Kyro - A.G. Wilde Page 0,26

abducted. Athena.

Her blonde head was turned as she waved to someone down on the street. Pressing the pad to release the lock, Evren smiled as the door slid open.

“Athena!”

“Evren!” Athena grinned at her and Evren noted immediately how relaxed and happy the other woman looked. “Sorry to pop by so suddenly. I was just heading out to the market to do some shopping. Wondered if you want to come with?”

The market.

The last time she went there she’d been accosted. But, on the plus side, she’d gotten free fabric and maybe a new friend? She wasn’t sure where to place the merchant called M’Agunt.

Athena must have noticed her hesitation because, with one jerk of her blonde head, she motioned to the street below.

“Don’t worry, Xul will be coming along. He’ll be keeping a low profile behind us, but he’ll be there to carry our bags—or baskets.” She grinned again.

Sure enough, down in the street below was the large alien, his horns piercing the air. Xul was looking right at them and as Evren met his gaze, he jerked his head in greeting.

“Ohh, okay. Sure.”

Why not? Maybe it would take her mind off things, give her something to think about apart from the memory of Kyro’s lips. “Let me just grab my basket.”

In a few minutes, they were down on the street heading toward the market. As she walked side by side with Athena, Xul did indeed keep his distance behind them. But she noticed that whenever she turned around, his gaze was purely focused on his woman.

It must be nice.

The jealous thought came out of nowhere and shocked her.

What the hell was wrong with her? It wasn’t Athena’s fault she felt so unsatisfied.

As she looked at Athena now, happily babbling away about things she’d seen or beings she’d met, she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed and even guilty about the way she felt.

Athena seemed to be adjusting to their new life just fine. She was happy.

Glancing back at Xul, she wondered if he had anything to do with that. And, by the way he was looking at Athena, she was pretty sure he did.

Could she have anything like that with Kyro?

Was it possible?

She liked him enough. Well, actually, a lot. She liked him a lot. Much more than she was prepared to face.

“—vren?” Athena was looking across at her as they walked, having obviously asked a question that she didn’t hear. “Everything all right?”

“Y-yea, sure. Don’t mind me. You were saying something?”

“Ya, I was saying”—Athena stepped around a short alien with bright orange skin whom she was lucky to not fall over.—"I was saying that you’re a star for wearing that dress. Doesn’t it itch? I don’t know if I’m allergic to the material, but it itches like crazy!”

Evren glanced down at herself then at Athena.

She’d been in her thoughts so much she hadn’t even noticed Athena was dressed in the standard black-and-white kit.

“I couldn’t wear it,” Athena continued.

“Didn’t want to look like an itchy baked potato any longer?” Evren quipped.

Athena’s laugh had a male alien with tall antennae turning to look in the direction of the sound but his antennae visibly drooped when he spotted Xul behind them. When she glanced behind her, Xul looked so thunderous, if she didn’t know him, she’d have picked up her pace to get out of his way.

The image of Kyro with the same look on his face came into her head and made her grin. He’d done something similar when he’d threatened Shive on her behalf.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” She was sure that came out a little too rushed. “I’m just...remembering something.”

As they entered the market, Athena grabbed her by the arm and steered her forward as if she knew exactly where she was going. And when the market opened up into a large clothes shopping area, Evren understood why.

“When you said shopping...”

“Oh, I didn’t mean food shopping.” Athena grinned. “Come on! This will be fun!”

She had to admit. It had been fun.

It had even felt like normal life again—if it hadn’t been for the holographic models and the fact that some of the clothes were so different from most things on Earth.

They did manage to snag a few pieces that looked suitable for everyday wear and she had even found a summer dress made from the same material she’d gotten from M’Agunt.

As they left the market and walked the street back to her dwelling, Athena was still in high spirits.

They were just passing a set of apartments when Athena stopped abruptly.

Turning,