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“You believe that your calling was to be a general?” Katie said somewhat brazenly, then corrected herself. “I’m not trying to be accusatory. It’s not the same on my planet, so I’m curious about yours.”
Axur nodded firmly, his eyes glued to hers as he narrated on.
“My father was a greatly respected general. It was in the stars for one of us to follow in his footsteps. On this planet, we are rather …” He hesitated, cleared his throat, and averted his gaze to the floor as the fire crackled.
“Mystical?” Katie said, eyebrows raised.
Axur raised his own brow, but in a way that wasn’t condescending. She drank more of her wine, failing to shield that magical grin.
“I suppose that’s a word you can use. I would say more like providence. Providence is more of our planet’s essence.”
Katie nodded, polishing off the wine in one final gulp. She licked her lips demurely, the coral suppleness of them not affected.
“Would you like another glass?” Axur asked.
“No, I probably should have asked you about the human-to-alien ratio of alcohol toxicity. That is fucking delicious. Tastes like cherries.”
“You will be fine,” he said curtly. “It’s only slightly more alcoholic than the human comparison. I can have some tea made for you if you desire?”
Katie shook her head, pulling her legs tighter into her chest. She smiled up at him, and it was difficult for him to ignore the way it made his heart rampage.
“I’m fine, Axur, I promise. I have no problem speaking up for myself.”
Axur smirked. She was unlike any woman he’d ever met. She was endlessly interested, a thread he wanted to follow, even if it meant circling his doom.
“You say it’s not the same on your planet,” he said, leaning his elbow against the back of the couch. “Tell me why.”
She wrinkled her nose at him, which morphed into a sarcastic scowl. Axur caught his tone again, kneading his forehead to chastise himself. Katie then did something he could have never sensed despite his heightened abilities of intuition. She took him by the wrist, then lowered his hand to her lap.
“It’s okay. I’m starting to understand how things like word choice and tone work on this planet. You don’t have to punish yourself.”
There was a dangerous silence between them, where only the crackle and snap of the fire could be heard. He noticed Katie’s chest rising and falling, the sweater tightening around her fantastic bust.
“My father was in the military,” Katie began, swallowing, her eyes unfixed above Axur’s shoulder. “We moved from base to base, never staying anywhere for very long. I didn’t mind that so much as the emotional detachment. He was always focused on what he could do for his men, then when he got home, he checked out.”
She picked up the befuddled look on Axur’s face and continued.
“He wasn’t mentally present with us if you understand what that means. His mind was elsewhere. I wish he could have considered us, too.”
Axur felt a dent in his heart. Katie still held onto his hand, in her distant reverie, likely forgetting their skin was touching. He placed his glass of wine down and laid his free hand on top of hers, which shook her from her hypnotic state.
“Your father, did he have to be this way? There were no rules about not having a family on your planet?”
Her eyes became cloudy, and she shook her head. Axur’s heart pumped madly in his chest. Her inexplicably soft, satin skin colliding with his elastic blue tone was enough to make him question his entire existence.
“No, he didn’t have to be. You can have both on Earth, but my father was still distant. I know it isn’t like that in all families, but it was for me.”
Katie’s eyes darted at him, blinking away the lustrous shine. It was a beautiful agony he felt there. She had him in the palm of her hand and could do anything she wanted.
“I know it might be out of place for me to say this, but I am going to say it anyway. You don’t have to choose one or the other. You can care for Ayla and still defend your people. I think it’s possible.”
Axur knew she spoke from her own set of experiences, but that didn’t mean they didn’t ring true. None of it mattered, though. At that moment, he was happily lost, transfixed in her aura.
He lifted the hand that laid upon hers and hooked her chin. Her expression sank away with surprise. Her eyes were big, watery moons spilling over a riverbank.
“Axur …” she whispered.
“Katie, I want you. I want to know if you want me. I am very attracted to you. I …”
