Heathen

before

     For as long as Elodie could remember, she's been either ignored or stared at with disgust. There was no in between.

     Even now that it was behind her, she still clutched at her red locks with shame. Rytaria was so much different than what she was used to back on Earth.

    That's not the surprising part about it. It's an alien planet, so of course Elodie expected changes and differences. But the differences she did experience upon arrival were not what she was expecting.

     She knew her whole miserable life that she was ugly. She was told on a regular basis. It was practically ingrained in her that she would never find a husband, because no man wanted the curse of red haired children dotted in horrific freckles. All along she was aware of her ailment, but still, she held out hope.

     Every day she would sneak a romance book out from under her pillow. She would read her favorite lines over and over, dreaming of having love. Longing for a man that would treat her well and adore her as she adored him. But she knew deep down, and with much disappointment, that it wasn't possible for her.

     Until now.

     Elodie walked down the hallway, looking over her shoulder regularly in case she was being followed. She was.

    The massive alien called Locanas was a high ranking warrior. He had many admirers and respect, but not from Elodie. She ducked behind a pillar, determined to hide as she held her breath.

     The day she heard of the massive, scary men around their compound on Earth, she had been afraid. Until she realized what it could mean for her. Would these strangers bring her a shot at love? Such a miracle couldn't be possible. Could it?

    Turns out, it was, but not in a way she could ever dream. Aliens. The newcomers were aliens. And Elodie found out the hard way.

    It was all because of one big burly alien that grabbed her. Locanas. He still terrified her, even now that she was safe and far away from Earth, tucked in an enormous palace where she wanted for nothing. But she still didn't have what she wanted most. Romance.

    Now it seemed even more far fetched to desire such a thing. It was clear, even though they couldn't communicate, that he wanted her. Desperately.

      The only problem was that he was very demanding and didn't take no as a final answer. In fact, it seemed that he didn't understand the word no at all, even though he was lucky enough to have a translation chip, where she had none.

     Stupid alien man.

     "Elodie." The rough voice had Elodie jumping so high that one of her shoes almost came off.

     She didn't have to look up to see who had called her name. It was Locanas, and she knew it, he always managed to find her somehow. He was like a bloodhound finding his prey. Reluctantly, she looked up at the massive alien.

     He was close to 7 feet tall, which was the norm for their race. Some were bigger than Locanas, some were smaller, but they were all incredibly massive. It made Elodie feel insignificant. But to Rytarians, she was anything but that, they were basically worshipped here because Rytaria had no females. Their race was dying out. They needed human women desperately.

     But despite the fact that nearly 50 women came to live on Rytaria from Elodie's community alone, Locanas only wanted her, and she could not understand why.

     "Locanas." She acknowledged, trying to keep the trembling from her voice. She wished for her best friend suddenly, Soleil was always the strong one, the brave one. What she lacked in height, she made up for in heart.

     The alien male reached out to touch her, and she took a step back. He did not like that. Letting out a growl, he pushed her against the pillar, pressing his hard muscular body against her soft one.

     Panicked, Elodie whimpered, but she didn't dare scream, too afraid of what he would do to her in retaliation.

     "Meseela relinkas, Elodie." He said gently, his voice the opposite of his harsh hands and strength.

      Elodie felt like she couldn't breathe. She was trapped completely, and there was no way she could fend off a Rytarian warrior. They were unbeatable. She was basically a child compared to one of them.

      "Please." She murmured, but he didn't back off. There was desperation and pleading in his hard eyes, and he just leaned closer.

      Elodie turned her head to the side, her heart pounding in her chest. She was absolutely terrified of him. She was frozen. Trembling. Hysterical. She had no idea how she could get out of this, but there had to be a way.

     Locanas's hand stretched up, carefully going to her neck and reaching down for the neck of her shirt. His fingers carefully brushed the fabric that hid her body.

      Suddenly, a sound rung out through the hallway, and the warrior flinched, his head coming up for a split second.

      It was her chance at escape. Ducking under his arm, Elodie quickly freed herself from him. Caught off guard for a moment, Locanas's mouth parted as she sprinted down the hallway. Always determined, he raced after her, boots thudding against the floor behind her.

     Panting already, and not looking back, Elodie didn't stop running.

      She didn't stop when she broke out of the palace, she didn't stop when people on the streets stopped to stare, she didn't stop when shouts rang out behind her, and she didn't even stop as her surroundings went from foreign buildings to towering trees.