Page 28 of The Dalgur’s Pet

“What do you mean? Why can’t you go back?”

He was silent for a long while, his chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm, before turning back to her.

“Thase and I were designated as deviants, which means we can never step foot on our homeworld again.”

Her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard, trying to process the information.

“Deviants?”

Vrix glanced around the room, his discomfort clear, though he continued.

“Dalgurs are expected to mix their genes, but they do not take romantic partners. It is taboo for our species, as we are bound to the biological imperative.”

“And Thase is your… romantic partner?”

He focused on her again, his arms squeezing her tighter.

“He is, though he does not like to admit it, and we do not use that phrase exactly. We were punished with exile when our people found out.”

“Oh,” was all Giselle could manage, her heart breaking for him.

God, she shouldn’t be feeling pity for someone who’d hurt her, abducted her, wanted to use her as his brood mare, but she did.

Loving someone in a world without love? She couldn’t imagine never being able to experience the comfort and caress of a partner. Not just the physical connection, but the emotional intimacy as well, knowing someone would do anything for you, love you without bounds.

Something she still hoped to feel one day, knowing that Anthony’s devotion had been false.

She needed something, anything, to stop the fluttering in her chest. These aliens did not deserve her pity.

Maybe Vrix sensed the tension too, because his question brought her some relief.

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

Vrix held her hand as they meandered down the winding hallways, repeating a loop that took a couple of minutes to complete. They stopped near one of the expansive windows.

“Romantic partners are common on Earth?” he asked, breaking the pleasant silence.

Giselle eyed him, but his gaze remained glued to the stars whizzing by.

“Yes. A lot of people either have a partner or want one.”

A bit of an understatement, sure. She knew how her single friends scrolled endlessly on the apps, hoping to meet someone to settle down with, but finding only losers.

But she’d been the one with the biggest loser all along.

Vrix turned to her.

“And why did you leave yours? If partnership is so coveted?”

A knot welled in her throat; the first time she’d really thought of Anthony in days. He’d been easy enough to forget with all that had been happening, but the reference to him still tightened her chest.

“He left me, actually. I don’t know why, he didn’t really give me an explanation. That’s why I was in the desert when…” she trailed off.

“Was he upset because you removed your womb?” Vrix asked, an earnest expression on his face.

The question jolted her, sweat beading on her brow despite the perfect temperature of the ship.

“Oh, I… I’m not sure.”