Kal hadn’t given her any consideration, like she was a thing. I opened my mouth to comment, then stopped cold. What if he got angry? The image of him striking me popped into my mind. It would hurt. He was bigger than I was, though size had nothing to do with rage, and he had claws that would easily slice me.
Besides, I knew nothing about how his culture worked. Physical violence might be the norm.
Guilt, cold and hard, settled in my stomach, making me sick, because I didn’t stick up for NAID like she deserved, but my fear was stronger.
When we stepped into the hallway, none of the doors opened as we passed by. Thankfully, the hall was empty except for us—I didn’t need anyone else invading my space.
As we entered the elevator, I glanced at Kal. So much for a tour; he hadn’t said a word, though neither had I.
Almost like he’d heard my thoughts, an absolutely terrifying notion I hoped wasn’t true, Kal said, “This is the executive quarters, deck three. Deck two has offices, a canteen for crew members, which you can eat at, and meeting rooms. Deck onehas Command, more offices, and the observation deck where we were bound.
“Decks four through seven have shops and eateries. You’ll probably spend most of your time there. Deck eight has the medbay and science stations. Nine and ten are civilian quarters. Eleven and below are crew quarters, engineering, cargo bay, and stuff like that. You need special access to reach those, which you don’t have.”
I nodded along, knowing I would never remember all this.
“The docking ring has nothing of interest, and you don’t have access to it. There are lifts throughout the ship to get to different decks. Stay on decks two through eight. Some rooms might not open for you, but you should find plenty of places to explore.”
He pressed a button, and the elevator started to lower. “Tell NAID where you want to go, and it’ll send the lift to the correct deck.”
When the door opened, my eyes widened. Shops stretched before me, almost like a mall. The marketplace was four stories tall with terraces on each level. Dark green vines intermingling with lighter blue vines crept over the ceiling.
People of the likes I’d never seen wandered around. Many were drakcol, but others were species my brain had trouble processing. Short, tall, wide, and colors of the entire spectrum. Some had humanoid appearances, others did not.
It took all of one second before my thoughts spiraled dizzyingly.
Kal’s tail brushed along my arm, sending off a cascade of tingles, before curling about my wrist. I almost drew away but stopped when strange aliens pressed against me. I might not trust him, but I at least knew Kal.
He led me through the marketplace, and I huddled close to him. Some of the people turned and followed our movements, a few muttering under their breath.
“Why are they staring at me?” I asked in a hushed voice when a vaguely familiar green alien, with leathery skin and bulging muscles, pointed at me. I think this particular alien might have been at my wedding or bonding, thing, whatever. I almost scoffed. Me? Married. Technically, I was mated, but it was the same thing.
“You are the sole reason we went to Earth,” Kal answered.
Heat seeped into my cheeks, and I tried to banish it to no avail. I’d always been an easy blusher to my great misfortune. Something I’d been maliciously teased about, but something I’d never managed to cure. Nor had my grandfather, though he’d tried. I shoved the thought away. I didn’t want to think about either of my grandparents, not now, not ever.
I kept bumping into Kal to avoid touching anyone else in the crowd. He didn’t seem to mind from the way his tail remained firm around my wrist, tugging me against his side. His tail was surprisingly strong. The scales were smooth and had an almost perceptible scratch to them that wasn’t unpleasant. Though heat radiated off him like he was a furnace.
We approached the back wall, and much to my dismay, the path curved. I didn’t want to go any further, but I remained quiet. Kal didn’t head toward the other side of the shops. Instead, he ushered me toward a glass wall stretching to the ceiling.
Glass doors, which seamlessly matched the wall, opened to reveal a sprawling garden that stretched to the ceiling. Curved terraces graced the sides, and people silently walked among the plants. The atmosphere felt reverent like a church or library.
Flowers, plants, and trees grew everywhere. The muggy air clung to my skin, making me unzip my hoodie. Some of the vines were green, but others were dark purple, blue, and even bright pink. In the center stood a massive dark purple tree that almostkissed the ceiling with its light blue wisteria flowers like the sculpture in Kal’s apartment.
Kal’s tail unraveled from my wrist and touched my knuckles. “Do you like it?”
“Yeah, it’s…” I couldn’t think of a word so I shrugged.
He seemed satisfied with my response because his tail nudged the small of my back, and he directed me further into the blooming garden.
“I want to introduce you to someone,” he said.
More people. Lovely.
As we wandered down the bark path, I paused. Two male-presenting drakcol had their tails coiled together. One of the men whispered in the other’s ear before placing a lingering kiss on his cheek. I ripped my gaze away, only to sneak a peek at them. Maybe their entwined tails were like holding hands. If that was true, I felt slightly better about Kal.
Without warning, Kal’s tail wrapped around my waist, drawing me to his side, and his muscular arm came around me. I yanked out of his grasp.
“You almost hit a tree,” he explained.
