Page 34 of A Monster’s Future

“A warrior must be prepared at all times.”

She laughed out loud this time. “Alrighty there, Boy Scout.”

“I am not a boy.”

She just kept laughing as we stepped into the crowded concourse. Many pairs of eyes fell on us. Some of them with interest. Others in revulsion. One female almost fainted. But as we walked down the concourse side by side as a couple, no one lunged at us with blasters drawn.

“Come on,” she said, grabbing my hand like it was the most natural thing in the universe.

I wondered if she knew she was doing it.

“Let’s go get me a latte.”

Chapter 18: Julie

I hated to say it, but the genuine Earth coffee latte was a little lackluster, at least compared to the faux-faux-faux stuff. Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty and had a nice aroma, but something was lacking. The coffee substitute we grew on Vokira had a little extra nutty kick, making it all the more enjoyable.

A little part of me wanted to stand out here with a cart, giving out free samples of Vokiran “coffee,” just to share how good it was. Maybe we needed to start calling it something else, rather than just a coffee substitute. It could be our next big export. Now that was food for thought.

I wasn’t sure whether it was just this place or all Earth coffee that was lacking. We chose a middle-of-the-road café to try. The prices were not rock bottom, but they also weren’t outrageous.

But the raspberry tart? That was a whole different story. Sweet, tangy… the crust was buttery, flaky perfection. It was absolutely delicious, and I already knew I’d be dreaming about it later. I wondered if it was possible to bring raspberries back to Vokira and grow them safely without them running amok and turning into an invasive species nightmare.

We ended up ordering not one, but two extra because Grtirr took one bite of the tart and immediately claimed half of it. I would never, ever, trust his “test bite” again! Turned out, Kadrixan warriors had a weakness for raspberries. Or at least this one did.

“It will make a great middle course,” was his verdict.

I never got used to the fact that Kadrixans ate their desserts right in the middle of the meal. Not that it mattered much at the stronghold, where most meals were grab-and-go from the cafeteria. Special dinners were the only times we actually ate in courses.

It was hard to ignore all the stares we were getting. Whispers of “demon” were all around us, aimed at Grtirr. Some were hushed, others, not so much. But there was one conversation that stuck out.

The woman’s voice was hushed, as if she were trying to speak only to her friend, but her words still traveled to our table. “Is that a Kadrixan warrior? Like from Penny’s books?”

I kept my eyes on my latte, but Grtirr didn’t bother with subtlety. His head turned toward them without hesitation.

There was a round of giggling, and a soft, “He’s looking this way.”

Followed by an “I didn’t know they visited our space stations.”

Grtirr turned his attention back to me, and we exchanged looks.

“I had no idea Penny’s books ever made it off planet,” I murmured.

It made sense, though. Unlike most books sold through EShopU, readers actually owned digital copies of Penny’s work, and not just a license to read them on approved devices. That meant they could transfer it to other devices and read it however they wanted to. I was just surprised at the prospect that romance readers on another planet were reading and obsessing over Kadrixan mate bonds. How weird was that!

I couldn’t wait to tell Penelope. Somewhat invested now, I kept my expression neutral but listened closely.

“He’s just as hot as in the books. Look at those muscles! I wouldn’t mind if this one decided to rut with me.”

A sharp, irrational heat prickled under my skin. I fought down the stupid urge to tell that bitch to look somewhere else and shoved the rest of the last raspberry tart into my mouth.

“Yeah, and they say that Vokira has tons of fresh water and fresh air,” another woman chimed in. “There’s no need to go off planet just to have a taste of nature. In one of the books, the warrior brought his mate to a natural hot spring. Those must be better than a hot tub.”

I met Grtirr’s gaze. “I’ve actually never been to one of these hot springs I keep hearing about,” I admitted, keeping my voice low.

“I will take you when we return,” he promised quietly.

“Nature’s good and all, but I might get bored,” said the first lady. “Maybe that’s why they’re here. Maybe that lady brought him for a visit. Do you think she’s his mate?”