Page 52 of An Alien for the Future

Damn.

“Computer,” I speak to the comm, “what does lira’an mean?”

For a moment, the device does nothing. I’m still figuring out how to use the thing, and it makes my head spin. I open my mouth to try again, but it suddenly replies, its synthesized voice echoing in the quiet bedroom.

“Lira’an is a word from the Kari old tongue.”

“Okay, but what does it mean?” I brace myself for what the device will say. What am I hoping for? Part of me hopes it won’t know, that it will say the word is untranslatable or unknown. But another part, a part that’s growing stronger with each passing moment, yearns for confirmation of everything Tovan has told me.

“In the language that you speak, lira’an from the Kari old tongue means ‘melody of the sun’.”

I stare at the comm, something hard forming at the base of my throat that I just can’t swallow down. “Melody of the sun?” I breathe.

Because of my singing? The phrase is so beautiful it holds me speechless. I don’t know what I expected. It wasn’t that.

Everything this alien says and does, he’s slowly pushing past all my defenses.

Placing the comm down, I brace on my elbows, scanning the bedroom. I don’t hear him in the front room, so maybe he’s gone outside for a bit.

Or maybe he’s left, Donna. That could be the case, too.

I stop that thought right there, despite how true it might be. Maybe he’s not gone. Maybe this isn’t like other times. Maybe…

Maybe I can give all this a chance.

Sighing, I start to rise, only for my thighs to rub against each other and for me to become aware of a more immediate problem: the sticky evidence of me and Tovan’s joining. There’s a lot of spend still clinging to my skin, more than I think I’ve ever encountered before, and that only reminds me of the lovemaking, the way he handled me with careandpossession, and…the knot.

My God, the knot.

I clench just thinking about it. In all my years…

Good God, Donna. Get up.

I slip out of bed, stretching as I gather the blanket around me and push the bedroom door open. It’s silent. I don’t know why I tiptoe like a fool sneaking by as I hurry to the bathroom. Door locked behind me, I take a breath.

I’m nervous. He’s really gotten under my skin. My heart’s beating hard and my ears are perked. Forcing myself to calm as I fill the tub with water and sink in. All through my bath, my thoughts revolve around one thing. Him.

Where do I go from here?

I don’t have an answer. Not yet.

I finish my bath and dress quickly, pulling on a fresh dress that falls gently over my curves as my mind still reels from the events of the day before.

By the time I’m dressed, there’s still no sign of Tovan in the house. But on the table, I find a bowl covered with a clean cloth. Lifting it, I discover a steaming bowl of that thick stew. I bite my lip.

He even cooks. I am in so much trouble.

I’m halfway through the stew, savoring each bite, when a sharp rap on the door makes me jump. I set the bowl down, my heart suddenly pounding against my ribs. Tovan. But why is he knocking?

Without hesitation, I unlock the door and swing it open, a welcoming smile already forming on my lips. Play it cool, Donna. Don’t look too enthused, just a little interested. A little curious. Not overly ecstatic. Whatever you do, don’t make him realize you’re still weak in the knees.

But whatever words I had die in my throat, my smile becoming stiff as I take in the sight of the alien standing on my porch.

It’s not Tovan.

This is someone else. Someone who makes my skin crawl. Someone I can immediately tell is surrounded by a whole lot of juju.

“Uh…hello?” I glance behind the mountain of the Kari male before me, but he appears to be alone. His scales are a deeper shade of purple than Tovan’s, and his features, though sculpted like Tovan’s, come off as sharper, angular, giving him a severe look. What’s worse, his expression is as unreadable as stone.

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