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CHAPTERELEVEN
Shae
* * *
Zell leads the way through the crowded promenade, Danielle and I following close behind with twin looks of amazement on our faces. Our mouths are stuck open and eyes wide as we take in the space station. Volethos follows close behind us, glaring at anyone who looks at us.
Landing on the station was a little hairy. With the drag panels damaged, instead of a gentle stop, Zell had to use the reverse thrusters to keep us from crashing into the docking bay. Luckily there was a mechanic on duty, and the panels should be fixed by the time we are finished with our business.
Before we left the cruiser, they thoroughly lectured us on hownotto act, so we didn’t draw attention to ourselves. Zell’s speech stayed in our minds for all of five minutes, evacuating the moment we stepped foot in the wide-open vestibule that reminds me of pictures I’ve seen of supermalls. Or cruise ships.
With a ceiling dozens of stories above us, we’re caught up in a sea of aliens. Creatures of every shape, size, and color. Many defy anything my imagination could have conjured up. Shops, cafes, and anything else you might imagine line both sides of the gangway. Everywhere I look, lights and holograms advertising anything you might imagine. It’s impossible to take it all in.
“Where should we go first?” Zell turns back to ask Volethos.
I feel his eyes on me before I even turn to look back at him over my shoulder. Our eyes meet, and… I swear the pale yellow seems to spark, looking less dull now.
“What do you want?” he asks me. “Food or clothes?”
“Which is closer?” Danielle sniggers.
Volethos’s eyes lift from mine, and he scans the concourse with a frown before pointing to his right. “There is a store for female clothes just there.”
Danielle lets out a little gasp when she sees the windows displaying flowing gowns and bright colors. Before I can react, she grabs my hand, pulling me toward the shop with Zell and Volethos hurrying after, trying to keep up.
“Welcome,” a tall alien with dark blue skin and intricately braided blue-black hair greets us at the doorway. “And how may I help you this fine afternoon?”
“Oh, we’re just looking,” Danielle tells her as she breezes past, heading to the left where a display of colorful gossamer dresses draws her attention.
“Of course.” The blue woman smirks. I don’t miss the way her eyes are drawn to the doorway where Zell and Volethos hover uncomfortably. Her look turns calculating before her attention lands on me, and her face softens. “Is there anything I can help you find?”
I watch Danielle as she pets the different fabrics and holds one of the dresses up to her. I wrinkle my nose.
“Not to your liking?” The shop woman laughs as she looks me up and down, then hooks her arm through mine. “I bet your male would like to see you in something soft.”
I snap my head over to where Volethos is watching me. His face is a mask of stern masculinity. When our eyes meet, he doesn’t look away, and neither do I. A strange heaviness settles low in my belly, and I have to force myself to be the first to look away.
“He’s notmy male,”I tell her with a firm shake of my head.
The woman laughs again and leads me toward the back of the store. “Not to worry, I think you’ll find something more to your taste in this section.”
Instead of the flowy, soft, and gauzy fabric Danielle was drawn to, she leads me to several racks of clothes that are more utilitarian. Made with sturdy, cotton-like materials. I can feel the shop woman’s eyes on me as I step up to one of the racks and start thumbing through the selections. I pause at a pair of cargo pants and some leggings. Then I move on to some t-shirt-type tops.
“How do I know what size these are?” I hold up a long-sleeved shirt that is all black with a wide neck.
“All sizes adjust accordingly,” the shop woman says, as if that isn’t the most magical thing I’ve ever heard. I’m about to ask her how that works when Volethos steps up behind me.
“Choose anything you like.” He takes the shirt from me and drapes it over his arm.
“I don’t need much.” I snatch the shirt back and return it to the rack. “I’ve done just fine with one jumpsuit.”
“You can’t live in one jumpsuit. Females need several outfits,” he snaps back. He takes the shirt off the rack then grabs everything else I touched or looked at before walking away.
The way his nose wrinkled when he suggested I couldn’t live in one jumpsuit makes me think maybe he has some experience here. Which makes me wonder just what kind of male he really is? Especially after the way Bela warned me about him. It’s clear, just by looking at him, he has had a rough life.
The shop woman does a poor job of hiding the smirk pulling at her lips. “Just let me know if you need assistance.”
She’s already gone when I turn to thank her, so I go back to looking through the racks of clothes. Clearly, I’m not getting out of shopping, so I might as well get over it. Thumbing quickly through the racks, I choose only the most basic and useful items. Within no time, I have a small pile of cargo pants, leggings, and tunics.
