Alien Romance: Caged By The Alien: Scifi Alien Abduction Romance (Alien Romance, Alien Invasion Romance, BBW) (Celestial Mates Book 4) by Marla Therron Page A
Authors: Marla Therron
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"Any luck?" Penny asked, gripping the bars of her cage as he removed his helmet. He looked tired and strained.
"I believe so," he said, sinking down next to her cage without even taking off his armor, "It was very difficult. I consulted with your hive- I apologize, your team, on how to interface with your technology. Once I had access to the data, translating it into a form our computers could work with was... Difficult is putting it lightly. I am lucky to have connections who understand that sort of thing better than I. But I should have what I need to present to the regency tomorrow. It will be enough, I hope."
"I believe in you," Penny said, though her smile was worried, "We'll figure something out."
She reached through the bars to touch him, the chitin of his armor a strange texture that wasn't quite metal or bone. He took her hand, still wearing his clawed gauntlets.
"After the trial," he asked, looking down at her hand in his, "If they release you. What will you do?"
Penny hadn't thought about it yet, and she considered it now, leaning against the bars.
"I guess we'd go home," she said, "Back to Earth. To tell everyone about what we learned here. We might stay here a little longer to see more and collect more data. But I'm sure after what we've been through everyone is eager to go home."
She frowned at the thought and Tau noticed, releasing her hand to touch her cheek.
"You don't seem happy about that."
She bit the inside of her cheek, wondering if she should tell him how little she wanted to go back to Earth. She wondered if he could even begin to understand.
"There isn't a lot waiting for me back there," her voice was halting, unsure, "I didn't really have any friends outside of the team. No other hobbies or involvements. I've poured pretty much my entire life into this. Never really had time for anything else. There's just my parents, and they..."
She trailed off, taking a deep breath through her nose as she thought about her parents.
"You have to understand," she tried to explain, "They weren't cruel. I mean, they could have been a lot worse. I never went hungry or neglected. They never physically hurt me. Sometimes, I wish they had. It would be easier to explain to people than what they did do. Things like locking me in a closet when my test scores weren't high enough sounds dramatic and makes people sympathetic, but that only happened a handful of times. That's not what living with it was like.
The constant, impossible expectations. Thinking you've finally done it only to have them move the goal posts. Never feeling good enough or like you've accomplished anything. The constant tension under every conversation, every moment I was in that house. Like the moment in a movie when the camera focuses on a closed door and the music thins out, only it just goes on forever... Sorry, this probably doesn't make any sense to you."
Tau shook his head, but the concerned frown on his face told her he understood she was in pain, even if he couldn't hope to comprehend why.
"I've never had those experiences," he said, "I can't know what it was like. But I understand not belonging. Wanting to leave a place so much you'll do anything to leave it behind."
"Like join the space program and dedicate your life to getting off planet so you don't even have to be in the same solar system anymore?" Penny asked with a small, bitter laugh. Tau's hand was still on her cheek, his thumb grazing her cheekbone.
"You succeeded," he said, "You crossed the universe to leave them behind. I can't imagine many other humans, many other beings at all, have accomplished that. Whatever else, that is an incredible victory."
Penny felt a warm glow in her chest and tears at her eyes. She'd never believed those words before, coming from reporters or boyfriends or her team mates. Why did they mean so much coming from him?
"Are you hurt?" Tau asked, wiping at the tears that gathered under her eyes, "Why are you upset?"
"I'm not," Penny
"Any luck?" Penny asked, gripping the bars of her cage as he removed his helmet. He looked tired and strained.
"I believe so," he said, sinking down next to her cage without even taking off his armor, "It was very difficult. I consulted with your hive- I apologize, your team, on how to interface with your technology. Once I had access to the data, translating it into a form our computers could work with was... Difficult is putting it lightly. I am lucky to have connections who understand that sort of thing better than I. But I should have what I need to present to the regency tomorrow. It will be enough, I hope."
"I believe in you," Penny said, though her smile was worried, "We'll figure something out."
She reached through the bars to touch him, the chitin of his armor a strange texture that wasn't quite metal or bone. He took her hand, still wearing his clawed gauntlets.
"After the trial," he asked, looking down at her hand in his, "If they release you. What will you do?"
Penny hadn't thought about it yet, and she considered it now, leaning against the bars.
"I guess we'd go home," she said, "Back to Earth. To tell everyone about what we learned here. We might stay here a little longer to see more and collect more data. But I'm sure after what we've been through everyone is eager to go home."
She frowned at the thought and Tau noticed, releasing her hand to touch her cheek.
"You don't seem happy about that."
She bit the inside of her cheek, wondering if she should tell him how little she wanted to go back to Earth. She wondered if he could even begin to understand.
"There isn't a lot waiting for me back there," her voice was halting, unsure, "I didn't really have any friends outside of the team. No other hobbies or involvements. I've poured pretty much my entire life into this. Never really had time for anything else. There's just my parents, and they..."
She trailed off, taking a deep breath through her nose as she thought about her parents.
"You have to understand," she tried to explain, "They weren't cruel. I mean, they could have been a lot worse. I never went hungry or neglected. They never physically hurt me. Sometimes, I wish they had. It would be easier to explain to people than what they did do. Things like locking me in a closet when my test scores weren't high enough sounds dramatic and makes people sympathetic, but that only happened a handful of times. That's not what living with it was like.
The constant, impossible expectations. Thinking you've finally done it only to have them move the goal posts. Never feeling good enough or like you've accomplished anything. The constant tension under every conversation, every moment I was in that house. Like the moment in a movie when the camera focuses on a closed door and the music thins out, only it just goes on forever... Sorry, this probably doesn't make any sense to you."
Tau shook his head, but the concerned frown on his face told her he understood she was in pain, even if he couldn't hope to comprehend why.
"I've never had those experiences," he said, "I can't know what it was like. But I understand not belonging. Wanting to leave a place so much you'll do anything to leave it behind."
"Like join the space program and dedicate your life to getting off planet so you don't even have to be in the same solar system anymore?" Penny asked with a small, bitter laugh. Tau's hand was still on her cheek, his thumb grazing her cheekbone.
"You succeeded," he said, "You crossed the universe to leave them behind. I can't imagine many other humans, many other beings at all, have accomplished that. Whatever else, that is an incredible victory."
Penny felt a warm glow in her chest and tears at her eyes. She'd never believed those words before, coming from reporters or boyfriends or her team mates. Why did they mean so much coming from him?
"Are you hurt?" Tau asked, wiping at the tears that gathered under her eyes, "Why are you upset?"
"I'm not," Penny
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