Free Alien Romance: Caged By The Alien: Scifi Alien Abduction Romance (Alien Romance, Alien Invasion Romance, BBW) (Celestial Mates Book 4) by Marla Therron Page B

become regents in the absence of a mature Queen?"
    Penny shook her head.
    "I think you've misunderstood," she said, "We don't have castes. Any human can be an ambassador or a leader or a worker. And at any time they can stop being any of those things and become something else. Biologically, all humans are more or less the same."
    "But if you don't have a leader caste, how can you know a human is suited to be a leader? How can a worker have any of the skills necessary to- Your species does not make sense, Penny Allyn."
    He seemed frustrated.
    "That's probably true," Penny laughed, "But that's how it works."
    Tau was quiet for a long moment, thinking.
    "So, you have large groups with a leader," he said, piecing things together, "Like a hive. And you have many hives on your planet, as different from each other as we are from the Wasp-kind. And sometimes they fight."
    "Yes," Penny agreed, "Close enough anyway."
    "Is it possible then," he said, staring at her hard, "That another human hive could do something, and you... Would not know of it? Is this possible?"
    "Yes, very," Penny agreed, "Humans do things without other humans knowing all the time."
    Tau sat back, eyes wide, like an antique peasant who'd just learned the Earth revolved around the sun. He took a deep breath, shirt tightening over his chest.
    "I will not have your team separated," he said after a long thoughtful moment, "But I will not send you back to them. I will go and tell them myself where you are, tomorrow, so that they will not attempt anything unwise."
    Penny supposed that was as close to a victory as she was going to get. She nodded.
    "Thank you."
    There was a chime from somewhere above and the lights dimmed.
    "It is the appointed rest hour," Tau observed, standing with a sigh, "We resume tomorrow. Is there anything you require before we sleep?"
    Penny looked down at the hard floor of the cage, realizing he was expecting her to sleep here. At least she had lots of pillows. And she'd always liked her mattresses firm.
    "A blanket would be nice?"
    He nodded, then turned to one of the hidden wall cabinets and removed a blanket, handing it to her through the bars. She pulled it around her shoulders gratefully.
    "Good night, Tau." she said as she lay down in the pillows.
    He'd already been turning to go to his bed. He paused as she spoke.
    "Good night, Penny Allyn."
    He didn't look at her as he spoke, and climbed in his bed immediately, saying nothing more. The lights dimmed further into darkness. Penny's long nap earlier and the many stressful things she currently had to think about kept sleep at a distance. But after a while she finally drifted off.

Chapter Seven
     
    She woke to another chime, clear and bright, and the lights rose at once to half brightness. She sat up, rubbing her eyes in a groggy, half asleep fog.
    She could see Tau already climbing out of bed. He disappeared into the washroom for a moment, then returned and fetched two more of the meal spheres from the kitchen, handing one to Penny.
    "Good morning," she mumbled, accepting it.
    "How is it good yet?" he said, sounding more tired than concerned, "It has not yet begun."
    "It's shortened," Penny explained, yawning, "From, 'I hope you have a good morning.' Humans use it as a greeting."
    "A very kind greeting," Tau murmured, nibbling on his breakfast, "I must see to my work this eighth-cycle. I will return shortly."
    "Eighth-cycle?"
    Tau smiled.
    "It's shortened," he said, "An eighth of a cycle. It is the morning."
    Penny's eyes widened.
    "Did you just make a joke?"
    "I don't know this word."
    Penny had a feeling he knew what she meant regardless, but she let it go. She was still feeling slugging and barely awake, her stomach twisting, from hunger she assumed. She bit into her sphere.
    Tau opened the armor cabinet and began dressing with impressive speed, the pieces of his armor snapping together efficiently. He was finished quickly and heading for the door. As he reached it he paused, then turned