I gulp as I realize I’ve just attacked this giant…and if he wanted to, he could snap me in half. He glowers down at me as I grip his bougie upholstery with my uninjured hand. Setting my jaw, I brace myself for his reaction, half expecting him to backhand me.
Exhaling a burst of air through his nostrils, he frowns before scrubbing a palm over his face.
His arm shoots out, and I wince, squeezing my eyes tightly shut. When I feel his hand brush past me, I crack open one eye. His four-fingered hand, larger than my head, pulls a piece of cloth from the table behind me.
“You don’t have to like your current situation,” he starts as he pulls my bleeding hand from my chest. “But I can only tolerate so much disrespect.”
The duke of whatever he said he was the duke of seems annoyed. I should fight, I should run—but given how well my punch went over, I resign myself to hear him out, for now. Maybe I’ll be able to learn something to help me escape. Perhaps if I show him a little respect, I can even get him to help me.Respect is something I can understand.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bleed all over my home.” He wraps my hand in the cloth much more gently than I would have thought was possible for someone his size. His gray fingers gingerly tuck the fabric in on itself until it’s tight enough to stay put on its own.
“I don’t know you at all. That’s the problem here.” I look down at the origami of white fabric that’s wrapped around my hand as it blooms with small pricks of blood. “I don’t know what you even are…”
Raf’ere cocks his white brow and sits in an easy chair opposite me.
“I am fi’len. I suppose to you I’m an alien.” He says the word “alien” with a grimace, as if the taste of it is bitter in his mouth.
“Alien…No fucking way.” The corners of my mouth draw up in disgust. “You’re telling me some fucking oak tree of an alien came down to Earth and kidnapped me?”
“Well, no, that’s not what I’m saying. The first thing is we’re not on Earth. I’ve never even been to Earth. I have no f’teeing desire to go to Earth. Also, I didn’t kidnap you, that was the Deenz.” He smiles smugly, as if he’s deserving of some reward for not committing felony kidnapping.
“You rescued me and put me in a coffin in your closet?” The words falling from my mouth are full of venom.
“Well, it’s not a coffin—”
“But you didn’t want me to wake up?” I narrow my eyes.
“That’s not exactly true…”
“I didn’t expect you to wake up?” I parrot the first words he said to me, my hands making a talking motion.
“You’re skewing my words! It’s not that I wanted you to stay in cryosleep forever. It’s that…”
“It’s what?” I bark. The big gray alien in front of me does a double take. I can tell he’s not used to anyone contradicting him…and I know for a fact he’s never felt what it’s like to haveuna donna incazzata1Italian woman yell at him.
“The beings who took you were trafficking you.” He speaks slowly, as if trying to control his temper. “You were in a cryopod, in stasis, for transport. Did you really want to end up dancing in a security pod on an off-world station? To have some marauder scum leering at you?” He tightens his grip on the arm of the plush chair.
“Why do you care?” I gruff.
Raf’ere takes a deep breath, “Because you’re my ma—”
“I just want to go home!” I cut him off, anxiety welling in my chest.
“Are you f’teeing dense? I already told you—you’re my subject. The Deenz ship crashed in the reefs, so you fall under my jurisdiction.” He releases his grip on the arm of the chair, his four fingers leaving deep imprints.
“Thanks for your help,” I try to sound grateful, but I know it’s coming off as insincere. “Can we skip to the part where you take me home? What spaceship do I hop on that’s headed to Earth? My father is probably shaking down his entire territory looking for me right now.” I stand, making my way to the door.
“Go back to Earth?” His voice trails before he breaks out into a full belly laugh.
“You take me home now!” I holler over my shoulder, placing my hand on the door handle. “Hop to it. I’m ready to go.”
“Earth is not an option for you any longer,” —His laughter stops as quickly as it started— “Not now or ever.”
“What do you mean?” I frown tightly and draw my brows together, throwing him a death glare over my shoulder.
“Earth is off limits. Only the Deenz had the necessary permitting from the Universal Governing Senate. The Deenz decontamination tech, a crucial defense, was believed to be the sole safeguard against human viruses eradicating the entire universe. But now that it has been revealed that your kind is being kidnapped, any contact has been outlawed entirely.” He touches my shoulder, tugging me away from the door.
“I don’t accept that.” I shake his palm off with a disgusted grimace.
