Khar reached for her, but she slipped away, grabbing the sack containing the gurjt.
“No,” she said lightly. “Vegrun’s waiting.”
Khar muttered their now-familiar refrain under his breath. Fuck Vegrun. Lately shortened to “FV,” since Vitro’s command systems had a habit of listening.
He could hardly wait for the star-crossed lovers to disappear from view, so he could finally have a full week with Lily.
If she allowed it.
He hoped she would.
Chapter 18
The Calm Before the Rupture
Lily
“Every swaying step of Silomarila is tracked by watchful eyes, yet lately the Muse of the Mokra Matriarchy has been vanishing with suspicious frequency for short stretches of time, and no one seems to know where she goes. Is she preparing for a new role? Has she turned to philanthropy? Has her heart been stolen, or has she fallen victim to blackmail? One thing is certain: you will hear about it here first the moment the truth comes to light.
And now: three recipes for achieving the perfect Augum-3 hue on tentacles, tentacle-chewers, and other flavorful appendages—at home, of course!”
Secrets, Gossip, Liescolumn, IMPERIUM Daily News Portal
Lily lost her bet that Silomarila would throw Vegrun out by the end of the trip.
She had spoken with the Mokra woman a few times about this and that, and by the time they reached their destination she had genuinely grown fond of her. Among her own species, Silomarila was considered breathtakingly beautiful, and she was universally famous for her modeling career. Beyond that, Lily discovered she had a sharp sense of humor, and they shared far more interests than expected.
Khar stood beside Lily at Vitro’s dock, radiating smug satisfaction as they waved goodbye to the departing ground luxury transport. The moment it vanished from sight, he pulled out his console, switched Vitro to remote sentry mode, grabbed Lily by the waist, and tossed her over his shoulder.
“Come on, loser.”
She punched his back. “Put me down!”
“Never. You live on my shoulder now.”
“The wager was one favor!”
“Yes. And I’m doing you a favor by letting you live on my shoulder. See? You already owe me two.”
Lily sighed and went limp, arms dangling behind him as she bounced with the rhythm of his stride. She briefly considered biting his ass, but it was too far away. Damn giant space demon-bull alien.
Khar turned her toward Helios’s entry sensor and she triggered the door. Contrary to his earlier promise, he set her down on the threshold and looked at her hopefully.
“Can I come in?”
She gestured inside, and Khar promptly scooped her up again and jogged in.
“Want to shower together?”
“What? No!”
“That’s fine. Next time then. But we do need a shower. Both of us. Vegrun and his tentacles on our shoulders are not an experience I want to repeat.”
Lily shuddered. “They were so wet. But hey—at least he was happy.”
Khar was already peeling off the jacket of his black uniform, where the slick residue of a tentacle still marked the fabric.
“I’m happy about the seven-chrono-cycles leave. What’s your plan, Lily?”
