Lexx closed the door behind him and sighed, then he started to walk on without saying anything to Riley. The littan was not about to let him get away. Riley grabbed Lexx by the arm and hauled him into the study. Lexx drug his feet, but went with him without much of a struggle. Riley pushed Lexx up against the nearest bare wall, getting up in his face with a low growl, but not speaking aloud.
‘I have NEVER taken advantage of your dream state,… ever! You mentally violated her!’ Riley’s words cut through Lexx’s stubborn denial. ‘Do you realize what you did, Lexx?!’
‘I did nothing!’ Lexx protested. ‘She invited me!’
‘Of course she did! She was asleep and she doesn’t know any better!’ Riley’s tone strained with something more than anger. Disappointment? Lexx glared at Riley, meeting his gaze fully and not seeing what he expected. In the dim light, Riley’s pale brown eyes gleamed, wide and panicked. There was also the noticeable glimmer of tears welling up in the corners. ‘That’s the point!! You need to tell her about the relay and how to control it!’
Lexx let his eyes fall to the side, conceding defeat. ‘I didn’t mean to let it go that far… that was not my intention.’
‘I know,’ Riley loosened his grip and stepped back to give Lexx more room. ‘But you did. We ALL get the warning about what happens if you meddle in someone else’s dreams for too long, especially if you are interacting on the level you were in. You can get sucked in and trapped. She was pulling you back into HER mind. You KNOW that if she had succeeded, you wouldn’t have been able to break the link until she was ready to let you out.’ Riley quickly ran the back of his hand over his eyes while Lexx’s head was still turned.
‘I … Riley, it’s hard on me. She wanted me to stay,… I wanted,’ Lexx grumbled over the relay.
‘You’ll only make it worse for yourself and her if you do that again. Tell her about the relay,…’
The two continued their conversation, unaware that their words were touching more than just their own relays. Stealth was listening, her ears flicked back as she had been awakened by the yell. She had been completely unaware up until that moment and now listened with interest.
And then… there was Maenae. She had never told Lexx that she could hear the relays. It was her little secret, one of many. This time it was disturbing. They were so upset. Both of them. She sniffed and turned her head into the couch cushion, hoping they would stop soon and not continue to argue.
Lexx turned his back to Riley, staring at the wall. He knew what would happen. Chel would be furious with him for what he had done. That’s all he could see. He did not want her to be mad at him. Not now. “I,… can’t.” Lexx sighed, leaning forward until his forehead rested against the wall.
“You can and you will,” Riley relaxed, patting Lexx on the shoulder. He had probably overreacted. Actually, he knew he had and spoke apologetically, “Maybe now isn’t the best time, but you will do it. Because if you don’t do it, she’s going to find out on her own and jump to her own conclusions.”
Chel was still sitting up in bed. The room was completely dark with the door closed. Uncertainty had replaced her confusion. What were they really doing? What was she doing? Lexx would never do anything to her, right? Riley wouldn’t either. The thoughts made her uncomfortable. Insecure.
No. If they were going to do anything to her, they would’ve done it before, but the fact that they were in there while she was sleeping made her increasingly uneasy. Lexx liked her. She could push the possibilities aside as much as she wanted to, but in truth, she really liked him as well. That was dangerous.
There was still the problem of it not working. What would it mean if she admitted that to him? She would be the one who would have to leave her world and for what? A possibility? Lexx would not fit in on Earth. Chel sighed. He would be in danger if he tried. Even on that island he wanted to live on, he might be found out, and then what?
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts away from the future and returning to the present. ‘That, really creeped me out. What’s going on? I was dreaming. It was about Lexx,.. I don’t remember exactly,…’ Chel rubbed her head, leaning back in the bed. ‘But it was so real.’ She sighed and smiled, lightly brushing her fingertips over her lips.
‘I kissed him. I kissed him? I wanted to know what it would be like. I,.. heh,..’ she giggled softly to herself. ’I still want to know. But then, I woke up and he was sitting on the bed. I’m sure he was. He was nervous,.. like he had been caught doing something wrong, but what?!’ That troubled her. It wasn’t exactly an acceptable thing for her to wake up with a guy sitting on her bed, human or otherwise. ‘Do I want to know? Do I?’
Chel furrowed her brow in frustration. What had awakened her? It was the strong sensation of someone being very mad. It was hard to describe. Just pure anger. Somehow, she had sensed that it wasn’t directed at her, but at Lexx and it had come from Riley. But how did she know that? How?
The questions rebounded inside her head as she searched for the answers. ‘Don’t get mad at Lexx. It wasn’t his fault.’ She blinked, remembering Riley’s words and her initial thoughts on hearing that.
And she took a moment to reach out, thinking about Lexx and Riley. ‘If you two are listening to this, you had better stop it. I don’t appreciate it.’ It was silly, but it made her relax. ‘Leave me alone.’
What she didn’t know, was that they heard her. Lexx shivered. He was still facing the wall. He knew that Riley had heard it as well because the littan’s fingers had suddenly dug sharply into his shoulder, drawing blood. Both stared at the wall.
“Sorry,” Riley grumbled withdrawing his hand and staring at his fingers.
“She knows,…” Lexx sighed, ignoring the slight pain.
“Maybe you should tell her everything,” suggested Riley in a whisper.
“No, not tonight,” Lexx shook his head. “Not tonight. I would rather wait a little longer. I will tell her. I promise. When it’s time.”
“Don’t put it off too long.” Riley grunted, hitting Lexx’s shoulder playfully. “And cheer up. It’s not the end. It’s life.”
