23. Vanessa

Chapter 23

Ask, and ye shall receive.

When Aizor and I walked into the central building the next morning, the smoky, wonderful smell of coffee greeted me. To say I leaped away from Aizor and raced to the back dining area was an understatement. I pretty much flew over to the counter, rubbing my hands when I took in the blue glass pitcher sitting beside a solitary mug.

"Make that two, honey," I said, watching as a second mug formed from the smooth crystal surface. I was still amazed at how this world worked. The crystal alien told me they had a symbiotic relationship with the Zuldruxians, and I was waiting to see what the Zuldruxians did to fulfill their side of the bargain. But if food of choice was on the menu, this place might not be so bad after all. "You're going to love coffee, babe," I told Aizor.

He grunted. Maybe he didn't like being called babe.

We'd slept in our own fur beds last night. I was tempted to invite him to join me on my bed, but I wanted to give this a day or two before doing anything like that.

I was going to give this a chance and that may include seeing if his huge cock could actually fit inside me. But I wanted to get to know him a little better first.

All this mate stuff spooked me.

"It's a beverage?" he asked, frowning at the black liquid sloshing in his mug.

"I drink it black, so I guess you do too. We could ask for cream and sugar."

"Cream?"

"It's the liquid baby cows drink from a cow's udder."

His face took on a greenish cast. "No cream."

"You're right. It's best black." Turning, I took my mug over to an empty table and he followed. I sat and closed my eyes, sniffing the brew. "It smells just like coffee." My words came out giddy, but I'd been nursing a massive headache from caffeine withdrawal. If this was crystal alien decaf, I was going to cry.

Riding in stasis must've put withdrawal on hold.

Last night, after we'd feasted on veggie tacos, Aizor was skeptical at first, but then he joined Team Taco. After, we'd placed our plates on the counter. Aizor turned and walked away. I watched as the plates melted into the surface. He told me it had been this way since they moved into their crystal homes, that the plates and food would appear whenever they had need and disappear when they were finished. Many tools and weapons as well. He told me they'd only lived among the gods for a year and were amazed at first but had gotten used to their assistance.

I could get used to this too.

Today, I was going to take an inventory of what the crystal aliens gave and what they didn't. And while I wouldn't push it, but one day soon, I was going to ask for pizza.

"What do you think?" I asked after he took his first sip of coffee.

He grimaced. "You enjoy this."

"Very much." And it tasted exactly the way it should. How had the crystal beings gotten it right? "Are your gods everywhere?"

"Everywhere as in beyond this planet?" He shrugged. "I live my life here and in this moment only. I've never considered what might be happening elsewhere. But if our gods are here, why wouldn't they live and thrive on other planets?"

I remembered people speculating that aliens built the Egyptian pyramids and scoffing. Now, I wondered. But he was right. If I chose to remain here, it wouldn't matter what happened on a planet far from this one.

I drained my mug and looked longingly at the pitcher. Aizor lowered his nearly full cup to the table.

"You don't need to drink it," I said.

"You like it. I want to like it too."

"We're different people. We can share things, but we don't need to adore everything the other does."

He nodded. "You won't be insulted if I don't drink it?"

"Not one bit."

"Wonderful." With a smile, he went up to the counter. He returned with the pitcher and refilled my mug, then went back and requested breakfast, lowering the two plates onto the table.

I stared at my crystal meal and wondered how my body would digest it and if my teeth were up to crunching through it.

I wrangled my way through the meal, glad much of it was softer crystal fruit and something that vaguely tasted like a salted caramel protein bar, and we returned our plates to the counter. Like a little kid, I watched them ooze into the surface, leaving only smooth crystal behind.

We were leaving when I spied the small creature from the day before sneaking along the right wall in the main room.

"Wait here?" I said to Aizor, pointing to the animal. "And don't attack it."

"It's a pest," he said, but he patted my shoulder. "I won't kill it. Yet."

I hurried to the counter. "Pet food, please." Feeling a bit like Captain Picard, I watched as a plate with crystal food appeared on the surface. It looked exactly like what I'd eaten for breakfast and my belly had so far accepted. But since the creatures on this planet appeared to be at least part crystal—except for the Zuldruxians—maybe the small beast adored glassy food.

I took the plate into the big room, finding Jessia and four male warriors bristling with crystal swords and spears gathered around Aizor. All of them stared at the creature.

"What is it?" I asked when I joined them. "As in, what do you call that small beast?"

"It's a chall," Jessia said, her lips pursing. "A pest. It sneaks into the dining area and steals food off our plates."

"If you fed it, it wouldn't need to steal food."

Her head tilted, and I could tell she was intrigued, not horrified by the suggestion. "Interesting idea. Why would we feed it?"

"Other than to keep it away from your meal? Because it would reward you."

"I don't see how a chall could reward me with anything."

"It reminds me of little creatures we have on my home planet called a cat. It's fluffy like them and it looks soft in a glassy way." Would its spiky fur lie down if and when I patted it? Who was I kidding? It was a wild, feral creature. It wasn't going to let me near it. "If I can tame it, it would be my friend."

"We're friends with each other." Jessia continued to frown. "Though I can see the benefit of keeping it away from our meals."

"Come on, little chall," I cooed, tiptoeing toward it with the plate extended.

Its gaze trained on the crystal yummies, it lifted its nose and sniffed.

When I got within five feet of it, I stopped and placed the plate on the floor.

"You're feeding it?" Aizor sounded completely puzzled. "I don't understand."

"This is a way to show it I don't mean it harm. Back on Earth, I volunteered at an animal rescue. It was common for us to take in feral creatures like this. We made sure they were healthy, neutered them, then released them back where they came from."

"Neutered?"

"Cut off male balls."

His face blanched. "Please tell me you don't intend to do anything like that here."

I shot him a grin. "Behave and your balls are safe from me." I lifted my fingers and made a snipping gesture like I held scissors. "Misbehave and you'll need to sleep with one eye open." Not really. He was too adorable and too sexy to contemplate something like that, but it never hurt to keep a guy on his toes.

The other guys slipped away from us and with wide eyes, hurried toward the kitchen.

I turned back to watch the chall creeping closer to the plate. It kept a sharp eye on me and the others, though it must be used to seeing Zuldruxians around all the time if it regularly snuck into the building to steal food. When it reached the plate, it started gulping it down, chomping through the crystalline chunks with its thick jawline and needle-sharp teeth.

Stooping down, I extended my hand toward it.

Aizor hissed but remained with Jessia. The chall shot him a growl but only studied my hand while tilting its head to chew through a long piece of food with the side of its mouth.

I eased closer.

It scowled but food won out and it kept eating.

When I was near enough to touch, I gently ran my fingertips across the top of its head and down its spine. Its crystal fur was surprisingly soft, and I created static with the rub.

Its tail whipped back and forth, and it eyed me while gnawing through its growl.

"Take care, mate," Aizor said. "I wouldn't want it to bite you."

I could only imagine how painful that might be, but I kept stroking.

The chall finished the meal but remained where it was, cocking its head to watch my hand stroke its spine.

"What should we call you, little one?" I asked.

"No one names challs." Aizor's hand landed on my shoulder, and he squeezed. "Please be careful."

"I will. I've done this before. Many times."

Because I didn't want to push it, I eased backward and stood, watching as the chall licked the plate. It looked up at me in thanks before it spun on its hind legs and bolted from the building.

Shaking her head and smiling, Jessia strolled toward the front door.

"First step accomplished," I said. "Actually, I'm surprised it tolerated me touching it. What do you think about calling him Franklin?"

"Franklin?"

"That's the name of my old boss."

"We don't name challs."

"I do." After returning the plate to the kitchen, I linked my arm through Aizor's and tugged him toward the door. "What's on the agenda for today?"

He shot me a tusky grin that made my insides do a little dance. "Besides seducing my pretty mate?"

"Where would you do something like that?" I was truly curious how far he'd take this. It was clear he'd seen my seven-day ultimatum as a challenge, and from the heat coiling from my belly to between my legs, my body was quite eager to see what plans he had to convince me to stay.

"After I speak with my second, Krute, I believe we should bathe in the pools."

Warm water. Sitting inside a pool with Aizor?

Sign me up.