Page 34 of Claiming Sarah

I rolled my eyes at him. “I barely graduated high school, Deacon.”

Again, he looked to Jac for a translation, and he obliged. “High school for a human is equivalent to our childhood schooling.”

“Ah,” Deacon said, nodding in understanding.

I glanced from Deacon, to Jac. “You go through high school when you are children?”

Jac shrugged a broad shoulder. “I don’t mean for it to sound like bragging, but our six-year-olds could graduate your high schools in their sleep.”

My cheeks warmed in embarrassment. “Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say.

I had always felt sort of ignorant around Deacon—he clearly had a better education than me from his privileged, classed background—but I didn’t know Jac was also so much better educated than me. For some reason, it was isolating. Maybe it was because after feeling so special, being the contra and the Mother, I had felt better about myself, only to now realize I was, in fact, very uncultivated compared to the both of them.

I mumbled, “I feel like I should go to one of your schools for children.”

“Do not say that,” Deacon said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “You are much too smart for such things.”

I couldn’t stop the pout that formed. “I didn’t grow up learning astrophysics like you two apparently did.”

“It’s not something you need to know to get along in our world, either,” Jac said.

I huffed beneath my breath. “Well, what do I need to know?”

Jac chuckled. “That is a long conversation. But Deacon and I need to check in with Drift first. Perhaps your new friend can help with your Halla education.” He tapped Deacon’s chest with the back of his hand to get his attention as he brushed past him.

Deacon nodded. “Yes, we must away,” he said, then followed Jac, leaving me in the café with Leda.

As mistrusting of her as they had been, I was surprised they left me alone with her.They must not think of her as a threat anymore. Maybe they are starting to trust my judgement. Maybe they actually do think of me as smart.

I turned my attention to the girl. “Leda, you don’t seem worried about returning to Rex, and you keep speaking highly of him. Why is that? Heownedyou—that would not make me look favorably at him, if I were you.”

She smiled. “He is the most important person on the entire micro-planet. He kept me under his protection.Ihave nothing to fear about going to him.”

A pensive feeling trickled through me. “Why do you say it like that?”

She blinked at me guilelessly. “Like what?”

“You said,Ihave nothing to fear, which implies someone else should be afraid.”

Her smile dipped. “I must confess, I am at odds at the moment.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Right now, you are my owner, as much as you object to the idea. But Rex was my owner first. He protected me, he raised me up…I feel a loyalty to him over you. But you are my owner now, so I should not feel that way about him. It is a conflict inside of my mind.”

I carefully phrased my next question. “So are you hiding something about him from me?”

She sighed, her gaze shifting to the window behind me. “As we are already making our way to him, I feel guilty that I did not warn you about such things.”

“What things?” I insisted.

After a moment, she met my gaze again. “Traditionally, one sends an envoy to him. The envoy is received, and a message is given to Rex. If he appreciates the message, then the envoy is sent back to their master, and their master may visit.”

I absently tapped my fingers on the table. “And, if Rex does not appreciate the message?”

Her lips tightened. “The envoy is executed, and their body is sent back to their master.”

A chill shot through me. “So, you’re supposed to send someone to Rexwho he might murder, if you want to see him?”

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