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“I doubt it.”
We’re giving you and the others the gift of language.
A jolt shot through my brain like I’d taken a blow to the side of my head.
“Ow.” With my arms bound to my sides, I couldn’t rub my aching temple. “Thanks?”
Return with Aizor to your home. Love him. Bear his younglings.
“I’m not a broodmare.”
These people are dying.
“You can’t pin that on me and a few women. Species die out all the time.” The thought of the Zuldruxians fading away was a knife gouging my throat. Aizor, Jessia, who I’d only briefly met, and baby Willire and her mom, Tapesta.Each person had touched my heart already. “Save them.”
We cannot do this on our own. We need you.
I’d never had a purpose in life, but there was no way they could expect us to save them.
If they die, so shall we.
“Are you saying you have a symbiotic relationship with the Zuldruxians?”
To some extent, yes. We came here so long ago; we’ve forgotten where we came from. We were welcomed. Worshipped. We wish to be revered once more.
“And you think forcing women to come here and hook up with Zuldruxians will make us love you like they do?”
We don’t need love.
“Everyone does.” The silence dragged on for so long, I had to break it. “Free the other women. Please.”
When it’s their time.
“It’s not fair to keep them frozen like that.”
They’re safe. Healthy. They wait and they dream.
“They’re probably having nightmares.”
We don’t dream.
I felt a twinge of pity for these alien beings who were entrenched in this planet and dependent on the Zuldruxians for worship, but my sympathy for them didn’t shove aside my anger at what they’d done to me and the other women.
One week, the alien being said.
I stilled, waiting before blurting out, “One week for what?”
If, after one week, you wish to return to your wretched, dying planet—
“Hey, we have tacos and coffee, things I’ll point out arenoton the menu here.”
—then we will return you.
My breath caught. “Really?”
You doubt our ability to do this?
“No, but I’m questioningwhyyou’d do it.”
