by Magan Vernon
"So you're one to talk about being up early...er...or I guess coming home late." Riley continued to stare at me, my wrinkled clothes, and obvious bed head.
I shrugged, leaning back against my bedpost and flipping my sandals onto the ground. "Yeah, it was pretty late, so I just stayed the night at Ace's."
"Does he live around here?"
I almost choked on my own spit. I wasn't prepared for that question. Since Ace and I were out in the open with our relationship I was briefed by Circe multiple times on what our relationship story was. I could practically recite it by heart, but not when I was caught off guard.
"Uh, he's stationed at that military base not far from here," I said with as much conviction as I could muster.
"Really?" She tilted her head. "He didn't seem like the military type to me."
"Yeah, Air Force. It's how we met since I did an internship there with my dad last summer."
Riley paused the game show she was watching and swung her feet over the side of the bed. "And what does your dad think about you marrying a military guy?"
I could feel the sweat gathering under my arms. I'd given this story so many times to people that knew nothing of my internship, but Riley actually knew about it. She was there, memory loss be damned.
"At first he was a little worried about it, you know, with the whole age thing and someone in the military dating a civilian, but he seems to be okay with it now."
Not a total lie and it was usually way easier to spit it out to people, but for some reason it was hard to lie to Riley. I all of a sudden wanted her approval. I accepted her relationship with Lucy and even though she had been completely against me and Ace dating a year ago, for some reason, I felt like maybe she would change her mind this time. Now only if I could tell her the truth without screwing everything up.
"Yeah, when I finally came out and told my parents I was dating Lucy, they weren't exactly thrilled about it. They already thought I was crazy after I had a car accident last summer and was in the hospital for a few months recovering."
So that was the excuse Circe put in her and her family's heads.
"Yeah, I don't even remember half of it, like it was all a big blur. I was supposed to be doing an internship at an Air Force base near here as well and I guess it was an on-the-job accident. They gave my parents a big settlement."
She took a swig of something form a pink cup near the bed and then set it back down. "My dad said I was in a coma for a while and they didn't even know it. They blame that on the fact that I now prefer girls. Some scientists they are." She rolled her eyes.
"That must have been scary," I said.
Riley shrugged. "I honestly don't remember much of it. My parents wanted me to stay in Philly after grad school, but like I said before, something drew me back to the desert and I'm glad to be back."
I smiled at Riley. In a strange way I was glad to have her back as well.
"Sometimes I still look at my Facebook or other things that I am supposed to remember from that summer and I don't have any recollection," she said, looking down at the bed. Then she snapped her head up. "Hey, if you did an internship at an Air Force base, do you think we would have been in the same area? Maybe we would have actually worked together?"
I couldn't look at her. I tried to find a spot on the floor to focus on. "Uh, maybe, there are a lot of bases around here and we were probably in different units with you doing science stuff and me doing communication." There actually weren't many bases around the area, but I prayed she didn't know that.
I looked back up to see her staring back out the window. "Yeah, you are probably right. I'm sure we would have remembered each other, or at least you remember me."
I nodded. "Yeah, probably would have."
"There are some days that I’m angry for what happened, but then I realized that it was beyond my control, what happened, and you can't focus on the past. You just have to move forward and look to the future."
I smiled for the first time since our conversation began. "You are absolutely right."
And she was. I couldn't focus on the Riley from the past and would just have to focus on the Riley of the present. The one I actually liked.
Chapter 29
I was out the door and headed to class early for the first time in what seemed like forever. This time I was actually ready to give my speech. I wobbled on my heels, but at least, I had my note cards in hand and a printed outline in my messenger bag. It was going to be a good day.
"Looking good, Princess!"
No, it couldn't be. That slight accent, calling me princess. Only one kind of species called me princess. I turned toward the voice and saw Monte leaning up against his red sports car.
"Thanks, Monte, I'm sure you are here on business, but I have a speech to get to." I took a few steps toward him, not wanting him to say something too loud that was not meant for human ears, but still keeping my distance.
Monte crossed his arms over his chest. He wore a long sleeve thermal shirt and dark wash jeans that conformed to his body like a second skin; stupid Caltian men always looking attractive. Too bad Monte's personality overshadowed his good looks.
"As much as I would love to go up and take your roommate for a spin, I'm here to take you to Circe," he said with a smug smile on his face.
My mouth gaped open and I quickly shut it. "Uh, I have a speech today. Is it really that serious?"
Monte pushed himself off the car and opened the passenger side door. "Serious enough that your father and Ace are already in the meeting. I texted your professor and briefed her on the issue."
I swallowed, even though my mouth was completely dry. Then, in autopilot mode, I got into Monte's car and stared out the front window while he got in. We didn't say another word on the drive to Circe. Even though I was glad not to hear Monte's mindless chatter, it meant I had to deal with my own fears of what the meeting could be about.
***
The first time I went to a meeting with the council at Circe was when I barged in on it and shot a hole through the door. The second time was when I promised the queen I would be Ace’s mate, and now I had absolutely no idea what was behind the giant steel doors that lead to the meeting room.
Monte wasn’t allowed to attend the meeting or even to ride the elevator up with me to the thirteenth floor. It was the first time I wished I would have actually had someone with me instead of staring at the doors, guarded by the same guy whose gun I stole to shoot through the doors.
“Good to see you again, Miss Bianchi.” He nodded, curtly.
“Dalton,” I said with the same formality.
The other guard, stationed on the other side of the door, cleared his throat. I looked over at him and noticed that his gun was strapped across his chest, just like Dalton’s. It looked as if I made another impact on the Circe residents.
“Sorry, I will let them know you are here,” the other guard said, his cheeks slightly flushed.
“No need.” I reached around Dalton and pressed the button that I now knew opened the giant metal doors.
The doors slid open, making a whooshing sound. The room was bright, just like the rest of Circe: all white floors, white walls, white ceilings, and fluorescent lights. In the center of the room sat a giant round table where the members of the council sat. There were various aliens and humans who I met the first time I went in the room, and Nerses sat facing me with dad and Ace flanking each of her sides.
To say that Nerses was attractive was an understatement; the woman was fierce. If she were human I would say she was Albanian, but she had the bluest eyes that no one could ever mistake for human. She stood up from her end of the table, her tall stature towering over everyone else as they followed suit.
“Hello, Alex, good to see you,” Nerses said in a voice that boomed and commanded attention.
The other aliens didn’t say a word while I walked around the table and took my seat next to Ace. They all just stared at me, whether with pity or what, I didn’t know. I remembere
d that some of them actually wanted me dead this time last summer, and I hoped that wasn’t the case again.
Ace didn’t look at me when I approached, but he took my hand and gently squeezed it. My palms were so sweaty he had to get a handful of goo, and I wanted to apologize, but before I could, Nerses raised her arms in the air.
“You may sit,” Nerses said and everyone took their seats. Nerses put her arms down and looked around the table. “As you know, Ace and Alex were recently in a car accident about five hundred miles from Circe.”
Nerses’ sharp eyes landed on me and I instantly gulped. “Alex, is it true that you believed a deer ran out in front of you and caused you to swerve and hit the guardrail?”
I nodded, trying to gain my voice. “That is correct.”
Nerses turned her attention back to the others at the table. “We do know that deer are notorious for colliding with motor vehicles and have given that excuse many times to humans that run into lone aliens running at night. But this, my council members, was not a deer.”
There was a collective gasp from the room, including my own. Did I hit an alien and now I was going to be punished?
“We believe,” Nerses continued, “that this was also no accident. There have been many reports of aliens against the engagement of Ace and Alex. We have managed to catch a few rogues who have physically tried to stop them, but we believe this creature that Alex saw was one that we did not get to in time.”
Say what? I knew there were aliens against me and Ace, heck his mother didn’t approve of me, but I didn’t think there were still more aliens out there trying to kill me.
“And what do you propose that we do about this situation? Do you believe that we should expand our force to protect them? Strain our resources even more than we already have?” one of the aliens from across the circle piped up. I recognized him as one of the fish-eyed guys that wanted me handed over to the queen last time I saw him. Jerk.
My dad stood up, straightening his suit jacket. He was one of the lucky ones that got to wear his military uniform over his jumpsuit. Wish I would have gotten that right last year. Curvy girls do not pull off jumpsuits very well.
“We do not plan on expanding our force any more than we already have,” dad said, instantly making the alien smile. “We just want to make you all aware that we do believe someone is after Ace and Alex again.”
“So that’s it? This whole meeting was just about some random rogue alien?” asked a human woman with blunt bangs and too many wrinkles to count.
Nerses locked her eyes on the woman. “This is a very serious matter. Someone purposely damaged a Circe vehicle and tried to kill members of the royal Caltian family in the process.”
The woman blinked, leaning back a bit as if Nerses’ words had knocked the wind out of her. “Are you saying you believe this isn’t the queen or another Caltian?”
Dad shook his head. “The queen signed the contract, so she is not permitted to interfere in their relationship and the duchess, Simone, was properly reprimanded."
I collective ‘ah’ came from the group before they started whispering among each other.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” I leaned over toward Ace.
“I just found out about this myself.” He gently squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry. Circe has this under control. Everything will be alright.”
Yeah, I thought the same thing last time I went to a council meeting, and that ended with me stealing a spaceship and saving everyone else. Hopefully, I would get a break and that wouldn’t happen again. Hopefully.
"And just to make sure that the contract is still being upheld, we invited another guest," dad said.
Just as he finished talking a glittering, blue light spilled from the ceiling and on to the white floor. Once the light disappeared, there stood Ace's mom, the queen, and her right hand man, Marsilo.
The queen really did age gracefully with her porcelain skin and inky black hair pulled into a tight bun that made her high cheek bones and dark eyes stand out. Marsilo stood behind her giant black gown. His face was not as graceful as hers and looked more like a worn-out basketball. Last time I saw him, his hair was pulled into a tight braid, but now it was cut short and spiky, the style I'd seen on most of the other Caltian men.
The other aliens around the room bowed as they entered, and Ace forced my head down, even though I just wanted to stare at the last two people I ever wanted to see. I wanted to show them that they didn't own me, but Ace kept my head down to probably not cause any more problems. Once the queen and Marsilo took their seats, Nerses finally spoke and the rest of us were able to sit and put our heads up.
"Your highness, Marsilo, thank you for coming on such short notice."
The queen smiled a smug smile, putting her long, gloved hand to her chin. "I hope this is important. I do not enjoy these earthly trips as much as my son seems to," she said.
Ace squeezed my hand. I didn't know if it was for his sake or if he was afraid that I'd say something.
Marsilo didn't say anything, just smiled his wicked smile that looked as if it was drawn on cartoon villain.
Dad cleared his throat and then turned to the queen. "Your highness, I believe Nerses has briefed you on the situation. We believe that someone is after your son and Alex. I don't know if this is a terrorist threat on the royal family or if—"
The queen lifted her gloved hand up, cutting my dad short.
"You bring me down to this lowly planet because you are worried about a supposed threat against your daughter?"
Dad tried not to stumble over his words, but a bead of sweat had already formed on his brow. "Your highness, it isn't just against Alex. This isn't the first time a threat has been put on both her and Ace's lives."
The queen looked at her gloved hand. "Yes, I do suppose you are right, but what do you expect me to do about it? You know I don't approve of this silly little contract you put together."
"Your highness, if I may," Nerses said. "I think it would be wise if you would loan us some Caltian troops so we can get to the bottom of this before any more of our soldiers fall, or anything happens to your son."
Marsilo tilted his head back and let out a single laugh. I glared at him, but nobody said anything to stop him. It showed who was on my side—no one.
The queen let out a deep sigh. "Nerses, darling, must we keep on with this charade? We've already met twice this year about incidents that my son and his partner were clearly able to figure out for themselves, and I see no reason why this time is any different."
"Your highness, if I may, they were attacked by a—" Dad tried to speak again, but the queen raised her hand.
She looked up and locked eyes with my dad. If looks could kill, I swear her eyes would have put a bullet right through him. "I said that I am fully aware of the situation, Colonel."
I couldn't take it anymore. The queen had treated me like trash since before she even met me. It wouldn't hurt our relationship any more if I stood up for myself.
"Seriously? That's all you have to say?" I jumped up, slamming my hands down on the table.
A collective gasp rang out from the aliens in the room.
"Alex!" Dad stood up.
The queen raised her hand, and then locked her dark eyes on me. It was amazing how similar her eyes were to Ace's. They both had eyes as black as night and circled with what looked like eyeliner, but while Ace's were intriguing, the queen's were just menacing.
"She always did have a mouth on her, didn't she?" Marsilo said, practically in the queen's ear.
The queen nodded slightly, not taking her eyes off me. "You do have quite the mind of your own, don't you, Miss Bianchi, future princess of Calta?"
I swallowed hard. I could feel my body shaking, but I couldn't back down. This wasn't the first time I'd stood up to the queen. "When it comes to matters of me and your son, yes I do."
"Well then, Miss Bianchi." She leaned in, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her open palms.
"What, with all your wealth of earthly knowledge, do you suppose that we do about the situation?"
"I-I-I don't know. But if you love your son as much as I do, I'm hoping you're willing to help us figure that out."
Chapter 30
The queen coming into the meeting did nothing more than put me and Ace on edge. She said there was no use bringing other Caltians into the mix, but that she would have Marsilo let us know if they heard anything. Like that was a lot of help.
After the meeting, I went to dad's room with Ace and Nerses to debrief on the situation. My life had now become just a situation.
Dad sat in the arm chair, Ace and I sat on the couch, and Nerses just stood, watching over us like a hawk that was waiting to attack.
"I think it would be best if we look for other ways to protect Alex," dad said, using his hands to make gestures. His Italian side came out even more when he was flustered and his hands moved a mile a minute. "Obviously Calta isn't willing to help, so we may need to reach out to other planets, maybe even Venus."
Nerses shook her head, pacing the little area in front of the television set. "We have plenty of aliens around Northern Arizona that are watching her, and obviously she has Ace."
Dad made a noise that sounded like a hilted laugh. "Yeah, and we've seen that Alex is usually the one that has to save Ace."
Nerses narrowed her eyes at my dad. Uh oh, trouble in paradise.
Ace shrugged, looking over at me. "It's actually sort of true. I'd love to say that I could protect Alex, but we all know that I'm no match for a Caltian woman, and if it's dozens of other aliens, there is no way I could even begin to help her."
Whoa, dozens of other alien? How many were after me?
Nerses blinked slowly, both sets of eyelids, like a fish. "I guess you do have a point, Vince." She stopped walking and clasped her hands together in front of her. "What do you propose we do, then? Unless the queen reconsiders and loans us some of their guards from the royal family, then I really can't stretch us any thinner than we already have."