Page 53 of Bound to the Alien King
The caterpillar and I met Nera coming down the stairs, followed by a patched-up Nacket with a striped sock wrapped around one of her tentacles.
As soon as Nera saw me, she huffed a breath.“I guess for psychos, it’s entertaining to watch someone still bleeding on live TV?I’m a captain, not a drunk doctor for a TV show.Speaking of which, whereishe?”
“No idea.”I handed her the jar and the spoon, and she hugged them both to her chest for a moment with a grateful look.
“Nacket, do you want some food before we go to the stage?”Nera asked.
“I just…” Nacket stumbled out the sliding glass door toward the pool.“I just need to stand up for a while.”
“Uh, sweetie, you are standing up,” Nera reminded her.
I rushed out after Nacket before she slipped tentacle-first into the pool, swept my arm around her waist, my fingers gliding through the thick slime on her skin, and tried not to grimace.
“I can’t believe Umo would do this,” Nera hissed as she came up to Nacket’s other side to help support her.“She says she fell out of the cruise ship after we crashed.How, I have no idea, but she needs a doctor.”
“Then let’s go find one.If we’re not there when the show starts, then we’re not there.”
A too-brief smile fluttered over her face as she gazed up at me.“Spoken like the rebel king we need at a time like this.”
“Well, this rebel king demands you eat up,” I said, nodding at the jar she held.“One head injury is enough.I don’t need you passing out from hunger too.”
“On it like bananas and mayonnaise.”She stuck a giant dollop into her mouth.
I didn’t know what that meant.I didn’t know if I wanted to know what that meant.
Slowly, we hauled Nacket around the pool and toward the beach in the direction of the stage.I’d missed the evenings here, how tranquil this part of the island was with the symphony of the rolling waves and the sea breeze whispering through the nearby jungle.When this planet wasn’t trying to kill us, I really loved it here.
“Do you think he loves me?”Nacket asked, her feet dragging.
“Who?”I adjusted my hands to keep my grip on her, but her natural slime made it especially tricky.
“Captain Mike Early.”
My stomach jumped.Nera stopped short like she’d slammed into a wall.Before Nera and I followed the direction of Nacket’s outstretched tentacle, we locked eyes over Nacket’s head.Then, as one, we swiveled our gazes forward.
My blood rioted in my veins at the sight of him, his gun aimed at the show’s entire cast and crew, and even Nera’s entire crew, all gathered on the stage with their hands raised over their heads.About forty Earth Space Fleet officers surrounded them, guns drawn.
“Well,” Miekil drawled from the edge of the stage, his green eyes narrowed into steely points, “this isn’t how I expected my day to end.”
Judge, a lizard alien, snorted in agreement.Wetness stained the crotch of his pants and a lot of other areas too.Whether piss or his crotch mucus, I didn’t care to know.
“Welcome toAlien Love Island, everyone,“ he joked.“Hope you enjoy your stay.”
Pete glowered at him, but it quickly morphed into a grin when one of the officers clubbed Judge over the head with the butt of his gun.
With most of the attention on them, I gently slipped the caterpillar’s jar to the sand.
“God damn you, Early.”Nera lost her grip on Nacket, but I only had the one hand to support her since I was already reaching for my machete.“When are we going to stop running into each other like this?It’s embarrassing.”She gave him a false smile.“For you.”
“I don’t know, Nera,” he said coldly.“How about when you stop fraternizing with the enemy?”
“Early,“ I shouted and held the machete out in front of me so the setting sun glinted off the blade and reflected right into the fuxxer’s eyes.“You’ve hired your last assassin.You want my daughter dead, you get through me first.Do you understand what I am saying to you?Does your tiny, cowardly brain comprehend that threat, you pathetic, little excuse for a male?”
The officers at his back flinched at the volume and rage in my voice.
He only flicked up an eyebrow.“A threat against me is a threat against all of Earth Space Fleet.Faid or not.”
“You’ve already declared war,” I said through clenched teeth.“It will beyourdeath first.That, I swear to you on my goddess’s name.”
