Treasured By the Alien Pirate by Celia Kyle Page 0,29
the tables at the back. We sink into our seats and Marion produces a small plastic container from inside the front pocket on her apron. Laying it on the table between us, she pops the lid open to reveal a massive slice of cake. The sight of all the chocolate icing immediately makes my mouth water. “I managed to find a merchant who was carrying some, and I figured I could buy just a little. The damn thing is expensive, but I figured everyone needed a treat.”
“Damn right we need a treat,” I tell her, already breaking a piece of the slice with my fingers. Pushing it into my mouth, I close my eyes and let its sweet flavor inundate me. “You’re good, Marion. You’re really good.”
“It’s not like I have a choice,” she laughs. Resting her chin on the palm of her hand, she smiles warmly. “It’s either that or let Jax be in charge of things, and we all know how gifted he is. I mean, most of the Kilgari know better than to complain, but…” She trails off, suddenly noticing I’m not listening to her, and snaps her fingers right in front of my face. “What are you looking at?”
“Huh? Oh—nothing,” I lie, quickly diverting my gaze from the entrance. Grantian has just walked in and, somehow, my subconscious picked up on his presence. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was sneaking a glance at him. Even now, as I try to focus on Marion and her scowl, I still feel that magnetic pull tugging at my insides. It’s as if Grantian has put me under some kind of Kilgari spell, one that I can’t shake off no matter how hard I try.
“You’re a terrible liar,” Marion says, knitting her eyebrows together as she looks at the entrance, still in time to see Grantian walk in and look around the mess in search of a place to sit. He doesn’t notice us sitting at the back and that has me exhaling with relief. “I see you’ve made a friend. Not bad. He’s kind of handsome, if you manage to look past his permanent angry scowl.”
“It’s nothing like that.”
“Oh, really?” She laughs. “Then why are you blushing?”
“I’m not blushing,” I tell her, but I still feel warm blood rushing to my cheeks. Yeah, she’s right. I’m a terrible liar. “We’re just friends, Marion. That’s all. He’s been helping us out.”
“Every single one of the Kilgari is helping us out,” she insists. “But I get it. This particular Kilgari is helping you out. How good is he at, uh, ‘helping out’? I’ve tried to get some details out of Varia, but that one doesn’t really like sharing.”
“Seriously, it’s nothing like that,” I repeat, but Marion just shakes her head and pushes to her feet. “I mean it.”
“Well, it might be true right now,” she tells me with that amused smile of hers. “But I’d say it won’t be for much longer. I’ve seen the look on your face, Lamira, and that look means trouble. The good kind of trouble, of course.” With a little wink, she finally turns and waltzes off toward the kitchen. I remain sitting by the corner, weighing her words on my mind while I stuff the rest of the cake into my mouth.
Grantian still hasn’t noticed me, thankfully, and he’s joined the Kilgari mechanics at the center table. Two of them open a spot for him and, although the conversation they were having seems to continue, I notice the raucous laughter from before has died down. That isn’t exactly surprising. Grantian’s rank and gruff demeanor command a lot of respect around here, and I’ve seen the way the other Kilgari look at him. I wouldn’t go as far as saying they’re afraid of him, but they sure as hell straighten their backs whenever Grantian’s around. Even when he’s with Solair, he’s usually the one acting more brusque—despite the fact that type of behavior would only be expected of a ship’s captain.
Maybe that has something to do with his past. He was a mercenary with the Hael Hounds, and that had to have some kind of impact on him. Most of what I know about the Hael Hounds are stories that are probably nothing more than exaggerations and myths, but the fact remains that its members command a lot of respect, even after they’ve stopped being a part of the organization.
It’s weird.
Everything about Grantian tells me I shouldn’t trust him, but I can’t