Page 44 of The Alien Who Saved Christmas
Who would protect her when she got back to Earth?
The thought seeped through her mind, giving her pause. Who would check that she had food, and kiss her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and hold her while she slept?
No one.
No one cared if she returned to Earth. Her friends and classmates would worry for a bit, but none of them would be desperate for her to return. After a while, no one would even notice that she was gone.
Xane was too caught up in keeping her rich to notice her hesitation. “Do you think the Vipri would risk even atenthof this fortune for you? Of course not! So why would you gamble it away on them? We will leavebothof them and you will be…”
“Enough!” Elf bellowed, cutting him off. “Lythion, get control of your slave or I will do it for you.”
Xane’s distraction had actually worked. He’d done it!
“Remember: Loud and obnoxious.” She whispered, so only he could hear.
Xane blinked, like he’d forgotten all about his part in the big caper.
“And if you could pretend to lose and then look very beaten, that would beamazing.” Sadie added quietly. “I’ve got a new step for our plan.”
Xane seemed less than thrilled with that news.
Sadie gave him her saddest, biggest-eyed, “pretty, pretty please” look.
A long exhale and then he moved backwards. Chained and believing this whole thing was a lousy idea, Xane still began shouting insults at the three-headed snake robot. Just because she’d asked him to. Nobody on Earth would do something so stupid, just for her. Only Xane.
Sadie gazed at her maybe-husband, her heart giving thatboomagain.
All the casino patrons turned to watch the fight, so Sadie forced herself into action. While Elf and Xane kept the attention away from her, she edged towards the counter. The hand sanitizer was still in her palm. She popped the lid and leaned over to squirt some into Elf’sleggos-and-blood-colada.
Nottoomuch, of course.
The spray had melted the See-Through-Alien-Kidnappers. They were way smaller than Elf, though. If she gave him one teeny, tiny drop, it would probably just make him sick. That would allow her to get the key, and he was sure to recover from the alcohol-mickey. She didn’t want to hurt the guy, just…
Elf hit Xane with one of his super-strong robot-arms, sending him to the ground. Xane was in shackles, and still thatbastard attacked him! Blood dripped down Xane’s face, into his perfect turquoise eyes.
Sadie’s mouth thinned, and she added another healthy dollop of Purell to Elf’s cocktail. Phlarge-hole.
“Let that be a lesson to you and all the other unruly slaves!” Elf crowed, his snake heads twining around each other in victory. “We know how to deal with agitators here on Corono.”
Xane was not working hard to sell his performance, as a beaten man. She’d asked him to take a dive, so Elf would be celebratory. Xane stayed down all right, but he didn’t look subdued. He looked pissed off and ready to continue the fight.
Her maybe-husband was so bad at taking directions.
Ignoring Xane’s inability to stay in character, Sadie lifted Elf’s glass and gave him a grand toast, acting like she was going to sip some for herself. Lord, please let him stop her, before she had to taste piglet-unicorn blood.
“Get your own drink, you smelly son of a bitch!” Elf mercifully snatched it away from her, before the rim touched her lips. “Gods know, you have the coins.” His middle-head took a deep swallow and promptly belched. That one seemed to be the leader. “We’re going to have to administer further punishment to your slave. Letting the insubordinate ones forget their station might incite rebellion. Fifty laser-lashes will do the trick.”
“I saw that man at the tavern, Elf.” A new voice piped up. “He had a woman with him.”
Chapter Twelve
O come let us not cook her,
O come let us not grill her,
O come let us not bake her,
Humans can’t be food!
