Slate by Sue Mercury

Author:Sue Mercury [Mercury, Sue]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sue Lyndon

Chapter 9

It was peaceful on the balcony. Slate hadn’t expected to find anything about Earth peaceful, but perhaps it was due to his present company. He glanced over at Beth as she took a bite of pizza, watching as she chewed in a delicate manner. He found himself looking upon her frequently, as if his eyes were drawn to her by some unknown force. He puzzled over his attraction to her. It was not simply her beauty that drew him in, it was her sweet spirit and the gentle, warm vibrations that seemed to emanate from her very soul.

“Why do you live alone?” he asked suddenly, as his ire for the male members of her family rose. In his culture, it was unheard of for a female to live alone. Male Vaxxlians were expected to protect the female members of their family.

“What do you mean?”

“Why don’t you live with your father or your brothers? It is not safe for a female to live alone.” Though she continued to claim Toronto was one of the safest cities in the world, it unsettled him that she lived all by herself. How long had she been alone and why?

“Well, I don’t have any brothers, or sisters. I’m an only child. And my father passed away when I was five.” A shadow crossed her face.

“What about an uncle?”

She set her plate of pizza on the table between them and stared across the moonlit lake. “I’m estranged from my family, but that’s not why I live alone. Many unmarried adult women on Earth live alone or with a female roommate.” She turned in his direction and her sad gaze flickered to his.

He sensed he’d struck upon a painful memory, but he needed to understand why she had no contact with her family members. He set his plate down and reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “Tell me why you are estranged from your family, little earthling.”

She fell silent for so long he feared she would not answer. But eventually, she drew in a deep breath and stunned him with her reply. “My mom remarried when I was eighteen. Her new husband—my step-father—made a pass at me one night when he was drunk. I told my mom about it the next day and she accused me of lying and trying to sabotage her marriage.”

“Made a pass at you? What does this mean?”

“He grabbed me, told me he had feelings for me, and tried to kiss me.”

Rage filled Slate and he growled low in his throat.

“Anyway, my mom kicked me out and I’ve been living on my own ever since then. I had a scholarship to a performance arts school already lined up at the time and I worked as a waitress while I got my degree. The rest of my family—aunts, uncles, and a few cousins—shunned me. Apparently, my mother told everyone that I had tried to seduce my step-father and also claimed I had a drug problem. I have no idea if they’re still married, but as far as I know, my mother has never tried to contact me.

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