Invaded (Alienated, #2)(55)
He crept to the foot of her cot, then extended one paw and lowered his head to the floor.
“Ooh,” Elle whispered in awe from the top bunk. “He’s showing deference. This means he sees you as his pack leader.”
Yeah, right. Or he was trying to trick her into leaving her pillow undefended.
“It might have something to do with Aelyx’s scent,” Elle said. “He followed Aelyx everywhere—idolized him completely. As Aelyx’s mate, Vero would consider you an alpha by association.”
It was an interesting theory. Cara patted her mattress. “Come on, boy. It’s okay.”
After a while, Vero found the courage to climb into bed with her, scooting nearer by slow inches. Just when Cara started to think it was a trick, he curled up against Aelyx’s T-shirt and rested his head on the mattress, purring sadly.
“You poor thing,” Cara whispered. Slowly, so as not to startle him, she lowered her head to the pillow. A few minutes later when Vero’s breathing began to slow, Cara extended one finger and petted his arm. His shorn fur was baby-soft, his delicate skin warmer than she’d anticipated. He surprised her by curling his little digits around her finger and tucking her knuckles beneath his chin.
Aww. Vero was a cuddler.
Even though he smelled kind of like wet dog, she enjoyed the contact, so she scooted close enough to feel his warm breath against her cheek. They snuggled that way for the rest of the night, united by their love for a boy in another galaxy.
Chapter Fourteen
Cara awoke the next morning to a dead bird in her bed and a pair of not-yet-dead snakes in her boots. Luckily, her screams of terror brought Vero back to her room to finish his breakfast. Within minutes, the reptiles lay on the floor, relieved of their heads.
Not the best way to start the day. Especially for the snakes.
For reptiles, they were actually pretty—with shimmery hides and dozens of delicate antennae extending along the length of their spines. The bird was lovely, too, featherless with opalescent cream-colored skin that caught the faint glow from the window. Still, Cara preferred not to wake alongside Vero’s prey, no matter how sparkly.
Elle giggled from the top bunk. “He must really like you.”
“Earth pets do the same thing,” Cara said, backing away from the carnage. She made a mental note to have the groundskeeper dispose of the bodies. “My friend Tori used to feed a feral cat that lived in the woods by her house. It left dead lizards and mice at her front door for the next five years.” She squatted down to Vero’s height and ordered, “No more presents, okay?”
The way he puffed his chest and jabbered with pride promised that birds and snakes were just the beginning of Cara’s bounty. She sighed and grabbed a clean uniform. At least he’d stopped peeing on her pillow.
“I’m going to practice the spinners before breakfast,” Cara said. But when she tried pulling up her pants, they slouched and nearly fell from her hips. “Aw, man. I need another uniform.”
This was the third time she’d had to exchange her clothes for a smaller size. Not that she was complaining. As much as Cara despised L’eihr food, she had to admit their perfectly balanced diet, combined with Satan’s rigorous strength training, had made her stronger and leaner than she’d ever achieved running track at Midtown High. She only hoped Aelyx wouldn’t miss the junk in her trunk. She was a lot less bootylicious these days.
“So much for the spinners.” There wasn’t time to hit the supply station on the fourth floor, change, practice, shower, and make it back before breakfast. “Guess I’ll meet you at the nursery.”
“I can’t.” Elle hopped down and scanned her wrist, preemptively turning off the room alarm. “My medic adviser wants me in the advanced anatomy class. To get out of it, I’ll need a better excuse than being your constant alibi.”
“Oh.” Cara had never realized how much she’d held her roommate back. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” Elle asked. “Because I can arrange to have you sit in with me.”
On advanced anatomy? Cara would rather learn something useful among the kindergartners than zone out during an upper-level course. “Thanks, but I’ll stick with the kids. It’s not like I need someone to corroborate my every move.”
“You’re probably right. Aelyx tends to overreact when it comes to you.” Elle ran a comb through her ponytail while gazing into empty air. “I can’t blame him, though. I would have done anything for Eron.”
Cara held her breath for fear of saying the wrong thing, but then she decided to stop behaving like a coward and start acting like a friend. “I’m sorry. You must miss him.”
Elle didn’t answer at first. But soon she gave an absent nod. “I do. I’m beginning to worry I’ll never stop.”
“That’s normal.” Cara shrugged into a clean tunic and rolled her pants at the waist. “The pain will fade with time, but you’ll always remember him.” Poor Elle. Like the other clones, she’d spent the first sixteen years of her life under the influence of hormone regulators, so she didn’t have much experience with love or heartbreak. To her, this must feel like the end of the world. “It’ll get better,” Cara assured her. “And one day, you’ll feel ready to try again.”