Kathryn rolled over on the couch and stared at the far wall. It wasn’t easy because the apartment was pretty bare. A couch, a TV and a table in the main room but there wasn’t a whole lot on the walls. The kitchen was near the door and the bedroom was near the foot of the couch but around a short corner.
She couldn’t stop thinking about the invasion. Imagining an army of the Taq-Law just appearing or descending from the sky and overrunning the city. She couldn’t even imagine how they’d fight them off. Gripping the blanket tightly she shut her eyes and shivered.
Looking ahead she stared at the table at the pair of stones resting there. Her blue and Seth’s purple. She’d confiscated his so that he would continue to sleep through the night instead of coming with them to the meeting that night. They caught what little light filtered into the window casting small blue and purple lines across the walls.
“So, how’d it go?” Seth asked limping into the living room.
She sat up quickly and moved to glare as she pointed at him. “What’re you doing?” she asked sternly and he held up his hands.
“I got thirsty. Wanted to get some water. Don’t beat me down please,” he said though he was grinning at her.
She sighed and sat up reaching for the pillow and holding it against her chest. “Go lay back down. I can get it.”
“I’m not crippled you know. My room gets boring fast.”
“No, you just got hit by a giant alien laser that without my help could have killed you.”
“Let’s not get crazy here,” he said rolling his eyes and she just continued to glare. “I’ll sit on the couch and you can get water. Is that fair?”
“Yes. Sit.” She got up and he stepped around her but as they got close to one another they looked away quickly and she stared beyond navigating the darkness.
Seth fell onto the couch and groaned his chest aching along with arms. Slowly laying his head against the back of the couch he shut his eyes. He could hear her open his refrigerator and then water pouring into a glass. “I know you probably won’t tell me, I’m apparently only allowed to rest, but how’d the meeting go? More vaguely cryptic messages from Ley?”
Kathryn walked back setting the glass on the table and then sat beside him. “The Taq-Law are going to invade. We don’t know when but the one we took out sent out a signal. So, they’re coming. Sooner rather than later But if we manage to stop them then that’ll be it. They won’t come back anymore.”
Seth was silent, staring at her trying to process that and just laughed. “Bad time for me to be recovering huh. Did Ley give some advice on what’s going to happen?”
“Ley’s gone. I don’t know if it’s dead but it’s not here with us anymore.”
“Great,” Seth mumbled and groaned. “Long and short it’s us five against the world?”
“Essentially. Marco thinks we can do this and I believed him in the dream. It was a hell of a speech,” she said laughing. “You should have seen it.”
“If only a certain someone had let me go,” he commentated trying to make a joke but he felt the weight of an invasion on his mind. He saw something like War of the Worlds. Just an army of the crab things and then a bunch of the one with the drills. They could handle like a dozen probably but an army sounded impossible.
“So, what do you think? We have a chance at not getting killed after all of this?”
“You’re really a ray of sunshine you know that?”
He laughed hard enough to cough keeping his hand on his chest and smiled. “Not even an alien laser can change that.”
“I think we can. I don’t know how but I think we can. At least I want to believe that.”
Seth nodded slowly. “I guess I’m in the same boat as you. And I really enjoy not dying.”
“Seriously?” she snorted. “How many times have you thrown yourself into danger and almost died now?”
“Only twice.”
“Twice too many,” she turned to face him entirely.
“I can take some hits. I’m tough remember?”
“Why do you keep protecting me? In case you haven’t noticed I make shields. I don’t need you to protect me. Even more so I don’t need you getting hurt or almost killed.”
Seth looked at her and smirked. “How about you answer a question for me and I’ll answer for you. That sound fair?”
“No, it sounds like bullshit.”
“Hear me out. You’ll love this flavor of bullshit.”
Pulling her fingers through her hair she sighed. She wanted to smile and she valued that right now. Though she didn’t want to show him that so she just massaged her temples, hiding her face behind her hand. “Ask your question.”
“If we fight the Taq-Law invasion and we somehow manage to survive the onslaught of robots that are coming our way let me take you out to dinner.”
“Dinner?” she repeated. She took a breath and thought out what he said. “You’re saying if we survive the apocalypse you want to take me out to dinner?”
“Hey if the world’s going to end then I should at least shoot my shot before it’s too late.”
“You win points for being the most original way to ask me out,” A grin finally broke out on her face and she let her hand fall so that he could see it. “Fine I’ll think about it. I take it that’s why you decided to eat a laser for me?”
“I can’t take you out if you get killed,” he shrugged and winced slightly. “Can I have my stone back so this can start healing faster?”
“Oh, what’s that? Asking permission?”
“I’d hate to get in trouble with you. I feel like you’d find a way to take advantage of me considering my position.”
She raised her eyebrow and she plucked their stones off the table. Both of them were electric to touch and having one in each hand was a high she wanted to ride. She swung her leg over his lap climbing on top of him. She pressed the stones against the back of his neck lightly and now he was along for the ride but only had eyes for her.
She leaned forward pressing her forehead against and they both slowed their breathing. “Really think I’d take advantage of you?”
“If I have a choice, yes please.”
The Harlequin Library 