Page 61 of Kissed By the Alien
“I do not recognize your name.”
“Not surprising. Lexi’s rather protective about family and friends. If she mentioned me, she probably called me Viv. My nickname. She told me about you, and the dance. Both at the ball and here.” A grin emerges on her face, while Hunzu’s eyes lift. I haven’t told him everything about my relationship with Lexi, mostly because I shouldn’thaveone.
“She has mentioned the name Viv several times. Where is Lexi?” I ask, struggling to level my voice. This female is an ally, a friend of Lexi’s. “And why were you going through her clothes?”
“Our clothes. Lexi and I share this space. I was looking for the dress she borrowed from me. For the Valentine’s Day ball she went to with you. I have a date tonight and want to wear it.” Her eyes sneak another look at Hunzu whose lips thin when she mentions a date.
“Humans take pleasure mates too easily,” he says.
Her eyes widen. “I’m not sure I know what that is, precisely, but this is just a date. Like Lexi had with Lutan. Except without the fancy hotel. Just a private dinner and dance on a roof.”
A deep growl fills the space, except it’s not from me this time. Hunzu. Helikesthis female. And clearly she does not understand the intimacy of dancing.
“Do you know where Lexi is?” I ask. “I wish to speak with her.”
“I haven’t seen her in days.”
“Perhaps she’s at her family’s home.” I tap into my comm, sending a message to the guard I ordered to follow her to make sure she reached her destination safely. I didn’t know where she planned to go, but I had assumed it would be her hideout or her home.
Viv shakes her head. “I stopped by her house this morning. Her dad’s going nuts looking for her. Practically has every goon in his private army searching for her. Even had someone follow me when I left there, but I lost him, like Lexi taught me. If he doesn’t know where she is, I figured that’s because she doesn’t want him knowing. I headed here, as planned.”
“Planned?”
“Two weeks ago we agreed to meet here today so she could give me a make-over.”
“Make-over?” Hunzu asks.
“You know. Fix my hair, apply some makeup, help me accessorize for my date. Make me beautiful.”
Hunzu storms off, mumbling in Zyanthan to himself. I catch the words ‘break the male in half’.
My comm vibrates. “Warrior Inzu confirms following her here. He reports he checked the perimeter. No one was in or near the building when he left.” I lift my eyes to this female who is so different from my Lexi. She’s skittish, wringing her hands now that her shield has walked off to the other side of the room. Hunzu’s horns twist and untwist repeatedly. Whatever he’s struggling with, I’ve never seen him lose control of his horns like that before.
“Where would she have gone when she left here?” I ask Viv, even though I see how uncomfortable she is without Hunzu close by.
“Home, unless she was gathering intel for her dad.” Viv lifts the red satiny fabric from the trunk. “My dress is here, which means she didn’t forget I was coming. Lexi wouldn’t stand me up like this, Warrior. I think something’s happened. The wood pallet outside and crate were both left to the side. Lexi always closes them. She’s careful that way. Something feels very off.”
I agree with Viv. And I suddenly know what’s been bothering me, why I’ve had this driving need to find Lexi even though I just saw her early this morning. Moses used Lexi to get to us to pull our forces away from the embassy. But why attack the embassy? Our people have superior weapons. Only a fool would think they could breech our defenses by using archaic weapons such as guns.
Though if they were desperate to get hold of blasters... the embassy has a small arsenal of them.
The og’dals didn’t arrive with the latest shipment. That has to be the case.
“Moses,” I say as I slam my fist into the wall.
Startled, Viv jumps. She runs as far from me as she can get, namely, to hide behind Hunzu again.
“He won’t hurt you,” Hunzu soothes her with his voice, while throwing me that look asking me what’s going on.
Dozens of scenarios play out in my head, starting with the image of putting my hands around Moses and strangling him for involving Lexi. “The drekker used Lexi to draw us away from the embassy.”
“That doesn’t mean he took her,” Hunzu says.
“My gut says he has her.”
“Then start tracking the male,” Hunzu says, then turns and looks at the female hiding behind him. I know precisely what he’s thinking. He’s torn between helping me and ensuring her safety. I’m starting to wonder if he sees more than an innocent female in Viv.
“Join me after you escort this female to her home. I’ll comm you when I find Lexi.”
