Page 14 of Theirs to Crave

My respite from affectionate brotherly abuse had only lasted as long as my bruises.

“I’m more worried about being dissected,” he grumped. Without waiting to be asked, he translated for the Quoosalk. “I fear the aliens will cut us open.”

Therry paused with xyr arm outstretched, lilac skin shimmering with water, and winked at him.

Winking was a new skill for the Quoosalk. I was still adjusting to the strangeness of it, since they didn’t have eyelids like we humans did. Theirs moved horizontally and came from beneath their skin. We called them nictitating membranes on Earth. Thank you, late night documentary binges, for that bit of trivia.

Therry ran the cloth over xyr shoulder and said mildly, “No fear. I make safe.”

“I also fear this,” Shane said from his reclined position on the floor.

Therry studied him for a long moment, then bent to moisten xyr tail. “You make you safe.”

Shane burst out laughing, the happy sound bouncing off the dungeon walls.

Therry meekly endured an obvious tongue lashing on manners from Yin, then offered Shane a saccharine apology that lasted only until Yin huffed and turned to bathe xyr child. When xe wasn’t looking Therry winked at my brother again, grinning.

Mariano postured and strutted for our entertainment, but I noticed how he watched the brightly colored Quoosalk.Confusion darkened his eyes even as a flush darkened his cheeks.

Interesting.

“I fear aliens...mate us. Make...different...us.” Ilya’s voice trembled, and xe hugged xyr tail, curling into a tiny ball of anxiety.

Yin dropped the cloth and wrapped xyr arms around Ilya, crooning comfort.

“No.” Ria’s voice was sure and firm. When wide silver eyes met hers, she gentled her tone. “No, Ilya. We are not many enough. And if we were for mating, why family?” Ria waved to Ilya and Yin, then Mariano and me. “No mating.”

Ilya let out a shaky breath and relaxed, though xyr tail still twisted in unrest. The other Quoosalk gathered around, cuddling together, and Yin inclined xyr head gratefully to Ria.

We all knew she’d been talking out of her ass. There was no telling what the aliens wanted us for. But however the Quoosalk figured ages, I clocked Ilya at maybe sixteen. Wordlessly, we’d agreed to protect xem as much as we could.

Cass had been talking quietly with Salat, but she cleared her throat, her eyes darting between Ria and me. “Have you noticed that we—none of us—have had a period? Salat says the Quoosalk don’t menstruate, but I was due about a week after we got here.”

I’d been trying not to think about it. I was thankful not to be dealing with a no-pants, no-shower period, and desperately ostriching about the why. Stress could do that, right? Not much was more stressful than being abducted by aliens.

“I’ve never been super consistent,” Ria said, shrugging. “But it is weird. You think there might have been some kind of suppressant in the shots they gave us?”

The thought chilled me. Nothing good could come from the bugs controlling our reproductive systems. What if it wasn’t reversible? A la verga, what if itwas?

I was beginning to hyperventilate, my mind overcome by horrifying scenarios, when Shane started singing. His eyes were dark and teasing, his smirk inviting me to share in the joke. My panic attack choked off into morbid giggles as Shane serenaded us with the iconic chorus of R.E.M.’sIt’s the End of the World as We Know It.

Mariano threw an arm over my shoulder and swayed us to the beat, his singing loud and wildly animated. His fingers trembled, matching the shaking of my voice, but we smiled, and laughed, and sang.

Ria joined in on the air guitar, and by the time the next chorus rolled around Cass was dancing, the Quoosalk cuddle puddle was bouncing to the rhythm, and we were shouting, tears running down our cheeks, daring the universe to say fucking anything.

We were going to be fine. All nine of us. Together. No matter what.

???

“Estrella!”

Mariano’s urgent voice jerked me out of a very pleasant dream of bubble baths and sexy half-naked people bringing me all my favorite things. I scrunched up my nose and burrowed deeper into the crook of my elbow.

“Can you hear that? Something’s going on.”

His continued pestering banished the last of my dream eye-candy. I rolled over, blowing my unruly bangs out of my face, glare ready. Then I heard it. The uneven hum of the engine had changed. It now had a rumbling growl that cycled rhythmically, growing until my teeth shook with it, then dropping off only to grow again.

I started trembling. No, theshipwas trembling. My eyes shot to the Quoosalk’s cell, finding them in a grim huddle. “What’s happening?”

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