Well, fuck. There’s no way I’m going to ruin his once-in-a-lifetime adventure here with a sisterly guilt trip. Maybe this whole experience will help him figure out what it is he wants going forward if it’s not running his own vet clinic.
I cross my arms over my chest and am thrilled when I notice Luna’s eyes follow my movements.
“You do know I’m an adult now and have been for a long time, right?”
“You’ll always be my kid sister.”
“And you’ll always be my annoying older brother.”
The pink guy clears his throat. “I’m sorry we have taken your brother away from you during this most wonderful of holiday seasons, but we will return him to you safely. Right now, we’re on course to visit several planets to experience their cultures.”
Lucky bastard. That sounds so much more amazing than the monotonous urgent care shifts I have coming up.
“It’s a shame you weren’t out in the desert with your brother when he discovered us. We could have brought you along as well,” Luna adds.
No fucking kidding.
“Over my dead body,” Felix growls.
But all I see is Luna, and I can’t help but kick myself for not following Felix on his little expedition.
However, I’m all about making the most of the opportunities ahead—like when Luna and her pals make a return trip to Earth. I’ve always been a planner, and I intend to use that to my advantage.
“For now, I’ll just have to look forward to meeting you in a few weeks,” I say with conviction.
Luna grins. “It’s a date.”
Swoon!I suspect a private session with my Hitachi Magic Wand is going to be necessary after this little convo ends.
The robot in the background appears again and does a twirl accompanied by several beeps. “You had me at hello.”
I try not to laugh. “Aww! Your robot is so cute.” These aliens are kind of a riot.
Luna beams at me with evident pride. “He’s my droid. I programmed him myself.”
I want to ask herallabout that and more but then the golden-hued guy breaks the spell.
“If I may interrupt again, Gemma, I’m Najar and in charge of security on the ship. Felix has sworn an oath to keep our existence a secret. He has also promised that you will keep what you have learned to yourself.” His expression turns steely. “Failure to stay quiet will result in having your memories wiped.”
Okay, so my initial read on him was spot on. He’s the one I have to watch out for. Of course my foolish brother would have an instacrush on the most dangerous alien in the group!Felix, Felix, Felix.
To my surprise though, Luna reaches over and smacks Najar upside the head with one of her tentacles. “Way to ruin the mood, Naj. Geez. Catch a clue.” She turns back to me with an apologetic smile. “Naj is a bit of a stick-in-the-mud and not the greatest at being tactful. But he’s right, this is a serious situation. We do need you and your brother to keep our existence a secret, or it could lead to some undesirable consequences for all of us.”
Najar doesn’t retaliate and simply glowers at me.
Heh. So, Luna is clearly the stealth leader of this group and knows how to keep them all in line. Talk abouthawt!
Focus, Gemma.
I blink and tune back into the conversation. “That makes a lot of sense,” I tell Najar. “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to get my brother back safely. You can count on me. In the meantime,I hope you’ll treat him right. He’s the only family I have left and vice versa.”
I bite my lip, surprise tears stinging my eyes as I study my brother. “Will you at least check in with me periodically to let me know you’re okay?”
Otherwise, I’ll be a fucking wreck. He’ll be so far away, and I’ll have no way to reach him. The thought is terrifying and almost paralyzing.
The pink guy—I still don’t know his name—taps his chin with the tip of one of his tentacles. “Since the distance from some regions to Earth will make video transmissions difficult, we may not be able to chat like this as frequently as you might like. However, Felix should be able to relay written messages to you.”
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding in a rush of relief. “Okay, that makes me feel a bit better. But this is all a lot to process.”
