“Better now?” he asks after a while.
Without opening my eyes, I nod, even though I’m not at all ready to put an end to whatever we’re doing. Being so close, with his arms banded around me, is surprisingly comforting.
“I am Rovos,” he says, putting a little bit of space between us while still cupping the back of my head. “My people are Vesen. We hail from the planet we call Vesu.”
“I heard the blue woman, Igid, call you by name,” I tell him.
“Igid is my oldest, most trusted friend. Her people are Nive from the planet Niveron.”
“And the monkey—Sone, right?—he is a Merry-kitty? What about the lizard-guy?”
“Markatti,” Rovos corrects me, and the corners of his lips lift slightly before he turns serious again. “There isn’t much known about Treto’s people. To be honest, I’m not even sure what his people are called. There are rumors they have been wiped out, and he is one of the last.”
“That’s awful,” I muse, wondering how an entire civilization can just be wiped out. Then I consider how many extinct species of animals Earth has, so maybe it’s not so hard to imagine after all. And doesn’t that make me even sorrier for the lizard man—alien?
“Yes,” Rovos rumbles. His eyes dart back and forth as he stares down at me. “My crew and I are bounty hunters. We specialize in going after slavers.” The hand in my hair moves to my chin, tilting it so that I look up at him. “We always return those captured to their homes.”
“So you’ll really take me home?” The heaviness weighing me down lifts.
“Of course,” he says, although he doesn’t look very happy about it. “I’ll plug in the coordinates, and we’ll head straight there.”
“Oh.” My heart sinks when I realize I don’t know where in the universe I am, or where I’m from. “What if I don’t know what the coordinates are?”
“That’s all right. What is your planet called?”
“Earth,” I tell him, only to have my gut tighten further when Rovos frowns.
“I’m not familiar with any planets called Earth.”
“Right. Of course you’re not.” I shouldn’t be surprised. Still, the disappointment leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Even though I suppose I would be surprised if hehadheard of it. I press on anyway. “What about the Milky Way Galaxy? Have you heard of that?”
“No.” He starts to look worried.
“How am I supposed to get back home if no one knows where my home is?” I’m trying to keep it together, but my voice breaks from fear and frustration.
Of course he’s never heard of Earth or the Milky Way. Humans have barely been past our moon. Why would any aliens—who most people don’t believe exist in the first place—know what we’ve named our little piece of the galaxy?
Rovos blows out a puff of air through his nose. “You wouldn’t be part of any Federation or Galaxy alliances since you haven’t yet had contact with them.”
“We’ve only gotten the hang of space flight in the last seventy years or so.” A bitter laugh escapes from me. “Except for our moon, we haven’t even sent people to our nearest neighboring planet.”
“I see.” The words rumble through his chest. “Do your people have a name?”
His question takes me by surprise, and I stop and think for a moment. “Humans, I guess.”
“Humans?”
“Or sometimes, Earthlings. But, yeah, we consider ourselves to be human.” I glance up and then shrink back, because Rovos is staring at me as if I sprouted a second head. “What’s wrong?”
“You can’t be human; it’s impossible.”
“Okay. Well, I’m not going to argue with you, big guy.” Indignation flutters in my belly. “Why would I lie?”
Rovos wraps his hand around my wrist, and before I can react, he’s pulling me down the dark hallway.
6
Anna
