by Frost Kay
“Among other things.” He stripped off his jacket, and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, exposing skin with a feathery texture on it. “Are you ready to get started?”
She met his vibrant purple eyes and swallowed. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
4
Corsets and Periods
“One Cravickian ale, please, Allie.”
She pushed her hair from her face and winked at one of her Crav regulars. “Coming right up, Geog.” She bustled around Sebastian and pulled a frozen vial from the freezer. She grunted as her half-black leather corset bit into the underside of her chest. “Damn Kanji.”
“What was that, beautiful?” Seb called.
She tossed a look over her shoulder as she poured the ale. “You know ‘what.’”
The beautiful man grinned at her cheekily. “What? It’s our theme for the month. Plus, you look positively delicious in that getup. Steampunk befits you.”
She blushed and slid the beer down the bar to Geog. “Oh, hush.”
“Thanks, Allie,” Geog piped up. “And he’s right.”
A chorus of male agreements sounded around her, causing her blush to practically burn the skin on her cheeks. She glanced one last time around the bar and found no one without a drink. It was time to deal with the glasses and stickiness on the counter. Picking up a rag, she got to work scrubbing.
It had been an interesting few weeks. After the initial orientation, Sebastian had thrown her right in. Mixing drinks had felt like coming home. She made tons of social faux pas, but luckily for her, Seb was there to smooth over any of her blunders. She peeked at the dark-haired male flipping drinks next to her, much to the awe of the giggling females at the end of the bar. He was so good-natured. He made her laugh all the time with his quick wit and self-deprecating jokes. The two of them had blended seamlessly together. They didn’t bump into each other, or do the awkward dance of “which direction should I go to get around you.” It was like they’d been doing it their whole lives.
“Are you going to scrub that spot until the stone weeps?”
“Sorry, just thinking.”
“About what?” Sebastian asked. “About how you want to run away with me and make sweet love, and grow heavy with my kits?”
A laugh akin to a bark burst out of her. “They would be funny-looking kids.” She glanced at him as his jaw dropped and he gasped.
“Blasphemy! We’d make stunning children and you know it!” He spun in a circle and gestured to himself. “Any children that came from my line would be gorgeous beyond all compare. The stars couldn’t handle it.”
Turning, she propped a leather-clad hip against the counter and smirked. “And they would all be so humble, just like their father.”
He sauntered to her and tweaked her nose. “It’s one of my best qualities.”
“Un huh,” she drew out.
Seb snatched the rag from her hand and snapped her on the butt with it. “And with hips like that, you’d always be pregnant.”
Allie gaped. “Is that a crack about my size?”
“Never, my dear.” Sebastian dropped a kiss on her temple. “I’m just admiring your shape. Women are rare around here with your…unique shape.”
She slammed a glass down on the counter and placed her fists on her hips. “What’s so unique about my shape?”
He held his hands up and created an hourglass. “Everything about you is feminine. Your shape is something all men want to possess. It’s something revered.”
A snigger slipped out of her. “Now I understand your grand plan. You didn’t hire me because I was the best mixologist available; you hired me because of my assets.”
Sebastian blinked and then threw his head back, roaring with laughter. “You sure have a way with words.”
She eyeballed the male sitting three spots down with a shot glass. “Another, Virgil?” He grunted in affirmation and she set to mixing the Seren brain hemorrhage. It was one of her favorites to mix. The swirling blues and whites never mixed, leaving the drink looking like a liquid marble. The bottom had sweet red liqueur, and it was topped with a milky white cream. She placed the shot glass before the man and smiled at him, before tossing over her shoulder, “My mama always used to say I had way too many words. She would beg me to stop talking.”
“Your mama wasn’t very nice,” Virgil croaked from his seat, his eyes watering from the Seren brain hemorrhage.
“She was right. I talked a lot. I still do, but it’s better now. It only gets worse when I’m nervous, then I ramble.” Allie frowned at Virgil. “After that one, I’m cutting you off. You won’t see straight for a week if you drink any more. Speaking of which, you’re never out this late. How’s Vera?”
Virgil’s wrinkly face scrunched up more so she couldn’t even find his eyes—not that she could see more than little slits anyway. “It’s the moon time. It happens twice a year and it’s brutal. I swear, I should just pack her up and send her to the wilderness for two weeks, or put her on a ship until it’s over…because it’s brutal.” He shuddered and took another sip of his shot. “Our females’ company should be outlawed at this time.”
Allie gurgled and checked to see if Seb was listening in on the conversation. Amethyst eyes met hers, humor dancing in their depths. Of course he was. The man was the nosiest on the planet. She turned back to Virgil. “I take it it’s her…” She halted, trying to find the right word.
“She’s bleeding.”
Seb gurgled next to her. “An apt description, Virgil. I’m sure Allie has a clear idea what happens during the moon time.”
She shook off her embarrassment and watched in awe as the two males continued the conversation about periods. That would never have happened on Earth.
“Have you asked her if she needs anything?” she said. “Or if there’s anything you can do to make it better?”
Both men’s attention snapped to her.
“Say what, girly? You want me to approach the dragoness at her most ferocious?”
“Well, she’s in a lot of pain. If you offered to give her a massage … or find something she likes to eat…or even flowers—or something special she likes—I bet she’d be thankful, and less cranky.” She couldn’t tell if her idea was well-received or not. Virgil’s wrinkly face never seemed to move.
“Well, that’s an idea,” the alien remarked, then tipped the rest of the shot back. He coughed and then continued: “It’s worth a try. It’s better than going back to that shrew empty-handed, smelling like the Scarlett Kiss.” His face turned back to Seb. “I’m glad you hired Allie. She’s an unlimited source of information and intriguing ideas.”
“My pleasure.”
Allie snatched the shot glass off the dark wood bar in front of Virgil and leaned forward to whisper, “Just be thankful that Vera only has to deal with it twice a year. On Earth, our females have to deal with it one week out of every month.”
Gasps of horror filled the air. Allie cringed at how every male at the bar had turned pale. “Sorry,” she muttered. Poor guys, they didn’t need to hear about periods while having a drink. “I didn’t mean…” She trailed off, raised voices pulling her attention. Seb glided to her side and crossed his arms as the clamoring moved in their direction.
Her breath stuck in her throat at the aliens moving in her direction. Both were tall, with wide shoulders. Avs. The planet’s originals. She’d learned a lot in the last month she’d lived on Sars. One thing was most important—the Avs ruled the world. Everyone else was allowed to live on Sars so that the Avs could continue living there. A deadly virus swept through the planet one year, rendering most of the occupants unable to have children. It was only in an act of desperation after so many died, and with no way to repopulate the planet, that they courted the human government for humans to colonize their planet.
One had black hair that faded to white tips, and the other a deep teal that faded to aquamarine. She darted glances at their ears, trying and failing to not stare at them. There was someth
ing about their pointy ears that intrigued her. It was probably her love for fairy tales. Her grandmother always wound elves into her stories. But life on Sars wasn’t a fairy tale, and these males weren’t Prince Charming. Everything about them screamed danger, from the stun guns slung across their hips to the daggers strapped to their thighs. A dream flashed through her mind of a green-eyed Av pirate. She shook her head, and eyed their long black jackets. Avs certainly favored their long jackets, and she didn’t doubt for one second they had an arsenal hidden out of sight.
The taller one with teal hair strode up to the bar and his gaze latched onto her immediately. She swallowed at his intense probing gaze. Something about how he looked at her made her feel guilty, but she couldn’t think of anything she’d done wrong. Sebastian slipped in front of her, effectively blocking the Av’s view of her.
“I welcome you to the Scarlett Kiss. Is there something I can help you with, gentlemen? Something on the menu you’d like?”
Allie didn’t miss the way he stressed “menu” to the two men. She clasped Seb’s arm with both her hands and peeked around his bicep.
The teal-haired one zeroed in on her and tapped something into his wrist comm. A holograph of her face sprang into the air, along with her age, address, and a slew of information no one should have. “Allie Sai?”
“Who wants to know?” Jer demanded, striding up to the bar. Her redheaded friend looked like a dream in her knee-high boots, tan and black striped pants, brown leather halter, and goggles sitting atop her head.
“This is official business, human. It has nothing to do with you,” the teal-haired Av barked.
Jer’s smile turned sharp. “Au contraire, my alien friend. You see, Allie Sai is my sister, and we live together. Also, she tends to be too trustful of others, so I’m her appointed guardian.”
The one with black hair tapped his wrist comm and a hologram of Jer popped up. “She speaks the truth, but it has no bearing here.” He turned toward Seb and her. “We’re here on behalf of the Av Lock sector. I would like to ask you a few questions, Allie Sai.”
Sebastian’s sharp breath did nothing to inspire confidence. In fact, it ramped up her own fear, but she pulled in a deep breath and stepped around her Kanji friend. “Lay them on me.” She prided herself on the fact that her voice didn’t shake even though her hands did.
“Do you know this man?”
Another picture popped up. She frowned. It was the Lock who had foiled her escape attempt and trapped her on the airship. “Yes, I met him twice.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“We saw him briefly right after we landed. Why?”
“You can check the flight tapes,” Jer added.
“We have,” the teal-haired one answered.
“Why?” Allie repeated, her anxiety ratcheting up a notch.
The Av Lock pierced her with his gray gaze. “Ms. Sai, you’re the last person to see him alive.”
“What?” Allie gasped and clutched at her heart, like her hand would keep it from beating out of her chest. “What do you mean ‘alive’?”
“He’s dead.”
A high-pitched ringing filled her ears. “Dead?” she whispered to herself. “How?”
The alien displayed another picture. “This is what we discovered in his home.”
An empty vial. Her empty vial. She paled and grabbed the countertop in front of her.
Both sets of eerie alien eyes rested on her. “You’re the last person to see him alive.”
“That’s not possible!”
“It is.”
“But, but, but I—”
Jer held a hand up to stop the flow of words she was soon to spew in fright. “What do you want with Allie, gentlemen?”
The Avs seemed to grow as they straightened and pulled their shoulders back. “Allie Sai, you’re under arrest for the murder of the human Lock, and for jeopardizing our alliance with Earth.”
Her knees weakened; she tried to make sense of their words as all hell broke loose. Jer started yelling and Sebastian deposited her behind him, with his hair lifting in the air like there was a breeze. But none of this fazed her. All she could think about was getting away and finding a quiet place to think. She pressed a trembling hand to her pounding temple, a sure sign of the migraine to come if she didn’t escape the cacophony of crazy around her.
She slowly spun on the heel of her knee-high, black leather boots, dropped to her hands and knees, and crawled underneath the bar. Her hand latched onto a chair; she pulled herself into a crouch and slunk away.
A very wrinkly brown hand wrapped around her wrist, startling a gasp out of her. “Virgil?”
“I’m sorry, Allie. I’m just doing my job.”
He released her wrist, revealing a glowing orange band encircling her wrist. The cuff wasn’t ideal; it was the counting down from twenty that concerned her. She tugged at it, but it didn’t budge; it tightened to the point of pain. Hopelessness filled her as the timer hit ten. She stared at Virgil’s face. She’d always thought his wrinkled skin hid his eyes, but that wasn’t the case. He didn’t have eyes. How could you survive without eyes?
“You never were my friend,” she accused.
His wrinkles moved into what looked like a pained expression. “I don’t have a choice. Thank you again for your suggestions with Vera.”
“My pleasure,” she said as the timer hit zero. Sebastian’s bellow was the last thing she heard before everything dissolved into darkness.
5
Hallucinations and sniffing suitors
Stars above, what did she do last night? It was like she’d walked into a brick wall. Everything hurt—even the skin between her toes hurt. What was that skin called anyway? Was there a name for it?
Allie cracked her eyes and hissed. Why was it so darn bright? It was like the light wanted to stab her in the eye. She lifted her hand, rubbed the back of her neck, and tried again. It wasn’t so bad this time, but her current residence caused her stomach to plummet.
She sat before a simple silver table in a small square room with white shiny walls. No doors or windows. Great. A shiver worked through her. They’d left her in a box. The faint whining of an engine reached her ears. No. Her hands balled into fists. Was she on a bloody interrogation airship?
A groan slipped out of her as she fought her panic and placed her elbows on the table, mulling over what had happened at the bar. She’d never kill someone. Never. Even the notion of it made her stomach roll. She just didn’t have it in her. Hell, she couldn’t even ever shoot the raccoons causing mischief on their property, much to the chagrin of her parents. Her fingers speared through her tangled hair as she rubbed her aching scalp. Why did they assume she murdered that Lock? It had to be because of the vial. Maybe they guessed she poisoned him. A snort escaped her. If she wanted to poison him, she could have, but her emerald moonshine, or “emerald bane” as her sisters liked to refer to it, only led to a long night in the company of the toilet.
A hissing pulled her from thoughts. Two Avs moved through a door that materialized in the white wall. Pushing to her feet and moving around the table, she slammed into an invisible wall. She tried to catch her balance, but she’d always been clumsy. Painfully, to her embarrassment, her butt met the floor. Her hands stung as she sat up.
“That was entertaining,” a deep voice rumbled.
Allie glared at her hands, clambered to her feet, and sat in her seat with as much grace as she could muster. She kept her gaze fixed on the table. She knew how these things went down. They needled you and talked in circles until you were so mixed up you would admit to anything.
“Ms. Sai, we’d like to ask you a few questions.”
She held back a scoff. Because that went so well last time.
“You’ve been charged with murder. Did you kill the Lock?”
“You didn’t read me my rights,” she reminded.
“You have no rights.”
“I’m considered a citizen of Sars and Eart
h. I have rights.”
“You’re right. When you’re on the soil of Earth and Sars, you are granted certain privileges, but as you are now off the planet’s soil, you are under a different jurisdiction.”
Her fingers turned white as she gripped the table’s edge. So, she was on a ship. What a smart way to get around all the pesky laws to protect people. A chair scraped back, but she ignored it, keeping her eyes fixed to the table. She jerked back, almost toppling the chair, when a finger slipped under her chin.
“Don’t touch me,” she growled.
“Please look at us when we’re speaking to you.”
Slowly, she lifted her gaze. Her muscles locked up and her jaw dropped—the Avs from her dream. The damn pirates.
She gaped. Not possible.
He frowned at her reaction, his bright green eyes scanning her face as he pushed a lime green-tipped lock of hair from his face. Allie blinked. And blinked again. Nope, he was still there in the flesh. He arched a brow at her, a smirk playing about his mouth. She whipped around to face forward, embarrassed that he thought she was checking him out, and was slapped in the face by another familiar face. It was the other Av pirate from her dream. He was casually slouched in the chair across from her, his expression unreadable.
Allie slammed her eyes closed and counted to ten in her head. She had to be imagining them. They weren’t real. They couldn’t be. What were pirates doing on an Interrogation Airship anyway?
Her eyes popped open; both pirates were still sitting across from her, quietly assessing her. What in all the stars was going on? There wasn’t any way she could hallucinate two aliens she’d never seen before. It wasn’t possible. The only logical conclusion was that she’d died at some point. A tear dripped out of the corner of her eye.
“Am I dead?”
Both males looked startled at her question. The green one recovered quicker. “No, Ms. Sai, you are not dead.”
A hysterical laugh escaped her. “Sure, and I’m the queen of Sars.” She flung her hands in the air. “I never wanted to go to this cursed planet. It was that darn Lock that foiled my escape plan, the bastard,” she muttered.