The Varkari

Pet

When I finally woke back up, my hand immediately went to my side, which felt tight, but no longer stung. I realized that I was in a bed with deep navy blankets made of soft and fuzzy wool.

A green flashing light drew my attention to a tall white cylinder standing beside the bed with a small circle pointed in my direction. I slowly reached my hand out to touch it when the door to the room opened and I jumped.

There stood an alien, wearing off-white clothes flowing off his tall frame. This male was not quite as tall as the soldiers had been, and was much heavier with a considerable belly to him and a flush to his face. Like a human, he had features like mine; two eyes, lips, a nose, but that was about all. Skin the color of light ash, with eyelids and lips pigmented a slightly darker shade, and nostrils that were thin inside a more feline nose, were different enough to have me staring. It was like Santa and Krampus had a baby and it grew up to take over a planet.

If that weren't enough, two short silverish horns curled out from his head and his eyes were an orange-red color, with pupils that were a little too reflective and slitted like a cat's. By the glow in them, I'd say he seemed very excited to see me.

The feeling was not mutual.

"Hell-o," he said quite slowly and distinctly in accented English. "My name is Exer."

I put my hands to the mattress and pressed myself into a sitting position, getting ready to spring up and get the hell out of there. This alien in the flesh was cool to look at, but not cool enough to stick around. I glanced toward where I thought there was an outline of a door.

He held his hands palms-up toward me and I paid extra attention to his small, but apparent, claws. "We. Are. Friendly!" He said it again in that way like I would have trouble understanding.

"I can hear you," I snapped, my voice cracking.

"That is a relief," he breathed, dropping his hands to plop against his sides. "They said they gave you a translator, but nuances are-"

I tried to roll out of the bed quickly, but my breath caught in my throat as residual soreness lanced up my side.

"Woah! Wait, wait. Before you scream or...or fall on the floor...or whatever scared humans do...let me explain. I am not here to hurt you, despite what rumors you may have heard. It is the opposite, in fact. We are going to help each other."

Was he stupid? How the heck was that going to happen unless I was some specimen to be poked and prodded. Help him get an heir? Fuck that. "Help? You?" I licked my chapped lips and stared at him.

"You see, I must take a mate..."

I continued to face him, unsure whether I was too dumbfounded to move or too interested in letting him nervously finish his pitch. Something about this Varkari was different. He seemed much more passive and gentle than the soldiers, perhaps a regular civilian alien. I could see the others jumping on me and rutting me like and animal or ripping my throat out, but here he was, acting like he was trying to convince me to cooperate with the idea of either.

His odd eyes flicked to the ceiling as he clicked his claws on the rough surface of the opposite forearm, considering his next words. "However, I have no interest in...females. Since there is currently somewhat of a shortage, human females are being distributed to the Varkari with Teckict Tokens first, then Covus Tokens, but not everyone with Tokens have enough credits, so sometimes there are brawls and fights. Luckily, I ran a fine arts business back on Vakar and was able to purchase you after the first pass. My store was extremely well-known and once even the Prince-...Oh, I'm rambling. Apologies. Ah, um, you were quite ill, but I hoped that if I saved your life, you might save mine...in a manner." His eyes took on a guarded sheen.