Page 50 of My Alien Jewel
Although we’re all crammed in this small room together, everyone seems to give each other a bit of privacy.
Me? I watch Z’Ree sleep and do my best not to freak out. I’m failing, of course. My imagination is running rampant with all of the terrible things Z’Ree is about to tell me. However, I manage to keep the anxiety attack at bay for now, so I count that as a win.
Chapter 26
Nikolai
Z’Ree sleeps through theship jumping into hyperspace and throughout most of the bumpy ride.
The occasional groaning sounds coming from the hull are truly nightmare inducing even though D’Aakh assures us it’s normal. Apparently, we don’t usually hear or feel the vibrations thanks to the ship’s internal dampening systems. Since those are currently running at the lowest capacity, we’re feeling every bump of this hellish ride.
It’s like being jostled around in a plane flying through the turbulence of a thunderstorm. I want to be scared but seeing thateveryone else remains mostly unphased, including little Ellen who is calmly playing with her pet, I hold my anxiety in.
Z’Ree wakes up when we’re just over an hour away from our destination. As her eyes flutter open, she gives me the brightest, most beautiful smile. A second later, she winces, as if remembering something terrible, lowering her head to avoid my eyes.
Oh, I’m in so much trouble.
Slipping off my lap, Z’Ree yawns and stretches her arms out. “Ow, my back. Ugh. How long have I been asleep?”
“Eight hours,” I tell her, taking this opportunity to stretch myself. Some of my vertebrae pop and crack as the movement realigns them into their original positions. “We’re still more than an hour away from the station.”
“Oh, alright.” She bends over to stretch her legs. My cock surges to life as she offers me an unspoiled view of her perfect ass and pussy. Z’Ree suddenly remembers she’s only wearing my shirt and no underwear. Hastily, she straightens up and yanks down the material as if stretching it might cover her better.
“Here.” I offer her the blanket which she gratefully wraps around herself. “There’s food and water. You should eat something.”
“Mmm. I probably should,” Z’Ree replies, her expression pensive. “Preferably something rich in vitamins and nutrients,” she mumbles to herself, scouring the pile of ration bars. “And water too. I definitely need water now.”
She’s acting strange. I’m about to ask if she’s alright when Ellen saunters closer. “Hello,” the little girl chirps, waving at Z’Ree. “You’re pretty.”
Z’Ree smiles. “Thank you. So are you! And what’s this?” She points to the animal in Ellen’s arms.
The creature watches Z’Ree with unbidden curiosity. He cocks his head, his forked tongue darting out to taste the air aroundhim. “This is Fluffy,” Ellen says. “Do you want to pet him? He’s really fluffy.”
“You don’t say,” Z’Ree giggles, cautiously letting Fluffy sniff at her hand. “He has a good name, then.”
“I chose it,” Ellen announces with pride. “He eats a lot. Last time he got into the kitchen he stole all of the seka rolls!” Soon, the two of them are immersed in the story of Fluffy’s unfortunate seka roll incident and I’ve lost any chance to speak to Z’Ree privately.
Ellen sticks to Z’Ree’s side even as we finally dock to the Alevvo station.
The silence that greets us as D’Aakh shuts off the tortured engines is deafening. The crew looks at each other in disbelief. “So…” Faelin ventures, scrunching his brows. “Have we made it?”
D’Aakh taps at his datapad for a few seconds, drawing out the silence before finally nodding. “We’re safely docked. The shipyard’s systems are supplementing our life support and other vital systems until we can fix the ship and run them on our own. There’s no evident structural damage to the hull.”
“Dude.” Faelin smacks the back of D’Aakh’s head. “Did we make it?”
“Yes, we made it.”
The atmosphere in the ready room changes in a millisecond, the relief we all feel is palpable. Once the wave of cheers subsides, Zarkan looks over everyone. “You’ve all done well. Every single one of you contributed in some way to ensure our safe arrival here but I have to give special mention to two of you in particular. D’Aakh, our resident grump—err, I mean…brilliant technician,” he grins, “and Z’Ree, our brave stowaway who saved us all.”
D’Aakh merely rolls his eyes, ignoring the applause that follows but Z’Ree’s cheeks lose all color from how hard sheblushes. She’s inching away from everyone who wants to thank her in person and it’s more than a little pleasing to see that she’s seeking safety with me. I pull her into my side and shoo Astra and the others away.
Z’Ree leans into me, tension leaving her body just at my touch. Allowing myself to relax a little, I think, perhaps I haven’t screwed this up so badly. Then again, she said we needed to talk. Now that we aren’t in mortal danger anymore, we finally might have that opportunity to do so.
“So, what now?” I ask the question everyone else must be thinking.
Zarkan motions to the door. “Everyone’s free to go. The station is small but safe, so feel free to explore. We’re going to be here for several weeks before we get the ship operational, so…have fun, I guess?”
“Yippee!” Ellen exclaims, already halfway out of the door. Nala and Faelin rush after her and most of the others follow.