Page 33 of Monsters in Love: Lost in the Stars

Margot

There’s no time to stop and consider how close to death Aiken got. No time to stop and think at all, because on the other side of the room, Emily lets out a shriek as Abel closes in on her. Xavian lies bloodied and beaten on the ground. He’s still alive but is badly wounded, with blood weeping from his side all over the aisle.

To think that Xavian was taken down by a single Denorran merc. Not on my watch.

I aim the plasma gun for Abel’s head and narrow my eyes. “Hey! You! You’re about to end up like your friend over here!” I shout.

Abel has Emily against a wall and towers over her, but he jerks his head up when I yell at him. When he spots Cherise’s headless corpse on the ground, he hurls himself across the room and grabs his friend’s body in his arms, cradling it like a baby.

I wince.

Aiken pushes me behind him, and I lock onto his forearm.

“I almost feel bad,” I murmur.

“Don’t,” Aiken says as we both watch Abel weep over Cherise’s body.

“But he?—”

He turns to look down at me, then runs a claw along the nape of my neck. I shiver lightly against his touch.“It’s us or them, beautiful. Remember that. Us against the whole damned galaxy.”

Staring up into Aiken’s eyes, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to truly have him by my side. Always. Before the ceremony, all I could think about was how much I needed to ride him out of my system. But now? Now I’m seriously considering an actual future with the guy. Me and Aiken tripping across galaxies, frolicking among the stars, not taking any crap from anyone.

Abel places Cherise’s body back down onto the ground, and Aiken steps forward, blocking me from the grief-stricken Denorran. I look back over at Emily, who clutches Xavian in her lap and sobs softly. I want to go to her, comfort her, but I can’t move. I squeeze the plasma guns tightly to my chest as Abel pushes himself to stand on wobbly knees.

“Y-You assholes! You killed her!” He flings a gnarled, black claw at me. A death promise. “You. You did this.” His eyes flit down to the guns I’m holding. “I’m going to remove your head from your shoulders like you did to my Cherise! I’m going to?—”

But he doesn’t finish his sentence—because the next sound he makes is a gurgled half-hiccup.

Blood trickles from his lower lip as the barb of a tail emerges from his chest. It slices right through his armor. His body slumps to the floor on top of Cherise’s, leaving the general standing before us.

“Useless mercenary,” he mutters. “And they came so highly recommended, too. A shame, but they’re only good as a duo.”

“A general with no men of his own? What kind of two-bit poser are you?” I snap.

General Arcadia shakes his head, chuffing. “It’s a title, not a profession, princess. But I don’t expect a stupid little Lunan to understand Denorran culture. It is, after all, superior.”

Aiken sneers at the general. “You’re disgusting, you know that?”

Whatever. Racism aside, the fact that we’re still out here fighting for our lives without any sort of help worries me. It doesn’t even make sense.

“Where the hell are the police?” I snap, looking up at Aiken.

He growls in response. My panicked heartbeat throbs in my ears, and I look over to see Xavian propped up against one of the benches, awake and clutching his side. It looks like Emily shredded part of her wedding dress to create a makeshift bandage to stop his bleeding. Thank the heavens he’s okay. Or, as okay as he can be right now, given the circumstances.

The general claps his hands, and the Handmaiden bots lift their palms in unison, aiming for us. Aiken stiffens. When he grabs on to my waist and pulls me into his embrace, I’m too stunned to form words. He looks down at me, his eyes softening, and caresses my cheek with one of his claws.

Then he presses his mouth to mine.

His lips are as cold as concrete and just as hard, but I don’t care. I allow my mouth to move against his, helpless as a river meeting the ocean for the first time.

I don’t care if this is the only moment we have together. At least we’ve got this, and it’ll have to be enough. At least until I find him in the next life.

Our tongues meet in a blissful union. His forked, prehensile tongue curls around mine in ways I could only dream about, and I let out a deep moan as he pulls me tighter against his chest.

“Are you two done yet?” the general says in a dry tone. “Because this is getting awkward.”

Aiken growls deep within his chest, then nuzzles my nose with his forehead. Gorcian bunting. I read about it only days ago, once I realized my crush on Aiken was a little more than a crush; I figured I’d better start brushing up on Gorcian culture if I wanted any chance in hell figuring him out. They don’t have noses and aren’t exactly keen on kissing, so in order to exchange affection with others, they press their foreheads together in a bunting motion. The kiss we shared was purely for my benefit.

Aiken pulls me behind his body again, shielding me from the general and the bots. Noble of him, but ultimately, we both know it won’t matter. We’re going to die here, at my best friend’s wedding.

Behind me, Emily lets out a wrecked sob, and a single tear slides down my cheek. I never cry. But right now, I’m weeping for the future that was so cruelly snatched from us. Afternoons snuggling with Aiken on the sofa, watching crappy reruns of his favorites shows. Cooking meals together. Strolling through the park claw in hand as we make fun of people’s outfits. Mundane stuff that I never get to do anymore, let alone with a partner. And now I’ll never get the chance.

Why does Aiken love retro soap opera reruns so much? I never found out why. There are so many things about this big lug that I’m never going to learn because this universe wasn’t made for people like us. The misfits and the dreamers who dare to live boldly. It churns and burns through its brightest stars—Emily is proof of that. Even she’s not allowed a moment’s peace despite deserving it more than any of us. And Xavian … all he’s ever done throughout his life was the right thing, and society’s punished him for it. How is this fair?

My eyes burn with a ferocity I’ve never felt before.

No. I’m done being treated this way. I’m just… done.

I push past Aiken and aim my plasma pistols squarely at the general’s chest.

The general lifts a dark brow at me, then smirks. “Defiant until the bitter end, I see. A shame, Gorcian. This one would give your own females a run for their money, I think.”

Aiken lets out a snort but says nothing in response.

I close my eyes and pull the trigger.