. “It’s come to our attention that you weren’t who we thought you were, and you were placed in the wrong monastery. No one was supposed to be left here with that monster.”
“No shit,” I quip because they’ve found me in a terrible mood. I’ll pray for forgiveness later.
“I see you haven’t changed,” the oldest guard remarks. “We have orders to pick you up and take you to the correct nunnery. They are waiting for your arrival.”
I place a hand on my stomach and step back. “No,” I blurt out. “No, I can’t go. This is where I live now. This is my home.” How is Cabal going to find me if I’m gone?
The lead guard shakes his heads and frowns. “I thought this would happen,” he mutters. Then he snaps his fingers, and the other two reach for me. They lock me in restraints and drag me out to their waiting vehicle.
I struggle for a moment and then instantly stop, wanting to make sure I don’t get tossed or hit. I need to protect my baby.
“We’re transporting you to the nunnery of the Wailing Winds, this is your correct placement.”
“Cabal!” I scream, but I know he can’t hear me.
