9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

A melia opened her eyes, feeling lighter and not so bad about herself. It felt like someone had lanced a boil and the poison running through her system wasn't as great, or maybe the right phrase was as poisonous. She didn't know, but this was the best she felt in a year. Then she remembered the carnivorous monster that wanted to eat her last night and it wasn't Zylar. Why was she thinking about him first thing in the morning? She didn't like that male and she needed her brain to get with the facts.

"Good morning." God, why was his voice so deep? It caressed her skin and fired her nerves up and worse than all of that, it made her feel safe. It felt like as long as she was with him, everything would be okay. Which was funny. Nothing was ever going to be okay again. Although she was lying in this bed feeling better, with hope soaring through her veins, it was a strange feeling. Had she ever felt this way before?

"Why are you in my bed?" She knew it wasn't her bed. Who said a good offense was a good defense?

"How could I sleep anywhere but beside you?" No, no, you're supposed to fight and prove me right. Tell me more.

"You're just like the black laith flower greedy for praise and love to grow stronger, more vital. You don't know your strength. I'm not leaving you, Amelia. That might not bring you comfort right now, but one day it will."

If she believed him, it would bring her comfort. Everyone left either of their own accord or she drove them away. It was the same for her although some may argue semantics.

"That's what you say now. Talk to me in a month or two." Her voice was sad. The heavy weight of depression was trying to worm its way in.

One minute she was lying on her back, looking at the ceiling. The next, Zylar wrapped her in muscular arms and the purple lips of an incredibly handsome monster were feather light against hers. She gasped. In shock, she assured herself.

Zylar took advantage of that gasp and his tongue swiped against hers. When was the last time anyone kissed her or she went on a date? Her mind drew a blank. It didn't matter because her tongue was getting in on the action. Amelia was exploring his mouth while her nipples hardened, and small zings of desire started running through her body. She leaned closer until the full-throated sound of a predator on the loose filled the room. She almost fell off the bed and jerked back that fast.

"Helee!" That's what it sounded like in English. "Show yourself."

Amelia was against the headboard as she looked warily around the room. Another full-throated growl came before she caught a shadow moving under the bed. Heck, had she slept with that thing so close all night long?

Helee jumped onto the bed, all five pounds of him. "This made that growl?" He turned to look at her and growled, proving that yes, that fierce growl came from him.

"He's so cute." She grabbed him even as Zylar was making movements for her not to touch his cat-like alien. She snuggled him close ignoring the sharp teeth. He curled into her arms, and it was a match made in heaven.

"I always wanted a cat."

"He's not a cat, especially not how humans think of cats." Amelia sighed, he was a he. She'd have felt bad if Helee was female, and she was calling her a him. She giggled. That was confusing, and it was her thoughts.

"You really shouldn't…never mind the two of you seem to have hit it off. Do me a favor, don't approach any other animals on the ship without talking to me first. Think of the Tar-qu."

Thanks, that's the last animal she wanted to think of, but he had a good point. Helee was his animal, though. Why would it hurt her? That made no sense, but she'd know that Helee wouldn't hurt a fly, or at least he wouldn't hurt her.

"You're right, I will be more careful in the future." It was the same on earth, she wouldn't approach a dog she didn't know, little or big. Dog bites hurt.

"Helee looks little and cute. Believe me, there is more there than meets the eye." He gave her a cute little growl and then rubbed his head against her cheek, making her heart melt.

"Suck up," Zylar murmured. "We might as well get up. There'll be no more kissing now that he's in your arms." Zylar's disgust with his pet made her smile. The feeling of depression that was trying to take over was long gone, and she was feeling good again.

When her stomach rumbled, she looked at him.

"Sounds like you're hungry. Let me show you to the bathroom and how to dispense an outfit."

"Wait…what?" Dispense an outfit. As in, she could dial one up and the ship would spit it out for her. Why was she spending money on clothes?

"Do you plan to walk around in what you have on?" She looked at her matching bra and thong, acting like she forgot what she was wearing.

"I probably shouldn't walk around in this?" She posed it as a question to get a rise from him. The growl he gave her said it was in her best interest to cover up. "But you didn't like what I was wearing yesterday."

"It was wearing you, not the other way around." He stood by the bed staring at her as she tried to hide her breasts behind Helee. What the heck? She put the alien cat down and slid out of the bed. It wasn't like he hadn't seen it all yesterday. A grimace settled on her face when she moved. Her ass cheeks were still tender, but not as raw as she thought they would be.

"We're going to talk about what happened last night."

"We are?" She could see that smile he was hiding. At least she got the well-adjusted monster… Wait, what? He wasn't hers. Heck, not once had he called her mate, and she was happy. Spell it out, she meant it. There would be no husband or mate in her future, and she didn't want big and purple, anyway.

"Close your eyes, Helee." Zylar pulled her into his arms, pressing his mouth against hers. He demanded entrance, and she opened before thinking about it. His tongue commanded her mouth, learning all its secrets. The pure bliss she felt kissing him made her breasts perk up and her nipples pebble. Her stomach had butterflies fighting for room to fly. She could feel a tingle between her legs and the desire to rub herself against him like a dog in heat. It was the moan that slipped through her lips that was the deal clincher. There was something about him, some charisma that called to her. She was kissing him back. Her body feeling heated, and she wanted, nay, needed more. When he broke the kiss, she almost growled.

"There will be more Sweetpea but shower and clothes, and then breakfast." She wanted to argue, but she couldn't remember the last time she ate. Note to self: starving yourself will not make you lose weight overnight, or maybe at all. Her brilliant plan had been to drop fifty to eighty pounds in a week or two, and then no one could identify her. That hadn't worked and now she couldn't understand why she would go through with that hair-brained scheme.

Amelia stepped into the shower and realized nothing she had done for the last couple of months made any sense. Why did she run yesterday? Was she convinced that a healer from a planet where all the women died tragic deaths would kill her? Didn't that go against everything he believed in? He didn't take the Hippocratic oath, but still.

She showered without thought, caught up in her thinking for the past months. It was like she was sinking and couldn't see the shore. Every time she got a breath of air and thought she could make it another wave came and pushed her under the dark water that threatened to suffocate her. Something wasn't right. Why could she see that now and not then? Carefully, she examined her mind or what she could access of it. Those waves and the undertow in the water weren't there. She could see the black water, but it was calm, like it was waiting for a chance to ambush her.

Getting out of the shower, she dried off. Later, or maybe tomorrow, she'd come back to what was happening in her head. Right now, she needed space from everything that had happened on Earth. She went over to the dispenser and programmed it for a man's xx-large for a shirt and a woman's xx-large in pants. There, that should do it. She waited patiently for it to come back. Denied. What? She programmed it three more times before she realized it would not give her what she was asking for. Then she started again asking for smaller things, but still too big. In the end, she asked for a cami in her size that would give room to her generous chest and a mid-thigh skirt. The clothes came out like magic. She frowned. Why were they all right, but not the other ones? She also asked for a black thong and a matching bra. She got the thong, but no bra.

She dressed silently, fuming. She had a word or two for Zylar. Some of the wind in her sails deflated when she put on the cami, and she realized it held her breasts better than a bra. Hell, she could make a fortune selling shirts like this, especially cami.

She came out of the bathroom to find Zylar dressed in jeans and a black tee. Every thought she had in the bathroom fled. It was unfair for a monster, an alien one at that, to look better in jeans than most of the men she'd ever seen.

"Did you spike the salve you put on my ass last night?" Yes, she was exhausted physically and mentally, but she remembered the feel of his hands smoothing a healing balm into her ass cheeks and she appreciated it.

He laughed at her, eyes twinkling. She couldn't help herself, or maybe she didn't want to. She laughed with him.

"My lady?" He bent his arm so she could look at the salve. Her eyebrow rose as she looked it over. His heart fluttered. He'd been on Earth too long.

"Your television is a marvelous invention." She laughed a little harder, shaking her head. What was it about Zylar that appealed to her? She wasn't into monsters, and she made her opinions known loudly to anyone who asked. The more time she spent with him, the less monstrous he became. He didn't act like the news portrayed him to be. Neither did Bella's or Jenna's mates. She pushed that thought aside for another day. Coward, she called herself, and couldn't deny it.

They walked out of his cabin, and there was no one in the hallway. "Is this hallway always empty?"

"No, the captain's quarters are on this level." The second in command used to have quarters down here, but one encounter with a hostile force showed us that having both on the same level was asking for trouble. Our second in command moved three levels up on the other side of the ship. It increased the chance of one of them surviving if we're attacked unawares."

That made sense to her. "Where are we going?"

He stopped to think about it. "We're going to the conyata. There's no direct translation. Think of it as a cafeteria where we eat and talk about what's happening on the ship and our lives."

"We're going to eat with your crew?"

"Yes.'

Her stomach dropped. That wasn't good, right?"