Her Alien Protector: A Sci-fi Romance

Part 8

Ava

Pet. Kayla told me that this is our purpose aboard the Hydra ship.

I admit, without Rigel, I would be unable to fend for myself and I look to him for protection and safety.

Still, I hoped Rigel and I were something more, not... an owner and his pet.

When we get back to Rigel's home, I see everything through new eyes. My silver bowl is the equivalent of a dog dish. The collar around my neck is not jewelry from Rigel, but his way of showing the world that I am his pet.

So, when he tosses food into my dog dish, even though I am hungry, I just can't. I turn and face the wall, which... Don't pets do this? How pathetic, even when I am upset, I act pet-like.

Rigel keeps calling my name. I keep yanking at my collar, wanting it off.

Rigel yammers but I am not listening to him anymore. He is probably giving me a pet command or something.

I hate that the collar marks me as a pet and yank at it.

Rigel says something that gets my attention. Did I hear him right?

I turn to face him.

He catches my hand that fidgets with my collar. "Sweetheart, is that bothering you? Do you want me to take it off?"

I nod.

I'm afraid of putting too much faith in this, but might it mean that I am more than a pet to him? He slips the collar off me.

Rigel lightly touches my cheek. He pulls me to his chest and wraps his arms around me. Must resist. His voice is deep and rumbly and then when he pulls me into his warm chest, I feel...

Loved.

***

"Ava, do you want to play a game," Rigel offers through the translator.

I sniff. If he tosses a ball for me, I might shatter.

When I look up at him, the corners of his eyes crinkle and he has a wide grin.

I want to make him happy, so I press against him. "Yes?"

Rigel gets up, places little lines of fruit around the room, and then grins at me. "What do you think?"

Oh, that smile gives me butterflies.

I pick up one of the pieces of ordinary-looking fruit from the floor, examining it and trying to figure out why Rigel is getting so excited about it.

"Want to play a game," the wall asks in a voice that suspiciously sounds like Kayla. "This game will be a competition. If you want a few bonus points, Ava, consume the trail of berries."

Rigel watches me, the corner of his lip turned upright. He probably wants to know if his dog can do an extra fancy trick and eat through a trail of food on command.

A tiny taste can't hurt. I grab one, cautiously licking it. No bitter taste floods my mouth, so I bite.

This is... wow, so good. It tastes like... a raspberry, maybe?

Just to see if I am right, I take another berry and then another, popping them into my mouth, eating my way through the berry line. A scene from one of my sister's science fiction movies pops into my mind. A couple of kids placed bright candy along the floor to bribe a wrinkly alien to follow them. Suddenly, I realize things probably did not end well for that alien. Why else were there so many after-school specials about treat-eaters who accept food from strangers and later end up in a basement or on the back of a milk carton?