Page 68 of Whisked Away By the Alien

Did she have to say blue?

I open the door. “There’s no one there. Dad tricked me into coming down, didn’t he?”

“Oh, I forgot, your mom pulled the poor guy into the kitchen to feed him. He looked hungry.”

Of course she did. I start climbing the stairs. “I’m going back to bed.”

“Without me, sholani?”

I whirl around. “Sten!”

My sweet alien emerges from the kitchen, with my parents behind him. My feet never touch the bottom step as I jump into his waiting arms and he holds me tight. I swear, I’ll never let go again.

“I’ll get her bags,” Dad says.

Suddenly there’s a flurry of activity around us but I’m too busy kissing Sten to ask or even care what’s going on.

Then he breaks the kiss and gently pushes my hair out of my eyes. “I couldn’t leave you, sholani.”

“I went to the airfield, but they said you’d taken off.”

“I was ordered to lift early. I made it as far as your moon before I turned back.”

“Why? What changed? Did your commander say you could stay on Earth?”

“No. I’m here against orders, but I could not leave you. I planned to stay until you were ready, and risk punishment by my people. But your parents say you wish to go with me. Is this true?”

“Yes!”

I’ve never seen a wider smile than the one on Stenikov’s face. His smile spans from ear to ear and his horns reach high, nearly touching the ceiling, as I smash my lips to him again.

He twirls me around in joy. “I never imagined I could be so fortunate to have a sholani such as you.”

My dad coughs, his way of interrupting us. “Don’t leave your ship too long, son. It won’t be long before someone reports it and the military swarms in.

He called Stenikov son! That is soooo cool!

“Your father is correct. I must return to my ship soon, before the military surrounds it. I am no longer authorized to be on Earth.”

I turn, about to ask for my coat. My mom’s already holds it open for me. I slip my arms in as my dad gives Sten the two suitcases from earlier. Bubbe returns from the kitchen and hands me a bag with two foil food containers inside. “You both missed dinner. Heat the latkes and brisket before you eat them. I threw extra napkins in.”

“Bubbe, I’m sure he has food aboard his ship.”

“This is just in case. I don’t want you to be hungry.”

I take the food and the love that goes with it. One last round of hugs and kisses and I’m racing down the street, hand-in-hand with Stenikov. No tears this time, just a heart filled with joy. I can’t believe he returned for me. He must have a lot of faith in me, more than I had in myself. That’s just part of what I love about him. He doesn’t give up on people, no matter how bull-headed they are.

We reach his ship within minutes. He landed in a nearby park. Fortunately, it’s night and there’s no one around to cause any trouble. When he presses his palm to a metal ID plate, the door opens, and a plank extends.

He slides my luggage in and then returns, extending his hand to me. I don’t hesitate in taking his hand, but then I look at my world, knowing this will probably be the last time I see Earth.

“Goodbye,” I say to my birth planet, then turn and walk up the plank with Sten. He holds me in his arms as the plank recedes and the door shuts, but I never look back. From this point on, I’m only going to look forward. And I am looking forward to everything life, and especially my sweet alien, have in store for me…

EPILOGUE

GOLDA

Iwake, alone in the cabin aboardKuvak’s Quest. Parts of me are a little sore, but in a way that has left me quite sated. We made love again shortly after leaving Earth. I’m not sure if it was Sten’s way to distract me from the fact that I may never see my family again, or because he just can’t keep his hands off me. Either way, I lost myself in him, and I suspect I always will.

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