The few office towers and larger buildings stick out like blemishes on the otherwise low city skyline.
“Are we as bad as the rumors say?”
I turn to Cyrus and laugh. It’s as if he was reading my thoughts…
Gods! I hope not!
It’s easy to forget that Cyrus could land me in prison for fifteen years if he ever saw through my deception.
I steel myself, and respond: “The rumors claim Aurelians are a bunch of sex-crazed maniacs, who’ll kill at the smallest slight.”
Cyrus’s face clouds for a moment.
“And yet, you’re volunteering to come and work for us?”
I look away, pressing the ice firmly against my eye. The chill of the air conditioning isn’t enough to explain my suddenly hardened nipples. I pray that the other things they claim about Aurelians aren’t true…
…like their ability to smell the arousal of a woman.
If that’s true, I’m screwed – perhaps, eventually, in every sense of the term; because being in such close proximity with this huge, powerful warrior is making me think things I know I shouldn’t.
Cyrus, at least, seems in control of himself – so stoic and certain that I can’t imagine him losing himself to this infamous mating frenzy his species is known for.
“How old are you?” I ask, awkwardly changing the subject.
“Five-hundred and thirty,” Cyrus responds easily. “In human equivalent, I’m around thirty, I suppose – if you count it that way. We age differently than you. Faster at the start, slower at the end.”
I sniff haughtily. “You act like you’re eighteen.”
Cyrus laughs, and there’s warmth in his eyes. He seems to truly trust me. Maybe this job is going to be easier than I’d expected.
But, at the same time, I’m growing concerned. I should have remained silent and shy during the ride. I don’t want him thinking there’s an attraction between us...
…especially since there might be.
No, I need to keep it cool. Play shy. The best thing for me would be to fly completely beneath their sexual radar – just another woman in the heaving sea of their harem, and uninteresting compared to what I must assume will be many other eager beauties.
I get a little pang of insane jealousy when I think of that harem. It’s not that I want to be the center of attention – the opposite, in fact. Yet, at the same time, it’s frustrating imagining being surrounded by incredibly beautiful women; knowing I’ll be completely overshadowed by them.
It’s not my intention or my fault that I find the Aurelians insanely attractive. Any woman would be drawn to these veritable Titans…
Only, I shouldn’t be. I’m here to do a job.
“Eighteen, eh?” Cyrus is still laughing about that. “That’s because Gallus and Varian act like old men compared to me. Without my youthful vigor, the manor would be very bland indeed.”
I raise my eyebrow – then instantly regret it as pain radiates from my blackened eye.
“A manor? Are you trying to impress me?”
He laughs. “I don’t have to try to impress anybody.”
I can’t help but smirk at his arrogance.
Cyrus sees my lips curl.
“You’re not what I’d expect – not for a woman who was abused and then nearly pulled off this planet by that misogynistic bastard Danib.”
Dammit – I knew I should have played it cool.
“I grew up in Sector 4,” I tell Cyrus, again relying on the truth rather than a lie I’d have to remember later. “You don’t stay alive in Sector 4 without parents – not if you’re weak.”
“No parents?” Cyrus snorts. “We have that in common.”
I roll my eyes. He’s trying to find common ground, but it’s not the same situation – not even close.
Almost the entire Aurelian species have no parents. I don’t know how they reproduce, exactly – but they manage it somehow, even though their species is all male.
I guess this will be my opportunity to find out.
I turn and look through the tinted windows. The shuttle is now flying above nicer and nicer homes, and the tiny brick courtyards become larger beneath us, trees sprouting up near fountains as the neighborhoods become more affluent.
“So, how were you born?”
Why wait? I ask that question right away.
“They really don’t teach you about Aurelians in school, do they?” Cyrus laughs.
I glare at him from around the icepack. “I didn’t get to go to school, I’m afraid. Humans aren’t as lucky as Aurelians. We don’t all have a government paying for everything.”
It’s Cyrus’s turn to get serious.
“Oh, trust me, I paid for everything I was given – we all did.”
He turns and looks out the window. Cyrus’s body language has suddenly changed. He’s suddenly less relaxed – more closed off. I try to think of how I might have offended him, but I don’t know enough about their species to be able to tell.
We fly in silence for the next few minutes. The houses beneath us become estates, and I realize how truly rich these aliens must be. My former targets were all the families of mid-range businessmen – rich enough to afford mansions and pay for a half-dozen maids and other staff; but none of them lived like this.
The houses I see below me now could house a village within them. They all have huge, crystal-clear swimming pools, many feature immense orchards of fruit-bearing trees, and down below I see masses of gardeners and servants scurrying about to tend to these lavish estates.
What if their riches buy more than just luxury? I suddenly wonder. What if they have more technology? What if they have something that will detect me – surveillance cameras, tied to an AI that can track and assess my movements and behavior? What if they have security throughout the entire house?
My blood runs cold.
“What are you nervous about?”
Fuck.
So, it’s true.
Either Cyrus can
