Page 2 of Breakaway
"Have I ever led you astray?" She doesn't wait for me to answer because she knows it's a no. "I'm not doing that now. Some people feed off thinking they've made you feel small. We're showing them that Empress isn't the only part of you that's equipped to handle this kind of attention. When this has blown over, which it will if we don't feed into the negativity and let them make you feel shame, you can retire and explore the stars like you've always wanted. But until I feel like these cretins aren't going to stalk your ship and kidnap you, you'll do as I say."
It's probably because I'm so emotional and exhausted from everything that's happened in the last week, but I'mgobsmacked. "Mauve, I think that's like the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
"I tell you how hot you look all the time," Mauve says, brushing away my sentimental feelings, returning to her normal ice queen behavior. "Go home and relax. I'll send you over our schedule for interviews in the morning."
"And you're sure we have to do the limited edition albums?" I ask. My fingers secretly cross in my lap, hoping she relents on that front.
"We're taking away their power, Reese," Mauve says, her eyes fixated on her comm again, even as I get up from the table and start heading for the conference room door. "There's already bootlegged versions out there with images we haven't authorized. We get them out with professional quality, we hinder the market for the fakes."
"Fine," I say, the pout in my voice not as severe as it was when the meeting first ended. I don't wait for Mauve to look up for a third time. She was already nice to me today, so I can't ask for too many miracles in one day.
When I get to the lobby, there are three men in black shirts with a security logo on their left pecs. All three of them are Lokans, shifter aliens who were among the first to arrive and help save Earth when it was invaded by Zothans two hundred years ago.
After the invasion, Earth integrated into the Intergalactic Alliance. Humans were gifted technological advancements and the protection that came with being part of the alliance, as long as we followed their rules. Since then, Earth has been a part of the group, and over time, we've become more technologically advanced. Some species still outpace us, but we have spaceports, transports, healing pods, and advanced weapons. We also have a vast variety of species that come to our planet thanks to the ease with which humans and many other species can reproduce.
The second largest species population on Earth is Lokans, and it's easy to see why. They were viewed as heroes when they first arrived on Earth, and their interest in Earth grew even stronger when it was discovered that humans and Lokans could form mating bonds. The fact that they shift into enormous, bear-like creatures is actually a plus for quite a few people.
All three men look stereotypically Lokan. They're larger than human men, the shortest of them easily a foot taller than me, putting him solidly into six and a half foot tall territory. They're well built, but have a bit more fluff on their bodies, like they work out a lot, and they also like to eat their fair share of sweets. They're also all dark-haired with hair in all the normal places a human has it, but just more of it.
"Miss Martin," the leader of the Lokan security guards says as he holds out his hand to me. I take it, shaking it gently and trying not to be intimidated by the three men. They're now in my life to protect me, and I don't need to think about the bear-like animals they can shift into. The man smiles as he speaks to me, his hand resting against his thigh when he releases my grip.
"I'm Marr, this is Ingo, and Brandr," he points at the two other men.
The only way I'm going to be able to tell them apart is by the cut of their hair. They all look too similar. Marr is the biggest of them with short-cropped hair, kind eyes, and a neat amount of stubble. Brandr is the shortest, with his hair long enough to style and his beard trimmed neatly. Ingo has no facial hair, which is surprising given that his hair is cropped just as short as Marr's. As long as he doesn't grow out his beard, I should be able to tell them apart.
"Mauve told me you three were going to be my shadows from now until she decided." I try to say it like a joke, but it's exactly what she said and how she said it.
"That's correct," Marr says.
I'm glad he's happy about all of this because it would be a pain if my security were grumpy. I already deal with that enough, and knowing that at least Marr is fine to be watching over me, even though I live a pretty boring life as Reese, makes this easier to swallow.
"We can talk about this more in the transport if that's okay with you?"
"No, yeah, of course," I say, ushering them through the lobby and out front.
One of Mauve's personal transports is already waiting for us. Instead of the normal driver Mauve sends to get me to and from her office, Ingo slides into the driver's seat, Brandr into the passenger seat, and Marr and I take the backseat.
"Mauve's given us a layout of the apartment building and your apartment. She told us you're uncomfortable with us being in your space, which we completely understand. We currently have an apartment rented across the hall from you."
I cut Marr off from his explanations. "What about George?"
"George?" His brows pull together, and he pulls out his comm like he needs to look up the name.
"He was my neighbor across the hall. He's elderly, and I take him my food when I can't make a recipe work for just one person. Did something happen to him?"
I can't stop the excess details coming out because I'm so nervous about all of this. If Mauve had her way, I'd be in a penthouse somewhere, but when I was Reese, I liked being a normal person. Now that Empress and Reese have been combined, I don't want to flee from everything I've known, but at the same time, I feel like I'm not doing enough to keep myself safe. Ever since my real identity was leaked, I've been waiting for this to go from bad to worse.
"He was compensated heavily for lending us his apartment and is staying with his daughter in the suburbs. She's been tryingto get him to move in for the last year, but he was too worried about the nice, single girl across the hall."
My cheeks heat, but it does sound exactly like something George would say. He was determined to make sure I had someone in my life before he moved into a retirement home, so he knew I had someone else to eat with when I made too much food. Told me he wouldn't feel right if it went in the trash. I didn't have the heart to tell him it could've been saved as leftovers because he seemed to be speaking from a good place.
"Okay, that's good, so you'll be across the hall."
"We will. If you need anything, our contacts are all in your comm. There are also panic buttons in each of your rooms. If you even feel like something is off, you press them. I don't care if you think it's a little warmer than what you set the climate control to. You call us over."
He stares at me with way too much intensity, so I nod, because I'm not about to tell him that I sometimes have problems thinking I'm inconveniencing people, and that there's a chance I check out the thermostat before calling them over in that instance.
"Mauve told us you prefer to be self-reliant. That's fine, but know we are tools for your use. We're not here because you can't take care of yourself. You're a grown woman who's been living on her own for a while. You just need a little extra now that you're going through something. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and if you don't use us, we'll get bored. So press the panic buttons even if it's just to get us off our butts, okay?"
