“You know, you’re being a real dick right now.”
Geblit stopped grinning. “A dick? What’s a dick?”
She was about to explain when the surroundings suddenly grew quiet. It took her a few moments, brows furrowed, ears perked, before she realized what it was.
The barrier was no longer zinging—she hadn’t even realized that it had been.
It seemed Geblit realized this too because his four eyes lit up with glee as he turned back to face the farm.
“Here he comes,” he said, almost too enthusiastically.
Raising her gaze toward the biggest building on the premises, she saw the door open and a large figure step through.
Even from the distance, she could see that the being was male. Large, threatening, and undoubtedly male in his stance.
“Who the hell is that?” she whispered and Geblit cast a nervous glance her way.
“That is Riv,” he said. “Now, hush!”
Mouth agape as she watched the alien walk down the path toward the perimeter fence, Lauren’s eyes widened.
Riv was supposed to look like Geblit.
You know, skinny, nervous, and possibly easy to take down in a fight.
This male coming down the path looked nothing like Geblit.
This male looked like he could break her and Geblit in two.
6
The male was big and blue.
As he got closer, Lauren had time to take him in.
He was tall, muscular…she could see his biceps bulging through the simple dark tunic he wore. The tunic hung over his dark trousers, which were tucked neatly into his dirt-encrusted boots.
He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat of some sort with dark glasses covering his eyes. Black hair in partial locs and some loose strands hung over his shoulders, decorated with golden adornments, and over his nostrils and mouth a cloth was tied, like a handkerchief turned into a mask.
One arm hung at his side idly as he approached but the other held a large weapon, a gun of some sort, thrown over his shoulder.
“What the actual fuck?” she breathed. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Geblit glare her way, silently telling her to shut up.
This was the person he wanted to leave her with?
This Riv looked like a bounty hunter—as if one wrong move and she’d be cut down with the weapon slung over his shoulder. The fact she couldn’t see his face properly or even his eyes only made the apprehension snake thicken and grow heavy on her spine.
Despite that his shades gave no indication of where he was looking, something told her he was looking her way and she fought the urge to scramble away deeper into the box, as if she had space there.
“Riv.” Geblit was speaking, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the male that was now in their presence.
He was blue all over, it seemed. A cobalt blue that made the bits of visible flesh on his face and arms look inviting to touch.
He came to a stop in front of where the barrier was and she felt, rather than saw, his focus move from the box to Geblit.
“Why are you here? I told you I don’t like visitors,” he said.
Fun guy, this one. She could already tell.
“This isn’t technically a visit. I am merely dropping the human off.”
This time, Riv’s head turned and she was positive he was looking at the box.
“Human?” The way he said the word, she could practically see his lips curl. “The phek is that?”
“A new species I found at the animal market.” When Riv said nothing, his head still turned in the box’s direction as if he was trying to see through it, Geblit rushed on. “It is quite tame. It will fit in well with your oogas.”
Geblit motioned to the hippo-looking things grazing quietly in the long yellow-orange grass of one of the enclosures.
He thought she would fit in well with those?!
“Looks too small to fit in with an ooga,” Riv noted.
Smart man.
There was no way one of those things could even come close to fitting in the box so she was obviously much smaller than they were.
Geblit’s eyes darted around for a bit. “I mean in temperament. Very easy to…take care of.”
“If it’s so easy to take care of, you keep it then.” Riv turned as if he was about to leave, and she could almost feel Geblit’s anxiety.
“I can’t! Cargga doesn’t want it at our residence. It will die if I leave it on its own.”
No, she wouldn’t!
…
Well, she probably would, but most likely not by her own hands but by the hands of some merciless alien.
If it came to that, though, she would fight till the final moment. Even if she had to use her teeth as her only weapons.
She would bite her enemies then run.
Riv paused, his head angled in the direction of the box once more.
“Why is the box closed?”
Geblit’s four eyes darted from the box to Riv and back. He was so bad at lying.
“I didn’t want to risk it escaping. It is not a very intelligent species.”
Remind her to throttle the skinny alien whenever she had a chance to.
Despite Geblit’s pleading, Riv began to walk off. “Take it back to wherever you got it from.”
At this point, a wail pierced the air, pulling her gaze away from the tall, blue alien to Geblit.
Geblit’s mouth was in the shape of a long oval as another of the horrible wails left his lips.
Was he…was he crying?
Lauren’s face scrunched up as she watched the alien. He really was a sight when he got hysterical.
It wasn’t she alone who was affected by Geblit’s sudden emotional outburst. Even the big, blue male seemed to shift uncomfortably, his brows rising over his shades.
“What is it?” Riv’s voice reflected annoyance and mild frustration.
“I can’t bring it back. I was bested, Riv! No returns!” Geblit wailed. “My Cargga will be most unhappy.”
Riv let out a sound like a groan.
“You have to help me, Riv. I call on that favor you owe me.”
Again with that. She was starting to wonder what this favor was.
There was a silence that hung heavily in the air
