Page 17 of Earth Girls are Easy… To Dominate
“Yes, and no,” Emery said. “At first, it was an abduction; later, after I received my symbiote and could make an informed decision, I decided to stay.”
“Your symbiote?”
“Ah, yes,” Emery said slowly, watching Samulin’s reaction. “It’s a little creature they implant in your brain, that lets you understand every other language. You won’t be able tospeakevery other language—you still need to learn them the old-fashioned way to do that—but you can understand them. Phyrax and Bralix also have symbiotes.”
Samulin stared. “Acreature? In mybrain.”
“I barely notice it’s there anymore,” Emery said. “It hurt going in, and I was deaf in that ear for several hours, but there are no lasting bad effects, and the trade-off is worth it.”
“Deaf in that ear? What the fuck?”
“Promise me you won’t freak out, okay?” Emery begged, reaching for Samulin’s hand in the folds of Samulin’s duvet. “Please believe me that Phyrax won’t allow Bralix to do anything that could hurt you, or anything as permanent as a symbiote, without your consent. Please don’t freak out, okay? It isyourchoice.”
Emery squeezed Samulin’s hand, and Samulin took a deep breath, consciously relaxing her shoulders and willing the band of fear constricting her chest to loosen. “The pain isn’t permanent?”
Emery shook her head. “No; neither is the deafness. The symbiote crawls into your ear and repairs your eardrum behind it on its way into your brain. Your brain itself has no pain receptors. And after your hearing returns, it’s like it never happened, except your brain has had a software update.”
Samulin took a deep, shaky breath. “A permanent software update. I’m never going back to Earth, am I?”
“Samulin,” Emery squeezed her hand again. “Bralix wouldn’t offer a symbiote to a pet; he wants you as his mate.”
Samulin stared at Emery, her jaw agape. “Hismate? We’ve known each other fortwo days!We’re not even the same species!”
Emery shrugged. “Only you can make this decision, Samulin. For myself, I’ve seen who Phyrax really is on the inside, and his character is good. Everything else can be worked out.”
Under the duvet, Samulin placed her free hand over her lower belly. No outward signs betrayed the life currently nestled inside her—no bump, no movement. Yet in just a few days, that little bean had become the focus of her decision-making.
She couldn’t afford to agree to a relationship with a sexy alien on a whim; she didn’t have only herself to consider anymore. She couldn’t afford whims of any kind—not anymore.
“If I say no, will they take me home?” Samulin asked softly.
Emery studied her for a moment. “Yes; if Bralix doesn’t, Phyrax will.”
Samulin nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. “Thank you.”
“Is there someone else for you at home?” Emery asked softly.
Samulin shook her head, a tear escaping. “No; I have no one on earth anymore.”
Emery gave Samulin’s hand one last squeeze before letting go. “Oh, honey; it might not look like it now, but it’ll all work out in the end, okay?”
Samulin nodded. “Thanks. I… I just need some time to think.”
“Of course,” Emery said. “Take all the time you need.”
Samulin climbed off the bed, and holding the duvet closely around her, she paused at the doorway. “Thank you,” Samulin said before heading back to the silence of the cargo hold.
Bralix led the way to his quarters, not bothering to turn on the light; the light from the corridor outside would be enough. He needed to check on the symbiote for himself. Most only survived for a few days outside of the breeding tanks or a host, and it had already been more than a week since Phyrax had bought this one from the Gavora spaceport market.
He carefully unscrewed the cap of the opaque jar, angled it so that the light from the corridor illuminated the tiny creature, and saw movement in the bottom of the jar as the organism moved to avoid the indirect beam of light.
Symbiotes didn’t breathe like other surface creatures, but rather absorbed the nutrients and oxygen they needed from their host through their skin, and waste was excreted in the same way, carried away by their host’s blood. They weren’t meant to be kept in a jar, and if it wasn’t implanted soon, it might die.
“I hadn’t realized there was another symbiote in the jar,” Phyrax said quietly behind him.
Bralix nodded and replaced the cap on the jar. “I noticed it when I took the other one out. I didn’t know what I’d do with it when I kept it.”
Phyrax sat on the corner of Bralix’s bed. “Why do you want to make Samulin your mate, brother?”
