Her Alien Protector: A Sci-fi Romance

Part 34

Ava

Kayla calls us into the helm for a briefing. When Rigel and I arrive, Tarak is already seated at the far corner of the helm.

"Let's get started," says Kayla, standing near the talking wall and holding up what looks like an earbud. "I've made these for each of our crew members. It will translate dozens of alien languages and if it works the way I think it should... It will eventually mean we will not notice anyone else speaking another language. I would still encourage you to learn other languages, especially since technology is not always perfect."

Kayla makes the rounds, first giving a translator to Rigel and then me. Eagerly, I take it, hooking a tiny loop over the outside of my ear and adjusting the tiny speaker.

Rigel gets so close that when he whispers, small puffs of air tickle my ear.

The device in my ear vibrates. "I missed you."

"Me too."

Rigel smiles at me. With that blond hair of his and his bright blue eyes, I imagine that he might have been mistaken for the sun god Apollo in ancient Greek times. Not just a god, but a beautiful, hunky god. Only recently, I vowed to stop letting myself get close to Rigel because—I'm not a pet! Apparently, I have no self-control. Instead of sitting side by side like we were, I slip into his lap and stroke my hands over his godlike, chiseled chest.

"Now that we can all communicate, let's go over some of the new safety protocols we have," says Kayla, holding up what looks like a harness I briefly glance at before returning my gaze to Rigel's abdomen. "Um... Ava...? Rigel...? I think you might want to listen to this."

Tarak thwacks his tail. "Listen to your commander."

Rigel rubs his nose against mine. "Pay attention."

I giggle.

Rigel's sharp eyes turn to Tarak. "If Kayla is the commander does that mean you are stepping down from your position as commander of the Firefly?"

"I am still Firefly's commander. Kayla is the commander of Firefly's elite pet team," Tarak snarls.

"For now, I'd prefer to be everyone's crewmate," says Kayla.

Rigel leans close, whispering again. "We're getting Tarak upset. Maybe we should—"

Tarak growls. "Listen to Kayla, your commander!"

Rigel blushes. "But I'm not a pet."

"Quiet, bird!"

Maybe I am simply happy to be united with everyone and not aboard the Hydra, or the fact that Tarak seems to be taking this elite pet thing way too seriously, but I burst out laughing. Rigel and Kayla do too. Our laughter must be contagious because Tarak makes a rumbling sound and his tail swishes, which... I guess he is laughing with us.

"Let's go over these new protocols later," says Kayla, smiling.

Back to appreciating my gorgeous god, it is, then.

Rigel's feathers rustle. I want to drag my fingers through his wings and still his feathers, but I know Rigel doesn't want that. That's okay. I have questions.

I gaze at his feathers, trying to confirm he does not have any hidden injuries. "You're not hurt?"

"No hurt. Ava safe," he says, still using simple language even though we have these translators in our ears.

My eyes stay on his wings. Stroking Rigel's chest feels hollow and empty in comparison to what I really want to do right now, which is to run my fingers through his feathers. "I saw Seth with a knife in his hand, and you were trapped in a net. What happened?"

"Pets United."

"I don't understand."

"Seth cut through the net, freeing me. Then he shouted, 'Pets United,' and ran off, leading the Enforcers away."

"You came back to me," I say, laying my head against his chest.

His wings wrap around me. Right now, knowing my Rigel is not hurt is more than enough.