Again with the shame. Why were humans so opposed to nudity? Were they born with body coverings on? Did removing them cause physical pain?
“I have seen you naked before,” I reminded him.
Levi chuckled. “That’s true. I’d better get over it. Could you press that button again?”
When I did so, the hard suit disengaged from Levi’s form. He set it aside. As he kneeled by the kofotta pile, he looked demure and vulnerable. Perhaps that was why he preferred the coverings. Unlike us, humans had no scales. They had no natural protection for their soft, fleshy bodies.
Levi’s nude form allured me. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and hold him tight to my chest. I wanted to let my tentacles sliver across the planes of his skin. I wanted my feelers to caress every single part of him.
But my desires had to wait. Levi needed rest.
“Sleep now,” I urged him.
Levi blinked at me with half-lidded eyes. He already had one foot in the dream world.
“Okay, but don’t let me oversleep,” he mumbled, lying down in the pink pillowy pile.
“I won’t,” I promised. I sat beside his makeshift bed, staring at him.
As Levi got comfortable, he glanced up at me. “Are you going to stay there the whole time?”
“Yes. I will watch over you.”
A slow, comforted smile spread over Levi’s face. “Okay. Thanks, Zat’tor. See you in a couple hours.”
“Sleep well, Levi.”
7Levi
It feltlike I’d just closed my eyes when a moment later, a large hand touched my shoulder, rousing me.
“Levi. It is time for the feast.”
I’d known the voice’s owner for less than a day, but it was already familiar and warm.
I rolled over in the cotton candy fluff bed. Zat’tor hadn’t moved an inch since I fell asleep. That surprised me. It wasn’t like he had any entertainment, either—no books, no games, no screens to explore. He’d stared at me the whole time likeIwas his entertainment.
“Hey,” I said, my voice thick with sleep. I yawned to shake it off. “Wow, I needed that.”
Zat’tor made a soft trilling sound. “Yes, you did. Are you well now?”
I nodded, sitting up.
Then I recalled I was naked. Again. I always managed to lose my clothing around Zat’tor.
My stomach growled. I was ravenous. When was the last time I ate anything? It must’ve been last night on the ship when we had dinner. Although calling it ‘dinner’ implied it was fancier than the reality, which was an unappetizing protein-and-carb cube spat out by the ship’s meal machine.
“I’m looking forward to this feast,” I said, standing up to stretch.
Zat’tor brightened. “Excellent. I wish to feed you and pamper you until you’re fully satisfied.”
A pleasant shiver rolled across my skin. How could an alien have such a romantic way with words?
I glanced at my hard suit. Honestly, I didn’t want to put it back on since it reminded me of my spectacular failure of a mission, but I had no other clothes.
“Hey, Zat’tor,” I said, suddenly thinking of an idea. “You said Maeleons weave and make costumes with this stuff, right?”
I gestured to the pink cotton candy fluff I’d slept in.
