Beast in the Cage: A Scifi Alien Romance

my hair and dropped the towel in the laundry basket on the other side of the room.
The girl still hadn’t moved a muscle.
Did she expect me to believe she was asleep while she was in a strange room with an alien?
I was naked from the shower and rounded the bed, keeping an eye on her the entire time.
Her eyes were shut but with each of my heavy footsteps, she shuddered a little more.
I would have slept on the floor but I had no cushions or extra blankets.
I could control myself, I told myself.
I usually liked to sleep naked but for her sake, I slipped on a pair of underwear and a regular T-shirt.
I slid under the blankets and lay my head on the pillow.
I stared at the ceiling of my cell, unsure what to do next.
She had to still be awake. Nothing else made sense.
There was a long pause before I finally spoke.
“Have you ever done something and you’re not sure why you did it?”
The girl just lay there, eyes clamped shut, continuing with her pretense she was asleep.
“I chose you because something inside me told me to,” I said. “I think you’re beautiful, sexy, and really cute. I’m not going to force myself on you.”
No matter how much I might want to.
“In the morning, you can return to the Prize Pool and tell them whatever story you want to. But there’s no need for you to feel uncomfortable with me now. And you don’t need to pretend to be asleep either.”
It took a full minute before the girl opened her eyes.
Those big, beautiful eyes.
She looked me over uncertainly.
We were both half-naked and sharing a single bed, after all.
“How did you know I was awake?” she said.
“Strange room, strange alien… I can’t imagine many people would feel comfortable. What’s your name?”
“Ivy.”
“I’m—”
“The Beast. Everyone knows who you are.”
“The Beast is the nickname they gave me. My real name is Kren.”
“Kren.”
I liked the way she rolled the name over her tongue.
I wonder what else she can roll over it?
I cleared my throat.
“Where are you from?”
“Earth. Have you heard of it?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t heard of a lot of places.
“How did you end up here?”
“I was abducted. They took me while I was asleep.”
“That doesn’t sound very fair.”
“Fair?”
“If they want to abduct you, the least they could do is do it while you’re awake. Then you’d have a chance to escape.”
Ivy snorted. Not quite a smile but I was making progress.
“I don’t think fairness was part of their plan,” she said.
“I guess you’re right.”
“How did you end up here?”
“I was brought here by my parents.”
“They’re criminals?”
“No.”
Ivy frowned.
“But this is a prison, isn’t it?”
“Just because this is a prison doesn’t mean we’re all criminals.”
“So, what were they here for?”
“For existing.”
“They didn’t do anything wrong?”
“Existing is something wrong to the shrale.”
Ivy frowned and delicate lines formed across her brow and around her eyes.
“The shrale. I think I’ve heard of them.”
“They’re hard to miss. They’re the dominant species in this part of the galaxy.”
“Your parents didn’t do anything wrong?”
“We’ve all done something wrong to shrale eyes.”
Ivy sat up and got more comfortable, ensuring to keep her blanket tucked underneath her chin.
“What species are you?”
“I’m a neb.”
“Neb.”
Ivy worked her mouth around the word.
“You’ve never heard of the neb before either?” I said.
“No.”
The shrale were such a part of life in the galaxy that I found it difficult to believe there were still pockets of space that hadn’t heard of them.
What a wonderful way to live…
Until you learned the truth.
“Where are your parents now?” Ivy said.
“They died many years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
I couldn’t help but smile. It was a strange but welcome expression.
“And they’ve held you here ever since?” Ivy said.
I nodded.
“So, if you’re not a prisoner,” she asked, “why are you still here? Can’t you leave any time you want?”
Ah, the question I had posed myself many times over the years.
Why not just leave?
“I could,” I said.
“Then why don’t you?”
Because leaving was one thing. Heading to something else was another.
I had no family, no life, outside this prison. This place was all I knew. It was a part of who I was.
I didn’t think Ivy would understand something like that.
When I didn’t answer, Ivy picked at her fingers.
“You’re nothing like I thought you would be.”
“Oh?”
“They call you the Beast. That comes with certain… expectations. You’re the champion.”
“And you’re a Prize. Does that make you like all the other girls?”
One corner of her big gorgeous mouth curled into a half-smile.
“No. They’re much more beautiful than I am.”
How could she say such a thing?
“No, they’re not,” I said.
“They’re super sexy. I’m just… me.”
I couldn’t help but reach over and pat down her hair and tuck it behind her ear.
She didn’t flinch, but she watched me carefully.
Cautiously.
“I didn’t even notice the other girls,” I said honestly. “You’re all I could see.”
“Why did you choose me?”
How should I respond? That I felt a bright light in my soul and it told me to? Or should I explain some other way? I decided to be honest.
“I get this feeling sometimes. It’s like I know something important is about to happen. It’s my instincts telling me what to do, I think.”
“I get that sometimes.”
“You do?”
“Sure. When I eat chocolate. I know it’s not good for me but I eat it anyway.”
I threw my head back and barked a laugh.
“It’s not that funny,” Ivy said with an amused but confused expression.
“I know. I just haven’t laughed in a long, long time.”
I couldn’t even remember the last time.
“How long have you been here?” Ivy said.
“Since I was a little boy.”
The expression that swept over her face was one of sadness. She reached out a hand and placed it on my arm.
It sent tingles up my arm and… down there.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said.
She genuinely did look affected.
“No one should have to spend their lives in a place like this,” she said. “I’ve been here a few days and I don’t want to be here a second longer than I