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“How did you get in here?” I cry, flustered as I grip the countertop.
He raises his brow. “How did I infiltrate the kitchens of this public restaurant?”
“Kaye-vi…” Sallina stares at Kalla with wide eyes. “Is that your mate?”
“Yes,” I tell her. “Kalla, this is my friend Sallina.”
“It is lovely to meet you, Sallina.” My mate politely bows his head. He comes to lean his hip on the counter, carefully avoiding the pudding mess I’ve made.
“How could you tell he’s my mate?” I ask her.
She purses her lips. “Just like Lala and Lala,” she says. “Their eyes get all ooey gooey. Like this pudding.”
“She’s very observant, this one,” I tell Kalla.
He puts a finger underneath one eye and pulls down to open it up wide. “What kind of pudding am I?”
“It’s a metaphor,” the girl informs him in a serious tone. “Your eyes aren’t actually pudding.”
“How disappointing,” he says, equally serious.
I might be pudding on the inside, the way my stomach is imitating gelatin, quivering at the sight of him. He throws me a sly smile, watching my reaction to him closely.
“We just heard about the border contraction,” I say. “But we don’t know what it means. Raffa said the war’s over, but is it true? Is that why you’re here?”
He glances at Sallina, whose ears might’ve grown two sizes at that question.
“My team for these past campaigns has been disbanded,” he informs me. “But while we celebrate an important victory, there has been no surrender. From here, the Ka’lakka’s army will assume a defensive position in Sector 5. The war is in Alliance hands moving forward.”
“So Lala is coming home…” Sallina whispers.
The doors to the kitchen burst open. Sallina’s mother runs through; her cheeks pink with excitement.
“Kaye! My other job closed early because of the commotion so I came to get Sallina. Have you heard the…?” She trails off as she observes Kalla. “Oh, hello.”
“My mate,” I introduce him, allowing him to decide how much information he’s giving out.
“Kallasiko Bi’Salla,” he greets her with a short nod. I get down and help Sallina off the counter, and while I exchange a few words with her mother, Kalla cleans the pudding and broken glass off the floor. It’s as if it never happened by the time I turn around and we’re alone.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I say as he shuts the top of the disposal center.
“It was my fault,” he replies.
I was so startled to see him here. He’s made time to visit me whenever his team’s work brought him to Station City, but I’d become more accustomed to seeing him climb onto my balcony under cover of night like a thief. A couple times, he only had a few intervals to spare before he disappeared again, leaving me to my constant heartache.
“Split families like hers might find themselves moving to Kar’Kal soon,” Kalla says, with a glance at the door.
“You got here so fast. I take it you’ve got your own ship?”
“I came straight away,” he says with a nod of confirmation. “So that I can take you to Frankie. Raffa will come with us, as I’ve gotten word from Captain Ross that she’ll pick him up wherever we are.”
“Is she awake?” I dare to ask. Every once in a while, Lakkavi has been able to update me on her status. Every time it doesn’t change, his expression becomes more grim at delivering the news.
Kalla’s the same, shaking his head regretfully. “I haven’t been toThe Rightful Heir, but I’ve gotten messages through others that brought warriors to the healers after the recent border battle. They reported that the human was there, completely healed and yet unresponsive.”
Every weak hope I harbored is washed away in an instant.
“Come here, little flame.” He wraps me in his arms as soon as I’m within his reach again.
