Chapter 12
Peony
“Do you know what you're doing?” Scarlet asked as she crossed the bridge, eyes darting between Peony and Atem cautiously.
Peony, biting her lip, watched as Atem sat down and his skin turned red again. Scarlet's brow rose, but that was her only acknowledgment of the change.
There was still an obvious tent in his pants. A rather large tent.
When Peony had felt him thrusting it into her belly, she had been surprised. She wasn't a blushing virgin, but she trembled like one as she realized how big he was. She was fully aware that size didn't equal skill and it could hurt if the wielder didn’t know what he was doing.
But feeling how careful Atem had been while kissing her eased any fears.
He was cautious with his fangs and teeth as he nibbled at her lips.
He held her up with all apparent ease – a testament to his strength and power that did all the right things to her lady bits.
He let her initiate, since he couldn't precisely ask for consent, but the moment she made her desires clear, he had taken control.
He didn't seem to have any compunction about the completely-different-species thing, or the known-each-other-for-probably-only-a-day thing.
“I thought you were sleeping,” Peony finally said when Scarlet only continued to stare at her.
“I tried. I couldn't.” Scarlet crossed her arms. “Did I or did I not just catch you macking on the alien?”
“We’re consenting adults. We’re allowed to mack.” Peony crossed her own arms. It wasn't nearly as effective for her as it was for the statuesque redhead.
Scarlet opened her mouth, seemed to reconsider, then shook her head. “You know what, you're right. Life is crazy; everything sucks. Screw it. Enjoy yourself. I'm not your mother. If you want to mack on aliens, go ahead.”
“Well, I didn't need your permission, but thanks anyway,” Peony grinned, taking the sting out of her words. “I know you're just looking out for me.”
Scarlet let out a long breath, her shoulders somehow tensing even further. “I just... I'm still struggling to wrap my mind around things. There’s just so much and, I don’t know… Kissing aliens just seems weird right now. Like, what do we do next? What's going to happen to us? Where are we going?”
“Turv.” Peony smiled, happy to be able to at least answer one question.
Hearing his home planet, Atem looked over to them, but quickly returned his attention to whatever he was doing on the panel beside the captain's chair.
“Turv?” Scarlet repeated, confused.
Peony nodded. “Not sure if it's a country or a city or a person or what, but Atem and I are trying to get some kind of basic communication going. Vas means yes; tor means no. And he's saying 'Turv, yes' when I make some kind of vague forward gesture.”
Scarlet frowned. “So, you just automatically assume it's a place?”
“I mean, I hope it is?” Peony grimaced. “I get that I could be completely wrong, but we have to try to start communicating as some point. Yes and no seem like good spots.”
Scarlet nodded, agreeing to the wisdom of the decision. “We're definitely going to need to understand each other if we ever want to get home. Unless Turv is how you say Earth in his language, but I highly doubt it.”
“Home. Right.” Peony held back a wince.
She hadn't actually given a thought to going home. Escaping, sure, but since Atem had taken over the escape mission, she hadn't actually thought about returning to Earth. She was on a crazy adventure in space, why would she think about Earth?
But that was stupid and probably selfish.
Just because she had nothing but a dead-end job and a crappy apartment waiting for her, didn't mean the other girls didn't have family and friends that would be worried they'd suddenly gone missing.
And she could hardly expect Atem to be willing to care for her for the rest of her life.
She shook her head, banishing the new worries. “Let's focus on one thing at a time. Atem seems to know where he's going. So, let's just trust in that for now.”
Scarlet gave her a look. “And you really think we should? Trust in him?”
“Hm? Why wouldn't we?”
“Because he's an unknown guy that we can't even talk to?” Scarlet looked at her like she was the crazy one for not thinking of that sooner.
And maybe she was, but...
“He's taken care of us so far. He broke us out. Fed us.”
“Yeah, but what happened to the original crew?”
“Huh?”
“Don't tell me you somehow forgot the giant, mutant, lizard creeps who kidnapped us?” Scarlet gave her a dull look. “Or noticed how none of them are around anymore? Although, there are some suspicious, blue blood stains all throughout the ship now.”
Peony pursed her lips before smiling awkwardly. “Better the monster on my side?”
Scarlet sighed. “I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'm just a bit... uneasy. I don't like not having any control in my life. Don't mistake me, I'm grateful to him. I'm not dismissing him out of hand.”
“Willing to give him the benefit of the doubt?” Peony asked, grinning, bringing back the argument that originally let her break him out in the first place.
Scarlet chuckled weakly. “Yeah. Benefit of the doubt. I guess it's just hard to give even that small amount of trust at this point.”
“If you trusted, you wouldn't need to doubt. Doubt doesn't require trust. All it requires is the willingness to be wrong.” Peony touched her shoulder gently. “I'm willing to trust. All you need to do is doubt.”
Scarlet nodded, giving her a small smile. “All right. Sorry for… you know, interrupting.”
Peony shook her head, dismissing the apology. “I get it. I didn't want to be alone either.”
“So, you decided to mack on the alien?”
“He's a hot alien?” Peony grinned sheepishly.
Scarlet chuckled. “Hey, if tails and fangs and color changing skin are your thing, I say go for it. May I suggest you close the doors first though? Alanna is still wondering around, and I would hate for her to be traumatized.”
Peony laughed. “Yeah. That's probably smart.”
“I doubt I'll be able to sleep, so I'm going to explore. If you need me, just scream.” Scarlet gave her a knowing look. “Don't let your libido make you forget that he's an alien. You can't just assume that sex with him is going to be good. Or safe. Be careful.”
“What's the worst that could happen?”
“Really?” Scarlet grimaced. “Have you not seen all the ways that creatures mate on Earth? There are dicks with barbs, dicks that fuse into flesh, dicks that pierce through thoraxes-”
“Those are not...” Peony's voice trailed off as she realized she was about to say that those weren't human dicks. Which Atem's was also not.
Scarlet gave her a look that told her she didn't need to finish the sentence. “Human dicks can cause damage too, even if they're just plain, blunt instruments.”
“Okay. You make a fair point. I'll investigate the goods before I let anything happen.”
Scarlet nodded once. “Sorry for butting in. I just... you girls are the most important thing in the world to me right now. If I lost one of you after all this....”
“I get it.” Peony stepped forward, embracing her, somehow unsurprised by the wetness in her eyes. All her emotions felt heightened at this moment. “I would die for each of you at this point. And I think we've only known each other for like a week.”
Scarlet laughed breathlessly, holding her back. “Yeah. I know exactly what you mean. What is it they say about bonds formed under duress?”
“Yeah. That.” Peony leaned back, wiping at her tears before they could fall. “Thank you, Scarlet. I really think I would have gone crazy without you and the others around.”
Scarlet nodded once in agreement, sniffing and turning her head to quickly hide her own tears. “Yeah. Same. I, er, I'll just get out of your hair. Yell if you need me. I'll happily scalp him for you.”
“I don't doubt it.” Peony laughed as Scarlet backed of the room. The redhead sent her one last look – she waved brightly back – before returning to the halls.
Peony gnawed at her bottom lip after her footsteps faded, building her courage to turn to the captain's chair.
It wasn't necessary.
Peony hadn't even heard him move. Atem's hand was just suddenly on her shoulder, gently spinning her back to face him. The heated gaze that met hers assured her that the interference hadn't at all derailed his desire or intention.
“Peony,” he growled her name with a soft reverence, a wealth of meaning infused into those three little syllables.
“Hey.” She smiled nervously. “Erm...”
He lifted a hand to gently stroke her cheek, caressing her cheekbone with his thumb. “Peony... vas?”
It was a simple question, but with a great depth of meaning. He was asking if she was okay. If anything was wrong. If she wanted to continue.
She couldn't answer any of those questions. She could only smile, silently reassuring him.
He took hold of her face with his other hand, closing the distance, but stopping just before he could claim a kiss.
“Vas?”
Peony hesitated, her eyes darting back to the open door. He followed her gaze and smirked, seeming to understand.
Releasing her, he walked to the panel and pressed a button.
The doors slid shut, hissing as they sealed once again.
Closing them in the bridge. The distant rumble of the engine – that she hadn't even realized she had been hearing – was suddenly cut off.
One of the consoles could be heard beeping softly at random intervals.
“Vas?” He asked, not moving from the panel.
Peony smiled, solidifying her heart around the decision.
She couldn't describe what she was feeling right now.
She was wound so tight, she had to break something.
This crazy day had started yesterday with the nerve-wracking countdown through their sleep.
The fight. Stealing the key. Breaking Atem free.
Waiting for him. Then to have as much food as she wanted with the sudden but cautious relief of finally being safe.
And it was that caution that was really twisting her up inside. This didn't feel real. She felt like there were chains weighing down her limbs, trapping her into the feeling of still being imprisoned. She needed to feel alive. She needed to feel free.
She needed Atem's strength. His vitality.
Consequences be damned.
“Vas,” she breathed.