I can’t figure out why either of them would bother trying to fool me. Probably has something to do with their fucked-up relationship or an unrelated political maneuver. As Nik so helpfully reminded me, I don’t understand their world. I’m not special. I’m just a pawn in their games, and so is Lena. I just didn’t quite realize it until the stone-faced asshole put it in the plainest terms.
Did I think I was special because I’m human? Maybe, a little bit. And that makes me really uncomfortable.
“You’re quiet,” Aqen says when we reach my little dead-end door. “Something wrong?”
I shake my head. “Just thinking.”
He bumps me with his elbow. “It’s unhealthy to think too much. Causes all kinds of problems.”
“Oh yeah?” I can’t help smiling as I bump him back. He flushes a happy blue before his skin settles back into grayish camouflage. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Any time I have too many thoughts, I go to the pits and one of my friends beats them out of me. Then I feel much better. If you want, I’ll set up a sparring match for you.”
I laugh out loud at the thought of standing in the ring with one of the elite Irran warriors. My five-foot-nothing up against their seven-foot-something? No amount of battling my big brothers could prepare me for their super speed and heightened senses. They’d wipe the floor with me, but it’d be fun while it lasted.
“Some hand-to-hand combat doesn’t sound too bad, actually. I’ve got work to do first, but I’ll let you know if I need to visit the pits.”
Aqen seems pleased with my answer, toothy grin stretching wide. The sharp points on his teeth are starting to look normal to me, I realize. Maybe I’ve been away from Earth long enough that human faces are no longer the default setting in my mind. Interesting. I think that’s a good thing.
“I’ll be here if you need me.” He pats the wall outside the door.
My nose wrinkles. I don’t love the idea of having a guard...or a servant. I’d rather think of Aqen as a friend, or maybe one of my bonehead brothers. We’ll have to work on that.
For now, I’m exhausted, so I unpack a little, just enough to get ready for bed, and then I crash out. When I wake up, I have no idea what time it is. There aren’t any windows, so it could be any time of day or night.
My stomach is growling, though, and the comm screen informs me that it’s early morning, so I drag myself out of the warm furs and pull on my four-armed alien Snuggie to go find breakfast.
When I pull open the door, breakfast has found me. Aqen is out there with a big tray of food. He hands it to me. It’s not fancy, just one of their ubiquitous cups of nomo tea, a bowl of brown stew, and a pile of what looks like grass clippings, but it smells good.
“Want to come in and keep me company?”
He hesitates, glancing down the passage like he’s checking for someone. Nik, probably.
“He told you to get me anything I need, and I need friends,” I coax. “We’ll leave the door open.”
He gives me a doubtful look. “I will go ask him. Lock your door until I return.”
Life living under a monarch, I guess. A pang of nostalgia for good ol’ democracy hits me. The alien kings I’ve met are decent people for the most part, but their word is final. There’s no room for disagreement, and that’s not a healthy way for people to live. Maybe I do need to get out of this star system for a while once Lena is safe in her sister’s arms.
In the privacy of my jail-cell quarters with the door securely locked, I sit in front of the comm screen, eating stew with one hand while I scroll through the records Nik sent. He included instructions with the transcripts. I’m supposed to flag suspicious passages for further review and mark sections that contain information that’s clearly helpful. Easy enough.
But before I get started, I punch in Tamira’s comm code. Her rainbow-hued head pops up almost immediately.
“Do you have any idea what time it is here?” she asks. Behind her, I see a large bed and a figure who’s undoubtedly her alien husband stretched out on it.
“Not a clue. Is it the middle of the night? Did I wake you guys up?”
She giggles. “No, just giving you a hard time. It’s afternoon. What’s up? How’s Usuri?”
“Shitty,” I say succinctly. I hear a snort from Fen behind her, but Tamira’s face is sympathetic.
“I told you.”
“You did. Listen. After I’m done here, what are my options?”
“Come back here, bitch,” she shoots back. “Obviously.”
“Yeah, of course. But after that, I mean. I want to see some other star systems. Anywhere safe for humans, not too cold, breathable fucking air? Bonus points for employment opportunities and democracy.”
