Deborah placed the steaming mug of tea on a coaster in front of Riley’s better arm without taking her eyes off Darius.
“Sure I can’t get you anything?” she simpered while eyeing him like a starving vulture.
“No, thanks, I’m fine,” he replied with the kind of smile that made Riley’s heart flip over. Inwardly she groaned. Despite the fact that his current lover was seated across from him on an armchair looking as if she’d like nothing better than to smack the stupid grin off Deborah’s face, Darius was flirting outrageously.
Riley shivered. So far Darius and Anna had been the soul of polite company, solicitous about her welfare, but something about it was wrong.
She felt like a total failure. She’d been on the run for what, six hours? And she’d been found at the first place she’d hidden, had completely forgotten to warn her sister not to tell anyone she was there, and had her entire body bitten by a savage guard dog. Not to mention, she’d lost her orb. What had happened to the cool and implacable young woman who’d faced not one, but two attempts on her life and barely blinked? Alec would laugh his head off when he heard about this. If he heard. If Darius blabbed about this, she’d kill him.
“I was, like, really surprised when Riley and Patrick showed up here.” Deborah was batting her unnaturally thick eyelashes and pouting prettily as if auditioning for a Marilyn Monroe look-alike calendar.
“It’s Peter,” Riley interrupted.
“Yeah, sorry. I was, like, what are you doing here? It’s still exams. Riley is really into school, you know. Me, I’m finished. Just the occasional acting class. Not that I need them. I’m a natural actress.”
“I’m sure you’re very good,” Darius crooned. Anna stiffened almost imperceptively. Riley sunk lower in her seat.
“I’ve done tons of modeling. Petites and catalogue mostly. I’ve done six commercials and an infomercial. Lionel says that he’s got a TV pilot that I’d be perfect for.” Deborah leaned forward even further and licked her lower lip.
Riley was about to mutter, “Get a room,” when Anna held up her orb and said firmly, “Sleep.” There was a slight flash of pale bluish light and Deborah keeled over in her chair. Riley gave a brief struggle to move towards her sister but Darius pushed her gently back into the soft cushions of the sofa and his grip on her shoulder tightened.
“Finally, peace and quiet.” Anna leaned forward to peer down at the draped body. The ever-present chain around her neck threatened to spill out but with an unconscious movement, she tucked the pendant below her collar. Her orb was still in her hand and she was frowning. She glanced up at Riley. “Have some of the tea and swallow the tablets. You will feel less pain if you do.”
Riley looked at the two white ovals lying on the coaster next to her mug. What kind of drug were they going to give her to keep her under control?
“It’s a common muscle relaxant. Your sister had them in the bathroom cabinet. I’m assuming they’re safe,” Darius said.
Riley squirmed a bit to dislodge his hand and slowly picked up the tablets with her good arm and inspected them. They certainly looked normal, and even with Darius working on healing the bites, the pain was pretty bad. Taking a deep breath she popped them in her mouth and took a large swallow of tea to wash them down. Darius resumed the contact with her shoulder immediately. He held his glowing orb in his right hand as he directed the healing energy.
“Care to explain yourself?” Anna crossed her arms.
“We’ve been worried sick,” Darius interjected, a bit too quickly.
Riley turned and looked him in the eye. Darius was the most accomplished liar she’d ever met and she had no way of knowing what was really on his mind. She wished she could believe him but the odds were against it.
“Riley?” Anna prompted.
“You’re after Alec, aren’t you? You want him to die.”
Anna’s pale brows rose into her fringe but other than that there was no change of expression. “How did you come to that conclusion?”
Riley looked from Anna to Darius and back again. Did she know everything or had Darius managed to keep her in the dark? Had she made a huge mistake? “You were yelling at us,” she began carefully, “and I thought that you were mad or something and I just panicked.”
Anna’s head cocked slightly to one side. “Why would you ascertain that I would harm you in any way, when our acquaintance has been so limited?”
Good question. Think.
“Well, I know that you’re an alien. I watch a lot of television. Guess I put two and two together and came up with five. Sorry.” Inwardly Riley cringed. No one was that stupid.
“Riley, Anna knows. You can quit with the excuses,” Darius said, giving her shoulder a slight squeeze. “You think fast on your feet, but it isn’t necessary.” Riley winced with the pressure. “Sorry. Forgot.”
“You were leading me on,” Riley accused. Was Anna on their side or not?
“She is,” Darius answered out loud. “I’ve told her everything. The past, the future, all of it. Anna has agreed to help us.” He smiled warmly at Anna.
Riley swallowed her disappointment. The last person in the world she wanted on their team, snuggling up to her and Darius, was the Ice Queen. “You were yelling and running towards us. Why?”
“There was a truck veering towards the camper. It had swerved several times and we both thought it would hit your vehicle and subsequently injure the three of you.” Anna’s gaze didn’t waver. Darius was nodding in agreement.
Riley thought it over. “We didn’t hear it.”
“I think you were, um, otherwise preoccupied.” Darius was smiling broadly and clearly trying not to smirk.
Angrily, Riley changed tactic. “She’ll tell Logan. She’s more loyal to him than you, Dare. Aren’t you?” Riley turned to face Anna. There was no need to beat around the bush any longer. If Darius had thrown them to the proverbial wolves, then she might as well lay all her cards on the table. And stop thinking in metaphors.
“I must maintain some loyalty to the Collective and my commander. However, if I deem a situation to be exceptional, I may, within reason, act on my own volition. I have assessed the situation regarding Alec and have agreed to keep Alec hidden and not inform the Collective and the Council.”
It was quite the speech and Riley didn’t believe a word of it. Darius was in love with her and Anna would use it to her advantage. And yet, in the future that was no longer, she’d died rather than kill Darius, Alec, and herself. Riley ground her teeth and remained silent. She didn’t know what to believe: her intuition or her reasoning.
“So you know that Alec has a special ability and you also know that everyone who finds out about this is going to want him dead,” Riley said. “There’ll probably be a huge reward, maybe a commendation. And you’re trying to tell me that, hey, that’s okay, you’ll give it all up for love. Puhleese. Try someone else.”
Anna cocked her head “You did warn me about her,” she said to Darius.
“See why we all adore her?” Darius replied.
“What?” Riley demanded.
“Although our interactions have been limited in this reality, Darius informs me that we have never seen eye to eye on any subject and that your emotional response to me has been more negative than positive.”
“True.”
“Then perhaps we should declare a truce. We both care for Darius. Your feelings are quite obvious to me and, as you know, I have affection for him, despite his Terran birth.
This should be enough to establish a sense of rapport and bonding. In addition we are both concerned for the life of your companion, Alec. He is in considerable danger, as much from himself as from the Council. The power he wields is formidable and he has limited training and is prone to negative emotions. I am informed that he opened the first rip and allowed the Others to maintain a connection. We cannot permit that to happen again.”
“Alec didn’t know about Rhozan last time. He’s on his guard now,” Riley reasoned.
“True. He is forewarned. But he is still an untrained adolescent and prone to serious mood swings.”
Riley hadn’t thought about that. The whole business with the Intergalactic Council and Logan breathing down their necks had totally preoccupied her. She hated to admit it but Anna was right. Rhozan hadn’t been defeated, merely postponed. And Alec—impulsive, headstrong Alec—was out there, alone and undefended.