PEARL

You know what? Fuck this.

"Give me a moment," I said to François. I hurried to the door and yanked it open. Humid air greeted my skin, immediately leaving a thin sheet of moisture behind.

The sky was clear, littered with thousands of stars. Two moons hung like medallions in the night sky, golden and full. I didn't have time to marvel at them in awe, because Dumuzi was walking away from me, a shadow in the sky's backdrop.

The shadow was gaining distance.

"Hey—hey!" I yelled, running to catch up. I was never good at sports, even as a kid, and I hated running. I fumbled a few times before I got to him.

He turned around. "What is it you need?"

His voice was rather... formal. Like we were two coworkers having a discussion on what projects were due, not potential soul mates. I put my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. My lungs burned. The added oxygen in the air helped little.

"Uh." I wracked my brain about where to start. There were just too many things I needed to ask. "Why did you take my fucking cup? I wasn't finished. Still had water in it."

Why not start there?

"Perhaps because it was a gold cup, and I found the design tasteless."

What?

That made zero sense to me. "That... literally makes no sense. What to happened to you, Dumuzi? You look like shit."

Well, not really, but he looked exhausted–the dark circles under his eyes, and how his face looked drawn and weary. He couldn't be that upset over gold kitchenware; it was something else.

He sighed, straightening out his black shirt. His eyes seemed to glow in the dark, which I found peculiar instead of scary.

The way his hair fell into his face made him seem wild somehow. The lengths billowed behind him in the wind. I took a step forward when anyone would have taken a step back.

"Pearl," he whispered, reaching out a hand to me. When I didn't take it, he touched the side of my face.

I shook my head, clearing my throat as his fingers moved to explore my cheek. Warm tingles spread out like the strings of a spider web across my skin. How strange for my body to react like this to him—would all humans react this way?

I licked my dry lips. I would not let him distract me, even though I really liked what he was doing.

I moved his hand away from my face. "Did you find something? A way to stop Osa?"

He dropped his arm. "No."

I felt guilty that his revelation relieved me, but I kept prodding. "Then what is going on with you? Why do you look so angry?"

"I am not angry. There are things I cannot discuss at the present time."

I groaned. Irritation flared, causing my teeth to clench. How many times had I interviewed people that kept things they wouldn't discuss? It drove me absolutely bonkers.

I'm about to have a moment.

I stared at him, holding my breath, trying to keep in a frenzied rant. Because if I ranted, that would be the moment he knew he wouldn't want to be with me.

It was the reason why I was mocked online. It was the reason why cocky, better journalists made headlines about me, titled: Pearl Blankenship, the Conspiracist Who Needs to Take a Chill Pill.

It was the reason why I was probably going to die alone. Did he regret saying that he enjoyed my company?

"Pearl?"

My eye twitched. "Give me a minute. I'm trying not to unload on you."

"Unload."

I bit my lip as I trembled. He did not want that. "No."

His eyes lightened a shade, and he tilted his head. "Stop hiding yourself from me. Show me who you truly are. Where's your fire, Pearl Blankenship?"

Where's your fire?

My annoyance hit its peak, and I snapped."Fine!"

I began walking back and forth, tangling my hands in my hair. "You asked for it, buddy. So here it is. More non-answers is what I get from you, Dumuzi? Seriously? I am so sick of those! How am I supposed to learn anything from you? I just want you not to die. Is that so much to fucking ask? The one person in the world who can actually stand me for five minutes, then he is cursed with some twisted death that he can't escape—"

"So why not throw caution to the wind?"

What he said didn't register, and I kept rambling.

"—and I'll just end up missing you in the end when this is all said and done. Cripes. Guess I should start collecting cats now. All I wanted was a partner, a family, a delightful home, somebody who enjoyed my work—"

"Interesting."

"—and I can't have that. Why? Because of me, the way I am, and you do not want to be tied to this mess, trust me." I panted. "And don't get me started on how bullshit the 'texts' are. If I wanted to learn about things back on Earth, I didn't go to a library! I went out into the field. I experienced things, Dumuzi. Why can't you show me things?" I shook my head and stomped my foot. "Not to mention, when the world ended, ya'll didn't even do me the liberty of spitting on it before shafting me with that stupid inoculation—"

"Pearl."

I stopped pacing, wheezing. "What?!"

With a calming hand, he reached to cradle the side of my cheek. Which, in reality, cradled the entire side of my head. I blinked, the rage fizzling out of my system, leaving humiliation behind. "Your anger is adorable."

His hand, which was on my face, trailed down to my spine, moving to press into the small of my back. He pulled me close, and I thudded against his lower torso. I didn't have time to ask what he was doing, because there was a fire in his eyes, blazing brighter than the stars behind his head.

"Your mouth is never still, is it? Such an inquisitive, intense creature who will never be satisfied with not knowing. I find you... rather acceptable. Actually, more than acceptable. I find you perfect."

"I, um..."

I couldn't think straight because he was currently holding me like I was something of great value; something I had never experienced. His warmth enveloped my senses, and my mind drew a blank. I pressed my face into his hard chest.

This is... amazing. He feels amazing.

Nobody had ever pulled me out of a rant before. My eyelashes fluttered, and I inhaled his scent, mesmerized by the safety that his hold produced. I wrapped my arms around him, but it was like hugging a tree trunk.

A very large one.

I'm hugging an alien.

He rubbed my back and I shivered. "I am glad you stayed on Lare. I don't think I can stand another minute without touching you."

My voice came out garbled because my cheeks were squished to him. "But you don't want me like that."

"Of course I do, human. Whenever you open your mouth, it is hard for me not to fuck you into the dirt to quiet you. It is fate that has made us two halves of one whole; fighting it is futile."

Fuck me into the dirt?

I had no idea his mouth could be so filthy. It struck a cord deep within me, singing to parts of me I never knew existed. 

I swallowed at the implied threat. "So... stop fighting, then? Or do you want me to keep talking? I can keep talking if it means that you'll–"

"In view of François from the windows?"

Oh.

He shrugged. "I do not mind. But I think you might protest giving her such a show. I agree that we should stop fighting this. I am enthusiastic about this plan of action... which should worry me."

Enthusiastic?

With one arm wrapped around me, holding me to him, the other cradled the back of my skull, fingers rubbing against the roots of my hair, spurring fire. The elastic holding my ponytail in place snapped, my brown hair cascading over my shoulders.

His eyes narrowed down at me, glowing brighter like purple flames. "Hmm."

"What?"

He leaned down just before I could get a proper response, our noses almost touching.

Then his lips found mine.

I melted, giving into his fierceness, the smell of him flooding my senses, and the firm way he held me. His sweet, perfuming scent seasoned my tongue. I moaned. I stood on my tiptoes, throwing myself into the kiss.

A tongue traced over my bottom lip and I shivered. He was a block of ice in the beginning, and now, he was fire. Passionate. Determined. And suddenly, I was the one on fire, too–my face and chest heated, the chill of the evening pebbling my nipples, even through my shirt.

I wanted more of this side of him, so I grabbed onto him like a life raft, lifting a knee, trying to get more.

He held the entire universe inside of his brain—perfect for my questions. I could learn everything, experience everything, and feel everything with him. The knowledge I could harvest would leave me sated for decades.

But the knowledge of his body I was practically left in the dark about?

I wanted that, too.

"Enough for now."

Just as soon as it began, it ended. He broke our kiss and I froze at the unsettling image of him. He trembled against me, his expression dark. Something told me he was very dangerous right now, and I should find a way out of his arms.

His hold on me gentled, so I didn't.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"There are numerous aspects of my kind that you do not understand. I do not intend to hurt you. Our desires can easily overcome us, especially when we feel them for the first time. I could become a danger to you, as you are... small. And quite delicate."

Nobody had ever called me small and delicate. I swallowed as my head swam with need. Maybe his words should've worried me, but they didn't. "So, you've never..."

I trailed off, unsure of how to word it.

Thankfully, he caught on. "No. My kind mates for life."

"Oh."

He was a virgin. Not that it made any difference to me. My belief was that virginity was more of a social construct, and being intimate with someone didn't diminish your value.

It was curious, though, that he was so... ancient, and that was the one thing he had little experience on. Didn't he say there was little of his kind left? Maybe that complicated some things.

"I have to show you something." His voice was gruff. "Tomorrow. That is my condition if we accept whatever may happen. I cannot predict the outcome of this situation, but I find myself not caring."

My lips throbbed, wanting him back but also wanting an explanation.

"Okay." I hunched my shoulders. "What is it?"

My mind was dizzy from what just transpired between us. Apparently, aliens knew how to kiss?

What a hell of a way to find out.

"The knowledge you seek. I know you are emotionally attached to the reason we created your kind. After you are informed, I would be delighted to claim you as mine if you still desire me, as long as it is not out of pity that I am dying."

"Pity?"

"My position on the council surely meets your standards as a male of my status. I will take care of you. I will look after you. I will begrudge you nothing."

"I don't give a flip about standards and what your status is. If I still want you?" Those words stuck out to me more than the others that warmed my chest. "Even if you weren't dying and had limited time, I'd still want you."

That was the truth.

"You may dislike me for what you see. I believe you want me too, so this must be done."

Darkness entered his tone, and I frowned. Dislike him?

"Are you alright?" he asked, his finger lifting my chin up. I peered into his eyes and nodded. "Shadrach will come to get François later. The two of you should talk more and form a bond. In the meantime, I have things to do."

"Handle your business, then come and get me tomorrow so you can tell me what I want to know. You should probably get some rest."

Even with the sky dark and shadows swallowing us, his dark circles were prominent. "I hope your sleep is undisturbed."

"Yours too."

He let me go, a lump forming in my throat as he disappeared from sight.