Page 44 of Ahelno
“Of course! I took ballet and tap since I was about four, but I also did a lot of social dance, and of course, my theater friends were always hanging out in clubs. We loved Latin dancing -salsa, merengue, tango. I also like East coast swing. Never got into West coast or blues. And the classics, of course, I had to learn waltz and foxtrot.”
“That’s a lot of dance styles,” he said.
“Believe it or not, I used to teach at one of those Fred Astaire Dance studios all through college. It was a great way to earn extra money for books and going out.”
“Well, I can play the bongo drum if we can find something similar here, and you can play salsa on piano. We can record it, and then we could salsa dance if you like.”
“That would be AMAZING!” I exclaimed. “I’ve missed dancing.”
“Me, too. I grew up dancing.”
“Dominican family, right?”
“You know it,” he said. “Every birthday, anniversary,quinceañera, or just a regular Friday night was an excuse for a dance party at our house. I miss it.”
“Let’s do it!”
Dakleth had been silent during this exchange.
“Do you think you could help us find a drum?” I asked the Prince.
“There are many types of Ptekari drums. Describe what you need,” he replied thoughtfully.
Leo described a few different types of drums to be played either with a mallet or by hand. “I will speak to our court musicians to see what we can find,” Dakleth said.
“Wonderful!” I exclaimed. “Leo, I’m sorry, but I already promised some time to Dakleth today. Maybe we can work on recording salsa tomorrow, if we find any appropriate drums.”
“Sounds like a plan, brighteyes,” Leo said. “I need to run a few errands today and send messages to my partners. Lunch tomorrow?”
“That sounds great, thanks.” I hugged him goodbye and then turned to Dakleth.
CHAPTER 41
“You are very talented,” Dakleth began. “There is no reason why you cannot do that here. I believe my father is correct that there would be widespread interest in your human music.”
“Maybe,” I said. “I never thought about being a solo artist. My specialty was what we call musical theater, with a group of players.”
“I see,” he said. “I confess I do not know much about such things. Our court musicians might know of how you can harness your talent in a way that makes you happy here. I want you to be happy, Andie,” he said, looking at me intently.
“I know, and I appreciate that. Everyone here has been very kind. Leo has helped me see how lucky I was to land on Ptekennan. Things could have been much worse for me as a human woman offplanet.”
“Sadly, that is correct,” he agreed. “Come, let us sit and have lunch.”
“Oh! I have human food on my replicator at home! Is it possible to access that here?” I asked.
“Yes, you can access your own replicator and comms panel from anywhere on the planet. How is it that you have human food in your replicator’s programming?” he asked.
“You won’t believe this! When Leo was kidnapped, he had a bag of garbage with him, and the guy who bought him scanned in all the contents.”
“That is remarkable foresight,” Dakelth commented.
“He thought Leo was an exotic animal. He has a zoo, evidently, so he thought it best to have Leo’s native food available to him for his care. It’s super weird, but it worked out, and now I have so many things to eat! I’ve been living off ovina eggs and Oonag. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve gotten used to it, but having food from home has been ah-mazing.”
“I can imagine,” the Prince agreed. “At the prison camp we were fed a bowl of gruel at morning and midday. It grew very monotonous. I gorged myself my first week back home.” He grinned.
His face when he smiled really was handsome. I had a hard time seeing the Ptexari that way, but his features were perfectly symmetrical. His cheekbones and jawline were wickedly sharp. His bare torso was strongly muscled, and his gray skin and wings gleamed with recent oiling. He really was an impressive specimen of a male. My libido had taken a complete nosedive last year. Between the assault, my depression, and the overwhelming adjustment of learning to live on a new planet, I simply hadn’t thought of sex or romantic relationships. Leo’s arrival had sparked that long-dormant interest in me, and I found my eye roving over Prince Dakleth’s muscular physique with appreciation.
He noticed my perusal and lifted a brow. “Do you like what you see, mate? It is yours for the taking,” he practically purred at me.
