Page 7 of Abducting the Alien

The embarrassment from August’s amusement cast a shimmer over Clay’s scales.

“Holy shit. You’re shiny again. I thought I noticed it when I found you earlier, but I wasn’t sure.” August reached up to stroke Clay’s scales. “God, that’s beautiful.”

“It’s not beautiful,” Clay snapped, pulling August’s hoodie back on to cover his head. “It’s embarrassing.”

“What? Why?”

Clay looked to his feet.

“You’re glowing because you’re embarrassed, or what?”

Clay scoffed. “I’m not glowing. I’m shimmering.” He rubbed a hand over his forehead as if he could will the scales away. “It’s involuntary. Fear, humiliation, distress. Anything that strips away composure makes them shimmer, and it’s not a good thing.”

August’s expression softened. “Oh, so your scales are like a blush? That’s what humans call it. Well, if they speak my language.”

“I suppose,” Clay said, tugging the hood lower over his head. “If a blush announces to everyone that emotions have overwhelmed you.”

“Well, sure, that’s how it works, I guess. But I still think it’s beautiful.”

Clay let out an exasperated sound.

“Earthlings like things that shimmer.” August pulled the hood off Clay’s head, his wrist brushing against Clay’s velvety horn.

Clay let out a whimper and bit his lip again, not hard enough to tear skin this time. His eyes closed as that deep purr rumbled in his chest, and he found himself hating the shimmer less if it made August touch him like that.

“Do you like that?” August stepped closer and lowered his voice, trailing the tip of his finger along the curve of Clay’s horn. “Whenever I touch your horns, you purr like that. Is that a good sound, to your people? Even if your scales are shimmering?”

“Yes,” Clay breathed. “It’s a good sound. I feel good with you. I’ve never made that sound before. I’ve never—well, I’m experiencing some new physiological symptoms of our bond, and that’s one of them.”

“New physiological symptoms?” August asked. He started to laugh but stopped himself by pressing his lips together. “Of our, uh, bond?”

Clay’s tail reached out and wrapped itself around August’s ankle, the tip stroking the skin there. “So many new things happening that can only be explained by one thing.”

“Which is…?”

“You are my saelun. My soulmate.”

CHAPTER 3

“What does soulmate mean? To you, I mean. I know what it means on Earth,” August said, rubbing at his chest. This was a lot of pressure from some alien he met two hours ago.

“It means our bodies are made for each other,” Clay said, removing August’s hoodie again and dropping it on the bed. “Do you like my body, August?”

“Yeah. Like I said, you’re hot. You look so human, too,” August said. “Minus the tail.”

It was Clay’s turn to smile that time. “You mean humans look like Vael’iri. We’re millions of years older than you, as a species.”

“No shit?”

Clay nodded. “Shit.”

“Oh, uh—that’s not…” August smiled. “Never mind. That’s fine. So, what does it mean if we’re made for each other?”

“It means my body responds to your presence. Your scent, your shape. It’s all very pleasing to me, and my body wants to mate with yours.”

“Your body does?”

“Yes,” Clay said, picking up his tail with one hand.