EvO (Darverius, House of DaR #16)

Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

QWIN

Next thing I know I find myself tucked under a pile of covers, snuggled up to EvO . Not that I am complaining, if I don’t think about it too hard it’s easier to accept. He seems super sweet and caring. So far, that’s more than I ever found in a human. At home, if I had been found abandoned in an alley somewhere, most would have simply walked by. No one wants in anyone else’s issues, unless they think it’s a possibility to be the next social media star. Most , in general, are not interested in your problems, they have enough of their own.

It seems like the temperatures have dropped drastically in just the few minutes we have been lying here. My ears keep popping like we are changing altitude on a plane. EvO suddenly pulls the covers up over our heads, then turns on his side so that we are looking at each other. The warmth of his massive frame encasing me has a shiver rolling up my back.

“ Are you cold already?”

“ No , I am rather snug, actually. I bet you didn’t see this coming when you went out to rescue me.”

“ It would have given me something to look forward to. Is being in here this close to me making you uncomfortable?”

“ Not at all, maybe that’s the messed-up part. If you had been a strange guy back home, I don’t think I would have been as open-minded.”

“ Why is that, were your males not honorable?”

“ Not the few I have encountered. Now , I am not saying they were all like that, but I was never lucky enough to find one of the good ones that wasn’t already taken.”

He seems to think about that for a minute. “ What are a few things you think you will miss most about your home?”

“ Wow , I hadn’t really thought about that much, or I was trying not to. Right off the top of my head, my Mom of course, is on the top of that list, followed by my cat. I’ve always had a pet, so it’s odd not having one curled up against me as I’m sleeping. Maybe my feet on solid ground, the familiarity of knowing where I am and what is expected from me daily. Chocolate , coffee, Doritos , Mexican food, Pepsi . How long of a list do you want me to create? I make myself laugh even with the tears flowing down my cheeks.”

“ Qwin , please don’t be sad. I should not have asked something that personal this soon, as you have had no time to grieve, but I am selfishly enjoying listening to your voice. Everything you say is fascinating to me. It would have been wonderful to experience your world seeing it through your eyes. There has never been an area where I’ve had roots like that, a place I was continuously drawn to. That was one of the reasons I requested to take over the Destroyer . I think I’ve always been looking for that home … Were some of the things you mentioned a substance you enjoy consuming?”

“ Yea , I am a junk food junkie, and my thighs show every chip I have ever eaten.”

He frowns. “ Why do you say things like that?”

“ What do you mean?”

“ You are very negative about your appearance. I am the one gazing at you and can find no faults. Have you been told these things?”

The second he says those words, his eyes flash white, and I have come to learn quickly that it is a sign of anger.

“ Others are cruel, EvO . Women more so than most men. We are all raised that you must be one way or another. Very few girls are comfortable in their own skin. It’s a flaw in our species, for sure.”

“ I completely agree; any figure The Lord of Light has blown his spirit into is a blessing that should not be wasted on foolish appearances. The heart is the true beauty of one’s soul.”

Trying to lighten the subject, I rub my fingers along his arm. “ You already know that my favorite color is purple, and the forces have used that against me when it comes to you, but what is yours?”

His long fingers trace my eyelashes as he looks into my eyes seriously. “ I would not have been able to answer that before, but now it is easy. It’s the color you call amber. It’s unique, the lights captured within your eyes are astonishing to me.”

I feel myself blush and he smiles mischievously.

“ I now see how to activate this blushing.”

Shaking my head, I can’t help but laugh even as I find myself scooting closer seeking out his heat as I swear the cold seems to be pressing in on us. “ You are trying to distract me with your orneriness, aren’t you?”

“ Slightly , is it working?”

“ Not really, but I have been pondering on something?”

“ I am at your disposal, ask away.”

“ The guy you were talking to earlier, not your bother the other one.”

“ Rafe ?”

“ Yes , he said something about running out of fuel. I would have thought that such an advanced civilization would have better ways to maintain a ship, than a certain fuel type. This is one of the many subjects I majored in college. I was dedicated to figuring out different means of energy on Earth , as we were consuming our natural resources at an unnatural rate, due to overpopulation.”

“ Rafe would be the best one to answer you, but I’ll tell you what I know. The Destroyer is the most advanced ship in our fleet, normally she runs off battery power. Those batteries are constantly charged by the many suns and supernovas surrounding us throughout space. Her entire exterior haul is one big panel, absorbing everything as we go from one location to another. However , thankfully she is also loaded with backup fuel in case something fails, and in our case it did. We did not foresee charging being a problem until it was too late. When we entered the Nebula , it was so bright we simply assumed that the solar panels would charge. Several rotations into its depths, we started having power failures all over the ship. That’s when we found out we were going to have to rely on the backup fuel only, and things started getting rationed.”

“ The mission you were sent on has been one issue after another hasn’t it?”

“ We have learned a lot as we’ve gone. No one had ever ventured into a Nebula before, so there were no references to go by. It’s been trial and error since we breached the outer layers.”

“ I have said this a dozen times already, but thank you EvO , for risking everything to save us. I can’t imagine the stress you must have been under this entire time.” When he leans forward and kisses the tip of my nose gently, my entire body feels like a shock wave has flooded my system and suddenly I wish it was a little cooler under here.

“ Your nose is chilly. Are you getting colder? I felt you tremble all over. I need to wait as long as I can before activating the heating pads, they only last a few ticks, scoot in closer.”

“ I can feel the cold seeping through the blankets, but right now you are keeping me warm enough.” The ship trembles underneath us, then jerks hard, forcing me right up against EvO . Instantly , it’s colder and I can see my breath even under the blankets.

“ Frack , I hate not knowing what’s going on, or what is making the ship act so erratically.”

I don’t think EvO has noticed where his large hands are now settled, but I sure do. One is on the outside of my hip, the other covers the entire middle of my back. He has pulled me up tight against him. So close that my nose is now tucked into his warm chest. The moment I take a deep breath, I grin to myself. Not only is he my favorite color, but he smells like vanilla and caramel, my favorite scents as well. How will another guy ever compare to this? Next question to self, am I willing to see where this goes, if I encourage him further? The other girl Ember seemed happy with her alien, maybe I could have one of my own. The rules I have been raised with no longer apply, so now the sky’s the limit.

My inner voice tells me that I should not be so trusting. That EvO really is the only alien I have personally talked too much since arriving … here, but as of right now. He is checking all the boxes on the application process I have for guys saved in my mind. After all, you never break your own rules, you know yourself better than any other does. You know what you want, and don’t, in a forever partner.

Unfortunately , my mind kicks in again. I know absolutely nothing about EvO , except what I’ve been told, or seen firsthand. Furthermore , I haven’t witnessed him with others, and it’s possible that all of this is just a performance. I decide right then that I will keep an open mind, and hopefully in the long run he continues to prove he is more than just another pretty face. So far, I’ve enjoyed his company, and he has done absolutely nothing to make me doubt him or made me feel uncomfortable, but the unknown is terrifying. Giggling in my mind, I can’t help but say this to myself.

Welcome to the newest version of the twilight zone, featuring Qwin Bayle for her debut appearance, in the episode The Purple alien.