Kal had left our apartment an hour or so ago. We were still orbiting the watery planet whose name I couldn’t remember. Pet-somthing. Maybe Petty? I had no idea if Kal had gone back to the surface, and honestly, at this moment, I didn’t care.
I was sprawled on the couch, thoughts empty and heart numb. The door chimed, forcing me to sit up. “Come in,” I called. Urgg stepped inside, their hulking green form in dark purple leather pants and vest, which showed off their bulging, tattooed arms.
“Urgg.” I motioned for them to sit on the couch. Lucy spat at Urgg before racing to my bedroom.
Their lower jaw jutted out more than usual, and their thick brows were drawn together. “I’ve heard about the tension between you and Kalvoxrencol.”
“You did?” I started to lift one of my legs, then stopped when my ribs throbbed.
“It’s ship gossip at the moment.”
“Marvelous.” Apparently, even aliens loved to gossip about relationship drama.
“Can I ask what exactly the problem is?”
I sighed. “He’s mad I disappeared on him, even though it wasn’t my fault. Kal’s being an overprotective dick. I’m an adult. A man. I don’t need him crowding me.”
“As a barbarus, we are valued for our ability to care for ourselves. When Talvax courted me, she immediately became overprotective. I once cut my finger, and she fluttered around like I was going to drop dead. I truly thought her insane. Their culture is very different from my own. Drakcol protect their mates fiercely. They perceive their mates as theirs, and we see them as possessive, but they’re not by their own standards.
“Prince Kalvoxrencol sees you as his, and he will do everything within his power to keep you safe. But,” they said with a wry grin that exposed their stubby teeth, “you can be as overbearing as he is. He’d probably even like it.”
Drakcol saw the world, or universe, I guessed, differently. But accepting the differences wasn’t easy. I needed to be my own person. Besides, I had no desire to control Kal.
“I don’t know if I can do that.”
“If you want to be with him, you will have to reconcile yourself to this part of his culture. He may grow less protective with time. Talvax did once I told her of my need, but I cannot promise he will,” Urgg said. “You have to decide what you can and cannot live with.”
“And if I can’t live with it?”
“You don’t reaffirm your bond, Prince Kalvoxrencol takes you home, your memory is erased, and you live your life and he lives his,” they said in a matter-of-fact tone.
My pulse thrummed in my ears. “What? My memory will be erased?”
Their mouth hung open, black tongue licking their thick lips. “You didn’t know that?”
“What do you mean? Why would you take my memories?” Even if I didn’t stay with Kal, I wanted to remember what happened. What would happen when I went back to Earth after a year and I couldn’t remember anything? What about Lucy?
“You’re from an unsanctioned planet. The Coalition of Planets doesn’t allow samples to retain their memories.”
“Sample? I’m not a sample,” I yelled, standing.
“If you choose to return home, the Coalition will view you as a sample. Kalvoxrencol will legally have to erase your memory,” Urgg said, their voice careful.
Ice coursed through my veins. I didn’t even have a choice. Either I stayed with him or I was left with nothing. My breath shortened. I felt like the walls were closing in around me, and I couldn’t get away.
“Seth?”
“My choices keep getting taken from me.”
“The choice is still yours. I shouldn’t have told you. My mouth always moves faster than my brain.”
“I’m glad you told me. I needed to know.” Urgg shifted toward me, and I said before they had a chance to talk, “I think you should leave. I need to think.”
“If you need me, you know where I’m at.”
My life was not my own. Anger, panic, fear, and other emotions I couldn’t identify swirled in my stomach. My brain shut off, and I had one thought: I did not need Kal’s protection.
“NAID, I want to go to the planet’s surface.”
