The Rapture

FOURTEEN

PEARL

I sat at the kitchen table, drumming my fingers on the smooth top.

Dumuzi did not show up.

I spent the entire day by myself, exploring the books on the bookshelf. Many of them were classic tales from Earth, some of them ones I read as a child. Dumuzi left a copy of Beauty and the Beast on the coffee table, something I would ask him about later.

When I awoke, there was a note written in perfect handwriting on the countertop:

I know you wished to see me today, but I am trying to find what I can regarding Osa. I will return in the evening with François. I trust that you rested well.

He was trying to find a way out of the bond. A part of me felt... hurt by that, but I sort of understood. I wasn't entirely sure of his feelings for me, as everything last night seemed only sexually charged. Soul mates sounded like a hell of a lot more than just lust.

I double-checked myself to make sure my clothes looked presentable in the gleaming reflection of the windows. I dressed down today in a simple white jacket and tan pants. I tied my hair back into a ponytail.

The sun cast dark purple shadows across the hillside.

I stared out of the window, taking a sip of water; I had grown accustomed to its weird flavor. Frowning, I rubbed the gold, cool glass with my fingers.

How much longer?

There was a knock at the front door. I had noticed no one approaching the house—I guess I was too busy trying to breathe.

My stomach was in knots, as turbulent as an ocean at the thought of a new human. What if they didn't like me, just like everyone else?

I dashed to the door, but it swung open before I could reach for the knob. Dumuzi's purple eyes swept over my form, and I smiled at him and mumbled, "Hey."

I inhaled his fragrance. I wanted to talk about last night. The medication, I realized, did little to influence the true feelings I had for him, which felt more than just lust.

Those feelings were their own thing, standing on two feet, and they scared me somewhat.

Not only was I sexually attracted, but... I liked him. He was okay. More than okay, and I didn't want him to die. The block of ice that he was before had melted. He was kind underneath it all; considerate when I was sick.

I wanted to delve into the topic of if he felt humanity had a chance. I wanted to know why we were created. I wanted to pick his brain about everything, just as he promised. I didn't want some stupid books to do it, I wanted it to be him.

I didn't want a bunch of lessons rushed because of his death either.

I wanted to tell him I wanted to be more than friends.

The way I felt about him, and the way he felt about me, terrified me. I did not know how his kind went about being a mate. Relationships? I sucked at them, but he was worth the shot. He was more than just muscles, beauty, and other-worldly awe.

He did not reply to me. I awkwardly stepped back. He regarded me coldly, his face as smooth as stone, making me want to back out of my proposition entirely.

What the hell?

Something had changed in him, I guessed.

Something big.