Page 11 of Loved By the Alien King
“Okay…” Miekil glanced at Bling, whose glittery lipstick was smudged all over.
Leave it to me to interrupt them with my life exploding everywhere, but they didn’t seem annoyed with me in the slightest.
Bling put her arm around me, squeezing me close to her ample, three-breasted chest, and rubbed my arm. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure everything is fine.”
If only all my worries agreed with her.
Miekil crossed toward the couch and picked up—surprise, surprise—a machete. These were not in short supply on this planet. Every closet here spit them out like slot machines.
“Do you know if he’s still wearing his communicator on his wrist?” he asked.
“Um, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be?”
He nodded, already slipping out the back door. “I’m probably going to need Pete for this, but we’ll find him, Captain.”
Before he vanished into the night, I called out, “Miekil, wait.”
He turned, the dangling pool lights behind him casting him in shadow.
It seemed so silly to say what I wanted to say to someone so selfless and brave, but then I remembered I had no shame when it came to friends. “Call me Nera.”
Chapter six
Maxx
Thesoundoflappingwaves filtered into my mind, reminding me of the first time I’d come to on this planet. With Nera curled into my side. Unable even then to keep from touching her, falling for her.
But as I blinked my eyes open, I found that Nera wasn’t with me. The wave noise came from an ancient-looking cooling unit in the ceiling that rumbled on and then stopped, rumbled and stopped.
Glass walls surrounded me within a larger room, trapping me inside a clear cage like at one of those human zoos. Thankfully, there were no spectators. I was alone.
Groaning at the ache in my face, I sat up. The gash on my cheek scales had been cleaned and bandaged, a perk no other Faid had likely been given.
What would Earth Space Fleet do to me if they couldn’t kill me? Keep me in this coffin forever, or would they be willing to make a deal? If they set me free, I’d what? Promise not to clone myself again with Faid technology as my soul? Give them the secret Xenoxx recipe for buxxen blood milkshakes?
I didn’t know. I didn’t even have my communicator to brainstorm with Axxel. It was here, somewhere. One of the guards must’ve stashed it safely away from me.
The room was lit, as was the hallway outside, visible through the little circle window in the door. There were no people around, which meant it was probably late.
The perfect time to try to escape.
I took in my scant surroundings—a cot with a piss-stained mattress, an even yellower pillow, and a bucket in the corner. If I smashed my way out of here with the bucket, someone would surely hear it, but that wouldn’t keep me from trying.
After I hauled myself to my feet, a shadow floated by the hallway door.
And then a face appeared in the window. Familiar. Highly punchable. A faint bruise around his eye in the pattern of my knuckles.
Then another face appeared. Also familiar. Also punchable. And very green, all the way up to his horns.
“What the fuxx are you doing here?” I asked.
They couldn’t hear me, but it didn’t matter. Relieved laughter tripped out of me, half strangled with all of my questions.
Smiles burst across both their faces, and then they both ducked down, like some comedy duo’s crazed version of peekaboo.
Curiosity flared, and then annoyance when they didn’t reappear again. Was that it? Was that the extent of whatever this was, just a quick peek at Earth Space Fleet’s newest prisoner, a good laugh, and then back toAlien Love Islandas though everything was normal?
But then the door popped open, and Pete and the Killian strode in half naked like they owned the place. A dating show host and my mortal enemy.
