Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 144433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
The look he shoots me is still mulish.
"It's all part of the plan," I tell him, looping my arms around his big (strong, corded, delicious) one. Making sure I don't squeeze his arm surreptitiously is a lot easier when he's being a brat. "By the time we've been married a month, no one's going to even look twice in your direction."
"A month?" Zhur stops in his tracks, giving me a look of horror. "Do you think this farce will carry on that long?"
Wow, farce? Harsh choice of words. Why am I wounded by his clear distaste for our plan? "I don't know," I say, defensive. "I don't know when Kazex is coming back, or if he'll even be able to help you. He might have to contact the bounty hunter, and who knows how flaky she is."
"Zebah," he agrees, his tone bleak. "And she is very flaky."
"Exactly. So we might be stuck together for a while." I give his arm a squeeze, and then wince, because I'd just sworn to myself I wasn't going to do that. "I promise not to be too obnoxious. And we'll get plenty of eggs and oil for your hair."
Zhur's expression turns to one of sadness. "I just...I didn't anticipate timeframes, I suppose. I knew Kazex was proving difficult to find, but hearing that this might take a month or longer is depressing. It is not your fault, Maeve. You are doing your best."
Poor guy. This is hard on him, wherever he's from. "Just save your anger for Zebah, all right? I'm on your side."
His gaze moves to me, his eyes thoughtful. "Except for when you tossed me into the barn."
"You needed that!"
Zhur arches a brow. "Does anyone need a night in a barn? Did you know the animals shit where they stand? They would look me in the eye and excrete. It was horrifying."
I giggle at his words, my hand over my mouth.
"But if I must be here, then I am glad it is with you, Maeve. You have been a friend. My apologies if I seem ungrateful."
And I'm a soft touch, because that might be the first apology he's ever given me, and it fills me with emotion. "It's all right, Zhur. You're going through a hard time. We'll get this figured out. And in the meantime..." I pull the vial out of my pocket. "I guess we could always get high?"
"Get high?"
"It's a human term. Get all floaty with chemical stimulants. I've never done it, but I've heard it feels pretty good?" I pull out the tiny vial and hold it up to the sunlight. The contents inside look like a bunch of seeds and spices, nothing more. "It looks a bit like weed. Maybe we smoke it? Do you know anything about drugs?"
"Nothing," he says. "Are you sure we should do it?"
If it'll get his fur to stop being ruffled? I'm all for it a bit of recreational fun. The guy at the store knows me and he wouldn't give me something that would harm me, considering I'm one of his best customers. "What can it hurt, right?"
CHAPTER
FORTY-ONE
MAEVE
I'm such a nerd, because the thought of smoking alien weed is making me all nervous inside. Like I'm a teenager about to get caught doing something naughty. It's literally the ass-end of the universe and we humans have been dumped here. Something tells me that if I shot crystal meth straight into my veins (or whatever people do with crystal meth) no one would blink an eye.
And weed is pretty much harmless.
I leave the small vial stoppered and in my pocket, but I'm aware of it as we head into the house. Zhur is quiet, which means he's unhappy, and I feel bad for the big guy. All of his worries are pressing down on his head and he's stressing out. If anyone needs to get high and relax, it's him. I pour a glass of water and set it down at the table, opening the box of pastries and indicating that Zhur should sit and eat.
He thumps into the chair and stares blankly at the box.
"You want to talk about it?"
"Talking will change nothing," he says, voice bleak. "Every day, the morass of my situation grows thicker, until one day, it will swallow me whole."
"I see we're back to being dramatic," I tease. I pick up one of the buns and pretend like it's flying through the air. "Look, it's an air-sled full of yummy food, looking for a place to dock."
He gives me a weird look. "Are you trying to distract me?"
"Yes. Is it working?"
"Only in the sense that I think you're ridiculous." But there's a hint of a smile curving his mouth. He runs a hand down his face and sighs heavily. "I know I am not being good company. I would wager I'm being an even worse husband. It's just..."