She purrs so loudly my forearm buzzes.Her eyes close with a blissful expression.
Huh.She really is friendly.
I notice letters on her collar.They are made of sparkling rhinestones glued to the hot pink collar and spell just one word:Kiki.
“Kiki, huh?”The kitty with the big murder mittens and massive, sharp teeth, purrs and cuddles against my leg like a contented house cat.
“She is yours, mate.She was taken as a kitten and will not be able to survive in the wild.If you don’t want to care for this creature, we will need to find someone who is capable.”
The idea of putting this poor baby into a zoo makes me cringe.There’s plenty of forest around here.“No, I’ll keep her.No more cages for you, my friend.”
Keeping a pet like her is just one more thing I’ll have to figure out, but I seem to be on a roll making decisions most people would consider completely nuts.“I don’t know how to take care of a mountain lion.”
Kiki lets me pet her a little while longer before she heads back over to the ham and resumes her meal.
Rygar’s arms are crossed over his chest as he watches me.“You’ll learn.We can research on your internet and gather the necessary information we’ll need to provide for her on my planet.Once we reach my ship, I will reactivate BILL.He can help us prepare her for interstellar travel.”
“Interstellar travel?”He can’t be serious.
“Madison, I’m a soldier with the Galactic Federation.I must return to my star system.As my mate, you will come with me.”
Galactic Federation?Whoa boy, his star system?“Don’t you think it’s time for the cosplay thing to be over?I mean, who do you really work for?FBI?CIA?Are you Spec Ops?”
“I am a Commander serving the Galactic Federation of Worlds.”
“Okay.”Apparently, he’s not ready to tell me everything.Then again, I did just communicate with wild animals.Weird?Yes.ButDr.Doolittlewasn’t an alien.There are people called ‘horse whisperers’, and dog trainers, and all kinds of people who are good with animals.Let’s be honest, I never tried anything like this before so maybe I could always do it and just didn’t know.
“Madison, I have told you the truth.Every time you’ve asked.I am not human.I told you this before our mating ceremony.”
“Wedding ceremony.”We drove to Reno and were married in front of a giant hairy beast called Sasquatch and his horny little friend in a fairy costume.All because the Crystal Palace package was sold out.ThatI suddenly remember.Regardless, I do not want to have this conversation without caffeine.I want something warm, comforting and familiar to hold on to.I have a feeling I’m going to need it.
“I need coffee.You want some?”Now that the deer is gone, I grab a blanket off the back of the sofa and wrap it around my body, tucking the end into place over my full breasts.I tiptoe around food crumbs and broken plates to the kitchen.I grab a new mug, because the one I got out before lies broken on the floor.
He declines my offer and waits while I brew a cup of coffee.Once I take that first sip, I sigh, feeling normal for the first time since I woke up.I lean my backside against the counter and study him.Yep, still gorgeous.“What do you mean by the Galactic Federation?”
Thirteen
B.I.L.L.: The truth will set you free, but first it will kick you in the teeth.
Lake Tahoe Cabin, Sunday 11 am
Maybe I should have pouredsome whiskey into my coffee.I checked my phone when we returned to the cabin.Nothing from Hannah.Emily sent me pics of a smiling woman—me—in a wedding gown, sitting on my new husband’s lap.I was glowing.Glowing with happiness.Rygar and his friends, who were also in the photo, all had the same long, almost white hair, striking eyes and… spacesuits?
Nothing he tells me makes me feel calmer.In fact, the more he talks, the more freaked out I become.Probably doesn’t help that he’s still naked and I can’t stoplooking.
“So you’re a soldier fighting an intergalactic war?”I tug the blanket I have wrapped around my torso a bit tighter and hold it in place with one hand.
“Yes.”
“How long have you been fighting?”He has that look I saw some of my dad’s Navy friends get, somber eyes that have seen too much.
“Since I was fifteen.”
“How old are you now?”I would guess early thirties.Old enough to look like a man and not a boy.
“Eighty-seven.”
I choke on my coffee and do a bit of mental math.“You’ve been fighting for over seventy years?You don’t look that old.”
