Page 25 of Xefe
“Damn, just when I thought you were being nice.” Again, she returned to his blanket and inhaled deeply. When she noticed him watching, she tossed it on his sleeping platform and adjusted her sack-dress. “Focus, Hermosa,” she whispered and fanned herself with a strange five-fingered hand. Missing a second thumb. Incredible. Even her fingers were deficient. “How about you give me the rundown of what the supreme expects of me? Or, I guess, of us humans.”
“You will work, but you will also have a chance to compete. But youmustimpress the supreme.” Xefe had seen the look in his leader’s eye. These earthers, despite their filth and weakness, had caught his attention.
It didn’t matter how well they performed if they didn’t interest him. Their lives rested on the whim of a fickle Aavvee. Xefe could be killed if he shared these thoughts aloud. But it made no difference. He had sworn to honor and obey the supreme above all others until he was returned to his home planet. He would never dishonor his people. Would never dishonor hisalmaxthat awaited him on his planet. His reward for a lifetime of service to his leader.
CHAPTER 12
“Is it gettinghot in here?” I asked as I paced the room, fighting the urge to either tackle the golden alien with the hot-as-hell, black tattoo or wrap myself up in his musk-scented blanket. Like spicycanela, my favorite cinnamon drink, he made my toes curl, even when he called me weak and… floppy.
So rude.
I remained determined not to be overly influenced by the glittering Oro permeating the room and soaking into my pores. It was time to get some real information. I’d played nice, mostly, but now I wantedmyquestions answered. The first one being,How did you lose your dick?No! Bad Hermosa. That was maybe my third, but I should lead with information that would help me escape.
I decided to get personal and see if I could do some damage. “Were you born here?”
“No.”
“Really? Were you kidnapped like me?” Maybe he was sporting a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome and had fallen in love with his captor, the supreme. Why else have such blind loyalty?
“Of course not.” He looked deeply offended. His hard ridges—eyebrows?—rode low over his eyes. “It was a great honor for my progenitors to allow me to serve my supreme.”
“Progenitors? You mean your parents? So, you were little,littlewhen you came? How old?”
“How old, what?”
“When you got here?”
“I…” He rubbed his head. “I do not remember exactly at what age, but young.”
Oh…oh?That was interesting. Mr. I Know Everything suddenly didn’t have all the answers. “Your mom must have been pretty sad when you left.”
“I…” ridiculously long pause until he continued with, “imagine she would be.” Xefe stopped fiddling with his staff and looked off into the distance. “I will always remember, she said, ‘Honor your family with your life. Dedicate yourself to the supreme. Till death. Supreme First.’” He pounded his chest reflexively.
“Your mom said that?” That was some of the weirdest shit I’d ever heard. His mother had quoted back the warrior creed I’d heard all of these horned dudes shouting at each other?
“That is what I said, is it not?” Sunny looked even grumpier than usual. It was his default setting. “Why ask about me? Aren’t you interested in knowing about the planet and your duties to my supreme?”
“These are my questions.”And I’m going to ask what I want.Time to circle in a little tighter. I smelled blood but wasn’t sure about the location of the wound. “When was the last time you saw her?”
His head snapped up.
“No answer?Interesting.Then let’s talk about… time off. You hard-working soldiers must get all kinds of vacation time.” My suspicions about the selfish supreme and his warriors were fleshing out before me. “Since you chose to be here—you and your parents—you should be able to leave whenever you like, right?”
He furiously scrubbed at his onyx staff.
Bingo.Time to go in for the kill. “Unless you’re stuck here. Just. Like. Me.”
“Enough! I grow tired of your ridiculous questions.” He rose and walked to his alien closet, his fierce spikes jutting from his spine, smelling as delicious as ever.
“But I didn’t even ask you about surveillance.”
“What surveillance?” He barked from the closet.
“How are they watching us? Are there cameras, or is there some alien equivalent I haven’t heard of?” This bossy alien had no idea what I’d endured in New Angeles. Every moment of my life had been recorded—before and after meets—while we ate, bathed, slept. Our lives were on display, anything to entertain the public. If his supreme craved the attention of his people, they would be observed. All the time. Either to broadcast or to ensure his warriors remained loyal.
“We are not monitored. That is ridiculous.”
I laughed out loud.Now, who’s lying?“Not even in the ring?”
