Behind me, I could feel mycandallaswishing back and forth in agitation. He did not like the idea of leaving little one any more than I did. Even now I felt him wanting me to breed her—urging me to keep her with me no matter what the consequences and cost.
If I had not been Overlord of an entire continent, I might well have listened to him. I might have taken little one away to another planet and lived with her there as Master and pet, in the relationship both of us had grown to love.
But I couldn’t do that—I had responsibilities to attend to. Captain Tau’rex had told me that in the time I had been gone, the tensions between the Northern and Southern Continents had grown much worse. I had to be on my home planet to help settle my people and hopefully avoid any kind of civil war. I couldn’t abandon my post, no matter how much I loved the little human I was leaving behind. It simply wasn’t in me to do so.
And so I turned my face and tried not to see the tears rolling down little one’s flushed cheeks. She was obviously hurting but I knew I couldn’t comfort her—if I took her in my arms, even once—I would not be able to let her go again.
“I must go,” I said abruptly to Charnoth. “Send the bill to my home world—you have my coordinates. And be certain that little one…thatElligets home safely. Put her back exactly where you found her.”
“Yes, Overlord.” Charnoth bobbed his wormy blue head in abject agreement. “Yes, it shall be done—I give my word.”
“Good.” I turned to go back down the connecting tunnel that led back to my own ship when I heard little one call my name.
“Sir,” she whispered and her voice was filled with tears. “Sir, don’t do this. Don’t leave me.I love you!”
Her words tore at my heart and I knew that if I turned around I would go to her. So I didn’t turn around.
“I love you too, little one,” I said, and then kept walking, leaving her behind even though it felt like I had left my primary heart beating on the floor at her feet.
I was certain I would never see her again.
FIFTY-FOUR
ELLI
The next two weeks were the shittiest I could ever remember. They started with the absolutejoyof being transported naked right back to my Great Aunt Maizy’s bathroom.
Of course, the clothes that I had left behind when the Commercians first abducted me had been taken away by that time. So I had to try to explain to my Aunt why I was wandering around her house butt-naked and how and why I had disappeared in the first place, more than two months ago.
I made up a story about being abducted by a masked man through the bathroom window, but I could tell she didn’t believe me.
“I don’t think you wouldfitthrough that window, Eliza!” she said, staring at me severely. “You’re much tooplumpfor that! Though I’m at a loss to know whatelsemight have happened to you!”
My mom and sister were extremely glad to see me, of course—that was nice. They were more inclined to believe the kidnapping story. I embellished it a bit and said the kidnappers thought I would be worth a lot in ransom since I was always at Aunt Maizy’s big, expensive house. Then, when they found out I wasn’t worth anything, they decided to let me go.
Of course, I couldn’t tell them the real truth—that I had been abducted by aliens and, for a brief time, had been an Alien Overlord’s pet. Who would believe me? Even my loved ones would have thought I was crazy and would probably have tried to have me committed.
My momdidtell me that she’d had odd dreams of me that comforted her—dreams that I was well and safe and eating Jell-O Jigglers, just like she used to make for me and Taylor when we were kids.
It made me want to cry because I knew the dreams had come from Sir. I told her that the kidnappershadfed me Jell-O and treated me pretty well, which kind of gave her the idea that she might be psychic.
“Iknewit!” she told me, fluttering her hands excitedly. “Don’t I always getfeelingsabout things? I knew you were going to be all right, sweetheart! I’m just so glad my dreams were true.”
I wished I could tell her about my own mental abilities…except I didn’t have them anymore. Just as I had suspected, the minute I came back to Earth, my La-ti-zal powers vanished. And along with my powers, went my sex drive—I had zero desire left in me. Not that I wanted to have sex with anyone but Sir, even if Ihadbeen able to get horny.
I broke things off with Don—he didn’t put up much of a fight. Hedidsay he was glad I was all right, which was nice, I guess. Then he just kind of shrugged and went back to playing his video game.
I couldn’t help staring at my ex-fiancé and wondering what in the world I had been thinking. Why had I been willing to settle for so little? So little passion and commitment and kinkiness?
Probably because I hadn’t met Sir yet,I thought as Don stared blankly at the screen, the blue glare reflected off the lenses of his glasses.Because I hadn’t had any kind of sexual awakening.
Then I made myself stop thinking of Sir. I tried to tell myself I was better off without him—if he didn’t want me, well, I didn’t want him either. So there.
But it was useless—Ididwant him. I cried myself to sleep almost every night, wanting him and missing him and wondering if he was thinking of me. It made for some really miserable nights, I can tell you.
Days weren’t much better. I had lost my job at the library because of my failure to show up for any work for two months. It didn’t do any good to explain that I had been kidnapped either—my boss didn’t believe me. He just thought I had run off with a boyfriend to Europe or something—as if I could afford a European vacation on a part-time librarian’s salary!
In addition to losing my main job, I lost my apartment too, because I hadn’t paid rent in two months. So I was working for Aunt Maizy full-time now and sleeping on my sister Taylor’s couch.