“Stuck until Driok and I sorted it all out for them.” Maggie grins.
I like Maggie. I can already tell she doesn’t take any shit from anyone, even the huge Sarkarnii.
The other women are personable too. I’ve spent many hours tutoring women in self-defense, and they would all be likelycandidates, given they’ve all survived thus far. I like to think I’m pretty good at working out personalities quickly. The only one I worry about is Lydia. In the context of Kerra, Scarlett, Maggie, and Rosalie, she seems the weakest.
But then one thing I’ve also learnt over time is appearances can be deceptive. And after all, she was prepared to accompany Dalox to help me.
“Lydia said Dalox has some sort of underground lair,” Scarlett says to me.
“Like a Bond villain.” Rosalie snorts.
Scarlett bursts out laughing. “I can imagine him with the white cat.”
“Or perhaps…” Maggie says dramatically, reaching into her coat. “Perhaps with a horc?”
She pulls out the weirdest thing I’ve seen so far, and that’s saying something. It has bright orange fur which sways in a non-existent breeze, standing away from the body the size and approximate shape of a hedgehog. It climbs up her arm on a multitude of tiny suckers before leaping onto the couch and then heading in the direction of the Sarkarnii, who all look horrified.
“I don’t think he’s going to go for it,” I say as Dalox deftly sidesteps the creature and it heads instead for the big dark one with a scar over his eye.
“Bloody hell, Maggie. Now I have to go rescue Dexx,” Scarlett says, handing over her baby to Rosalie and scrambling to her feet.
She’s faster than I expected, making a beeline for the scarred one, scooping up the orange creature, and coming back to sit with us, dumping the thing on Maggie’s lap.
“You know the Sarkarnii hate these things.”
“I know Dexx hates it.” Maggie has a wicked grin on her face.
Scarlett huffs at her.
“Driok doesn’t like it much either,” Kerra points out.
“But he has to put up with him.” Maggie lifts the thing up to her face and ruffles its fur. “Doesn’t he, Horace?”
The thing, Horace, makes a chuckling sound and then, incongruously, in Maggie’s voice, it repeats her sentence.
Probably should freak me out.
It doesn’t freak me out. Which is more concerning.
“So what’s it like being with Dalox?” Scarlett leans forward, clearly looking for gossip. “Is he as growly and grumpy in private?”
“Is he as old as the others say?” Rosalie chimes in.
I fold my arms, suddenly having a desire to defend Dalox, despite the fact the big male could easily defend himself…although apparently not against an orange floof called Horace.
“I guess he’s as old as he looks. He hasn’t said, and yes, he’s grumpy. But he’s agreed to take me back to Earth, and I trust him on that. So, if any of you want to come, you can.”
I look around the group. Kerra and Scarlett gaze back at me, babies in their arms. Rosalie and Scarlett are sporting obvious baby bumps, which leaves only Lydia.
“I think we’re good,” Kerra says.
“Lydia?”
The slim, dark-haired woman squirms in her seat.
“I don’t know, Gillian,” she says. “When we thought we were trapped in this galaxy, I sort of got used to the idea of staying here. I’m not sure I’m ready to attempt to go home.”
“We’re not attempting…”
