“I can’t fight her,” I say quickly. “She already stabbed me!”
Even as I say the words, I know they’re a lie. I can fight her. I’m ready to fight her. The certainty of it flows through my muscles.
The King doesn’t acknowledge me. He’s too busy with Gam.
“I will release you from your house arrest but do not give me a reason to throw you in the cells.”
Gam puts an arm over his middle and bows low.
The guards come toward me. My first instinct is to shrink back, but the stronger version of me stands resolute. Bracing myself for their hard grips on my arm, I stare them down. Gam stops them with a wave of his hand.
“My King, I will escort the female so I may prepare her for what’s to come.”
I don’t like the sound of that, either. The King lifts one side of his mouth knowingly. “As you wish. As you said, she is compatible.”
That sounds straight up sketchy, but Gam doesn’t make me feel threatened in any way. In fact, I like having him this close. I want to have him this close. Tingles shoot over my skin at the thought of staying with him.
He gestures for me to stand. A guard comes closer with the wrist cuffs, but Gam waves him off. My stomach grumbles loudly followed by a clench of hunger. I’ve been too nauseous to think about food up until now, but it’s clear my body needs some nourishment.
“Come.”
He leads me out of the room and through a series of hallways. My muscles are still wobbly from the mental probing, and it feels good to walk and get my blood flowing. The scent of roasting meat fills my nose as he opens a door for me and ushers me inside. It’s a galley-style kitchen with rows of metal-topped tables and silver backed chairs. The floor looks like black and white marble with matching columns rising to the ceiling. I do a double take as I spy what looks like a buffet line. Various foods are arranged in gleaming metal dishes on a warmed counter. Heat wafts off it as I peer into the containers and try to figure out what’s inside.
“No way!” I look closer.
A tray on the end holds a neat stack of thick meat patties. Hamburgers, or something pretty close. The mean is dripping with grease. It sizzles as it hits the bottom of the tray. Beside it are thick slices of what looks like bread, and another tray of crunchy looking, deep-fried rings. They smell like onions and look as if they’d been in the warmer a little too long.
Greasy burgers and slightly burnt onion rings.
A dull buzzing sounds in my head. The paper I filled out in the Desire Dimension. I’d written that I wanted to fight like Assassin Krunch. And have hair like her, too. I feel my hair, the shortened, glossy strands taking me again by surprise. I’d also written that I wanted an unlimited supply of extra greasy burgers from Burger Joes. With slightly burned onion rings.
“This kitchen is open at all hours and supplies an endless selection of foods for the palace residents. You may enjoy endlessly, as you wish.”
He points to the meat patties.
Though I’m starving, my insides clench with nausea. The things I’d written on the paper are starting to come true. That’s impossible. Right? Maybe, but maybe not. It explains how I was able to fight when I jetted out of the portal. And why my hair is different. The meat and onions could be a strange coincidence, but I doubt it.
“Will you eat?”
I nod because I can’t bring myself to speak. Filling a shallow plate with some food, I follow Gam to a table and sit. He hands me a utensil that looks exactly like a spork, part spoon and fork, and the pops the top off a slim bottle of liquid. It fizzes as he pours it into two metal cups.
Everything has happened so fast, but it’s time for me to get it together. No more being shocked or overwhelmed or any of that. It’s time to wear my Assassin Krunch big girl panties and get my shit together. Starting with question number one.
Looking at the big, white alien across from me, it takes me a second to remember that he is indeed real, and this is really happening. How long before the shock of seeing him wears off?
“What did you mean that I’m compatible? Compatible with what?”
He cuts a chunk from his meat patty and places it on the bread, then takes a bite. Without hesitation, he looks me square in the eye.
“For mating and bearing my child.”
Chapter Six
I stab my fork into the meat.
“That… that… that was the wrong answer.”
Every sleazy date I’ve ever had crosses my mind. Every unsolicited dick pic from guys on the stupid dating app I tried for a while.
