The one who did the talking glared at I-ya and spit at his feet. The one holding on to I-ya raised his fist and conked him hard on the head, knocking him out cold. The red alien slouched, unconscious. Then they all turned their attention to Stephenie and Darcy.
Stephenie felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She suddenly felt extremely vulnerable. She was, after all, much smaller than all of these alien men. And she was trapped in space on a ship with nowhere to go. A-rec hadn’t even shown them where the Transporter was before I-ya arrived and put a dent in their escape plan.
“Steph-e-knee,” Ee-rah said, drawing Stephenie’s attention from the group of monstrous beings to him. “They do not speak your language right now, but that will be fixed momentarily. They want you and your comrade to know they were as unaware of our captain’s activities as A-rec and I…and if they had known anything, they would have put a stop to it long before this.”
“I…” Stephenie didn’t know how to respond. “Okay, thanks?” It sounded lame even to her own ears.
Ee-rah said something to the group, and another one responded in kind. He looked quizzically over at Stephenie and appeared to ask Ee-rah a question. Ee-rah nodded and shrugged loose of the Toxhocan that held hold of him.
He sauntered over to Stephenie and took her hands in his. “They know that you are my Mate.” He said, staring down at her. “That being said, it is your choice if you wish to return to your home planet. I-ya will be returned to our planet, where the elders will judge him on his crimes.” He glanced over at Darcy. “Your companion will be returned to Earth shortly.”
“I… so I get a choice?” Stephenie had assumed she would be forced to return to Earth now that her presence on the ship had been made known.
“Yes. We will be returning to my planet as soon as you have decided.”
One of the Toxhocan had started typing up on the computer screen that A-rec had used before I-ya had shown up and interrupted them. There was a whooshing sound, and the far wall opened up into what looked like an elevator.
“The Transporter,” Ee-rah explained, gesturing towards the room. “This will take you home. It won’t hurt. It will simply feel like you’ve closed your eyes for a moment and then opened them in a new place. We can narrow down the coordinates once you give us the name of your village- you’ll have to choose the correct one.”
“Wait.” Stephenie was still reeling from all of this. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. “So… You said I get a choice? I can return to my planet and live out my life there…or I can choose to stay with you and be your Mate on your planet?”
“Yes.”
“But won’t you get into some sort of trouble? I mean, I am human, and you weren’t supposed to interact with humans.”
“You are my Mate,” is all he said in reply.
Stephenie looked around the bridge once more, and her gaze landed on the viewport. All the dark vastness of space…and all those stars too. She had never in her life imagined that this was a possibility for her.
“All I ever wanted was the choice…” She said, mostly to herself.
Ee-rah answered anyway. “Yes. And I will support you no matter your decision. But know this, Steph-e-knee.” He grasped her hands in his and leaned down to press his lips to herknuckles. “My people Mate for life. From the day we first touched… I was only yours. I will take no other female. I will wait for our spirits to meet once more in life after the Big Sleep, and together we will soar in the stars.”
Stephenie looked over at the Transporter. If she wanted, she could get in there with Darcy and be home within minutes. She could take her exam and live her life as if none of this had ever happened. Everything would return to normal- or as normal as it could be after something like this happened.
Darcy was pacing from one foot to the other, obviously growing impatient.
It was then that Stephenie realized the truth. She felt her stomach twist and her heart flutter as she finally accepted it all.
“I want to stay with you, Ee-rah.” She said excitedly. She squeezed his hands. “I want to stay with you, my Mate.”
“Are you sure? This is what you want?”
“Yes!” Stephenie cried excitedly. “Yes! This is what I want. With you!”
Ee-rah let out a howl, and suddenly he was lifting her up and twirling her around. He only stopped to pull her into a bone crushing hug. He spoke over her shoulder to the other Toxhocan. In English, he said, “My Mate will stay!”
He sat her down carefully, and Stephenie turned to face Darcy. “You’ll have to go back without me.” She said, unapologetic.
Darcy’s eyes filled with tears. She glanced between the Transporter and Stephenie. “Are you kidding me?” She said after a beat had passed between them. “How can I go back without my best friend? I’m staying too.”
“Can she?” Stephenie asked Ee-rah, suddenly worried he would say no and force Darcy to return home without her.
“She does not have a Mate… The rules do not apply to her.”
“She is my Mate,” A-rec said quickly, shrugging off the hands of those who still held him. “At least as far as the others are concerned.”
“They still can’t understand what we’re saying?” Darcy asked, glancing at the other Toxhocan nervously. I-ya, the only other one who could speak English was still out cold.
