“I—yes. I am alright.”
“You sure?” Rusty tracked one of Zef’s hands as it ghosted over the place the Rhopa had touched them, like they were rubbing away the contact.
“Yes. It was just a silly argument.”
“Who was that?”
“My roommate.”
“I didn’t know you had a roommate,” Rusty said, and Zef shook their head, as if to shake away the whole encounter.
“No matter,” they dismissed. “Did you not want to dance?”
Rusty let the awkward conversation shift slide. “Not really my thing.”
“That is alright. I prefer to observe as well.” With a tiny smile, the Mantodea pulled out their phone and asked, “Would you like to see mymyracaea? It is flourishing.”
Smothering a smile, Rusty nodded. “Sure.”
A few years ago, Rusty had been given acyctus, but since he’d never owned a plant in his life, he didn’t know how to care for it. Given their passion for plants, Rusty had asked Zef for advice, which had apparently bonded them in some way Rusty didn’t understand. Because now, Zef always showed him pictures of their garden and talked to him about it like they had a shared interest.
Not that Rusty minded. He and Zef had very little in common, and they were both relatively quiet. So it was nice having a topic at hand to talk about, even if Rusty had nothing to contribute.
“It was starting to wilt,” Zef was saying as they showed Rusty several pictures of a large-leafed plant that may have been green or possibly red. “So I removed it from the pot and trimmed the dying roots before placing it in a larger pot with fresh soil. I also moved it out of direct light, and it has simply thrived.”
“That’s awesome. You’re really good at that kind of stuff,” Rusty said, and Zef’s wings buzzed in pleasure.
“I do so enjoy it. It is a peaceful and rewarding hobby,” they said, thumbing through more pictures and explaining the different plants they were growing. “How is your cyctus doing?”
It had died long ago, but Rusty didn’t want to bum Zef out. So he lied. “Yeah, it’s doing great.”
They clasped their top hands together. “How wonderful.”
A loud, familiar laugh rang above the music, and Rusty’s ears swiveled toward the sound, followed by his gaze. Gem was at the bar with the Avia now, his head thrown back as he laughed. Zef was talking, but Rusty wasn’t listening because the Avia was smiling—no, he was leering at Gem, and it had Rusty’s hackles rising.
He leaned in, as if to whisper in Gem’s ear, and his taloned hand flirted over Gem’s arm and wrist. Bodies moved between them and Rusty, impeding his view, but he swore he caught a glimpse of the Avia opening his hand over Gem’s drink, like he was dropping something into it.
And Rusty was moving. Blinding rage and fear coursed through him so forcefully he was practically choking on it. Because, for a moment, he wasn’t in the club anymore. He was waking in an alley, sick and in pain, money and clothes gone, and he didn’t remember how he’d gotten there, only that he felt like he was dying. And that couldn’t happen to Gem.
He shoved through the crowd, but he was short and easily dismissed. It took him too long to get there, and when he finally clawed his way to the bar, Gem and the Avia were gone. So were their drinks.
Panting, Rusty spun in a circle, searching the mass of bodies until he spotted Gem’s dark, glossy hair. He and the Avia were joining the throng onthe dance floor again, and, even at this distance, he could see Gem smiling. His first instinct was to fight his way to Gem’s side, but he faltered.
Then Zef was blocking his way, their expression pinched in concern. “What is wrong, Rusty?”
“I saw…” Rusty started, then drifted off. What had he actually seen? Nothing substantial. He’d been too far away with too many people blocking his view. Did he even know what he’d seen? “I thought I saw the Avia spike Gem’s drink.”
Zef’s nostril slits flared, and they followed Rusty’s stare to the dance floor. “Are you certain?”
“No,” he admitted. “I don’t know for sure. I just… I don’t know.”
“Then we shall keep a sharp eye on him, yes?” they said, looking to him for confirmation. “To be sure?”
Grateful for their support, Rusty nodded. “Yeah, we’ll keep an eye on him. But it was probably nothing.”
Deities below, he hoped it was nothing.
Chapter six
