Page 21 of Alien's Luck
She laughed. She shouldn’t. The situation was grim, and here this black-hearted monster was, offering her a sweet deal with no apparent strings; it was too much for her to contain.
“And what do you get out of this?” Nothing was free on Reazus Prime.
“The satisfaction of doing a good deed,” he answered.
Yeah, she did not believe that at all. Still, options were thin.
“Before I agree to anything, I need some reassurances. You won’t sell me to Tavat,” she said. Then added quickly, “Or anyone else.”
“Never. Slavery is an appalling practice.”
“And we’ll do this as soon as possible? You’re not going to wait six months when we know Poppy is long dead?” She felt like she was making a deal with a fae, trying to navigate tricky tricks and avoid hidden consequences.
His wings fluttered and stretched. “We cannot act immediately. Tavat’s compound?—”
“His island lair.”
“Yes, his lair has many fortifications. We will need an invitation with a clearance code if we do not wish to be shot out of the sky.”
Generally, she was against that. “I’m not agreeing, but how do we get an invitation?”
He flashed that charming grin again. “We attend a party.”
“And you show off your shiny new human pet?”
“Essentially. Tavat’s pride is terribly fragile. When word reaches him that I have you in my possession—” His voice dipped lower, grew greedy, and she shivered.
Not from lust. Don’t be gross. It was from fear. Good old -fashioned run-from-the-monsters fear. Zero attraction.
Maybe a little attraction.
“Tavat will make an offer. We’ll fly to his lair for negotiations,” Ari concluded.
“We rescue Poppy, and you get a gold star?”
His eyes sparkled. “Is a gold star how Earth rewards heroes?”
“Yeah, sure.” If Ari wanted to be a hero, she wouldn’t stand in his way. Maybe it was cultural, like he had a debt of honor to repay or… community service. Something.
It seemed straightforward enough. There had to be a catch, but she couldn’t spot it. Honestly, she didn’t have much of a choice.
“We have a deal.” He stuck out his hand. “Now we do the ceremonial handclasp.”
Not so fast.
Carla took a step back, hands behind her. “Are you planning on stealing something from Tavat? Is that what you’re getting out of this?”
He huffed. “I am not a thief.”
“Are you… a reverse thief? Gonna plant incriminating evidence?” It was a ridiculous suggestion, but Ari’s wings gave a little flutter, as if nervous.
“No,” he said, dragging out the word, telling her that yes, that was exactly what he planned to do.
Oh, this was fun.
“Animal, vegetable, or mineral?” she asked in a sweet, singsong voice.
“Do not be ridiculous.” His eyes darted to one side before quickly focusing on her again.
