Star Side

Chapter 62

(Whoops! Posted the wrong chapter! Here's the right one. Sorry about that.)

There was a bronze and purple haired demon on my porch.

I'd gone out the curtains to stretch my legs and listen to the echoed chatter far below of the alien royal court to find him just climbing over, out of breath and green eyes wild. He had curly cue yellowed horns, like a goat, and what looked like a gold earring in his long ear where a black stone dangled.

The hourglass pupils of said green eyes blew open at the sight of me. I saw his nostrils flare and his jaw loosen.

I stiffened. Despite his dark purple extremities and brighter purple hair, I suspected he wasn't quite royal enough to have been allowed up here. The lack of wings spoke so, which meant...

"Rikek," slipped out of my mouth.

His whole body shivered, as though I'd let loose a gale of cold wind on him and his claws digging into the ultra-smooth white-gray stone at the edge of the porch squealed as they slid. He scrambled, rather inelegantly, to catch his hold. For a moment, I thought he wouldn't, and wondered if I should try to catch him or let him fall to his death, but then his back leg caught onto to what, I didn't know, and he managed to kick himself over the rest of the edge and onto safe ground.

I backed up into the curtains, all but hiding myself in them. I wanted to go back into the den, grab my eggs and lock myself into the bathroom. I should, really. But Rikek didn't look particularly threatening slumped and panting all over the floor with his tail still hung over the edge. But, then, looks could be deceiving. Not to mention I could cause some serious trouble killing a royal heir by pushing him out of his mom's crib.

I didn't want to be a coward too. And, after another eyeing, I decided if push came to shove I could easily throw him back over the edge and claim self-defense. It might even be satisfying. Revenge, you know, for clawing up my husband.

...Oh boy, I'd thought that. I'd called Gilrack my husband.

"What do you want?" I clicked in my best alienese.

When he didn't answer for a long minute, just taking deep huffy breaths, I worried I had said it wrong

But then he said, quite clearly, "You are real."

"Um, yes?"

"You are from the heavens?"

Jeeze, that made me sound like an angel. "Yes?"

Then, faster than I anticipated, he crossed the space between us to lift up my skirts.

"Hey!" I smacked them down and the smooth silk fissed out of his grip.

"Your legs...are strange."

"You're strange," I said, just to be petulant. "Go away." This was the reason I kept putting off leaving this den. I'd always been a homebody, but knowing I'd just be a freak show for all the aliens made me even more so.

Thankfully, he straightened and took a step back. "I'm sorry."

"Go. Away."

He shuddered, again as though a cold wind had blown over him, and bowed his head, though his green eyes didn't leave me.

Then he dropped himself over the edge. I heard the click and tap of his feet and claws on the stone and peeked over to see how he was doing. Seeing the shear height of the tunnel up to the den made my stomach squiggle for a bit, but he didn't seem to have such apprehensions. Even when his feet slipped a time or two, there was no pause in the slick decline. He even slid down at some point by sheer claw strength alone. When he happened to glance up and see me watching, I ducked back and decided I was done watching. No need to make him get any ideas.