Page 62 of Shattered Silence

How strange, how surreal to find something so warm and human and alive in this cold, shadowy place. It said a lot about Abbey’s relationship with her husband, whoever he was. That he could give her free reign to express herself; that she could sacrifice her existence on Earth and willingly spend time in space just to be closer to him…

“Abbey,” Enki snapped, keeping one possessive hand on Layla’s waist, even as he radiated impatience. “She has been through an ordeal. She is tired, hungry, and injured. See to her needs first, then I will find you in the med-bay. Zharek knows to expect her.” Enki glowered, looming over Abbey like a towering thundercloud.

Abbey glared right back at him. The woman was clearly used to Kordolians and their threatening ways. “You should have told me, Enki. Here I was getting all star-struck when Layla is in need of TLC… and Earth food.” She turned to Layla. “Sorry, hun. My head’s all over the place, and I did not get the full information. You’re probably all worn out. I totally get how you must be feeling right now. Come and have something to eat, then we’ll take you to Zharek. The kitchen-bot has just made some cinnamon croissants.”

Holy shit. Layla’s stomach rumbled, and she remembered that she hadn’t eaten real food in months. “You read my mind,” she murmured. “I’m starving.”

“Escaping from evil guys tends to do that to a body. Trust me, I know how it feels. You’ll feel a heck of a lot better when you have something decent in your belly. Not their food, though. All they eat is protein.” She made a face.

Layla couldn’t help it; she laughed. There was something so absurd about these mysterious, hard, vicious warriors hanging around with a down-to-earth, opinionated woman like Abbey, who had the amazing ability to kill pretension dead in its tracks.

What did that say about her other half, then? Was he as fierce and inscrutable and alien as Enki? Layla’s gut instinct told her that he was.

How fascinating.

“Go,” Enki whispered in her ear, brushing his fingers against hers in a secret parting gesture. “I will return.”

“Where are you goi—”

“Bye.” He kissed her on the lips. He actually kissed her in front of Abbey; a naughty, deliberate gesture of possession.

Clearly, he wasn’t intending to keep what had transpired between them a secret. Abbey didn’t even look surprised. She just took everything in her stride, as if Kordolian-human relationships were an everyday occurrence.

Suddenly, he was gone, slipping away in all his barefoot glory as Abbey stared at Layla with a cryptic half-smile on her lips. “How did you do that?” she whispered.

“Do what?”

“He’s the toughest nut to crack. Rarely ever seen, barely says a word. I think that’s actually the first time he’s said anything to me directly. But with you, he’s different."

“Abbey, I can hear you.” Enki’s dry voice drifted toward them as he disappeared around the corner.

“I know.” Unfazed, Abbey waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Eavesdropping is rude, you know.”

“Hmph,” he snorted, sounding mildly exasperated. Then he was gone.

“Super-hearing can be such a pain-in-the-ass,” Abbey whispered, gesturing for Layla to follow. She glanced back, putting a reassuring hand on Layla’s shoulder. “I know all of this must seen terribly weird to you right know, but trust me, they’re good people. Come. Let’s get you something to eat, then I’ll show where the showers are. Bet you’re dying for one. I know I was when I finally got off Kythia.”

Layla walked down the corridor, astonished that Abbey didn’t treat her any differently, considering who she was and her infamy on Earth. There was no judgment, no bullshit. Just acceptance, and the offer of cinnamon croissants and a hot shower.

These were the very last things she’d expected to find on a gigantic scary Kordolian space station in the middle of nowhere. Layla wallowed in afterglow of her lust for Enki, her need for him stretching into a long and torturously delicious thing as she followed Abbey, chasing a whiff of butter and pastry and cinnamon.

The smell was so reassuring, so reminiscent of Earth, that she actually blinked away tears.

You are safe now.

That’s what Enki had told her, and he really was a man of his word.

But Layla couldn’t help but wonder why he had to disappear all of a sudden, and she hadn’t failed to notice the look of disquiet that crossed his elegant features as he turned away, hiding his darkness from her.

When it came to Enki, there was still so much she had to learn, but first, she had to get herself right.

“Hey, Abbey?” A certain kind of hopefulness snuck into her heart. There was one thing that would really help her right now.

“Yeah?”

“You got any coffee to go with those croissants?”

“Do I have coffee?” Abbey laughed. “Layla Rose, I get the feeling you and I are going to get along just fine.”

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