Page 45 of All You Need is Alien Love (Tentacular Tales #4)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Spill the TEA: Trustworthy Earthling Advice

Today we’re shifting gears to talk about the furry companions in our lives—namely, our domesticated pets. The practice of having animal companions seems to be one shared by many species across the universe. While the animals may vary, our love for them—and theirs for us—unites us all!

And now for today’s inquiry… pet psychics? Oh my!

Dear Dr. TEA,

I have only recently discovered that human beings cannot telepathically communicate with their pets.

Imagine my surprise when I tried to discuss this phenomenon with my neighbor.

Her cat, Gus, wanders over to my home every day to complain about the fact that his owner, Estelle, no longer buys him the tasty treats he prefers.

When I tried to explain this to her at first, she was irritated and then treated me like I was mentally unwell.

I believe the word she used was “psycho.”

However, she came and apologized several days later after trying my advice and buying Gus his crunchy treats.

Now he’s a content and happy feline who isn’t waking her up in the wee hours of the morning to express his displeasure.

Harmony in their home has been restored.

She even called me a “cat whisperer,” whatever that means.

Now word has gotten around the neighborhood and residents are coming by on a regular basis to figure out what their pets are trying to communicate with them.

What should I do? How do I let them know what their pets are trying to say without revealing that I can actually hear them? I’m rather overwhelmed.

Best,

Psychic but not Psycho

Dear Psychic but not Psycho,

Wow! Talk about a super cool ability. Being able to telepathically communicate with animals must be really awesome. You have a real gift, my friend.

That said, don’t give your talents away for free!

Your labor deserves fair compensation in our capitalist society.

If you would be interested, it sounds to me like you have a real opportunity to go into business for yourself by making use of your unique talents.

Believe me when I say, people will pay you to help them better understand their beloved furry friends.

Heck, you might become a celebrity overnight.

Pet Communicator to the Stars! Or you could even go a more traditional route and work in veterinary medicine. The possibilities are endless.

I guess now what you need to do is step back and think about what you want going forward.

Do you feel called to help humans better understand their furry friends?

Or is this something you prefer to keep private?

Whatever you decide, remember that it is perfectly healthy and acceptable to establish boundaries with others.

Don’t let anyone pressure you to do something you don’t want.

But seriously, your gift is super cool and one that most humans would be envious of. Think long and hard about what you want to do and feel free to message me again if you have related questions or concerns.

Good luck!

Yours in pop divas and panache,

Dr. TEA

River

Teleporting twice in one day is not my idea of a good time. I have to admit, the more I do it, the more I think Bones McCoy on Star Trek was right. These gadgets are a crazy way to travel!

First time around, I had so much adrenaline pumping that I don’t think my body had time to catch up with the nauseating effects of the teleporter, but the return trip is more than making up for it.

I clutch Kai’s arm as I dry heave for a moment. He strokes my back lovingly and I wrap my arms around his waist and clutch him to me like I never plan to let him go.

That’s when the full magnitude of what we just went through starts to hit me all at once. Honestly? I kind of lose my shit, but I think that’s totally fair given all that I’ve been through tonight.

I begin to blubber in Kai’s arms. “I can’t believe what those fuckers were trying to do to you. If I’d been too late…”

“Hush, love. Everything’s okay. I’m fine and your plan worked.” With a gentle caress, he strokes the curls off my forehead. “You and Nirblob saved the day with your brilliant minds.”

I tilt my head back and search his beautiful amethyst eyes. And just like that, I’m overcome with all the motherfucking feels.

“I fucking love you so hard,” I whisper, calming down a bit.

He grins. “I fucking love you so hard too.”

Ellie clears her voice, reminding us that we’re not alone. “Ahem. Let’s save the reunion romantics until later.” She arches an eyebrow at her son. “You get your ass down to the med lab, mister, pronto.”

He gives her a mock salute and she rolls her eyes.

As we make our way toward the med lab, there’s a flurry of activity going on around us. HQ personnel are busily moving to and fro, cleaning up and tackling paperwork after the attack.

When we finally arrive at the med lab, Kai makes a beeline straight for Zamir, who’s perched on a waiting chair outside an operating room. He’s uncannily still and almost statue-like.

The large Vroknu warrior’s usual ebony skin is almost ashen, and he’s still covered in dried blood, most of which I know is Wilder’s.

Lu-Ren sits next to him, with Roxy curled in their lap, but when she sees us, she rises to shaky feet. Her eyes are red-rimmed, her cheeks wet with recent tears.

She pulls us both into a fierce hug. “Thank the galactic gods you’re all right.”

I crush her to me. “Forget about us. How are you? What’s the status on Wilder?”

She takes a shaky breath. “They’re operating on him now. It”—she bites back a sob—”doesn’t look good.”

Kai starts pacing, anguish written all over his face. “How did Wilder even escape from his holding cell?”

“That’s still unclear,” Lu-Ren says, her voice low and quiet. “In all the confusion, we don’t know how he got out.”

I suspect Wilder had been preparing for this moment ever since we last spoke with him. He made sure he fulfilled his one objective—keeping Zamir safe from his father.

Remembering the end result of that makes me shudder. I glance at Zamir, wondering how he’s handling having his father try to kill him and his former lover executing his dad and almost dying in the process. His face is blank but his eyes have a haunted look in them that makes my heart ache.

Poor guy has been through some shit today.

Kai kneels beside him and takes hold of his hand. “How are you holding up, my friend? Is there anything I can do?”

Zamir blinks at him. “I just don’t understand why he did it.”

“What?”

“Risked his life to save mine,” he manages to say, his voice raspy.

Roxy’s face crumbles and she starts weeping again. “Because he still loves you, you big doofus!”

I nod enthusiastically. It’s so obvious, but Zamir seems to have trouble accepting it.

The big man leans forward, placing his head between his knees, and clutches the back of his neck in an iron grip. “He’s the one who ended our relationship, betrayed me, got embroiled with Layne Madison. What we had is long gone. Dead and buried.”

Galactic gods, save the world from stubborn men!

Roxy clings to Lu-Ren and wipes her eyes, sniffling.

“My brother’s an idiot who tends to make the worst possible decisions.

But I truly believe he thought he was protecting you by doing all of those idiotic and illegal things.

It doesn’t make up for the hurt that he caused you, but I think he was doing what he felt was necessary to keep you safe.

You’re the only person Wilder’s ever given his heart to.

It didn’t matter if you hated him, he would still do everything in his power to keep you safe—even at the expense of his own life. ”

Zamir closes his eyes and makes a pained noise.

The weight of Roxy’s words hang in the air, thick and heavy. I can’t fully begin to understand how they all feel. Their love, their fear, their resentment and betrayal. Wilder really fucked with all their heads—and hearts.

Glancing toward the operating door, I see that the light above it is still on, indicating surgery is still in progress.

I pray to the Time Lords of the universe that Wilder pulls through.

Too many people I care about will be devastated if he doesn’t.

No matter what he did in the past, they still love him.

And after what I saw, I honestly want to get to know Wilder too.

He’s kind of a badass when he wants to be.

Ellie steps forward, her expression somber. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but my son needs to get checked out by a med tech right away. If there are any updates, please be sure to keep us informed. We’ll be just down the hall.”

“The surgical team indicated they would likely be at work for several hours,” Lu-Ren offers. “Take your time.”

Kai pulls Zamir to his feet and gives him a long, comforting hug.

“If Wilder survives all of this, I hope you’ll give him a chance to right his wrongs. Even if you can never be what you once were, I think you both owe it to yourselves to mend the heartache you each carry.”

Kai finally lets Ellie lead him down the hall to the examination room. When we reach it, I’m surprised to find my parents and Kai’s grandmother waiting for us.

We share an immediate round of hugs all around as we celebrate being reunited safely. At the end of the day, we survived and successfully overthrew the attempted invasion of Earth.

Operation CHAOS, Captain Kirk-style, for the win!

Now we just need to make sure whatever Adeline injected Kai with wasn’t dangerous.

My mom hands me a holotablet. “There’s someone who’s been eagerly waiting to talk to you.”

I blink in confusion but take the device in my hands. On the screen, the face of a strikingly beautiful woman greets me. Her hair is pulled up in an intricate updo and she’s dressed in some type of military uniform.

“So you’re River Sullivan,” she purrs. “It’s a pleasure to finally see your face.” She grins. “You’re just as cute as my daughter Toralena told me.”