Page 55 of I Fell for an Alien Popstar

From the viewport near the docking bay, Orin looked like a painted backdrop hung just beyond the glass. We’d all drifted toward the exit door—me, Zhari, Lyn, Yuki, and the rest of the crew who wanted to get out and explore.

The doors slid open with a hiss, and we walked down the short ramp together into thin, bright air. The path ran along a slope where the not-grass ferns brushed our boots and flashed when we disturbed them, sending little ripples of light across the hill.

A herd of those color-shifting creatures I’d seen from the bus moved in a loose line along a drainage ditch, their backs flickering from silver to rust to black as they crossed shadow and sun. One of them lifted its head, blinked sideways at us, then went back to nosing through the plants.

Overhead, something with four wings spiraled lazily above the loading cranes, as if it were surfing the heat coming off the machinery.

My stomach picked that moment to let out a long, furious growl.

“Whoa,” Lyn said. “Was that you, or did the bus just blow a speaker?”

“Sorry,” I muttered, grabbing my stomach. “I guess the protein bar didn’t cut it.”

“That was some serious gut static,” Lyn said.

Zhari bumped her shoulder against mine.

“Don’t worry. The market has the best food vendors on Orin’s moons. We will fix the gut static.”

She winked and slipped her fingers around mine as we walked.

Yuki grinned, flashing his sharp canines.

“Good. I was about two minutes away from chewing on Vada’s arm. She looks like she’d taste like sweet dew-drop cake.”

Yuki licked his bottom lip.

“You know, the ancient Velans used to roast humans over open flames during festivals. So watch out for Zhari!” Yuki smirked.

I spun on my heel.

“I’m sorry. You were about to what my arm?” I blinked at him, then glanced from Yuki to Zhari. “Um… do Velans really eat people?”

All three of them burst out laughing.

“You’ll never know,” Yuki said, baring his teeth at me in an exaggerated mock bite.

Lyn rolled her eyes and moved to my other side. She caught my gaze and mouthed a clear no, jerking her thumb toward Yuki as if to say, He’s full of it.

My shoulders dropped slightly as the spike of panic faded, my heartbeat settling back into something almost normal. The breeze picked up, cool against my face, and my focus slid back to the landscape ahead.

“Those are harmless, right?” I pointed to the small heard of coloring-changing creatures that were still in the grass.

“Mostly,” Zhari said. “As long as there is not a Ridgeback with them.”

“Which is the murder one, right?” I asked.

Zhari smiled.

“Yes. You will know it if you see it. It has too many teeth.”

A chill tiptoed down my spine. I scanned the herd again, suddenly convinced one of them was going to launch itself at me, fangs-first.

“Relax,” Zhari added, a little laugh slipping out. “There are no Ridgebacks this close to the loading zones. They do not like noise or metal so you are safe.”

I nodded, still looking in the direction the herd was running. My shoulders eased, tension bleeding away by degrees. I dragged my attention from their shifting backs and focused on the path ahead, following the others toward the market.

The road down to the city ran beside a transport lane carved straight through the rock, cargo haulers humming past every few minutes. By the time we reached the lower level, the air carried a mix of engine heat, cooking smoke, and something sharp and mineral-like.