A simple nod, no offer of a give-and-take or hinting at anything in exchange.That wasn’t his way.He was as selfless as they came, and it had taken me far too long to realize it.
“What if,” I said, weighing my next few words carefully, “throughout much of the years, but not all of them, the Xenoxx have been wrong about the Killians?We’ve grown accustomed to blaming everything on you.”
The Killian blew out a long breath and then signaled to the bartender.“Yeah, I’m going to need another drink for that one.”
Once he had another Peppermint Sex in front of him and had already drunk half of it, he finally answered.“Sometimes you’ve blamed us for good reason.We never said anything for fear that we’d appear weak, but as a collective, we realize that our king’s decision to poison your water supply and critically affect your future as a species was a step too far.We weren’t even sure it would work.We never blamed you for hating us for that, but we were too prideful to admit when we were wrong.”He finished his drink and then wiped the back of his hand over his mouth.“Very,verywrong.”
His words hit me in the gut like a wild buxxen’s horns.The Killians had never even taken responsibility for poisoning us, at least not publicly, and I never expected for them to feel any kind of remorse for it.
The Killian nodded slowly.“I see I’ve left you speechless.Do you need something stronger than whatever’s in your glass to help you process?”
I shook my head even though it took several moments to get my thoughts in order.“It took me years of suffering to realize that the Killians truly didn’t slaughter my family one by one by one.It’s frustrating, though, especially since the truth was staring me right in the face these past few weeks.”
“What truth is that?”
“That there is good in the Killians,” I admitted.
“Oh, you’re talking about me?”He laughed.“I’m not all good.”
“Neither am I.”
We fell into silence then, but it didn’t last long.A crewmember came in, spotted us, and rushed over.
“It’s time for you both to be on set,” he said.
Reluctantly, we rose to follow, and after I collected very hungry caterpillar number one from the table, both of us dragged our feet.Would Nera be there?The cruise ship was still parked on Xenoxx close to theOdessa.She could’ve left at any time, but I had a feeling the assassination attempt on Roxxanne had shaken her almost as much as it had me.She wouldn’t leave until we had more answers.
Somehow, impossibly, I loved her even more for it.
She was already there on set when we arrived, her face completely blank as she stared down at her high heels.The sight of her swept me off my feet, same as it did every time I saw her.She looked as stunning as ever in a pale-blue strapless dress that shimmered in the stage lights.
As I strode past her, she didn’t look up, didn’t react in any way, but my hearts pulsed and ached at her nearness and her delicate scent.I didn’t bother to try to catch her eye.What I would see in those bottomless depths would unravel me for an eternity.
“We’re a couple days behind schedule, but it’ll be fine,” Umo, the little orange producer, was saying into his phone.“We had some unavoidable…uh…complications, but the next episode should be up by tonight.Promise.”
Complications meaningme.I’d threatened him within an inch of his life to turn the cruise ship toward Xenoxx after hearing about Roxxanne.
“Sure, of course, whatever you want,” he’d said to me.
I couldn’t tell if his quick answer was because he was terrified, if he had a sense of decency, or if he figured the resulting drama would make for good TV.Either way, he’d made the right decision, and I couldn’t have been more thankful.
I took my seat on the hoverchair on stage in front of latticed, accordion walls strung with twinkling lights and red roses.Throughout the large room, flower petals were scattered over the floor.Paired with the luxurious ship’s design, the set looked sleek and modern, but it could never compare to the beauty of Klio-3.
For its privacy, I stashed very hungry caterpillar number one under my chair.It hadn’t signed up forAlien Love Islandeither.
Pete jogged into the room then, shirtless and with way too much oily gleam slathered over his face and his puny human muscles.
“My eyes,” Judge shouted, shielding his face from the glare.
“Mygod,” Nacket said from the other side of the stage.Her glistening yellow tentacles writhed through the air as she eye-fuxxed Pete.
“My stomach,” the Killian said next to me, looking revolted.“Pete, wipe some of that off.You look like some oil-rich planet that’s about to be invaded.”
“What, you don’t like it?You should try tasting it.”He slicked a finger over his stomach and held it out to the Killian.“Go on, try it.”
“Ask me to taste you one more time,” the Killian fired back.“See how that works out for you.The lights in here are going to melt you into a puddle.”
“I’ll taste you, Pete,” Nacket said, with a hint of a growl and a glimpse of fangs.“Come over here, beautiful.”
