Page 62 of Ahelno
I explained my misadventures at the cliffs, and he clucked his tongue. “Nothing serious, fortunately,” he said. “It appears your elbow and ribs are bruised, but not fractured. Some pain meds and a salve for your cuts are really all you need. You’ll be all healed up in a few days.”
“Thanks, Lanicar,” I said.
“Anytime, Andie,” he said. “It is good to see you in such good health, today’s scrapes notwithstanding. You seem to be doing well. I am glad for it.”
“Me too,” I replied. We said our goodbyes, and I took the medications he prescribed.
“Thank you again,” I said to Dakleth. “I’m tired, and I’d like to go home. Is Andokar back yet with my vehicle?”
“Come, I will fly you to your cottage, and he can drop the vehicle there,” he said.
“Ah, that’s really not necessary,” I said.
“Please,” he said. “I would like to see you safely home.”
“Fine,” I said. “But we’re not making a habit of this. I’m perfectly capable of driving myself around.”
“Yes, I know. Only because you are injured. Or if you ask. As I said, I will fly you any time you wish.”
“Ok,” I acquiesced, too tired to fight about it. He scooped me up again and carried me home. Now that I was used to it, I was able to relax more naturally in his arms. It was nice. I felt safe. Protected. Cared for. All too soon, he was setting me down at my cottage door.
Technically, I should have invited him in for Oonag, but I was tired and needed time to rest and think. “Please forgive my rudeness, but I just need to go to bed and fall asleep,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t be offended. The Ptexari could be real sticklers on courtesy.
“Of course,” he replied. “We will take Oonag on another day. Rest well, my Princess. Dream of flying with me.”
Somehow, I knew I would.
CHAPTER 49
Andie
As promised, I went looking for Leo and his partners for lunch the next day after my piano practice. One of the palace stewards guided me to a larger receiving room, where the Charonu delegation and the royal family were already seated. I greeted the King first and then took the cushion next to Kashtinela, which was empty. She was the only other female in the room, I noted.
“How’s it going?” I asked her.
“These Charonu have a lot to learn about females,” Kashtinela sniffed.
“Yeah, Leo warned me about that. Evidently, females on their planet are completely uneducated and live in a women’s harem their whole lives. They just pop out babies and basically live to service the males.”
“Preposterous!” she exclaimed.
“Yeah, it sounds ridiculous to me, too. Leo said not to take it personally if they don’t acknowledge us. They’ve never had a real conversation with a woman. I think they view us as little more than pets.”
“I am the Princess of my line, third in line to the Ptexari throne. They cannot be so ignorant as to not see how femaleson other planets are respected as equals to males. I do not know if I can ignore this insult, even for the sake of the trade talks,” she said.
“Speak to your father about it,” I advised. “He respects you. Have him include you in the talks. Maybe you could even lead them from the Ptexari side - force them to see you as an equal.”
“You are a sly creature, Andie of Earth,” Kashtinela smiled. “I will do this. Let them treat with a female. We shall see how long they last in negotiations with me. I will eat them alive.”
I didn’t doubt it. Kashtinela was formidable and had been trained for this her entire life. “Go get ‘em, girl,” I held up my mug of Oonag. She clicked her mug against mine companionably, and we continued our lunch.
Dakleth smiled at me as I passed him to go and greet Leo. I nodded to him and smiled back. I was starting to thaw a little bit with him, I realized. I was feeling especially grateful since yesterday’s rescue. I didn’t think I wanted to jump headfirst into a romantic relationship, but I was willing to get to know him better. That felt like a complete turnaround from a few weeks ago. Look at me, growing as a person. I was proud of myself.
Smiling, I headed toward Leo and gave him a hug. He smiled at me and introduced me to his partners, Aldrin and Gafand. They were both a little over six feet tall. They were more slender than the Ptexari, and although they did look a bit like Godzilla, as Leo had told me, the tilt of their heads and quick movements reminded me of birds. Their skin was a burnished yellow, and they practically gleamed. They seemed almost metallic. I had the urge to touch their skin and see what it felt like, but I refrained.Good for me, I thought.
“Nice to meet you both,” I said to both Aldrin and Gafand. “Leo’s told me so much about you. I know he’s very happy to see you!” They just stared at me. Aldrin slowly nodded. Gafand looked at me dismissively and then turned back to Leo. “She is a beautiful female. I can see why you are taken with her. Come, bring her back to our quarters, and we will fuck her together.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, backing away. Leo stepped in front of me, “It’s not like that here,” he told them. “I’ve told you the Ptexari treat females as equals…” before he could get another word out, a blur of gray had knocked Gafand onto his back.
