CHAPTER 2
The cafe-style place Kita has managed to keep a secret from her brother might not be a sanctuary much longer.
I’ve taken exactly two sips of my cappuccino when she says, “Un-fucking believable.”
I turn to look in the direction she glares and am honestly glad it's just Markoban.
“Is this where you two have been hiding?” he asks, seeming genuinely happy to have found us.
Kita lets out a heavy groan that turns into a sigh. “Go away Markoban. Didn’t you get the hint that we don’t want to be around you or the rest of my brother’s cabal?”
His gaze turns briefly to me. “I get that. I’d rather hang out with you two than him, too.”
He sits without being invited and the waitress unhelpfully comes to take his order.
“Why?” Kita asks when she leaves. “Why do you want to hang out with us?”
“I’m tired of putting up with him.”
I snort, even though I don’t mean to.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about… otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. He picks something and uses it to just needle away at you.”
“I’ve noticed.” I say, glaring at my cup.
“I mean, he started being an asshole to you specifically after you stopped smiling at him and fawning over him.”
I blink at him. “What?”
“We all knew you had a crush on him.” Markoban’s lips twist distastefully. “He liked it… he bragged about it.
“When you lost interest… Jesha made a joke about it and that kind of set him off.”
I consider what to say to that. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t have a crush. Clearly that was too obvious to deny.
Kita tries, defending me when she doesn’t need to and I place my hand on one of her tentacles to get her to stop.
“I had a crush on a made up person. Not on Agan. Once I realized he wasn’t who he makes himself out to be… there’s nothing attractive about him at all.”
“I think your rejection has started to make that clearer to the rest of us too.”
“I didn’t reject him.”
“That’s not how he feels about it.”
Something draws my attention and I quickly look away, grimacing at my coffee before muttering, “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”
Kita’s head swings around so fast.
“Does he have you chipped or something?” Kita says as she packs up the drink she got in a to-go cup from the start, just in case. “When you show up, he’s not far behind.”
“I promise I didn’t ask him to meet me here or tell him anything.” He reaches for her like he wants to keep her where she is, but he doesn’t actually touch her.
Oh…
Kita bats his tentacle away and I don’t say what I’ve only just realized. Markoban put up with Agan to be around her.
Poor guy.
Great taste, horrible methods.
“We’re leaving.” She wraps a tentacle around my wrist and she doesn’t need to drag me away, I am already out of my chair.
Markoban comes after us, and I take that as further proof that he really doesn’t want to be around Agan.
But it’s too late.
Why is it always too late?
“What are you losers doing down here?” Agan blocks the entrance to the cafe.
How did I ever like him?
“Not looking for you,” Kita says, trying to get around him.
He looks from Kita to me and then to Markoban. “Seriously… why are you hanging out with them?”
“Because I like them,” he says.
Agan snorts and says something in their language that makes both Kita and Markoban straighten. Kita looks pissed, Markoban looks like he’s been slapped.
I don’t understand their responses either.
I just want to leave.
When Agan calls out to someone, I think maybe we’ll get our chance, but he waves them over instead of going to them.
I turn, looking behind me. There has to be another exit. Maybe to the side…?
“Agan, Kita.” The sound of his voice makes me freeze. I stare at an empty table for a heartbeat too long.
“Will you introduce me to your friends?” Sirin’s voice is imprinted on my memory. But my body can’t process hearing it here.
“We’ve already met,” Markoban says, doing a familiar little bow as I turn back, every fiber of my being wanting to run.
“At the opening of the bowls last month,” Markoban quickly adds.
“Yes of course, Mar Koban, I hope you’ve had the opportunity to enjoy them since. Our amenities are meant for those who live here more than those passing through, but I’m afraid the newest attractions tend to draw the most fervent of tourists.”
He looks at me and I feel his gaze burn through me.
He’s gorgeous and my body reacts to the memory of how he touched me the last time… of the things we said this morning.
Sirin is their uncle.
He knows who I am. Even if I’m wearing clothes, my face hasn’t changed. Agan tries to move on, but Kita interrupts him.
“And this is my best friend, Annika.”
“Annika,” Sirin says, carefully, like he’s worried it might change to Cherry half way through. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You too.” I say it too quickly.
I know it sounds strangled and weird, but the others only look at me for a half a heartbeat before they turn back to him. It’s long enough for him to hide the smile he let peek to his lips.
Agan asks him a question, again, slipping into their language and Sirin answers in kind, watching me for a moment longer… I haven’t told him I don’t know their language… have I?
But it doesn’t matter. I don’t need to know what he says to Agan.
I just… I need a moment to breathe. I need some time to make new space for him in my head.
And I definitely need a few moments to make sure the jittery feelings under my skin don’t make their way out.
I stare at him while he and Agan argue about something. I know I should look away, but I can’t.
His pocket chirps and he pulls out his comm, keeping the screen angled away from everyone, even though Agan tries to peek.
“I have to go deal with something.” He smiles at Kita and then says, “It was nice to see you again, Mar. And it was lovely to meet you Annika. I hope I have the opportunity again in the near future.”
I purse my lips to keep my nervous laugh inside.
The comm chirps again and he leaves with a curt nod to Agan.
Holy fucking fuck. I watch him go, barely hearing Kita scold Agan for whatever they were talking about, but when Agan snorts and points at me, I snap back to the here and now.
“Look at her,” Agan says, laughing at me. “She’s dumbstruck. I guess when you meet someone with that much power—”
“Oh no, he’s hot as hell.” I say it because it’s true. I say it to shut Agan up. And I say it because I’ve started to fully hate him and I know it’s going to piss him off, and for once… I want that.
He sputters, “What?”
“Your uncle is the most fuckable man I have ever seen.”
“Ew,” Kita says quietly beside me and Agan’s tentacles turn pale.
I look at her and, even though I know the answer, I ask, “Is he single?”
Agan makes a disgusted noise. “As if he’d debase himself with something like you.”
Kita shoves him.
Full tentacles to shoulders, she shoves him back so hard, he slides five feet away.
He looks utterly shocked. Eyes wide, he looks at Markoban, but he’s watching Kita in awe.
“Don’t fucking talk to her like that ever again. Do you hear me?”
“What the hell, Kita? She doesn’t mind. She knows I’m just joking.” Agan looks at me like he believes I’ll agree.
“I do mind. I don’t care if you think you’re joking. It’s not funny.”
This time I’m the one who takes Kita’s tentacle and leads the way away from him.
“Insufferable asshole.” She huffs, and when Markoban joins us she pulls me to a stop, turns and gets right in his face. “You are going to go to the medical facility and you’re going to get a full body scan and if there is a tracker in you somewhere, you are going to have it removed.”
He’s silent and still for a full minute as I start to get uncomfortable. But he inhales like he’s had a fully system reset and says, “Yes I am.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was hypnotized. He spins around and goes immediately to do as he was told.
“That boy has a crush on you,” I tell her.
“Well, if he wants anything to happen with that, he’s going to need to do a whole lot more than stand back when Agan insults someone I love.”
She lets out a sound I’ve come to think of as a smothered scream. “Do you think being the niece of the station administrator would let me get away with fratricide?”
Putting her on to true crime documentaries was a mistake.
“No, but…” I might be able to get away with it. Grimacing, I say, “We need to go somewhere we can talk. Somewhere Agan cannot overhear us.”
Kita looks at the clock on the wall. “I have work… but the look on your face tells me it can’t wait.”
“I think you’d be very mad at me if I waited.”
The look she gives me… “Oh no.”