Page 58 of Secretly Married To My Monster Alien Boss
Rynar huffed a sigh. “Alone.”
“Not okay.”
A bubble of laughter escaped Alissia, as she cuddled Zinny closer. “Your dad’s right, bud. It’s past your bedtime anyway.”
“I is cat,” Zinny said, sounding indignant even through the metallic voice of his collar. “Cats awake at night. Still night.”
Alissia raised her brows at him. “So it wasn’t you snoring up a storm on my pillow at two AM this morning?”
“I no snore.” Zinny huffed and jumped out of Alissia’s arms, flicking his tail as he sauntered into her bedroom. “I sleep when I wants.”
“Of course, Zinny. You’re a big boy,” Alissia cooed after him with a soft smile. Then she sighed and met Rynar’s expectant gaze. “I’m fine.”
She looked fine. The bottom of her dress was muddied and a few fallen leaves had managed to stick to the fabric even during their flight. Her hair was even wilder now, tousled during their trip as it had whipped around her face; Rynar had wanted to get her home to safety as fast as his wings could carry them, regardless of the fact that Alissia had seemed disappointed they hadn’t flown more. Her face was still flushed from the adrenaline and not even calling her brother as soon as they’d arrived had seemed to calm her.
But there was an ugly mark on her shoulder from where the acid had splashed on her skin. And she didn’tfeelfine. Her arms were tense, she kept shifting from one leg to the other, and her gaze seemed unfocused.
She still seemed afraid–and frightened beings do wild things.
“Okay. Anything other than fine?” Rynar asked. “Because I can’t tell.”
“I’m angry,” she said, jaw clenched. “Angry that we got attacked, angry that I had to reason with a gun-wielding lunatic, angry that people think it’s okay to ambush someone just because they feel like it.”
She began to pace again.
“What if we hadn’t been alone? What if Damian had been there and they’d attacked him?” she went on, speaking faster with each word.
“Damian is safe.”
“I know.” She ran a hand down her face. “He wanted to visit now but I told him to lay low and we’ll see each other tomorrow. I assume it will be safe then?”
“There is no safer place for you than this house right now.” Except for Deruzia, but that didn’t seem like the detail to mention right now. “Deryg will get all the information we need out of those humans. Who sent them and why. And how they even knew about our marriage.”
“Has this thing happened before?”
“Never. Only harmless protests.”
Alissia sighed, looking out the window. She ran her fingers through her air, trying to tame it. “They’re so infuriating. They should mind their own business.”
Rynar had other thoughts about what should happen to those humans. But they were ugly ideas, honed back at the academy, and best kept to himself. “Why didn’t you tell me one of them had a gun to your head?”
“I told you–”
“I appreciate you thinking of my safety and not wanting to distract me, but when you said you were okay–”
“I was! I kept him talking.”
“Which I’m very proud of you for. But you were in much greater danger than you let on.”
“I wanted to handle it myself, okay?” she said, voice raising. “I’ve done it before you and I can do it–”
She cut herself off with a sharp inhale.
Rynar waited patiently for her to go on, even as every cell in his being screamed at him to go and embrace her and shield her from all the worries of this world.
“I’ve been relying on myself for too long,” she finally said.
“And you’ve done it beautifully.” He took a step toward her. Then another and another, until he stood in front of her. “But I’m here now.”
