Page 46 of Alien Jeopardy (Mated & Afraid #1)
CHAPTER
FORTY-FOUR
Ellison
Rex is holding me.
That’s the first thing I’m aware of.
“Where are we?” I ask him, muzzy.
“Ellison, you scared me.” He holds me tighter.
“I told you she was fine, you big bat.” A curly-haired woman rolls her eyes in my direction. “These aliens are so overbearing. I’m Tati, I’m a doctor. How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” I say automatically, then take a second and do a mental survey of all my body parts. Intact. “Tired,” I amend. “What happened?”
“Well, as far as we can tell,” the glowing woman answers, “you have been fucking through it.”
“Gen, that’s not helpful,” Tati admonishes her. “You were dehydrated, and I think whatever mode of transportation that AI managed really does a number on humans. Your final episode was two weeks ago.”
“Two weeks?” I croak, not quite believing it. “I’ve been unconscious for two weeks?”
“No, two weeks was how long the interstellar transference lasted,” Gen answers. “We really need a better name for that.”
“Two weeks,” I repeat again, shocked. “Has anyone else made it here? Are my friends okay?”
“They’re still being streamed. We’ve made contact with the AI in an attempt to barter for their release, but it’s not interested.” This comes from a tall dark green Suevan, thick black hair falling over his shoulders. “We do not understand what it wants.”
“We are working on it,” a beautiful brunette at his side chimes in, and I glance down, noticing a tail wrapped around her calf. “The important thing is that you are safe, and though your friends appear to be in danger, the AI is keeping true to the contract you signed.”
The doctor, Tati, runs a wand over my body. “Your vitals are good. Nothing some more vitamins and fluids won’t set right. That and some sleep.”
“Do you want to see your new house? Abby has been working like a wild thing to make sure everything is set up at the colony.” Gen grins at me.
A little green-skinned blonde toddler races into the room, giggling.
She’s the spitting image of Gen, albeit a green version, and the woman scoops her up and kisses her forehead. “We’re all excited to show you.”
“Cited,” the little girl croons, waving a chubby hand at me.
“Yeah,” I say softly, squeezing Rex’s hand. “I want to see where we’ll be living.”
“You don’t have to live with him if you don’t want to,” Gen says hurriedly, and Tati nods. “We have a women’s quarters you are welcome to stay in if you prefer your own space. We both lived there for a while, it’s a nice myza.”
“Myza?” I repeat, mystified.
“It’s like a luxury tree house,” the black-haired woman explains. “I’m Niki, by the way. We know that you two mated, but we’re not like the Draegon or the Arco or even the Roth—we won’t force either of you to stay together if you don’t want to, okay?”
Rex is silent. He’s been silent this whole time, just holding me.
I realize with a start he’s waiting for me to make up my mind. He’s quiet because he wants it to be my decision.
My heart aches with happiness.
“I want to stay with Ka-Rexsh,” I say quietly, looking up at him and only at him.
“Forever?” Gen asks, and Niki elbows her.
“Not nice,” the blonde toddler scolds Niki.
“We’ll see,” I tell her, and then I kiss Ka-Rexsh. “For now, at least.”
“I can work with this for now,” he says, beaming down at me.
“I love you,” I tell him. “Let’s go see what we’ve won.”
“Well, some of it got beamed in with you. There’s a comms tablet, and it looks like you can communicate with the women still in the game, though I couldn’t hack into it, for whatever reason.
” A tiny muscular woman is sitting on the floor with stuff piled all around her.
“I’m Bex. I do tech. And my husband.” She lets out a feral cackle.
“And I might have to order some of this shit for myself because it is right up my alley.”
“Of course you want to,” Gen says loudly, rolling her eyes.
“Oh, come on, look, who doesn’t want this?” she holds up a pink blanket patterned in pastels. “This one says ‘monster fucker.’ This other one says ‘we cum in peace.’” She points to the design.
I blink. “Okay, I hate to be a killjoy, but I have no idea what is going on right now and I kind of want to be alone with Rex.”
“So you can come in peace?” the one called Bex asks, giving an exaggerated wink.
“Bex,” Tati groans.
I get the distinct feeling that Bex is like this all the time.
“I saw on the show you like alien fanfic,” Bex continues like nothing’s happened.
“I’d rather find my own alien happy ending,” I tell her, winking.
“I will give you your happy ending,” Rex tells me, then pulls me into his chest, giving me another kiss.
“Yeah you will,” Bex says, and I laugh a little, relief at my reality TV stint being over warring with my fear for my friends.
“Take me to our new home,” I tell Rex.
So he does just that.
As for real-life happy endings, I find that I’m definitely even more a fan of those than I am of any on reality TV.