Chapter Eighteen
Over breakfast Hothar and I glumly contemplated our future. I pushed the scrambled eggs around my plate. “Think they’ll split us up?”
Hothar’s face hardened. “I will not allow it.”
“How are you planning on stopping them?”
“I will challenge Zarek to combat.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? Zarek would beat you senseless and then banish us to that remote space station.”
“As long as we are together, nothing else matters. You are my heart. My soul.”
“Right back at ya, big guy.” I gave Hothar a smooch. “They’re all acting like we did something wrong. If I hadn’t stopped the General, she would have destroyed the entire museum and a lot of people would have died.”
“They know that.” Hothar buttered a piece of toast and put it on my plate.
“Then why are we under house arrest?”
“They are afraid we will hump like bunnies,” Hothar said and took a bite of eggs.
“We have more control than that.”
Hothar raised an eyebrow.
Okay, he had a point. I changed the subject. “There wasn’t any reason for Talree and Kaylee to cut their vacation short. We had the situation under control.”
“The Supreme One’s attacks put their children in danger. They reacted as any good parents would,” Hothar replied.
“If Uncle Saul had kept it in his pants, none of this would have happened. Every time I get near Talree, he bares his fangs and growls like a rabid bear.”
“And Kaylee?”
“We’re good. She actually thanked me for keeping her kids safe.” I sagged back in my chair. “We’re an awesome team. It would be stupid to break us up.”
Zarek strolled in, filled a plate with a mound of scrambled eggs and sat down next to me.
“Good morning, sir,” I said politely. Praise the Lord! He wasn’t wearing his scary predator’s face. “Did you find out how General Douglas escaped?”
“Major Dick Morris freed her. He has been dealt with.”
“Oh. Good.” Adan must be stuffed to the gills.
Hothar held up the pot of coffee. “Coffee, my lord.”
“Yes.”
Why did I have this awful feeling the other shoe was about to drop. I watched Hothar pour him a cup and waited for the bad news. Zarek ate an amazing amount of eggs, finished his coffee and smiled at us.
The hair on the back of my neck literally stood up. Oh crap!
“I am allowing Hothar and you to go out on a date that includes dinner and dancing.
I eyed him suspiciously. Was there a punch line? “Dinner and dancing?”
Hothar stared at him in stunned surprise.
“Magnus has invited us to their Gans Mountain Spirit Ceremony. I believe there is dancing and food.”
I nodded. “Apache warriors in elaborate costumes do dance and the food is traditional.”
“I accepted his generous offer,” Zarek said.
Hothar queried, “Us?”
“Myself, Talree, Kaylee and the children.”
“Isn’t that sweet of him.” I was going to kill Magnus.
Zarek continued, “Hothar, Thor, Haki and you are banned for life from the Natural History Museum.”
“That seems a bit unfair.”
Hothar kicked me under the table. “Do not speak until the Overlord has finished talking.”
Totally ignoring my interruption, Zarek added, “The museum sent Central Command a bill for ten million credits for damages they claimed you are responsible for.”
“That’s nuts! It was just a few old bones.”
Hothar kicked me again. Ouch!
“One Betsy Miller sued the Coletti Empire for a whopping one hundred million credits for emotional distress and assault by a big, fucking spider. I had the Battle Commander pay her a visit and she quickly dropped her claim.”
Hothar hastily stuffed a piece of toast in my mouth.
“Voss, Sariel and Adan are now destroying all of the Earth First bases,” Zarek advised.
I spit the toast out. “And General Douglas?”
“General Douglas will stand trial for treason and murder.”
“Thank you, sir.” I jumped to my feet.
‘Sit.” Zarek pointed at my chair.
I sat back down. “Something else, sir?”
“Magnus has an armored Humvee waiting for you in front of the Butterfield Stage Coach office in Tombstone. He thought the children would enjoy a stage coach ride and watching a shoot-out at the original O.K. Corral before driving out to his headquarters at Jicarilla.”
Hothar replied, “I am sure they will enjoy it.”
“One more thing,” Zarek drawled ominously.
Hothar wrapped a protective arm around me.
“The two of you will continue to serve General Jones as his investigators. But, one mis-step and you will be assigned babysitting duties until you are both twenty-one. Is that clear?”
The knot in my stomach loosen. “Very clear, sir.”
Hothar clamped an arm to his chest. “It is an honor to serve, my lord.”
“There is a shuttle waiting to take you to Tombstone. Do not keep Talree waiting.”
Hothar teleported us to the spaceport.