“Wedd-ing.Wedding,” Roan practices.
“It’s probably a good word to get right when you’re about to propose,” says Lydia. “Nobody wants to be asked to a ‘wetting’ when they could be going to a wedding instead.”
“Akh, my thanks. You have been helpful. Have you seen Harlee?”
“Not today,” Lydia says. “I’m guessing she’s back at your cottage.”
“Then that is where I will be.” Roan touches her shoulder in thanks and heads down the short tunnel that leads from my kitchen to his cottage.
“I’ll come too if you like—” Lydia turns to follow.
Roan must not hear, for he continues practicing. “Wedding. We-dd-dd-ing.”
“Right. Sure.” Lydia runs a hand through her hairs. “I’ll stay here instead, then.” And she scuffs the toe of her boot on the floor. Self-conscious? Dissatisfied? Uncomfortable being alone with me? I cannot tell. And none of those emotions help the guilt twisting inside my gut.
“Here.” Biting back an angry snarl, I open InGal the intergalactic database, and typeReality Investmentsinto the search field. “Twenty-nine thousand three hundred and fifty-three direct hits.” I don’t bother to read aloud the considerably larger number of indirect hits also listed. “Take it,” I growl, turning the datapad around to face her.
I do not have time for this. I have work that needs doing, more so now that Roan has given himself a half-day holiday.
Lydia does take it, but she catches her lower lip between blunt teeth, scrutinizing the first twenty search results that fill the screen, clearly unable to read any of the Common Tongue words. There are options to change the text to multiple otherlanguages, but I know hers won’t be listed among them. She was never supposed to have been stolen from her planet, so of course her language is not going to be included.
Fek.I fiddle with the accessibility settings I have never needed to use before, until an artificial voice begins reading the screen text, highlighting each word as it does so.
It does not matter that what the datapad is reading aloud is in the Common Tongue because the internal translator Lydia has under the skin behind one ear deciphers spoken language into a form she can understand.
Listening to all 29,353 direct hits is going to take forever, but that is not my problem. If Lydia wants to waste her time hunting for information about a shell company, I am not going to stop her.
She would not heed my advice even if I attempted to give it.
I turn to leave but find myself pausing, almost against my will, a hand on the doorframe.
Sometimes, when I see how happy Sorin and Briar are, and how in love Roan and Harlee have fallen, I cannot help but compare them with Lydia’s misery. They found each other despite John Smith, not because of John Smith. Yet, Lydia and I have never connected like that. Everything we do only pushes us further apart.
We are not a good match. Which is exactly why Lydia was chosen—because John Smith knew we would not suit. More drama. More catastrophe. More heartbreak.
But that is not Lydia’s fault.
Renewed guilt gnaws at my insides. It ismyfault she is here.
“I have already contacted Reality Investments,” I admit. “Nobody there knew anything about your abduction.” Or, if they did, they were not willing to admit to knowing. Not even when I threatened them—with legal action, with media exposure, with bodily harm.
Two days later, the shell company had liquidated their assets and deregistered.
Well, of course they had. Whoever had controlled Reality Investments had also controlled John Smith, and that fek had abandoned us just as thoroughly.
“Did you ask about Earth?” Lydia’s voice is sharp, but it is impossible to miss the layer of hope coating her question. “Do they know where it is? Doyouknow?”
“They claimed never to have heard of it.”
“Right.” Lydia sinks an inch, growing smaller with disappointment. “You’re so fucking desperate to get rid of me.”
“Yes.” It was not a question, but I nod my assent all the same.
Chapter Three
Reality Investments has begun filming the seventy-sixth season of LOVE GALAXY, featuring the mysterious new Human females, never before seen on a broadcast. Their resident Human expert, Chloe, sat down with one of the males to give him a few helpful tips for navigating a romantic relationship with this brand-new intergalactic species.
COMMENTATOR CHLOE
