12. Amanda

Chapter 12

Amanda

I 'd like to think I was dreaming or that I was trapped in a nightmare, but all of this was real. I didn't believe in plant or crystal gods, but I believed in science. From his tale, I pieced it all together.

Two species lived on this planet, the Zuldrux warriors in their clans, plus the crystal, stone, wood, and plant beings who, for some reason, enjoyed dwelling in shrooms, making chairs, and washing dishes.

They couldn't be real gods, however. They must be an alien species like the Zuldruxians.

Leaving the plant lying on the floor, I walked over to stand near Xax. My aching body reminded me I'd walked about a billion miles today. My bones creaked with each step, and my muscles kept spasming. "I have a feeling we're not going to settle this tonight." Through the opaque panels spaced along the outer wall, I could tell the sun had set and it was night. God talk was something I'd rather face in full sunlight. My mouth stretched in a yawn. "I'm tired. I can't think straight. I need to go to bed."

Give me a fully belly, and I was done for the night.

"Alright."

My eyeballs ached, and I couldn't stop trembling. "This is too much for me to deal with right now. I want to sleep, wake up to hot tea with a splash of almond milk, plus waffles with strawberry jam and whipped cream. I don't want to think about anything else tonight." When he rose from his chair, I backed away from him. "No touching."

"No touching," he said softly. "Please know I would never harm you. All I wish to do is care for and protect you."

"No more talk about us being mates. No more fated anything. Not until the sun's up, and I've drained at least two cups of tea."

I could tell he didn't understand half of what I was saying, but I kept at it because, if I didn't, I feared I'd start shrieking and pulling out my hair, something I'd never done but suddenly found held much appeal.

Man, was I exhausted.

"Very well," he said. He gave me a wide berth as he passed me, aiming for the doorway on the right. "You can sleep in here."

"I need to brush my teeth. Put on jammies." Where was a teddy bear when a girl needed one? I was reverting back to my childhood. If I wasn't careful, his god would produce a pacifier and thrust it into my mouth.

"Let me show you how you can address your needs."

While I didn't hear anything sexual in his statement, heat thrilled through me.

Did I happen to mention that this alien was dangerous?

"This is the bathing chamber," he said, gesturing to the open doorway on the left. He guided me inside. "Tell the god what you need, and they will provide it." With that, he stepped out into the living area and a panel slid closed to give me privacy.

What I wanted, huh? How about a one-way ride back to Earth? Could his god give that to me on demand?

I stared around the room that was as empty as the rest of the house.

I wasn't a person who collected many possessions. I didn't make enough money to buy fancy stuff very often. But when I did buy things, I looked for quality. An antique bedframe that I refinished myself. The best mattress I could afford. Fluffy bedding with high thread count sheets. I'd slept on a futon with thrift store bedding for years until I could afford to buy nice stuff.

I'd carefully collected an antique hutch and china to fill it. A squishy sofa. A solid wood bookshelf to hold all of my favorite novels.

It had taken me over a year to save up for the kitchen table and chairs I'd admired forever.

And now I assumed all my precious belongings were being sorted through by my landlord. If I knew her, she'd slap an eviction notice on the door the day after my rent wasn't paid. She'd knock a few times over the next week, and when I didn't answer, she'd have the police break down the door. When it was clear I'd gone missing, she'd hold a yard sale with my stuff and pocket the money she made from the sale.

The thought of it happening stabbed through me, but my pretty things were the past. I suspected Zuldrux was my new future.

I was exhausted. My body ached. I couldn't stop yawning.

But standing in an empty "bathing chamber" —as Xax called it—was what nearly broke me.

How was I supposed to bathe or brush my teeth in an empty room?

He said to ask.

"Alexa?" I called out, my voice quavering.

Nothing.

I cringed but said it. "Um, Xax's god? Are you there?"

A golden glow erupted overhead, bathing the room in soft light.

"I want to brush my teeth. I'll need a toothbrush and paste, plus a sink and water. Oh, and I need to floss." My dentist could tell when I didn't—another thought that strangely made me want to cry.

I'd nearly torn an alien a new one an hour or so ago, and now I was nearly sobbing about the lack of dental floss. Talk about moody.

Oh, shit.

"And a few tampons while you're at the convenience store in the sky. I hope that's possible! "

A bowl appeared in the middle of the room at waist-height. Water flowed in a soft trickle from the back side, spilling into the bowl, though it didn't fill it. I couldn't tell where the water went or came from, but as long as it wouldn't make me sick, I'd use it.

What looked like an ordinary toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste appeared beside the bowl, along with a package of flossers—the generic kind I preferred over the brand name.

"How do you know what I use?" I asked. Had the Zuldrux god scanned my mind to discover information like this? I didn't want to think about that, or I'd really start crying.

I decided to call his shroom god Alexa, because the thought of conversing with a real god made words choke off in my throat. "Thank you, Alexa."

I flossed and brushed my teeth, and the water tasted amazing. Not even a hint of chlorine, though they probably didn't have that here. I wasn't going to ask for it either, though there had to be germs on this planet I should avoid.

"Should I have inoculations or am I safe from Zuldrux germs?" I asked after I'd finished spitting and rinsing my mouth.

Alexa did not reply.

"How about a hot bath?" I asked.

A tub big enough for four Xaxes appeared on one side of the room, brimming with steaming water.

OMG, yes .

I stripped, moaning and groaning about my sore body, and slipped into the tub, watching with wide eyes as my gown was absorbed into the floor and a new, neatly folded outfit appeared in its place. It wasn't magic. I didn't believe in anything like that. But I had no explanation for how this was possible.

When little bowls of what looked like shampoo and conditioner, plus a wedge of soap and a loofah appeared on the side of the tub, I moaned out my pleasure.

"Thank you, Alexa," I said.

A bath bomb appeared next to the shampoo.

Xax suggested his gods enjoyed praise as much as me. Who didn't enjoy positive reinforcement? However, I wasn't convinced a true god lived inside these giant mushrooms, existing solely to serve Zuldruxian whims in exchange for verbal rewards.

"I wish you could tell me more of your history and why you're here on this planet," I said. And why Xax's gods had decided Earth was a great place to go shopping for Zuldrux brides.

Squeaky clean and with my hair wrapped in the heated towel that appeared when I stepped out of the tub and onto the floor that had generated a bathmat, I dressed in the nightie Alexa provided.

"How about some panties?" I asked the ceiling. "Please, oh wonderful Alexa." I added the last bit almost for fun.

A matching pair of pink underwear appeared where the gown had been left, along with three tampons. " Hopefully, those aren't going to be rationed." I didn't need them yet, but I was sure I would eventually.

Ten more appeared.

"What a good girl," I said.

The lights flashed overhead.