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“Excuse me.”
Katie and Ayla went to the vehicle to wait for him as he answered the call. It was one of the chief sergeants, speaking rather perilously about a matter that required his prompt attention.
Axur grunted, peering at Katie and Ayla, who stood by the transport. They were giddy. Was he really going to disappoint them just like that?
SIX
KATIE
Katie woke absolutely thrilled about the day ahead of her. She hadn’t really allowed herself to think of Axur in a way outside professionalism despite her first impression of his good looks. She tried to keep her feelings distanced based on the way he was clearly used to operating, but he started listening and acting upon her suggestions … a lubricant to any woman’s desires.
She wasn’t going to be won over so easily, though. She merely skirted past neutral after having been thorny toward him when he so willingly ignored both her and his own niece.
It was necessary though. She wasn’t going to be privy to such mistreatment, even if it was, as he liked to emphasize, “a temporary situation.” Katie wasn’t going to be some robot-for-hire for a child who had already been traumatized enough.
But when he offered to go to the aquarium with them for the day, she was caught off guard. It seemed like a leap to being attentive to their needs and engaging with both Ayla’s and her interests. She felt flustered for a moment, attempting to conceal the rosy blush dotting her cheeks, and tried to casually relay that she would love his company.
Katie tried not to get her hopes up … or at least, she tried not to allow her tidal wave of initial attraction to influence what was right and realistic. The child was her top priority, not her boss.
So when Axur took the call and stopped beside the car rather than joining them, she tried to ignore the way her heart dropped in her chest. She turned away, settling Ayla into the car instead.
“Today? You are asking me to come in today?”
He was being called in on some military matter; she felt it. Something stung in her throat, but she tried to remind herself of his oath, his ruthless dedication toward his position as a general. It defined him as a person. He was only going to do what he always said he would: remain detached until arrangements were made to ship Ayla off to some other caretaker.
“What’s Uncle doing?” Ayla said, her teal hair spilling out the sides of her toque.
Katie reassured her, waning between sugarcoating and brutal honesty. She never wanted to hurt the girl, but sometimes, it was easier to cope with a hurt that sunk in gradually rather than a sharp, abrupt plunge.
That was what she grew up to feel in her militarized household, anyway.
“I think Uncle might have to go to work today, honey,” Katie said, crouching to meet the child at her eyeline. “It might just be you and me on an adventure today …”
From behind her, Axur placed a hand on her shoulder. It was one of the first times he’d touched her, and despite the many layers she had adorned, it burned. Burned in a way that was ineffable in its divinity.
“Are we ready to go?” Axur said sternly.
Ayla bounced in her seat. Katie was in shock, rising with a preset scowl on her face.
“I thought you were being called in?” she asked rather brusquely.
Axur looked puzzled, then narrowed his eyes at her. They looked pale gold and smooth in the natural light.
“No need. It is not an urgent matter. We made plans today, and I will follow through on them. Now, shall we be going?”
Katie nodded, unable to wipe the ecstatic look off her face. It was amusing, the clipped way he spoke to her … like it was a matter of concrete fact that he was there to accompany them. She felt the urge to be playful, but she had no clue if he was capable of it.
But she was frazzled, surprised by his change in commitment. They all climbed into the transport, which was really a hover car that looked like a stretched limousine on the inside. Ayla sat between them, her little feet dangling with excitement as they slowly rose into the cerulean sky.
“So you have never been to this aquarium then? Either of you?”
Katie tried to make conversation by addressing the two of them when, in reality, she wanted to hear more from Axur. An aquarium seemed like an obvious choice for a child, and he was clearly privileged and lived a lavish life … despite the fact that his home was rather unappealing visually.
Axur shook his head, his eyes unfixed and staring out the window. She desperately wanted them to meet hers. She wanted to know more than the alien general was willing to put forth. And why had he so easily flicked the switch on his cold utilitarian approach?
“I went with my mommy and daddy, I think, years ago,” Ayla replied without an ounce of sorrow. “I think there are a lot more animals there since then, though.”
Katie was quick to redirect her attention back to Ayla, tucking her arm around her shoulders and pulling her in for a tight hug. Ayla hugged her hard back, her little body knowing the level of trauma before her brain had the ability to interpret it.
