Laurel
I woke feeling as if a tractor had rolled over me while I'd slept. My limbs were heavy and sore. If I was a gym bunny, I'd assume I'd done too much of a workout, but I'd only ever seen the inside of a gym once, when a friend had persuaded me to go. I'd never forgiven her for that. I didn't like being tortured, even when I was doing the torture to my own body.
A big blue face appeared in my field of vision, and the memories came streaming back. I'd broken my ankle. I'd been abducted by aliens. I'd been carried by a huge alien who'd smelled like the sea. And I'd slept in his bed.
For a moment, I felt like I'd been transported into a fairy tale, then I remembered that I was an investigative journalist and that I had to question everything. Never believe what they tell you. Everybody lies. And sometimes, your senses will betray you.
"How are you feeling?" he asked in that deep, sultry voice that should have come with a danger warning. May cause ovarian distress.
He was so blue. From up close, his features were less human than I'd previously thought. The angles of his face weren't quite as they should be. Too rough, too chiselled. His teeth were a striking pink, a sharp contrast to his navy beard and skin. Scars cut across his chest on one side, while a runic tattoo graced the other. He'd seen battle. Violence. I had no trouble believing that. He was a brute of a man, his shoulders so wide he'd have trouble walking through a normal door, even if he hadn't been tall enough to bump his head on the frame. Next to him, I felt small. Why did I like that?
"Can you understand me? Are you unable to speak? Should I get Klav?" With every question, his voice turned more frantic.
Bless. He truly was worried about me. I didn't know why, but it was strangely adorable.
"I can understand you." I coughed, my throat dry as a desert. "Do you have some water?"
He handed me an entire pitcher. I slowly began to sit up, dreading the pain in my tired muscles, but he was already there, sliding an arm around my back, supporting me. He sat behind me on the bed so that I could lean against him. His skin was warm and there was that scent again, the salty musk of the sea. I should have insisted on using the wall for support instead, but I was so tired. Not my mind, just my body.
I drank in big gulps, only realising after several sips that the water tasted strangely sweet.
"What is this?" I asked warily.
"Klav has added some essential nutrients to the H2O to help in your recovery. It will improve how you're feeling."
I wanted to question that. Wanted answers. But I also didn't have the energy. I drank some more, then let him take the pitcher away. I was still leaning against his hard, warm chest. I should move. I should lie in bed again. Or even better, I should run as fast as I could, away from this strange place, from this strange man.
"How are you feeling?" he asked again. Even without seeing his face, I could hear the worry in his voice.
"I'm tired. Everything aches. What did you do to me?"
"The medpod stimulated your body to heal itself at a much faster rate than it normally would. That takes a lot of energy. You'll have to eat a lot in the next few days, and I have instructions to make sure you drink lots of H2O. If you need, Klav has given me some painkillers to administer to you."
"Is this real?" I asked weakly. "Am I supposed to believe that you're really an alien and that I'm not hallucinating?"
"Yes. If it helps, there's another Peritan waiting outside to reassure you. She allowed me to wake you by myself before joining us. I'm not supposed to be alone with you."
"That's... scary."
"What is scary?"
"That you're not allowed to be alone with me. Why is that? Are you dangerous?"
He chuckled darkly. "Only to my enemies. And you don't count among those. On the contrary." His eyes turned smouldering. What was it with him? How could he make me tingle all over with a single heated glance?
A knock on the door made him freeze for a second. Then he cleared his throat. "Your chaperone is likely getting worried. Huginn, open the door."
For some reason, I wasn't surprised when the door really did slide open. I was starting to let go of my permanently questioning mind and was just taking it all in my stride. I could ask questions later, once I woke up. Once the hallucinations stopped. Unless this was real and I wasn't going to wake up. Then I'd be in trouble.
A tall redhead entered the room, wearing a silver jumpsuit that looked like an 80s sci-fi film costume. She wore heavy green-rimmed glasses on a freckled nose; freckles that were almost as plentiful as my own.
"Hi, I'm Shona. Steff has asked me to look after you and fill you in on everything. Do you want Rune to leave?"
He tensed, his chest turning even harder than it already was. Had his muscles just grown muscles?
I shrugged. "I don't mind. It's not like he's real."
Shona laughed and jumped on the bed, sitting cross-legged opposite me. The mattress was so huge that it was almost the size of my bedroom back home. You could have entire orgies on here without anyone falling off the bed.
"Ah, you're in the denial phase. I remember that. What's your explanation for it all? Elaborate hoax?"
"Hallucinations," I said weakly.
"That's a common one. Don't worry, you're not alone. When the human mind comes across something it doesn't understand, it'll try and make it fit into its existing framework of understanding. Since you didn't believe in aliens before you came here, your mind is desperately looking for other explanations. I always wonder what would happen if an alien conspiracy theorist was among us. Would she accept everything right away, or would she still doubt it because these aliens don't look like the ones she believed in?" Shona laughed again. "Sorry, I'm a psychologist. Just tell me to shut up when I analyse too much. Anyway, how are you doing? Steff said you had a wee accident last night."
I slowly wriggled my foot. It felt as heavy as the rest of my body, but there was no pain, no limited movement.
"Fine, I think."
"Good. If we were having a therapy session, I wouldn't accept that as an answer, but I'm here to show you a video. After, we'll talk. It might answer some of your questions."
I highly doubted that, but to indulge her, I smiled and nodded.
Shona turned to the guy behind me. "Rune, can you make the intro video appear on the wall screen? I still don't have a good grasp of your technology. I'd probably break something."
"It's impossible to break," he muttered, but he did as she'd asked.
Until now, the wall to my left had shown a view of the stars. Now, it morphed into the logo of the Hot Tatties agency, the ugly kilt-wearing cupid.
"Isn't he adorable?" Shona cooed.
I wanted to vomit.
"Welcome to the Valkyr," Pam's voice came from speakers all around us. "As this will be your first time on a spaceship, I'm sure you will have many questions. In this short video, I will do my best to answer them. However, you can always ask your local Hot Tatties employee at the end. First of all, yes, you are in space. Yes, aliens are real. This ship belongs to a species called the Vikingar. You will get to meet them eventually, but for now, you have a few days to get used to life in space. There will be another video about the Vikingar, their culture, history and reasons for coming to Earth. Once you feel ready, you will get to meet your matches. I'm sorry if we led you to believe that your selected matches were human. They are not. You have each been paired with a Vikingr. Even though we are completely separate species, scientists have discovered that we are compatible on a physical, emotional and cultural level. They have the same DNA marker that helps us find soul mates for you all. I know this will come as a shock, which is why we have this introductory period on the Valkyr. There are some Vikingar on board to fly the ship and make sure everything works as intended, but they will keep hidden. Please do not try to seek them out. We want your mate to be the first Vikingr you meet."
"I guess that worked out for you," Shone whispered, eyeing Rune behind me. I realised I was still leaning against his chest. From her perspective, it had to look like I was sitting on his lap. Ugh. Not the impression I wanted to give. He was a stranger. A blue, hunky alien stranger.
Wait a minute. Aliens were real.
I gulped. Aliens were real.
And I had proof.
This would make my career. I could take some sneaky pictures of Rune, maybe even a video, then break the news to the world. I'd need some more information first. What was their purpose? Would they invade Earth? Were they a danger to us all?
I gave myself a day to research before finding a way home. On the contract I'd signed with the dating agency, it stated that I'd have to pay for any costs incurred should I want to go home prematurely. So be it. My boss would cover the tab. It would count as expenses. And she wouldn't mind if it was expensive because this was the story of the century. No, the millennia.
Aliens were real. And I'd be the one to tell the world.