Invaded (Alienated, #2)(31)
Blaze patted his chest. “Knock ’em dead, hot stuff.”
On his way to the living room, Aelyx crossed paths with Sharon Taylor, the journalist who’d conducted his exchange program interviews in the fall. Clad in her signature pink suit, she devoured him with her gaze while a predatory grin curved her mouth.
“Aelyx,” she practically purred. “You look delish, honey.” She twirled one finger toward his head. “Love what you did with the hair. The ponytail was hot, but this is edgier. My audience is going to eat you up with a spoon and fight each other to lick the bowl.”
He tried to hide his annoyance. “Thanks for accommodating us on such short notice.”
“Oh, please!” she cried with a wave of her red-tipped fingers. “I should be thanking you.” She indicated for him to sit on the sofa with Bill and Eileen Sweeney while she picked her way over wires and around crew members to the adjacent armchair.
Eileen threw her arms around Aelyx’s neck before his backside had met the sofa. She brought with her the scent of lilacs and a warmth that he’d missed more than he had realized. She took his face between her palms. “It’s so good to see—”
“Hands off,” Sharon interrupted. “You’ll make his skin shiny.”
Eileen obediently released him while Bill extended a hand for a firm shake. If the man harbored any ill will against Aelyx for stealing Cara away from her home, he didn’t let it show. Bill’s eyes gleamed with the respect Aelyx had regularly seen there, even if he hadn’t always deserved it.
“We miss having you at the house,” Bill said. “Now that you’re gone, there’s no one to organize the canned vegetables by dietary fiber content.”
“Or rearrange the plates in the dishwasher,” Eileen added.
Aelyx had missed them, too. When he’d lived with the Sweeneys, it was the first time he’d felt like he belonged to a family. “I’m glad we have this chance to—”
Sharon cut him off with a clap. “Everyone ready?” She pulled a gold pen from her breast pocket and pointed it at them. “I have dinner reservations at six.”
“Charming as always,” Bill muttered under his breath.
When the cameraman flashed the signal, Sharon began. “Good evening, America. I promised you an interview with a special guest, and, boy, am I about to deliver! I’m joined tonight by our favorite L’eihr exchange student, and my sixth sense tells me he has big news to share.” Crossing her legs at the ankles, she angled her body toward Aelyx. “So tell me: does this big news involve a secret wedding?”
Aelyx played the part of a reluctant celebrity, relaxing his posture and favoring Sharon with a good-natured chuckle. “Now, Ms. Taylor, you know humans and L’eihrs can’t legally wed.”
“Besides,” Bill coolly interjected, “Cara’s too young to get married.”
“But not too young for interplanetary travel.” Sharon arched a brow. “An unaccompanied minor jetting off to a foreign galaxy? Not many parents would approve of that.”
Aelyx didn’t say so, but Cara’s parents hadn’t approved. In the wake of Eron’s death, The Way had given them no say in the matter.
“She wasn’t unaccompanied,” Eileen said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Her brother was with her, and Aelyx’s leaders. We knew they would take care of our little girl.”
“Mmm.” In that one simple utterance, Sharon made her judgment clear. “You’re very trusting, aren’t you?”
Bill ground his teeth but nodded with a grin. The PR specialist had explained that parts of the interview had to appear harsh, or it wouldn’t seem genuine. Sharon would ask a few uncomfortable questions, but when the hour was done, she’d surrender her footage to the government, who would edit the material in their favor.
“And Aelyx,” Sharon went on, “there’s some negative chatter about you and the other two exchange students. Wasn’t it discovered that Eron”—she touched her chest—“God rest his soul, tampered with the water supply? When they searched his bedroom, they found contaminated water samples and all kinds of strange equipment.”
“That’s not true,” Aelyx said. “Those analytics were sanctioned by your government.”
“Then why don’t you tell me what is true?”
He hesitated, wanting desperately to do what she’d asked. But The Way still hadn’t responded to his request. Without their approval, he was compelled to remain quiet.
“Oh, come on,” she crooned. “I can tell it’s weighing on you. Go ahead and get it off your chest.” Smiling in anticipation, she tapped her pen against one knee. “Confession does wonders for the soul.”
Even if Aelyx believed in souls, he would doubt that Sharon Taylor possessed one. However, he began to take her suggestion seriously. The first step in earning forgiveness was honesty, and he couldn’t mend human-L’eihr relations by continuing to lie. If the PR specialists disagreed, they would simply cut the footage later. Stepha wasn’t here, so there was no one to stop him.
“A confession,” he said. “All right. My friends and I have been accused of many things—among them, blighting local crops and poisoning the water supply.” Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward and rested both forearms against his thighs. “One of those allegations is true.”