Alien Mine (Zerconian Warriors Book 7) (18 page)

“It was the same for me when I escaped. Still is, really. It’s hard to rely on others when you’ve been betrayed before. When you feel like you can only really trust yourself. But I’ve learned that people want to help and you’ve got to let them. It took me a long time to figure that out and to trust again. Let me help you, Elika. Please.”

“Fine. But only until I’ve got my feet back under me. First on my list is finding a job.”

Lucy wondered whether she should tell her how few jobs there were on Zerconia for women. “Umm, about that—”

“What are you two doing?” Rye snapped, striding towards them.

“Rye? What—”

“We’re talking,” Elika said. “And you’re interrupting.”

Rye glared down at her. “You’re lagging behind. You’re supposed to be sticking together and I turn around to find the two of you chatting away without a care in the world.”

“Oh sorry,” Lucy said guiltily. “We didn’t realize—”

“So what if we were?” Elika snapped. “Isn’t it supposed to be safe here?”

Rye snorted. “If you think that then you are seriously naïve. Bet you’d buy a stick of wood if you were told it was a magic wand.”

Elika scowled. “Some wands are magic.”

“Don’t try any of that magic shit around me.”

“Rye, that’s kind of—” Lucy started to say.

“Or what?” Elika asked.

“Umm, Elika.” Lucy reached to pull her friend back. She didn’t like the cold fury on Rye’s face. Not that she thought he would physically injure Elika. But there were other ways to wound.

“You do not want to find out. I’m warning you.” He pointed at her. “I’ll be watching you.”

Elika stepped back, her arms going around her torso defensively. Lucy stared back and forth between the two of them wondering what the hell was going on.

“Maybe we should catch up with the others,” Lucy suggested. Rye nodded. Elika wouldn’t even look her way.

“Got it!” Willa strode towards them, completely oblivious to what was going on. Mila walked behind her, Tae sticking close to her.

“Got what, exactly?” Lucy asked.

“Pink dye. Oh, he is so going to suffer.”

Lucy thought it best not to ask.

***

“Are you certain the Emperor and Empress will agree to letting me stay on Zerconia. I’m not human, I can’t be a mate.” Elika worried at her bottom lip.

Lucy glanced over at Mila and Willa who were sitting across from them. They were back on the ship and headed home, having departed safely from Ika three hours ago. Most of the people they’d rescued from Husan had been collected by their families or friends. The back-up Darac had called for was taking others back to their home planets.

There were now only a handful of people with no other place to go, like Elika and Beau.

The human ambassador to Zerconia smiled. “Don’t worry, Elika. You’ll be welcome. I’ve talked to Zoey about you and she can’t wait to meet you.”

“Really?” she asked sceptically. “Why would she want to meet me?”

“Because you’re a witch,” Willa told her.

Elika frowned. “She wants me to do spells for her? I can’t be someone’s pet witch again. I can’t.” Panic filled her pale face as she stared over at Lucy.

“Don’t worry, Zoey isn’t like that. She’d never use you like that,” Mila told her.

“Maybe Elika should meet her,” Willa suggested. “Might put her mind at rest.”

Mila nodded then turned kind of pale before dropping her tablet and racing into the adjoining bathroom. The sound of her throwing up made Lucy wince with sympathy. Willa followed Mila into the bathroom. A few minutes later, they returned. Willa had her arm around Mila’s waist. They both sat on the sofa.

“Sorry about that,” Mila told them.

“Are you okay?” Lucy asked then realized what a stupid question that was. “Want me to get Thor?”

“Yes,” Willa replied.

“No,” Mila said at the same time, glaring at her friend. “I’m fine. I’ve just got a bit of a stomach bug or something. I’ve felt kind of sick for days.”

“Maybe you’re pregnant,” Elika suggested.

Mila stilled and stared at the other woman, frozen. “I can’t be, can I?”

“Don’t see why not,” Willa replied.

“I was starting to think it would never happen. I was going to get Thor to examine me once we got home.” Tears filled Mila’s eyes. “Do you think it’s possible?”

“We need to find out for sure,” Willa said.

Mila nodded. “How, though? I don’t want to tell anyone just in case it’s just a tummy bug.”

“I’ll sneak into medical and get a test. Stay here.” Willa jumped up and raced away.

Mila shook her head. “I don’t want to get my hopes up, I’ve been hoping and praying and I just thought it wasn’t meant to be.”

Lucy knew how that felt.

Willa returned, her face bright red. “Great, ?? now thinks I’m pregnant.”

“What?” Mila asked.

“Well, I didn’t know where anything was or even what the Zerconians use so I had to ask ??. Don’t worry I threatened him deadly harm if he said anything. No doubt he will say something to Darac, but I bought you some time.” She held up a little machine that had a flat, round end. “Apparently, you hold this to your stomach and flip the switch and it will tell you if you’re pregnant. It can even tell you how many weeks and you can hear the heartbeat. So. Are you ready?”

Mila nodded and laid back on the sofa. “Let’s do it.” She lifted her shirt to bare her stomach. Lucy and Elika moved closer as Willa placed the flat, circular end on Mila’s stomach. The sound of a heartbeat filled the room and Mila let out a laugh.

Willa grinned at her. “Congrats, you’re pregnant!”

Ten minutes later, after much a lot of hugging and cheerful congratulations, Mila sat back with a sigh. “Right, now you all have to keep this quiet until I can tell Koran. Okay?”

Lucy nodded. “Of course.”

Mila looked over at Elika. “Oh Lord, I’m sorry, Elika. I completely forgot we were going to contact Zoey.”

Elika smiled and waved her hand dismissively. “You’ve had more important things to do.”

“Let me contact her now.” She picked up her tablet. Less than a minute later, a holographic image of Zoey appeared, her daughter held in her arms.

“Yo!” Zoey greeted them.

“Yo?” Mila asked.

“Yeah, it’s my gangster greeting. I watched Boyz n the Hood last night. Whizz sent it to me. What’s up?”

Willa grinned. “Is Dex having a fit over your gangster greeting?”

Zoey blew out a deep breath. “Dex? Dex who? We never see him at the moment, do we, Elodie? Daddy’s too busy for us.”

The underlying pain in her words stabbed at Lucy.

“What’s wrong?” Mila asked in concern.

“Nothing. Everything. Don’t mind me. I’m tired cause this one sleeps like half an hour at a time. The council is being very demanding and Dex is doing his best to keep everyone happy. I’m just being silly. Who’s this?” Zoey pointed at Elika.

“Oh, sorry. Zoey meet Elika,” Mila introduced them. “Elika, Empress Zoelle.”

“Ick, call me Zoey. So you’re the witch? Wow, you don’t look anything like I thought you would.”

“I don’t?” Elika asked.

“Nah, no pointed nose or warts or cackling laugh. Can you say something for me?”

“Umm, sure?”

“I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!” Zoey said then let out a noise that made them all jump. Elodie made a face as though she were about to cry. Zoey placed her over her shoulder and patted her back. “Well?”

“Umm, I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too?” Elika said hesitantly.

“Nup, you’re make a terrible wicked witch. I suppose you’re a good witch. That’s a bit boring, though, isn’t it?”

“It is?” Elika looked at Lucy in confusion. “You want me to be bad?”

“No, of course not. It’s just on the Wizard of Oz the good witch was a bit vanilla. You look spicier than that. The idea of flying monkeys scare me, though, so best you be the good witch.”

Willa snorted out a laugh. “I think you’ve lost her, Zoey.”

Zoey pulled a face. “No one ever understands me. I’ll get Whizz to send me the Wizard of Oz and we’re going to have a movie night when you get back, ladies. Then you’ll understand what I’m talking about.”

“Elika is worried she won’t be welcome on Zerconia because she’s not human,” Mila said.

Zoey waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about that. You’re welcome. You helped save Lucy, after all. And she’s one of us.”

Warmth filled Lucy at her words.

“I was too scared to do much,” Elika admitted.

“But you came through in the end.”

“What about Beau?” Elika asked. “I feel responsible for her. She once told me she didn’t have anyone. She might never recover. Is she welcome?”

Beau had remained in the room she and Elika were sharing. She only ate when someone fed her. Lucy was really worried about her and she could tell Thor was as well. Elika was adapting more readily to her surroundings. It would take her a while as well, though. She knew from experience how difficult it was to believe you were actually free.

“You’re all welcome. I promise. You have my word.”

Lucy saw the relief on Elika’s face and smiled at Zoey. She might come across a bit ditzy at times, but she came through when it counted.

“Do you think it will be hard for me to get a job? I mean, I haven’t really worked in a long time.” Elika bit at her lip.

“There’s not a lot of jobs for women on Zerconia,” Lucy told her.

Elika frowned. “Then how am I meant to support myself?”

Lucy knew this was going to be a sore point. “You’ll stay with Thor and I.”

“I can’t just stay with you indefinitely, though,” Elika pointed out. “And you’re like newlyweds, you don’t really need a third wheel.”

Zoey nodded. “You and Thor will be doing it everywhere. The bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room. Elika really doesn’t need to see Thor’s naked ass, let alone his yo-yo. Not that I’m sure it isn’t a nice ass or yo-yo.”

“I’m sure we can refrain from having sex all over the house.” Lucy’s cheeks were hot enough to boil water on.

“Yeah, I’m not so certain. These Zerconian males can be like dogs, just trying to mark their—”

“Zoey!” Mila scolded, although there was a smile on her face. “I think we all get the idea. Elika, what can you do?”

“Other than cast spells,” Zoey added.

“Previous to being kidnapped and held by an ego-maniac, I was a personal assistant.”

“Yeah?” Mila asked. “Are you well-organised? Reliable?”

“Yes.”

“Punctual? Can you be diplomatic?”

“Yep and definitely yes, I had to be in order to survive.”

“Then considered yourself hired.” Mila smiled at the other woman.

“Awesome!” Elika frowned with puzzlement. “Hired as what?”

“My personal assistant. We start as soon as we get back and I’ll warn you now we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

“I’m not afraid of work.”

“And if you don’t want to live with us, you can have my old place,” Lucy told her. “At least I assume it will be free once I move in with Thor.”

Zoey nodded. “I’ll get onto it.”

“Willa! Willa!”

Lucy looked up from her tablet in shock as Darac stormed into the small seating room.

“Yes?” Willa looked up calmly as Darac stood in the middle of the room, glaring at her.

Lucy gaped at the huge man who now had pale pink skin. Rye rushed into the room then stood at the door and stared.

“I am pink.”

Willa squinted. “Gosh, so you are. What happened?”

“What happened? What happened?”

Lucy bit her lip and look over at Mila, whose shoulders were silently shaking. So that’s what Willa wanted that pink dye for that she’d bought on Ika. Koran and Thor stepped into the room, their eyes widening as they took in Darac.

“I bathed, and when I got out I looked like this.”

“Oh dear. Maybe it’s some sort of disease. Perhaps Thor should look you over.”

“It is no disease! There was dye in my soap.”

Willa stood and pointed at him. Then obviously feeling at a disadvantage, she stood on the sofa behind her. “Yes. Just remember this the next time you tie me to a tree.”

“That was for your safety!”

“I don’t care. No one ties me to a tree, buddy. This serves you right.”

“You would not listen to reason. I was protecting you. And your dog bit me on the ass.”

“I know.” She patted Norman’s head. “He’s such a good dog.”

Darac let out a deep growl then turned and strode out of the room.

“That went well,” Willa said with a small smile.

A deep laugh filled the room and they all turned to find Thor leaning against the wall. Rye grinned and even Koran’s lips twitched. Maybe, could have just been gas. She’d never actually seen Koran smile. Wasn’t even sure he actually had teeth.