Page 71 of Alien's Luck

Carla gave a weak smile and patted Poppy's leg to calm her. They were making progress, and she didn't want to regress to the breaking furniture stage. "You were captured, and I made a deal with the Khargal to rescue you. Yada yada yada, we did but not before Tavat had a proper villain monologue. Your nasty fungal infection has cleared up. Everyone lived. The end." She spread her hands for flourish as she spoke. "Well, except Tavat. And that guy whose fingers you bit off."

"I remember that," Poppy said, her words coming slowly. "He threatened you."

"And I got us a job."

"What sort of deal?"

"With the Khargal. Good jobs, too. We're totally fleecing Ari on the salaries."

"What deal," Poppy repeated. "What did you do?"

"Nothing bad," Carla said quickly. The trouble with her bestie was that she totally saw through Carla's bullshit. That's when she knew Poppy was going to recover. "Honest. I shot him and held a knife to his throat and just like that, he agreed to help."

Maybe she said that a little too bright and cheery, but her bestie was going to be alright. It was hard not to be cheery when she was so damn relieved.

"Just like that?" Poppy made a croaking noise that might have been laughter.

Carla refilled the cup with water. "Drink. Yes. I'm very persuasive when I'm desperate."

"What information are you withholding? Your nonsense yada words encompass a lot of territory."

So much territory.

"I'll tell you when I'm sure you'll remember," Carla said, repeating an earlier statement.

Poppy's quills went back, and her eyes grew heavy. She yawned. "Tell me now."

"I'm dating the Khargal. Ari. His name is Ari.” Carla took a deep breath. “I lied. We’re more than dating. I married him."

"Has he bonded with you? In exchange for his help?” Outrage flooded Poppy’s voice. She lurched forward, straining against the cuffs attached to the railing. “Release me at once.”

“No. Calm down.”

“You were tricked!”

“I wasn’t tricked,” Carla said in a soft tone. She grabbed Poppy’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I love him.”

The fury left Poppy’s body as suddenly as it came. She slumped back against the pillows. “It is serious.”

"Yeah, it's serious." Carla rubbed the curve of her neck, where Ari left his mark. "I really do love him."

"I want to know everything." Her words came slower and eventually stopped. Her breathing evened out as she fell asleep.

"Don't worry. I'll tell you again when you wake up," Carla said, pulling the blanket up to cover Poppy.

Eventually,Ari fetched her. “You must rest.”

“I know. I just don’t want her to be alone.” Carla pushed herself out of the chair, her entire body stiff.

“You have been at her side for days. You will be of no use to her if you make yourself ill.”

“Stop making sense,” she muttered. She rolled her shoulders and slowly stretched her neck from side to side.

Poppy had been drifting in and out of consciousness the entire day, and Carla refused to let her wake up alone.

“How is she?” Ari asked.

“She sounds like herself.” Carla grinned. “I think she’s going to be okay.”

He pulled her into an embrace. “I am pleased to hear.”

The tears she’d been holding back for days finally broke free. She wasn’t sad or upset, just tired and overwhelmed. And happy. Mind numbingly happy.

“What is this?” Ari brushed a thumb across her cheeks.

“We did it,” she said, like that explained it all. Maybe it did, because Ari held her tighter, and it was the best feeling in the universe.

This was it. Thriving.