“You should be careful on that ankle,” he said, dropping her hand and walking to the other side of the bed, hesitating for just a moment before getting in. “I relieved some of your pain and inflammation, but you’re still injured. You should walk on it as little as possible.”
“So are you going to carry me around everywhere?” she asked, slipping under the covers and lying on her side facing him.
She propped herself up on her elbow as Apodis did the same, staring at her with iridescent eyes.
“I can if that’s what you would like.”
Gemini bit her lip, a shy smile curling her mouth.
“Your home is really nice,” she said, changing the subject.
Everything was absolutely immaculate, and yet cozy at the same time. Maybe it was the lack of screens, no hypervid as far as she had seen, only adding to the peaceful serenity of the cabin.
Apodis raised a brow.
“Oh? What did you expect?”
“I don’t know…” she said, trailing off with a shrug.
He leaned in close with a wide grin.
“You assume that because we choose not toengage with your galactic government that we must be primitive.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But that’s what you were thinking, was it not?”
Thatmayhave been what she was thinking, but she wasn’t about to admit that.
“I know nothing about your species, so I had no ideawhatto expect. I don’t even know what you eat… or why you have those tentacles.”
Apodis’ cheeks flushed, rippling like his skin cells were changing one by one until his whole face was a deep maroon. Had she said something wrong again?
“Well, Oslieth cuisine isn’t so unique. We like sweet foods a lot, and bitter as well. We mainly eat synthesized meat, and I do a lot of foraging now that I live out here. I tried to start a garden, but I am a bit clueless about keeping up with the tasks.”
Agarden? Gemini scratched her horticultural itch with the expansive greenhouses at NovaFlora, but space was at a premium in NeuroPlex Prime, and the dream of a personal garden was far out of reach. But Apodis certainly had the space, didn’t he? She was excited to see his land in the light of day, but for now, she had another question on her mind.
“What about the tentacles? I noticed that not all members of your species have those…”
Apodis cleared his throat, glancing around theroom like he was uncomfortable. Was it rude to ask someone about their extra appendages?
“They are my mating tentacles. I have them because I’m an alpha.”
Gemini felt a jolt of electricity race through her, the thought ofmatingmaking all sorts of naughty visions dance around in her head.
Butalpha?That sounded like some hyper-masculine douchebag bullshit she’d hear back home, though she kept her mind open. Apodis didn’t seem like those guys in the slightest.
“What does that mean?”
“It is a secondary biological designation. Alphas are typically more dominant and aggressive and often have protection or leadership roles.”
“You don’t seem very aggressive.”
“We learn to control our impulses.”
Gemini let out a deep breath, the thought of the alien lying in bed with her losing control more titillating than it should have been. What the hell was wrong with her? Had she forgotten every iota of self-preservation she’d learned from living as a woman in a megacity? Still, her curiosity continued to get the better of her.
“And what is thepurposeof these biological designations?”
