Page 6 of Zalis
“Take three paces back and encourage me from there,” Zalis said, pointing to the corridor beyond the doorway.
“That’s so far away. My encouragement is best experienced up close and personal.”
The feline squirmed, and Ren lowered its massive form to the floor. It went straight for Zalis. Ren swore that the feline was a hybrid with a domestic species and was harmless, but its large paws and sharp claws said otherwise. The feline was far from harmless.
Zalis did not flinch as it rubbed the length of its body against his legs. Instead, he returned his gaze to the screen. “Do not look at my screen.”
The feline reached up, placing two massive paws on his thigh, and then stretched. Tiny pricks of pain blossomed as the claws pierced the trouser fabric.
“I am working,” he said, carefully extracting the feline’s paws.
To find the missing sibling of Ren’s mate.
Zalis did not object to the unexpected mission. It was a worthy use of their time and resources. He objected to the way Ren announced he had a mate and would entertain no questions. Zalis was bubbling over with questions. Where had she been? Why the separation? Had he rejected her? Or, more likely, had she rejected him?
“This is work?” Ren reached around Zalis and grabbed the drone. “You fidget with a toy while my mate worries?—”
Zalis snatched it back. “This is not a toy. It is a highly advanced piece of technology.”
“It is pink.”
Heat flushed his face. He had thought wings and a coat of paint would disguise the drone as an insect. Pink was the appropriate color for the insects that flitted in the garden of his childhood home.
“Not everything must be gray and devoid of color.” He could explain the reasoning behind the design, but the thought exhausted him. Instead, he set the drone down on the console.
This was a mistake.
Murder Mittens stretched up and batted at it.
“I do not understand the point of your feline,” Zalis grumbled, rescuing the drone.
“Entertainment, companionship, and rodent control,” Ren answered, still annoyingly cheerful.
Zalis searched for the perfect rebuttal, a comment so cutting that Ren would leave.
No such words existed.
A quiet alert issued from the computer, rescuing him from unwanted conversation.
“I have located the origin of the message,” Zalis said, sending the coordinates to Ren.
“That was fast,” the male said.
“Yes, in part because I am talented, but mainly because this is an obvious trap. The encryption is outdated and known to be easily cracked. Modern communications use different encryption methods.”
Ren made a thoughtful noise, pulling up a star chart on a tablet.
Stars, this male would never leave.
“You have what you desire,” Zalis said. “Go away so I may work in peace.”
Ren waved a hand at Zalis, not looking up from the tablet’s screen. “Murder Mittens demands attention because you ignore her. If you pet her, she will lose interest,” Ren said as he departed.
Zalis stared at Murder Mittens. The feline stared back.
Ren had a talent for cracking Zalis’ horns, but that did not mean he was incorrect. About the feline, at least.
Cautiously, Zalis stretched out a hand.
