Page 42 of Stealing the Star Stone
“Could be Xander, an actual ex-lover, or a mystery,” he said, smiling when she brought him a bottle of water.
“Huh.They must have stepped away from the stone, breaking the contact, or…” She frowned.“I’m not okay with thinking the thing’s alive.Sentient rock?What’s next, plants that talk?”
“Same, but when we’ve eliminated all other possibilities, we’re left with the probable.”
She lowered herself beside him, careful not to spill a drop of tea.“Still, why us?This just proves we’re not an anomaly.”
“The star stone was egg-shaped.Do you think it carried a creature?”
“Could be,” she said, taking a gulp of the hot liquid, then humming when it warmed her from throat to stomach.“I didn’t see anything that resembled a yoke or embryo.Rainbow-colored jello as embryonic fluid?From an alien world, maybe.And its zap might be the transfer of its life force?”She showed her palm where the blue tendrils had spread to her wrist.
“Mm, why isn’t this a curiosity?”He set aside his book and sipped his water.“I’d like to see the X-rays.On you, they’d find many a healed bone.I’ve forgotten the number of times I’ve injured myself.”
“Broke a pinky once, pretending to karate chop with my youngest sister.”She chuckled, but her good humor faded.“I was hoping to visit my family on Artivar.Now, I’ll be lucky not to be arrested.”
“Yeah, I wanted to visit my family, too.”
It took something this traumatic to make her realize what mattered in life.“After this…adventure.”
He raised his bottle in salute.“Sorry about being a pain.I just wanted to spend time with you.”
She froze.“What?Why?”
“Besides Graham and my family, most people don’t show me their genuine side.You weren’t playing a game and had no hidden agenda.What I see is what I get.”His smile was tight.
He’d said similar things the night he’d asked her to be his plus-one for the premiere.
“Well, now you get to spend loads of time with me,” she said, trying to fill the awkward silence.
He chuckled.“Sure.More than I intended.”
“Way more than I expected to.”
He met and held her gaze.“I’d like us to at least end this as friends.”
She studied him, respecting his sincerity.“Let’s survive first.”
“Fair enough,” he said, opening his book.
By the time Frederik served lunch, they’d stumbled on a few ‘nuggets.’Once the catering staff left, she hurried to prevent him from leaving, standing dead center in the doorway.
“Do you have a moment to chat?”
He leaned back as if she’d threatened him.“How may I assist, Mr.Thorne?”
“We’d like something to write on and a pen or pencil, please, Frederik.”She pointed to the stacked books, going around him so he wouldn’t feel trapped.“So far, we’ve gleaned the barest of details: a rough location where Lethara is, the destroyed star stone was found in a cave, and,” she lowered her voice, “that Orien killed the natives when he stole it.”
Frederik stared at her, making her doubt that he’d help them.He cleared his throat.“I shall gather what you need.”
The door closed on his disappearing shoulders.
She faced Thorne.“Now, I’m worried.”
“Eat,” he said, gesturing to the lunchtime spread.“We’ll need our strength, either way.”
She harumphed but conceded he had a point.Not ten minutes later, with half a bowl of chicken soup and three toast points in her belly, the door chimed.Frederik marched in, placed a pen and notepad on the coffee table, and left.
“Thanks,” Eli called, then grinned.“That’s a good sign.”
