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“Are you paying attention?” his father barked, causing him to glance over at his father’s irritated expression.
“Yes.” He nodded. “I’m listening.”
His father narrowed his eyes. “You weren’t.”
Grux sighed, waving a hand. “You were saying?” He tried to get the conversation moving. The quicker his dad finished, the sooner he was free to leave.
“If we can get you and her together, there is a large chance we could have a bond with Earth. This would be a smart decision for us. Smart for the entire kingdom.”
Grux frowned. He hated the idea of using Scarlett like she was a pawn in a game. Scarlett was a living, breathing Terran being with emotions.
He wished he could have been like this with Kozien, who was actually trained to take the crown. But Kozien’s human was of low status on Noxxa, and Grux had found a woman that could be used for political gain.
He wasn’t going to admit to sleeping with Scarlett, let alone tell his father there might be a chance he had feelings for her. He didn’t like the tug that twisted him up inside.
“Well,” he said. “If this meeting is over, I’d like to go get ready for dinner. It’s been a long day.”
“Yes.” His father nodded, looking pleased. “Dinner. Are you seducing her over dinner? I’ve noticed you two dine together often.”
Grux frowned. Leave it to his father to notice everything and ruin the one good thing he had right now.
“I’m just being nice.” He lied with a straight face. “It’s the right thing to do. Could you please obsess about something else? Anyway.” He pulled himself out of his chair. “I’m heading out.”
His father waved him off, and Grux took the chance to bolt. He didn’t want to wait around for his father to think about something else they forgot to discuss.
Grux headed out. They had agreed to have dinner outside in the garden today. So, Grux walked to the garden, eager to see Scarlett.
He found spending time with her at the end of each day calmed him. It allowed him to relax and prepare himself for the next day. She was also something for him to look forward to.
He arrived to find Scarlett seated in the back corner, dinner already laid out in front of her. When she looked up, he could see she was happy, but frustration lay behind her eyes.
“Hey.” He gave her a smile as he slipped into the chair across from her. “Hope I didn’t hold you up.”
She waved her hand, giving him a soft smile. “No, it just got here.”
He watched her smile slip, and he reached across the table. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She smiled once more. “Nothing is wrong.”
He could tell she was lying to him. After spending weeks with her, he found he was good at reading her features. Better than expected to be honest.
“Scarlett, tell me. If you’re worried about hurting my feelings, it won’t happen.”
After what seemed like several minutes, she sighed. She placed her hands together and looked at the food. “Did your father bring up when I could be going home? Has he talked to my family? Can I try?”
His stomach fell. Yes, that. She had been asking about that more and more these past few days.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “He didn’t. I’m sorry. He hasn’t been able to locate them, and you know we fear to let you try. We keep you here within the palace for safety, and I’m not risking the Flemlars hearing your voice over the comms.”
Her lips tightened, and she gave him a simple nod. He didn’t like it. It was like she was dismissing him.
“Hey, we’re going to get you home.” He gave her a smile. “Just not yet.”
“When?” she snipped.
He pulled his hand away and leaned back in his chair. He wanted to tell her as soon as they could, but that would be a lie. His father was dragging his feet.
“I’ll ask him again tomorrow.” He gave her a smile. “Can we eat? The food will get cold.”
