Page 10 of Her Alien Beast
Chapter 7
AMIRA
In the guest bedroom bathtub,I enjoy the feel of warm, soapy water against every inch of my body, save for my sore bottom. I’m still shocked that the bounty hunter had the audacity to spank me. Sure, he’d threatened it while on the hiking trail, but I hadn’t taken that threat too seriously. A small part of me had been excited at the prospect of the very handsome Vlann D’Zorr taking me across his knee, but the embarrassment and pain of the actual experience left me wishing I had behaved. A flush overtakes me as I recall the feel of his hard palm cracking down upon my buttocks again and again.
I’m not attracted to him. I’m not. He’s just a mean bounty hunter who only cares about money.
A knock on the door makes me jump. “Yes?” I call, wondering what couldn’t wait until after my bath.
“Amira, I just placed a bag for you on the bed. Clothes, shoes, toiletries, pajamas, that sort of thing. Enough to get you by for seven days.”
Stunned, my throat tightens as I search for my voice. “Thank you, Mr. D’Zorr,” I manage to say. A few moments later, I hear the bedroom door closing.
A few minutes later, I discover a few pairs of pants, shirts, comfy looking slippers, and even intimate wear and pajamas inside the large bag. Underneath the clothing, I find a variety of toiletries like perfumed soap and shampoos. As I dress myself in a brand-new outfit, my stomach twists into a ball of knots. It’s difficult to label Vlann a mean bounty hunter who only cares about money when he goes and does something thoughtful like this. He didn’t have to provide me with clean clothes. I hadn’t expected him to do so, but the gesture is touching, nonetheless.
Later on, at the dinner table, Vlann is silent and his expression is stern, making me wonder if he’s still upset over my attempt to use a video comm. But I remind myself he said I was forgiven. I’d believed him when he said it and I believe him still. So why does he look as if he’s on edge?
I play with my pasta and steal glances at him, searching for the courage to speak. I want to understand him, to know what secret experiences have rendered him as hard as stone.
“This is good,” I finally say.
He nods but says nothing.
“How long have you lived here?” I dab the corners of my mouth with a napkin.
“A couple of years.” He offers no additional information.
“It’s very beautiful here.”
He nods but again says nothing. I can’t decide whether his gaze is angry or something else, but whenever he glances at me, I feel as though he’s about to pounce on me. I repress a shudder and try to ignore the heat building between my thighs. Again, I wonder about his race. After taking a deep breath, I ask, “Do any of your family members live nearby?”
“My family members are all dead.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
He shrugs. “It happened a long time ago. I have barely retained any memory of my parents or my home planet.”
“The war?” I ask, and he nods in confirmation. “What about friends?”
“Friends?” He shoots me a quizzical look.
“I mean, do any of your people, people from your homeworld, live near you here on Marryyn?” I list all the alien races who call Marryyn home that I know about in my head, quickly ruling each one out. The Horshonmans are reptilian humanoids with black scales, but Vlann’s skin is definitely a dark shade of green. Besides, he is much taller than all the Horshonmans I’ve seen.
“As far as I know, I’m the only Kaxxloran living on Marryyn.” He stares at me, his blue eyes reflecting the light of the setting sun that’s spilling through the windows.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I say, and I really am. How sad that he’s the only member of his race living on this planet. “I-I have never heard of Kaxxlorans before.” Then I feel like an idiot, because I’m staring at him openly, practically gawking at him like he’s some kind of exotic creature in a zoo. I avert my eyes, my face flaming.
“There aren’t many of us left. I met two male Kaxxlorans at an outpost in space once, during my training as an Enforcer. They told me our numbers are few, confirming what the Minders in the Marryyn orphanage told me.”
The sternness leaves his face as we continue talking, and I breathe an inward sigh of relief. Perhaps he really isn’t used to having guests in his home. He doesn’t mention having any non-Kaxxloran friends and that makes my heart ache for him. How lonely he must be, all by himself in this huge house in the middle of nowhere.
Why does he live so far from civilization, anyway?
Well, I can’t quite bring myself to ask this question, but we discuss all the places he’s traveled on Marryyn and in the nearby sectors during his time working as an Enforcer. I tell him that I’ve never left this planet, which surprises him, but he seems to understand when I explain that my father worries I would be a prime kidnapping target if I ever left the safety of Marryyn. I don’t mind though, as I think this planet is beautiful, especially compared to the images I’ve seen of Earth, photos that were taken before the destruction of my homeworld.
“My father manufactures most of the weaponry the Enforcers use,” I say. “He brought technology from Earth that was superior to whatever it was the Marryyns were using before. It helped us secure permanent residency on this planet, though from what I’ve heard, the Marryyns didn’t turn many people away during and after the war. They’re a very welcoming people.”
“I agree. Even if I were to discover a settlement of my people living on another planet,” he says, “I do not think I would leave Marryyn. It feels like home.”
