Page 10 of Stealing Samantha

“No. I’d danced for nothing other than my own pleasure before I was recruited for the cultural exchange initiative,” said Jaess. “Tell me of your life here on Earth, Lady Sam. I’ve spoken enough of myself.”

Kayla cleared her throat. “Yes, I’d like to hear about everything. You’ve been hard to get a hold of lately.”

Sam reached for her glass of wine, buying herself a moment’s delay. “Just busy,” she said with a brittle smile. She could sense Jaess still watching her, and when she stole a glance at him, she saw his head was tilted to the side again like he was some oversized, curious hawk.

Unlike T’xith in his captain’s uniform of black shirt and matching trousers, Jaess was dressed like a typical Xithilene. He wore an open, supple leather vest and gold dripped from his wrists and neck, glinting on almost every finger. Her eyes landed on the unique yellow green color of his wings. Some of his feathers leaned more towards blue-toned, but from what she’d seen of the Xithilene, his coloring was remarkable.

“You should come to the rehearsal tomorrow,” Jaess said. He was looking at her when he spoke, and he didn’t turn his head to include the others.

“No one will mind?” she asked.

“No. They’ll accept you—bring your instrument. T’xith will bring you.”

Sam glanced at Kayla. Her sister shrugged and smiled lightly.

“Thanks,” she said before she took one last sip of her wine.

They said goodbye to Jaess outside of the restaurant. He took one transport, and Sam found herself sitting tucked in against Kayla and T’xith in another. She looked back out the window and watched his transport disappear into the night, a strange feeling between regret and relief keeping her frozen in place until the vehicle’s lights were entirely gone.

“I hope you don’t mind that he was there with us. T’xith hasn’t seen him for a month, and it’s Jaess’ first time leaving the forest,” Kayla said with an awkward little smile.

“It’s fine.” Sam swallowed. “We’ve got the rest of the night to catch up, right?”

She was glad when they left the densest parts of the city behind and the transport’s cabin became dim enough to hide her face. It should’ve all been easy now. Sam shouldn’t have been dreading their arrival back on the ship, where she’d be forced to really talk to Kayla. She shouldn’t have kept looking back and wondering what he was thinking, wondering what sort of fate he thought he was chasing. She shouldn’t have been thinking of Jaess of Vastiss at all.

6

“He wasn’t just being polite?”

T’xith gave her a hard look. “No.”

Sam shrugged and stretched her neck side to side as she waited for the transport to deliver them to the venue where Jaess and the other Xithilene dancers were rehearsing. People said things all the time they didn’t really mean. She didn’t know Jaess well enough to tell whether he’d actually wanted her to come, and she didn’t regret asking.

She rubbed a hand across her forehead. The night before had been harder than she’d hoped. Kayla had wanted to talk for hours. The only relief was that her sister had so much to tell her that Sam didn’t have to pretend her life had been any better than it was. Kayla was so busy updating her on her work on Xithilene that she hadn’t even seemed to notice how quiet Sam had been. It was better that way—it really was. Sam had no way to explain the sort of blank feeling inside that she hadn’t been able to get rid of since she’d returned, and she didn’t want to try.

“We’re here,” announced T’xith. His low, rolling voice wasn’t as deep as Jaess’. If she closed her eyes and listened to him speak, she could imagine he was still human.

“Thanks for the ride, T’xith. I’ll catch the train back to the airport after I’m done here,” she told him.

“No need. I will wait.”

“It’s really not necessary,” she said as she pressed the button to open the side door. “I promise I’ll come back to the ship if that’s what you’re worried about.” Her right foot hit the concrete of the sidewalk as T’xith hissed.

“Your sister cares for you.” He always sounded so stern. It still surprised her sometimes that this was the man Kayla had chosen.

“I know.”

“I will wait.”

“Fine,” she said with a grim smile before she stepped all the way out of the transport. “Thanks for the ride.”

Sam headed towards the entrance to one of the city’s theaters. If she hadn’t trusted T’xith to deliver her to the right place, the thirty foot placards hanging on either side of the wall of doors would’ve removed any doubts. Jaess’ flying body filled one, and a Xithilene man’s black and jade wing was pictured extended out to the side in the other. She grabbed the bronze handle of one of the doors and stepped inside.

She’d entered a grand hall meant to hold crowds of well dressed people. The red and gold carpeting swallowed the sound of her footsteps, leaving a silence so thick the air seemed to ring with it.

“Ms. Chang!”

Sam looked up and saw a man about her age walking briskly in her direction. He stretched his arm up in a brief, imperious wave before he glanced down at a device he’d pulled out of his pocket. She heard a click from the doors behind her and assumed the man had locked them again.

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