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She needed a break and time to think. Elias wouldn’t be involved in this scandal, but she wanted to make sure he was okay. That’s what friends did. They looked out for each other. Now that he was in her friend zone, it would be appropriate to check in with him later.
“Do you fancy a coffee?” Nell asked as Hayley made a break for the door.
“Maybe later. I’ve got planning to do for my next talk. I thought I’d take my lunch break now.”
Nell smiled and nodded. “Great, I’ll make sure to catch this one.”
Hayley left the office and headed in the opposite direction to Vegas and the others. All this talk about the Retars made her think of Elias. He was always in her thoughts. She had to focus on something else, something she could lose herself in and forget her concerns.
She walked half a mile and entered the calm, dimly lit environment of the auditorium. She often came here when putting together a new talk and found the peace helped her focus. Hayley couldn’t have background noise or music playing when planning a talk. She needed complete silence or got distracted.
She pulled out her port screen and opened the notes she’d sketched for her future talks. She set the screen in front of her and started to write.
Hayley had been in the room twenty minutes when a door at the back opened, and someone walked in. Whoever it was didn’t raise the lights, so she couldn’t see who it was until he got near. Her eyebrows shot up. It was Elias. What was he doing here?
She could tell from the set of his shoulders he was uptight. Hayley briefly wondered about slinking into the shadows and not letting him see her. That was ridiculous. They were friends. Friends didn’t hide from each other.
She placed her port screen down and stood. “Elias.”
He spun around and stared at her. “Hayley! What are you doing here?”
“It’s a good place to plot my talks. Nice and quiet. How about you?” Tension lines radiated across Elias’s forehead. “Is something wrong?”
He paced backward and forward a couple of times before striding over to her. “Have you seen the news about the Retar investigation?”
She gestured at the row of seats in front of her. After a second of hesitation, he sat down, his fingers gripping the back of the seat.
“I did. Did you know this was coming?”
“Not a clue. I don’t think anybody did.”
“Are you worried about family or friends? Do you know anybody who might be called in for questioning?”
Elias glanced at her and looked away. “Possibly. There’s been disquiet in my community for years. Not everyone likes the old ways.”
“You mean the tradition of the females eating the males?”
He nodded abruptly. “I’m included in that. I hate the way females treat the males on my planet. They are brutal. I’ve lost people I cared about because a female has chosen the old ways.”
Hayley sucked in a breath. “Isn’t it seen as a privilege to be utilized by a female in this way?”
Anger flashed in Elias’s eyes before it vanished. “It used to be. I wonder if they do it now because they like to keep control and show their dominance. I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m saying. All I know is it no longer feels right. Now, our royal family is using the government to squash an uprising and policy change. It will be messy. A lot of people will be dragged into this.”
“I’m sure you have nothing to worry about,” Hayley said. “You seem like a lovely guy.”
A small smile crossed his face. “Perhaps not lovely enough.”
“What do you mean?”
Elias shook his head. “It’s nothing. Forget I said anything. I wish Retar females could see they no longer have to behave this way. Maybe this investigation will raise more questions and get others thinking about this behavior. Sex doesn’t have to be brutal and end in death. Females shouldn’t expect males to devote to them.”
Hayley’s hand flew to her mouth. “I just realized what I said to you.”
Confusion filled his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“When we were in the dining hall and I asked you questions about Retar mating behavior. That’s why you looked at my teeth. When you devote to a female that means you...” Hayley waved her hands around. She’d been so stupid. She’d used the word devote, and it meant something different to Elias, something deadly.
“That’s right. When you commit to a devote, you agree to be eaten after sex.” Elias inspected his hands and wouldn’t meet her gaze.
