Page 23 of My Alien Pirate

I looked down again wringing my hands together. "I'm sorry. I tend to spew scientific facts when I'm nervous. That's probably more detail than you needed."

A tentacle slipped out of its hiding place and brushed the underside of my jaw before tipping up my chin. The sensation of the unfamiliar but wholly pleasant flesh against mine sent a surprisingly strong tingling up my spine.

"It's okay, little zixxit. I like learning. Especially from a very attractive teacher."

I felt the blush crawling up my neck and face again.Damn my pale as milk skin courtesy of my Irish father!But when I was drawn back to his face, I saw his coloring had deepened from an amethyst purple to a deep eggplant. Was that an alien blush? A sign of attraction? I managed a small smile at the compliment and took a half step back. This alien was making my body feel way too many things.

Tucking my hair behind an ear, I tried to gloss over the unnerving chemistry that had just passed between up. "So, on with the tour?" I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

The captain's tentacle retracted again, and he nodded. "Of course. I think this next area will be especially interesting to you."

We rounded a corner, and I gasped as we entered what could only be described as a museum of alien wonders. Artifacts of all shapes and sizes filled the room, each more bizarre than the last.

"Welcome to our 'procurement room'," Zharrox announced, a note of pride in his voice.

I wandered further in, my scientific curiosity momentarily overriding my existential crisis. A glowing orb that seemed to contain a miniature galaxy caught my eye. No largerthan a grapefruit, it hovered serenely above a pedestal of some iridescent metal. Within its crystalline depths, countless pinpricks of light swirled in mesmerizing patterns, mimicking the dance of stars and nebulae.

As I leaned closer, I could make out tiny planets orbiting even tinier suns, their surfaces a riot of color and detail that shouldn't have been possible at that scale. The longer I stared, the more I felt drawn in, as if I could fall into that miniature universe and explore its countless wonders. It was beautiful, mysterious, and more than a little unsettling - a perfect encapsulation of my current situation.

"What in the world is that?" I asked, unable to tear my eyes away from the mesmerizing sphere.

Zharrox rumbled softly, his scales shifting to a deep, thoughtful blue. "Ah, that's a Celestial Pocket," he explained, one tentacle reaching out to gently caress the orb's surface. "It's a creation of the Astral Weavers, a species of cosmic artisans from the Andromeda Nebula. They capture the essence of dying stars and reshape them into these miniature galaxies."

His lips tipped up as he continued, "Legend has it that each Celestial Pocket contains an entire universe, complete with its own laws of physics and forms of life. Some believe that if you meditate while holding one, you can project your consciousness into that universe and explore it."

Zharrox's ridges pulsed with a mix of amusement and warning. "I wouldn't recommend trying it, though. The last crew member who did came back babbling about sentient mathematics and four-dimensional time. Took weeks for him to start making sense again."

He gently guided me away from the orb with a tentacle around my waist. "Beautiful to look at, but best admired from a distance, little zixxit."

As we moved through the room, Zharrox pointed out more curiosities - gravity-defying juggling balls, a plant that sang, a tangle of what looked like neon spaghetti which the pirate captain called a Zygonian mood enhancer which was supposed to sync with your brainwaves.

Zharrox chuckled, the sound sending an unexpected warmth through my body. "Personally, I think it just causes headaches."

With each new wonder, I found myself drawing closer to him, oddly comforted. What was wrong with me? Here I was in an alien pirate ship being given a tour by an enormous, purple alien and I wasn't screaming and freaking out. And not only was I not freaking out, I was finding myself ,what,attracted, to him?

"This is incredible," I murmured, running my fingers along the spine of a book made of iridescent leaves wishing it was one of Zharrox's brightly lit ridges. I coughed when my mouth went suddenly dry. "You must have seen so much on your travels."

Zharrox's eyes never left my face as he cocked his head. His surprisingly delicate nose flared, and his color darkened. What was he smelling?Oh God! Could he smell my arousal?I wanted to turn into goo and slide down through the grated metal of the floor.

He seemed to realize what he was doing, and he rubbed the frill at the top of his head before his hand went to the back of his neck. The gesture was so unexpectedly relatable, so charmingly awkward, that I felt a surge of warmth in my chest, my lips twitching with the urge to smile. For a moment, the fearsome pirate captain looked almost endearingly self-conscious, his bioluminescent ridges flickering like nervous fireflies.

"We have," he rumbled. "I'm glad you like it."

We stood there staring at each other for what felt like centuries before I broke the moment.

"So," I said, clearing my throat and pushing a wayward lock of hair behind my ear. "Where to next on this grand tour?"

With the question, I noticed a shift in Zharrox's demeanor. His ridges, which had been pulsing with curiosity, suddenly dimmed. He took a decided step back, his posture stiffening. The smile slid from my face. "It is time for the final meal. I told Grixxa we would meet her in the mess hall. We should go."

Turning on his heel, he spun and began marching toward the door, his back ramrod straight. What the hell was that all about? Had I done something to insult him? As I scurried behind to catch up, I wracked my brain trying to figure out what I might have done or said but soon realized I had no real context to judge. Maybe I could ask Grixxa later? All I could do now was follow.

17

A Pleasant Surprise

The mess hall seemed to fall silent around us as I entered with the captain, though it was probably just my imagination. I looked up, finding both Lyra and Grixxa watching me intently, their expressions sympathetic.

"How was your tour, Nova?" Grixxa said softly, her sharp teeth flashing in a smile. "I hope Zharrox didn't bore you too much with his collection."

---