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Still no response.
I placed a hand on my hip. “So are your horns real?”
One corner of his mouth lifted. Got him.
“Might as well answer me. I’ll just keep talking until you do.” Still no verbal response. “Hey, I’m used to talking to myself. Years of imaginary friends, so I can keep this up all night. What would it hurt to tell me why we’re here? I mean who ever snagged us, already knows. If you don’t know that’s fine, maybe we can figure it out together.”
“I’m a soldier of war.”
"Thanks. That explains why you might be here, but not me. I'm not at war with anyone, nada. One moment I was attending a…” The idea of telling him I was on an alien speed dating fiasco made me uber embarrassed. Didn’t want him to think I couldn’t get a date. If I had waited for a male to make the first move, I would’ve been thirty before any of them had courage to ask me out. “A meeting. But I was drugged and woke up here.”Melody. Oh God, was she here too? “Did they bring anyone else inside the prison… maybe a young, human woman with dark curly hair?"
I held my breath waiting for his response. If she wasn’t here, then what had they done with her? I lifted my chin and straightened my spine, pushing aside my fear. She had to be all right.
"No.” He shook his head.
And what about the other women they had assigned to the speed dating? Had they all ended up here too? “Have you seen anyone else new?”
“Only you.”
“Are you sure? I mean Melody is shorter than me so you might hav—”
“I was not awake when they brought you in."
He'd hesitated on the word awake. I wondered what that meant. It seemed to have a deeper meaning than his words. "If you're a war criminal, why not exchange you for one of their own?"
His eyes darkened as he scowled. "The Roulex wish to destroy my people, so I, along with everyone else who could fight, battled against them." The muscle in his jaw twitched. “There will be no bartering or negotiating with murderers. Too many of my people were slaughtered by these monsters.”
“I’m so sorry.” I swallowed. Humans had had our own share of battles and massacres. There were so few of us left that nearly every species in the galaxy outnumbered us. “If you don’t mind me asking, what race are you? I’ve never seen a species with horns and wings.”
"I am Angelimir."
“How long have you been here? Who were you at war with?” I shook my head, annoyed with my rudeness. God, I was giving this guy twenty questions in rapid fire. “Sorry, I've never heard of your species, but my name is Riley."
The guy, who was carved of muscles just like the ones in my hidden fantasies looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I really couldn’t blame him with my constant talking.
"What is your name because I'm not sure if I can pronounce Angelman correctly."
The muscle in his jaw throbbed faster. I didn't know why, but since he wasn't offering me his name, I thought I'd poke a little bit like I did at a laptop that didn't want to work right.
"You know, I’ve watched a lot of old spy movies, so if you don't want to tell me, we can come up with an alternative like a nickname or codename." I snapped my fingers. "I know, how about I call you Angel guy? Or maybe horned guy? I mean the whole vibe you have going on with the horns, like the old-time devil in the wings and an Angel, I'm not sure which side of heaven you're supposed to be on."
"Names aren't important." He stormed away from me and sank, leaning his back against the far wall. "I've seen too many die in this place and if you're wise, you'll take any opportunity you can claw at to escape."
Other than his ragged looking wings, the rest of him wasn’t damaged. Fading white scars trailed along his arms and chest as though he'd been here for a long time.
His gaze followed me as I paced. I felt the weight of his intense stare along my shoulders. But I wasn’t ready to give up, so I faced him.
"Please.” I blew out a breath. “I just wanted to know your name. I mean, I have no idea where I am or even what planet I’m on.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up on one side, and there was much wisdom in his eyes.
For a moment he looked away as though I’d struck a nerve. Had I pushed him too hard? Back home, guys, no matter their species, seemed to be thrown off by my bluntness. “Sorry, sometimes I don’t think and intimidate people. I mean, I’ve no idea why I’m here and I’m taking out my fear on you, meaning I talk a lot when I’m scared and it’s not fair to you.”
"Xaden."
"Pardon?" I leaned forward, eager for information. "Is that the name of the planet we're on or the prison?"
His eyes brightened with what I assumed was amusement. Score one for the geek chick.
