Page 17 of Cherished By the Alien Outlaw

“I’ll explain further after they’re gone.” He kept his voice equally low.

I nodded.

They slid a tray through the narrow gap beneath the door, and while I was glad to see two cups of water this time, I grimaced at the offered food. Oh, to think I’d complained about having to grab a protein bar in the morning if I didn’t have time to make scrambled eggs or waffles before my first dance class. Or how I’d griped about the line at the coffee place on the corner where I sometimes bought a bagel and a latte before work.

My mouth salivated at the thought of a toasted bagel with olive cream cheese, and my heart sunk at the realization that the odds of me tasting one again were as equally good as my chances of surviving even my first day in a lizard mine.

Firion rose and collected the tray, bringing it over and placing it on my lap. “Drink.”

Yeah, wise to take the water first, though I might need it to wash bites of the food down. I didn’t know what the food was, though I suspected it was more of what they’d fed us last night. Or had the chefs prepared something new?

Chefs. Ha ha.

I’d never eat chef prepared food again, though that was the least of my worries. I had very little clothing. No water to wash with. And forget dental floss or a toothbrush.

It was all I could do not to lay on the bunk and cry.

I made myself smile—grimace, whatever—up at Firion.

He sat beside me and sipped from his cup while I didthe same. The lizard servers continued down the hall until everyone had been given trays, then they took the carts back out through the door on the end.

Firion finished his water and rose, moving quickly to the door, where he peered out. With a sharp nod, he returned to sit beside me. He turned and placed his palm against the wall and hummed.

A plate of food oozed from the wall, and he grabbed it before it could topple onto the bed.

I stared from him to the wall, my jaw unhinging. “What—”

He placed his fingertip over my lips, holding back my words. “Shhh.”

I jerked out a nod. He lowered the plate onto the bed, shielding it from the hall with his body, and kept his voice a bare whisper. “Eat quickly.”

We shoveled in the food that tasted amazing. The grains had a nice nutty flavor and a spice unlike anything I’d had before but reminded me of sage. The vegetables had been cooked just right, soft enough to eat but still crispy enough to make them appealing. I didn’t see meat, but who cared?

For the first time since I got here, I could feel energy zipping through my veins.

“Where did it come from?” I asked quietly. I could see why he wouldn’t want the regulars knowing about his in with the wall.

“Stone gods.”

This made no sense, but I’d never been one toquestion miracles. If something good happened, you accepted it.

He pressed his hand against the wall again. “Thank you.”

He wasn’t talking to me.

I peered around, but we were alone. “Could you tell me more about the stone gods?”

“It’s been a long time, and the stories have been passed down through many generations. Remember I said that ships crashed on this planet.”

“The lizards?”

“They came later,” he said. “This time, beings unlike us or them emerged. They were tall and their long, slender limbs glowed. They merged with the ground and my ancestors watching thought they’d never see them again. But then the beings grew. Some became lush lavender trees, while others took on the form of large crystal structures. Still others fused with the boulders and stones around us. Others with water. They recreated themselves in nature, and they’ve remained here ever since.”

“Another species.”

“Most insist they’re truly gods.” He nudged his head to the empty plate. Lifting it, he pressed it against the wall, and sucked into the stone, it disappeared.

If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. “Where did it go?”

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