Page 21 of The Alien I Fell in Love with on Walpurgis Night

“Call me Georgie.”

“Nice to meet you, Georgie. I heard there was another human woman on the base today. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you myself. We had an incident on Earth.”

“Oh, what kind of incident?” Georgiana’s curiosity is reflected in her voice.

Caroline looks at me and then back to Georgiana. “I’m sorry, I’m not allowed to share that kind of information. But let’s just say, thankfully there were no casualties.”

“How long have you worked here?” Georgiana asks.

“Long enough to be married with children. Do you have children?” She then looks at me and back to Georgiana. “How old are you? You look way too young to have children.”

“I’m not that young, twenty-six.”

“She was trafficked and sold at Gala,” I add quickly. “We were secretly married but I sent her to Earth to be safe.”

“It would have had to have been secret regardless,” Caroline says. “You know that right, Georgie?”

“Because of the law about humans?”

“Yes and because you are only of age to be married now, 26 Earth years is the legal age of marriage for a woman in the Empire.”

“Nurse, let me reassure you that Madame Georgiana is well aware of her rights. In addition, Fox is making sure everything is done legally.”

The nurse gives me a look that lets me know she’s not completely content with my answer. “I hope you make time to see the doctor before you leave.” Her boys scream from the other end of the corridor. “Now if you don’t mind I have to get these boys some dinner.”

“Nice meeting you,” Georgiana says as Caroline goes after her boys.

When I’m sure Caroline can’t hear us, I make eye contact with Georgiana and explain, hoping she will finally realize that this isn’t a game. “See? She’s married to an Alliance man and lives here on the base and has children with grey skin.”

“Okay,” Georgiana replies in the same way she did before we left our quarters which means to me she still doesn’t believe this is real. I check the time on the wall. I have about 20 hours before the Hio departs and about eighteen before we need to take the binding tattoos if we wait until the last minute.

Georgiana falls in step with me as we walk through the base. When we pass the medical center I quickly take her in and show her some of the technology that’s there. She smiles and nods. When we pass a corridor with a long window looking out into space I show it to her and begin naming some of the stars that are visible and talking about which solar systems are in which direction. Again she just answers with, ‘okay.’

Finally, we pass the shrine and I usher her in. A few men are there praying and they look up when we enter but then quickly look away. I light a candle and take her with me to the front of the shrine. I put the candle in front of the goddess of home and say a prayer. Georgiana surprises me by getting on her knees and putting her head down in a reverent pose. I say to her, “You know this is all real.”

“Okay.”

“Georgiana, you must believe.”

She doesn’t answer me then and I get my hopes up that I’ve finally made some progress, but after a few seconds she says, “Okay,” in that same exasperating tone.

We leave the shrine and enter Fox’s private dining room. There’s no one else but Commander Fox and one of his attendants. “Goddesses be blessed,” he says when he sees us.

“We walk in their light,” I respond and look at Georgiana expectantly.

“We walk in their light,” she says dutifully, but neither Fox nor myself is convinced she has any faith in the goddesses.

“Thank you for having us at your table,” I say.

“For an old friend, it’s an honor. And on such an auspicious day as well, it must feel surreal to be finally reunited,” Fox says as he looks at Georgiana. No doubt expecting her to be more excited than she appears.

“Please excuse Georgiana, she’s exhausted.”

“Not at all. Just surprised,” she says. “Everything has happened so quickly. Axl gave me no warning he was coming to Earth.”

“Yes, he’s stuck in his ways, always doing things so covertly and never asking for help,” Fox says to Georgiana and then looking at me, “Why you didn’t contact me?”

“It was a mistake for which I apologize, but as I said, I didn’t know you’d taken this faithful post.”

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