They had one date left. One. And Lexi had told him in no uncertain terms that she was not going to leave the castle.
Ever.
She was terrified of Nova Aurora now. Rao couldn’t believe how much the event had frightened her. The date had been going so well too. The underwater ecosystem had clearly enchanted her. If the giant crab hadn’t shown up, he was sure that the date would have been a complete success.
Rao had tried to explain that there were other dangerous things on Nova Aurora, as well. Just like any planet. There were predators and poisonous insects, even aggressive plants. This news had only upset Lexi even more, and she’d retreated to her quarters and refused to speak with him.
Rao was hoping that she just needed time to process. His main worry was they didn’t have a lot of time. The end of the month was fast approaching, and Rao could practically feel his mate slipping through his fingers.
I knew this would happen. I took too much of a risk opening up. Now it’s going to feel like having my soul ripped in two.
“Hello,” called a low, cheery voice. A sharp rap on the door accompanied the greeting, and Rao turned to see Riley entering the room.
“Hi,” Rao said, not exactly overjoyed to see her. He didn’t feel like being good company right now. He noticed that Riley had brought a plate of cookies with her, and she went straight into his small kitchenette to make coffee for them both.
Rao sighed and sat down. He wasn’t really looking forward to a chat, but he couldn’t just kick Riley out, either. She had always taken care of him, and it would be disrespectful. And maybe a small part of him did need her company, even if it would be a bit painful for him.
Riley may be human, but she gives off an air of authority that calms me. I suppose I don’t mind having a strong female figure in my life.
Rao stuffed a cookie into his mouth and shut down the thought immediately. He didn’t like where that trail of breadcrumbs would lead him.
“Why are you sitting at the inside table?” Riley asked, bringing out two big mugs of creamy coffee. “We usually sit outside when we chat.”
“The sun is hurting my eyes today.”
Riley put a cup down in front of him and sat at the table. She eyed the plate of cookies. “You’ve barely touched the cookies. They’re your favorite, hazelnut and dark chocolate.”
Rao shrugged. Because Riley was human, she had a small section of the main gardens reserved for growing Earth foods. Rao had wholeheartedly agreed when he discovered hazelnuts.
“Oh, dear,” Riley said, giving him a very serious look over the rim of her mug. “What’s happening with Lexi?”
“What have you heard?”
“Very little. Whatever it is, it hasn’t rippled around the castle. Yet.”
Rao frowned, briefly wondering if he could enforce discipline by chopping off everyone’s heads. “Well, I’d rather not talk about it.”
Riley took a sip of coffee, hiding her smile. “Well, that sounds constructive.”
Rao’s face darkened further.
Riley shook her head. “You should just give in and tell me, Rao. We both know you’re going to.”
The feeling of having a slightly overbearing older sister increased, and Rao felt comforted, not stifled. He sighed as weariness flooded through his every cell. “Things were going great until the crab thing. She’s scared to leave the castle … scared to be with me.”
Riley nodded, taking another sip of her coffee. “Just like you are with Jagi.”
“What?” Rao practically roared. His voice was so loud the cups did a little dance across the tabletop. “What has this got to do with my brother?” he asked, fury ripping through him.
Riley remained unmoved, sitting quietly as she sipped her coffee with a calm expression. “You’re afraid of him,” she said simply. Rao stared at her in disbelief.
“What the … how am I afraid of Jagi?”
Riley sighed, putting her cup down and giving Rao an even, firm stare. “You’re scared of losing the last family member you have left. Instead of facing your fear and learning to live with uncertainty, you’ve pushed him away.”
“He betrayed me,” Rao muttered. “He let Mother and Father die.”
Riley stared at him, unblinking. Rao was uncomfortable in her gaze, but he didn’t look away. “He did it to save you.”