Page 6 of My Alien Angel (Supernova Casanovas #6)

Omni

Fin’s sweet voice and the low rumble of the ground vehicle lulls me into an uneasy sleep.

I shouldn’t be sleeping. I should be alert, listening to my little human, both to learn as many words of her language as I can and to learn more about her.

She’s truly a fascinating creature. Despite the translator nodes, I only understand about half of what she’s saying, but the way she speaks about her friends and hobbies is endearing.

I’ve never met anyone like her before and I very much like her gentle personality.

My usual hook-ups are confident men and women who know what they want and aren’t afraid to take it.

That’s the kind of people one meets in space station bars in between the missions. Fin is completely different.

The only thing I don’t like is how she talks about herself. She isn’t so much putting herself down, but it’s clear that she lacks self-confidence.

I’m the opposite, I would say. My crew mates always say that it’s a wonder my ego fits into our ship.

Fin is clearly not the type to have one-night stands, which is pretty much the only type of interaction I partake in.

Many of my crew mates have recently entered into serious monogamous relationships, but I’ve never been inclined to do the same.

I’m as free as an avian. Well, as an avian with a broken wing, stuck on a pre-space flight planet.

I should be focusing on how to get out of here, not on how sweetly Fin’s lips curl when she smiles or how much I would enjoy exploring her soft curves.

Even if Fin was willing to have a no-strings-attached relationship while I’m on Earth, I still wouldn’t go through with it.

It would be unfair to her because she doesn’t know I’m not human and I lack the words to explain it to her.

I might enjoy sex, but I’d never stoop to deception to get it, especially not with someone as sweet as Fin, who’s offered to help me despite not knowing anything about me.

That’s another thing that worries me about her.

I’m sure that even on Earth, inviting a complete stranger into your domicile is considered dangerous.

Why did she do that? She seems to think I’m mentally damaged and yet, she’s invited me to stay in her home?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she has, but I can’t help but worry about her getting into trouble this way.

It’s not my place to judge her, I know, but still, she really should be more careful.

I could have been a dangerous killer! I mean, I am a killer, but I’ve only killed during UGC-sanctioned missions or while protecting the innocent from slavers.

I only kill bad guys and I’d never hurt Fin, but she doesn’t know that.

I want to be angry with her for being so reckless but, since she’s saving my ass, I’ll keep my stupid comments to myself.

Not that she’d understand them anyway. Cursed winds.

This inability to communicate is truly annoying.

I have a good auditory memory so I’ve been able to remember and repeat some of the words Fin has said, but it’s going to take a while before we can have an actual conversation.

Not that I know what I should tell her. I’m fairly certain that a “Hi, I’m an alien” would not be received well.

Learning the language, both spoken and written, has to be my priority.

In order to find Garresh’s ship, I’ll have to track down the specific type of radiation that the ship engines emit.

I have no idea how I’m going to do that.

D’Aakh would probably be able to turn Earth’s primitive technology into some sort of detector but again, I’m not that tech savvy.

Hopefully, humans already have something I can repurpose.

They’re not completely primitive, after all.

In fact, out of all of the planets protected by the Non-Interference Directive, Earth is definitely the most advanced.

In a few decades, the UGC will probably start considering Earth’s integration, but that’s still too far off in the future to solve my problem. My clusterfuck of problems.

It’s not just stopping Garresh from kidnapping humans that I have to worry about.

It’s also getting off this damn planet without getting captured myself.

Just my mere presence here is a serious crime, even if I ended up here by accident.

Combined with the outstanding warrant from when my crew had a “dispute” with our UGC commanding officer that essentially rendered us fugitives from justice, my ass is going to jail for a very long time if I get caught.

Not that I wouldn’t sacrifice myself in order to save dozens of people from slavery if it was necessary, but I’m still hoping to avoid that particular scenario.

The healing accelerant I took earlier courses through my veins, draining any reserve energy I might have otherwise had.

Taking it was risky because without medical supervision, the energy drain might kill me, but it was the only part of my survival kit I hadn’t lost during the fall.

Winds, I still can’t believe I actually survived that fall!

That’s a tale worthy of telling around the hearth back home, if I was still welcome there.

Oh well, my crew mates will enjoy the story too, if I ever get back to them.

Sudden silence has me jolting awake and cursing as the movement jostles my broken wing.

The accelerant has begun mending the bone, but it will take days before it stops hurting and maybe even weeks before I can fly again.

Also, I will need a lot of food to replenish my body’s reserves, which is unfortunate because I don’t possess local currency or anything valuable to barter with.

Right now, I’m completely at Fin’s mercy, and that’s not a feeling I enjoy.

I should have probably been watching our route in case Fin changed her mind and decided to deliver me to the local authorities, but it’s too late for that now. I also trusted her not to betray me. It makes no sense, since I only just met her, but the trust is undeniably there.

The planet’s star is nearing the western horizon, painting the sky in reds and oranges, a sight that has my chest constricting with a surprising bout of homesickness.

It’s odd. I haven’t thought about my home planet in years and never felt any desire to return there.

Only now, when stranded on a primitive planet with a million other things to worry about, I’m suddenly turning sentimental for a home I’m no longer welcome in?

Perhaps I hit my head harder than I thought.

“Omni?” Fin’s soft voice breaks the silence. “Are you awake?”

“Yes, awake,” I repeat, just to add another word to my pathetic vocabulary. At this rate, it’ll take weeks before I’ll be able to talk to someone.

“Alright. We’re here, so you’ll have to climb out of the car. It really would be easier if you’d take your wings off.”

Yeah, a lot of things would be easier if I could take my wings off but, aside from amputating them, it’s not an option.

Groaning and cursing, I crawl out of Fin’s tiny vehicle, nearly passing out when my left wing gets stuck in a belt hanging from the inner side of the car.

Clearly, these vehicles weren’t designed with winged people in mind.

Given Earth’s status, it’s quite understandable, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be pissed about it.

What’s worse, most of the other vehicles parked around Fin’s car are considerably larger than the one I was just subjected to.

Then again, Fin is tiny, so she likely doesn’t need a massive vehicle to move around.

Looking around, I see several buildings, each one being three or four stories high.

There are several windows spaced symmetrically along the vertical walls, some of which are lit from the inside.

“So, this is my apartment building,” Fin says, sounding a little self-conscious, as if living in this place is something to be ashamed of.

It is a little rundown, but I’ve stayed in worse.

Nodding in understanding, I just hope she hasn’t changed her mind about inviting me to stay.

I truly have no idea what I’d do if she ditched me now.

With no clue where I am or where to go, no currency or even a way to communicate, I’d be picked up by the authorities in a heartbeat, and I’d rather not be experimented on.

Taking a deep breath, Fin nods. “Okay. I guess I’m doing this. Come on. I’m on the third floor and the elevator is busted. Not that you’d fit in it, anyway. It’s good cardio.”

I follow her inside the building, then up several flights of stairs.

Normally, I wouldn’t even be winded but with the healing accelerant stealing all of my strength and the overwhelming just-fell-off-a-spaceship weariness, I’m beyond relieved when we finally stop in front of one of the doors lining the hallway.

Fin unlocks it, cringing as she flicks on the light and looks inside.

“It’s a bit of a mess. I wasn’t exactly expecting company. ”

I wouldn’t call Fin’s place messy. It’s full of things, most of which I couldn’t even begin to identify, but they’re all neatly arranged on one of the numerous shelves lining every available section of wallspace.

There’s some clothing scattered around what I assume is a living area which Fin quickly collects and tosses into a large basket just inside the door of another room.

I glimpse a large bed inside the room as she swiftly shuts the door, so it must be her bedroom.

“So, uh,” Fin stutters as she nervously wrings her hands.

“The bathroom is through there, if you want to, like, you know, wash up or something. There are towels and, um… I might even have some old leggings that would fit you. They’ll be super short, but it’s something to wear while I wash your overalls.

Unless the, um, filth is part of the costume? ”

“No.” Cringing, I realize my jumpsuit is covered in both engine sludge from hiding in the maintenance corridors and a healthy dose of sand from my unfortunate landing in the desert.

The seats in Fin’s vehicle must be streaked with it, too.

I feel incredibly guilty because it’s not like I can pay to have them cleaned or whatever.

Although the custom made, high tensile fabric protected my skin during landing, the jumpsuit is now torn in several places.

The holes I can live with, the filth? I can’t.

My wings are dirty as well and I hope that Fin’s washing facilities are spacious enough to accommodate me because I’m not sure whether I’ll survive my time on Earth without washing myself.

Ready to get out of this filthy jumpsuit, I grab the clasp on the top, stopping when Fin gasps.

“What are you doing?” she asks, her eyes wide.

“Bathroom. There.” She points to the door again.

“No, er, no stripping out here.” Her face is turning an adorable shade of dark pink where the green paint has rubbed off and I’m tempted to tease her a little more to see how much redder she can get.

I remember making one of the humans on board the Supernova, Astra, so flustered her face turned as red as her hair.

Of course, her mate Tareq then gave me a black eye in a not-so-friendly sparring match, but it was very much worth it.

Unfortunately, I can’t afford to needle Fin lest she kick me out, so I stop stripping and try to look contrite.

“Yes. Bathroom.” I wish I knew how to say sorry or thank you but Fin hasn’t uttered those words yet. At least, not that I have noticed.

“Yes, bathroom,” Fin replies, still a little flushed by the look of her streaky cheeks.

At least she looks embarrassed rather than alarmed.

I would imagine that having a strange male start stripping in front of you in your own home would be a cause for concern.

I probably should have known that. “I’ll leave some clothes in front of the door.

Take your time, just try not to break anything.

My landlord is chill, but not that chill.

It really would be better if you took those wings off. ”

If only I could tell her that I really can’t take the wings off but then, she’d probably run away screaming and call the human police on me, so it’s better if she thinks I’m some—what did she call it?

Cosplayer? It’s better if she thinks that.

If and when she finds out I’m an alien, things will change drastically.