We were swallowed by the colossal shadow of the ship as it appeared without lights, silent, like a predator that knows exactly where it steps. There was no sound — only the physical sensation of something immense occupying the space around us.

  “That’s our ship,” I whispered, feeling Tariel shrink against me.

  She clung to me tightly as I tried to stand with her in my arms. Her fear was so instinctive I could almost feel it on my own skin. The side door opened unhurriedly, revealing only the soft glow of the access ramp. Jazzia projected her voice with her usual calm.

  “Welcome aboard, Tariel. I will be your home for quite some time.”

  “This giant house is Jazzia,” I explained, noticing that Tariel was searching for the source of the voice. “Thoughtful… and a bit bossy.”

  As soon as we crossed the doorway, the smell of grass, warm earth, and night dissolved, leaving only the clean, wide interior of the ship — and something else: the strange awareness that having Tariel so close awakened a bond in me I still didn’t know how to name.

  “Willian, Tariel is stable,” Jazzia informed as she took off with the door still open. “I prepared the bathtub on the second floor with hot water and detergent. Enter the bath with her. Dispose of your clothing.”

  “You want me to get in with her?”

  “That is what I said. And prepare yourself: I will make dinner.”

  I could argue, but that no longer fit the role I had accepted among them. On Earth, nudity was as trivial as breathing; communal baths in lakes were common. But the ship’s bathtub wasn’t designed for humans — only slightly larger than a regular one, since Xerantos are half again our height.

  The elevator took us to the upper floor. With wide hallways and Tariel being so light, I had no trouble carrying her to the bathroom. The hot water in the tub released a soft steam. But I noticed something: without the use of her legs, she could slip and drown.

  “I’m going to set you in the water. Use your arms for support until I take my clothes off. If you can’t, I’ll leave you on the floor.”

  “I can,” she murmured. “I’m just… very dirty and smelly. It’s been days since I cleaned myself.”

  She didn’t smell bad. The odor was masked by the thick substance they had spread on her.

  “I’ll tell you a secret,” I said after settling her into the water. I pointed at the mirror at the end of the bathroom. “Look closely. Because if I know the Sekvens, soon you won’t recognize yourself in it.”

  “Why?” she asked, watching me as I undressed, bracing herself on the edge of the tub.

  “Sorry for getting in naked with you,” I warned before lying beside her.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  I pulled her gently until her body rested against mine. The hot water enveloped us both, and I let her hands remain free.

  “The Xerantos sent a regenerative capsule just for you. They’ll treat every centimeter of your body because I said you belonged to me. If you’re already this beautiful… imagine at your best.”

  “You think I’m beautiful?”

  There was light in the question. A spark that hadn’t existed before.

  “You are beautiful.”

  “Why? Humans hate us.”

  “Don’t compare me to those idiots,” I replied without hesitation.

  She smiled. Brief, shy — but for my chest, it felt as long as eternity. It was there, in that small instant, that an uncomfortable truth pierced me: I loved her. I still didn’t know what kind of love it was, if it could grow, if it was mutual… or if I should even want it. She wasn’t a romantic partner in my mind — not yet. And our cultures were as different as two worlds could be.

  Sekvens love at first sight. Perhaps that came more from us than we admit.

  The internal showers activated, renewing the water around us. Tariel let out a soft laugh.

  “It tickles… it’s so amazing…”

  I watched her play with the current, letting my own body relax — and I drifted off for a few minutes.

  “You may scrub her now to remove the gel,” Jazzia’s voice woke me.

  Tariel watched me silently, as if scared to disturb me. I sat up slowly and positioned her legs over mine. Still groggy, I began cleaning my arms and neck with my hands. She did the same, reaching whatever she could. Then I helped clean her feet, legs, hips, and back. She didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate — perhaps because she had already spent hours naked in my arms.

  As the foam revealed her skin, marks of her story appeared: thin scars, old spots. But also fascinating details — more vertebrae than usual, closer ribs, pale skin that seemed to retract at the slightest touch, eyes whose structure resembled that of felines.

  Her body resembled ours, but with its own harmony. And not all of her species must look like that — her perfection was individual.

  The water ran one last time, replaced by a cool, fragrant shower. When the tub emptied, I carried her to the mirror, where warm air dried us slowly. She wrapped an arm around my neck for support, and the gesture… was far too pleasant.

  Tariel spoke little — but her eyes devoured every shape, every light, every sound.

  “Your room is ready,” Jazzia announced. “Tariel’s clothes are on the bed.”

  “We’re sleeping together?” I asked. “Tariel might want privacy.”

  “After what she lived through, sleeping beside someone who loves her is safety, not intrusion,” said Jazzia.

  “You love me?” Tariel asked, surprised.

  It was comforting to know she understood the concept. But love, there, felt like too big a word, too risky. I didn’t even know how to name what I felt.

  While carrying her down the hallway, I searched for an answer — one that wouldn’t hurt her but also wouldn’t be a lie. And then I remembered the real reason behind everything: the Sekvens.

  I laid her on the soft white bed and answered as they would:

  “I love you, Tariel. I said you would belong to me — but not as a slave. You are free. My companion. And according to our providers, we are bound… forever.”

  “Free?” she asked, running her hand across the soft fabric, surrendering to a new kind of comfort.

  “As free as I am. In the end… we’re all slaves to each other,” I replied.

  “I understand.” She smiled, relaxing. “This feels so good…”

  “Do you want to eat or sleep?”

  AX appeared in the hallway, glowing blue.

  “Jazzia prepared northern forest fruits and Donna cereal with tomato. I harvested the fruits and cereal just now. The rest is in storage.”

  Tariel stretched her arms toward me, and I laughed.

  “Calm down, let’s get you dressed.”

  I picked the first piece from the pile of clothes Jazzia had provided: a pair of my shorts. I slid the fabric along her legs as she lifted her torso with her hands. Then, a soft shirt. Just below them were my own clothes.

  “Let’s eat,” I said, picking her up again. “Jazzia has automated machines throughout the ship. If any appear, don’t be scared.”