Ajos: The Restitution - A Sci-fi Alien Romance, Book 1, стр. 25
Stopping dead in his tracks, Ajos let out a deep breath.
“Say it.” He turned.
“You are behaving out of character. I was right to follow you.”
Annoyance stirred within him and coming close behind it was that rage he was feeling. Ajos squeezed his eyes tight to hold the feelings back.
“You followed me?” he ground out. “Why?”
V’Alen paused and a growl left Ajos’ lips that surprised even him.
“Your nefre is red,” V’Alen finally said. “I have known you for many moons and it has never been red before. That is a cause for concern.” V’Alen studied him. “I took the liberty to investigate on my own.”
Oh no.
Ajos turned and began walking again.
He didn’t want to hear it.
V’Alen’s form of investigation probably involved digesting every archive on the planet about him.
It was a blessing and a curse that he could do that.
V’Alen’s footsteps sounded behind him.
“You are Shum’ai. Your species’ reproductive cycle is catalyzed when your planet goes through its period of great warmth when it is closest to its star. Because of the strange orbit Tonvuhiri takes, most of the time it is so far away from its star, the planet remains cold. The warm cycle, however…”
Ajos groaned in annoyance at the words but kept walking anyway.
V’Alen continued.
“It is possible the extensive thermal energy from the explosions has catalyzed your reproductive cycle prematurely.”
Ajos squeezed his eyes shut and held back the growl that was bubbling in his throat.
“Ajos,” V’Alen said, “You are going into heat.”
Sometimes, just sometimes, he wished his friend was not as curious as he happened to be.
Qeffing phek.
He couldn’t be going into heat.
He was too far away from Tonvuhiri and even then, the warm cycle of the planet wasn’t until many, many more moons.
Going into heat…and in the middle of a war?
He’d just have to find a way to ignore it.
“Brother, you cannot ignore it. It is already clouding your judgment and influencing your behavior. I am concerned about what it may do to your mental state.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are not.”
They were just at their bunker, and Ajos stopped in front of it and turned.
“Drop it.”
V’Alen opened his mouth again and Ajos didn’t wait.
As the door slid open, he slipped inside and all but fled from his prying friend.
Kerena slipped off the hard bed, her knee-high boots touching the floor.
The room was warm enough now that she wasn’t shivering anymore, but the cold had reminded her she didn’t have any extra clothes.
That meant she had one dress, one pair of shoes, one bra, and one pair of panties.
Damn.
Glancing at the bathroom, she took a few steps toward it.
There was a stall she assumed was the shower and an oval receptacle that must be the toilet.
It all looked so alien, she wasn’t sure she could even make it work.
Still, she was filthy.
There was dust stuck in her hair and on her skin, and even though she was dead tired, there was a good chance she wouldn’t be able to get a good night’s sleep when she was so icky.
Her gaze moved to the door.
She wasn’t sure how to lock it, but after Ajos had left, he hadn’t returned and she hadn’t heard any sounds on the outside either.
It seemed he had left her alone, or he’d gone to sleep.
That meant she could probably take a quick shower and air dry before morning.
Stripping off her clothes, she let them fall to the floor by the bathroom door and walked into the small space.
Everything was so white, she was impressed at how well the minty-teal alien kept the place clean. But, he was a soldier.
Every military man she’d met had been tidy.
It was like walking into a futuristic hospital.
Even the air smelled super clean and fresh.
Walking over to the stall, she reached forward to touch the door, and it slid open on its own. Inside was…nothing, just plain white walls.
Kerena blinked, her mouth falling open as she looked around. Hugging her naked body, she turned and studied the rest of the room.
Was there some sort of button she was supposed to press?
But the walls were bare.
How on earth did he bathe?
She was about to let go of her plans to take a shower when she scratched her head and her matted hair caught in her fingers.
No, she really needed to wash. Regardless of how tired she was, she needed to get clean.
“Ughhhh,” she groaned. “This should be simple. All I want is a shower.”
Within two seconds, that female voice spoke. “Shower, activated.”
In the roof above the stall, the ceiling opened, and a rectangular pole descended.
Kerena could only stare at it wide-eyed and wide-mouthed before it started spraying water into the stall.
Blinking at it, her mouth formed into an “O.”
“So that’s how you do it.”
Eyebrows high on her forehead, she stepped into the stall and the door slid shut, but as soon as the water hit her, she screamed.
It was freezing cold.
“Fuck!” She jumped back. “Goddamnit!”
Fanning her hand in front of the door, she tried to get it to open but it wouldn’t budge.
“Um, um,” goodness gracious, it was cold, “computer, make it hotter!”
The temperature of the water changed almost immediately, and Kerena grinned, her shoulders rising and falling with relief.
However, she realized quickly that it was getting much too hot for her to shower comfortably.
“Goddamnit,” she murmured. “Computer! Make the water warm enough for me, a human, but not too hot!”
“Confirmed.”
Kerena’s lips formed a thin line, but the water changed to a comfortable and even relaxing temperature.
Glancing around the stall, she realized something else though. There was no soap.
“Um, computer? Soap?”
“Do you wish to add cleansing products to the spray?” the computer asked.
“Um, yes?” Kerena looked up into the ceiling, her eyes moving over the whiteness. “Yes.”
“There are three cleansing products loaded. Which one would you like to use?”
Kerena bit her lip. Why was this so complicated?
“Can I see a sample?”
It seemed the computer obliged because a slot in the