Page 26 of Stranded with the Alien

He’d tried to mate with the human.

His first thought, once the disconcerting truth had sunk in, was whether he’d hurt her. He looked at her closely.

She didn’t seem hurt. More angry than hurt. Actually, incandescent would be a better word. He was mildly surprised she hadn’t shot him already.

He tried to remember exactly what had happened. He was fairly certain he hadn’t completed the act, but there had definitely been intimacy between them. He had a very clear recollection of how her scent had intensified, filling his senses and driving his lust.

A hot tide of shame flooded through him. May Ayanlesh forgive him, he had acted like a mindless animal.

“Za devestar,hooman!Reh’len vedek.”

His explosive outburst halted her diatribe. She looked at him wild-eyed as he dragged himself to his feet. He turned towards her and she raised her weapon, her finger tightening on the trigger.

But he didn’t try to approach. Instead, he bowed his head and put his left fist to his right shoulder.

“Za farnor’aa.”

He sank down to one knee, still with his arm across his heart, his gaze fixed on the ground. And he didn’t move.

Kara’s eyes narrowed in recognition.

She’d read about this. It was calledfarnor,a show of regret and contrition. It was something Vraxians did to atone for their transgressions. He would not move until she forgave him – not for hours, nor even days. Not until he dropped from exhaustion.

It was one of their bizarre customs that had been held up as another example of their primitive ways.

Okay. Let’s see just how sorry you are, buddy.

She rested the gun on her knee and leaned back on the ledge, prepared to make him wait.

Time passed. The Vraxian didn’t move an inch.

Kara shuffled around to get more comfortable on the hard rock. The alien remained still.

She eyed his posture. One knee down, one arm up. Basically a stress position. He must be feeling it, and yet he hadn’t shifted an inch.

She wondered how often Vraxians performedfarnor.Was it only for really serious mistakes? Or was it normal practice after a row over the washing-up?

An image of hen-pecked alien husbands trying to appease their angry wives popped into her head. Swiftly followed by musings over whether Vraxians actually got married.

When she checked the position of the suns, she estimated at least sixty minutes had passed. She counted another twenty in her head, just to be sure. But the Vraxian continued his penance without making a sound or moving a muscle.

Watching him kneeling in the dirt, Kara began to sense the blue alien was deeply sorry for what he’d done. And somehow, that made her feel a little better.

She holstered her blaster and broke the silence.

“Get up.”

She spoke brusquely. The alien didn’t move.

“Look, I don’t know the right words to release you from this. It’s calledfarnorisn’t it?” The Vraxian looked up in surprise. “Yeah, I know some things about you. About Vraxos. You can quit thefarnor. But if you ever touch me again, I will shoot you.” She pointed her fingers at his head and pulled an imaginary trigger. “Got it?”

The alien understood. He had no doubt she would kill him at the first excuse. He lumbered to his feet and the pair of them stood awkwardly. Neither of them could quite meet the other’s eyes, the memory of what had happened between them still fresh.

The silence stretched.

This is stupid.Kara cleared her throat.

“Do you have any other clothes?” She gestured at his bare chest. “Your tunic was torn to pieces by those animals.”

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