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And I don’t trust Bethiah in the slightest.
“She told me you had a big dick and I should hop on it,” I blurt out.
He strokes his chin, contemplating this answer. “It is good advice.”
“I’m not jumping on anything, thank you very much. You agreed to have a platonic relationship.”
“I did, though it would give me great pleasure to make you purr.”
I narrow my eyes at him. Interesting choice of words. Did he hear what Bethiah said or does everyone just lean into the cat puns when it comes to praxiians? “Don’t even try it.”
Nassakth sighs. “Do not worry. I have given you my word of honor.” He gestures at the hall. “I will show you the bedroom and you may claim it as your quarters.”
I follow him down the hall, kind of in love with all the beautiful greenery in the house. It really does make the place seem like a paradise. I think of my small farm, atop a rocky crag covered in flowers, and my puny little homestead house. “You must have been really rich to afford this place,” I comment.
He just grunts. “Land is cheap out here. Why do you think they give it away to humans?”
“Ouch.”
He glances over his shoulder. “I did not mean it like that.”
“I mean, you have a point. No one on this end of the universe seems to like humans much. I’ve definitely learned that the hard way.”
The big alien pauses at the doorway and looks over at me. “No one will ever threaten you again, Kim. This I promise you.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He nods and then opens the door to the bedroom and I am…not prepared for the size of the bed in there. It’s literally bigger than my bedroom in my last apartment, just an enormous platform with pillows tossed all over it and a raised, cushiony side to prevent you from rolling out. It’s like…an enormous bowl you’re meant to sleep in, and now I can see that a praxiian family could fit in there. There’s room for at least seven big adults.
And there’s plenty of room for me and Nassakth both. Does that mean I’m going to invite him to stay?
No, no it does not. He offered to sleep in the hall and I am going to take him up on it, because I am not letting an alien push me around again. “Nice place,” I comment, moving forward to touch the leaf of a pale green, spiky plant in the corner. Other than the bed and a gigantic window on one side of the room, there’s not a lot here. It’s literally just for sleeping. There’s two doors along the far wall, probably closets.
“The private bathing room is here,” Nassakth says, moving to a door that I thought was a second closet.
He opens the door and I gasp in surprise—and delight—at the sight of the bathroom. It looks like something from a Turkish palace, with a huge, sunken tub as big as a kiddie pool, more greenery, and a trickling fountain set into the wall. “Holy crap, this is lovely.”
“Praxiians are fond of bathing pools. I spared no expense.”
They are? In a way, I suppose it makes sense. Tigers like swimming, don’t they? I think of my own crappy little cleanser box, which uses sonic beams to clean my skin. It’s nice enough, but it’s nothing like this little indoor paradise. “Are you sure you want to hand all this over to me?” I ask him, uncertain. “I don’t want to displace you.”
His eyes light up. “You wish to share?”
“No, I didn’t say that — I mean, I can go back to my farm.”
Nassakth shakes his head. “No, Kim. You are mine now. I am going to keep you.”
“Platonically,” I tell him, even as I blush.
He chuckles. “Yes. Platonically.” He gestures at the large room. “Please make yourself at home. We can go to your farm tomorrow and pick up some of your things, and set up perimeter droids to keep things safe.”
“That sounds good.” I know it’s still early in the day, but I’m utterly exhausted. I need to sit down and process everything that’s happened to me so far and a nap sounds like just the ticket.
The big alien nods at me. “There is food in the kitchen. Help yourself.” He pauses, gazing down at me, as if he wants to say more. He doesn’t, though. He just nods one more time, turns on his heel, and walks down the hall.
I’m alone in a stranger’s house.
I shut the door behind me and fasten the locking mechanisms, even though I know they’re probably coded to his prints and won’t stop a thing. It makes me feel better. More secure. I eye the enormous bed and take my shoes off, then climb in.
It’s…weird. I crawl forward, not sure if I should sleep in the middle of the bed like a pepperoni in the center of a pizza, or if I should move to one of the sides? I lie flat on my back, and then flop around a few times, trying to get comfortable. I roll into a divot, and suddenly it smells a bit masculine and earthy, and I realize this must be where the praxiian sleeps.
