12. Aldyn

Chapter 12

Aldyn

I could feel every bruise and scrape and cut from the fight. And it was only getting worse by the second. But the portal was closed and Jody’s arms were tight around me.

For the first time that night, things were looking up.

“Don’t you die,” she said, warning clear in her voice. “If you die, I’m going to freaking kill you.”

It hurt to smile. Everything hurt. But I forced myself up from where I had fallen on the ground. I could manage to sit. But I would appreciate some medical attention soon. At least a painkiller.

Of course, from the way Jeff was groaning, he needed way more help than I did.

“No risk of dying,” I told her. Not anymore. But that was probably a conversation for a later time. I glanced over and was surprised to see how small the tentacles looked. When they had been wrapped around me I was sure they were as big as a building. But they were tiny things.

I couldn’t quite circle my hands around their girth, but it would be close. They definitely didn’t look as threatening now that they were cut off from whatever body they had been attached to. And I was beyond grateful I would never see that body or determine how many tentacles it normally had.

Jody and I didn’t say much. After the excitement of the night, it was hard to figure out what to say. I needed to talk to her. Needed to explain who she was to me. Needed to ask her to dinner. But for several moments, I was just basking in being alive.

Sometime later, police busted through the front door, yelling a warning with their weapons drawn. But when they saw us, they seemed very confused.

“The fight’s over,” Jody told them, leaning her body in front of me a little as if to act as a shield. “The guy who held us captive got sucked in through a portal.”

She pointed to the tentacles on the ground. “That came out of it, if you want to bag that for evidence. The portal opening mechanism is on the counter.” Then she quickly added, “Don’t press the button. I don’t know if the portal will open back up.”

The last thing we needed was to deal with that portal reopening. I much preferred Earth to whatever world we had caught a glimpse of.

The police had questions for all of us and we answered them quickly. It became clear they weren’t interested in pinning the blame on anyone who’d been held hostage, and pretty soon an ambulance arrived to see to us. By that time I was feeling better, but I had lost track of Jody. Where was she? Had she disappeared? Gone home?

Had I lost my chance already?

Most of my aches were going away, but they were replaced by one in my heart. It couldn’t be over so quickly. Could it? Before we had even had a chance to talk? I started looking around wildly, but I didn’t see her. Maybe the cops would give me her information. Hadn’t she said something about being a school teacher? I would go to every school in the city until I found her.

I had to do something. She was my denya. My mate. We hadn’t gone through all of this trouble for me to lose her so quickly.

“Are you okay?”

I spun around at the sound of Jody’s voice. She had two steaming mugs in her hands and offered one to me. “Where did you go?” I asked as I took the mug, the answer evident in the warm drink.

“I thought we could use something like this. It’s just cider, and it’s not even spiked. But it’ll be good.” She took a sip and sat down on the bench. I quickly joined her.

She was right. The drink was good. Sweet with a hint of spice. It was nothing like what we had back home, but I was getting used to the tastes of Earth. “So is this a favorite drink?” I asked.

“I like it well enough,” said Jody. Then she laughed. It was a bit frantic, as if she was just realizing everything that we had gone through. “I feel like I’ve been around you my entire life,” she said. “Is that weird? It feels weird. Especially since you don’t even know if I like apple cider.”

Apple cider was irrelevant. I knew the important things. Things that went beyond the recognition of our mating bond. “I know you’re brave. Strong. Resourceful. You faced off against that alien in ways that many people wouldn’t have been able to handle. I’d like to know what your favorite drinks are. But I think I’ve seen hints of all the important stuff. Preferences for snacks and beverages will come in time.”

“You seem certain of that,” she said with a smile. “We might never see each other again after tonight.”

“No, that’s not happening.” It probably wasn’t the right thing to say. Too forceful. Too absolute. Most humans still didn’t understand the denya bond. They didn’t know how we could know that we were meant to be together. They didn’t sense this thing the same way that we did. But luckily for me, Jody seemed into it.

“I’d ask you to dinner, but I’m kind of afraid to go to any other public place right now. Like there are other aliens just waiting to capture me. I think I just need to head home.”

I didn’t want our night to end. But I could feel exhaustion nipping at me as well. It had been a hell of a night. “I want to see you again.”

She looked at me for several moments, and I thought she might offer me her communicator information. Then she placed her hand on my thigh. “Want to come back to my place?”

It was more than I could hope for. But we hadn’t talked. I knew some Detyens would be happy to take her up on her offer without ever explaining what it could mean. But I wasn’t one of them. Even though joining with her would save my life, she needed to know what it meant. I couldn’t take that choice away from her.

But she did not seem to sense what I was thinking about. Her fingers curled in and I hoped they would leave a mark. “I don’t sleep with guys on the first date anymore,” she said. “But I’m pretty sure tonight counts for like ten dates. So we can figure out the rest of that later.”

I could just kiss her. Could do everything before sealing the actual act. Then I could explain the importance. Both of us needed it. We had survived. It was time to celebrate.

“Lead the way.”