8. Amanda

Chapter 8

Amanda

" B ork and Cresar are nice," I said. I shifted the communication crystal to my other hand, squeezing it tight. Wouldn't want to lose it.

"Despite Cresar questioning your appearance and my gruff traedor, you will be welcome here."

For how long?

I shrugged off my worry about being kicked out of the village. If Xax felt I'd like it here, I'd trust in that. He knew his clan where I didn't.

Since he seemed concerned about Cresar pressing me about my appearance, I gave Xax a smile. "Cresar's sweet. Children speak what's in their hearts. They don't filter their words. They rarely lie, well, unless they eat the last cookie in the jar, but who can blame them for hiding something like that? My point is, I respect his honesty. I like him. And I can't wait to go swimming with him." As long as we could avoid the foot-long fish.

Unless a mafia boss was trying to kill me, I wasn't the nervous kind. I'd faced down guys with switchblades on the streets. Outran someone trying to grab me. A few fish wouldn't scare me.

"I appreciate you saying that." He tapped on the shroom stem again, and when the door was revealed, he urged me to enter ahead of him.

I was surprisingly eager to see what his home looked like, and not only because this place fascinated me. I was curious to see how Xax lived. Did he leave dirty dishes around or did he keep his place spotless? Oh, yeah, right. He said his god cleaned up after him.

Now I wanted to see how that worked.

"Does your god have a physical form?" I asked as I stepped inside the stem. The walls were creamy white and appeared squishy like the inside of a slice of cake, but when I touched them, they felt like the flesh of an apple. Firm yet moist. I wasn't sure how I felt about being inside a living plant.

The outer doors closed, leaving us in muted light. At least it wasn't totally dark. The floor shifted, and we gently rose.

"It's an elevator." I explained what that was. If I remained here, would I eventually forget about computers, cell phones, and extra bergamot Earl Grey tea? I'd miss the latter most of all.

Although, I wouldn't miss the nine-to-five grind, let alone a boss who wanted to kill me.

If I remained here, I wouldn't have to worry about saving for retirement or paying bills.

Health insurance .

"Do you have hospitals here?" I asked. "Doctors?"

"Our gods take care of our physical needs," he said after I explained what I meant. "While we sleep, they rejuvenate us."

As long as the process didn't hurt, I'd try it out. Life was about exploring new things. Why wouldn't I want to see what life on Zuldrux had to offer? Especially if that life came with Xax.

When had I started to like him? Maybe when he protected me and held me through the night and vowed to keep me safe. When he gently cupped the drettire baby. Or when he watched me interact with Cresar. Pride had shone on his face when I spoke kindly to the boy.

He'd listened to my wild conversation while walking in the woods. He'd saved me from the jevecks. He'd rolled me under a big log to keep me from being trampled by big blue triceratops.

Yes, he believed I was his mate, but I sensed he would've still done those things for me even if I wasn't.

Where did that leave me?

I wasn't sure, but as I followed him out of the shroom elevator, I wanted to find out.

We exited into a big open room with the upper part of the mushroom sloping down on two sides. Partitions projected from the floor to the ceiling on our left, the openings suggesting bedrooms or maybe a bathroom.

From a hook near the door, Xax lifted a strip of leather strung with a crystal like the one I held in my hand. He draped it over my head, the crystal hanging between my breasts .

"God?" he said, watching my face. "Please provide Amanda with new clothing."

A swish, and a garment similar to the one I wore only untorn and clean appeared on the peg by the doors. He lifted it and handed it to me.

"That's . . ." I swallowed hard, my eyes widening as I studied the new dress. "Where did that come from?"

"You heard me ask the god to craft it for you. It was woven from plant fibers like all of our clothing. If you'd like, I can turn while you remove your torn tunic and don the new."

I shook my head, not quite believing what had just happened. "Okay, sure."

He spun around, and I ditched the ragged garment I'd worn on the ship. After examining the tiny weave of the gown, I tugged it over my head and stuffed my arms through the sleeves, easing it down over my hips. It resembled a tank dress with capped sleeves. "You can look now." When he faced me once more, he gifted me with a smile that made my insides melt. I tugged on the hem. "It's pretty." Peering up at the top of the shroom, I lifted my voice. "Thank you, god!"

A glow erupted overhead and faded.

"Whoa," I said, reaching out to press my palm against the wall, bracing myself as if we'd just felt the beginning of an earthquake. "It heard me."

"Why wouldn't it when you spoke directly to it?"

"This is going to take some getting used to." I pinched my torn nightie, holding it up. "What should I do with this? "

"Drop it."

"That's a guy thing."

He laughed, though I bet he wasn't sure what I meant. "Drop it."

"If you say so." It fluttered to the floor and was quickly absorbed. Stooping down, I placed my hand on the floor that felt as squishy as the inside of my cheek. "Where did it go?"

"The god took it."

"Will it come back clean and sewn together?"

"If you ask it to do this for you."

"You can keep it," I called out to the ceiling as I straightened. "I don't need it any longer." Sashaying in a circle, I splayed the fabric the god had crafted for me wide. "I've got a new, prettier plant fiber gown now. Take that, robocops."

Xax laughed again and urged me to leave the wall and advance into the room.

"This is nice," I said brightly, because I suddenly wasn't feeling as confident as I'd like about all this. The room didn't hold even one piece of furniture. Did he sit on the floor? Since he was watching me, I spoke up. "I like how you decorated your home. You went with a minimalistic style that's . . ." What could I say? "Stunning."

His brow ridge lifted. "What do you mean?"

"No furniture. No bookcases. No tables. No . . . anything. Just wide-open space." I said it in a breezy tone that I hoped didn't come across as critical.

He chuckled. After gently laying his wilted purple plant on the floor beneath the pegs, he took my hand and tugged me into his arms. Strangely enough, I didn't feel like pulling away. His arms were warm and his chest and abdomen, while rippling with muscles, felt smooth beneath my palms. My curves fit well against his. "I have whatever furniture you might need, my lovely mate."

I could also get used to him calling me lovely. Would the honeymoon end fast like it did so often on Earth or would this guy still adore his mate when she was ninety?

"Do you collapse your things and store them in a closet?" I asked, the only solution I could think of.

"Allow me to show you." He released me and strode into the middle of the room. When he started to sit, something oozed up from the floor, forming a chair beneath him. He tipped it back and a footrest popped out of the front like a regular old recliner back on Earth. "Whatever furniture you need will be crafted for you. Try it, mate."

"Um, how?"

"Just sit."

"I won't fall on my butt?"

He laughed again and patted his thighs. "If you'd rather sit on me, I won't say no."

Life was about adventure, right?

Before I could analyze this like I would a potentially dangerous situation back on Earth, I scurried across the room and climbed onto Xax's lap.