Page 41 of Treasured By the Alien Rogue

“The time I’m supposed to meet him,” I half-wailed.

“When he’s ready to swim, he’ll tell you. If you’re ready at that time and excited to swim, you’ll walk to the river together. You don’t need to give such a thing a number to make it valid.”

“That’s too simple.” I started down the trail again, stomping my feet.

“I’ve made you angry.” He caught up and strode along beside me.

“I’m not mad at you. I’m upset with the beings who stole me from Earth.”

“Our gods.”

“Beings. That’s all I’m going to call them. They didn’t give me a choice, and that sucks. But now your gods or their whim is about to control who I live with, and I won’t allow this to happen.”

He stopped. I kept walking but turned to look back at him, my eyebrows lifted.

“I’m going to trust my mother,” he said.

“She should’ve just said no one has any say in who I’m with but me.”

“You’re right. If you had the choice,” he said, “if they’d asked you first, what would you say?”

I flung out my arms. “I don’t know.”

“Were you happy on Earth? Do you miss it?”

Did I? “Not too much. I had my own place.” That I rented. I didn’t actually own it. “I had a car, and it took me a long time to pay it off. A job. Furniture I spent a lot of time saving for. I was a collector, choosing each piece because it was perfect for a certain spot in my apartment.”

“Things.”

“Yeah, and what’s wrong with caring for things?”

“They’re not real. They’re not me.”

My throat choked off. I wasn’t sure what to say. Too many feelings flew through me. I couldn’t grab onto any of them long enough to give them a name.

“Did you have someone to love?” he asked.

“No, but that was coming when I was ready.”

“What if my gods have given you someone you would care for forever?”

He meant himself. He was amazing. I could see that already. Hot, actually from his silver hair to his blue skin to his height, though he was so much more than his physical appearance. I could already tell he was funny. Kind. And that if I gave myself to him, he’d adore me every single second for the rest of my days.

“Given a choice, would you say that yes, you wanted to come to Zuldrux?” he asked again.

I looked around, taking in the gorgeous vegetation, the fresh air, and the sun warming my skin. Like with Xax’s physical appearance, they were just the surface of what made up this new and . . . Okay, this exciting world.

But choose to come here all on my own?

“Maybe,” I croaked.

He sent me a lopsided grin that made my heart trip over itself and my knees quiver. “Maybe is better than no.”

Chapter 17

Xax

We turned and started walking back to the village.

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