I glanced out the corner of my eyes and quickly readjusted myself. I was thankful I was wearing my loose-fitting costume.
She hit the final note and opened her eyes. She looked at me and smiled that gorgeous wide grin of hers.
I was hooked.
When the lights came up and the darkness was removed, the other lords and ladies rose to their feet and clapped, cheering the performance. I did the same. It was nothing like anything I’d ever seen on Titan before.
Sirena took a deep bow. She clapped the musicians behind her, who nodded their thanks.
I didn’t know who she was or the location of this planet she came from, but I was definitely going to find out.
I waited for the other shows to finish, hoping Sirena might perform an encore, but my hopes were dashed.
“Thanks for listening to our performances tonight,” a skinny Titan musician said after the final act. “If you’d like to book us for future performances please contact…”
I phased out the rest of what he said and downed the last of my fifth mojito. Oh well. At least I got to enjoy her company for a little while. And her singing. Wow. I’d be dreaming about that act for months to come.
The entire evening felt like something written in the stars, as if it were meant to be. She looked so much like my wife, sounded like her, acted like her, smelled like her…
Tasted like her?
I growled at myself and stumbled in the direction of Zes’s table. He sat upright with his head thrown back, snoring even louder than usual. I’d wake him up and help him to his room.
Each time I blinked, I saw her. The way her dress plunged down the front, revealing her sexy voluptuous figure, and the split up one side, revealing a toned leg.
Maybe I should call on her. Maybe I should let her know I was interested…
Who was I kidding? She probably had a guy. Maybe even a few guys, stringing them along with empty promises. A woman like that could have any guy she wanted.
“Still here, Kal-i?”
Her deep voice sent a shiver up my spine.
I glanced over at her in an attempt at playing it cool.
“Yes,” I said.
My voice squeaked. So much for playing it cool.
“I thought I might as well catch a few more performances while I’m here,” I said.
“See anything you like?” she said, her hands on her hips and staring me in the eye.
I gulped. Plenty.
“I thought… I thought they were all good,” I said. “Would you like a drink?”
“If I have one, I’ll have ten,” she said.
Damn. I hope my disappointment wasn’t too obvious.
“But you can walk me to my room if you’d like?” she said.
“Sure!” The word was out before I summoned it.
I took a step forward and almost lost my feet. I braced myself on the bar.
Sirena chuckled.
“That is, if you can manage to get that far,” she said.
“I’m fine!” I said. “I just… need to get my sea legs under me, that’s all.”
I glanced at Zes as we sailed past him. I really should wake him up…
And have him ruin these few private minutes I would share with her? Dream on. I’d come back for him later.
I extended my elbow to her. She smiled and took it. Her arm tucked in nicely around my bulging muscles. I held her gently, like a paper flower. I walked with my head held high, the way I used to with my wife. She’d been the most beautiful woman in any room we visited too.
I took her toward the elevators but she resisted.
“No,” she said. “Let’s take the stairs. I doubt I’ll ever get to see this palace again.”
We ascended the wide set of red-carpeted stairs. I loved how Sirena walked slowly, peering at the items lined along the walls as if it were a museum. I wished I was more knowledgeable about our culture so I could explain it to her. The plaques gave much better information than I ever could. But there was one thing the plaques could never divulge…
I led her to the banister.
“Look down there,” I said, pointing to the rectangular first floor.
She looked.
“At what?” she said.
“This room is the oldest part of the entire palace,” I said.
“Really? How do you know that?”
“Because I used to play here with the young prince when we were both boys.”
“You played with the prince?”
I shrugged.
“I was brought here by my father when I was very young,” I said. “I came here to study, and he came to my home sometimes too. And when we were here, his nanny told us about this room. This was the original palace. It only had two small bedrooms.”
“How did it get to be so big?”
“As our empire expanded, so did the palace,” I said. “Until it became as you see now. Our ancestors were great miners. Once we conquered space, we used their skills and techniques to mine other worlds. The bigger we became, the more we mined, and the more we could trade with other cultures across the galaxy.”
“Wow,” Sirena said. “You must be really proud of your culture.”
My chest swelled.
“I am,” I said. “We all are.”
“I heard some lords speaking earlier about what happened here today,” Sirena said. “They said the Titans lost a war and the lords and ladies had to pledge allegiance to the conquerors. Is that true?”
“Yes. That was why we were brought here today.”
“It must have been a difficult thing to do.”
Harder than you could ever know. But I didn’t say the words. I couldn’t. Not when someone might overhear.
“It’s getting late,” I said. “You must be tired.”
We continued up the stairs. She kept glancing at those artifacts. No matter how late it was, she was intent on learning more about our culture.
“You’re a beautiful singer,” I said. “How long have you been doing it?”
“My whole life,” Sirena said. “My parents had a hard time shutting me up.”
“That would
