Page 45 of Rule

There was a moment of silence and then I said,“What was your real reason for joining the program?”

Evelyn stared at me before swallowing hard.“That is the real reason.” She stood and picked up her bowl of half-eaten stew.“I’m not great at cooking, especially with Draaxan food, but I’d still like tohelp. I’ll clean up after meals.”

I looked at Bran who made a small shrugbefore standing and carrying his empty bowl to the sink.

I was suddenly determined to find out the truthwhy the little human had joined the program, but now was not the time. I wouldgive her a few more days to relax and realize we would not harm her, before Iquestioned her again.

Chapter Eleven

Evelyn

I sunk to my chin in the bath and breatheda sigh of relief. I’d been in the tub for almost an hour and for the firsttime all day, I was warm. Even yesterday, I’d still been too sore to climb intothe stand-alone tub in my bathroom but today the bruising and the soreness had dissipatedenough that getting into the tub wasn’t an exercise in torture.

I lifted my foot out of the water and used mytoe to push the button on the wall next to the faucet. It sent another streamof sweet-smelling liquid into the steaming water. It turned to bubbles as soonas it hit the water, and I sighed happily and closed my eyes. God, it feltgood to relax in a tub. Our apartment didn’t have a tub and it’d been years sinceI –

“Hi, girl!”

I gasped and jerked in the tub. Water roseto the edge and almost spilled out before receding. I blinked at Bella andthen studied the bathroom door that was now partially open. Neither my bedroomdoor nor the bathroom door had locks, but I hadn’t even heard her open the door.It was becoming more and more obvious that Bella was actually a tiny, purple,silent ninja disguised as a two-year-old.

“You having bath, Evie girl?” Bella said.She was wearing her nightgown and her long dark hair was hanging down her back.

“I am,” I said.

“I have bath too.”

Before I could stop her, she’d stripped offher nightgown and climbed into the tub with me. She sat at the other end,smiling happily at me as her tail flicked out and above the water and sprayeddrops of water and bubbles everywhere.

“Hey, watch that tail,” I said as I wipedmy face.

She giggled before cocking her head. “Eviesad with no tail?”

I smiled. “No, it doesn’t make me sad thatI don’t have a tail.”

Bella scooted a little closer and used her tailto pick up my bottle of shampoo from the side of the tub. “What this?”

“That’s shampoo to wash my hair,” I said.

“You wash Bella’s hair.” She slid under thewater and then popped back up, her hair wet and her face covered in bubbles.She blew them off her mouth and stared at my wet hair. “Wash Bella’s hair likegirl’s?”

“Sure,” I said. Bella climbed into my lapfacing me and I washed her hair, massaging her scalp before washing the longstrands.

“You have very pretty hair,” I said.

She was touching my upper chest, staring ather purple skin against my pale skin. “Why girl no purple? Evie girl sick?”

“No,” I said. “I’m not sick. Humans don’thave purple or green skin.”

“Ouchy.” She poked the healing bruise onmy shoulder, hard enough to hurt and I winced.

She gave me a look of remorse. “Bella hurtgirl. Sorry, girl.”

“That’s all right. Tilt your head back,honey.”

She tilted her head back, and I used mycupped hand and the bath water to rinse the shampoo from her hair. “There, niceand clean.”

She smiled. “Nice and clean.”

There was a knock on my bedroom door, and Iheard Bran’s muffled voice. “Human – Evie, may I come in?”

---