Contagion (Gennekt, #2)

by Amanda Milo

The explosion lights up the entire room. A pink mist fills the air—and I’m too stunned to extrapolate what it is until I realize the humans have disappeared. ...The mist is exploded human. HOW UNSANITARY!

“Oh no!” I cry, stumbling towards her. “They caged you?” For the purpose of full disclosure, I admit that Erreck and I caged his human before we knew that she was not a dangerous alien animal. I’ve since learned that humans do not appreciate being caged, nor are their systems particularly adapted to it.

These are deplorable conditions, and if the particles of our captors are still suspended in the atmosphere, they should be ashamed of themselves.

A wet, sticky fern slaps against my leg and I leap sideways, hissing. I consider this hell.

The birds here explode from the trees when you scream; it’s very upsetting and quite the negative loop.

I sniff and notch back my antennae. “I’ve never been so female-handled in all my life,” I inform her primly.

I reel back as far as our grip allows, and tsk. “You poor alien plebeian.”

nearly trip over my own feet. “Funny? No one has ever accused me of being humorous.”

“Whew, you’re really more like a neurotic tomcat than a lion, but,” she pats my wrist, “you’ve got it going on for fierce, Simmi. You’ll be fine.”

“Foolish!” I shout, patting her cheek. “You should have saved yourself! You’re more important than apples!”

🥹♥️

Most unexpectedly, she coughs all this lung-clogging water she’s holding… right into my mouth. That’s not all that happens. She vomits. In. My. Mouth.

😂😂😂 dead omg

Aurora spins me around and stops me from dwelling on animal attacks, germs—even communicable germs. She stops me from thinking of anything else but her for a very long time by doing one simple thing. She kisses me.

“If we’re lost out here for much longer, and our situation becomes the direst of circumstances, you have my permission to eat me after I perish.”

Stiffly, I snap my tail. “I have timorous kidneys. They can’t possibly be expected to function out in the open like this.”

“I’m ignoring your rational voice from now on. I’ve had enough of it following me and trying to feed me lies.”

“If my translation device is right, and referring to me as princess means you think I’m a self-important, temperamental person with superior tastes and a peculiar difficulty to be pleased; then you’re correct, and I take no offense.”

I love Princess Simmi so much

Aurora’s brows rise. “Are you going to fight me about everything?” I make a rude noise. “I vehemently disagree with your implication; I would never fight you.” Aurora widens her eyes meaningfully. “You’re disagreeing that you’re fighting with me.”

“I was wrong earlier,” she whispers to me. “You’re not a princess. You’re a little fussy, but you’re really a prince.” And with that, she brushes a soft kiss over my mouth.

“I respect and enjoy you like I’ve never cared for anyone in all my lifespan.”

Her eyes search mine. “Do you want me? Do you want to have sex with me?” “If I didn’t,” I tell her, my hands coming to her hips, “I would have run screaming from the room when an alien rolled on top of me.”

my body thinks that I should kill something for Aurora. In my present state of mind, I think I could do it. Maybe not something as formidable as a chipmunk, but definitely an insect or two from a swarm of mosquitoes.

“I will destroy anything you need me to,” I pledge, unnerved. “Whatever makes you happy again. Just tell me, please.”

“You were my knight without his blazing hazmat armor.”

Lately, she’s been getting this smile, this knowing, affectionate smile. It’s so beguiling, sometimes, I stop just to suck in a breath of wonder that this woman is mine.

“I would still like to inquire as to how you feel about a full-body disinfectant being spritzed—lightly, of course—on your skin, no more than once or twice a daycycle if you’d agree—” She pats my sternum. “That’s a never gonna happen.”

Immediately, I consider what I’ve just said. “And I’m fine.” I look into her eyes. “And I love you.”