Page 14 of Zimon's Bride
Abby had spoken to me of love for the first time that night we came together after her ordeal. She told me she loved me, and I said it back to her. I had known how I felt for some time but wanted to give her time to sort out her feelings without any pressure.
Abby
The reporter who came to interview us introduced herself as Melissa Brandon. She seemed cordial and friendly enough and maybe just a little fake. Zimon and I sat on our sofa holding hands, and she sat in a padded chair across from us. I felt nervous and excited as the cameramen took their places. It seemed surreal as I thought we were being interviewed because Zimon was an alien, and I am a human from Earth.
Melissa smiled warmly at us, and I smiled back, trying my best to relax. She asked basic questions about how we met and fell in love. Zimon spoke first, telling her about the Interstellar Matchmaking Agency and how they had matched us as soul mates through our DNA. When Zimon told her how she knew the moment she saw my profile that I was the one, I gave him an affectionate smile squeezing his hand. Adding that, I had felt the same way.
Then we had to talk about my abduction when I was on the way to meet Zimon for the first time and how we met on the ship that rescued me from the alien slavers. Because Zimon was part of the Alliance defense force, he was allowed to come on the rescue ship.
That’s when Melissa delved into more intimate aspects of our relationship and the effects of the feline pheromones that Zimon emitted when we first met. I wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed about my feelings for Zimon or our intimate relationship. I worried about how it would be received.
I shifted in my seat, feeling the heat rising to my cheeks as Melissa asked probing and personal questions about our experiences with the pheromones. Zimon tried to tactfully deflect the question, but Melissa persisted because many of her viewers were curious about this aspect of inter-species relationships.
“It was definitely intense,” I said finally, certain that everyone would be able to see my red cheeks. “But it was more than just about our physical attraction. I instantly connected with Zimon like we were meant to be together. Since then, we have fallen deeply in love.”
Zimon nodded, looking at me with a tender expression. "The pheromones were a powerful force, but they were only a part of what brought us together. We have a deep emotional and spiritual bond beyond physical attraction."
Melissa seemed satisfied with our answers and moved on to other topics, but I couldn't shake the feeling of discomfort. Talking about our love and future plans was one thing, but this felt like an invasion of our privacy.
As the interview ended, I breathed a sigh of relief. While I was grateful for the opportunity to share our story with the world, I was glad to see them go to have our privacy back.
As soon as the interview with Melissa Brandon aired that evening, my phone started tittering with notifications from social media. I braced myself for the flood of positive and negative comments that I knew would come.
As I scrolled through the posts and comments, I saw many people expressing their support and congratulations. But mixed in with the kind words were a slew of mean-spirited, bigoted statements.
"Disgusting alien lover."
"Hope you enjoy being probed by your extraterrestrial boyfriend."
"How could you have sex with something that's not even human?"
My heart sank as I read through the comments, feeling anger and hurt. I couldn't understand why people were so quick to judge and condemn something they didn't understand.
But then I saw the messages from other people defending me and standing up against the hateful comments. They reminded me that there were still good people in the world who saw past our differences and celebrated our love for each other.
I couldn’t ignore the negativity, but I refused to let it bring me down. Zimon and I were bonded, and nothing could change that. I was proud to stand by his side, regardless of anyone else's thoughts.
Chapter Twelve
Abby
As the time for Zimon’s discharge grew nearer, he was spending more of that away from me than I would’ve liked. Although I knew he was obsessed with capturing Dalton Lane after his last attempt to kidnap me, I missed him terribly. There were days he worked up to 18 hours and barely slept. But never once did I doubt how much he cared for me.
We took solace in each other, making love long into the night, leaving me to sleep late most mornings. It was disappointing to wake up with Zimon’s place in our bed empty, and we barely ate any meals together for days at a time.
The interview we did with Melissa Brandon when viral on social media. I got mostly messages from well-wishers and questions from other women considering applying for mates through Interstellar Matchmaking. I simply blocked the people who commented negatively about my relationship with Zimon. No one would taint what we had together.
While it was a lonely time, I used it to concentrate on learning the Narovian language. I couldn’t forget how I couldn’t read the ID badge the kidnapper stole from Isnell. I couldn’t imagine living in a world where I couldn’t read the language.
The best thing that happened during that time was that I made a new friend. Her name is Kiley Star. I met her in my language and cultural studies classes and learned she is also moving to Narova.
Like me, she is both excited and terrified. However, she met her feline mate completely by accident. He was a covert operative like Zimon, and she was a waitress in a restaurant where he and his Earth partner stopped for lunch one day.
His name is Grath Vonoi. I hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time as when she told me the story of their meeting. She went to his table and saw his eyes widen at her approach with her pad and pen to take his order. She stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights as a tidal wave of overwhelming desire washed through her.
“I wanted to straddle his lap and dry hump him like a dog on someone’s leg. Then I had a full-blown panic attack. I dropped my pen and pad and ran out the front door,” she said. “I can laugh now, but I was utterly mortified then. “I had vividly visualized doing exactly what I thought, and I could see he knew what I was thinking.”
“Omigod, I can’t even imagine!” We laughed together. “What happened?”
