Fallen Star (25 page)

Why did people always try to feed someone
who was upset? It seemed like a good way to make them throw up.
“What made you suspect he was an alien? And why didn’t you ever
mention it to me?”

“Would you have believed me?” A bit of the
color crept back into Estelle’s cheeks. “I trusted three people
with what I’d seen and all three of them treated me like I’d gone
crazy.”

“What did you see?”

Estelle looked at her and sighed. “Do you
really want to hear all the gory details of your mother’s fall from
grace?”

Jillian hesitated. No one wanted to think
about their parent having sex, but she might have seen something
crucial and not know its true importance. “Be as vague as you can,
but tell me what you saw.”

“The party was in a frat house and it was
really crowded. My best friend, Pam, and I went into one of the
bedrooms. We’d just met Jerry and Bill, so we didn’t expect things
to go as far as they went.”

Jillian’s chest tightened and she had to
ask, “They didn’t force you, did they?”

“No. It wasn’t like that.”

“You were with Jerry and Pam was with Bill?”
Tori asked.

Estelle nodded. “Pam had been with a man
before, but I’d just turned eighteen. I wasn’t used to sexually
aggressive men. The boys I’d dated were perfect gentlemen.”

“Which is why you were still a virgin,” Tori
said with a gentle smile.

“Innocence wasn’t something to be ashamed of
back then,” Estelle pointed out. “Anyway, I wanted to leave, but I
didn’t feel right walking out on Pam. It was obvious she was
willing, but things can turn ugly fast.”

“Go on,” Tori prompted, but Jillian wasn’t
sure she wanted to hear more. Her mom wasn’t doing a very good job
of remaining vague.

“Pam and Bill were on the bed and me and
Jerry were on a small couch. Jerry noticed I was more interested in
what was happening to Pam than what we were doing, so he held me in
front of him and told me to watch. He said I’d stop resisting if I
saw there was no reason to be afraid.”

There had to be a point to all this. Her
mother wasn’t one to enjoy airing her dirty laundry.

“As Bill grew more amorous, his eyes began
to spin.” Estelle paused looking at the other two as if to see if
they believed what she was saying. “The first time I saw it, I
thought I’d had too much to drink. But he looked right at me more
than once and it was… It wasn’t natural.”

“He was Ontarian,” Tori told her. “Most of
the people on Ontariese have eyes that gently rotate.”

“I was terrified, but Jerry wouldn’t let go
of me until Bill finished with Pam. I asked her if she saw what
happened with his eyes and she said what I’d thought.”

“That you were drunk?” It must have been so
isolating to have no one believe her.

Her mother just nodded.

“If you didn’t have sex with Jerry that
night,” Tori prompted, “when did it happen?”

“I don’t think anyone had ever refused him
before. He showed up in all sorts of unexpected places, determined
to seduce me. The more I resisted him, the more attentive he
became. His overt seduction became a tender courtship until I
finally gave in.” She licked her lips and stared down at her folded
hands, obviously upset by what came next. “I thought I’d reformed a
playboy. He told me he loved me and I believed him. But I looked
into his eyes while he, you know, and I saw rings of blue glowing
like…not like anything I’d ever seen before or since. I even asked
him what happened and he pretended not to know what I meant. He
said he’d pick me up the following morning, but I never saw him
again.”

Which was why she’d always been so
over-cautious of men, so convinced they only wanted sex from any
woman. Jillian had always understood the cause of her mother’s
bitterness. Knowing the details just made it even sadder.

“Did Pam become pregnant too?”

Good thing Tori was here to keep the
conversation on track. Jillian wanted to pull her mother into her
arms and have a mutual cry.

“No. We were roommates until I left collage.
She wouldn’t have been able to hide it from me.”

“Jerry’s real name is Gerrod Reynolds and
he’s from a planet called Rodymia. Odintar, Jillian’s lover, is
from the same planet. His eyes have the blue rings you
described.”

“Well, sometimes the rings are red,” Jillian
corrected.

“Really?” Tori turned from Estelle and
looked at Jillian.

“Emotions determine which color
appears.”

“I did not know that.” Tori sounded almost
amused.

“I knew I wasn’t crazy. I just didn’t know
how right I was.”

Unable to bear the uncertainty in her
mother’s tone, Jillian knelt beside her and gave her a firm
hug.

A light tapping drew her attention to the
doorway. Elias stood there, a hesitant smile on his handsome face.
“The Bilarrian envoy is here. Is she ready to go?”

“Go?” Estelle echoed. “Where are we
going?”

Now came the tricky part, the painful part.
“Do you remember Aria? She played Juliette in
Star-Crossed
.”

“You were her understudy.”

Jillian’s throat was so tight she could only
nod.

“What about her?”

“The envoy is here to take you to Bilarri,”
Tori took up the explanation, obviously sensing Jillian’s distress.
“Aria will be there when you arrive and she’ll explain everything
that has happened and why it’s no longer safe for you to be on
Earth.”

“I’m going to another planet?” For just a
moment excitement shimmered in her clear blue eyes. Then she looked
at her daughter and the light faded to dread. “You’re not coming
with me?”

“I can’t. Not yet.”

“This is just a temporary separation,” Tori
stressed. “You will be together again very soon.”

“I don’t understand. If it’s safe enough for
Jillian to be here, then I’m willing to risk—”

“I’ll be safer if I’m not worried about
you.” Jillian found her voice again as she pushed to her feet.
“Aria will answer all your questions and I’ll join you as soon as I
can. You have some really interesting surprises waiting for you on
Bilarri. I want you to revel in each one.”

Estelle stood as well. “What sort of
surprises?”

Curiosity worked every time. No one enjoyed
a good surprise as much as her mother. “It wouldn’t be a surprise
if I told you, now would it?”

Tori rounded the table and took Estelle by
the hand. “It will be easier for both of you if you say your
goodbyes now.”

Jillian gave her mom another lingering hug
then kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Not soon enough.” Estelle returned the kiss
then composed her expression as she turned to Tori and said, “Lead
the way.”

“You have a special request, Roxie,” Jett
called from the front of the store. “Can you talk or do you need
her to come back?”

Roxie heard an angry voice respond to the
suggestion though she couldn’t make out the exact words. Lenna, one
of Roxie’s regulars had been squirming and cringing for the past
few minutes. She could probably use a break. “Do you mind if I go
see what this is about?”

“Please.” Lenna laughed. “I think I’ve had
about all I can take anyway.”

“Another two-hour session should finish this
up. When would you like to come back?”

“I’ll have to call you. My schedule is crazy
right now.” She motioned Roxie toward the front of the store. “Go
see about the ‘special request’.”

“Thanks, Lenna. I’ll have Jett bandage you
up.”

“Cool.”

Roxie pulled off her latex gloves and tossed
them in the trash as she left her station. She pushed the privacy
curtain aside and froze. Sevrin stood on the other side of the
display case, looking anything but amused. Roxie hurried forward.
“Can you bandage Lenna for me? I’ve got this.”

“You sure?” Jett was obviously reluctant to
leave her.

“Hurry along, little boy. This conversation
isn’t for the likes of you.”

Jett started to object, likely in very
profane terms, so Roxie squeezed his arm and said, “Go.”

“Touch her and I call the cops.”

The warning made Sevrin laugh. “She’d still
be dead long before they got here if that’s the best you can
do.”

“She’s not going to hurt me.”
God please
let that be true.
“Now stop antagonizing her.”

Jett snarled, but obeyed.

“Oh, he’s an adorable little pet. Not very
well trained, but adorable.”

Determined to prove that she wasn’t as
frightened as she was, Roxie moved around the display case and
faced her tormentor. “What do you want?”

“You know damn well what I want. What have
you learned?”

Roxie motioned toward the couch, but Sevrin
ignored her. “Nazerel doesn’t trust you. Didn’t sound like he likes
you very much either.”

Sevrin rolled her eyes. “Damn you’re
observant. I never could have figured that out by myself.”

Emboldened by her sarcasm, Roxie took a deep
breath and looked into her eyes. “Flynn said this
planet
was
making everyone paranoid and Nazerel complained that he was at the
mercy of
humans,
not Americans or foreigners, humans. Don’t
suppose you want to explain that to me.”

Sevrin tilted her head to a mocking angle, a
favorite of hers. “Sounds like you have a theory already. Why don’t
you explain it to me?”

“I think you’re from much farther away than
Eastern Europe.” Roxie searched Sevrin’s gaze, hoping to spot the
contact lenses she knew the other woman was wearing.

“You’re a silly little girl.” She averted
her gaze as she asked, “What else did they say?”

“A bunch of crude nonsense about what they’d
like to do to me and you. Honestly, it was about as helpful as
stashing a tape recorder in a locker room. Fart jokes and bedroom
bragging is all you’ll ever hear.”

Sevrin’s gaze snapped back to Roxie and a
cold, calculative smile parted her lips. “You’re one lucky little
human
. Their locker room humor helped you dodge a
bullet.”

Sevrin walked out and Roxie stumbled to the
couch, barely making it before her legs collapsed. “Thank God. Oh
thank you God.”

“Do you think she’s gone for good?” Jett
stepped out from behind the privacy curtain. His face was so pale
Roxie didn’t have to ask if he’d heard the entire conversation.

“Several of the men told me they were
moving. I don’t think we’ll see her again.”

“But you do think they’re… What exactly do
you think?” He sat down beside her, looking as shell-shocked as she
felt.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. They’re gone and
I’m still alive.” She reached over and hugged him. He returned the
hug so hard it hurt.

“Is everything okay?” Lenna asked from the
doorway leading to the back.

A pang of guilt cleared away the rest of
Roxie’s fear. She’d completely forgotten about her loyal customer.
“Everything’s fine. In fact…” She stood. “Everything is
wonderful!”

Jillian hugged the ratty accent pillow to
her chest as if it were a priceless treasure. She didn’t care if it
was threadbare and out of style. It was hers! She was surrounded by
her things, her smells, her memories. Home. She was finally home,
even if it was only for a night or two.

“So do you feel different now that you know
you’re royalty?” Odintar softened the question with a lazy smile,
but it brought tears to Jillian’s eyes.

“I’ve never felt less like royalty in my
entire life.”

He took the pillow from her and tossed it to
the sofa where she’d found it. “Come here.” He pulled her into his
arms and pressed her against his chest. “I’d say no more surprises,
but that didn’t work out so well last time.”

She smiled against his throat, comforted by
his warmth and nearness. “I sent my mother to a planet I’ve never
seen and entrusted her to a man I’d only met once. I’m a horrible
person.”

“You acted swiftly and decisively to ensure
her safety and comfort.” He eased her away until she looked at him.
“You are a loving daughter. Any parent would be proud to call you
theirs.”

He’d meant the words as encouragement, no
doubt, but she couldn’t help thinking about him. At least she’d had
a mother’s love as she was growing up. Odintar had never really
known either of his parents.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he
cautioned.

She quickly checked their link and found her
side still compressed. So how had he known?

He chuckled. “Your eyes tell me everything I
need to know, sweetheart. You were feeling sorry for me and now
you’re wondering how I figured it out.”

“Is everyone that transparent to you or is
it just me?” She wiggled out of his embrace and headed for the
kitchen.

“Life has taught me to be observant, but I
am unusually aware of your moods.” He followed her into the kitchen
and watched as she rummaged through the drawers. “What are you
looking for?”

“A corkscrew. I really need a glass of wine.
I don’t even care if it’s red or white.” He joined the search and
quickly produced the elusive utensil. “Thank you.” She took it from
his hand and opened the cupboard that served as her wine cellar.
“Here we go.” Always willing to compromise, she selected a light,
refreshing rosé. She snatched two glasses off the bottom shelf.
Odintar closed the cupboard door as she set the glasses on the
counter.

“Allow me.”

Handing him the bottle, she was curious to
see if he’d use the corkscrew or pop it open with his mind. She was
almost disappointed when he deftly used the corkscrew. “You’ve done
this before.”

“A time or two.” She handed him the glasses
and he poured a generous amount into each. “You should probably
make a sandwich or something. You hardly ate anything at
dinner.”

“I’m not usually this hard to feed. Trauma
has always played havoc with my stomach. I promise I’ll have a big
breakfast.” She paused to savor the wine then took his hand and led
him into the adjacent living room. They sat on the sofa and he
pulled her feet into his lap, spinning her sideways in the process.
“What are you doing?”