The other Maeleons backed off. I sighed in relief.
I never recalled giving Zat’tor permission to touch me. He’d just kind of... done it.
And I’d just kind of... not minded it.
That didn’t mean I wanted a whole village of Maeleons rubbing me all over, though, so I was glad Zat’tor had intervened. Good to know consent was a thing on this planet.
“What about the fire?” a dark green Maeleon asked. “Do thesehyoomunshave anything to do with that?”
My stomach plummeted. I’d nearly forgotten about that. How would the others react when Zat’tor told them the truth? Even if he seemed to understand, that didn’t mean the others would be.
I was afraid, but I had a duty to report the truth. I took in a deep breath.
“We were travelling to a different location when our spacecraft experienced technical difficulty and crash landed on Eukaria. So yes, we were the cause of the fire,” I explained. “I’m sorry. It was a complete accident. We didn’t mean to harm any of the plant life.”
The Maeleons exchanged glances, but I couldn’t read their faces as well as I could read Zat’tor’s. Whatever they were thinking, it didn’t seem to be in our favor. Or maybe that was my overactive imagination.
I swallowed the anxious lump in my throat. I had to step up.
“Please, if you’re going to punish anyone, punish me,” I offered.
Paz gasped. “Levi!”
“What are you saying?” Jaeyoung demanded, shocked.
I shook my head. I refused to let them take the fall for my blunder. If being killed here was my fate, I could at least try to save their lives before I went down.
“My crew had nothing to do with the fire,” I told the Maeleons. “It was due to my incompetence. It’s my fault. Not theirs.”
The Maeleons wriggled their feelers, as if communicating silently with each other.
“To harm the Sweetfields is taboo,” the dark green Maeleon said gravely.
A yellowish one chimed in. “Yes. Perhaps we should sacrifice this human to restore balance.”
“It looks like a carbon-based life form,” another added, leaning closer to me. “It would make excellent fertilizer.”
Before I could even feel a chill of fear, Zat’tor’s tentacle wrapped firmly around me. But it wasn’t only his tentacle touching me anymore. He grabbed me with his huge hands and pulled me against his broad, warm chest. My heart fluttered at the confusing gesture.
“No,” Zat’tor stated with finality. “This human is mine. He is my filum.”
What was that strange word? My ITM didn’t translate it.
Wait.
Did he just say I washis?
I craned my neck to gape up at Zat’tor in shock. Was he... protecting me?
This feeling was so foreign. I was used to being on my own, forging my headstrong path through life. Nobody had ever stood up for me. Especially not someone so big, and strong, and handsome...
What the hell was I thinking? The guy was an alien, for god’s sake. Was he even aguy?His concept of gender seemed tentative at best.
The other Maeleons were similarly surprised by Zat’tor’s outburst. Upon hearing it, they regarded me in a new light. Nobody challenged him. They all just accepted it, no questions asked.
I couldn’t believe it. No way in hell could it bethateasy. What was this, some kind of cheesy romance plot?
“So, it’s settled,” I declared, still convinced this was some kind of trick. “I’ll take on the punishment instead of my crew. Whatever it is, lay it on me.”
