1 /Paz
Jealousy is an underrated emotion.
Think about it. There’s nothing morallywrongabout jealousy. It just means you want a thing that somebody else has. As long as you don’t steal, maim, or kill to get the thingyou want, it’s all good.
No harm, no foul.
So, whenever I saw my two human pals laughing and smiling with their hot alien husbands and cradling their beautiful alien babies, and my insides churned with envy like a raging tsunami... I tried not to feeltooguilty about it.
The wise recited words of myvovórang in my ears, reminding me not to covet. But I didn’t covet my friends’ alien mates. Zat’tor and Linn’ar were totally not my type. Besides, their undying devotion was focused on Levi and Jaeyoung alone. I doubted the hunky aliens would notice if I blew away in the breeze like dandelion fluff.
I didn’t desire my friends’ specific partners. I just wanted a sexy alien mate of my own.
So, where the hell was he?
“Hello. Earth to Paz,” Levi drawled. “Or should I say, Eukaria to Paz?”
I turned to Levi. Like me, he was bent over the edge of a wooden box as we picked vegetables from the communal garden for the upcoming feast. A handful of colorful alien gourds threatened to spill from his arms.
“Huh? What is it?” I said.
He nodded to my empty hands. “Quit daydreaming and start picking. We’ve got to clear the old stuff to make room for the next harvest.”
Just to hold something, I grabbed a loose tuber halfway out of the soil. “You’re myex-captain, remember? You don’t get to boss me around,” I said playfully.
Levi groaned, making me snicker under my breath.
“Yeah, I know, I crashed the ship,” Levi grumbled. “Can we all get over it already?”
“No way, dude. You’re never living that down.”
He rolled his eyes and threw a purple tomato-looking thing at my head. I caught it with my free hand.
“Levi,” a deep, sexy voice rang out as Zat’tor strode up behind him. “That is not a toy.”
The note of chiding was drowned out by the overwhelming affection dripping from his words. Zat’tor spoke to Levi like he was the sun, and everything orbited around him. A small pang of jealousy slithered in my gut.
Instantly, Levi melted. He blushed as he gave the huge green alien a sheepish grin. “I know, Zat’tor. Sorry. But I knew Paz would catch it. Right?”
I shoved the jealousy down. “Yeah. Iwaspretty good at sports back in the day,” I explained.
Zat’tor listened as politely as someone can listen when they only care about their mate in front of them. But I was used to that by now. I didn’t hold it against the Maeleon mates for not giving a crap about me. I wasn’t the center of their world—theirmates were. Orfilum,in the local tongue, though it had a deeper, more complicated meaning I didn’t fully understand.
Zat’tor murmured something to Levi that made him turn redder than a beet. I averted my eyes, staring down at the dirt. Just because PDA was a normal part of Maeleon culture didn’t mean I had to witness it. I shoved my hand into the soil and grabbed aimlessly until another potato-thing grazed my fingers. I yanked it out.
“Got another one,” I announced. “How many do we need?”
The lovebirds weren’t paying attention. Levi giggled like a schoolgirl as Zat’tor pressed little kisses to his neck. I resisted the urge to groan.
“Now who’s distracted?” I said loudly to Levi. “If your face gets any redder, you’re gonna pre-roast those vegetables you’re holding.”
Levi’s eyelashes fluttered as he lazily faced me. “Sorry, what did you say?”
I ground my teeth and gathered my haul. “Never mind. I’m taking this to Jaeyoung and Linn’ar.”
Levi didn’t protest. I doubt he even heard since Zat’tor was murmuring sweet nothings in his ear, and everything he said took precedent. Clutching my two potatoes, I stormed away before I witnessed the public conception of their second child.
I sighed as I headed to Jaeyoung’s den, where the food was being prepared. At least he had some decency. Levi had always been kind of a himbo—take the crash-landing, for an iconic example—but Jae was a high-strung, stuck-up guy. Well, at least until he met Linn’ar. The dark green Maeleon mellowed him out. I was glad he’d helped pull the stick out of Jaeyoung’s ass, even if it meant replacing the stick with... you know.
