Page 37 of Zalis
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear. I am going back to Earth,” she said.
“No,” Zalis repeated.
“Oh yeah?” Not her best work. Gemma clenched her fist and lifted her chin, stubborn to a fault.
If Zalis was bothered, he gave nothing away. He coolly watched her little display of defiance. “Travel is prohibited.”
“No travel at all? No ships? I can’t catch up with the other people heading to Earth.”
“We are in an active warzone. Travel is restricted,” he said, doing his best brick wall impersonation.
“A warzone? Since when?”
“Since our arrival yesterday,” he said. “The warlord has taken your report of a Suhlik purchasing humans very seriously. He declared it an act of war.”
“So, this is my fault?” That damn Suhlik. Ren kept trying to convince her that she hadn’t seen a Suhlik, that it was impossible, but Gemma knew what she saw.
And now she was stuck because of it.
Zalis held up both hands in a calming gesture, palms facing her. “My words were clumsy. Let me clarify. Suhlik aggression has increased and for one to make it so far into the system without detection is alarming. The warlord is taking action. My new assignment is to help establish a base on Val Mori.”
“What about the teleport thing?” She got the pamphlets in the mail like anyone else.Be ready for your match!They outlined what a person should bring to the testing facility in case of a match because they would be teleported immediately. No running home to pack. “If Earth can teleport me here, then you can send me back.”
“Security protocol demands that teleport capabilities are taken offline.”
She held his gaze. “That’s a very smooth answer and I don’t entirely believe you.”
“I am stating facts. I do not tolerate falsehoods and would not insult you with anything other than the truth,” he said.
Did he sound a little offended? Yes. Noted. Zalis was big on honesty.
“I appreciate that. I’m just confused as to why yesterday a shuttle full of humans left the hospital to go back home and, somehow, I missed the boat.”
“They will travel on a ship, not a boat.”
Gemma blinked. “That’s… not the point. How come they get to leave and I can’t?”
“They left before the full situation was known. You traveled to theJudgment.”
And now it was too late.
She knew what he was saying. The situation was complicated and it had changed. That happened all the time in the kitchen. She learned to roll with the chaos because she couldn’t afford to have a meltdown every time the dough didn’t rise the way she wanted or her preferred flour was out of stock.
“I hear you. I’m just feeling some sort of way knowing this is my own fault.”
“It is not,” he said. “None of what happened to you was your fault.”
Gemma huffed, amused. “Oh, it is. I was so angry at being forced into the draft that I paid shady characters to get my name off the list, which made me a target for blackmail and ultimately got me abducted and put up for auction.” Saying it took some of the sting out of the words. “I panicked and dragged you into this mess. Don’t tell me I was acting reasonably, because I wasn’t. I was scared and I folded on my principles immediately. That’s why I want to leave. You deserve better.”
Zalis’ top lip curled in a snarl, exposing his fangs. He gripped the edge of the table like he wanted to lunge across the table and, shedidn’t know, either hug her within an inch of her life or bite her for saying such things.
Really hope that look means hug.
Instead of hugging or biting, he stood to clear the table. “You are being unreasonable.”
“Hey! You don’t get to tell me how I feel.”
“You have been through a great ordeal. It is unreasonable to expect an ideal reaction in such conditions. You must be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to heal before you penalize yourself. My mother advocates that one must give themselves grace to make mistakes.”
