Elana scowls. I don’t even need to see her clearly through my tears to envision the confusion and anger on her face. “Wait. Why does Khatak want to meet with Rist?”
The kitchen door swings open again, and Nelan enters, wiping his hands on a towel. He takes one look at me and his expression shifts from mild concern to full alert. “What happened?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Laura says, pulling out a chair and sitting beside me. She reaches for my hand, squeezing gently. “Take your time, honey.”
I draw in a shuddering breath. Then another. The story comes out in broken pieces.
“I ran into Sutek in the hallway. He was looking for Khatak. Said they needed to discuss the alliance with Prince Rist.” My voice cracks on the last word. “An alliance. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he’s been hanging out with me.”
“Oh, Selene.” Elana’s grip on my shoulder tightens.
“Everything. Every moment. Every conversation.” The words tumble out faster now, bitter and sharp. “It was all about getting close to Rist. I was just... I was just a means to an end. A convenient guide who could give him access to the prince.”
“Did Khatak say that?” Laura asks carefully.
“He didn’t deny it!” The tears come harder now. “I confronted him. Asked him to be honest. And he just stood there with this... this guilty look on his face. Like he’d been caught.”
I swipe angrily at my cheeks. “I was stupid to trust him. I let my guard down, and of course there was a hidden agenda. There’s always a hidden agenda.” The next words taste like acid. “You can’t trust an alien.”
I swipe angrily at my cheeks. “I was stupid to trust him. I let my guard down, and of course there was a hidden agenda. There’s always a hidden agenda.” The next words taste like acid. “You can’t trust an alien.”
Silence falls over the kitchen. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
I look up through my tears to find all three of them staring at me. Elana’s pale eyes are wide. Laura’s hand has frozen mid-reach for mine. And Nelan...
Nelan’s expression hasn’t changed, but something in his dark eyes makes my stomach twist.
“Wait.” Laura’s voice is quiet. “What did you just say?”
The words replay in my head. Heat floods my face, but the defensive part of me—the hurt, angry part—doubles down. “I said you can’t trust aliens. They all have?—“
“Stop.” Elana holds up a hand. There’s no anger in her tone, just... something that makes me want to shrink into my chair. “Selene, honey. Do you hear yourself right now?”
“I’m just saying that Khatak?—“
“No.” Laura shakes her head. “You’re not talking about Khatak. You said ‘you can’t trust AN alien.’ As in, all of them.”
My mouth opens. Closes. “That’s not what I?—“
“It is, though.” Elana leans forward, elbows on the table. “Let me ask you something. Do you trust Rist?”
“Of course, but?—”
“And Sutek?”
“Yes—”
“Nelan?”
I glance at the chef, who watches me with that same unreadable expression. “Obviously.”
“What about Kaelen? Or Zhora? Or any of the other staff members here who’ve gone out of their way to make you feel safe?” Elana’s voice is gentle but relentless. “Are they all untrustworthy because they’re aliens?”
“No! That’s different?—“
“How?” Laura cuts in. “How is it different, Selene?”
The tears are still coming, but now they’re mixed with something else. Confusion. Shame. “Because they... they haven’t...”
