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We greet each other with just a hint of surprised awkwardness. I suppose buying and selling sentient beings is always going to be a little strange.
He shakes his head, large skeins of perfectly golden hair fanning out around his big predatory head, replete with terrifying fangs and quite cute round ears. His little ears! I want to rub them!
I get the impression he would not like me to do that. He seems very bold and very proud. He is wearing clothing that barely seems to have any point given his thick pelt, but nevertheless, he is wearing pants, bright blue with gold detailing, and matching boots. He looks a little like an ancient Earth wrestling warrior, which was a sport where burly men pretended to hurt one another for the amusement of people who also pretended it was real. Good times, I imagine. In the modern world, almost nobody bothers pretending anymore. Too much effort. Too little time.
The sheer relief that flows through me cannot be described. This is exactly the kind of creature I need.
“Oh thank god,” I say. “You’re perfect.”
“Glad to hear it.” He smiles, sharp teeth and fangs very clearly on display. Again, I do not sense any threat in his gestures. Though we have just met, it feels as though he is already invested in my wellbeing. I never expected the alien I bought to be so easy to tame. I thought I was going to have to spend some time convincing him to be on my side.
Maybe this is going to work out. Maybe this gamble has paid off.
There’s a mutual jangling as we hold out transportation cuffs at the same time. The ones I have are him-sized. The ones he has are me-sized.
There is an awkward and confusing moment in which neither one of us knows what the hell the other one is doing.
“Uhm,” I say. “I bought you.”
“No,” he replies, his voice deep and majestic. “I purchased you.”
I stare at him, horrified. “You… purchased me?”
His incredibly handsome maned face seems to fill the entirety of my vision. “You belong to me,” he says.
It feels true when he says it. It feels like the only thing that has ever been true. Azlan is mesmerizing. He is astoundingly beautiful, to the extent I find myself drawn to every detail of his golden eyes, every fleck, every dash of gold.
I hear him purr, and it is a sound that thrums through me and finds the very core of me, the part that has never been touched, because I have never had time for men. I live alone. I have lived alone since the last of my family died. I never sought out male company. I never needed it. Until now.
Suddenly, I burn with desire awakened by this creature’s mere proximity. He is so handsome he is activating parts of my body that have lain dormant all my life. I feel a flush of heat rising to my cheeks and a tingling in other parts of my anatomy, followed by even more internal fire. I am reacting chemically to the very sight of him, and when the passing chaos of a fleeing mass creates a breeze, I smell him too. He smells like masculinity and power. He smells like protection. He smells like he is mine.
“ABANDON THE AUCTION NOW,” the voice blares. I barely register it. There is nothing but Azlan.
I know why I want him, but I have absolutely no idea why he would want me. What possible use could a majestic, muscular, maned beast have for me? There are so many questions flying around my mind, but only one manages to escape my face.
“God. Why?”
“I need a mate. You are female.”
“That seems like an incredibly low bar to buy someone.”
“You suit my needs,” he says, giving nothing away.
“Well, you suited my needs too. And I really need for you to come with me. I mean, Ireally needfor you to come. So.” I hold out the cuffs, which frankly now seem silly because I can’t hold them out without my arms physically shaking. The gallant lion alien takes them from me, not to put them on, but to save me from the burden. He regards me with a piercing golden gaze.
“Why do you need me, Ava?”
Three days ago…
My farm is on fire. That should be the biggest of my worries, and it’s barely registering on my list of things I am very concerned about.
INCORRECT PASSWORD
If there are two words more perfectly designed to outrage in this universe, I am yet to encounter them. The sheer frustration is nearly overwhelming. I have things to do. Invaders to evade. I can hear gleeful shrieks and cries echoing across the farm as the Growlers go wild.
HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YOUR PASSWORD?
The capitals are mocking in their bluntness.
