Alien Dragon Read Online Free PDF Page B

called ‘acting.’”
    When he’s done, he gives me a brief tour of the wing we’re staying in. The ship is huge with multiple floors and staircases and elevators and rooms. I’m not allowed to go to the battlegrounds, which I think is a bit ridiculous, but apparently I’m not supposed to know they’re dragons.
    Hal says he only told me so I would stop touching myself all the time. I don’t know how long that’s going to last for, but we’ll see. I’ve never had sex, but masturbation seems as good a way as any to pass the time and relax. When you have nothing left to live for, sometimes an orgasm helps.
    We end up back at my room and he gently pushes me back inside. I turn to him, knowing what’s about to happen.
    “You’re going to lock me inside, aren’t you?” He nods, almost sadly.
    “Sorry, honey. House rules. Can’t have you wandering about, touching things you ought not to.” He wags his finger toward my nether region and raises his eyebrows. “Including that, darling. Including that.”
    “Hal?”
    “Yeah, Riley?” He turns back to me, and once again, I’m caught off guard by how handsome Hal is. He’s not really what I expected. He’s much smaller than the Taneyemms are, but still has a few inches on me. I’d guess 5’9”, maybe 5’10”. In the human world, he’d be considered a giant. Next to the others on the ship? He’s tiny.
    “How come you get to wander around? Do you get locked up at night?”
    “I’m not an Earthling, Riley. Never have been. The Taneyemms trust me because we grew up together and I have earned their trust. I’ve proven myself time and time again. They might not understand everything about me, but they value honesty above all else. Once they’ve learned you can be trusted, once you’ve proven that to them, mind you, then maybe you’ll be able to walk around on your own, okay?”
    “Four years is a long time, Hal.”
    “Not nearly as long as you might think.”
    Then he pushes a button and my door closes. I don’t even bother walking over to it. I’m sure that it’s locked, and besides: I’m tired.
    I don’t feel the need to say “one last goodbye” to my Mother Earth or anything like that. Instead, I take off the gown and place it on a shelf, then climb under the blankets. Everything in my room is white but the dress and the painting, and I feel a bit like I’m trapped in a cloud.
    When I close my eyes, my father’s face swims before my eyes, and I cry myself to sleep because he’s gone and now, so am I.
     
     
     

Chapter 4
     
     
    A soft beeping noise in my room wakes me and I open my eyes, but don’t move. For a moment, I’m not sure where I am, but then I remember.
    Father is gone. Dead. Soon Earth will be, too. The last few humans will die and the world will burn. It’s already burning.
    When the last scavengers have all they need from the planet, when they’ve taken all the resources they can harvest, the Earth will be destroyed, blasted apart.
    I wonder which planet will be responsible for that.
    Slowly, I sit up in my bed and look around. The lights are on and I wonder if it’s all automatic. My room is small, but cozy. My bed is on one side and there’s a small space to stand between the side of the bed and the wall. At the head of the bed, there’s a full-length mirror and a nightstand. On the opposite wall is a painting next to built-in shelves. At the bottom of the shelves are several drawers.
    Of course, there’s also my bathroom, which I realize I need to use.
    Running water has never felt so good, and I spend much too long in the shower. I want to relive the pressure that’s been building between my legs, but I heed Hal’s warning and get out on my own, brush my teeth, and come back into my room.
    When I emerge, Hal is there.
    “Dammit,” I say. “Are you ever going to see me when I’m not naked?” I reach for the blue gown I wore yesterday and he’s patient as I dress myself.
    “Come on,” he says. “Time