Chapter 22 Zill
ZILL
Breaking News! Brock Alteri, former lover of Empress, announces plans to sue the pop star for defamation after pegging allegations.
Imiss you! Reese's voice is like a scream in my head. It's been all of three days since we've been in each other's minds, and while I'm happier about it than I've ever been about anything, she's very obviously not a Sombran.
Sorry! Was that too loud? Reese yells again, though it is a little softer this time.
I wince, and Kolos catches it. He's been watching me with a mixture of amusement and envy since we set off this afternoon.
He'd never tell me that he's jealous, but he doesn't hide it well.
I don't bring attention to it, considering there's nothing for me to do other than listen if he ever wants to talk about it with someone.
Keep practicing. You'll get the hang of it eventually. I respond to Reese, bracing for her response.
I love you!
I shake my head, the words still bouncing around with echoes from how loud she is. She'll get better at talking to me, but right now the biggest thing she's been practicing has been filtering out my thoughts. It does no good to either of us if she tries to listen to every single thought I have.
Since I'm Sombran, I can filter out what I hear all the time by delegating my shadows to deal with it for me. Reese doesn't have shadows of her own, so I've been having mine soften the sound of my thoughts so they're easier for her to ignore if she wants.
I told her I could shut them out completely if she wanted, but that offer had made her eyes go wide and her to squeal both out loud and in her head. "You'd better not! You're mine now! Those are my thoughts!"
I'd puffed my chest a bit at that, liking how much she already felt as though I belonged to her. My shadows had been appreciative too, dancing and swirling in their excitement.
"Come on," Kolos says, hitting my chest with the back of his hand. "We have work to do, and then you can go back to creeping through all of Reese's thoughts."
"Yeah, yeah," I respond, waving him away. "You know if we were on Sombra–"
"You'd be locked in a room together for months," Kolos says with an eye roll. "Yes, you've already told all of us half a dozen times. Unless you plan on actually returning to Sombra instead of doing the job you're paid to do, maybe come up with something new to say."
I frown, glaring at him, "Since when did you become the stick in the mud?"
"Since Skia's been ignoring all of my messages and you've stopped being so serious now that you have a lady love." Kolos straightens, smirking a little when he turns to look at me. "One of us needs to be the responsible one on the ship, and it's not going to be Isha."
"I trust Isha to be more responsible than you," I say, humor lacing my words.
"You only think Isha is more responsible because you're never the one left alone with her," Kolos says. "The woman is a menace."
"I'm sure Skia–"
"Would agree?" Kolos asks, cutting me off. "Yes, he would. He's her brother. He probably gets it the worst."
We make it to the front of the building, where Mauve's office is, and our conversation dies off. We have one thing we need to do today, and it's likely to end poorly. Which is why I pause outside the door for a long moment, debating my best course of action.
Reese, are you doing your photoshoot yet? I ask my soulbond, waiting patiently for her to scream in my mind again.
I could just loosen the restrictions I have for my shadows listening in on her thoughts, but this gives her a chance to practice speaking to me.
My shadows know that if she ever directs anything toward us, they should let it through, no matter what.
Everything else, they can filter through and just give me the stuff they think I need to know.
So far, that's mostly consisted of telling me when Reese is in the shower and any time she starts getting even the tiniest bit horny.
Not yet! About to go on set! I was thinking that maybe you could have your shadows keep your thoughts to yourself when you go through the hate mail? I don't want it to ruin the pictures!
I let out a sigh of relief, because that was exactly what I was going to ask her about.
If she wants to be in my thoughts while I go through the letters and threats written to her, I'll let her stay.
It'll make me more than a little nauseous and angry, but I won't deny her wanting to be a part of it if it's what she wants.
Thankfully, I won't have to deal with not only reading the threats but also worrying about Reese hearing them through the bond because she wants nothing to do with them.
Look. Look at her. Beautiful. Ours. My shadows start talking over one another, all of them trying to shove Reese's most recent thought right into my face. I understand why, as soon as I allow it to take form in my mind.
She's standing in front of the full-length mirror in her dressing room. Her outfit consists of a skin-tight, black leather body suit, hot pink fishnets, colossal heels, and so much cleavage that my shadows are ready to call it a day, go grab Reese, and take her back up to the ship.
Wait! Look at the best part! Reese yells, and the image in my mind shifts until she's standing in the mirror with a bedazzled paddle in her hand, the word "EMPRESS" printed across it in big, bold letters.
"Are we going to stand out here forever?" Kolos asks me, ignoring the fact that my face is probably deep red.
"No, sorry," I tell him, rubbing my temples and urging my shadows to calm down. I send one final thought to Reese before sealing her mind from hearing my thoughts until we finish dealing with the hate mail. I love you. If you need anything, I can still hear you.
Okay! Bye!
"Ready, I'm ready," I say to Kolos, ignoring the very pointed look he's giving me. "Maybe once this job is over, I'll take a little vacation."
"You should, and not just because everyone can tell when Reese is in your head whispering dirty things to you," Kolos says as we walk across the vast lobby, not caring even slightly that he's being louder than necessary.
He turns to look at me over his shoulder as he pulls his credentials out of his back pocket to hand to the security guard.
"The only time you ever take off is when Mauve all but forces you to attend some human holiday.
It'll be good for you to take time for yourself. "
"I'm leaving one of the Naras in charge when I do," I tell him, handing my credentials over to the same security guard who just waved Kolos through a metal detector.
Mauve's work isn't this dangerous, but there are other companies with more serious clientele that work in the building, so we all have to go through it.
"Of course you are. I'm just saying, it's good that you're taking a break from all of this," Kolos continues when I meet him at the elevator bank. "I've been thinking about taking one myself."
"Oh yeah?" I ask, pushing away the thought that my shadows are blaring into my mind, saying that Reese is in the middle of doing inappropriate things with the paddle that I should be aware of. "I think you've taken less time off than any of us."
"I'm the only one of us with absolutely no one who cares about me," Kolos says those harrowing words with a bright smile and a wink as though it's not as utterly devastating as it sounds.
"Kolos," I start, wanting to make sure I pick my words right because even if he's trying to play it off like he's joking, it's still something serious that needs to be addressed.
The elevator doors slide open, and we step inside as I continue.
"You know we all care about you, right? Me, Isha, Skia.
We might all give each other a hard time, but we're as close as family.
Gods, if you want, you can come with me to all the human holidays my mother makes me go to.
You've been invited every time, but you don't like Earth, so I never thought you'd be interested. "
"Mauve invites me, don't worry," Kolos says with a wave of his hand, trying to dismiss everything I just said with such an easy statement.
"Of course she does, but did you hear everything else?" I ask, pushing his shoulder until he's looking at me.
"Yes, I heard you," Kolos says. His smile falters, his jaw tensing as he looks to the floor, numbers ticking up one by one. "And I know I have the crew. I'm just being spiteful today."
"Because of Reese?" I ask.
"Because of your happiness, yes." Kolos shrugs, and I keep my features still. If our roles were reversed, I'd be more than a little envious of him. My bonding has been a very harsh reminder of his rejection, and the fact that it's all happening on Earth hasn't made it any easier.
Kolos groans and rubs his hand down his face. "I'll be fine. Give me a few days to wallow in my own self-pity and get us off this planet, and I'll be fine."
The elevator doors slide open, ending the conversation as Kolos plasters his smile back on his face and makes a beeline straight for the receptionist. I'm sure he's going to flirt with her while I talk to my mother.
Normally, I'd use a little of my authority as his boss to tell him to cut it out, but he's in a sad place right now.
If some shameless flirting makes him feel better, I'm not about to stop him.
It isn't until I get to Mauve's door and Kolos is right behind me already that I really start to worry about him.
"What?" he asks, his eyes flashing as though he knows full well why I'm surprised to see him. He doesn't give me time to answer before knocking a quick tune on Mauve's door and opening it up. "Well, don't you look beautiful."
"Did Jeanette not give you the time of day?" Mauve asks as she stands from her desk.
"He didn't even flirt with her," I mutter just loud enough for the other two to hear.