Page 51 of My Alien Angel
“Hear that, Mama? I’ll be a mehnanic!”
“That’s awesome, chipmunk. Then you can fix that leaky showerhead in our room.”
“Sorry,” Lucía says, “I’ll get to it. I just needed to fix the damn coffee machine first because if I go another hour without coffee, I’m going to murder D’Aakh in his sleep.”
Chuckling, I reach for a sweet roll that miraculously survived both Ellen and Fluffy’s feeding frenzy. “I actually got to tell my parents I was leaving Earth,” I say. “They were like, ‘Awesome! Have fun!’”
“No way!” the women exclaim in unison.
“Yes way!” I laugh as I remember the conversation. “I told my mother, ‘Hey, Mom, I met this alien and I’m leaving Earth with him.’ and all she said was, ‘I hope he’s not a Reptilian. They’ve been taking over so many public office positions lately. It’s scary.’ So I told her that my alien had wings and she just squealed that it was awesome I found myself an Anunnaki avatar of…something or otherand that she’d always had high hopes for me. At which point my father chimed in with, ‘Infinity, represent humanity well and when the time comes, send a ship for us.’”
My impression is met with a burst of laughter so loud it startles Ellen’s pet. “Oh my god!” the redhead, whose name I still don’tknow, exclaims, doubling over from laughter. “Your parents are nuts, Fin. Damn, now I have to pee. I’m not pregnant enough for this phase yet!”
“No, Astra, you just pee all of the time regardless of pregnancy,” Lucía notes dryly, causing the rest of us to laugh again.
Astra! That’s the redhead’s name!
“Sorry to interrupt your bonding experience,” a voice announces from invisible speakers, “but Dart and Deviation are returning.” Deviation is apparently the name of Null’s ship. I think it must have a deeper meaning, but I doubt he’d tell me about it if I asked. He’s probably leaving as soon as he gets his money.
Jumping up, I hurry toward the door before realizing I have no clue where to go. Chuckling at my eagerness, the women follow and direct me to the right corridor. There’s a palpable tension growing as we approach the hangar and I know each of them is thinking the same as I am. Was anyone hurt? Is my mate coming back?
They’ve explained the idea of mates to me and that, while some species have fated mates who are connected on a deeper level, for most, it just means a life partner. Like marriage, but without spending thousands of dollars on a fancy venue. I’m secretly hoping that’s what Omni and I can become, but there’s a knot of insecurity I can’t shake. Especially after the stories I’ve heard about Omni avoiding serious relationships in the past. I don’t think they were trying to upset me, but they definitely thought I was a hookup. Was that what I was to Omni? A random hook-up? Is that why he didn’t want me to leave Earth with him? I know, I know. He said he wanted me, but… Does he, really? Or was he just being polite?
I hate these intrusive thoughts. Omni repeatedly told me he wanted me and that he was just trying to keep me safe, but self-confidence is not my strong suit and I can’t help but wonder.
We arrive at a hangar that is notably smaller than the ones on board Eldri’s battleship. Not to mention, empty save for a single small shuttle. The large bay doors on the side of the ship are open, stars twinkling behind a shimmering force field. It’s beautiful but also terrifying, a constant reminder that one glitch in the force field and we’d all die.
Soft humming from behind announces the arrival of Jaime, a human crew member with muscular dystrophy, I think. He’s sitting in his hoverchair, controlling its movement with subtle finger gestures. Ellen, perched on his lap, is animatedly telling him all about blue humans, a story which he supports with his own “memories” of meeting them.
I like Jaime. When everyone crowded around me to introduce themselves earlier, he rolled into the fray, held out his hand for a weak handshake, and apologized for not standing in the presence of a lady. I don’t know much about him other than he’s the only human here currently not banging an alien, as he loudly complained, but he reminds me of Caleb so much I hope to get the chance to know him better.
“Is my brother back yet?” he asks, mirroring our strained smiles.
“They will arrive in fifteen seconds,” the female voice responds. When I inquired earlier, I was told that it’s the ship’s AI and that she’s a little “quirky”, whatever that means. As long as it doesn’t go all Terminator on us, I don’t particularly mind.
A sleek, modern spaceship angles into the hangar, followed by Null’s dinged-up banger. Squealing, Ellen jumps off Jaime’s lap only to be grabbed by her watchful mother, just in time to stop her from lunging herself into the ship’s path. “Faelin!” the girl squeals excitedly. “Look, Mama, they’re back!”
“I can see that, chipmunk.”
The red hulk is the first to exit the ship, his wide smile breaking the tension. The others follow, but I’m not paying attention to them, looking for the telltale sight of white feathers. Finally, I catch a glimpse of him. Omni is exiting Null’s ship, his gaze fixed on me. He’s wearing an incredibly ugly green jumpsuit and has a busted lip, but otherwise seems unharmed. Not caring that I look just as excited as Ellen, I squeal and run straight into his arms, all of my anxiety and insecurities dispelled by that single look.
“Fin,” he whispers into my hair as he brings me in close, wrapping his wings around us to form a private bubble. “Winds… Fin, I was so worried. The thought of you out there, alone, getting hurt while trying to help me, it was more than I could stand,” he says rapidly in his own tongue, not even realizing he’s not speaking English. I understand him perfectly now, thanks to my brand new implants, and it’s incredible. “I prayed that you’d forget me, that you’d take up the UGC’s offer and return to Earth and be safe. I knew you’d never do it though, that you wouldn’t stop trying to find me, and it was killing me. I am supposed to be the one protecting you and— Oh. Sorry,” he switches to stilted English. “You did not understand.”
“I understood every single word, Omni. And you’re damn right. I’d never stop trying to find you because…” Damn it, why is it so hard to say?
His soft hands cup my face, tilting my head up to look at him. “Let me say it first, please. I have so many things I want to tell you but never had the right words for it in your ridiculous language. Now that you understand me, I want to do this properly. You are perfect, Infinity Young. You light up my existence, you’re the only thing I thought about when I was certain I was going to die. You are an amazing, smart, sweet, andcaring person, and I love you more than life itself. I don’t know the proper human custom for this, but will you be my mate?”
Tears flow from my eyes just as someone outside of our feathery bubble clears their throat. “Guys? You know we can still hear you, right? And you’re supposed to get on one knee for this, Omni.”
“Right.” As he folds his wings back into position, a curious crowd of grinning onlookers is revealed. Even Null seems to be listening, although he’s leaning against his ship, arms crossed in front of his chest with his trademark scowl on his face. Dropping down on one knee, Omni peers up at me lovingly. “Will you be my mate forever, Infinity Young?”
Ignoring the oohs and aahs from our audience, along with the snort I’m certain comes from the scary woman with horns, I nod, using the back of my hand to wipe the tears from my cheeks that continue to spill over. “Yes, of course! I love you, Omni.”
Laughing with joy, Omni wraps his arms around my mid-section and leans his head against my abdomen. “I love you too, Infity. Hmm, I think I can see why the humans kneel while performing this act. It makes it easy to lick their partner’s—”
“Hey!” Nala suddenly shouts. “Children present. Take it some place private.”
I’m ready to head for the nearest bed, but Omni shakes his head. “Actually, how about you lot get out of here? This is the only space big enough for me to actually fly in, so…”
