Stars, no!
The last time she used those alien fortune cards to ‘read’ me, I got a tentacle monster, nine-hearted grig cup, and an upside-down saucer. That was the day George told me it was over.
There was no way I was letting her read me again.
No fucking way.
“Sounds... fantastic!”
I dug the heels of my hands into my eye sockets.
“Walk around naked...” Aunt Gretta’s voice faded, like she was talking to herself as she moved down the hall, laughing to boot.
My chest deflated of air and I stared flatly at a smirking Kye.
“You handled that well.”
“Zip it.”
ELEVEN
HOLLY
The cube burned a hole in my satchel as it sat on my hip, slung across my body.
Not literally, but I found myself checking every few minutes for signs of smoke. Who knew what was possible now that interdimensional prisons were a thing?
Kye was still in with Riq, the tailor, getting all the last minute deets squared away and making sure it all fit.
We’d escaped down the back and I thanked my lucky nebulae that none of my cousins had been in the garage.
Had I really been living under a rock to not know about interdimensional prisons? Was this common knowledge?
I needed insight on this from someone who might know because time was ticking. I had my end of the deal to uphold and, besides that, how awful.
To be stuck in a prison, alone. Kye’d described what it was like. Yet... I still hadn’t bolstered the courage to ask why he’d been imprisoned in the first place.
It was there, on the tip of my tongue, begging to be asked but I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t nervous as hell about the answer.
What if it had been an inexcusable crime? What if I’d blindly agreed to help free an intergalactic criminal?
I groaned, dropping my face into my cupped palms. That would be just my luck too...
Despite the real possibility of that being the case, I just... couldn’t wholeheartedly get behind it. Maybe he was a huge criminal, maybe he wasn’t, but something inside me said no.
“I’ll just have to ask,” I mumbled aloud.
“Ask what?”
I jumped, turning to find Kye standing there. “You scared...” My eyes dragged down to his black-capped hooves and traveled back up, giving him a thorough once-over. “Wow.”
Kye cleaned up well.
His black pants fit snuggly around his thighs and I tried not to focus on the bulge at his crotch that proved he was all male.
His fitted, cream colored sweater cut into a V at the neck, showing his fur, and a brown leather jacket with white wool lapels draped off his broad shoulders and drifted to his knees.
“These clothes are unnecessary,” Kye grumbled and I noticed his horns looked... shinier. Buffed, maybe?
A slow grin split my lips. “Really? Because I think you look good in them.”
Kye’s eyes narrowed and he rolled his shoulders, adjusting his jacket before picking up the luggage bag Riq had kindly offered. It would play perfectly into my plan, since Kye was supposedly traveling to see me.
In a gruff, dismissive voice, he said, “Thanks.”
Why was I still staring at him with a stupid grin on my face?
Silly thing was, I’d actually been relieved he’d agreed to my plan. Yeah, I needed someone to play Krampus because I’d be damned if I was going to let down the women of Tinsel who wanted playful spanks. But more importantly, I was so tired of showing up at events alone.
I’m sure I could’ve gotten a date, had I tried, but at my age, most people weren’t just dating to have fun. They were dating to find their partner and build a future.
Maybe I wanted that too. With someone. I just hadn’t met them yet.
“Aren’t we going to be late for third meal?”
“Oh, shit!” I snapped out of it and checked the time. Third meal would be in forty minutes. “We’ve got enough time to make one more stop. This is important. C’mon.”
We stopped at a shop and, after a quick perusal of the right liquor, I handed that and a bouquet to Kye.
He looked down, turning the items over in his hands with a pinched expression. “Er... thank you?”
I snorted and set the transport for home. “They’re not for you.”
He looked relieved.
“You’re going to give them to my parents.”
“Why?”
“Because my mother’s a walking cliché and loves exotic flowers. If you show up with these,” I flicked one of the yellow petals on a flower that was bursting purple stamen from its center, “you’ll get on her good side. And if you get on Mom’s good side, my dad will automatically like you but just to be safe, we’ll sweeten the pot with that Ser’Lune brandy.”
Weird logic, I know. But my mother was hard to impress, and life could get real miserable for Dad if his wife was unhappy.
Happy wife, happy life.
My parents were oddly old-fashioned and lived by that adage.
Too soon we were ambling down the long driveway and my nerves were hitching higher and higher.
This could go so wrong. So many things I still didn’t know about Kye. One slip and this farce could fall apart.
Stay positive.
I stood at the bottom of the steps, looking up at the sprawling log and stone estate I’d called home my entire life.
“Ready?” I asked Kye.
“As long as you’re holding up your end of the deal,” he gruffly responded, eyes roving the estate, “then I’m ready.”
We climbed the stone steps, a fresh dusting of snow kicking up as I opened the front door and ushered us in. We were met with a hum of conversation and laughter and clanging of dishes.
Thankfully the house no longer smelled like gingerbread.
I hung both of our coats in the closet off the foyer. Two younglings zoomed across the hall ahead, stopping short when they saw Kye.
“AHHH!” they screamed and went running, stirring up a commotion.
“Well...” I mumbled. “That’s one way to grab everyone’s attention.”
Kye followed me through to the kitchen where the conversation slowly died as eyes swiveled toward us.
“Everyone, meet my boyfriend Kye. Kye, meet everyone.”
The word boyfriend physically jarred more than a few of my relatives.
The first to recover was my mother. She plastered on her perfect hostess smile and approached, her hand out. “Hello Kye, I’m Meredith, Holly’s mother.” With a furtive glance my way she added, “You didn’t mention you were bringing a guest for third meal, darling.”
I lifted my hands innocently. “Must’ve slipped my mind.”
Yeah, right.
If my stomach could physically lodge itself in my throat, it would’ve. I had this conflicting feeling of fear and desire for my family to like Kye.
Made zero sense.
Kye gently shook Mom’s hand, his bigger one engulfing hers. My eyes locked onto his claws, noticing they were neatly trimmed.
Had I just missed that before or was my paranoia making me hyper aware of inconsequential stuff?
“Are these for me?” Moms eyes grew in size at the flowers Kye held, artisanal wrapped in brown paper.
“They are,” Kye beamed, his jutting tusks distracting, yet I found myself finding them goofily charming. “Holly told me about your fondness of alien flowers.”