by Lea Linnett
Remmie grinned. “You’re Kaan’s assistant, right? Roia Xikpel. Do you have any comments to make on the state of his Human Integration Program?”
He stepped toward the ink-black alien, but Roia didn’t so much as flinch. Her brow arched, her lips tightly sealed.
“Can’t have been in the job description, huh? Defending ‘sub-suckers’?” he wheedled.
“I have absolutely no comment to make on that.” Her arms crossed as the cicarian inched closer, the pindar’s camera looming behind. “Might I remind you that this is private property? Reporters should be outside,” she growled, expression fierce.
“We just want a few words,” Remmie insisted. “Shed a little light on Mr. Kaan’s cryptic message from two days ago. Explain what these chintahs—” he hiked a thumb back at Ellie and Anna, “—are doing hanging around here.”
But Roia said nothing, and Ellie could see the cicarian growing visibly frustrated, his translucent, bug-like wings rustling. “Just a couple words and we’ll leave!” he barked, but Roia remained steadfast. Even as Ellie and Anna clutched each other in the background, the xylidian gazed at Remmie as if he were nothing more than an ant.
The cicarian growled low in his throat, his large eyes reduced to slits. “Listen, you ink-smudge—”
“That’s enough!”
The reporter fell silent, and for a moment Ellie’s world stopped. She turned her head as if in slow-motion, peering past Anna’s terrified face to the looming figure that had stepped from the elevator. She hadn’t even heard it ding, she was so caught up in the scene before her, but now all she could hear were the heavy footsteps of what could only be a levekk approaching.
Nonsensically, the first thing she saw were the clothes—tailored, visibly expensive despite how similar a lot of levekk fashion looked. Then his bearing: the quiet confidence that he always exuded as he crossed a floor full of guests or stood at a podium in front of countless reporters. Finally, she dared to look at his face, and she almost crumpled with relief at seeing the familiar sharp planes, the bone-colored plating drawn down in a frown, and the icy-cold eyes that were now focused on Remmie, as sharp as daggers.
Ellie’s jaw dropped, his name a whisper on her lips. “Helik…”
He’d stayed for her. She’d made it in time.
He was okay!
And now, he stepped forward, grabbing the pindar’s camera from behind and crushing the lens between his claws. Glass rained down around his fingers, but he barely seemed to notice it, instead turning to Remmie and grabbing him by his shirt.
“I think it’s been made quite clear that no one here has anything to say to you,” he growled, getting in close to the cicarian’s face as Remmie’s eyes flew wide.
“Kaan, this is assau—”
“Hey, Remmie!” The cicarian’s head whipped around. Following his gaze, Ellie saw Scott holding the elevator door open, his fist clenched threateningly. “Do I need to come out there?”
If anything, the cicarian looked even more perturbed by Scott than he did Helik, his wings snapping out like he might take flight. He jumped back, his shirt ripping as it caught on Helik’s claws.
“The enforcers will hear about this,” he snarled. “Everyone will hear about this!”
“Go ahead and tell them!” Helik yelled as the two aliens backed away, the pindar cradling his camera with a stricken expression. They skittered back towards one of the larger transports, tripping over themselves in their haste to climb inside, and within moments, the transport was hovering above the ground, skimming out of the parking lot in a rush of warm air.
Beside her, Anna gave a little cheer, but Ellie’s eyes were on Helik. She wanted to go to him, but her legs were frozen, her breath caught in her chest as if she were a child waiting for permission before she snagged the cookie she’d been eyeing.
Helik had no such qualms, stepping forward to scoop her into his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world, even with everyone watching. All the breath left Ellie’s lungs in a rush as she let out a single cry of relief into his chest, although her cheeks stayed dry. She couldn’t fight the grin that spread across her face, and she wrapped her arms around him, laughing into the folds of his tailored jacket. Once, she’d thought Helik was trapping her, but now the cage of his arms around her felt protective, a stable home to run back to.
He pulled away, one cool claw cradling her chin, encouraging her to look up at him. He said nothing, his icy eyes suddenly uncertain, but when his lips parted she knew what he was asking.
Can I kiss you? but also, Do you forgive me?
“More reporters could be watching, you know,” she teased, trying to communicate with her eyes alone how much she’d missed him.
The hand not on her face found hers, squeezing her fingers before leaving them to rest on his chest. To anyone watching, there would be no more denying what they meant to each other. “They can watch,” he murmured, the vibrations rumbling through his chest to her hand.
The final layer of ice that had clung to her heart melted away as he leaned in to kiss her. His lips were soft against hers, his scaled neck familiar under her fingers as she clung to him, and her heart swelled. She was barely aware of the others making their way towards the elevator, her world narrowing down to Helik and the fresh coolness of his tongue sliding against hers.
“You might want to do that upstairs, sir,” Roia’s flat, metallic voice rang out, and Ellie felt Helik grin into their kiss. They pulled away from each other with a snicker, and she thought she might burst when Helik’s hand confidently found hers again.
She refused to let go of him as they rode the elevator up to Devis’ apartment, and to her joy, Helik never once tried to pull away.
38
Devis was hanging in the entryway and drinking Pindarro Whiskey from the bottle when Helik and the others finally arrived back at the apartment. Still, her eyes were sharp and appraising as they filed in. She rose to her feet when she saw Scott, making a beeline for him and poking and prodding him until he pulled her in for a hug, saying, “We were literally gone for five minutes, Dee.”
But Helik barely spared them a cursory glance. Instead, he lifted Ellie bodily from the ground, their audience forgotten. His human laughed in his ear, finding his mouth in a heated kiss as they spun on the spot. He knew they looked ridiculous, he knew he was acting like an adolescent, but in that moment, all he wanted was to feel her skin against his, her breath on his neck.
Eventually, he had to set her back on her feet, and he stepped back only far enough to check her over, his gaze even sharper than Devis’. She was ruffled, her hair breaking free from its tie and creating a halo of soft, blond fuzz around her scalp. Her clothes were dusty, too, with a rip growing in the hem of her skirt, and she had none of the belongings she’d left with. But apart from a couple of bruises, she seemed fine, her eyes alight as she looked him over in turn.
“You’re okay.” He breathed the words into her hair, pulling her close yet again. “Thank everything that you’re okay.”
“Of course I’m okay,” Ellie said with a grin, though her eyes flashed with concern. “I was more worried about you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you!” she snapped, glaring at him. “Do you know how angry people are? The Lodestars are talking about assassinating you!”
Helik barely heard the warning over the rush of panic in his ears. “You were with them? Did they hurt you?”
Ellie’s expression faltered. “No, they—” She made an exasperated sound. “Did you hear me? They—”
“So, that was Cara’s place that they were hiding in,” said Scott. Ellie wavered, turning in Helik’s arms to look at the human. “We saw what happened there on the news.”
“Were you there during the raid?” Helik’s blood turned icy, his grip frozen on Ellie’s arm as he looked down at her in horror.
But Ellie shook her head. “No, I didn’t see any raid. I may have had something to do with Cara’s boss escaping, though.
Did he call the enforcers? I hope he’s okay…”
Helik closed his eyes, his lungs shrinking down to tiny icicles. “You escaped the Lodestars, with Kerfaan Celesk…?”
She had the audacity to grin. “Well, to be honest,” she paused, looking over her shoulder at the human she’d brought with her, who was standing to the side with her hands clasped nervously in front of her stomach. “Neither of us would have gotten anywhere without Anna’s help.”
Helik’s head swung round, making the girl jump. “I recognize you. You were assigned to Kia Kallo?”
The human stood up a little straighter, and haltingly replied, “Y-yes, sir. Anna Zira.”
“You left your assignment?”
Anna nodded, but her lips were sealed nervously. She glanced at Ellie, and Helik felt the woman in his arms squeeze his side in a gentle warning.
“I’m sorry if she treated you badly,” he finally said, inclining his head to the girl. “Thank you for your help.”
Anna ducked her head, seeming grateful when Roia suggested they move the conversation to the living room.
As the others filed from the entryway of the apartment, Helik caught Ellie’s hand. “Could we…?”
She nodded, and the two of them hung back, hovering in the entryway with their hands linked.
“Thank you,” Helik began, voice barely above a whisper. “For coming back, I mean.”
His human just smiled, the skin around her eyes crinkling in a peculiarly human way. “I never really wanted to leave in the first place, so…”
“I was… so worried about you,” he admitted.
“Well, you didn’t need to be. I’m here, I’m okay.”
“You were with the rebels,” he groaned, squeezing her soft hands in his. “So many things could have happened to you—”
“I got away—”
“With help.”
Ellie sighed, her eyes narrowing. “You sound like my sister, you know.”
“I know, I just…” He bit his lip, frustrated. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the words. Everything he tried felt wrong, insincere. “I’m sorry for not…” He hesitated, shaking his head. “I mean, I’d never want to force you to stay, but…”
“I get it,” said Ellie, squeezing his claws between the soft pads of her fingers. “Like I said, I never wanted to leave. I just wanted to stop feeling like… like a secret.”
“I should never have put you in that position,” Helik said, his brow plate bowing as he hung his head. “You’re not an outfit I can try on whenever it suits me. I can’t believe I… Pretending that you’re not important to me was…”
He choked on the words, and when Ellie’s gentle hands cupped his face he leaned into them, settling his hard, plated brow against her fragile forehead.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated.
“Stop it.” Ellie knocked their brows together, harder this time, and grinned up at him. “What you said on that broadcast? That was more than I could have ever wished for.” Her smile waned. “I know how hard that must have been for you.”
“Not nearly as hard as watching you walk out that door,” he mumbled, his eyes closing. He thought back to how empty his home had felt without her in it, how the open rooms had felt like gaping cavities without her presence, and gripped her exposed hip a little tighter. “I used to be so much better at words than this,” he tried to joke, but his tone was flat, shaky.
Ellie laughed anyway, pressing a kiss to his lips that lingered. “I like this Helik,” she whispered as they pulled away. “Trip over your words enough and you might fall down to my level.”
“What are you talking about? You speak Trade fine.”
“Speak, yeah. Do you not remember the incident with the burnisher?”
Helik grinned, a sliver of warmth coming back to him at the memory. “I remember how good your skin felt all soaped up,” he said, pulling her into his arms to breathe the words hotly into her ear.
Ellie giggled, her skin shivering as he drew one claw down her back, but when his lips descended towards her neck he felt a hand push him away.
“Are you all right?” he asked immediately, releasing her.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “But as much as I’d like to keep doing…” she gestured between them vaguely, “this, I need to tell you something.”
Helik frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Ellie blew out a steadying breath, squaring herself. “The Lodestars. I think they’re going to try and do something.” Her lips pressed together in worry. “I think they’re going to try and blow up your ship.”
---
Ellie sat beside Helik on one of the sofas when they rejoined the others, relishing the feel of his bony hand clasped in hers despite the situation at hand. The others joined them, Scott leaning against the chair behind Devis with his hands on her shoulders, while Anna sent them covert looks from her spot next to Roia.
“So, the Lodestars aren’t happy about Helik’s broadcast,” Scott surmised, his fingers skimming Devis’ shoulders in agitation, “and Helik’s donors are freaking out?”
He turned to Roia, who nodded solemnly. “And they’re not being quiet about it.”
“Is anyone being positive?” Ellie asked.
All eyes turned to Helik, and the levekk shook his head. “No one who’s willing to put their name to it… Looks like people weren’t as ready for change as we’d hoped.”
“But why?” Ellie looked around, nonplussed. “I thought getting rid of the double-standard would be a good thing.”
“I’d guess that they don’t see the point when they’re already struggling to feed their families,” Scott murmured, his eyes guarded.
“Yeah,” said Anna, rubbing her arm self-consciously. “Cara just kept talking about how changing the law would give the levekk another opportunity to abuse them.” She glanced between Helik and Devis, her eyebrows tenting. “No offense…”
“None take—” Helik began to say, but he was drowned out by Devis’ frustrated growl.
“All this tells me,” she said, “is that we can’t stay here. There’s never going to be enough support for us, and I’d rather not go to prison, personally.” She didn’t say anything more, but the worried look she sent Scott as she gripped his arm exposed her deeper fear.
“…I agree,” said Ellie, and she felt Helik’s hand tighten around hers. She looked up to find a concerned look in his eye. “I agree,” she repeated. “I was hoping things would be different, but… it’s gotten pretty clear.”
“So what do we do?” asked Anna.
“What else can we do?” Devis sighed. She looked to Helik. “You got that ship ready?”
“It’ll be ready to fly two hours from when I signal them,” Roia cut in, her red eyes watching Helik.
After a pause, the levekk nodded. “Tell them to get ready, please, Roia.”
“What about the Lodestars?” Anna asked as the xylidian swept from the room, already mumbling orders into her wristlet.
“We’ll just have to go fast,” said Ellie, although the shiver running up her spine contradicted her calm words. “And hope we get moving before they sort themselves out?”
Scott made an unconvinced noise. “Should still be careful. You said they had drones and explosives? They must be able to mobilize pretty quick if they cleared all that out of Kerfaan Celesk’s place.”
“It’s a fairly sturdy ship,” said Helik. “One of our old export ships. It can take a couple of knocks.”
“Helik?” Roia stuck her head around a corner. “I need your authorization. Could you come over here?”
The levekk nodded, hauling himself up from the sofa and placing a quick kiss against Ellie’s head. She felt her cheeks redden, still unused to the sudden displays of affection, but enjoying them nonetheless. Then she caught Anna watching them with wide eyes, and her entire face turned hot.
“They said it would be two hours, right?” said Scott. “You two wanna get cleaned up
?”
He gestured to Ellie’s mussed clothes and she blinked down at herself. She’d barely thought about it, but… it had been a couple of days since she’d last showered. “Th-that would be great. Do you have…?”
“We got a water shower a couple months back,” Scott said, grinning down at the levekk who was now trying to hide her head in her own shoulders. “Devis here likes to spoil me.”
“I just didn’t want to hear you complain about the chem-shower anymore,” Devis grumbled, but she was fighting a smile. “It’s attached to Scott’s old bedroom, near his art room.”
Ellie hid a grin as she left the sofa, beckoning Anna to follow her. “I should be able to find that okay. Thank you.”
“Art room?” Anna whispered as they left the couple in peace.
Ellie giggled. “Yeah, Scott’s really talented. Careful if you go in there, though. I definitely saw some… naughty pieces.”
It was Anna’s turn to blush, until the color was swallowed up by the dim corridor. After trying a couple of doors, they found a room with a small double bed that looked too short to accommodate Scott’s height, and when she tried the faucet in the attached bathroom, she was relieved to feel running water flow over her fingers.
“Oh, thank god,” she groaned. “I’m so ready for some hot water.”
Anna nodded, but seemed subdued.
“You okay?”
The girl blinked at Ellie, her lips parting. “Oh, yeah, I…” But then she hesitated, her gaze dropping to the floor and her hand tightening around the backpack she still had slung over her shoulders. “I guess I just… Now that I’m here, I guess it’s finally hitting home that I…” Her eyes grew glassy, her lip trembling.
“Anna…” Ellie stepped forward, instinctively reaching for her friend’s wrist.
“You guys keep talking about getting a ship. Going off-planet,” Anna continued. “I mean, I’m glad I helped you get out of Cara’s place, but… but leaving, I don’t…”
Real tears welled up in her eyes then, and Ellie pulled her in for a hug. “Woah, Anna, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think.”
