Page 9 of The Marriage Bargain
She would make a fine mother, but that was not her sole dream in life. She deserved a chance at those dreams, didn’t she? Being an Earthling and a female shouldn’t rob her of the opportunity to construct her own life, any more than being born a bastard should have robbed me of mine. However, if my fellow Asterions got their way, Delle would be reduced to nothing more than a breeder for another Overlord, like myself. One who most likely wouldn’t care about her thoughts, hopes, dreams, aspirations. He would care about nothing except her body beneath his, and the number of offspring she could produce for him.
The more I considered this, the more I disliked it. I couldn’t say the Asterions were known for being necessarily cruel. In fact, we were one group of the Interstellar Coalition who came to Earth purposefully to build, not to vanquish. Fighting and warfare were not prevalent in our history, or in our blood. But we could be stern, cold, and disdainful.
No woman deserved that. Delle would never prosper in such a relationship. Her sharp tongue and snapping eyes told me that already. She was no one’s breeder. She was no woman to be shoved in a corner and ignored or forgotten.
She proved that when she emerged from the back room. She stopped and did a double glance at me sitting there, before walking over to the pile of abandoned toys which she knelt to pick up.
“Kids are finally down for the night. I think. I haven’t heard from Zyn. Have you?”
“No,” I answered. “Not a word.”
She sighed. “I’m starting to get a little worried.” She cast me a sideways glance. “You don’t have to stay here, you know. I’m sure someone from the Citadel could use another transport to pick you up.”
Was she trying to be rid of me? That was her feistiness. She wasn’t even subtle about it. I could have been offended. Instead, I was amused.
“I am quite content,” I replied, feeling a smile twitch at my lips.
I didn’t miss the irritation that flashed across her face.
“Well,” she said, “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with you, just to be honest. We don’t have a guest room. If you spend the night here, you’re going to have to sleep out here on the couch.”
Was that meant to frighten me away?
“I’ve slept in worse places,” I assured her.
Now her head popped up. “Seriously? Why do you want to be here? It’s not like I need your help. I’m fine. I can’t believe you’d rather sleep on an uncomfortable couch in a stranger’s house than go home to your own bed.”
“Zyn is not a stranger,” I remarked mildly.
She was not amused. “I’m a stranger,” she retorted, rising, her arms full of stuffed animals, toys, and children’s books. “My sister is a stranger.”
“But Zyn is not.”
“Whatever,” she huffed, storming away. “There’s no reasoning with you, is there? I don’t get why you want to stay.”
I wasn’t entirely sure, either. Could I have phoned for a transport from the Citadel? Undoubtedly. But why should I retreat to my quiet house when I could stay here and amuse myself by jabbing at Zyn’s sister-in-law instead?
CHAPTER 7
DELLE
I’d pretty much gotten over my initial nervousness about being in the presence of an Overlord, especially when I saw him performing common tasks like sweeping and re-shelving books. Now that the kids were in bed, the silence underscored the awkwardness I felt at being semi-alone with a strange man. Not even a strange man. An alien.
It was getting late. My suggestion that he call the Citadel for a transport was shot down. What, was he planning to stay here all night? The idea left me anxious, but also annoyed. There was no need for him to be here. Was he getting his jollies by sitting there observing a human woman or something? Like I was a freak in a sideshow? I knew I wasn’t much to look at. I wasn’t much to look at by human standards, much less Asterion. I’d seen a few Asterion women in my day, and my body type was nothing like theirs. My hair—in my opinion—was a flat, dull brown, that was usually caught up in a ponytail, like it was now. I wore glasses, I knew I could stand to lose several pounds, and I had a light smattering of freckles across my cheeks and the bridge of my nose. He sure couldn’t be watching me because he thought I was beautiful. The only other explanation I could come up with was the zoo idea, which really aggravated me.
“Well, if you stay here much later, you’re going to wind up sleeping on the couch,” I warned, shoving the last story book back onto the shelf with more force than necessary. “I’m sure as heck not giving you my room, no offense. And it feels weird to offer you Zyn and Tarra’s, especially if they make it back home tonight. That couch isn’t very long or comfortable,” I added, rising and casting him a significant glance. It would be too small for him. He’d have to be an idiot not to see that.
“That will not bother me.”
Finally, I’d had enough. I swiveled to face him, my hands on my hips.
“Great. So, what, exactly, does bother you, may I ask?”
He tipped his chin back, those golden eyes regarding me with a gleam that I couldn’t interpret.
“Nothing you could say or do,” he answered with a soft laugh. “I find you very…distracting.”
“Distracting?” I bristled. “Why, because I’m like an animal in a zoo? Some type of crazy species you haven’t encountered before? Except you have, since you’ve clearly been here on Earth awhile. I don’t know what the hell you seem to find so intriguing about me.”