Page 86 of I Punched an Alien and Now We’re in Couples Therapy

As horrible a notion as it was.

But the invaders were coming. And if we were to survive, I would have to do the one thing I had spent my life avoiding—gamble on someone else’s word.

I exhaled, slow. “A dyarchy, then.” My lips curled, though the admission cost me. “But if you betray me, Lok—”

He clapped a hand on my shoulder, laughing. “Then you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you were right all along.”

And damn him, I almost smiled.

Chapter 32

Blair

Osid left with Lok’s forces to ambush the incoming army in the morning, and I was abandoned with the rest of the women at the BCI. My stomach churned at the thought of being left behind to wait for the men like a goodly little wife, but I knew it was the right call. My trusty pistol was nowhere to be found, but even then, it wasn’t like I had endless bullets.

“How long do you plan on gazing longingly at the horizon?”

Startled, I looked beside me to see that Sunbeam had joined me on my little perch on the hill overlooking the road. The courtyard of the BCI was still alight with bonfires and dancing while women chatted and explored the research facility. The Biwban had been instructed by the auditor to leave them alone, lest any further meddling only worsen the incoming lawsuit they undoubtedly faced.

Many of the girls had taken that as the perfect excuse to help themselves to the interesting tech they found. A few of them had disappeared into this supposed spa that Dory had mentioned they had in the east wing. I was tempted to join them, but my feet brought me here to do nothing but stare at the road, long after Osid’s back had disappeared, like a lovesick idiot.

I sighed and sat down in the grass. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good sunset.”

Sunbeam sat down on the grass with a loud thump. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“Most people would simply call that a subject change, and take the hint,” I said, resting my chin on my knee.

She snorted. “Then most people are idiots. You clearly wanted to go with your mate. Why didn’t you?”

“He’s gone off to fight some other asshole king in this world, which is apparently full of asshole kings. Their army won’t hesitate to attack us back like the Biwban did, so the best course of action is to…wait here, I guess, and hope he wins.”

Anxiety was an evil bitch of a mistress. For the most part, she left me alone since I’d been abducted. Sure, my life was constantly in danger, and I could have died any minute, but that’s kind of the beautiful thing about mortality. You either die today or you won’t. No sense worrying about it.

But the thought of Osid not coming back had anxiety twisting through my gut like it was made of dull razors. I shouldn’t have told him to save his words. Maybe I’d feel less frantic if I’d simply accepted his confession and returned in kind yesterday when I had the chance.

“Are the males fighting for mating rights?” asked the T. rex.

I didn’t think I would be able to laugh given the circumstances—but a snicker bubbled up despite everything. “I mean, yeah, when I think about it.”

She nodded. “This is good, if he wins you know your children will be strong. If he does not…” She trailed off, then bobbed her head side to side. “Mate with the victor. The strongest create the best broods.”

My voice was clipped. “I am so tired of people telling me who to mate with.”

Dory walked over to sit on the other side of me. “You and me both, sister.” She placed her hands behind her and leaned back, watching the clouds. “So when are we leaving?”

“You guys can head back to Frittata whenever you want. I’ll stay here and—”

“Not Frittata,” she said, rolling her eyes. “To intercept that army.”

I give her an incredulous look.

“Don’t play dumb. You and I both know you’re not going to be able to sit here all night and wait.”

“What exactly do you expect me to do against an army of alien warriors?”

She raised a brow at me as if the answer was obvious. “On your own? Die. That’s why I’m coming with you.”

“Do you have some kind of giant robot I don’t know about that’s capable of taking out an entire fleet?”