Retribution (Kall Alien Warriors #3) - Sue Lyndon Page 0,3

when her gaze landed on the suitcases. “What’s happened? Are you okay?”

Layla hesitated to reply. She needed to be careful and not breathe a word about Michael’s possible ties to the human rebels. Fiona was married to a former Kall warrior who was now an ambassador for goodness’ sake. She didn’t wish to put her friend in an awkward position.

“Um, Michael and I had another fight.” She blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears. “His drinking has gotten worse. I-I tried to kick him out, but he wouldn’t leave, so I packed some bags and left.” She’d recently confided in Fiona that they were having marriage troubles, but she hadn’t been completely honest about how bad things had gotten.

Fiona walked close and enveloped Layla in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry. You can stay here as long as you like.” She pulled away from Layla and looked her up and down. “Did he hurt you?” Though Layla had never told Fiona about the time Michael had slapped her, there was no doubt that her friend suspected as much.

“He-he grabbed me and scared me,” Layla admitted. “I tried to tell him to get help and he got mad.” She set down her suitcases, feeling like an orphan of sorts.

Betsy had been sold into slavery on the Kall homeworld, and all of Layla’s other friends and acquaintances had been killed or scattered during the war.

Furthermore, her entire family was gone, even Aunt Colleen, and now her husband—the only family she had left—had gone off the deep end.

She had no one but Fiona.

Two hovering servants rushed forward to grab the suitcases and carry them off, presumably to a guest room upstairs. Compassion shone in Fiona’s blue eyes as she ushered Layla toward one of the many opulent sitting rooms.

“Come with me,” Fiona said. “You look like you could use a drink.”

“I wouldn’t turn down some strong Kall wine,” Layla said, hoping the robust spirits would help calm her nerves.

Though she’d escaped the apartment unscathed, the fright she’d felt during the confrontation with Michael lingered, and her hands were still shaking.

She settled onto a plush sofa as Fiona quickly poured her a glass of Kall wine and then handed it over. She accepted the drink with a brief smile before taking a long sip. Almost immediately, warmth filled her, and her quivering lessened somewhat. Say what you will about the Kall, but nobody made wine quite so deliciously intoxicating, not even the Trutussians, whose main interplanetary export was spirits.

Fiona sat next to Layla and shot her a concerned look. “I suspected things with Michael were a lot worse than you were letting on. I promise you’ll be safe here. Merokk’s security guards won’t allow Michael to come near you.”

“I appreciate your help. You-you’re the only person I could turn to.” I’m so alone. I’ve lost everyone else. She took another large swallow of wine.

“The servants will have a room ready for you soon, I am sure,” Fiona said. “As I said, you are welcome to stay as long as you want.”

“Thank you. Um, how’s your mother?” Layla asked, looking around and wondering if the older woman would make an appearance.

“She’s doing well. She sleeps a lot though and she’s resting right now. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to have her with me again. Merokk is terribly sweet to her, too. He’s taken to calling her ‘Mother Janie’ and she absolutely loves it.” Fiona smiled.

“I’m glad to hear it. I was so scared for you the day Merokk discovered you weren’t actually the First Daughter,” Layla said, trying not to frown as she thought about Betsy, who’d been betrothed to Merokk—until she ran off and created a crisis in which the US government had scrambled to find a lookalike to replace Betsy without the Kall aliens discovering the switch.

Two American officials had spotted Fiona—who could easily pass for Betsy Carson’s twin—in a refugee camp in New York, and so Fiona had pretended to be the First Daughter and married Ambassador Merokk in Betsy’s place, in exchange for her mother receiving medical care in a private facility.

Eventually, the truth had come out, but Merokk had still wished to keep Fiona as his wife, as they’d fallen in love. Layla’s throat tightened with emotion at the memory. Merokk had even brought Fiona’s mother, Janie, home to live with them. A happy ending, if ever Layla had seen one.

An uncertain look crossed Fiona’s face as she turned to Layla. “Speaking of the First Daughter,