With the remainder of humanity in chains, Shasta keeps her head down and tries to weather the storm. Servicing the filthy needs of a superior alien race, each day passes in a blur, the struggle to survive outweighing everything else.
After ten years...
The days pass in slow misery. Fiona brings me food and tries to chat but it doesn't help to pass the time. I find myself missing him. Not just in the sense that I'm not as bored when he's around but really and truly. He has become a companion, even when we aren't talking he is there, a grounding presence that soothes me.
My mind wanders back to the hours spent in the sand. In addition to the sex, I keep thinking about the conversations we had afterwards.
"This planet reminds me of home." I sift the sand through my fingers.
"Interesting. This is not what I expected."
"Yeah, especially where I am from. The desert and the sand. The whole planet wasn't like this but my home was."
"It is very warm." He sounds like he's trying to say something polite.
"It is," I laugh. "I forgot what this was like. It's been so long."
"I hope this does not offend you, but I prefer greenery." He lets a handful of sand fall back to the ground.
"That doesn't offend me. When I was a kid, my mom drove us to Wyoming to see some obscure relative that I had never met and never saw again. It was so beautiful. They lived in a valley surrounded by mountains on the banks of a big river. It was so green and different from home. I loved it. I cried when we left. My mom and sister teased me all the way home." My eyes get misty thinking about them. I never talk about them. I found, over the years, that no one likes to hear about the dead. It reminds them of all the people they lost in the invasion.
"They both died?" He doesn't seem uncomfortable hearing about them at all.
"Yes. Mom first, then Claudia."
"Do you think of them often?"
"Yes and no. I made myself forget them. It was the easiest way to survive, to pretend that I didn't miss them. But sometimes, every once in a while, they just pop into my head at random times. It hurts but not always in a bad way. Sometimes it's good. It reminds me that they existed. Everyone deserves to be remembered." I wipe the tear from my cheek.
"Your kind is very different from my own. I do not know anything of my lineage. I do not know if they are alive or dead. I do not know if they had more children before or after me. I could be fighting alongside them now and never be aware of it." He sounds thoughtful.
"My sister was three years older than me. She wanted to be an actress." I don't know why I told him that. He probably doesn't know what that means. It's such an insignificant detail but one of the things I remember best. "She wanted to be in musicals where she would have to sing and dance. She loved them."
He nods, humming softly.
"My mom loved to sing. She had a beautiful voice..."
The more I think about our conversation, the more the memories come flooding back. I dream about them at night. Mom in the kitchen, cooking dinner and dancing while she belts out the songs, one after the other play on the radio, Claudia right beside her, mimicking her steps. Their voices mix together to create harmonies that echo in the small room.
The words to the songs are long gone, but the melodies are still there. I wake up humming them. I wish he would come back now. Something about him makes me remember songs better.
My stomach rolls slightly as I sit up in bed. Last night I was nauseous and didn't eat much of the food I was given. Now, I'm so hungry that my stomach feels like it's eating itself.
I hope Fiona brings my tray this morning. I want to ask her if she remembers the words to the song that has been rolling around in my head all night.
When the door opens, I turn excitedly, ready to embarrass myself by humming the tune at her but it's not Fiona. The alien is staring at me like he's afraid of me. Me. This hulking mass of muscle and fury looks at me like I'm going to spring up and kill him or something.
I've never seen them look like this before. Actual fear is not something that they've ever expressed in an outward way. He sets down the tray and backs away from me, never breaking eye contact.
That was weird.
Brushing it off, I open the tray and the smell of the food immediately smacks me in the face. I almost don't make it to the bathroom. The slightly weird feeling in my stomach has turned into a full-fledged illness.
Yuck. I feel terrible for a moment, then I'm fine again. How strange.
Sitting down at the table I stare at the food nervously. In an unexpected twist, I'm starving, despite the sudden nausea.
Nervously picking up some of the food, I lean in to take a bite and the door opens again.
The alien is back. This time he's not alone. He has two others with him and they are staring at me the same way he was.
"Hello?" The silence coupled with their shocked expressions are unnerving. "Can I help you?"
The sound of my voice seems to spook them and they rush away.
Jumping up, I catch the door before it closes. "Hey! Wait!" I call after them. "Please!"
My mind runs rampant. I am instantly afraid that their bizarre behavior is because something happened to Destroyer. I can't even imagine a world where he could be injured or killed but it must be possible. What if it happened? Would they even tell me?
He could be dead and no one would care to let me know.
Retreating into the room, I try not to let myself get overwhelmed by panic. There are probably tons of reasons why they would look at me like a beast with two heads.
Sleep doesn't come easy. I toss and turn all night. My dreams are filled with terror instead of songs.
⚡Read the completed story + start the sequel andunlock 30 other adult romance titles at patreon.com/MyrandaRae
--
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
