Page 43 of Claimed by an Alien Warrior

Ordering food wouldn’t reveal to anyone that Rendash was with Zoey.

She replaced the device on the cradle after a brief conversation and smiled at him. “Food should be here soon. Let’s see if there’s anything decent to watch while we wait.” Retrieving the remote from where she’d dropped it, she jumped onto the bed and bunched up the pillows against the wall, sitting with her back against them. She looked at Rendash expectantly and patted the spot next to her.

The bed wobbled, creaked, and groaned as he joined her.

Zoey manipulated the remote, switching through various image feeds on the screen.

“Oh, I love this movie!” She grinned up at him. “You don’t know what funny is until you’ve watchedAce Ventura: When Nature Calls.”

Intrigued by her excitement, Rendash shifted his attention to the TV. He couldn’t pretend to understand what was going on, couldn’t tell whether the humans on the screen were real or somehow exaggerated, and didn’t understand what Zoey was laughing at much of the time, but her laughter was infectious. After a short while, he realized that it couldn’t be real — the entertainment seemed to be in the absurdity of the characters and situations.

There was a knock on the door. Rendash sat up, fully alert, and prepared to summon an energy blade. He was swinging his legs out of bed when Zoey settled a hand on his shoulder, halting him.

“It’s the pizza. Just cloak yourself for a minute,” she said, slipping off the bed. “Just a sec!” she called to the person on the other side of the door as she dug some of hermoneyout of her purse.

Rendash stood and pressed himself to the wall beside the window. His cloaking field sputtered into place, producing undulating waves of heat in his chest which rose to near-painful levels before dropping again. He gritted his teeth against the discomfort and turned his head to watch Zoey open the door.

“Hello,” she said, smiling. The person on the other side muttered something, and she nodded, offering the money in her hand. “Here you go. I don’t need change.”

The unseen human took the money, and Zoey accepted a wide, flat box in exchange. She stepped back and closed the door, clicking the locks into place. Placing the box on the bed, she leaned over it and opened the lid. Rendash released the cloaking field — experiencing no small degree of relief — and walked over to inspect the source of the strange smell that was fast spreading through the air.

Inside the box lay a circular food. It was brown around its outside, pale orange on top, and had reddish circles all over it.

Zoey lifted a wedge-shaped piece and held it up to him. “Here. Taste this.”

He accepted it skeptically. The orange part of the pizza was gooey and stringy, and he couldn’t understand why anyone would consider it appetizing.

“Don’t you curl your lip like that,” Zoey laughed. “Just try it!”

Frowning, he lifted the food to his mouth and took a small bite. The orange topping stretched as he pulled the piece away, and only broke when he extended his arm. He drew the dangling strings into his mouth with his tongue and dropped his gaze as he carefully chewed.

“What is this part called?” he asked, poking one of the orange tendrils with a finger.

“Cheese.” She tilted her head and continued to watch him. “Do you like it?”

He took another bite, much larger than his first. The red circles — some sort of meat, he guessed — added a kick of savory spice. “It’s good.” He bit off another piece before finishing his current mouthful.

Zoey chuckled and took a piece of her own from the box. “Mission complete. Now come sit down so we can finish the movie.”

Rendash settled down beside her, eating more pizza as they watched the movie. His laughter came more easily now; even when he didn’t understand the humor, her reactions provided him enjoyment.

As time passed, he found himself reflecting upon the strangeness of their time together. The bonds an aekhora formed with his Umen’rak were supposed to be the deepest an aligarii could form. Even the mating bond he’d earned the right to forge once his duty was complete couldn’t compare. The members of an Umen’rak were brothers and sisters, comrades, tied together on a level that superseded friendship and family.

But after only a few days, he felt a bond growing between himself and Zoey — similar in its strength, but quite different in its nature and boundless in its potential depth. Rendash had relied upon his Umen’rak to support him through moments of pain and weakness, though he’d always done his best to avoid such moments. To avoid burdening the individuals who relied upon him with his own inadequacy.

With Zoey, he didn’t feel the need to hide.

After the pizza was gone — Zoey had insisted she was done after two pieces, leaving the rest to Rendash — she scooted closer and laid her head on his shoulder. He slipped his arms around her and held her. It was a simple form of contact, but it was powerful; they were here,together. Two individuals united in a common purpose: escape. It didn’t matter what they were escaping from, only that they could rely on each other on the journey.

Rendash would never have guessed they’d grow so at ease with one another, so dependent upon one another, especially in so short a time. But they had, and he accepted it gladly.

When the movie was over, Zoey turned off the TV and pulled away from him. She closed the pizza box and placed it on the floor beside the plastic waste bin before walking to the bathroom, where she paused in the doorway and looked back at him.

“Come here, Ren.”

Unable to ignore the fluttering, foolish sense of anticipation that sparked in his chest, he stood up and went to join her inside the bathroom.

She opened a small bag on the sink and produced two small brushes with long handles from within. “I brought my spare toothbrush just in case. Guess it’ll come in handy. Hold this.”

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