Chapter 15

A slight smile played on Kal’s full lips as he swung our joined hands like we were kids. I reflexively tightened my hold on him. He was warm, almost to the point of being uncomfortable. Sweat began gathering on my palm, but I didn’t release him nor did he remark on it.

We finally came to a restaurant with a few square, metal tables framed by round stools out front. A red sign with flashing white letters that I couldn’t read hung over the doorway.

When we stepped under the cloth awning, my eyes gravitated to the alien behind the counter. They were short, maybe coming to my waist, and as broad as they were tall and had wide features, brown hair, dark brown skin, and orange eyes with square pupils like a goat.

Bins full of writhing worm-caterpillar creatures filled the display. The black monstrosities had ridges circling their bodies and red spines. My stomach curled as I blanched.

We weren’t coming here to eat those? Right?

When Kal stepped forward, I remained stuck in place, watching the squirming insects.

“My Seth?”

A shudder went down my spine at his voice, sending shocks down my limbs. It was practically criminal how much I liked my name coming out of his lips. “We”re not eating those alive, are we?”

“That’s how they’re served.”

I swallowed.

Kal held my chin, and his touch was soft, like he was afraid he’d hurt me, which was ridiculous. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Seth?”

“I don’t want to. It’s grossing me out.”

His head tilted to the side, making his long earrings brush his jaw, and I tensed. A different kind of shaking started as I tried not to shy away from his powerful hands.

“I didn’t understand all of your words, but we can go somewhere else.” Kal directed me back the way we came.

The crowd, if anything, had grown. I shifted closer to him and took a deep, shuddering breath. Everything would be fine. I had to stay in the present and not let the amount of people unnerve me.

When a group of short, gray aliens pressed closer, I shoved into Kal to get out of the way. My thoughts began to swirl. I needed air.

“I have an idea.” Kal steered me in another direction.

The swell of bodies became overwhelming to the point I barely noticed the space around me. All my attention remained on his steady grasp and comforting presence.

Kal stopped, spoke with someone, and then we waited in a quiet corner of a restaurant. I huddled against the wall, and he stood in front of me, shielding me from the crowd while his tail curled around my ankle.

I couldn’t stop my eyes from trailing over his broad back and the sheet of silvery-blue hair. I wanted to press against him and rub my face on his back. I’d liked holding him earlier in our room. Kal had felt nice in my arms, like he belonged there.

The air of the restaurant held a spicy scent as meat sizzled. People’s conversation buzzed like bees, though occasional bursts of laughter broke the hum. Each one sent my pulse through the roof.

When a particularly loud shout echoed in my ears, I jumped and pressed against Kal instinctively. Slight bumps on his upper back that I’d noticed earlier in the apartment pushed against me. His wings maybe, but I didn’t know for sure. His shirt had slits I could push my fingers through to investigate, and I wanted to, but I managed to suppress the urge.

His warmth filtered through the panic in my mind, and I took a lungful of his Christmas-like smell. Cinnamon, or maybe nutmeg? Both? Whatever it was, I found the fragrance soothing.

“We’re almost done,” Kal commented. After a few minutes, he snagged a bag and directed me through the crowd to the garden.

“Why are we here?”

“Trust me.”

My mouth opened to reply that I did, but I managed to swallow it. That wasn’t something I wanted to admit; besides, I was pretty sure it was a lie. I couldn’t trust Kal this quickly, not after everything. He’d kidnapped me.

Kal led me to a secluded corner on the second floor. “Pimtimzol was working here today, and I thought you might like to eat here, without anyone else around.”

“Thanks.”

“I would do anything for you, my Mate,” he said, eyes locked on mine.

Mouth dry, I nodded.

He removed a red stew, a purple grain resembling rice, and flatbread. Kal handed me a piece of bread. I accepted it, then watched as he tore a piece of his own bread and picked up some of the grain and stew with it. Shrugging, I followed suit.

The stew was extremely spicy, making my tongue burn and my nose run, but it was delicious. I groaned and took another bite, digging in with enthusiasm. Between Kal and I, we cleaned up the food. Once we were done, I rested back on my elbows.

“You liked it. I pleased you,” he said with a smug smile.

“I did. It was really spicy, though.”

“I don’t find it so, but I’m glad you liked it.”

I’d probably regret it in a few hours when I had to shit, but I would eat it again. My eyes closed as I enjoyed the floral perfume and the muggy air of the garden surrounding me. It was nice. Peaceful even. I never had time or inclination to do this in the past, but here? I didn’t have anything but time.

I could take a nap.

Images of Kal pressed against me as we slept among the plants played through my thoughts. I bet he would feel perfect sleeping on my chest—my fingers carding through his soft hair. What would it be like to have him hovering over me with the silvery-blue strands falling around my face? My hands on his back and my legs hooked over his hips.

“I think you’ll like my house,” Kal commented.

“What?” I asked, jarred out of my daydream.

“My—our house. I think you’ll like it. It’s in the middle of the Voxqoyten Forest. There are no people around. It’ll just be me and you,” he said, his tail twitching near his foot.

I’d made no decisions, but Kal had kept planning apparently. “How long have you lived there?”

“A few cycles.”

“NAID told me your species doesn’t acknowledge you as a full adult until after you take a mate, but you have a house?”

“It has been mine since birth,” he explained. “And yes. I will not be a full adult until our bond is reaffirmed by the Crystal. I’m currently in the first phase of adulthood. Your species doesn’t do that?”

“When we turn eighteen, we’re adults. Well, at least in the United States. Not every country is the same. We’re not unified like your planet.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-nine. You abducted me on my birthday.” It hadn’t been my best birthday, but also not my worst. My jaw clenched as my thoughts flashed back to my eighteenth birthday, the fall of my senior year. My grandparents had packed a suitcase and told me to either live how they wanted or get out. I’d chosen to be me and left.

“It was your birthday?” he asked, drawing my focus to him.

“Yeah.”

“Birthdays are important. It shouldn’t have happened like that. I wish I could have done it differently,” Kal said as he shifted closer. “In the future, we shall celebrate your birthday with the importance it’s due.”

Changing the subject, I asked, “How old are you?”

“Our planets’ rotations are not the same, so it is not equal. But I’m twenty-two by the Coalition”s standard date, and you are twenty-six. Four rotations separate us.”

Oddly enough, it made me feel better that Kal was only four years younger than me. “You”re not that old, and you’ve been looking for your mate?”

“We start searching for our mates when we’re fifteen. When we’re fully grown. I’ve dated several men, but it never worked out, and I wanted to find my soulmate. You.”

A sudden heat rushed under my skin at his words and made me resemble a tomato. “You only like men?”

“Yes. Do you not like men? Is that the issue between us?”

“No. I’m pansexual.”

“I don’t understand.”

My lips pursed as I thought of a way to explain. “I don’t care about people’s gender or sex. I’m attracted to who they are.”

“Most of my species is the same. I’m actually considered unusual by my people”s standards for only liking men. My eldest brother, Hallonnixmin, is much the same because he only likes women.” Kal scooted closer. “So me being a man doesn’t bother you?”

“No,” I said honestly. Kal grinned, showing his sharp teeth, and my heart stuttered.

“Good.” Kal moved even closer until he knelt in front of me. “That’s very good.”

It would be easy to close the distance between the two of us and press my lips against his. I imagined kissing him would be pleasant. I scoffed. It would be more than pleasant if my crazy attraction to him meant anything, but a kiss would stir up questions about the future. My lower brain, which had zero qualms, didn’t care about the future. My dick wanted immediate gratification.

I took a deep breath and tried to think with my actual brain, which was harder than it should’ve been. “We should go.”

“Of course, my Seth.”

Kal chose an experience based on when they colonized a moon near an uninhabitable planet. They used the planet for resources, but it was filled with creatures called muk that ate anything.

He explained the experience wasn’t an accurate depiction of what actually happened. In reality, the drakcol worked around the muk, who didn’t possess higher intelligence. Whereas, in the experience, the drakcol fought a war against the muk, who were clever schemers.

Kal fitted a techplate on my chest to track my movements, then gave me a long plastic tube that was supposed to be a gun. He said, tightening the straps on my vest, “I haven’t played this one yet.”

“Well, let’s do it.”

The bare room was replaced with a hazy, red environment. The ground was rough and cratered, and jagged mountains cut the sky. My clothes transformed into a black space suit with blue lights. The unimpressive tube changed into a metal gun with vibrant orange lights, though I felt the smooth plastic beneath my fingertips.

Over the speakers, a voice began to relate the details of the mission like pretty much every first-person shooter game I’d ever played. We had to clear out a nest of muk from a cave north of us.

I kept my eyes peeled as we crept forward. Something shifted, and I whipped to the left. A creature with thick skin the same color as skim milk and a worm-like body, dagger-sized fangs, and two muscular front legs ending in massive talons leaped at me. My heart raced as I lifted my blaster and squeezed the trigger. An orange beam came out of the muzzle and smacked the alien in the chest. It went down with a high-pitched squeal.

“That’s the creature that lives on this planet?” I asked, panting.

“It’s fairly accurate. I’ve been to Takzil, as I was stationed at the moon base, and seen muk before.”

“You have?”

“I was part of the colonization force seven cycles ago.”

“What?” I jerked toward him. “You were fifteen.”

“Pay attention,” Kal ordered with a chuckle.

Focusing on the task, I took the lead until we came to a cave delving straight into the darkness. Kal grabbed a rope and hooked it to his waist. I peered into the pitch-black hole, then at the rope.

“We can’t fall far. Trust me.”

“I’m not worried,” I lied.

The rope looked real, but I felt the shields holding the program in place, which didn’t feel solid. I peered down, and a light beam from my helmet illuminated the darkness. It seemed real, but it wasn’t. I wouldn’t fall.

We slung over the edge and descended until our feet hit the ground. Three caves that were equally horrible with jagged entrances greeted us.

“Which way?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. Pick one,” Kal said, lifting his palms.

I chose the path on the left.

The cave twisted through the ground, and muk filled it like an ant nest—a nest with green eggs covered in white slime hanging from the ceiling in clusters. Together, Kal and I killed dozens of muks while dodging their sharp talons. We moved deeper underground in search of the heart of the nest.

Kal came to my side. “Stay close.”

Leading the way, I continued down a wide entrance with rough rocks all around us. Our steps echoed in my ears, and every breath I took sounded harsh and insanely loud. Every shadow made me jump, sending my pulse through the roof.

A low scrape came from the darkened tunnel, and I froze. I pressed against the wall, dragging Kal along with me. The high-pitched scratch of claws got louder, growing closer. I kept an arm across his chest, holding him in place, as we waited.

The largest muk I’d ever seen appeared from the shadows. The monster dragged its bloated body by its front two legs; its belly scraped on the floor and its thick tail moved from side to side, slapping the walls.

Its snout twitched.

I tensed, trying to push Kal further behind me.

His voice sounded in my ear, synthesized by the program as coms, “You aim for its body, and I’ll aim for the head.”

My fingers curled around his shirt. The cool metal of his necklaces bit into my skin, reminding me this was nothing but a game. “On three.”

His eyes narrowed like he didn’t understand.

I didn’t bother to explain and started to count. “One. Two. Three.”

We stepped out, and the muk shrieked, rattling the walls and sending rocks to the ground. I shot its body and hit it while Kal aimed at the head, but he overshot. The cave shuddered before buckling.

Rocks started to rain down, and I shouted, “Cave in!”

I knocked Kal out of the way, landing on top of him and blocking him from the falling rocks. For a moment, shields pressed into me and stopped my breath from the sheer force, then the weight lessened, and the program disappeared.

A monotone voice stated, “Mission failed.”

Glaring, I opened my mouth to snap at Kal, who was sprawled under me, but nothing came out. He stared up at me, his breath fast. His tail wrapped around my leg as he gripped my back. My eyes flicked to his lips, and his hold tightened as he arched. My brain shut off, and I fell forward.

His lips were hot, almost too much, but it made me want to press closer instead of pull away. Our mouths molded together, moving in slow tantalizing movements. I groaned, and Kal’s tongue darted out and swiped against my bottom lip before retreating. I pressed my tongue against the seam of his mouth, and he opened for me without hesitation.

Our tongues clashed. His was textured with scales, and it made me moan. My hands fisted on the front of his shirt, unwilling to let him go. I’d kissed people before, but none of them compared to this. I never wanted it to end.

“You have fifteen minutes,” a voice said.

I started, and Kal grinned. Unable to help it, I pressed one last kiss against his lips. When I shifted back, he smiled again, but this time, it was soft. I swiped my thumb across his glistening bottom lip before standing.

Holding a hand down to him, I said, “Come on.”

Kal slipped his hand into mine, and I hauled him up. Fingers laced, we walked toward the door.