DEAL WITH THE ALIEN DEVIL

BRIDES OF THE VINDUTHI: BOOK ONE

AVA YORK

CONTENTS

Tessi

Tessi

Alkard

Tessi

Alkard

Tessi

Alkard

Tessi

Alkard

Tessi

Alkard

Tessi

Alkard

Tessi

Alkard

Tessi

Alkard

Tessi

Alkard

Tessi

Alkard

Tessi

Epilogue

TESSI

Atowering wall of flesh reared up in front of me as I dodged through the crowded station Promenade, his vaguely insectoid body supporting itself on four legs, two manipulative limbs thrusting out from his chest.

Multifaceted eyes stared down at me like ice-cold jewels as it clacked its mandibles together in irritation.

“Excuse me,” I said, moving around him and pulling my poncho a bit tighter over my shoulders.

The alien didn’t attempt to stop me.

After all, I was just another human woman on the massively sprawling Thodos III deep space station. Nothing special.

That’s always how I tried to present myself as I made my way through the crowd. The nail that stuck out, got hit.

Every human here knew that.

Sometimes you didn’t even need to stick out.

The glitzy shopping sector had everything one might want, from restaurants to clothiers to computer hardware shops. I checked the station chronometer, a holographic display hovering high above the Promenade and its three levels.

“Shit,” I hissed through clenched teeth. I was running late.

Again.

If I didn’t get there in time, the Mondian who owned my contract would be furious. While he probably wouldn’t kill me or harm me for that matter—it would be a waste of his money to do so—I would find myself doing shit jobs when I wasn’t on stage.

Since I had no intention of cleaning the lavatories with a brush held in my mouth again, I tried moving faster, but it was hopeless. A teeming mass of sentient beings blocked the lanes, both human and alien forms in the mix.

I would never make it to the club on time, not with this milling throng of people in the way. A darkened alleyway drew my eyes, really just a space between two shops that allowed for a coolant pipe to run along. But here on Thodos, every space was used.

If I stayed on the main thoroughfare, I would arrive safely, but late. If, on the other hand, I took the back alleys of the space station, I would make it on time…assuming of course, I made it at all.

Fuck it.

I stepped into the alleyway, only going a few feet when the lights of the Promenade faded behind me. Someone up ahead in the alleyway coughed wetly, probably a deathstick addict. I pulled my poncho a bit tighter and tried to keep as much to the side of the alley as possible.

I passed by a trash incinerator unit, multiple pairs of red eyes peering out from under the rectangular box-like device. Moknars, scavenger rodents with a propensity for attacking things much larger than a human when disturbed, looking for scraps of food spilled and dropped by careless users of the incinerator.

Thankfully, they left me alone.

I made it through the alley and found myself in a low-ceilinged, dark passage. Sinister gazes passed over me as I traveled through. A human-sized shape stirred in the darkness. A furry face with a long snout and beady black eyes peered intently at me from the shadows.

My belly tightened up in knots as I heard the creature fall in behind me. It was an Ewani, a rat-like humanoid alien who never met a race they didn’t want to exploit. Slavers, thieves, and charlatans; they were among the least politically powerful groups on the station, and yet they seemed ubiquitous if you went even a little off the main path.

This one likely didn’t have good intentions for me.

I rounded a corner and saw the last passage I had to walk before making it to Club Pulsar. I sped up to a half run, and the footsteps behind me sped up, too.

A new shape broke apart from the deeper shadows ahead and blocked my passage. Another Ewani, half its face melted and hairless from some kind of injury, hissed at me.

“That’s far enough, preciousss,” he said, buck teeth protruding almost comically from his ruined face. “You have to pay the toll if you wantssss to passs through.”

“I don’t have any money,” I said, trying to move aside. The Ewani moved to block my path. I took a step back and turned around, only to find the original rat man standing behind me.

“We don’t wantsss your moneys…” the rat hissed. His hand darted out and grabbed the fold of my poncho, lifting it away. I yelped, pulling away from him as my miniscule club clothing was revealed by his rude gesture.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I said, reaching behind me and gripping the handle of the knife strapped to the small of my back. I whipped it out of its sheath and waved it menacingly in front of me. “I’ll cut your whiskers off.”

The Ewani’s eyes narrowed, and they approached me far more craftily than they had before. I cursed silently. Why couldn’t they be overconfident and just walk into my knife like they did on the triVid?

One of them spun in a tight circle, his tail lashing out with a whip crack. I screamed as a blazing pain tore across the back of my hand. The knife pinged down the metal deck plating and I decided to yield to the better part of valor and make a run for it.

No such luck.

A furry hand closed on my wrist. I lashed out with my free hand, my feet, my knees, clubbing the Ewani with vehemence, but it didn’t do a thing to free my wrist.

The other Ewani came from behind, its furry arm snaking around my throat and pulling tight. The choke hold squeezed off the flow of blood to my brain, making my vision dim at the edges.

Nightmarish despair rolled through me in a wave. I was going down, and most likely, I would never get up again. After the Ewani had their ‘fun,’ there probably wouldn’t be enough of me left to bury.

“Disgusting.”

A voice cut through the din. Deep and cold as outer space, and filled to the brim with revulsion. The arm around my throat loosened slightly, enough that I reclaimed my fading consciousness.

I looked toward the voice, and found a tall silhouette with glowing red eyes standing there. From the pointed ears and the eyes, I knew what it was.

Vinduthi.

If you’d grown up watching old vids from Earth, you might be tempted to think of a vampire.

That would be a mistake.

The Vinduthi were very real.

They were very much alive.

And very, very much feared.

It wasn’t just for their considerable physical prowess, either.

They were known to control at least a third of the organized crime on Thodos III. People who crossed them tended not to live very long.

The Ewani were either too worked up, or too stupid to realize the danger they were in.

“You go away, sssscum,” hissed the Ewani in front of me, his fingers holding the drawstring on my halter top. “Or waitssss your turnsss.”

The Ewani yanked the cord and my breasts came bursting out of my top. I renewed my struggles, digging the point of my elbow into the ribs of the Ewani holding me. A wet, crackling sound ripped through the air and the first Ewani screamed.

“Your filthy hands do not deserve to touch such perfection.”

I looked up from my struggles to find the Ewani staring at the bloody stump of its wrist. The silhouetted Vinduthi casually tossed the severed appendage to the side, where it jumped and spasmed of its own accord as if it had not gotten the message it was no longer attached.

The Ewani grappling with me threw me to the ground, pulling an energy pistol from its dirty waistband.

“Now yous diesss,” it hissed, pointing the gun at the Vinduthi.

The silhouette disappeared. I blinked, not even having seen my rescuer move. A second later, I heard a choking sound, and looked up to see him holding the rat man by its throat. The Ewani’s legs kicked in the air as its eyes bulged out.

“As if I would allow myself to be done in by the likes of you,” the Vinduthi hissed.

Now that he stood in a pool of radiance cast by an overhead lighting panel, I got my first good look at him.

My heart caught in my throat. I’d never seen one this close before, and I found him darkly beautiful.

The strong muscles around his jaws and his prominently pointed canines did nothing to detract from his handsomeness. In fact, they even enhanced it a little, giving him an almost bestial quality belied by his fine silken vest and pants.

A row of small horns ran back from each temple, drawing my eye to the marks on his cheek.

One bare arm glowed with the same purple designs, much like Terran tattoos, but were not. They were natural markings, highlighting the play of muscles in his arm as he squeezed tighter. The rat man struggled frantically for a few more seconds, and then hung limply, its tongue thrust out to the side of its fanged mouth.

The Vinduthi tossed the Ewani’s body aside like it was some filth he had accidentally touched. Then his terrible, compelling eyes fell on little old me.

“Are you all right?” he asked and incredibly, offered his hand.

I almost took it, but then I remembered two things.

One, my status on the station was so low, the Vinduthi could kill me just as easily as the Ewani.

Two, I was running later than ever and my boss would be furious.

“Thank you,” I stammered, scrambling backwards and to my feet. The Vinduthi gave me a puzzled frown as I turned to flee.

I had never run so hard in my entire life. I didn’t stop running until I was back under the bright lights of the station’s ‘safe’ zones.

And even then, when I thought of those purple markings and the flashing, hungry eyes, I shivered.

TESSI

My boss, Banek Mari, glared at me as I entered the club.

“You’re late.”

“I was attacked.”

Whatever retort he had prepared was cut off by my shakiness and terrified expression.

That was all it took to convince him it was no bluff. He came over to me immediately, taking my chin in his hands and turning my face this way and that.

I was perfectly aware Banek had not one whit of sympathy within his scaled, crimson body. He only cared if his merchandise had been damaged.

“No obvious marks,” he mused to himself, and then he noticed the reddening mark on my wrist from the Ewani’s hand. “Except for this. Cover it with a bracelet, and get on stage three.”

I kept my scowl hidden from him as I moved off. That was it. No kind words, no request for an explanation of what happened. Just a cold dismissal.

Worse, he’d told me to dance on stage three…where the patrons were close enough to touch me if they wanted. The bouncers were decidedly lazy at Pulsar, and unless one of the patrons looked as if they were going to cause legit harm to the ‘merchandise,’ they would be left alone.

It was what it was.

I could do this. I’d already promised myself I could put up with almost anything to find Mera.

Until then…I had no choice but to do as I was told.

I headed through the smoke-filled, darkened club. Another dancer swirled about on the stage, a Nazok with six exposed breasts.

The patrons cat-called, and offered ‘favors.’ Favor chips weren’t as good as credits, but could be used to purchase privileges from Banek.

I’d used my latest accumulation to purchase three days off in a row to look for Mera, all to no avail.

I pushed through the beaded curtain into the dancer’s dressing room. Another dancer, a brunette named Shorena, smiled as I entered.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” I said. “I got jumped by a couple of Ewani, but I’m fine.”

She frowned, looking worried. “Did they hurt you?”

I snorted in reply.

“No, someone intervened.”

“Who? Station security?”

“No.” I remembered my darkly handsome rescuer and shuddered. “One of the Vinduthi stepped in and saved me…and before you ask, I have no idea why.”

“What color were his tattoos?” Shorena asked without skipping a beat.

For a moment, I froze, thinking about him more clearly. His face, those eyes. The way he’d reached for me…

“Um, purple.” Her eyes went wide.

“Only one Vinduthi on the station has purple markings—the leader of the Fangs, Alkard. Did he say anything to you?”

The low growl of his voice still echoed in my ears.

I swallowed hard.

“He asked me if I was all right. I thanked him and then ran like hell before I wound up next on his menu.”

Shorena snorted.

“Like running away would have saved you if he wanted you.”

That wasn’t encouraging.

But thinking about it anymore didn’t do me any good. Shoving the whole incident to the back of my mind, I removed the poncho and halter top, checking my reflection in the mirror. Now I wore only a leather harness on my torso, a sparkly bra and panty set, and high heeled, knee high boots.

A vulgar outfit, but I had no choice in the matter.

Dressing comfortably didn’t get me favors.

I put on leather cuffs, covering the bruise on my right wrist, and spruced up my cosmetics before rushing toward the curtained door.

I stepped up on stage just as the emcee did my intro, wearing a smile I didn’t feel, sauntering toward the pole in the center of the long, narrow stage. In this moment, I knew that I wielded a kind of power. Too bad I could not reap the benefits of it myself.

A slimy tentacle ran up my thigh. I laughed and playfully smacked it away, even though it disgusted me to be pawed like a piece of meat at the market.

I’ll do this, I thought. I’ll do this to find Mera.

In my mind, I tried picturing the handsome Vinduthi staring at me instead of the scumbag patrons.

The frightening, cold eyes, the purple tracery visible on his left arm and the side of his neck, the tight black clothing revealing his fantastically chiseled physique…

As if my thoughts had summoned them, four Vinduthi walked in through the entrance.

Leading them was Alkard, the one who had saved me. The other three walked carefully behind him, though they looked quite fearsome in their own right. Fangs.

I tensed up a bit. The Mondians and the Vinduthi were technically on good terms, but they also tended to stay out of each other’s territories. What were they doing here?

I was so distracted, I nearly stumbled off the edge of the stage.

One of the other dancers caught me with a hand on my hip.

“Thanks, Lola.”

“Quit fucking up, you’re going to get us all in trouble,” Lola snapped.

I tried my best to perform, pulling off my harness, playing with the straps, but my gaze kept gravitating to Alkard and his bunch of its own accord.

The music ended, and I bent over to pick up my discarded clothing while swiveling my hips to the side to avoid another tentacle caress. Once off stage, I redressed to take a shift on the tables when Banek loomed over me.

“No,” he said. “Don’t get dressed. Get in the booth.”

My heart skipped a beat, my breath catching in my throat. This was bad.

So far, I’d avoided the booth.

My best friend worked at this club when she disappeared. That made it a natural place to look.

We’d grown up together in the Under, watched each other’s backs our whole lives.

When she’d signed the contract to work at the Pulsar, she’d been excited. Not for the work, but for the eventual payout. Enough to get an apartment, nothing big, just something we could call our own.

I’d worried, but she laughed and hugged me.

And then she went missing.

People went missing all the time on Thodos III. Swallowed up by the station, by the gangs or smugglers.

But I couldn’t forget about her, couldn’t let it go. Even if I had to put up with being leered and pawed at, if I could just get a clue to what had happened to her, it would be worth it.

But if Banek put me in the booth, it meant that I’d performed a little too well. One of the patrons had inquired about purchasing my contract.

I steeled myself, setting my jaw hard. Life on Thodos III was rough, but I hadn’t broken yet, and I wouldn’t break now. Head held high, I went to the booth, trying for a defiant stride rather than a meek, hunched simpering walk.

The booth rose up from the floor, one of the clear paneled walls opening for my ingress. I stepped inside, hanging my clothing on the safety rail.

The booth closed me inside, and a gaggle of patrons of all different species gathered around. Most of them likely couldn’t afford my contract, but they were still going to gawk.

“Don’t just stand there, Tessi,” Banek growled. “Entice them or something.”

“She can entice me with those big tits,” said a squid faced alien, and the others laughed.

“No way am I going home with a walking plate of calamari,” I said. The squid grew angry, but the other patrons laughed.

“She’s got spunk,” said another alien. “I like her. Too bad there’s no way I can afford her contract.”

Yeah, it wasn’t really bravery. Just terror making my mouth run faster than my brain.

More and more of the aliens crowded around, interested in the ‘new meat’ for sale. With every moment, my heartbeat sounded louder in my ears, my breaths becoming shallower until I was almost dizzy.

“Who wants a lowly human, anyway?” sneered another patron. “I hear they’re hard to train properly, and aren’t very smart.”

“Smart enough not to wear two clashing patterns,” I snapped, eying his hideous garment with disdain.

Shut up! I chided myself. Shut up, shut up!

The other patrons enjoyed my antics. Banek did not. He crossed his arms over his chest and stood staring with a glare on his draconic face.

I wondered where the Vinduthi had gone. I could not see much of the club with all of the leering aliens gathered around my booth. Thank goodness they couldn’t touch me through it.

The booth featured a credit chip slot affixed to the side, where my purchase price could be inserted. Then the booth would open and I would belong to the person who bought my contract.

I had stopped paying attention to it. There was nothing I could do, other than be trapped here, and spit out my fury to the crowd around me.

The feistier I acted, the more the patrons seemed to think I was just hamming it up and teasing them.

Banek wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity. He got on the house mic and worked his salesman’s magic.

“Just look at this tigress,” he said. “Only a real man can hope to tame her. Looking around here, I’m not sure if any of you have the guts to try.”

“I have the guts,” said the squid. “Just not the credits.”

“Words cannot express my disappointment,” I said icily.

The sound of metal clinking into the slot caught my attention, and the world stopped around me.

Someone had put their money in the booth.

Oh shit.

I’d just been sold.

ALKARD

Iignored the flashing lights, the pulsing bass, and the naked swirling female forms scattered over Club Pulsar. That was not why I had come here. I moved over to the bar to look for Banek, the club’s owner.

Something silken-limbed and willing tried to entice me into one of the back rooms, but I pulled away from her with a grunt of annoyance. I normally didn’t mind female attention, but I was here on business.

Besides, ever since my encounter with the dark haired, dark eyed damsel in distress, I’d been unable to completely get her out of my mind.

She’d run away, her tempting form disappearing into the crowds, and I’d continued on my way to meet my men. She was nothing. Just another human.

But still…

When I reached the bar, I was directed to the emcee booth, and encountered the dragon-like Banek as he made his way down the booth’s short staircase.

“Alkard,” he said, a smile spreading over his features. I returned it, a rarity for me. A smile didn’t even feel right on my face, but the Mondians had been allies of the Vinduthi in the war. “Long time, no see. What are you doing slumming it back here? I’ll give you the best seats in the house, right up in front of the stage.”

“I’m afraid I didn’t come here for that kind of fun,” I replied. “I’m here for information.”

Banek’s expression grew grim.

“You always are. But I’m afraid I don’t know anything about your missing shipment.” He shrugged. “Glad to see that the Fanaith’s little surprise party didn’t slow you down any.”

A slow bubble of pleasure ran through me. The backstabbing little bastards had called for a summit, babbled on about a new treaty between our territory and theirs.

It’d been an obvious ambush.

But now I had one survivor safely stowed away.

There were more ways to get information than politely asking.

“A pity.” I sighed. “It’s as if those weapons disappeared down a black hole.”

“I wish I could be of more help. Of course, we both know that there’s one person on the station who knows where that shipment got off to.”

“Conii,” I said sourly. The Nazok leader had always been a thorn in my side, but now she threatened to turn into much more. A legitimate rival for control of the station’s criminal enterprises.

She was smart enough not to move directly against the family but I wondered how much longer it would be before a war broke out.

“She’s too clever by far,” I said. “I don’t get it. Something is wrong, old friend. Something I can’t put my finger on, but I have a feeling it could be bad.”

I preferred order to chaos. When things were out of my control, when they weren’t neat and tidy, it bothered me a great deal.

“I think you worry too much,” Banek replied.

“And I do not think you worry enough,” I replied. “If I recall, it was you who suggested a daytime raid at the battle of Bauxelle. That was ridiculous.”

Banked shrugged his scaled shoulders.

“I thought it would be the last thing the enemy would expect, an attack in broad daylight. And you were the one who—”

A commotion on the floor drew our attention. I looked over and froze.

The woman.

The same one from the alleyway, only now I could see pretty much everything she had to offer.

And she had a lot. I felt my cock twitch hard at the sight of her naked perfection.

She stood in one of the display booths. A door slid open, and the tentacled hand of Kolluskian wrapped around her wrist.

A growl rumbled through my chest. That was the wrist that had been hurt when the Ewani attacked.

She struggled against the alien’s grip, her heavy breasts swaying in a hypnotic way. And then it hit me.

The scent of the girl’s fear.

I didn’t make a conscious decision to surge across the crowded floor. I didn’t even think as my fist smashed into the squirming, tentacled face of the Kolluskian who’d just bought the girl.

But as the man fell to the floor, I thought a lot. Mostly of how I had disrupted business in one of my supposed ally’s main sources of income.

We Vinduthi were powerful, but we also cultivated an image of being defenders of the common man. Like many other criminal organizations, our reputation was everything, both good and bad.

So fighting back my snarl, I held my hand out and helped the buyer to his feet.

“I’m sorry, friend,” I said. “I got a little excited. I just didn’t want you to waste your money on clearly defective merchandise.”

“Defective?” the Kolluskian asked, holding his jaw.

“Yes, she has all the signs of a Snipe infection.”

Banek forced his way through the crowd, glaring at me. “My merchandise is fine.”

“Of course, of course.” I raised an eyebrow, hoping he’d go along with this. We’d been comrades in battle before. Thodos III wasn’t much different. “This is a rare, human specific disease that only interacts with Kolluskian.”

Banak leaned back, eyes still flat. “Fascinating that you know these details.”

I waved a hand, turning away slightly. “You know me. I’m always interested in information.”

Luckily, the woman’s buyer had only absorbed the words that affected him.

“An infection?” The squid man gasped. “But I already paid for her.”

“No refunds,” Banek snapped.

“That’s all right.” I withdrew my percomm and made the credits transfer. “I’ll take her off your hands.”

The squid man seemed somewhat relieved, but still rubbed his jaw.

“Let me buy you a drink,” I said. I raised my voice to parade levels. “In fact, let me buy everyone a round of drinks.”

I almost felt Banek’s smirk.

The patrons cheered and the tension flowed out of the room.

By the dark, people were easily led.

I turned around and found the human woman standing beside the booth. Her arms were crossed over her naked breasts, a look of defiance on her lovely face. I felt the sharp pang of hunger stab at me as I drank in the sight of her.

“Come here.”

When she did not move, I grabbed her wrist—the uninjured one—and led her over to a nearby, empty table.

“What’s your deal, buddy?” she gasped as I pulled her into my lap.

“Shhh,” I said gently, trying to calm her down. “Everything will be all right now.”

She still looked at me fearfully. I stroked my hand through her midnight mane. Her hair felt like finely spun silk running through my fingers.

“Let go of me,” the woman gasped, pushing against me with her hands. Then she slapped me with her free hand, a sharp crack echoing over the club.

I did not even feel it.

“I love how much fight you have in you,” I said, catching both of her wrists in one of my hands. “But I can’t let you hurt yourself.”

The leather cuffs made it easy to hold onto her. With care not to harm her joints, I pulled her hands down into her lap and went back to stroking her hair.

She fought me, struggling fiercely, but to no avail.

This was madness. I didn’t force women. The very thought was distasteful, and there had never been a need.

But I couldn’t let her go.

Banek came over, a half-smile twisting his lips.

“You really want Tessi? She’s liable to bite off your cock, spit in your eyes, and cross her legs.”

“Fuck you,” Tessi sputtered, still squirming in my lap.

I wondered what it was about this particular human female that I found so appealing. Yes, she was lovely, and had generous attributes that made my blood heat up like fire. But it went far beyond that. Something profound pulled me toward her, an inexorable force I didn’t even want to resist.

“It’s been a long day, Banek,” I said, without tearing my eyes off of the girl squirming in my lap. The curves of her ass rubbed against my crotch in spite of her best efforts to avoid it. My body responded, a light-headed passion taking me over. “I would like to test out the merchandise.”

“You can take the VIP room. It’s the only one I know that gets cleaned to the meticulous level you require.”

I stared at him. “I have no idea where that is.”

Banek sighed. “Through the red beaded curtain, the last stop on your left.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re not taking me anywhere,” the girl cried, then bent her head down and bit my hand.

I laughed, more charmed and amused than offended.

“Careful,” I cautioned. “I told you not to hurt yourself. Vinduthi skin is tough, indeed.”

She increased the pressure, as if to mock my warning. Tessi squirmed out of my lap, getting her slippered feet on the floor. She tugged hard, but I still held her wrists in an iron grip.

The idea of her running across the floor, alone and uncovered, undefended, was impossible to accept.

“Let go of me, you fucking prick,” she snapped. “Just because you saved me doesn’t mean you own me.”

“You are correct,” I said. She stopped struggling, puzzlement spreading over her beautiful face. Pulling off my shirt, I wrapped it around her then lifted her in my arms.

“The fact that I have purchased you means I own you.”

TESSI

“Put me down, asshole!”

I rammed my elbow into the Vinduthi’s chest, but he didn’t so much as flinch. My elbow stung and then went numb, as if I had slammed it into a tree trunk. I might as well have for all the good any of my efforts had done.

So far, no one had chosen to take me to the back.

Some of the other girls preferred it, a faster way to rack up the credits that would earn out their contracts.

But this would be my first time, and possibly the last if the rumors about Vinduthi devouring their lovers proved to be true.

Fear threatened to paralyze me, but if I stopped struggling even for an instant, that would be it for me. So I threw everything I had into resisting the towering Vinduthi, all to no avail.

As he carried me through the doorway into the VIP room, I grabbed the frame. My fingers peeled right off the metal as he didn’t even break his stride.

Inside the VIP room was a large bed with attached restraints, a miniature lighted stage, and sound system, as well as a mini bar. He tossed me onto the bed and was on top of me before I could even blink.

I continued to squirm beneath his bulk, desperately trying to escape. He opened his mouth and lowered his face to my neck. This was it. He was going to eat me—

His tongue darted out and slid along my sensitive skin in a slow, sensual caress. Instantly, I froze, brain sparkling with pleasure at the touch of his saliva on my skin. A shiver went through my body, turning to a deep throbbing between my legs.

What in the hell did he just do to me? I feel…I feel so good.

Alkard ran his hand up my side, pushing open the shirt he’d wrapped me in, then cupped my breast.

It broke my mind free of the hypnotic pleasure.

“Stop,” I pleaded in a whisper. “Please, stop.”

Alkard stopped, a look of confusion on his face mirroring my own, then glanced about the room as if truly noticing it for the first time. In spite of being the ‘VIP’ room, the environs were decidedly dingy and worn.

“You should not be here,” he says. “This place is…disgusting. You will dance at my club instead.”

I blinked, unbelieving that he’d stopped his amorous advances on my say so. And now he offered me another indenture, instead of turning me into his personal pleasure slave?

The vein of disappointment running through my relief made me a little bit disgusted with myself.

Then it hit me.

“No,” I said in a shaky voice. “I can’t leave here. Please, don’t make me leave.”

A frown wrinkled his handsome face.

“I don’t understand why you would want to stay here. My club is much larger, much nicer, and much, much cleaner. And I allow my indentures to collect actual credits for tips.”

“No, I can’t leave.”

He shook his head.

“Why not? You obviously hate this place. And you have no idea what you are in for if you stay. Not all patrons are so put off by a struggling female. In fact, it turns some of them on.”

Like you, I thought, but kept it to myself.

“You must understand, my dear, Tessi,” he said in a rich tone that had me shivering all over again. “The women who work for us seldom want to leave. No one’s saying that humans aren’t on the bottom rung of Thodos society. But I am saying that working for me represents a path out of poverty. You can pay off your contract and be a free woman.”

I grimaced, wishing he would stop sweetening the pot. His honeyed words made it harder and harder to resist him. In fact, just staring into his incendiary gaze proved enough to make my resolve weaken.

“It’s true that most people wind up working many years longer than their original contract,” I said carefully.

This terrifying man tried to be reasonable with me, or his version of reasonable. I didn’t want to set him off. Part of me still feared his reputation very much. His reputation, and the burning desire in his eyes.

“Yes, that’s the trap. But the Vinduthi do not traffic in dirty deals. We might be ruthless, and we might demand full payment on time, but we don’t try to fuck over the people who work for or with us.”

I nodded, having heard as much. The Fangs were dangerous as hell, but they usually kept their word.

“So,” he said. “Now what do you think of my offer?”

I pulled the thin blanket over my nakedness. It didn’t feel right to talk about my future, or my missing friend while I was completely exposed.

“I think that I still have to decline,” I said. “Respectfully.”

His brow furrowed in thought. I tried to guess what was going on behind his stalwart gaze, but it proved hopeless.

I didn’t know if he had grown angry or not.

At length, his features relaxed, and so did I, letting out a breath I hadn’t known I still held.

“Why do you resist me?”

I pursed my lips thoughtfully.

Does he mean why am I resisting his offer…or why am I resisting him in particular?

The answer was the same in both cases.

“It’s…” I sighed, realizing I had little choice but to come clean. “I arranged things so I would be indentured at Pulsar for a specific reason. My friend, Mera, has been missing for a while now. The last place she was seen was Club Pulsar.”

The light of understanding dawned in his gaze.

“I see. And how have your investigations into her disappearance progressed, my dear, Tessi?”

I felt as if I had been slapped. My investigations were going exactly nowhere. It was enough to make me fall into despair.

I turned my gaze away from him, focusing on an erotic mural on the wall instead. A bunch of centaur-like beings cavorted with scaled, winged females. They looked happy. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been truly happy.

“I take your silence as confirmation of what I suspected.”

I turned back to him, and found his expression didn’t seem quite as cold as it had before.

I didn’t have the gumption to speak, so I gave Alkard a slight nod.

“I see. Then allow me to offer my assistance…for a price.”

His eyes blazed as he loomed a bit closer. I felt my heart skip a beat. I tried to swallow the lump forcing its way into my throat.

God, he’s so good looking…no, Tessi. Keep this strictly professional. Mera would do the same for you.

I reached up and drew the blanket down, revealing my body to him once again.

I could do this.

Alkard arched an eyebrow, and a bemused smile twisted his sensual lips.

“I have no objections, but that’s not what I meant. I want you to work for my club. In exchange, I will help you find out what happened to your friend.”

Hope surged in my breast, but past experience and suspicion beat it back down into submission.

“How do I know I can trust you?”

He shrugged.

“You do not. No one knows if they can trust anyone, not really. You must take…how do you humans put it? Oh, yes. A leap of faith.”

Put my faith in a space vampire? Fuck, what choice do I have?

Alkard drew back a bit further, making me less flustered and more able to think.

“Does your friend have a surname?”

“Lashley.”

“And what does she look like?”

“About my height and general build, with reddish blonde hair and green eyes. She’s about the same age as me, too.”

He nodded, his eyes growing distant as if he were filing the information away for later use.

Maybe, just maybe, he really was going to help me find Mera.

“Ah. So she is young and beautiful as well? Though, nowhere near as beautiful as you.”

I felt heat rush through my body and burn my cheeks. I turned away from him.

“You sound sure of that.”

“Oh, my dear, Tessi,” he purred, putting a hand on my bare knee. I shivered in spite of myself. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life.”

It took me several moments to recover the ability to speak. My mind reeled with conflicting emotions.

I don’t know if I can trust him or not…but I do know I can trust how it feels when he touches me.

He took my hand and tugged gently but insistently until I was on my feet, standing so close, I felt his body heat.

“So, do we have a deal?”

I opened my mouth but no sound came out. His hand caressed my cheek, and a soft sigh issued from my lips unbidden. It felt so good to have him touch me.

His hand slid around to the back of my head, and then he leaned in. I stilled, thinking he was going to kiss me, but instead, his mouth went to my neck. His tongue slithered over my sensitive skin with a sensual lick.

My mouth flew open and my knees buckled. I would have fallen if he didn’t catch me by the arms. A sound that was something between the word yes and a sensual moan escaped my mouth.

Quivering like a captive mouse, I tried to regain my composure.

What was that? The second he licked me, I felt, I felt…I felt good. Almost too good.

“You’ve made me very, very happy by accepting my offer, my sweet, Tessi.”

I struggled to meet his gaze. I feared what I might do if I looked into those smoldering hot eyes again. I forced my chin up, just in time to see him darting towards my neck again.

His tongue licked briefly over my flesh, stirring a sharp gasp and the thumping of my heart.

Then his teeth sank into my flesh.

I squeaked, too surprised to pull away or otherwise react. After the lick, my body reeled with pleasure. The sudden addition of pain conflated the two sensations, making them mingle in my nerves like autumn lighting.

“Just to get your taste,” he mumbled into my skin before pulling away. “And to make sure that you don’t forget our deal.”

ALKARD

My heart pounded hard in my chest, pumping fire through my entire body. I stood looking at the mostly naked Tessi, a tiny trail of blood trickled from the bite I had left on her neck.

It wasn’t…quite…a claiming bite. I hadn’t felt she was ready for such a thing. Then I wondered why I cared so much what Tessi wanted.

“I would imagine,” I said, my voice sounding strangely loud to my ears. “That you have people you would like to say goodbye to.”

Tessi’s glossy gaze remained transfixed on me. Her mouth opened. Full, red lips trembled but uttered no sound. She offered a nod, still unable to tear her gaze away from mine.

“Then go. I have things to do as well.”

She went to leave, but my hand darted out as if of its own accord, closing around her bicep. Tessi froze, her body touching mine as we stood side by side, looking in different directions.

I don’t want to let her go. What’s wrong with me?

Carefully, I wrapped the blanket around her, tying it at her waist. “Do not tarry,” I said at length, because it seemed as if I should say something. “I expect you to be at the Fallen Star in an hour.”

Anything to break the spell, because otherwise I would throw her back on the bed and ravish her all night long.

I forced myself to let her go. I turned and watched as she retreated from the VIP room and disappeared down the hallway.

A low growl escaped my throat, and I fought the urge to go after her. I got myself under control, relying on decades of hard won discipline. I wasn’t the head of the family for nothing.

I left the back area and returned to the thudding bass and flashing lights of the main club floor. Banek stood over at the bar, wearing a puzzled frown as I approached.

“That was fast,” Banek said as I joined him at the bar. “Even for you, when you’re, ah, worked up.”

I snorted.

“I guess she wasn’t worth the fight after all?” Banek asked.

I waved him off, pushing away the unexpected urge to hit him.

“No, I simply decided to take my time with this one. She is…a rare delicacy.”

He smirked.

“And you’ve already sampled her, I see.”

I cocked an eyebrow.

“Your mouth,” Banek said, gesturing to the corner of his own lips. “You’ve got a little red there.”

I took a napkin from the glass box and dabbed the blood away. I had been sorely tempted to lick it away, but that would have confirmed Banek’s suspicions.

“I’m surprised at you, Alkard,” Banek said, breaking my concentration. “Playing with your food and all.”

I stared over the crowd before turning back. “How amusing. If your club ever goes under, you have a career waiting for you as a comedian.”

Banek smirked on cue at the old joke and gestured back at the bar.

“Xuron Ale? A whole cask just matured, and let me tell you, I got the taste perfect this time.”

I perked up.

“Of course, it’s not Tessi’s blood,” Banek said as he got a thick glass bottle filled with amber fluid from the bar. He hooked two clawed fingers into a pair of short glasses on his way back to me.

He put the glasses down with an audible thunk, then thrust the cork between his teeth, careful not to bite too hard, and uncorked the bottle.

My nostrils flared as Banek filled his glass. The smoky aroma of the ale combined with my already heightened senses made me feel flush with sensual pleasures.

Banek poured himself a glass as well, and then glanced up at me.

“The humans have a rather endearing tradition before drinking.”

“A toast,” I said with a nod. “I approve of this tradition. What should we toast?”

“Hmm.” Banek rubbed his chin with his free hand. “How about to life and all of its many pleasures?”

I let out a bark of laughter, my heart warmed by my friend’s words and company. Everyone thought me to be coldhearted, and that was certainly a reasonable assumption given my demeanor and reputation.

The truth was, I had lost too many close friends during the war to risk liking anyone anymore. I allowed myself to like Banek, though. Partly because when we had met during the war, the two of us hated each other’s guts and even came to blows on several occasions.

Then the battle of Bauxelle happened, and I learned a lot of things. About myself, Banek, and the Mondian people in general. Now Banek and I were fast friends.

Which meant I could ask for help.

We clicked our glasses together, and I sipped the ale. The flavor mingled with the lingering taste of Tessi’s blood in a way that I found pleasing.

“Tessi told me that a friend of hers went missing.”

“Tragic,” Banek said with a casual shrug that said he really didn’t care all that much. “But humans go missing from the station all the time. Especially the women. It is what it is.”

“Well, this particular human woman worked for you at this very club,” I said. “Do you remember a woman named Mera Lashley? Reddish-golden hair?”

“Oh, Mera?” Banek’s eyes softened, a rarity. “Yeah, I remember her. Sweet girl. The exact opposite of the one you just bought from me.”

“Do you know what happened to her?” I asked.

“I don’t have a clue.” Banek shrugged. “One day she just stopped showing up for her shifts. No one’s seen or heard from her since.”

“You own her contract, do you not?”

“Of course I do,” Banek said. “But it doesn’t do me much good if she’s gone.”

“No, that’s not what I mean.” I sighed with frustration. “I mean, didn’t you look for her? You’re out a lot of credits if your dancers just don’t show up.”

“To be honest,” Banek admitted, “I didn’t look all that hard.”

“Why not?”

Banek looked uncomfortable. He took a long drink from his glass, emptying it, then cracked the glass down with more vehemence than necessary.

“Don’t tell me you had something to do with her disappearance?” I asked.

“No, I didn’t,” Banek said quickly. “You know I’m not like that. I try to take care of my indentures, for practical reasons, of course.”

“Then why didn’t you look for her harder?”

Banek grumbled under his breath and poured himself another glass of ale.

“Damn it all, Alkard. You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you? I didn’t look for her because I wanted her to escape.”

I was taken aback.

“What?”

“I figured that when she disappeared, Mera had run off. Found a way off the station maybe, I don’t know. Maybe she found a protector. I thought if I filed a formal complaint to station security, it would cause a big mess.”

“You were afraid they wouldn’t find her?”

“No. I was afraid they would. Mera was too sweet tempered for the life of a dancer. She cared more about others than herself. I…was going to eat the loss of her contract.”

I cackled and sipped my own ale.

“Now who’s gone sentimental?”

“Oh please, I’d shoot any of these girls in the head if it got me a few light years down the road.”

I smirked.

“Fuck you,” Banek snapped, confirming my suspicions. “Look, if you want, I can make some inquiries and see what I can find out about Mera.”

I perked up.

“I’ll compensate you generously for your time and effort,” I said, pulling out my percomm.

“I don’t want your credits, Alkard.”

I glanced up at Banek. His eyes were shining, and a slight smile stretched his lips.

“Then what do you want?”

“Hmm…” Banek stroked his chin. “I think I’d like to just have you owe me a favor.”

I gritted my teeth as a flash of anger came over me. I hated, absolutely hated, owing people vague favors.

You never knew when they would call in their marker, or what they would demand in return for it.

“I don’t have to make those inquiries,” Banek said with a shrug. “No scales off my snout.”

“No,” I said, forcing myself into a semblance of composure. “I’d like you to make them after all. Just don’t expect a moon for a handful of dust.”

Banek laughed, clearly enjoying himself.

“Oh, I like this. You owing me a favor, I mean. Perhaps I’ll ask for your help on something, or maybe I’ll just have you dress up like a milkmaid for my amusement.”

“Fuck off, Banek,” I said, putting the glass down.

I’d considered waiting for Tessi, but now I was in no mood to be gentle.

She shouldn’t see me like this.

And I wasn’t going to spend any time wondering why I thought that.

“Thanks for the ale. Send my new girl my way when she’s dressed.”

“Where are you going?” Banek asked as I turned to leave.

“To deal with some unfinished business from earlier,” I snapped.

Fortunately, I knew just the way to work off my anger.

Namely, interrogating the sole Fanaith survivor from the ambush.

TESSI

Iexited Pulsar, a backpack full of my cosmetics and personal gear dangling from my right shoulder. In my left hand, I held the indenture contract which would now be passed over to Alkard.

And in my chest, a tiny, feeble flicker of hope.

Could Alkard really help me find Mera?

In any event, it was too late now. I had made the deal. Now I had to honor it.

I made my way across the Promenade. A number of sentient beings paused in the middle of the main thoroughfare, staring straight up. On instinct, I did the same.

The undulating, slowly hovering form of an Uune hung up near the ceiling. Tiny appendages extended like fingers, or tentacles, from the top of its roughly conical body. What it was up to, nobody knew. The Uune had created the station, and continued to add shells onto it, as well as performing general maintenance.

All of that, and nobody had ever spoken to one. The prevailing theory of the Uune said they were more like robots or hive insects than actually sentient beings. They seemed to have no language.

How they coordinated their efforts to build and maintain the station I had no idea.

I pulled my eyes from the Uune near the ceiling. It had been a nice momentary distraction, but I had other things on my mind.

I should have been thinking of how to find Mera.

Or worrying about what working in this new club would be like.

What the clients would want, expect.

Instead, Alkard loomed large in my thoughts.

My hand moved up to brush the bite mark on my neck lightly. It didn’t hurt, really, but I felt its presence on both the physical and mental planes.

Alkard had marked me.

Did that mean I was his property?

My entire body felt flushed at the thought.

Did that… could that possibly turn me into one?

I shook my head to clear it of such nonsense. It didn’t work, not really. I worked my way over to the starboard side wing where the Fallen Star was located.

I had never been to the Vinduthi club, but I’d heard of it. Upon my first approach, I noted it was much larger than Pulsar.

I moved up to the front door, which was guarded by an orcish Dargun. His hairy arms were crossed over his equally hairy chest, and he snorted with derision at my approach.

“And just where do you think you’re going, little miss?” he growled, eyes narrowing as I drew nearer.

I was taken aback. I had expected Alkard to have at least told his people I was coming.

Had he gotten busy and forgotten me already?

“I—I’m here to work. Alkard just bought my contract.”

“Oh, he did, did he?” The green skinned alien sneered, showing off yellowing teeth. “Like we don’t have enough girls here already. Well, far be it from me to question the decisions of the big boss. I guess you should go ahead and go in.”

“You think?” I asked, putting one hand on my hip and glaring at him.

He considered me for a moment, seeming as if he were going to say something mean, or even try to discipline me, then his gaze flashed to the healing wound on my neck. The bouncer’s eyes went wide, and he quickly stepped to the side to allow my ingress.

“Go on ahead, Miss,” he said in a much more polite tone. “I didn’t realize you were…”

His voice trailed off as I moved past him.

I was what?

But whatever time I’d had for speculation was long gone now.

Inside, the Fallen Star proved to be far more upscale than I had expected. A rich, blood red carpet with black and gold abstract designs in a vine-like pattern soaked up the fatigue from my feet.

Opulent hovering globes provided the illumination, decorated to look like shooting stars or comets, frozen in flight as if in the night sky.

There were no less than four stages, the largest of which dwarfed the ones at Pulsar. A Mondian female spun around the pole on the main stage, to the cheering delight of the patrons.

I looked around for the floor boss. There had to be one. I spotted a female Dargun at the bar, busily setting up dozens of bottles of booze.

“Hey,” I said, walking up to the bar. “I’m, ah, I’m starting work here today.”

The Dargun looked me up and down and snorted as if not impressed.

“Is that so?”

I laid the contract on the bar but the Dargun woman barely glanced at it.

“Whatever. You can go and change in the back. When you’re ready, go to the tangerine stage and do your thing.”

“Um, thanks….”

I waited for the Dargun to introduce herself.

“I’m Tessi,” I said at length.

“Zanthat,” the Dargun said as she thrust a funnel into the neck of one of the bottles. She picked up a pitcher and poured water into the funnel. “Now, scram. You bother me.”

Oookay, I muttered beneath my breath.

Same shit, different day.

I went into the back, and tried to speak to the other dancers. They completely ignored me until I got right in the path of an Ewani stripper on her way out the door.

“Excuse me,” I said, gesturing at the row of mirrors on the long vanity. “Are any of those places free?”

I knew better than to take someone else’s spot. Dancers could get pretty competitive about that sort of thing.

The Ewani shrugged with an utterly smug and disaffected expression on her furred face before she pushed roughly past me.

“Gee, thanks,” I sighed.

“Great. Another little human here to steal the tips.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, Zonda,” a human girl said. She turned her dark eyes toward me and smiled. “Hey, welcome to Fallen Star. It’s nice to see another human face in here. I’m Lucia.”

I returned the smile and shook the other dancer’s hand.

“Thanks. I’m Tessi. I’m sorry, I didn’t…it’s not like I asked for my contract to be bought you know?”

“I know. Just ignore these bitches. Here, you can take this spot. It’s been empty ever since Katie left.”

Lucia glanced up at the sound of her name being called.

“Fuck, I’ve got to get going. See you around, Tessi.”

“See you.”

As I got ready for my shift, I used the mirror to check out the other dancers. None of them looked friendly, but maybe that was just a façade. Maybe they were just waiting for me to speak first.

“So, how is it working here?” I started off.

Silence.

“Zanthat, the manager,” I tried again. “Is she pretty fair?”

Nothing. Well then. That answered the question in a different way.

I finished ‘dressing,’ if one could call it that, and headed out to the tangerine stage… except all the stages were the same color. I started to ask one of the girls, then turned and asked a customer instead.

The patron sniffed as if not impressed with me—he seemed to prefer the scaled Mondian dancer on the stage to my smooth skin—but he did direct me to the smallest stage.

Glancing around the room, Alkard was nowhere to be seen.

My cheeks heated. Did I want him here? Was I looking forward to seeing him again?

At the stage, I sighed. I expected too much.

And none of it mattered, anyway.

I was here to dance, nothing else.

No surprise, about a minute into my routine, a tentacle ran up my thigh.

Fuck, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Is this even a different day?

“Don’t touch the girls, motherfucker!”

Suddenly, Zanthat was just there, grabbing the tentacled patron by the scruff of his neck and lifting him until his feet dangled off the floor. The Dargun floor boss was easily as tall as Alkard, and apparently had the same temper.

“I’m sorry, I just forgot the rules!” the Talimarian squeaked. “I’ll keep my probes to myself!”

Eww.

Zanthat dropped him back into his chair, then the Dargun looked up at me and scowled.

“Why are you just standing there? Shake that ass already.”

I went back into my routine, my cheeks flushing, but no one else dared to touch me. There was one advantage at least.

I finished my dance, and was surprised to find my percomm was stocked with hundreds of credits. The patrons of the Fallen Star were either generous or horny or both.

Probably both.

I went back into the dressing room and covered my naughty bits so I could wait tables until my next turn to dance came up on the rotation.

The other dancers bitterly grumbled about my coming in and taking their rightful places.

I sighed, and headed back out onto the floor.

I had to do this to find Mera.

That was the deal, right?

ALKARD

Downstairs from the Fallen Star’s main floor, nestled in the most secure area of the club, was a room few knew about. The doors to even reach the area only opened via a biometric scan, and only for me and my most trusted circle.

It was decorated as opulently as the club overhead. The table was made of real wood, not synthetic. Overhead lights descended from the ceiling on thin gossamer webbing.

A huge tapestry covered the rear wall, depicting Vinduthi in our natural element, hunting and killing. I poured myself a glass of Agmis brandy as I listened to Makar make his report.

“I ran into a petty thief by the name of Tollak,” Makar said, his tone suggesting he was really getting into his story. “And he told me that Conii’s day chef was in dire need of a recipe for Itoli Stew. I just happened to have come across one of the most exquisite concoctions during my culinary adventures, and I was able to trade it for a little information.”

His smile seemed as warm as the green tracery that twisted up his arm. Smart people thought of poisons instead.

“And what information would that be?” I asked, growing increasingly impatient. My body might have been in the meeting room, but my mind kept drifting back up to the club above. I couldn’t stop thinking Tessi was up there, right in the same building as me.

“If Conii has our guns, then she isn’t keeping them in her own residence. The chef was very clear on the fact that he has full access to all areas except her private quarters…and those are too small to hold such a large shipment.”

Havek growled and tapped his fingers on the table with mounting impatience.

“Why didn’t you just say that? Why did you have to tell us every twist and turn of your investigation, no matter how minute?”

Makar spread his hands out wide.

“Why, I sometimes feel as if I am taken for granted, and I want to remind you all of how good I really am.”

I snickered, while Havek grumbled.

“I do appreciate your efforts, Makar. I never thought your strange predilection for preparing food would prove to be so terribly useful.”

“You would not say that if you tried my quiche.”

I sighed.

“For the last time, I’m not eating cheese. I can’t believe the humans turned you onto that. It’s basically milk that’s spoiled, you know.”

Makar gasped. “How can you say that? A good cheese, my dear Alkard, is more sublime than the Koklar Nebula, and satisfies the palate on a level that few other repasts can hope to manage.”

“If we’re talking about human food, I prefer barbeque,” Havek said.

“As I would expect,” Makar said with a smug smile.

“What makes you say that?” Havek asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Because you’re a basic bitch, Havek. Always have been, always will be.”

“You want me to show you basic?” Havek bristled.

“Knock it off,” I snapped. “Both of you. We don’t have time for this shit. Don’t you think Conii would laugh herself sick if she could see you two now? Almost at each other’s throats?”

“I’m just sitting here,” Makar said with a shrug.

I glared at him until he sighed and nodded to concede the point.

“Keep looking for our weapons,” I said. “And I want you to be on the lookout for any news about a missing human woman as well. About five and a half feet tall, strawberry mane. Used to dance at the Pulsar. Name of Mera Lashley.”

“Why am I looking for her?” Makar asked.

Apparently he caught something in my expression.

“Mera, you say?” Makar said. “I’ll go and make some inquiries right now.”

He stood up and I nodded, my anger fading a bit.

“Please do,” I said as Makar left, then turned to Havek.

“How are Kovas and Taz faring?”

“It’s been about an hour since I last checked in with them. That Fanaith is one stubborn bastard. He won’t talk no matter what they do to him.”

I stood up and stretched like a cat. I had sat too much today.

“I’ll go and check on their progress.”

I left the meeting room and entered a short hallway. One way led to the stairs allowing ingress to the club floor. The other way terminated in a secured and soundproof metal door.

I walked to the metal door and pushed it open. As soon as a crack opened, a piercing scream reached my ears.

I entered the room. The Fanaith leader hung from a hook piercing his dorsal fin, arms manacled to his feet. His smooth skinned amphibious body had more red showing than gray, and he appeared to be missing several of his fingers and toes.

“I see our guest is on the stubborn side,” I mused, grabbing the Fanaith’s head and lifting it so I could look into the man’s eyes. Well, I tried. It was hard when both eyes were nearly swollen shut.

“Fuck you,” he managed.

“You’re not my type,” I said, grabbing a sharp knife off the wall. “And if you don’t start talking, then you won’t be fucking anything again, ever.”

I did my level best, creative in my brutality, but the Fanaith either didn’t know anything, or was made of too stern of stuff to break.

My anger increased the vehemence of my interrogation efforts, until Taz pointed out that my rage was going too far.

“You’re going to dry up this particular wellspring of information, Alkard,” he said.

I growled, and shoved the bloody knife into his hands.

“Fine. Keep at it.”

I took a towel from the wall and used it to clean the blood from my face and hands, then shut the door securely behind me.

I jogged up the short flight of steps, anger brewing inside of me. The Fanaith surely knew something worth our while. I didn’t like it when the enemy was strong willed, loyal, or both.

It made getting information out of them so damned inconvenient.

I stepped up onto the club floor and froze, everything else swept out of my mind.

My eyes fixed upon the sinuous form of Tessi. The patrons all gathered around, cheering her on as she twisted and turned her body in the most sensuous of ways.

She wore only glittering stockings and gloves, a high leather collar hiding her bite mark.

Tessi’s smile grew as one patron held up paper credit slips in his hand. My blood boiled as she sashayed over to him, until she was only inches away. She put her high-heeled shoe on the raised buttress of the stage.

The patron, a Mondian, stuffed the paper credit slips into the top of her glittery stocking, his fingers touching her creamy flesh in the process.

I moved without thinking, patrons and waitresses scrambling to get out of my way.

My hand closed on her waist, and I dragged her toward the shimmering curtain leading to the backstage area.

“What are you doing?” she protested. “I had them right where I wanted them.”

Tessi’s words made my face twist into an even bleaker grimace, fury.

“Hey, answer me,” she said as I continued to drag her along. “Why did you pull me off the stage?”

I rounded on her, my mouth flying open.

“Because you are…”

My voice trailed off.

I needed to get a grip on myself. This human female got under my skin.

There was no reason.

“You are not getting the job done,” I snapped. “Your dancing is awful.”

She blinked, surprised, then her eyes narrowed. “That one guy seemed to like it well enough.”

I couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything other than watch her lush lips, the shapes they made as she spoke.

Then the meaning of her words sunk in.

How dare she say such a thing?

“He is not the one you need to impress,” I snapped. “I am. I think you need some discipline.”

She squeaked as I dragged her into my office. The door shut behind us and I kept pulling her along until we were behind my desk.

I settled into my seat, and then pulled Tessi into my lap. Her gaze caught me off guard. Somehow there was no fear there, just indignation, and something else. Something new.

Something I wasn’t sure I wanted to see.

“What are you going to do to me—oh!”

I flipped her over as if she weighed nothing. Her rounded bottom presented itself to me, supple and pliant and inviting.

I resisted the impulse to caress her, to pull those cheeks apart and see her most intimate areas. Instead, I slapped the palm of my hand down on her right cheek.

“Ow!” she cried. “What—”

Tessi squirmed on my lap, protesting every smack on her bottom with an indignant cry. But at the third smack, the sounds she made grew more enigmatic.

I could not tell if her sharp cries and husky moans were from pain or from pleasure.

I stopped the spanking before her reactions got me too distracted, pushing her back onto her feet. She looked down at me, her mouth slack, eyes wide and glassy.

“Get back to work, and dance properly this time,” I snapped. When she continued to stand there, staring at me blankly, shallow breaths making her chest rise and fall, I added another slap to her already sensitive behind and she yelped.

“I mean now, Tessi,” I snarled. She needed to get away from me, quickly.

With a quick shudder, she seemed to come back to herself, her hands flying to her face.

As she hustled out of the office, my eyes stayed glued to her red bottom the whole way.

With a groan, I sunk my head into my hands.

I really must reign in my emotions from now on. That was…that was close.

Too close.

TESSI

Ididn’t go right back out onto the club floor, instead finding a small utility closet.

I needed to get myself together but conflicting feelings boiled like a sea in a storm.

How could he do that to me? Spanking me like I’m a disobedient child!

I rubbed my bottom, finding it really didn’t hurt all that much. It might have been easier for me to take if he had actually done damage instead of just turning my skin red.

Then I could have more fuel to rage against the rather exasperating sensations that still shivered through my body.

I trembled as I tried to regain control of myself. I didn’t want my conscious thoughts to go anywhere near the idea that some part of me had enjoyed the spanking. It still throbbed and tingled between my legs, even though the indignity had me fighting mad.

Eventually, I managed to calm down and go back out to the floor to finish my shift. Even though I received actual credits for tips, it did nothing to brighten my mood.

Alkard had not even mentioned the search for Mera, and under the circumstances, I had been unable to ask.

Was he really going to keep his word?

I lingered in the dressing room of the club, even though I was free to leave for the night, long after my shift was over, my thoughts tumbling over and over again until I felt dizzy.

Alkard was the leader of the most powerful gang on Thodos III. It was rumored even the station’s ‘official’ authorities were afraid to cross him.

Surely, such a man could find something about my missing friend by now.

If he was actually looking.

But if he wasn’t…

When Alkard had taken me into his office, the door hadn’t been locked.

Perhaps he thought himself too powerful in his own domain to need to bother. Or maybe it had been a one-time only oversight.

But it was a chance. If I poked around, I might find something pertaining to Mera, or at least something that could point me in the right direction.

I went out onto the floor of the club. I didn’t see Alkard around, but didn’t want to ask the snippy dancers about his whereabouts.

Then I saw the one dancer who’d been nice to me, Lucia, and waved her over. The topless woman bore a tray of drinks balanced on her palm, and didn’t spill a drop as she moved across the club floor.

“What’s up, hon?” Lucia asked with a smile.

“Have you seen Alkard?”

“Alkard?” she frowned, then gazed across the club to a door almost hidden in the shadows. “I think he went down into the off limits area. If you want to talk to him, I would advise being patient. They don’t like it when anyone tries to go down there.”

“Do you think he’ll be down there for long?”

“I don’t know,” Lucia shrugged. A patron whistled and motioned impatiently for his drinks. Her face shifted, the fake smile replacing the real emotion like a switch had been flipped. “Gotta go. Good luck, hon.”

I made my way into the back once more, tip-toeing down the dimly lit hallway leading to Alkard’s office. Nervously, I reached out and pushed the control panel.

The door rose up into the ceiling with a soft hiss. My momentary triumph was tempered by a pulse of fear.

What would Alkard do if he found me poking around in here?

My belly clenched as I remembered the weight of his body on mine, the feel of his tongue at my neck, his teeth.

The heat in his eyes as he’d made that deal with me.

None of that meant anything.

He was just another male who would promise anything to get what he wanted.

The only one who could help me was myself.

I crossed the threshold at last. The door closed behind me, startling me momentarily. Then I sat down behind his desk and examined the sleek computer console built right into the glossy surface.

Alkard had the best of everything, including, it turned out, network security. I had to input a password just to get into his terminal.

Of course.

“Fuck,” I said, pondering the password. What could it be? I tried typing in the first thing that came to mind.

“Grim…fangs,” I said, and then hit enter.

An error message scrolled over the display screen.

“Damn it,” I hissed under my breath. I could keep trying, but it was futile. And for all I knew, it would trigger an alarm. Better to look around for a clue.

“Maybe he keeps his passwords somewhere close by,” I muttered, opening the top desk drawer. A little squeak escaped when I saw a fully charged energy pistol sitting on top of a stack of thin parchment covered in figures.

I carefully looked through the papers while disturbing the gun as little as possible. There had to be something in there that would give me a clue as to what his password might be.

Engrossed in my search, I didn’t pay enough attention to my surroundings.

The door hissed open, and my heart sank into my feet. I tentatively lifted my gaze up to meet the angry red eyes of Alkard.

Shit.

We stared at each other for a long moment.

Would he kill me, right here?

“What do you think you are doing?”

He moved like a hurricane, flashing across the office and grabbing me by the throat in an instant. My hands went up to grip his wrist, but I might as well have tried to free myself from stone.

I gasped as he dragged me over the office and slammed me back hard against the far wall, his snarl contorting into a mask of rage. Alkard lowered his face until his nose was almost touching mine.

“You must be tired of life,” he growled in a low, husky tone. “I can’t figure out why else you would think yourself impertinent enough to trespass in my private chambers.”

“I—I was looking to see if you knew anything about Mera,” I said in a voice tight from his grip around my throat. I could breathe and speak, barely. I felt the power of his grip and knew he could have crushed my windpipe without breaking a sweat.

“You were what?” He trembled with anger. “Do you think I’m a liar, Tessi? If I knew anything about your missing friend, I would have told you, don’t you think?”

I licked my lips, and opened my mouth to speak.

“Silence,” he hissed, squeezing one iota harder on my throat until I made a strangled gasp. He eased up again, just enough so I could breathe. “Clearly you think I am either a liar or a fool. In either case, you may have just forfeited your life.”

My breath came hard and fast, panic threatening to envelop me, body and soul. But I had a major birth defect.

The more danger I was in, the more fear I felt, the mouthier I got.

“You really want to waste the credits you spent acquiring my contract?” I asked.

He sputtered with rage, and then leaned in until his nose pressed against mine.

“Do you think,” he said in a voice all the more frightening for how eerily calm it seemed, “that I need to worry about money?”

His body pressed up against mine. I swallowed with difficulty, and then sneered up at him.

“Either kiss me or kill me,” I snapped. “Pick one.”

His eyes went wide as his fingers loosened their grip, and he let go of my throat, stepping back and staring at me, his face totally blank.

“Explain,” he said in a low, guttural tone. “Why should I not kill you right here and now?”

My eyes darted downward, until my gaze fell on the prominent bulge in his crotch. A shiver went through me that had nothing to do with fear.

“Well,” I said, a tad breathlessly as the tingle passed through my core to spread through the rest of my body. “I can think of one reason why you might not want to kill me.”

He wasn’t the only one getting hot and bothered. Part of me wished he would pin me up against the wall again…

For a completely different reason, of course.

ALKARD

Iprided myself on the fact I seldom hesitated. I took action while others still struggled to comprehend.

Thus, Tessi’s ability to continue to fluster me proved almost painful. Her chest heaved, her eyes shone.

Sweat glistened on her skin as she continued to taunt me with her shining, dark eyes. Tessi’s full, painted lips seemed on the verge of curling into a smirk or a sneer at any moment.

She had thrown down the gauntlet.

Either kiss me or kill me.

It was true, she had earned a death sentence by trespassing into my private office. The locking door to the lower levels of the club were for the employee’s protection, not my own. No one had ever dared to go into my office, so I had never felt the need to keep the doors locked.

“You are impetuousness made flesh,” I whispered under my breath. Her keen ears picked it up.

“Thank you. But flattery will get you nowhere.”

Those perfect lips of hers curled into a half-smile, and my ire bubbled over like a cauldron of hot stew left on the heat too long. How had this human managed to worm her way under my skin so thoroughly?

Her smile faded, and her gaze darkened for a moment.

“I’m only doing all of this to find Mera, you know. I wasn’t going to rip you off or steal anything. I just wanted to see if you had any information.”

“You still don’t trust me?”

Her lips twisted bitterly.

“Would you trust you, if you were in my position?”

I considered it a moment, marveling at how this woman kept surprising me. It wasn’t like humans were some kind of novelty to me.

I had seen them scurrying about the station, a lesser, servant species if I had ever seen one. Other than that, they were utterly unremarkable.

Or so, I had thought. Either this creature before me was some kind of paragon of her species, or I had badly misjudged humanity’s potential.

Who am I trying to fool? No other human could ever be as interesting as my sweet, saucy Tessi…

Her heady aroma hung heavy in my nostrils, tingling desire across my brain with every breath. My nostrils flared at the scent of her blood on the healing wound on her neck.

My mind flared back to when she’d squirmed about on my lap earlier. Only, she had seemed to enjoy it, making it not a punishment at all.

She spoke, but my mind had drifted into the realm of passion. I swam in an aerial tea of her scent, her blood, the closeness of her sweet, glistening flesh—

The door to my office slid upward, startling both of us. My gaze snapped over as the door retreated into the ceiling with a soft hiss. I recognized Razov’s boots immediately.

My hands darted out, seizing her by the arms. With a smooth motion, I dropped into my office chair and pulled her into my lap, ignoring her cries of surprise as I arranged her legs to splay around me.

Now Tessi sat on my lap, our gazes locked as the door opened fully. Her hands rested on my chest until I grabbed her wrists and twisted her arms behind her back. Razov stood in the hallway, his eyes on his percomm pad, but I was only dimly aware of him.

Her sweet ass perched upon my rigid member. My cock strained at the confines of my trousers, desperate to reach her.

I worked my pelvis, grinding myself onto her. Her eyes widened, mouth flying open to let out a breathy gasp.

“Hey, Alkard,” Razov said, striding into the office with his eyes fixed to the data displayed on his screen. “I might have a lead on the weapons—”

Razov lifted his gaze to see the spectacle before him. He swallowed, hard, his words dying mid-breath. I continued to grind on Tessi all the while, her eyes half-closed, and while she didn’t move against me, she certainly didn’t resist either.

“I’m busy,” I snapped when the fool continued to stand there and stare.

“Sorry,” Razov said, making a quick exit.

I stopped moving the moment the door closed, but my hands remained closed on her wrists.

Tessi’s breaths came in heavy pants, her nipples brushing my chest with each exhalation. Her lips moved slowly until actual words came out.

“W—what…what, I mean, why did you…”

“Why did I do that?” I finished for her. “I wanted him to think you were in my office because I had dragged you in here for my own pleasure.”

She shivered, akin to the surface of a pond under a strong wind edging up into furrows and ripples. Tessi didn’t struggle, but she formed her hands into fists.

“Why would you want him to think that?”

Now it was my turn to smirk.

“Did you want me to tell him that I’d caught you digging around in my office? What do you think would happen to you then? Spies do not last long here.”

Her eyes shone with understanding, and I nodded.

“This is a dangerous world you have slipped into, my dear. You have truly, how do you humans say?”

I considered for a moment, until the memory sparked.

“Ah, yes. Been dropped off in the deep end. You must be prepared for anything if you are to continue looking for your friend.”

I felt my resolve waning every second she sat there on my lap. I did not want to admit how much I loved the smell of her. I did not want to admit how much I craved the feel of her supple skin pressed against mine.

But most of all, I did not want to admit how much the memory of the taste I stole burned my tongue and made my throat ache like a man parched for water.

I wanted more. And suddenly, I saw a way to keep what happened on the dance floor from occurring again.

“I’ll make you a bargain, Tessi,” I said softly. “I won’t tell my brothers I found you here, and I’ll bend all of our resources to finding your friend.”

“You can do that? What will the others think?”

My eyes narrowed as a flash of anger at her impertinence rushed into me.

“They will think that I am in charge, and they will be correct. They will carry out my orders. They will assume I have good reasons for keeping it from them and leave it at that.”

Her mouth quivered, the plump curve of her lower lip tempting me to suck on it.

Instead, I continued. “My circle are not just business partners, or my soldiers. They are men I have fought and bled with. We have faced death together, and if I tell them to find Mera, then by all the gods on all the planets in this galaxy, they will fucking find her or die trying.”

The light in her eyes warmed something in my chest, a strange flicker of something I didn’t recognize.

“I’d appreciate the help, a lot.”

“I didn’t say I would help you for free. I want something in exchange.”

Tessi’s gaze flared with suspicion.

“And what do you want?” her voice broke slightly, and she trembled on my lap. “In exchange?”

“You.”

Her mouth flew open in a gasp.

“I want you. I’ll keep you for a month.”

“In your office?” she asked, her eyes darting over as if she expected to find a length of chain or a heavy metal hasp set into the floor.

“Oh, no,” I said, shaking my head. “You might stumble into something you’re not supposed to see here, and get yourself killed while I’m not around. No, I’ll keep you in my home.”

“In your…home?” She swallowed audibly, her eyes unblinking and holding something between fascination and fear.

“Yes.” I leaned forward, moving my bulge against her in the process. “Anything goes.”

Tessi had sat in my grip without much struggle the entire time. Now she burst into desperate, frenetic struggles. She could never hope to break my grip, but I feared she might hurt herself trying.

I released her, against every instinct I had.

I was the predator, she was my prey.

And yet somehow, she must come to me willingly.

She stumbled back, her eyes wide and swimming with a symphony of emotions.

“Not. Anything,” she said, putting great emphasis on each word. Her hand clapped to her neck, where I had bitten her, the marks already fading. “I’ve heard the rumors of what you do to your mates. You’re not claiming me.”

I laughed softly, exulting in how exquisitely delightful I found her.

“No, I won’t claim you, Tessi,” I purred. “Though you make it very tempting.”

Her eyes said what her lips did not. Tessi knew that I could take her then and there if I wanted.

“But,” I said, making her start. “Once you agree, I won’t put so much as a hand on your shoulder unless you wish it. You can simply live with me.”

Her mouth flew open, and a small light of hope dawned in her gaze.

“Are you fucking with me, or are you playing it straight?”

“I’m playing it straight,” I said with utter conviction. I wasn’t quite sure why I played it straight, but I knew somehow, in my heart, that this was the way it had to be. “I promise you, Tessi. We will only go as far as you want.”

A sudden intake of breath, a widening of her gaze—heralds of the fact Tessi had realized the double edged sword paradox of my bargain.

Yes, she was in control of how far we went…but that put the onus, the burden on her. Now she could no longer pretend she was being swept along by circumstances beyond her control.

Now she would have to admit to her desires.

And now, my dear Tessi, I entangle you in the first gossamer thread which will make you mine, and mine alone.

“But I promise you this also, Tessi,” I said, drawing her out of her deciding trance. “You will agree to…everything.”

A stunned expression washed over her beautiful face, I didn’t need to read her mind to sense her conflict, the raw edge of her nerves crackling back and forth, fighting the desire I knew we both felt ever since we kissed.

“I need a yes or a no, Tessi,” I said, allowing a stern edge to creep into my voice.

I saw her resolve harden in her brown eyed gaze and my gut clenched.

Tessi had made her decision, though I did not know which way she had chosen.

And for a moment, fear touched my spine with icy fingers.

She licked her lips, then faced me square on. When she spoke, her voice contained a note of resignation…but not regret.

“Yes, Alkard. I’ll be yours.”

A deep, crackling thrill throbbed through my being when she spoke.

I like hearing you say yes to me, little delicacy. I will have to convince you to say it again. Often.

TESSI

What have I gotten myself into?

I nearly swayed on my feet, the overwhelming presence of Alkard making it hard to concentrate, or even breathe. Alkard’s scent washed over my palate with every breath, nerves in my skin still singing with electric excitement at the memory of his touch on my skin.

What other choice did I have? I have to find out what happened to Mera, or I’ll never have any peace. And I had nothing to barter with. Nothing…

Nothing except myself. Only he says he won’t force things on me I don’t want. But that begs the question—just what do I want?

I had no answer, which proved perhaps the most frightening aspect of all.

Alkard’s desire-glazed gaze and the way he had remained transfixed upon my every motion suggested he had some difficulties of his own. He licked his lips, giving me a glimpse of his fangs. My neck throbbed with the memory of the bite…and it wasn’t the only part of me throbbing.

“I would imagine,” he said, startling me out of the reverie, “that you have some belongings stowed at your home you might wish to collect?”

I thought of the small place I had in the Under.

“Yes.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried not to look at Alkard when I spoke. “They are worthless, you couldn’t sell them for credits or anything, but I would like to keep them.”

“If you want them, then they have worth, indeed.” Alkard’s brows climbed high on his slate gray face. When he wasn’t angry, Alkard’s features seemed almost noble. But there was always that hint of the beast lurking just beneath, ready to pounce and devour.

“I’ll go and collect them, then,” I said, moving toward the door. “Can I meet you back here? I’m afraid I don’t know the way to your house.”

“You’re not going to the Under alone. I have an urgent matter I must attend, or I would accompany you myself. I’ll send someone along with you for protection.”

“That’s really not necessary,” I replied, alarmed at the prospect of one of the Vinduthi coming with me down to the Under. “I’m a big girl, Alkard. I can take care of myself. I did it for more than two decades before you sauntered into my life.”

“I do not saunter.” His eyes narrowed. “And you are mine for the next thirty days, Tessi—”

“To a point,” I interjected, but he kept speaking as if I had not interrupted him.

“You will not renege on your contract with me, sealed with a taste of your blood.” His eyes grew distant, and a predatory smile tugged at the corners of his sensual lips. “I will see to it you survive to fulfill your end of the bargain.”

I sighed heavily.

“Okay, fine, so who are you sending?”

He led me to the club floor, and then to the bar, where a burly Vinduthi with tracery as red as blood showing on his face and neck sat. He looked up from a conversation with Zanthat at our approach, gaze flicking over to me for a moment before settling on Alkard.

“What now?” he asked in a voice utterly devoid of emotion. His inscrutable stare proved impossible to fathom as well.

What is this guy’s deal? Is he a robot or something?

“Kovas, this is Tessi. She is going to travel to the Under, and you are going to accompany her.”

“Of course,” Kovas replied without hesitation. “What are the mission parameters?”

Okay, I was kidding about the robot thing. Come on now…

“Keep her alive and well, Kovas. That’s it. You are to take her from her home in the Under to my house directly. This means that you should avoid fighting unless necessary. Understood?”

“Understood. No harm will come to her, I swear.”

I felt a wave of reassurance come over me. Even if he did seem cold, stone like, and put off an aura of menace, Kovas sounded earnest. I believed he really would do whatever possible to keep me safe.

That didn’t make him one iota less unsettling to be around. My attempts at conversation were met with noncommittal grunts, or more usually, silence.

He had been ordered to safely escort me to and from my old place. He didn’t have to like me. Alkard hadn’t ordered it, after all.

For a brief moment, I wondered what would happen if Alkard did order him to like someone? Would he do his damndest to see it done?

We descended into the Under, where those with bad indenture contracts and the undocumented resided. Officially, it was illegal to occupy the lower warrens of the station. But no one wanted to risk a humanitarian or public relations crisis by clearing it out.

And besides, there was a certain school of thought that said Thodos needed the Under. Otherwise, the chaos, violence, and misery it encompassed might boil up to where the ‘decent’ folk lived.

You can just guess how those of us who lived there felt about that.

“You can relax,” I said with a sigh as we passed through a small encampment of a myriad of different races. Either aged-out and worked half to death, thus unable to sign an indenture contract…

Or undocumented, which could mean a criminal or just someone who overstayed their station visitor time limit and didn’t want to go home. A rough bunch, and some of them could potentially be trouble, but overall too downtrodden to offer much of a threat.

That didn’t stop Kovas from glaring them all into submission and retreat as we passed through the encampments.

“Stop it,” I said again with a sigh. “There are very few people down here dumb enough, crazy enough, or suicidal enough to try and tangle with a Vinduthi. Especially one that looks like you do.”

His gaze snapped over to me, and I couldn’t tell if he was angry with me or just paying attention.

Either way, I squirmed under his stare.

“Ah, that is, not that there’s anything wrong with the way you look. Just that, you know, you um, carry yourself with this…”

I made a futile gesture in the air. He snorted and turned his gaze back to our path.

The awkwardness stung me the rest of the way to my home, such as it was. We came upon a dark, seldom used maintenance tunnel. About halfway down its length, a curtain drawn over a heat sink formed an alcove.

I jerked the curtain back as he looked on with a mix of horror and disbelief.

“You were living here?” he murmured as I crawled inside to gather up my belongings. There was no need to take along my tattered blanket, I didn’t think. In fact, I was embarrassed to even think of Alkard seeing it.

My glass statue of a fawn, a pearl-handled comb my mother had given me, and a translucent jade guitar pick were the only things I took with me.

The statue was chipped, the comb was missing teeth, the guitar pick was scratched. But even damaged, they were precious to me. Proof that beauty could survive anywhere, even down in the Under.

We exited the tunnel, and headed back toward the surface decks. At a T junction, Kovas threw his arm over my path and looked around warily.

“We are not alone.”

I spotted a glint of reflected light under a nearby stairway landing. Eight pairs of slanted blue ovals glimmered in the deep shadows there. Kovas used his percomm to shine a cone of white light underneath, catching a glimpse of long, glossy black segmented legs.

“Tessi!”

A small creature lunged out of the shadows, something like a centaur if the lower half were a spider rather than a horse. Its face was jarring, and had few features, but the high-pitched voice sounded like that of a child.

“Wait!” I said, throwing myself in Kovas’ path before he attacked. “It’s all right. I know him. He’s a friend of mine. Please!”

Kovas cocked his head to the side, and seemed vaguely amused.

“You really think I would hurt an obvious child, human?” he snorted as the sound of many legs clanking on the floor grew closer behind me.

“Tessi, where have you been? I was so worried.”

I turned around quickly. “It’s all right, Keechee,” I said, ruffling the bristly hairs on his head. “I’m just fine, okay? You don’t have to worry.”

“Wedda said you were dead, but I told him he was a damn liar. He said he saw your body but we all know that Wedda is full of it most of the time—hey, are you leaving?”

“Only for a month. Don’t worry, I’m going to be fine.” I said the latter half with emphatic conviction, but I couldn’t make myself feel it. Not really.

“Where are you going?”

“It’s probably best if you don’t know. I don’t want you going up top trying to find me, and wind up whisked off to prison by station security.”

“That’s not fair.” He shook his head as if in frustration. “Well, I’ll watch over your squat, so nobody else tries to take it.”

“Thank you, but you really don’t have to do that. I mean, nobody else wanted it, which was why I got it in the first place.”

“I’ll watch over it for you,” Keechee said stubbornly.

“Here, kid.” Kovas handed Keechee a dozen paper credit scrips. “For your service, guarding her squat.”

As soon as we were out of earshot, Kovas snapped his gaze onto me.

“Do not think me a gentleman because I will not hurt children. I will tear your limbs from your body if you wind up being a spy. Understood?”

I shivered and nodded, too frightened to speak.

Kovas led me up to the ‘normal’ decks via a different route than I had expected. They came out far toward the foredeck of the station. Here were the green arboretums which helped to clean and recycle the station’s air.

I walked among vast glass domes, some tall enough to be capped with condensation. The biggest one of all loomed ahead of them as Kovas led the way.

“Come,” he said in his stony manner.

And you know what? I liked that.

After a lifetime of having to guess who was lying, what was hiding behind the masks of everyone around me, this was refreshing.

If he was going to kill me, he’d tell me upfront.

That was kinda nice.

Kovas led the way to a pressurized door with two Dargun soldiers, armed to the teeth, stood guard beside it. They did not move at all as Kovas opened the door and led the way inside of the dome.

I gasped at the breath of fresh air as inside, I found myself in a lush forest, imported dirt beneath my feet. It didn’t just look like the surface of a planet, it smelled and felt like one, too.

Well, as long as I didn’t look straight up and see the top of the dome where a bright, ten foot diameter light provided an artificial sun.

I walked along a paved path until we came upon a two story house, and nearly stumbled as Kovas led the way inside. A warm, brightly hued hardwood floor gleamed up cheerfully at me. Plush, comfortable-looking and yet undeniably stylish furnishings abounded, both in the living area and the adjoining den.

What was I expecting? I chided myself. Skulls and flames and chains on the walls? Maybe a flock of vampire bats squeaking past?

“By all means, Master Kovas. Do let yourself in and make yourself at home.”

We turned to see a stern faced, thin-bodied Vinduthi of advanced age. The crinkle by the corner of his eyes made it seem he might be more amused than annoyed, but it was hard to tell.

“Oh, don’t give me that, Nayal,” Kovas said, bristling. “Alkard said to bring her here. I brought her here.”

If anything, the old Vinduthi drew himself up even taller. “All right, so you have brought her. Now you may leave.”

Kovas spun on his heel and left, just like that. Nayal turned to me and smiled, offering a half bow.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tessi. I am Nayal, as you might have surmised. If you’ll follow me to your quarters.”

“I have quarters?”

“Indeed, you can prepare yourself for tonight.”

Anxiety reared up in my mind and despite my best efforts to stand up tall and proud, my shoulders hunched a little as I clutched my treasures to my chest like a lost child.

“What happens tonight?”

“The master will call on you,” he said. “Until then, you may rest and prepare for his arrival.”

He led me up a staircase, then down a hallway with a dark red carpet soaking up our footsteps and more of the golden wood lining the corridor’s walls. Everything whispered warmth and a rustic elegance.

Nayal opened a door halfway down the hallway, showing me into a large bedroom with a single window looking out on the trees.

A huge bed with a comfortable looking down duvet and about a dozen pillows looked awfully inviting…until I saw the open closet door.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, heading into a walk-in closet so wide I could stretch my arms out and still not touch the sides.

I looked at the elegant gowns and garments hanging in a colorful array for my perusal. I selected a rich black velour-type dress and held it up against myself. The fit looked good. Too good to be true.

“How did he get my measurements—oh.”

My indenture contract.

It made sense. All of my physical statistics, including my blood type ironically enough, were included on the document.

It made sense, it was logical, but something about it still stung, just a bit.

I found a vanity fully stocked with cosmetics as well. My mind reeled with suspicion. What kind of game was he playing with me? Trying to be nice until I let my guard down?

I went and picked out a dress I thought would drive Alkard wild. If he wanted to play games with me, I’d need to get ready.

I would play games all night long. And I played to win.

ALKARD

Ibrooded as I stalked through the station.

Making the deal with Tessi had been a mistake.

There were things that must be attended to, the simmering chaos brewing just below the surface of Thodos III needed to be dealt with.

And yet, I couldn’t resist.

Thoughts still swirling, I reached the station’s green belt, an unfamiliar anxiety rising as I neared home. After all, Tessi would be there when I arrived.

There would be no time for second guesses.

Nayal greeted me at the door. The retired warrior bore a look of worry etched onto his granite-like features.

“Just out with it, Nayal,” I said with a sigh. “No point in being indirect.”

The butler took my overcoat, folding it with care as the wheels turned behind his eyes.

“As you wish. I could say any number of things about bringing stray humans in from the streets. If you want an Earth pet, I would suggest one of the Felis Catus. Much easier to take care of. But instead, I will only ask you one question, and one question only.”

Nayal’s jaw set hard. “Are you sure you know what you are doing, young master?”

He only asked the question no one else dared ask.

“Of course I know what I’m doing.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “I would never put you or the organization in danger, Nayal. You know that.”

“I was more thinking in terms of distraction rather than security, Master Alkard,” Nayal said dryly. The butler’s eyes crinkled with the amusement he managed to otherwise keep off his face. “She is a young, healthy, fertile female of a sexually compatible species after all—”

“I get your point, Nayal. I assure you I’m not going to end up over my head about her.”

“As you will, sir.”

As I climbed the stairs, I could only wonder.

Was I already over my head?

My private quarters were in the opposite wing from where Tessi was staying. Something inside of me protested as I went further from her, instead of closer. I gritted my teeth and fought the feeling.

I am not in over my head. I do know what I’m doing.

Stripping down, I stepped into the shower, letting the water rush over me. Most bathing facilities on the station were of the sonic variety, to preserve vital water supplies. Not this one. It tapped right into the irrigation reservoir for the trees of the green belt, then recycled and purified it for use again.

I cleaned the blood from my gray skin, then toweled myself off while I considered my garments for the evening. Considering our eventual destination, I needed to look my best.

Dammit.

I wasn’t fooling anyone, let alone myself.

I didn’t want to look good for the rabble.

I wanted to look good for her.

Even just thinking of her quickened my pulse and ignited my senses. An urgency-tinged excitement sparked through my core. I no longer felt like tarrying. I quickly put together an outfit I knew worked well.

A leather doublet so dark red it flirted with blackness covered my torso, belted at the waist over black trousers.

Simple, but effective.

Lastly, I donned a magnificent cloak made entirely of the plumage of a flying creature native to the Mondian home world. The black feathers were so starkly black, they almost seemed to be made of shadow, but the occasional glimmer of light reflected off of them to dazzling effect.

I swept up to her chambers, pausing only for a moment before rapping on the door, as was the human custom.

When I received no response, I pushed the panel and opened the door. Inside, my eyes quickly found her standing by the window and looking out on the arboretum.

Her arms crossed over her chest, her hair a sloppy mess as if she’d just awoken from a nap, she did not look the least bit ready.

Tessi met my gaze with a look of defiance that pushed me over the edge.

Where on the station did she even find clothing so…so dowdy in this house! I should rip them off of her.

My heartbeat sped up like I was in a foot race. I liked that idea.

Yes, tear her clothing right off of her, then bend her over the bed and—

With a monumental force of willpower, I made that train of thought derail. It was not the way to handle this one. I’d need as much subtlety as firmness.

She did this because she wanted to get a rise out of me, pure and simple. If I allowed that, I played into her hands. I would show her how the game was truly played.

I forced myself to relax, letting go of my anger as much as I could. Then, in a calm and casual tone, I asked her one question.

“I won’t stop you, but I must ask if you really want to dine at the Nebula like that?”

Her jaw dropped open.

“The…Nebula? Seriously? Do they even let gangsters in there?”

I eyed her sourly.

“No, but they let businessmen in. First lesson, my pet. We never discuss business in public, or in front of outsiders. And we never, ever, refer to ourselves as gangsters.”

She put her hand on her out-thrust hip.

“And what do you want to call yourselves, then? How many times have I heard it? ‘Don’t mess with the Grim-fucking-fangs.’ Always a theme to prove how much of a bad ass you are.”

“Reputation is everything.” I shrugged. “It’s for the best to cultivate a certain healthy amount of fear of our business enterprise. It’s for everyone’s benefit.”

“How is terrifying people to their benefit?”

“It keeps them from doing something stupid, like instead of paying their protection credits for the week, they try to ambush my button men with a crowbar.”

“Button men?”

“The low level soldiers who do the dangerous pick up work.”

Why tell her all of this? I couldn’t fathom why, unless I planned on keeping her around for a lot longer than a month. I shook it off and returned my mind to the business at hand.

“It’s been a long day, my dear. I am famished. For the last four hours, I have been unable to get the thought of eating Khamish rump roast out of my mind, and the longer you take to get ready, the longer I must go without my dinner.”

I cocked an eyebrow when she continued to stand by the window.

“The hungrier I grow, the more likely I will be…temperamental. Unless you want me to throw you over my lap and spank you again, you’d best get about the business of preparing yourself.”

She froze, her wide eyes darkening, nostrils flaring. My knees nearly buckled at the sudden aroma filling the room.

By all the Dark, she was going to break me.

Suddenly she shook off her apparent fugue, and licked her lips while her eyes burned with heat.

“I, ah, just give me five minutes?”

“Very well.”

She went to the closet, then turned and gave me a pointed stare.

“What?”

“Turn around.”

“Very well.” I turned my back, smirking as I now faced the mirror on the vanity. I could still easily watch all that transpired.

She peeled out of the baggy garments, revealing her sweetly curved body. Human women had a wondrous form, I decided. Or at least, this one did. I had never been all that impressed before.

My heart thudded a bit harder when her breasts came free. Her large, creamy pink areola made me lick my lips. I tried to rein myself in, but it proved difficult.

To hell with dinner. I’ll just eat her instead.

“I can’t believe we’re going to the Nebula,” she said. “I’ve heard all kinds of stories about it.”

“Whatever you have heard is not an exaggeration. It is, in fact, likely an understatement.”

She laughed, a clear bell.

I’d need to do more things to get her to laugh again.

“I’ve heard all kinds of things that are too good to be true. Like the station’s way bigger than it seems, and there’s a whole other beautiful area where tens of thousands of people live.”

My breath caught. If she’d grown up in the Under, had worked at dive bars in the lower worlds for her entire life, how much of the world around her did she really not know about?

And could I be the one to show her?

“Those are not exaggerations, either.”

She paused, looking over with shock as she held a black dress in her arms.

“Jesus Christ, you must be kidding me.”

Tessi slid the dress on with a graceful swirl and settled the thin straps onto her shoulders. She went to the vanity and didn’t seem to do much, but when she finished, her lips were red and her eyes had a smoky shadow.

Her hair had been put into an updo that somehow made the occasional unruly curl look deliberate. I had to do a double take, because it was hard to believe I was looking at the same woman I had walked in on five minutes before.

“Okay,” she said.

I turned around, and even though I had already taken a sneak preview, seeing her still took my breath away.

“You are beauty personified,” I said in a hoarse whisper, offering my arm. “Shall we?”

She hooked her arm with mine, and a giddy warmth spread over my chest. Tonight was going to be special.

One way or another.

TESSI

My blood rushed through my veins, brain soaking in Alkard’s presence at my side. The intoxicating rush remained even when he took me through a door on the Promenade I had never noticed before, and I looked out onto the metro for the first time.

My mouth gaped open, and if he had not held my arm, I might very well have collapsed. I always had heard that Thodos III was mind bogglingly large, but I had always figured that had to be an exaggeration. There had to be a limit to how big the station could get…couldn’t there?

I thought the Promenade was the highest end of the station, in terms of class and status. Now, I realized I was wrong.

A vast canyon lay before me, the walls lined with dwellings and shops. It looked like something out of an old Earth photo of New York before it sank under the water.

As far as I could tell, the metro was limited to only one avenue, four times as long as it was wide. But the clever denizens of the station had built upward on the towering walls, hundreds of feet right up to the canopy of the hull.

Alkard glanced down at me, an almost gentle smile curling the corners of his lips.

“Impressive, is it not? I do believe the first time I saw it, I had the same reaction as you.”

I shook my head, mouth still wide open.

“No way,” I said. “I see it, but I don’t believe it, you know? It’s just so vast.”

“Come. The Nebula is near the uppermost levels.”

He led me to the circular, open-air hover car and the raised ring slid downward, allowing us in. As we stepped inside, he carefully kept hold of my hand, then sat beside a small control panel.

With a gentle bump, we disengaged from the charging port, drifting up to join the line of slow moving traffic above.

“Where did these cars come from? I can’t imagine the Uune needing them.”

“Why do the Uune do anything they do?” He shrugged. “From what I understand, when station dwellers first built the metro, they relied on a series of ramps and bridges to connect themselves to the heights.”

“Why did they stop using that? Too lazy to walk?”

He laughed softly, his eyes dancing with merriment.

“The system was not infallible. People fell from the ramps often, both accidentally and with a bit of help, let’s say.”

He gestured to another car floating below us, with a Nazok pilot and a lot of cargo.

“One day, these hover cars came floating in out of the aft deck section, where few other than Uune tread. They floated all the way here, resting on a charging port that no one remembers seeing the Uune build. Shortly after, the Uune dismantled the ramps and bridges.”

My mind spun. I didn’t like thinking about the Uune, because I hated things I didn’t understand. And speaking of things I couldn’t understand…why did I find Alkard so damn irresistible?

I planned to mess with him by not dressing for dinner, and then he’d have to go and take me to The Nebula.

And despite his passionate touches earlier, tonight he’d been nothing but the perfect gentleman.

What was going on?

We rose past the structures, some of them opulent and lit up bright, others dark and so shoddy, I was surprised they could still cling to the hull without falling. In general, the higher we rose, the fancier the dwellings grew.

When we reached the top, with only thirty feet separating them from the curved roof of the station itself, I spied a row of restaurants and fancy shops. It must be here that the most powerful, wealthy, and influential of station denizens came to dine and shop.

I had never felt more out of place in all of my life.

Looking around, certainty sank into my bones. It was beautiful here. Amazing.

And not for me.

The hover car docked and we disembarked. A short distance away, the Nebula’s entrance glowed a soft yellow.

He led me through the archway, and a hostess with tentacles instead of hair smiled at our entrance.

Then her eyes fell on me and her jet black eyes narrowed.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said with restrained candor. “But your human servant will have to wait outside. The sight of them upsets some of our guests.”

I died a little bit on the inside, wishing there was a way for me to disappear. Maybe if those ramps were still around, I could have gotten myself out of this.

But Alkard simply snorted. “I will bring her with me.”

His tone brooked no argument. The woman bowed her head and gestured with a touch of fearful anxiety.

“Your pardon, Mr. Alkard. I did not recognize…of course you should do as you please.”

“Of course it is,” he said flatly. “This is the part where you lead us to a table.”

The woman led us into the restaurant lobby, past a cascading display of ever changing colored fogs behind glass, the ‘nebula’ for which the restaurant got its name.

Word of mouth had it that the display wasn’t a decoration the restaurant had put in, but rather some arcane device of the Uune which the restaurant had been built around.

But with all dealings of the Uune, who could say?

We walked through a circular lobby then down a wide path between the two groupings of tables on the lowest level. Every gaze that fell on me made me feel worse. They all looked at me as if I were something they’d scraped off their shoe.

My excitement turned to nausea. I slumped my shoulders and lowered my gaze, so I wouldn’t have to look at them looking at me with such utter contempt.

It didn’t do much good. I felt their disdain even if I could no longer see it.

A Mondian with black scales and an impeccably trimmed silver suit appeared out of the kitchen. His eyes widened when he saw the two of us.

Oh great, here he comes to tell me I’m not allowed to be here. Dogs eat outside.

A big smile spread over the Mondian’s face when he drew near, a touch of warmth dispelling some of my fears. He looked between me and Alkard, and then at the tentacle-headed woman.

“Yelish, what are you thinking? Don’t seat Mr. Alkard on the floor—seat him at the VIP booth upstairs.”

“But the booth has been booked by—” she began.

“Bump them,” the Mondian said without hesitation.

The woman bowed her head.

“I’ll lead them to the booth myself,” he said. “If you’ll please come this way?”

He led us up a flight of curving, elegant stairs to a lounge overlooking the dining room floor. A table for two sat near a huge translucent porthole. My eyes widened, because such portholes were a rarity on the station, being a structural weakness from an Uune point of view.

As we were seated, I peered out the porthole and gaped at the spectacle. Thodos remained in a distant orbit around Kannatos, the sixth gas giant planet of the Draguyle System. This was, however, the first time I had gotten a good look at Kannatos.

“It’s…beautiful,” I said with a sigh as I beheld the swirling ball of pinks, blues, and whites. “Seeing this almost makes me NOT want to run back and hide in the car.”

Alkard was taken aback.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been oddly quiet since we walked in the door.”

“You know what, it’s nothing,” I said, resting my hands on the table and leaning forward. “Never mind. I think I will just go ahead and wait for you outside. You can have your fancy dinner, but clearly I don’t belong here.”

His hand closed around my wrist, firmly but not painfully. I lifted my gaze to meet his. His red eyes smoldered like twin suns, seeming to burn right through my pretenses and scorch my soul.

“Tessi, I want you to feel comfortable here. I have two possible solutions to your dilemma. One, I could have everyone else leave the restaurant, so they would not bother you…or I could kill a couple of them, maybe three, just to make a point.”

My mouth flew open, and he rose from his seat, tossing his napkin onto the table.

“Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

He did not answer, just stalked over to the balcony purposefully, leaning on the polished metal rail to gaze down at the diners below.

“Come, my dear. Tell me which of them offended you the most, and I will tear their throat out for their folly.”

I burst into laughter, leaning on the rail and shaking my head.

“Oh my god, Alkard, that’s pretty good. Maybe I just needed a laugh…”

My voice trailed off, because his stony expression had not changed.

Holy shit, he’s not kidding. It wasn’t a joke at all. He totally would. He would commit murder just to make me feel better.

I had always considered myself a moral person. Not a prudish person, to be sure, but a moral person.

And yet, at that moment, some dark part of me was thrilled at the idea of my big, scary alien Daddy killing someone because they’d been mean to me.

Suddenly, I became keenly aware of his warm, spicy scent. Like cinnamon and chili, almost burning my nostrils but in a pleasant way. His hand rested on the small of my back, the scooped design of the back meaning his flesh touching mine directly, with nothing in between.

“I take your silence that you would prefer it if I did not kill anyone,” he said with a small tug at the corner of his lips that may have been a smile. “I suppose, you don’t want to ruin the ambiance, and I can’t blame you. Perhaps another time?”

Right.

Another time.

My standard diet consisted of canned and dehydrated food, like most of the people who dwelt in the Under, and even a lot who were in the less affluent areas of the Thodos III station.

Fresh food wasn’t really an option.

But here… it was a whole new world.

The crustaceans dipped in red sauce and the succulent steaks sauteed in rich brown butter sauce should have been wonderful, and they were.

Yet, I found that my hunger could not be sated by just the cuisine. I still felt a void, a part of myself that had been empty for a long, long time.

As each dish came out, Alkard explained it.

“Ah,” he said as some open faced mollusks arrived as our fourth course. “Here we have the Agnorian freshwater fireclams. They can survive at temperatures of up to three hundred degrees, but the meat is ruined at three hundred and one degrees. So the chef must perfectly balance the meal at three hundred and one half degrees.”

He picked up one of the half shells, filled with a sliver of silver-purple covered in herbs. Alkard lifted the shell toward me and I leaned forward to slurp the succulent meat.

The spicy flavor surprised me, a bit gamey at first but then changing on my palate as I chewed.

“The delicate flavor becomes apparent only after a moment,” he said, his eyes shining. “It really puts the tongue to work, don’t you think?”

He reached out and wiped away a bit of sauce from the corner of my mouth, then brought the finger to his lips and suckled the dollop away while his burning gaze held me captive as surely as iron shackles.

He’s being so nice, so…sweet, even. God, it’s so hard to think with him staring at me like that.

Finally the dessert course came, a frothy whipped mousse of some sort but pink and yellow in color, dusted with dark red powder. But before we started, a Nazok runner approached the table.

The unobtrusive humanoids stood around four and a half feet tall, their mildly aquatic appearance and soft features making them seem quite non-threatening. It was said there was no job too small or too large for a Nazok, and they labored at many different tasks on the station.

According to my old boss, Banek, the Nazoks had another side. Some of them were in the same ‘business’ as Alkard. Which seemed to me to be the business of hurting people.

The Nazok handed Alkard a translucent red, flat rectangle no more than two inches long. A data chip. Silently, Alkard took the chip and plugged it into his percomm, nodding at the Nazok messenger to let him know he could leave.

Alkard read his screen and the warmth drained from his face as surely as space was cold. I saw the murder in his eyes, but more, I felt it. He had gone from being warm and sweet to a cold blooded killer in the blink of an eye.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said, putting the device away. “How is your dessert?”

“It’s delicious,” I said.

He returned to being more or less genial, though on occasion I noticed his eyes grow hard, and I was certain he was thinking about the message.

We finished our meal and went to a garden on the uppermost level of the restaurant.

The garden itself had been arranged with more than just oxygen producing plants. Many of them were there for aesthetic reasons only. I gaped at the sight of exotic flowers in colors I hadn’t known existed. One of them even changed color, pulsing slowly through a cascade of hues.

“If you think the garden is lovely,” Alkard said, taking my chin delicately in his hand and lifting it up. “Take a look at this.”

My breath caught in my throat. The ceiling consisted of one huge translucent dome. The Blood Nebula, a red and black kaleidoscopic natural wonder, loomed large in the void.

“Wow,” I breathed, caught up in the night, his nearness, his scent… I forced myself to focus. None of this was real.

“Have you found out anything about Mera yet?”

“Not yet. Tell me of your friend, the time leading up to her disappearance.”

“Well, she told me she was going to take a contract at The Pulsar, but I told her not to go, because…”

“Because?”

“I heard it was dangerous.”

“Why did you think it was dangerous?”

I faced him with a hard stare.

“Because there were a lot of Vinduthi who were said to frequent that place.”

He stared for a moment in silence, then burst into laughter.

“Ah, you are delightfully wise. Though my people had nothing to do with her disappearance.”

“I know.” I sighed, my mind drifting back to years before. “I grew up with Mera in the Under, you know. We lived in the tunnels for a while, too, when the purge came through.”

“Where were your parents?”

“Oh, they indentured themselves to a mining colony when we were ten. In the tunnels, and the Under, that’s old enough to take care of yourself.” I shrugged, wondering why he was making such a big deal out of it. “I mean, they were probably trying to protect us.”

My mouth twisted, remembering the shock and betrayal I’d felt as my parents had boarded the hopper, heading off to new contracts, new lives.

“If that’s true, then that’s the last time that ever happened to me.”

Dammit. That was years ago. So why did my voice sound so strange now?

“What? The last time that what ever happened?” Alkard asked softly, his as much a caress as the hand on my bare shoulder.

“The last time anyone tried to protect me.”

ALKARD

Something about her desperate loneliness struck a chord deep in my soul.

I grabbed Tessi’s bare shoulders, pulling her in close so I could stare right into her dark eyes.

“Tessi, I…”

My voice trailed off.

I’ll protect you, Tessi.

A jolt of anger ran through me.

This was ridiculous. I certainly could do no such thing.

It was this woman. She made me crazy. And now… “Why are you wilting like a flower?”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth flew open as if I’d slapped her cheek.

“I thought you were strong, Tessi. You had the strength of will to sneak into my office like a dirty thief.”

Hurt, then anger flashed through her face.

“That’s not fair, I didn’t steal anything—”

“Because you hadn’t the chance yet.”

“I just wanted information—”

“And you were ready to do anything, anything at all for it,” I growled.

Her lips parted, her eyes glazing slightly as I pulled her in tightly to my chest.

“Yes,” she whispered, nothing more than a husky murmur escaping her lips. I was thrilled at the feeling of her body against me. Her gaze lifted up to lock with my own. Her hands rested on my chest, fingers splayed wide as if she were on the verge of pushing away from me.

Or an instant away from pulling me closer.

Tessi’s heavy pants heaved her chest into me as she swallowed, hard.

“Alkard…” Her tone rode the cusp between teasing and fearful. “What are you going to do?”

“Tessi.”

I spoke her name in a hushed whisper. The sound issued not from my lungs or throat but from the depths of my soul.

I hardened my resolve, and slipped my hand around to the back of her head, knotting my fingers in her midnight black mane. She gasped and I pulled back, leaving her hair taut.

“Tessi, do you want me to kiss you?”

She only hesitated for a moment.

“Yes,” she said, a pained expression coming over her face and cheeks reddened, that she had to admit to me that’s what she wanted.

I wanted it just as bad, if not more.

But I’d made her a promise.

I took her lips in the deepest, hardest kiss possible. I moved my tongue inside, exploring her mouth, exulting in her taste.

The softness of her mouth proved an intoxicant I had no resistance to. I suckled on her bottom lip, exploring its plump softness. I pulled back, biting her just to the point of breaking the skin, but not quite.

Tessi grunted softly before I released her, then dove back in and kissed her again.

We came up for air, our breathing filling the garden air with heat.

“Tessi.” I pressed my forehead to hers. “Do you want me to bite your earlobe?”

“Ah,” she cried, her body trembling in my grasp. “Yes…”

I moved my mouth over to her ear, tongue darting out to flick against the lobe. I found her ear lovely like a curving sea shell. Being so close to her neck felt heady as a field of wildflowers in full bloom.

She shivered as I seized her ear in my teeth. I put enough pressure that she cried out, a sound that had little to do with pain. I released her and nuzzled the nape of her snow white throat.

“Tessi, do you want me to lick your neck?”

“Yes,” she panted out between heavy breaths, her eyes shining.

I found myself consumed by that glow, feeling it tattoo an indelible impression upon my soul.

My mouth moved over Tessi’s nape, sliding along the sweet skin as she clutched my vest, fingers locking into the fabric.

Slowly, I lapped my tongue along her hot flesh. The taste of her flooded my senses, making my cock twitch hard.

I tasted her essence in her sweat, in the temperature of her delectable skin, the pulsing of blood through her veins. I didn’t just want her, I needed her.

Pressed chest to chest as we were, she could not help but feel it. Her resistance crumbled. Tessi’s body molded itself to mine as she gave into her desires at last.

“You taste so good,” I growled, sinking my teeth in, but not quite hard enough to break the skin, then I kissed my way down her throat, to the slope of her breast.

My fingers hooked into the thin straps of her dress, smoothly sliding them over the rounded edge of her shoulders and down to her elbows. She made a sound between fear and desire. We were in a public garden, and anyone might come along.

That didn’t stop me, or her, for that matter.

I told you, my sweet little human, that you would agree to everything…

“Tessi,” I said, the tone of my voice almost a mockery of the question. “Would you like me to worship your breasts?”

“Fuck,” she cried, twisting and writhing in my arms. Her whole body spasmed with a powerful contraction which left her half spent and panting, and yet seeming to want more of my touch.

“All in due time,” I said with a wink. “No need to rush. When I eat a fine delicacy, I take my time. I might taste you…all night.”

I slipped my mouth around her nipple, sliding my lips sensually around her ever hardening flesh. My tongue tasted her skin again, prompting Tessi’s eyes to flutter close.

My teeth sank in, hard enough to pinch and she cried out sharply, her hands grasping at my head. Her fingers traced over my hair to the bumps of the small horns above my temples.

I worked my way over to the other side, leaving a trail of sensual kisses and hot caresses, sucking on her pink skin, drawing my head back to stretch her nipples.

Her breast came out of my mouth with a wet pop. I immediately seized on its twin and stretched it as well, mingling sensations of pain and pleasure to drive her wild.

“Tessi,” I purred into the softness of her belly. “Do you want me to use my lips and tongue on your hot little pussy?”

She arched her body against me, twisting and writhing on her perch on the stone garden bench.

“Yes,” she cried, a desperate sound.

“You have no idea how much I love hearing you say that word,” I said, hiking her dress up until it reached her waist. The fragrant aroma of her desire wafted into my nostrils, and I took a moment to savor it. “It makes me want to give you anything, everything.”

My eyes widened at the sight of her lace undergarment. The material was translucent, giving me a sneak preview of what I was going to soon devour.

Like reading the menu before you order.

I slipped her panties off, her perfume assaulting my nose with delectable temptation. I thrust my head between her legs, kissing the inside of her creamy thighs. I felt the blood rushing through her femoral artery, and hungered to taste it once more.

All in due time, I told myself. Now, I was going to taste something delicious. I was going to taste Tessi’s nectar.

A bead of moisture shivered on the bottom of her inner folds before dropping off. I caught it on my tongue. My eyes went wide as my body fired up. Yes, this was what I wanted.

I bit her gently on her inner thighs, then soothed the red skin with a kiss. I licked my way to her love cradle, latching onto her outer lips with my mouth. I suckled her juices from the throbbing, swollen flesh, savoring it as it went down my throat.

Tessi’s fingers tore my hair as her body jerked and writhed beneath me. I pinned her down with my arms a bit more firmly, holding her in place for my ministrations. The cacophony of cries, moans, and shouts coming from Tessi’s throat filled the garden air.

I gave each side loving attention as her soft cries grew ever more heated. Tessi’s fingers curled into my hair, tugging hard and egging me onward.

At last, I traced my tongue in a circle around her clit, her little nub begging for attention. I slithered my tongue about until I just barely nicked it. She gasped, rearing up to clutch at me with her hands and body.

I exulted in the moment. Swaddled in her flesh and scent, her taste strong on my palette, I slowly licked her clit, prompting another high pitched wail that had nothing to do with pain or despair, her passion the sweetest music I’d ever heard.

Tessi twisted sharply to the side, then shook as her nectar released. I greedily lapped up as much as I could, not wanting to waste a drop, until she collapsed back onto the bench, whimpering as her body shivered with aftershocks.

“I don’t know about you,” I said, gathering her into my arms. “But I think that was well worth waiting for—”

Afterward, I could never be sure exactly what made me move when I did. Maybe I sensed the air currents. Maybe I saw a reflection in the depths of her eyes. Or maybe the Night Mother, the Vinduthi patron goddess, had my back like she did in the war.

All I knew was every fiber of my being screamed move at the same time. I pulled Tessi tighter against me and twisted to the side, shielding her with my body.

Sizzling heat bubbled up on my back as an electrical crackle raised hackles on my neck. I pitched into a somersault, taking the brunt to protect the precious bundle cradled in my arms as I caught glimpses of a line of blinding white stretching out like the finger of an angry god from the catwalk circling the translucent dome.

I stopped our tumble and kicked out with my right foot, shattering the base beneath a stone statue of a beetle faced humanoid. The statue tilted over and thudded to the ground, giving us cover from the energy blast.

The beam ceased its assault at last.

“Tessi?” Her eyes remained closed, and my breathing was so loud, I couldn’t tell if she respired or not. “Tessi?”

Had she been hit? Had I hurt her during our escape?

Her eyes opened, full of fear but to my surprise, very little panic.

“What the hell is going on? Are we under attack?”

“I’m afraid so.”

I tested the wind, picking up the scent of a Volek and my nose wrinkled in disgust. They were notorious mercenaries, willing to do any job if the price were right. Makar hated them the most of all, calling them dinner killers, since it seemed they’d take any contract for the price of a meal.

While I admired the ruthlessness, I abhorred the lack of ambition.

“I believe I have located the assassin,” I said as she covered her nakedness with the remains of her dress as best she could. My voice sounded loud, reflecting off the nearby stone pillar shielding us from more energy fire.

“How? How can you see anything behind this stupid statue?”

“I smell him, hear him. I taste him on the wind, feel the saliva rushing around in his mouth.”

She turned white.

“I think I’m sorry I asked. Do you have a weapon on you?”

I gave her a smirk.

“I’m the leader of the most powerful syndicate on the station. There are dozens of sentient beings who want nothing more than for me to suffer the most painful death imaginable. Of course I have a weapon.”

I twisted my wrist, and a palm sized, silver pistol landed smoothly in my hand.

“Where did that come from?”

“It was hidden in a mechanism in my sleeve, sheathed in a holster impervious to N ray tech. Otherwise they would not have allowed it in the restaurant.”

Her brows climbed high on her face.

“Then how did our friend the assassin get his weapon inside?”

On one hand, I felt a swell of appreciation at her quick wit. On the other, it was hard not to be angry.

Not at her of course.

“I do not know,” I said icily. “But when I find out…and I assure you I will find out…”

I flicked the button on the side of my gun that powered up its internal battery. Lights blinked three times along the barrel, which extended with a mechanical snick.

“Heads are gonna roll?” she finished for me before I could speak.

I gave her a look, unsure if she was messing with me or not.

“Yes, something like that. Now excuse me. I have a hitman to wound.”

“Wound? Why not kill him? He’s trying to kill us, right?”

“Because no matter how subtle the interrogator, if his subject is dead it will impede his work.”

She nodded calmly, and a small flash of wonder rushed over me.

“That makes sense.”

I threw a fist sized chunk of rubble over the garden statue. The laser started up again, obliterating the stone to powder.

In that instant, I rose to my feet, eyes tracing the white beam back to its source, trusting in the speed and skill of my kind. I spotted my target, a caterpillar-faced humanoid roughly six feet tall in dark gray battle armor.

I aimed carefully, because with only the head to aim at, a disabling shot would be tricky. Not impossible, though. I fired my shot, and a tiny sliver of metal no bigger than a grain of rice shot out of the barrel at twice the speed of sound.

The Volek howled as two of its four mouthpart pedilaps fell to the garden floor amid a spurt of sickly white blood. I cursed as it turned and fled, staggering out of sight. I could not get a clear shot.

“Damn it all, I will hunt him to the ends of the station if I…”

My voice trailed off as I gazed at Tessi. She had held herself together quite well under the circumstances, but…

I couldn’t abandon her while I went tripping off after the assassin.

“Come on,” I said, offering her my hand. “It’s safe now. I don’t sense any other beings out in the garden now but you and I.”

“I thought you were going after him?”

I couldn’t bring myself to reveal my real motives.

Such a weakness could never be allowed.

“There’s a possibility that the assassin was never supposed to kill me, but rather tricked me into chasing him. It’s twisty, but that’s the way things are on Thodos III. If I pursue, I might run into a trap.”

Her eyes held a skeptic’s energy, but she said nothing.

We started to leave, but she cried out and almost collapsed. I caught her under her shoulder before she skinned her knees on the rough garden path.

“Tessi, what’s wrong?”

“It’s my ankle,” she said. “I guess I twisted it during our tumble.”

My eyes narrowed to slits when I saw the purple, swollen mass of her ankle. I trembled with rage.

Not twisted. Broken.

Tessi, hurt.

Tessi was hurt because of some trigger happy assassin. Guilt and rage warred within me. I promised myself, that Volek would die slowly, screaming, praying for an end that would only come when I decided.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t think I can walk. Can you get me a crutch or something?”

“No need for a crutch.”

She cried out as I lifted her into my arms.

What could I do? I couldn’t leave her at the restaurant. It may have been compromised.

The hover car made for poor cover.

There was only one thing to do.

Call for backup.

I took out my percomm and sent a message to the circle. It was a simple message, and coded in case of interception.

I need all the kids to help Dad with dinner.

It was a summons for the entire brotherhood. They would ping my location from the message and come loaded for bear.

I crept to the edge of the garden and peered out. My lips peeled back into a sneer. The dining room was empty, chairs toppled over and food half eaten left on elegant plates.

Apparently, the gunman had run wounded, right through the dining room and scared everyone out of their wits. The well-heeled denizens had scattered, leaving everything behind in their flight for safety.

I peered out the glass panels forming the restaurant front façade and grimaced at the sight of no less than ten more Voleks, scattered around the edge of the hover car platform.

I had twelve shots total in the holdout pistol. It was possible I could take them all out with one shot a piece, but not likely. Like the others, they had armor.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“There are more of them. But don’t worry, help is on the way. We just have to hold out until then.”

A message dinged on my percomm. I checked it.

You boil an egg for eight minutes, right?

I knew it would be eight minutes or more before they arrived.

Faster is better.

No response. Hopefully that meant they were on their way and had no time for messages. I saw the Voleks massing up, preparing to storm the restaurant.

I gently carried her to a dense Zelderberry bush.

“Here, if you hide among the fronds, it will mask your heat signature if they try scanning for you.”

“Okay…hey, what the heck?”

The fronds wrapped around her body, draping over her shoulders, arms and even her head.

“Don’t worry. That means it likes you.”

“It’s not going to eat me, is it?” She seemed dubious.

“It’s very fragile. You could tear it to shreds with your bare hands, so be careful not to harm it.”

“You want me not to harm it?” she sputtered.

“Shhh. Now is the time to be quiet, my sweet.”

I leaned in and kissed her. The fronds all retreated from my presence, shrinking away like grease before detergent in the dishwater.

“Don’t get yourself killed,” she said. “I’m just starting to—”

“Like me?” I asked with a grin.

“I was going to say find you tolerable.”

I gaped in astonishment, until she thrust her tongue out.

“Kidding. Go kick some ass and try not to die.”

And with that brave grin, all of my doubts faded away.

She was the woman for me.

She was mine.

Just as soon as I destroyed the fools who had tried to harm her.

TESSI

Huddling up as best I could inside of the fronds of the plant, my ankle throbbed mercilessly. I strained my ears for any sound, but in the several minutes since Alkard’s departure, it had been eerily quiet.

A muted crackle of electricity startled me, shattering the silence. What followed was a cavalcade of sound. Smashing furniture, hard impacts, and screams of agony.

The latter caused me to break out in a cold sweat.

I wasn’t sure what I’d expected from a date with Alkard, but this wasn’t it.

Silence reigned once more, and I considered leaving my hiding place. Approaching footsteps caused me to abandon that idea. Was it Alkard coming to find me? Or one of the assassins coming to finish off the last remaining witness?

I froze, not even daring to breathe as the footsteps stopped outside my hiding place. The fronds parted.

I almost collapsed in relief at the sight of Alkard’s worried face.

“It’s all right, Tessi. We are now completely safe.” Gently he lifted me from the bush, the fronds falling away, almost caressing my shoulders.

“Can we get the hell out of here now?” I asked. “My ankle is killing me.”

“Yes. Actually, on that note…”

He turned and nodded, and another Vinduthi appeared. His hair had been shaved close to the scalp, giving his severe Vinduthi features an even more aggressive cast. Black tracery on his left side seemed to suck up the light itself.

“Her ankle is injured, Havek. Can you help her?”

“As long as it’s not a severe fracture, this should do the trick.”

The newcomer reached into one of the many belt pouches he wore and withdrew a small glass vial filled with blue, glittery viscous fluid. Havek flicked the glass vial with his finger twice, and the glittery bits lit up briefly in a dazzling display.

“What the fuck is that?” I asked with suspicion.

“It’s just a nanite regeneration sleeve. Don’t worry, it’s completely safe. How did you think we were going to treat your broken bone?”

“I thought you would cast it or something,” I gasped.

“Cast it?” Havek’s face wrinkled in contempt. “And then what, just wait over a month for it to heal on its own? How primitive.”

“It’s not sparkling blue robot juice,” I said, my eyes warily eying the vial.

Alkard’s hand rested on my shoulder and his warm, crimson eyes enveloping my body and soul.

“Do you really think I would let him do anything to you that might cause the slightest bit of harm, Tessi?”

I licked my lips, not quite reassured but getting there.

“Answer me, my sweetness.”

“Ah, no.”

“Then can you be my brave girl?” His fingers caressed my chin, such a stark contrast to his normal dour behavior, and my mind reeled. His thumb caressed my lower lip with feathery softness. Those claws that could rend so easily slid over my skin without harm.

No, he would not do anything to harm me, not ever.

“Yes,” I said in a throaty whisper.

“Good girl,” he whispered, giving my cheek one last caress before he moved away. I moved my face to keep contact with him for the briefest moment, but I abruptly stopped.

A red heat flamed to my cheeks as Havek stepped up with the vial.

He poured the blue gunk on my ankle and the metal flecks lit up, though not as bright as before. The liquid slid around as if alive, enveloping my swollen ankle until it formed an eerily symmetrical support sleeve.

“Oh!” I cried as a flood of cooling relief poured from the sleeve into my body. “What is it doing?”

“The nanites are infusing into your bloodstream, where they will help speed your body’s natural repair process,” Havek said with a touch of snobbish pride. “Instead of the six weeks it normally takes your species to heal a broken bone, you’re looking at about six hours.”

“Are you shitting me right now?”

Havek snickered at my colorful invective.

“Yes. If it were a compound fracture, we would have to perform surgery and then apply the sleeve, but fortunately your break isn’t that severe.”

My vision dimmed around the edges, my hand darted out and braced, searching for support.

“I think I’m having a bad reaction to this,” I said, fear clutching at my chest. “Something’s happening.”

“It’s all right, Tessi,” Alkard said, scooping me up into his arms. “A side effect of the nanite infusion process is that you will rest for a time. It’s nothing to fear.”

“I’ve got a thing about not waking up somewhere weird,” I said, panicking even as everything grew dimmer by the moment.

“You will awaken in your own bed at my residence, and you will not be alone. I promise.”

I sighed and let the darkness claim me at last. It seemed as if I closed my eyes for only a few moments, but when I opened them I lay on the soft down mattress in his residence.

I saw Alkard sitting in a straight backed chair not far away. He obviously had not cleaned himself up after the fight, his hair in disarray and his clothing torn.

I didn’t mind. I thought he looked like a disaster all right—a sexy disaster waiting for a place to happen.

“What happened?” I asked in a voice thick as lead. My tongue felt like a dried out piece of old leather. I spotted a pitcher of water and a glass nearby on the nightstand, and helped myself.

“It’s being looked into,” he said cryptically as I filled the cup with a slosh. I drained the first glass and it was the best tasting water ever. I set it down and poured myself another.

“I’ve never been this thirsty before,” I gasped after emptying the cup again.

“How’s your ankle?”

“My what?”

It took me several seconds to remember what had happened. I gingerly flexed my toes and found that it didn’t hurt, though for some reason my movement seemed restricted. I lifted the sheets, and found that I still wore the blue sleeve, but the glittery bits were gone.

“Is it…is it done?” I asked.

“Yes, you may peel it off if you wish. It’s just a thin sheet of silicone now.”

I peeled it away, and stared at perfectly smooth skin. Years ago, I had twisted my ankle, not even very bad. I had been in pain and had limped for a day or two. Then for the next nine months, the damn thing hurt day and night even though the medic said there was ‘nothing wrong.’

I’d broken my ankle a few hours ago, straight up broken it, and now it was good as new.

Which was a good thing, because there was someplace I needed to be.

I threw the blanket off fully and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Alkard stood up in alarm.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ve been asleep for like six hours. And I was drinking wine before that. I don’t know about your species, but I need to get to the facilities.”

He blinked.

“Oh,” he said. “Here.”

He gently lifted me up and carried me to the bathroom. I giggled as he set me gingerly on my feet.

“I think I can handle it from here, handsome,” I said, tapping him on the nose.

It wasn’t just the firefight, or the way he’d shattered me with his touch in the garden.

I no longer felt like fighting the feelings, the urges that seized me whenever the alien mobster was near. I was tired of fighting, period. I’d fought my whole life.

Here was a guy who seemed to get me. More than just get me, he outright gave every indication he adored me. Even though I was spicy tongued and a bit abrasive at times.

Or maybe even because of it.

I answered the call of nature, and then realized I was covered with dirt from the garden.

“Hey,” I said, opening the door, making sure he saw me standing on my own two feet, quite literally. “I’m dirty.”

“Yes, you are, and I find that quite attractive about you.”

I rolled my eyes and laughed helplessly.

Alien mobster with a terrible sense of humor. Right.

“No, I mean I’m literally dirty. I need to take a shower.”

“Very well. I assume you understand how to operate it? It is a water shower, not a sonic one.”

I waited for him to step out of the doorway so I could shut it, but he didn’t. Then I remembered what he had told me. That I would be in control of how far everything went…but that I would eventually ask him for everything.

If I wanted privacy, I would have to speak up and voice that desire. And that was the problem.

I didn’t know if that’s what I really wanted.

My sass reared its ugly head, and a smile stretched over my face. I reached down and grabbed the hem of my dress, slowly drawing the silken fabric upward. His eyes darted to my newly bared thighs, nostrils flaring as I revealed myself up to the waist.

My panties were long gone, lost at the fight in the garden. Even though he’d already seen and thoroughly sampled the goods, Alkard still stared with hungry eyes at my bared body.

I drew the dress up and over my head, baring myself head to toe. I tossed the shirt over the back of a chair and stretched languidly, like a cat just rising from a nap.

I turned around, still feeling his gaze caressing every inch of me as I bent to turn on the water. I held my hand in the warm stream. A smile stretched wide on my face as I basked in the feeling of hot water, just on the verge of being too much to bear.

I stepped into the wide shower, and turned to face him as the stream sluiced my hair back.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare, Alkard? Or are you going to help me scrub my back?”

Alkard stepped fully into the room, peeling out of his clothing even as he kept eye contact with me. I enjoyed watching the play of muscles across his chest as he slithered out of his shirt, leaving it on the floor behind him.

My breath caught in my throat as he reached down to undo his trousers. I had never seen him naked before, not fully.

On the first night we met, he’d seen every inch of my body.

Most men would have gotten bored.

Alkard only grew more interested.

The proof was the prominent bulge straining the fabric of his pants. Alkard slipped out of the garment, the play of muscles flexing in his thighs catching my attention. Then he stood, revealing his cock to me for the first time.

My mouth flew open as I sucked in air. Alkard’s member resembled a human one in many ways. There was a long, thick shaft with a vein pulsing on the side. A pair of perfectly normal-shaped, dark gray testicles hung from beneath the shaft.

And then there was the crown to consider, a soft triangular shape with a series of six soft, flexing flanges.

Strange.

Alien.

Perfect.

I stepped back to allow him inside as his eyes burned me to the core with open faced desire. A low, throaty growl emanated from his lips as he reached for me.

“Hey,” I said, pushing his hand away as he reached for my breasts. “Get me clean first, and then we’ll talk, mister.”

He seemed taken aback, and then a grin spread over his lips. “No one else dares to speak to me like this.”

“But when I do it, you find it charming.”

He tilted his head back and laughed.

“Yes, I suppose I do, or I would have long ago corrected you. Or made you wear a gag.”

“I’d like to see you try and correct me,” I said, sticking out my tongue playfully. “And as for that second thing, well, that might not be a deal breaker for me.”

He arched a brow beneath his horns, then glanced behind me, where a pink and white sponge-like alien loofah on a carved stick hung from the shower nozzle. I expected him to reach for it.

Instead, I felt something touch the inside of my thigh, even though his hands were both above my waist. I looked down, startled to see his cock moving between my legs, the flexible ribs stroking my skin.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m just getting the sponge,” he said innocently. “How else am I going to get you clean?”

His cock slid upward, the hard length sliding over my pussy and through the groove of my ass. I cried out at the sensation, limbs splaying out to catch my balance on the shower walls.

“Does that feel good?” he asked in a voice soft as velvet and hot enough to melt her like icing.

“Yes.” My reply was closer to a moan than an actual word, but he never seemed to have trouble understanding me, as usual.

He moved his cock more firmly against me, dragging it slowly between my legs. The ribs spread my outer labia, picking up a trail of moisture from my dripping wet pussy, the feeling against my clitoris a brewing volcanic eruption.

“Ah, here we go,” he said, grasping the brush at last. I straddled his cock now, shamelessly grinding against him. “Oh, you really are a dirty girl, aren’t you?”

My face burned with embarrassment, but I couldn’t deny the assessment.

“Did you like dancing in the club?”

“I hated it,” I said quite honestly.

“But you liked the feeling of having control. The feeling of power, didn’t you?”

I found it hard to think with the waves of pleasure coming from below. He moved his cock in concert with my thrusting hips, adjusting speed and pressure based on my reactions.

“Yes,” I said at last, because it was true and my pleasure soaked brain couldn’t find the gumption to lie.

“I understand. You have power over me, you know that?”

He sounded as if he were explaining to himself as much as me.

“You’re…kidding,” I gasped between lusty pants of air. “You can do…whatever…”

“Whatever I want?” He squirted soap on his hands and then thoroughly lathered up my breasts, his massaging fingers sending bolts of lightning down my body.

“What if all I want to do is fuck you?” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Damn you, Tessi, how did you get under my skin so quickly and so well?”

His hands clutching at my breasts grew firmer, almost painful in their kneading. His face darted in and I felt his breath on my shoulder right before his piercing teeth.

I cried out, my eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling of the shower as pleasure shivered through my body. Not only did I fly over the finish line, I went about three feet past it in an eyeblink.

I dragged in a breath of air, then let out a shrieking scream as an overwhelming wave of ecstasy throbbed through me in heavy pulses. I clawed at him, nails raking along his back as he bit me even harder.

I came hard, writhing all over his cock before collapsing against him. If not for Alkard, I would have fallen because my rubbery knees buckled. I shuddered like I’d touched an electric fence, eyes shut and mouth open as I cried out in ecstasy.

As I slowly regained my senses, Alkard lathered me up, this time making a serious, if sensually charged, effort to get me clean, his hands stroking me, learning every inch of my body.

The slight pain in my shoulder didn’t even register much as he dried me off. Without another word, he took me by the hand and led me into the bedroom.

Alkard’s grip grew harder and he pulled me firmly until I stumbled over and landed on the bed. His eyes lit up as he crawled onto the bed, his leanly muscled body pinning me down, gray skin sliding over my own and raising electric pulses of delight.

“Tessi,” he purred my name as if it were synonymous with desire itself. “Do you want me to make love to you?”

“Yes,” I said without any hesitation whatsoever.

He reared up on his knees, splaying my thighs wide with his palms, then gripped his shaft to drag the crown of his cock across my dripping folds. I bit my lower lip and sighed with delight at the sensation. My whole body tingled and I opened up wide, too eager to feel any embarrassment.

As the thick head of his cock pressed harder into me, my sigh became a sharp cry and I closed my eyes, toes curling hard enough to cramp my calves as the ridges stimulated the walls of my pussy.

He slid in all the way, the sheer size of him almost too much, until a split second later, sweet bliss cascaded from my core, spreading all through my entire being. I threw my arms up over my head, surrendering to him fully for the first time.

Surrendering to anything for the first time, really.

I had never trusted anyone else to keep me safe.

Not like I trusted Alkard.

It was too soon.

Some rational corner of my mind knew that.

He was an alien. A gangster.

I’d seen proof of the violence of his world.

We barely knew each other, if you were focused on the basic things.

I didn’t know his favorite color, or what sort of music he listened to, or what he did to relax.

He didn’t know anything about me, either.

And yet, something inside me resonated with him, making everything else feel small, inconsequential.

Right here, right now, I was his.

Reality would have to wait.

Alkard thrust into me, and my moan became a scream.

“Please,” I cried. “Don’t stop, please.”

He drove into with exquisite slowness as his face contorted with pleasure, fangs biting his lip as a low growl issued from his throat. I felt my pussy convulse hard, pinching him tight as he dragged back out.

“You’re exquisite,” he said in a taut voice as he strained against me at the end of another slow, gliding thrust. “Just…perfect.”

He really means that, but will he still mean it after we’re done?

I wrapped my legs around the small of his back as we moved our bodies together in perfect sync.

I stampeded toward the edge of climax, just as his body strained against me, rigid as a support strut. I squeezed my legs, pulling him in just a micron further and he came.

His cock throbbed as he emptied his seed and I shattered, unable to control myself. I clutched him, dragged under the tide of the overwhelming sensations spiraling through me.

Collapsing together, spent on the mattress, sweat mingling and cooling in the dim light of the room. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, exposing my face, then kissed my lips soft and sweet.

I almost didn’t hear his next words.

“Did you think we were done?”

ALKARD

Icurled my body around Tessi’s back as she relaxed, her cheek resting on my bicep. Her exhausted human body, so soft, so delicate, still quivered as light strokes of my fingers caressed her black mane and I basked in her scent.

She stirred, her breathing changing enough to let me know she was drifting closer to the surface and I clasped her to my chest.

In response, she wriggled against me, the lush curves of her ass calling an instant response from my cock.

“Do you want more, my sweet?” I murmured into her ear. “You have to tell me, remember?”

A glance over her shoulder at me, heavy lids almost masking her eyes, nearly pushed me over the edge again, but carefully, painfully, I forced myself to stay still.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Please.”

“Tell me what you want.” The teasing was cruel, I knew, but I couldn’t help it. I needed to hear her say the words.

“More.” The word was somewhere between a plea and a prayer, and I was happy to answer it.

Sliding my hand over her hip, I grazed her swollen mound with my fingers, then slipped them inside of her, curling and flexing them as she gasped.

“Oh!”

“Just like that,” I purred. “I’ll give you more. I’ll give you everything.”

The sound faded into the place between a groan and a whimper as I gripped my shaft and guided the head of my cock between her soaked pussy lips.

We both cried out as I slid inside of her. She felt so perfect, slippery and warm as she instantly clamped down on me with powerful contractions. I adjusted my thrusts accordingly, grinding my body into her own as her cries grew louder and more urgent.

I rolled her onto her belly, my cock still buried deep inside of her, then lifted her hips up while my hand went to the back of her head, pinning her cheek to the bed. I thrust from the new position and a sharp moan roared out of her mouth as her eyes went glassy.

“Oh god,” she cried, “yes, yes, yes, please…”

I pushed her head more firmly into the mattress, twisting her left arm behind her back as I did so. I leaned into my thrusts, using my body weight to get that much deeper. Tessi writhed and wriggled, but I held her fast as she hollered her way through one climax after another, after another.

Finally, I sensed her body had hit its limit, and I came inside of her, then gently I eased us both back onto our sides, my cock remaining inside of her as I held her to me, one hand resting lightly on her throat, the other clasping her belly.

She jerked about a bit more, hissing out a moan as she finished orgasming at last. She fell limply against me, her breathing growing ever slower until it reached a normal rhythm.

“You are like a drug to me, Tessi,” I whispered in her ear. “Too much of you does not seem like enough. I am so enamored of you, I’m not sure what to make of myself.”

“I’m not so sure what to make of you, either.”

I felt a flash of anger, but it faded quickly. Does one hate the scorpion for its sting, or the rose for its thorn?

I squeezed a bit harder on her throat until she squeaked.

“Your tongue is as sharp as ever, my sweet, Tessi.”

I bit her earlobe and she groaned. “You should be careful. It only makes me want you more.”

Eventually, slumber found us both still entangled in each other’s arms.

I had seldom slept so well, not in many years.

Perhaps not since before the war.

Hours later, a soft chime woke me. I took care to disentangle myself from her soft, silken limbs and slid out of her bed. I went to retrieve my percomm, still in the pocket of my vest.

The message was from Havek.

We found everything on the grocery list. Get the family together for lunch?

I checked the time. Lunch? To my surprise, it was indeed midday.

Yes.

I put the unit away and gently kissed Tessi on her cheek, then dressed and left orders with Nayal to see to her while I was away.

I walked slowly across the station, trying to size up the general feel of its avenues and alleyways. It seemed to me as if the entire station were balanced on the edge of a blade. On the verge of exploding into violence, given the chance of a war between the Fanaith and the Vinduthi…or the Zequinids and the Vinduthi.

Then there were the ‘Zoks.

Not all of them worked for Conii’s group, but enough of them did that one had to wonder. The Nazoks were building up quite the network. So far they’d mostly limited themselves to information brokering, but they were always looking for a foothold toward the type of power the Vinduthi wielded.

Everyone was.

Everyone on the streets knew about the theft of the weapons shipment, and that the Zequinids felt their honor had been slighted. Everyone knew the Fanaith had stolen the guns, perhaps to prove that they were a power on the station as well.

No one seemed to know where the actual fucking guns were, however, and that made me increasingly angry.

I stormed into the Fallen Star, not even glancing at anyone until I reached the sealed-off meeting chamber below the ground floor.

I stepped up to the table as Tazhr and Razov engaged in an arm wrestling match. It looked like a pretty even fight, and under normal circumstances, I would have let the match continue until a decisive winner had been chosen.

Not today, though.

Today, I seethed with anger. Not because the Voleks had tried to kill me. I expected people to try and kill me.

No, I was angry because Tessi had been put in danger.

Because Tessi had been hurt, her bones broken. For that, I took the whole affair quite personally.

“Knock it off,” I snapped, kicking the table and ending the arm wrestling match. My inner circle switched gears, their jovial nature dropping off to adopt something more serious. Well most of them, anyway.

Kovas was never jovial.

“All right,” I growled, taking them each in with my gaze. “The fucking Voleks took a shot at me in my favorite restaurant.”

I almost blurted out that they had nearly killed my Tessi, but I held myself back.

“I want to know every fucking person who was in and out of that restaurant in the last week before the attack.”

Everyone turned to look at Havek, our resident tech expert. He sighed because he hated to be the one to handle all of that.

It wasn’t that I thought Havek incapable of dispensing violence and mayhem. He’d proven that he was repeatedly. It was more of a matter that he was just so damn good at handling our computer and technology concerns, it wasn’t worth the risk to put him in the line of fire.

“We have in fact gone through every single individual, and identified them.” Havek tapped on the screen of his percomm, sending a data package to mine. “Here’s their names and where they reside. Unfortunately, nothing stands out.”

“What about that ‘Zok runner?” I scowled. “I didn’t recognize him. Was he one we’d used before?”

“Of course he was…” Havek looked over to Makar, who had arranged things. “Wasn’t he?”

Makar’s face grew troubled.

“What is it?” I prompted when he continued to sit there in silence.

“It’s probably nothing, but our usual runner, Kiph, said that he had another task, but said his cousin, Phik, would handle it. Kiph vouched for him and everything.”

I drummed fingers on the table. Maybe there was a connection, and maybe it was not. The truth was, there might turn out to be no way of really knowing who had hired the Voleks. But that didn’t mean I didn’t intend to use every resource at my disposal to try and find out.

I looked over at Havek.

“I want to know everything about this Phik,” I said. “I want to know his family, his friends, how much debt he has and to whom. I want to know where he goes, and how he spends his money. And most of all, I want to know what he was up to both before and after the attack.”

Havek nodded. “I’ll try working my way through the station camera database. They stored the video in there for thirty days before deletion, so unless he was hired before then…”

I nodded.

“There’s another matter, too,” Kovas said, drawing everyone’s attention. “The data disc we found on the Voleks we killed at the Nova. It turns out it’s encrypted.”

I turned to Havek, who sighed.

“Okay, fine. Hand it over, Kovas. I have to do everything around here.”

“Not everything,” Makar said. “At least Alkard has found someone to take to dinner and listen to his jokes.”

It would have been funnier if I was actually in the habit of making jokes.

“All right,” I said, drawing their gazes at me once more. “Listen up. Someone is trying to take us down. This isn’t just a matter of the Fanaith’s balls dropping out of nowhere. The theft, the attempt on my life, it all could be connected. So everyone is to be on guard. Nobody goes out alone. Spread the word to our soldiers on the streets. As of right now, the Vinduthi are at war.”

The solemn declaration caused everyone to lapse into thoughtful silence. At length, Makar spoke.

“We’re at war, but with who?”

I didn’t have to answer.

Until proven otherwise, we were at war with everyone.

TESSI

After what happened between us, I had assumed I would see more of Alkard.

A lot more. Instead, the exact opposite occurred.

I had awakened in my bed to find him gone, which set the tone for the next two days. Alkard was away most of the time, and he wouldn’t say where he was going other than to ‘attend to business’ or ‘seeing an old friend.’

The fact he shut me out made it feel as if I’d been abandoned twice.

And then there was the butler/manservant/steward/pain in the ass known as Nayal. When I’d first met the venerable Vinduthi, I felt some sympathy. His advanced age made him seem ill-suited to be anyone’s servant.

Any empathy I once had quickly evaporated before the end of the first day. I had seen him taking each of the knickknacks down from the mantle in the living room and dusting each one. He then moved on to the den and did the same thing. The recreation room would be his obvious next target.

So I went ahead of him and did the dusting, then sat down beside the billiards table and pretended innocence. I expected a pleasant surprise from the old butler.

Instead, Nayal completely ignored me. He walked over to the viewing screen and sighed, running his fingers over the edges and then staring at them in apparent disgust.

He tottered around in that manner, repeatedly examining something I cleaned and then making it apparent—even though he never spoke—just how profoundly disappointed he was.

“I must be slipping,” he muttered to himself, but loud enough for me to hear as he adjusted the position of a solar chart. “This is not in its proper alignment. I suppose my age caught up with me at last.”

I stood up and glared. “Okay, fine. Whatever. Knock it off, will you?”

Nayal stared at me with restrained surprise.

“Why, Mistress Tessi,” he said. Nayal had a way of saying ‘mistress’ that somehow robbed the title of all prestige and replaced it with contempt. “Whatever do you mean? I’m just doing my daily dusting.”

Then his hand went over his mouth.

“Oh my, did I speak out loud? I’m so sorry, Mistress Tessi. I am disappointed in myself for doing such a poor job of dusting yesterday. I’m sorry if you thought it had anything to do with you.”

I flinched, feeling a wash of pins and needles on my skin. Had I screwed up and misjudged him?

No, I thought, reaffirming control of myself. Don’t buy into his act. Call him on it.

“Come on, Nayal,” I said with a sigh. “You and I both know I dusted this room ahead of you. I was only trying to help, but it’s obvious my efforts aren’t appreciated.”

He looked about in surprise so theatrical that I was sure it had to be feigned.

“Why, you did? Oh, my apologies. Now that I look at it, I’m actually not doing all that much extra work beyond normal. I do appreciate your efforts, Mistress Tessi. Oh, by the way, I intend to cook a Yulgazian souffle later. If you want, you may go and prepare it for me, since you’re feeling so very industrious.”

My eyes narrowed.

“You and I both know I have no idea what that even is, let alone how to cook it. I wasn’t trying to take your place, Nayal. I was just trying to help.”

He sniffed.

“And why did you want to assist in my duties? Do you not think I’m capable? Or have my efforts not been up to your…”

He wiped his finger through some alleged dust on the wood edge of the billiards table and tsked.

“Exact standards,” he finished at last, wiping his hand with a kerchief.

“I get it, you don’t like me.”

Nayal considered me for a long moment and then his stoic mask slipped for just a moment.

“You misunderstand me, Mistress Tessi. I neither like nor dislike you. However, I disapprove of your presence in Master Alkard’s life.”

I flinched as if I had been slapped. Actually, a slap would have been less painful.

“What? Seriously? Because I was a stripper? It’s not the most degrading way a human has worked off their indenture, believe me.”

“No, Mistress Tessi,” he said, his nose twitching a bit. “Not because of your former vocation. I was not always a butler, and I assure you that I have no business judging you or anyone else for that matter for your choices.”

“Then why do you disapprove?”

“Simply put, Mistress Tessi, you are not from our world.” He said it without cruelty, but without sympathy, either.

“Well, obviously we are not the same species,” I began.

“No,” he said. “Not what I mean. I am very old, mistress. I was born under stars with a much brighter shine than these, and in that time, I have learned something important.”

“What’s that? Investing in Alliance bonds is a good idea?”

He smirked.

“Ever the rapier wit. No, mistress, I have learned that the most important distinctions to make about an intelligent being are not which star their people originally orbited around. There are far more important ways to distinguish people. You are not of our world because you have not lived in the darkness as we have. It has not become part of you and dimmed your inner light.”

His voice took on a hard edge.

“So when I say that I disapprove, I am of course thinking of my master’s best interest. But…”

His face softened. Not much, but enough to catch my attention, making me hang on his next words.

“That does not mean that I cannot take your best interest into account as well, mistress. I would spare you the pain of loneliness and isolation a life as my master’s companion would entail. Unless, of course, he…”

The old butler’s voice trailed off, and he returned to cleaning.

“Nayal?” I prompted when he didn’t speak again. “Nayal, you kind of have a dangling participle there. Unless he what? Unless Alkard does what?”

As if on cue, the door slid open and Alkard strode inside. My chest bloomed, feeling lighter at the sight of him, before it was sucked away by my frustration at being left alone for so long.

“You’re back,” I said at last, instead of the dozen other things bouncing around in my head.

Good move, Tessi.

“I am,” he replied, coming over to embrace me. But I didn’t move towards him and he paused, then dropped his arms to his side. “Are you well?”

“No, I’m not well,” I snapped. “It’s been days and you still haven’t found anything out about Mera, or even told me anything that’s going on.”

“I told you these things take time.”

Despite myself, a flash of anger welled up in me. “Why?” Good grief. I sounded like I was five. But I couldn’t help it, days of wondering what was going on, of being in a strange place, a strange new world, finally pushed me past the boiling point. “I know. You won’t tell me, because then you’d have to stop being cryptic for five seconds and we all know you’re utterly incapable of that.”

He arched an eyebrow as Nayal made a hasty exit from the room.

“I have people looking for her. Even as we speak.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away from him.

“I’m starting to think I would be better off looking on my own.”

“That would be a mistake.”

I groaned and threw my hands up in the air.

“Are you sure? Mera isn’t going to trust your people. If she’s trying to hide her presence from someone, then your people asking questions about her will to make her hide even deeper.”

His face creased into a frown.

“It pains me to see you so troubled, my pet,” he purred, finally taking me in his arms. I wanted to resist, but my body clasped against his as if with desperate relief. I felt my anger abate, but only slightly.

“I just want to try and find her,” I said, half-heartedly trying to fend off his affections.

“Shhh, it’s all right,” he said. “We’ll find out what happened to her soon, I promise.”

He nuzzled my neck as his hot breath on my skin raised goosebumps, and sent a shiver down my spine.

Alkard’s sensual licks on my neck put me into a haze. I clutched at him, my hands seeking the buckle to his belt, when a chime went off on his percomm.

To my disappointment, he answered the call. I had hands on my hips and a glare etched onto my face when he turned back around.

“Tessi,” he said, looking at his computer, and then at me. “I must apologize, but I have to leave. It’s urgent.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Then let me go out as well. You can’t keep me cooped up here all day by myself.”

His immediate response wasn’t exactly a surprise. “It’s not safe.”

“Please.” Stepping closer to him I ran my fingers down his jaw. “I’m not used to being inside all the time. I need something to do.”

I saw the wheels turning in his mind then his expression eased. “Very well.”

I squealed with happiness and kissed him hard.

“But,” he said, setting me back onto my feet. “There are conditions. Nayal and Razov will go with you, and you will wear a tracking bracelet. Just in case.”

“Just in case what?”

He looked at me, a grim light in his eyes.

“Just in case it turns out someone made Mera disappear. And that same someone decides to try and make you disappear next.”

ALKARD

Ichecked my percomm screen frequently on the walk to the Fallen Star, unable to resist keeping track of Tessi’s location.

So far, the tracker stated she hadn’t left my residence yet. While that made sense—Razov needed time to travel to my residence, after all—it still filled me with a new kind of anxiety.

Namely, what if she had taken off the bracelet and left it at home?

Impossible, or it should be. The silver bracelet held technology that also made it exceedingly hard to remove without the remote control code or a set of hacking tools. Since she had neither, that bracelet likely remained affixed to her slender, silken soft wrist.

Of course, she could have severed her own limb and slid the bracelet off the bloody stump, but something told me that wasn’t the case.

I tried and failed to put Tessi out of my mind as I neared the Fallen Star.

Absurdly, I half wished that my enemies would make a try for me then and there. I could vent my frustrations, and root them out all in one fell swoop.

I stalked through the club and to the private door, gliding down the steps, thoughts fixed on my purpose. I would finish this business quickly and find those who had dared put Tessi in danger, and then I would make them sorry they ever drew their first breath by making them beg for the last.

I entered the meeting room and found everyone present but Razov. Makar turned to Tazhr and waved his fingers, palm facing up.

“Pay up.”

Taz shrugged and reached into his back pocket, withdrawing a roll of credit slips.

“What are you two about?” I asked.

“Oh, we had a wager going,” Makar said with a shrug. “Our brother claimed that you would be too caught up in the limbs of your new woman to possibly arrive at the meeting on time.”

I smirked as if the notion was only worthy of quiet ridicule.

“Oh, please. She’s my new pet. Nothing more. When I get tired of her, I may pass her on to one of you.”

But inside, I felt a swell of guilt at having called Tessi my ‘pet.’

It was one thing to whisper that in her ear as she clung to me.

Another thing entirely to have others think of her that way.

What did I want with her?

But now wasn’t the time to figure it out.

I turned my attention to Havek, cutting to the most urgent matter at hand.

“Havek, do you have any information on that Zok runner?”

Havek’s sour look made it clear he had nothing useful to impart.

“Unfortunately, no. It’s like he disappeared into the tunnels and vanished without a trace.”

“What about the station security camera feed? Was it too difficult for you to hack into?”

Havek sighed.

“If I say yes, will you pass these stupid responsibilities on to someone else?”

“No,” I said truthfully.

“Then, no. I hacked into them easily enough. The thing is, our runner didn’t show up on hardly any of them.”

“How is that possible?” Taz asked, leaning forward in his seat.

“There are lots of ways,” Havek said with a shrug. “First and foremost, the security cameras are by no means ubiquitous throughout Thodos III. Second, they’re obvious and fairly easy to avoid if you’re careful and pick the correct route. And third, there’s another reason why we didn’t see him on any footage.”

“What’s that?”

“Someone tampered with the data, and erased him from the files. It wouldn’t be that hard, if he didn’t interact with anyone or anything, to just wipe him clean.”

Silence encompassed the table.

“Fuck,” I muttered. “Havek, please tell me that you got something out of the data chip at least.”

Havek grew silent and Makar turned to me.

“He’s been like this every time we bring up the data disk. No straight answers, just long sighs and a predilection for avoiding looking at us.”

“Havek, just come out with it. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”

He rummaged around in his pocket and withdrew his percomm.

“Poor choice of words, Alkard,” he said sadly. “The data disk, as it turns out, is cracked. Badly damaged. I couldn’t get any of the video files off it.”

“Is that why you’re so upset?” I asked.

Havek gave him a look.

“Don’t I fucking wish. No, I’m getting to that. Anyway, I couldn’t get any video off the disk, but I was able to get some stills taken from just a few minutes before the theft.”

He sent the picture on his screen to the big monitor set into the table and my mouth fell open as I looked upon Banek and two Mondians, almost right on top of the cargo.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “There must be an explanation.”

“What explanation do you need?” Taz clenched his hand into a fist. “Banek stuck a knife in our back. Simple as that.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” I said.

I looked over my brotherhood. Shocked betrayal shone in their eyes, but so did a desire to inflict violence on those responsible.

I couldn’t just let this matter go. I had to do something or risk chaos in my house.

“But I intend to find out.” I stood up and checked my holdout pistol. “Get up, all of you.”

“Where are we going?” Havek asked.

“We’re going to Pulsar to talk to Banek about this. Right fucking now.”

I led them out of the basement. Once we hit the Promenade, the tension crackled in the air ahead of us. People moved off the avenue, and everyone tried to pretend like they weren’t watching every move we made as we stalked down the street.

“Someone’s gonna get a hurtin’ put on ‘em,” said a derelict, Ewani, as we passed by.

My thoughts raged, trying to understand what we’d just seen.

I didn’t want a fight with Banek. The Mondians had been our allies in the war.

But I wasn’t going to let them rip us off, either. If Banek were responsible, then he would pay just like anyone else.

Pay with his life.

We hit the door at The Pulsar, and the bouncer started. He pulled the velvet rope open to allow our entrance, but I noticed that four of the other bouncers fell in behind us.

I marched up to the bar.

“Where’s Banek?”

“He’s negotiating a deal in the back,” the girl said. “Hey, you can’t go back there!”

I stormed through the beaded curtain and found Banek in the VIP lounge with a girl draped over his shoulders.

“What’s your malfunction, Alkard?” Banek sputtered as the girl scrambled to get off of him. “You couldn’t knock? Or fucking wait out in the bar drinking free booze until I got done?”

I held the screen of my percomm out, showing the still of Banek and his men by the cargo right before it vanished.

“Explain yourself, Banek.”

“Well, I like to think that even though I’m a hardass, I have a soft side—”

“Damn it, Banek, now is not the time for your screwed up sense of humor. This is a picture of you and your men, standing next to a crate of weapons that’s been missing for a damn long time. Now tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t know,” Banek growled. “And I don’t like your tone, Alkard.”

“You don’t know?” I snarled, taking a step closer until our chests nearly touched.

“You expect me to believe that? You didn’t even bother to come up with a decent lie?”

He snorted, the scales around his nostrils flaring as three of his men entered the room.

“Yeah, exactly. If…and I do say if…I were going to rip you off, Alkard, I’d come up with a rock solid alibi and you’d never have any clue it was me.”

Me and the Mondian stared at each other for a long moment, the fighters on both sides braced for violence, but none of them were particularly hoping it would come to that.

At last, I turned on my heel.

“It’s true that you normally cover your tracks better than this, Banek. If it turns out it was you…”

I let the veiled threat hang in the air and stalked out of the lounge, my brothers in step behind me.

Everything was coming apart.

All of my carefully laid plans were being unwound thread by thread. Every time I thought I had it pinned down and sewn up, another fray began somewhere else.

A runner came up toward us. I waved off Makar, who had his knife half drawn from its sheath.

“Don’t literally kill the messenger, Makar,” I said.

The runner whispered something in my ear. My blood boiled to hear it, though I tried to show no outward sign.

I straightened up and turned to the others.

“We’re going to the hydroponic farms. Now.”

“The farms?” Taz asked. “Why?”

“One of our soldiers has been killed there, that’s why. Any other questions?”

If I didn’t get to murder someone soon, I was going to explode.

TESSI

“This is so strange,” I said as I moved down one of the ritzier avenues of the Promenade. The different corridors sprung off the central nexus like spokes on a wheel, and this was the most exclusive of them all.

“What is strange?” Nayal asked. Razov either didn’t hear me, or didn’t care what I said.

“I’ve been down this way a couple of times and usually people look like they’d rather spit on me than speak to me. Today, everyone is being polite. That last shopkeeper even refused to take payment for my Kathckachino.”

I lifted the green drink in my hand for emphasis.

Nayal burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“Forgive me, mistress,” he said, for the first time not making the honorific sound like an insult. “You’re adorable at times.”

“Adorable, am I?”

“There are several reasons why everyone is treating you differently now,” he said, holding up a finger. “One, you are dressed in tailored finery that speaks of your wealth.”

It was true. Alkard had made an entire closet full of clothing just for me of the finest fabrics and materials.

“Two,” Nayal continued as they walked through the milling throng of aliens. “Not to point out the obvious, but you are accompanied by one of the most feared men on the station.”

Razov simply nodded, his face not registering anything other than acknowledgement of a simple fact.

“Point taken. Is there anything else?” I asked.

“Oh, yes. One more thing, and the most important factor of all.” The old man’s eyes shone with mischief. “Everyone who matters on this station knows that Alkard fancies you. They would never risk messing with you and raising his ire.”

I did a double take.

“You’re kidding.”

“No, I am not. If you want my advice, you should just roll with it. Learn to enjoy the trappings of power.”

I laughed, and grinned.

“You know something? You’re all right, Nayal. I thought you were a crotchety old dick, but now I realize you just like subtly fucking with people. A man after my own heart.”

Nayal grinned, and it was the first genuine smile he’d given me.

I let out a long sigh, and a strange feeling came over me.

“What’s that face for?” Nayal asked.

“I don’t know, I just…my stomach has felt all knotted up for a long time, I guess. Now it feels…unknotted. Sounds stupid, I know.”

“It sounds like you are no longer afraid,” Razov said, scaring me half to death. He had been so silent, I’d forgotten what his voice sounded like.

“Um, yeah,” I said. “Maybe.”

Maybe I did finally feel safe enough to relax. What a concept. If only I didn’t feel guilty too for being safe while Mera was in danger.

And there was something else that kept me from being truly happy. I missed Alkard, simple as that.

Of course we were fire in the bedroom together, but now I realized just how much I enjoyed being around him, even with our clothes on.

Sure, he’d been busy a lot of the time, but even just sitting with him for a few moments over a meal made my chest feel light and bubbly.

Of course, that feeling stopped as soon as I wondered how long this could last.

What was going to happen to me when the month was up?

Would I go back to dancing, only catching glimpses of him as he came through the Fallen Star?

Sure, I’d miss the clothes and the soft bed, the luxury of this life.

But how could I survive without his touch, the security I felt in his very presence?

There wasn’t anything I could do about it now.

“Hey, I’m famished,” I said, gesturing at a café. “Want to grab a bite to eat?”

“I am a bit peckish,” Nayal said. “How about you, Razov?”

The big man grunted.

“So eloquent, this one. Let’s eat.”

We ordered something that came in nautilus style curled shells. The seafood had been grilled and then coated with grated cheese of some sort. The tender meat melted in my mouth.

“Exquisite,” Razov said, surprising me again.

“Say, Nayal,” I said, putting down my fork. “How long have you known Alkard?”

“Since he was a child. Why do you ask?”

“What was he like as a kid?”

The idea of a baby Alkard made me grin. He would have been adorable.

“Hmm. A bit on the grim and dour side. He didn’t play games, unless they were war games. Then he was always in charge of strategy.”

All right. Adorable and grumpy.

“That sounds about right,” I said, chuckling. “What about…has he ever had a girlfriend before?”

“Girlfriend?” Nayal tilted his head to the side. “I’m not familiar with the term.”

“Um, like a regular lover, who might turn into something more?”

His brows widened as the confusion cleared.

“He’s spent time with women before you, but never with anyone more than once.”

That made me feel a little better.

“If you must know, I’ve never seen the master act quite the way he has about a woman before you,” Nayal said.

“That’s not right,” I said, my cheeks burning hot. “You’re kidding.”

“I am not. And quite frankly, I see why he adores you so.”

“So you don’t think I’m not appropriate for this gig?” I gave him a pointed stare until he sighed and spread his hands.

“It’s obvious that you’re determined to remain in this position, so I figure the best thing I can do now is make sure you survive.”

Razov snorted.

“She has spirit aplenty, Nayal. You don’t need to encourage her to take needless risks.”

“Hey, he talked again. Did you get dust on your toes when his lips moved?” I asked sweetly.

“Bah,” Razov said, his lips tight and his voice tighter. He seemed to have trouble looking at us

“Razov, are you trying not to laugh?” Nayal asked in wonder.

“No,” Razov said, trying to scoff. “I do not laugh. Excuse me, my drink is empty.”

“His drink is half full,” I said as Razov rose. “Do you really think we have a shot at making this thing we have work, Nayal?”

“I do think you have a shot, but I’m not in charge of the fate department. Nor am I much of a seer, I’m afraid.”

“Well, you’re obviously more than just a butler.”

A brief snort was his only comment.

After our meal, we returned to window shopping. I peered intently into every shop window, but came away disappointed each time.

“What are you looking for?” Razov asked.

“I’m looking for another present for Alkard. I know I got that.” I pointed to the small box Nayal carried. “But it’s really more of a joke. I’d like to get him something else. What do you think he’d like?”

“I don’t think he really needs any more presents,” Nayal said with a laugh. “As far as what he might like, you would probably know more than I would, believe it or not. Other than making money and accruing power, I’m not sure what he likes…other than you, of course.”

I blushed again, and then saw something in a window that caught my eye. A red sheath dress with a high thigh slit, and elaborately embroidered stars on the sleeves. Maybe if he didn’t need a gift, he’d like an experience?

Say, the experience of taking that dress off of me.

“Let’s go in here.”

The three of us entered the shop, my escorts stepping back while I asked about the dress.

As I moved towards the changing rooms to try it on, someone stepped into my path.

“Message for you, ma’am,” said a Nazok with a smile.

I reached out and took the chip, plugging it into my percomm as I stepped into the room. Probably just another receipt from an earlier purchase or something. Just another message…

It was just an image, but I staggered back, clutching my gut as if I’d been kicked.

Mera lay on a metal floor, a set of station coordinates scrolling across the screen, and a two word message.

Come alone.

My inquiries were being met with success at last. The whole purpose of the shopping trip had been to gather information about my missing friend, to ask every runner, every beggar for anything they’d seen.

One of the people I’d asked must have been too afraid to answer me directly. They might be in danger, too.

Heart pounding in my ears, I tried to get my thoughts in order.

This was the first clue I’d had to find Mera, and she was hurt. If I didn’t do what the message said, what would happen to her?

I needed to go. Get away from Nayal and Razov.

Somehow get to Mera without them noticing.

The stupid bracelet was going to give me away.

Luckily, Alkard’s device was built for someone with a larger frame. With a little bit of tugging, it slipped off easily enough.

As I stared at the bangle in my hand, I came to my senses.

What the hell was I doing?

This was stupid. I needed to get out of here, find the guys.

They’d take me back to Alkard right away. He’d know what to do.

I flung open the door, but something soft slapped over my mouth and nose.

I cried out in alarm, struggling to pull the cloth off my face as an acrid stench burned my nostrils. Powerful hands gripped my arms, pinning them to my sides. Furry hands.

Another Ewani pressed the cloth over my mouth.

“Jussst breathe, pretty girl. Jussst breathe. Ssssleep. Sssleep.”

I couldn’t even scream as the blackness claimed me.

ALKARD

Istrode through the tunnels, the honeycombed network of ‘unofficial’ passages worming their way through the station. A heavy cloak covered my shoulders, plain gray in hue.

Here, I needed to blend in. Well, as much as I could.

It’s been a long time since I worked in the tunnels. I should come back here more often.

I wasn’t just wandering about the tunnels randomly, hoping to come across a tidbit of information about my missing weapons, or Tessi’s friend, Mera. I also had a set goal in mind.

The tunnels let out in various places, mostly in the Under, though a few hidden passages could get you all the way to the metro and some said beyond. The Alliance allowed the network to exist because they used them themselves for their own covert operations.

I grinned under my hood.

It was always funny to me. The Alliance crowed about their ethics, their noble goals. But pull back the surface, and they were really just one more gang competing for space on Thodos.

They just happened to be very well funded.

Plus, if the Alliance were not allowed the perception they were in control, they had the ability to destroy Thodos, or at least give it a decent effort. I often wondered what the Uune would do if the station were attacked.

The thought of the floating, bloated creatures manning battle stations made me chuckle. Not the smartest thing to do in the tunnels.

“Hey, whatchoo laughing at?” A tusked, burly shape in dirty, tattered remnants of a security uniform loomed in front of me. Probably a corrupt cop who was facing prison time and ran away to live in the tunnels. Now a bully of those even more pathetic than himself.

“Nothing, none of your concern.” I tried to walk around him. That was the rule of the tunnels. If you at least gave the illusion you were willing to walk away from a fight, your actions thereafter would be deemed justifiable.

“I think you were laughing at me,” the asshole said, stepping into my path again. I growled low in the back of my throat.

“I do not have time for this.”

On my better days, I might have tried to intimidate him, get him to move.

Not today. My hand darted out of my cloak and struck the thug three times in his throat. A sound like crackling tinder in a fireplace preceded a raspy, blood-flecked exhalation as my victim held his throat, eyes wide and unbelieving.

Then he pitched over onto the tunnel floor, twisting and gagging on his own blood as he suffocated.

I stepped over him and continued on my way. I had already forgotten the dying man when I came upon a junction in the tunnels. I went down the path on my right, the one with blue pipes snaking down it.

I had to turn sideways at one point to squeeze through, then finally stepped into a wide open chamber absolutely stuffed to the gills with what, at first glance, seemed like junk.

Wires and cords from obsolete tech hung from hooks along the wall then gave way to stacks of preserved rations as high as the ceiling. A collection of muscle powered cycling devices, most of them with two wheels but a few with only one, took up the next spot in the wild menagerie of cast off treasures.

“Ahem.”

I turned to find a wide-faced creature sitting on a comfortable-looking but clearly worn easy chair. His slitted nostrils flared between circular eyes the size of saucers, while his mouth was so low on his face that it looked strange when he puffed on his cigar.

“Instead of staring at my beauties and planning what you’re going to steal, Alkard, why not tell me what has brought you here?”

A Zok child, probably an orphan, raced into the room, unfettered by the narrow passage. He whispered in the smoker’s ear, and then waited as his master whispered back. The Zok didn’t even look at me the entire time, totally focused on his task.

“I see you’re still taking in urchins,” I said.

“I see you’re still a heartless bastard. Besides, I’m getting on in decades. I need people to give me a hand around the house.”

“Yes, I see how neat and tidy it is.” My eyes narrowed as the mood grew somber. “Actually, it’s a Nazok that I’ve come to inquire about.”

“A Nazok? And here I thought you’d ask about the missing guns you were supposed to sell to the Zequinids.”

The smoker cackled, spitting out a series of rings that puffed over toward me to dissipate on my chest. I sniffed, enduring the slight.

He was one of the few people I wanted to keep on good terms with, and he knew it.

“Come on, Old Smoke,” I said. “If you knew that, you would have told me the last time I asked you to find out.”

“There are some things that are beyond even me.” Smoke’s copper eyes looked troubled. “It is a burden to be a telepath at times, my student.”

“Which is why you keep to yourself down here, in the tunnels.”

“Part of the reason.”

“And you prefer the company of children because their minds are unfettered by a long life of regret.”

He waved away another stream of smoke.

“Yes, you’re an expert psychoanalyst. Next, you’ll tell me I should call my own kids.”

“You should call your own kids.”

Smoke sighed, and gave me a frank stare.

“Why are you here, Alkard? I know this isn’t just a social call.”

“I need your help. There was an attempt on my life recently—”

“Yes, messy business, that. I’m glad to see you made it out alive.”

“Thank you. I’m having trouble figuring out who hired the Voleks to do the hit. There’s a Nazok runner that might be involved.”

Smoke scratched behind his head and grumbled.

“I’ll look into it, but it will cost you. I assume you exhausted all other avenues before you came to me? I don’t come cheap, you know.”

“I know. And yes, we tried the usual methods. We even hacked station security feeds but were unable to find our quarry.”

I handed him a still photo printout of the subject. Smoke preferred physical old tech images rather than digital ones. Apparently, they let him focus better or some bullshit.

I figured he was just being a pain in the ass on purpose, though.

Smoke looked at the photo and grunted. “It’s not one of mine.”

“You sound relieved. Could it be someone who works for Conii?”

Smoke looked up at me and snorted.

“There are many clans of the Nazok. Would you be offended if I expected you to know every single Vinduthi on the station? Or that I stated as a fact that all Vinduthi are involved in organized crime?”

I sighed, rubbing my horns. “No. But Conii bothers me. She has more runners working for her than any other matriarch. And her family is practically a gang unto themselves, just her blood relatives.”

A twisted smile matched mine. “She wields power, and that makes you worried.”

“It makes me pay attention,” I corrected him. “And I’m wise to do so. I’m not saying she was behind it just because the runner is a Zok. You are correct, that would be a false line of reasoning. However, she could be involved. Just a gut feeling.”

“And when you’re on top, everyone would like to take you down a peg or two, eh?” Smoke laughed and slapped his thigh. “Now you know why I gave up the gig.”

“Only after you taught me everything I know.”

Smoke waved me off. “Do not bother getting sentimental on me. Speaking of which, the news is that you’ve gone soft on a human woman. I’ve corrected those mouths for you, free of charge.”

I chuckled. Soft wasn’t how I felt about Tessi. Desperate to touch her. On fire to be with her. Or even just to curl up at her side to watch her sleep.

“Speaking of human women,” I said, snapping out of my reverie. “There’s one who’s been missing for a while. Mera Lashley.”

I handed over a photo of her.

“I would also like you to try and find her.”

Smoke blew out a sigh. “I’ll put my network on it, but to be honest, it seems like a lot of humans have been disappearing lately.”

“There have?”

“But I hear about everything, sooner or later. I think maybe they’re getting popular, if you know what I mean.”

My lips formed a tight line. That did not bode well for the lot of humanity on the station. It would also make finding Mera much harder.

“I know you will do your best, Old Smoke. The usual payment should be here soon.”

“Actually, it was already delivered. Showed up a bit before you did.”

I smirked, but the edge was directed at me and not Smoke.

“Efficient and speedy, these Nazoks. They will make for a most powerful enemy if we let them get a foothold.”

“Get your prejudiced ass out of my house. I’ll send word when and if I find out anything. And Alkard? Whoever hired those goons to kill you is probably pissed they failed. You’d best watch your back.”

“Always, my teacher.”

I left the way I came in, working my way back up to the main levels of Thodos, but removed the cloak. If someone were going to try and kill me, I almost invited it. I wanted something to hurt.

I pulled out my percomm and checked the location of Tessi’s tracking bracelet. I sighed with relief when he saw that the bracelet was safely in my office at the Fallen Star. She was waiting for me.

I looked forward to seeing her again. It had been too long since I had held her in my arms. Something about Tessi made colors seem sharper, food taste more exquisite, music more stirring.

The longer I was away from her, the worse I felt. I rushed into my office, passing through the mostly empty club. It would be several hours until the club really got going.

I’d happily spend those hours with Tessi.

But when the door slid open and my eyes fell on Nayal and Razov’s grim, guilt-ridden expressions, I knew something was wrong.

“What the fuck?” I sputtered when my gaze landed on the tracking bracelet laying on my desk.

“She managed to get the bracelet off,” Nayal said. “She went to try on a dress, and I allowed myself to be distracted. It is all my fault. Please do not blame Razov.”

“You’re damn right it’s your fault.”

They exchanged glances.

I was known for keeping my anger under control, even in trying situations, but a merciless howl of inarticulate rage boiled up from my soul, echoing off the walls of the office.

“Master Alkard, please, get control of yourself.”

“If she wants to run, she can run,” Razov said with a shrug of his massive shoulders. “I mean, why would you want someone around if you can’t trust them?”

I didn’t answer.

For the first time in my life, I didn’t have the words. The aching hole in my chest felt like a mortal wound. I sat down heavily in my chair and picked up the bangle. It still held traces of her scent upon it.

“Boss?” Razov said. “Are you all right?”

I tossed the shackle back onto my desk and drew myself up.

“I’m fine. But you know who’s not going to be fine? Every god damn living thing on this station until I fucking find Tessi and get her back here safe and sound. Pray to the Night Mother for those who dare try to stop me.”

“Master Alkard,” Nayal said, interposing himself in the doorway. “You need to take a more measured approach here. The young lady might have taken the opportunity to slip away.”

Would she have left of her own volition, run away?

Left me?

It was true, I’d left her alone more often than I’d liked.

Perhaps she was tired of me.

I wasn’t used to sharing my thoughts or feelings. Even having feelings had always seemed like a quick way to earn an early death.

Maybe I should have done a better job of telling her what was going on with the search.

And what was going on with my heart.

If Tessi no longer wanted to honor our deal, I wouldn’t keep her.

But she knew I was looking for her friend. She was willing to do anything to save Mera.

She wouldn’t have risked a chance to find out what had happened to her.

“No,” I announced. “She didn’t leave on her own.”

Nayal nodded. “I agree. But that does not make this any better. If something has happened to her, then it might be that whoever took her wants you out there exposing yourself to an assassin’s blade. Please, let’s do this intelligently.”

“You’ve really got it bad for her, don’t you?” Razov said. “I’m…sorry I let her get away.”

I glanced at him in surprise. I’d never heard him express anything like empathy or regret. Maybe the big man wasn’t just a robot after all. Maybe there was a heart in there, after all.

“I think most likely that something has happened to her,” I said, struggling to keep my voice calm. “If not, surely the two of you resourceful gentlemen would have found her by now. I want you to gather the others for a meeting. We’ve got a campaign to plot.”

“Finally going to war, huh?” Razov said, nodding. “Against who?”

“Everyone. We’ll start with the Fanaith. I’ve had enough of their shit and we’re going to fuck them up bad. And maybe the Mondians, too, if Banek had something to do with our missing guns.” I grinned, letting myself stretch. “And along the way we’re going to question everyone we find until Tessi’s safe and at home. Someone’s trying to fuck with us. We’re going to make them regret it.”

They left me staring at the bangle.

It wasn’t only Tessi’s absence that weighed on me. Banek had been my comrade in arms during the war, and my friend after.

But now, I wondered if I could trust him.

I wondered if I could trust anyone.

My percomm buzzed and a short video played, of a human woman with dark hair crumpled on the floor and bound hand and foot.

Even before a hand reached into frame to pull her hair back until her gagged face appeared on camera, I knew it was Tessi. The video came with a set of station coordinates.

I stood up and headed straight out the door, not taking even a moment to summon the inner circle for backup.

Tessi was in danger, and I was going to get her back.

Right. Fucking. Now.

TESSI

Idrifted in and out of the twilight realm between waking and sleep, but my mind must have known this wasn’t natural, refusing to let me rest.

Yet I remained mired in the shackles of my subconscious.

I came awake in fits and starts. The first flash of consciousness came to me when I opened my eyes and saw bright lights high overhead. I smelled machine oil and metal. My vision dimmed again before I could make anything else out.

The second time I surged back into the world of waking, the cause was a sharp pain at the back of my head. I opened my eyes and then shut them tight against a bright light shining right at me. I made a muffled, weak protest as someone lifted me up from the floor by my hair for a moment, and then set me back down without explanation.

Just the effort of staying awake that long took its toll, and I fell asleep once more. When I came to for a third time, my mind functioned better—marginally. I still felt as if I had woken up from a three day bender, and all I wanted to do was let my eyes close again.

Three aliens, their heads shaped vaguely like footballs, loomed over me. The four dangling mouthparts beside their beak-like mouths gave them away as Voleks. I remembered now. This was the same type of being that had tried to kill Alkard at The Nebula during our dinner date.

My thoughts slipped through my fingers like sand. Whatever they had dosed me with must have been quite potent. Already my vision began to dim at the edges. I tried to move, and realized my wrists hurt because my hands had been bound behind my back. My legs were similarly tied, and something was strapped tightly around my face, plugging up my mouth.

“I told you, that was too much,” said one of the Voleks with a crown of brown spires on top of his head, almost like a wig. My addled brain decided he’d be a good Bigwig.

Sure.

“She almost went into a coma, shit for brains.”

He slapped a pudgy Volek beside him on top of his bare dome. The other Volek rubbed his head and glared, but didn’t retaliate.

“Hey, I think she’s going back under,” said a third Volek, whose bristly hair thrust out on either side of his temples, but was otherwise bald as the one who had been slapped. “At least get that gag off so she can breathe. Dead, she’s no good to us.”

I was going to stay here, alone, forever.

And I’d never even told Alkard I was falling for him.

Hell, that wasn’t even the truth. I’d already fallen.

But he would think I’d run away, been an idiot.

I faded out again, but this time I took a tinge of panic with me into the dreamworld, nightmares plucking at my feet, ready to pull me down.

At last, one thing stirred me from that dark oblivion for good.

Alkard’s voice.

It penetrated the darkness and found the sliver of my consciousness still stubbornly refusing to fade out.

“Where is she? If she’s been hurt, I swear you’ll all pay.”

Sucking in a gasp of air, I sat up, looking about wildly, finally able to take in my surroundings. I sat on the floor of a warehouse, the ceiling a good thirty feet overhead. Racks of metal crates were arranged in rows along the wall most distant to myself.

Two of the cube-like crates had been arranged to form a kind of defensive bulwark around where I was left bound, and it seemed, unguarded.

I couldn’t see Alkard, only heard him talking to the Voleks. The chittering sounds in the background sounded like Ewani talking to each other in their native tongue.

He was here. Relief washed over me. Everything would be all right.

Wait a minute.

Ewani and Voleks? How many of the enemy were there? I fervently hoped that Alkard hadn’t come alone.

“You’re in no position to make demands, Vinduthi,” hissed a new voice. That was one of the Ewani, I was next to certain. “If you haven’t noticed, you’re badly outnumbered and outgunned.”

Had he come alone?

Whoever tied the knots on my bindings really knew what they were doing, but years on a dance pole had given me a certain level of flexibility. I worked my bound hands down the back of my legs and then under my feet. I gnawed on the knots with my teeth to loosen them as the conversation continued.

“Are you going to let this rodent do your talking for you, Volek scum, or are you going to say something?” Alkard wasn’t trying to make friends.

I worked harder on the knots.

“You sound like you’re trying to interrogate me or something.” With a jolt, I recognized the voice. Bigwig. “I think you need to reassess where you stand, Alkard. And one other thing…this Ewani here isn’t part of our crew. He’s actually my client.”

“You’re the one who wanted me dead?” Alkard sounded incredulous.

“You killed my sssson, blood ssssucking sssscum,” the Ewani spat vindictively. “All because he wanted some fresh meat.”

“I’m sorry,” Alkard said and I stopped, shocked. Since when did he apologize?

“I don’t remember killing him. You’ve got to understand, there’s been so many bodies.”

That was more like him.

“Three weeks ago!” the Ewani shrieked. “He was just playing with that little human!”

“Oh, you fathered that misbegotten wretch of a rapist? Shame on you.”

Don’t taunt them, you idiot, I thought, but at the same time I felt a glow of warmth inside that Alkard still took up for me.

“How dare you! I should sssstrangle you until you sssspeak no more lies—”

“Will you stop using so many words with sibilants in them? I swear you’re doing it on purpose.”

“Enough,” Bigwig snapped. “The longer we wait, the more likely it is that his men will figure out he’s missing and come looking for him. Did you guys search him? He’s unarmed?”

“Yeah, he’s clean.”

“Then, Mr. Tamlit, sir,” Bigwig said “I’d say it’s time for you and your family to exact your revenge.”

“With the utmost pleassssure—”

I heard a hard retort, and Tamlit stopped speaking cold. I pulled my wrists free at last and then went to work on the knots around my ankles.

I rose to my feet and went to the edge of the cube bulwark, looking out on the fight taking place in the middle of the warehouse floor. At first, my heart soared at the sight of Alkard.

Then I felt it sink into my feet, because he was unarmed and sorely outnumbered. There must have been a dozen Ewani fighting him, and they weren’t just rushing in blind.

One of the Ewani darted forward from behind Alkard and struck him with a truncheon. Alkard turned about in a flash, ripping the truncheon away with a slash of his claws. When he charged his attacker, however, two more Ewani surged in from his flanks and struck him several times with metal wrenches before dancing out of his reach.

He bled freely from a gash over his left eye, but several of the Ewani were down. Alkard wielded a truncheon in each hand, whirling like a dervish, crushing any Ewani who ventured too near.

Bigwig and the other two Voleks stood nearby. He sighed and took aim with an energy rifle.

“I think I need to give Tamlit a little hand, fellas.”

“Alkard, look out!” I screamed.

Alkard’s gaze darted my way, and then over to the Voleks. He threw himself toward the floor, but a bright yellow line streaked out across the room and tore through his shoulder. The beam continued through on the other side, hitting a stack of fabrics and setting them aflame.

“Alkard!”

He went down hard, and the Ewani seized upon the opportunity. I watched in horror as they disarmed Alkard and bludgeoned him like a pack of wild animals.

My stomach flipped and I started to retch.

This was all my fault.

If Alkard hadn’t agreed to help me, this wouldn’t be happening.

If he hadn’t come looking for me, he’d be safe.

He’s going to die, and it’s all my fault.

I couldn’t even think of a world without Alkard in it. Without thinking, I ran forward, picking up a truncheon from the floor as I went.

Screaming, I took a two handed swing and cracked an Ewani right on the back of its head. The rat man’s eyes crossed, and he went down in a crumpled heap.

But I hadn’t noticed the bald Volek rushing me from the side. He barreled into my shoulder first. It felt like being hit by a speeding truck. I flew through the air, the wind knocked out of me.

I hit the far wall hard and something inside me broke. My breathing didn’t seem to work right as I finally landed in a twisted heap on the floor.

“Tessi!”

Alkard’s scream echoed through the building, growing increasingly guttural as he rose to his feet. The Ewani struck him harder than ever, but he didn’t so much as flinch. With one eye swollen shut, he scanned the room until he found Tamlit.

Alkard moved in a blur. Through a red haze of pain, I watched him tear through the ranks of Ewani like a force of nature. Alkard crushed Tamlit’s collar bone on both sides of his body, making the rat man’s arms go limp.

He stepped behind Tamlit and held him as a living shield while Bigwig took aim with his rifle.

“Are you going to kill your client, fool?”

“Why not, he already paid us,” the Volek said with a shrug.

Then Bigwig fired, punching a hole right through Tamlit. But Alkard was no longer there. I hadn’t even seen him move, and evidently, neither had the Voleks.

“Where did he go?” Tamlit asked.

The lights went off, and the three Voleks spoke in frantic, panicked tones.

“What’s going on?”

“Someone turn on a light.”

“I didn’t bring a torch.”

“Quiet! Use your other senses, idiot. He’s got to be in here somewhere.”

I saw a pair of red eyes in the darkness behind Bigwig. His sigils glowed faintly, but the Voleks were focused on the last direction they’d seen Alkard.

Alkard blurred like a living shadow, and then one by one the Volek fell over, the sound of blood rushing from their throats spilling onto the floor like broken jugs of water.

He was at my side in an instant, cradling my body in his arms.

“Tessi? Tessi, can you hear me?”

“Yes,” I said with difficulty. Every breath was a labor, and came with a froth that boiled out of my throat and trickled down my chin. “I’m sorry, Alkard.”

“No, don’t talk,” he said, cradling me close. “Save your strength. Tessi, I can save you, but you might hate me for it.”

“No,” I gasped. “I could never hate you, Alkard.”

He didn’t seem to hear my weak, pathetic voice. I cried out as his fangs pierced my neck.

He’s…claiming me, I thought right before everything went black.

ALKARD

Icradled Tessi in my arms, praying to the Night Mother with the most fervor I had ever mustered. I’d done it.

Bit her.

Claimed her.

The rest was up to fate, or chance, or luck. Whatever you wanted to call it, it remained the elusive unquantifiable energy that made the galaxy go around.

A lot of people thought, given my meticulous attention to planning, that I held great disdain for luck. I tried to plan for every contingency, to make sure that a procedure was in place for everything.

That wasn’t because I didn’t believe in luck.

Rather, I planned my life carefully, precisely because I feared luck turning against me. I didn’t like to think that my fate was not entirely in my own hands, but I had to admit that it was true. If a meteor storm or rogue planet ruptured the station’s hull, I would die despite all of my carefully made plans.

I didn’t like leaving things to fate. But now I was thrust into that position. So far, Tessi lived. That was all that mattered.

Before long, the door opened. I didn’t bother turning around, nor did I feel any alarm. Scent told me it was the brotherhood, coming to back me up for a fight already done.

Tazhr and Havek came to my side, while Makar checked all the bodies to make sure they were truly dead.

Any who were still breathing, he assisted to the afterlife.

And, no doubt his pockets would be full of anything he deemed valuable on their corpses.

“What happened?” Havek asked.

Tazhr shook his head, eyes filled with alarm.

“She doesn’t look so good.”

Havek smacked Taz on the arm and glared at him. “We need to get you fixed up, Boss. Give her here.”

No.

I rose to my feet, bearing the delicate bundle in my arms.

I would not allow anyone else to take her off my hands.

I didn’t release her until I laid her on the bed in my own home. My men remained inside the home with a dozen soldiers stationed outside pretending to be members of the Promenade crowd.

Nobody was getting at her this time.

Nayal took a close look at her, turning her head from one side to the other. He felt about her jaw, and then pried open her eyelids and peered intently.

“You claimed her?” Nayal asked, his voice bearing an edge of recrimination.

“Yes, I did.”

Nayal turned to me, his eyes narrowed to slits.

“Master Alkard, what you have done is very dangerous! Nobody has ever claimed a human before! Their bodies may not be able to deal with the transformative process.”

“I know, Nayal,” I said softly.

“Does she even know how she will change and in what ways? What the claiming means to our people? You have written her future, her fate for her, should she survive.”

“I know, Nayal,” I said again, a bit firmer.

“You thought the claim would heal her injuries, didn’t you? But the claim isn’t a medical infusion. It’s—”

“I know, Nayal,” I snapped, then calmed myself as best I could and tried for a more respectful tone. “Can you help her?”

“I don’t know. I can help repair her injuries, which seem to be healing anyway, but I can’t do anything to make her surviving the claiming bite any more likely. That she will have to do on her own.”

“Just do what you can, please.”

Nayal nodded and rolled up his sleeves.

“It would be best if you waited outside, Master Alkard.”

“I’ll stay right here.”

Nayal glared at me.

“Do you wish to distract me during my important work? Or do you want her to have the best chance for survival?”

He’d found the one thing which would make me leave.

Outside, I was surprised to find the entire circle waiting.

“How is she doing, boss?” Havek asked.

I sighed, my wound finally starting to affect me as the adrenaline wore off.

“She is…healing. Whether or not she survives is still up in the air.”

“Damn,” Razov said. “I hope she makes it.”

I arched a brow at him.

“What happened to ‘if she runs, let her run?’ Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft, Razov.”

Razov looked embarrassed.

“I…she does kind of grow on you, doesn’t she?”

“If she’s charmed her way through Razov’s stone heart, then what chance did the rest of us have?” Makar asked. “We like her. I think she would make an excellent mate for you, Alkard. No one else stands up to you the way she can.”

“She does have spirit, does she not?” Tazhr agreed.

I allowed them to treat my wound at last. It would take more than a simple dose of nanobots to repair the shattered bones.

My arm in a sling, I sat with the others and waited.

Nayal finally exited the room after an hour, looking tired and worn. The others slipped away without a word, leaving us alone.

I rose to my feet and looked at Nayal expectantly.

“I have done all I can. The rest is up to her.” I sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Master Alkard. This was all my fault. I was supposed to watch her, but I got distracted.”

“Do you think she’ll make it?”

Nayal did not answer right away, sending icicles down my spine.

Was she already fading away?

Then he turned and went toward the hallway.

“Your pardon, Master Alkard. Could I ask you to bide for a moment?”

Without waiting for a reply, Nayal vanished out into the hallway. The butler reappeared a moment later carrying a box in his hands. He put the box in front of me

“What is this?” I touched the thin, crinkly, and brightly colored paper tightly binding the exterior. A glossy red, flat string further bound the box shut. “Some kind of art object of human design?”

“Of human design, yes, but it is a present.”

“A present?”

“Yes, humans have a habit of wrapping the gifts they give. I did the best I could based on her description. She bought that as a gift for you.”

“What is it?”

“Some human artifact she thought you might enjoy. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

“Nayal,” I said with mounting impatience. I rounded on the butler, feeling as if I wanted to throw the present across the room. “How does this relate to my asking if you think she’s going to make it or not?”

“If you’ll just be patient, I’m getting to that bit, Master Alkard. My point is, she bought this present for you because she wanted to make you happy. She went out of her way to do so, and put a lot of thought into it.”

“So?”

“So, I’m saying her feelings for you run much deeper than you might imagine. I don’t think she’s hanging around you just because you’re helping look for her friend. Maybe at first, but not now. She cares for you, Master Alkard.”

I stood there, stunned, looking at the box in my hands, and then lifted my gaze up to lock eyes with Nayal.

“Whatever happened to you offering your tacit disapproval of her?”

“I’ve gotten attached to her since then. I didn’t understand her at first, or what you saw in her. Now I do understand. I think you have a fighter on your hands, Alkard, and a fighter is what you’ll need. Your enemies are circling around you, and growing more bold by the hour.”

“I know.” I sighed and ran a hand down my face. I felt exhausted. “I have about, oh, a million things or so I should be doing right now. But I…”

I let my voice trail off, and Nayal nodded because he understood without the need for words.

“Whatever is going to happen with her, it will happen soon,” Nayal said. “In the meantime, Master Alkard, I would suggest that you open your present.”

He headed off and I turned my gaze back to the present. I fingered the ribbon, looking for a way to untie it, but it proved stubborn. I finally used my nail to flick the ribbon in twain.

I tore through the thin, crinkly paper, revealing a plain white box. Inside the box, I found a statuette of some sort wrapped in cellophane.

I unwrapped it, and found myself looking at a garish figure with prominent fangs, wearing a big black cloak with small black winged creatures on the fly behind him.

I guess she thinks this is funny. I’ll have to look into this human ‘vampire’ legend and understand why they keep bringing it up about us Vinduthi.

It did make me feel better, like a little bit of Tessi’s humor poked at me. I settled in for a long wait, not able to bring myself to think about anything else while she fought for her life.

A soft knock at the bedroom door caused me to look over. I rose and answered it, finding Havek standing in the hallway.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” Havek said in a low voice. “But I thought you would want to see this right away.”

I stared at a tablet in his hands, an old one but solidly built.

“What is this?”

“We didn’t find Mera yet, but we did finally find her bag. A derelict found it in the Under near a sluice gate recycler. This was inside.”

“Have you decoded it?”

“Yes.”

My face fell into a hard grimace as the video played.

“If she had this on her, then…” Havek said.

I nodded.

“We may not know where Mera is, but we do know why she was taken. It’s a start.”

TESSI

My eyes snapped open. I flung the sheets off of myself and sprang to my feet, gaze swiveling around like a frightened animal.

Everything was too bright, the noise in the vents was too loud.

And the scents…

Alkard.

My gaze snapped over to him, and the next thing I knew, I was at his side. He sat in a chair, slumped over in sleep. One of his arms was bound up to his chest by a sling, but otherwise he seemed fine.

I almost woke him to ask what had happened to me, but then it came flooding back to me. The Volek had hit me like a meteor, and my body had broken. Alkard bit me…claimed me.

My hand clapped up to the side of my neck. I felt something there, small indentations in my skin. I rushed into the bathroom and flipped on the light by instinct.

“Fuck me,” I cried, throwing my arm over my face. “When did that get so bright?”

I used the panel to decrease the illumination output level until I could stand to open my eyes. Then I gaped in astonishment at what the mirror revealed.

Purple sigils, the same color and pattern as the ones on Alkard’s left side. They trailed from my wrist up my arm, along my neck, and finally terminated on my cheek.

The marks didn’t hurt, but felt faintly warm to the touch. Other than that, I felt fine. Better than fine. Like I could run a hundred miles without getting tired.

In shock, I didn’t hear him coming.

“Tessi, are you hurt?”

I spun to face him. “What’s happened to me? What’s going on?”

He reached for me, then let his hand fall to his side.

What was that in his eyes?

Regret?

Nonsense.

“I couldn’t let you die.”

Looking back at the mirror, I swallowed hard. “I’m not dead, but what am I?” My body itched, weirdly uncomfortable, like thousands of ants were under my skin.

“The best thing would be to show you,” he purred, sliding the sling to the floor. “Let’s go hunting.”

“I must still be on drugs,” I mumbled as he slid a cloak over me, drawing the hood up carefully before grabbing one for himself.

“Shall we?”

Slipping my hand into the crook of his elbow we left the mansion. Everything seemed to have a much sharper focus and as we stepped into the Promenade the smells of the station assailed me, more potent than ever before.

I’d known that the different species looked distinct. I had no idea they smelled differently as well.

Alkard stayed silent as I looked all around us. Everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion as we glided past.

“What’s wrong with them? Why are they frozen like that?” I whispered to myself, but he squeezed my hand.

“Nothing has changed for them,” he answered. “This is how they truly are, compared to you now.”

The memory of how fast Alkard had moved when fighting flashed before me. Of course. That inhuman speed was mine now.

As we entered the Under, my eyes adjusted to the gloom quickly and more completely than I’d have thought possible. It looked almost as bright as day down in the Under.

Alkard pulled me into a small alcove. “You need to learn more about your body, what it can do.” The brush of his lips over mine was electric, and for a moment, my brain stuttered. If everything else was so much more intense, what was it going to be like when we came together again?

“Go on ahead, and do what you will.”

I blinked, surprised. “Really?”

His hand cupped my cheek. “I suspect you’ll be fine. But have no fear. I will watch, just in case.” Another kiss. “Go play.”

Play. Right.

I made my way through the tunnels, bare feet making no sound as I passed like a shadow’s whisper in the gloom.

I paused at a junction. I could smell Ewani down the left passage, but faintly underneath…

Was that Mera?

I turned to the left, a low growl escaping my throat. On instinct, I hugged the wall, keeping my profile small in case they glanced my way.

My nails scraped along the metal. When had they gotten so long?

I came upon a circle of Ewani standing over the body of a Talimari. Judging from his garb, the tentacled alien had been well off financially. They must have lured him down to the Under somehow.

Probably, they promised to sell him some kind of contraband. Whatever the case, they had killed the man and were now divvying up everything he had on him. One of the Ewani already wore the man’s fancy hat. Another sawed at a tentacle, trying to get a jeweled bangle free.

The one with the hat noticed me, and squeaked in alarm.

“Look out, it’s a Vinduthi…”

His voice trailed off, and a sneer crossed his rat-like features.

“Never mind, it’s just ssssome human wench. Get the fuck out of here, thissss is our sssscavenge.”

“I think you’re too hasssty,” said the other, his eyes going up and down my body. “I think we could use this one for sport, then take whatever she has on her as well. Double haul.”

“Double haul,” agreed the one with the hat.

I knew I should have been afraid. Instead, I felt almost relaxed as the rats surged forward. They moved so slowly, it seemed as if I were watching a video playback set to too low of a speed.

One of them reached out toward my face, clawed hand intending to rake flesh from bone. I moved under his limb and got in close, clamping my mouth shut on the big vein pulsing in his bicep.

The spurt of warm, salty blood in my mouth made me thirst for more. I tore a chunk off of his arm and then spat the bloody dollop into the face of another Ewani.

I saw things happening in a blurry haze. I knew I was fighting, killing the Ewani, and yet it was pure instinct.

Like I’d become a wild animal, a predator hunting prey.

When it was all over, I stood as the only living thing in that section of tunnel. The enormity of what had happened spilled over me and I fell to my knees, vomiting the contents of my stomach to the deck plating.

To my horror, it was more liquid and crimson than anything else…but it was not my own blood. I could smell the difference.

“Is it better now, my mate?”

Alkard’s arms circled me as I rose.

“You changed me,” I murmured as I looked around the carnage. “I’m not what I was.”

He froze. “I am sorry. There was no other way to save you. Your injuries were too severe. I will not apologize for refusing to let you die.” His shoulders slumped, just a fraction. “But I will understand if you hate me now. I should have waited for your consent.”

Dragging my fingers over his cheeks, the traces of blood seemed to glow in the dim light. “I’m not complaining,” I promised him. “Just getting used to a few things.”

“Really? Is that true?”

My heart clenched. In the time I’d known him, I’d heard so many emotions in his voice. Hunger. Lust. Anger.

But never this uncertainty.

“I like being alive.” I stretched up on my toes to kiss him lightly.

“And I like not having to be afraid of scum like this, ever again.” Another kiss, a little harder this time.

“And I love you.”

At my words, his arms tightened around me, his lips falling on mine, his tongue plundering my mouth.

“I love you as well, my mate,” he breathed when we finally broke apart. “Through all the dark and back again.”

Through the dark and back. That’s what it felt like.

“Are you ready to come home?” Alkard asked. “I am always happy to kiss you anywhere, but surely we can find a more…” He looked around the alleyway and raised an eyebrow. “Elegant location.”

Smiling, I leaned into him, then remembered.

“Mera.” I turned slowly, trying to pick up the scent again. “I was following her trail.”

His fingers laced through mine. “Then we will follow it together.”

Before long, the twisting tunnels led to a flight of steps with no safety rail, a one way drop down into plasma conduit a hundred feet below waiting for the unwary.

And at the top, a dilapidated building sat in one of the empty spaces left behind by the enigmatic Uune.

“Interesting,” Alkard mused. “Let us see what’s inside.” His arm circled my waist, and in a moment, we jumped up to the second story, entering through a window which had been broken in long ago.

Inside, I buried my face into his chest. Too many people had been through the warehouse too often for me to pin it down. My mind was still new to the enhanced olfactory abilities, and needed to adjust to sift through it all.

Then, I detected one scent I could tell apart from all the others.

Mera.

My heart thudded in my chest as I raced through the dimly lit warehouse, startling vermin as I went, Alkard at my heels. Mera’s trail led me up a flight of steps and into a small, emptied out office area.

With a start, I realized this was where Mera had filmed the video. While standing on the ledge, looking down at the floor below.

Mera’s scent was everywhere. I kept my nostrils working hard, following the scent down the steps and out onto the floor of the warehouse.

Then the trail ended, right in the center of the room.

“It’s like she vanished.” I circled, searching for any clues, but even with my newly enhanced senses, I couldn’t find anything.

Alkard pulled out his percomm and started typing while I paced. “I’ll have a team tear this place apart. Everyone who’s been in and out since this place was built.”

His message finished, he took me in his arms. “Because of you, we’ve got a new lead.” He stroked my hair and I relaxed into his touch.

“I feel terrible,” I admitted. “I don’t know where she is, but I’m here with you. My life is like a fairytale.”

I glanced up at him, tall and dark and alien, traces of blood still down his cheek.

“Well, maybe a slightly fractured fairytale,” I admitted. “But still. It feels wrong to be so happy when I know my friend is in trouble.”

He nodded, cupping the back of my head with his hand. “It’s a terrible thing, I know. But does your worry do her any good right now? If you make yourself miserable, does that improve her situation in the slightest?

“No,” I muttered. “But—”

Strong fingers rubbed at the tension in my neck. “Are you doing everything you possibly can to find her?”

“Yes.” I trusted Alkard. With his resources, we’d find something, sooner or later. Still…

“Would she be angry that you were happy?”

“No.” I sighed. Mera would be pissed if she knew I moped around.

“There’s nothing else you can do right now. We’ll need to wait.”

My head fell against his chest. “I hate waiting.”

His nails scratched lightly across my scalp, easing my head back, opening me to him.

“I can think of a few things to distract you.”

Warmth spread through me at Alkard’s beautiful, hungry smile.

“Shall we go home?”

THE MOMENT ALKARD and I reached the mansion, the energy between us crackled like lighting as we came together in a mad, torrid kiss. Swept away by Alkard’s scent, his taste, his touch, all I wanted was more of him. His fingers slid down the small of my back, not stopping until they reached the curve of my hips.

He pulled me tight into him. I moaned into his mouth, my arms going around his neck. Alkard stole my breath away with another deep, hard kiss, taking control of me. I let myself go, basking in the glow of his attention, every nerve on my body lighting up with anticipation of pleasure.

My entire being seemed so much more sensitive now. I felt my pussy throbbing, growing wet just from his lips, my whole body alive in a way I’d never thought possible.

Every one of my senses had been tuned up, I realized. I could see better, and in the dark. I could hear a pin drop in the next room over during a rock concert. I could smell Alkard all over me, tasting him in myriad subtle ways.

But most of all, I felt his touch. He slid his hand down a little further.

“Do you remember the first time that I spanked you?” he purred.

I cried out as he slapped his hand on my ass, the light spark of pain only highlighting the pleasure, mixing into a heady brew that I was desperate to drink.

“Yes,” I moaned.

“I think that maybe it made for poor discipline, after all. You seemed to enjoy it entirely too much.”

I tried to pull myself together, but it was amazingly hard to think with so many sexy thoughts swirling in my head at once.

“What were you punishing me for again, exactly?” I nipped his neck. “Oh yes, for your own jealousy.”

Alkard paused for a moment, and then a grin spread over his face.

“But now you are mine…all mine. No need to be jealous. Mine!”

He kissed me hard, then dropped his mouth onto my neck and bit down. I cried out, straining my body against his own at the flood of pleasure. He licked his tongue around my neck, kissing and nibbling and nipping me

“Alkard, that feels so good,” I groaned, digging my nails into his shoulders. Our sigils glowed faintly, pulsing in unison like the beating of a heart shared between us.

We fell onto the bed, his mouth smothering my chest in hot kisses. More and more clothing came off until nothing was between us.

He ran his finger over my new purple markings, up and down my arm, tickling the side of my neck.

“Tessi, can you forgive me? You told me when we first made our deal you didn’t want to be claimed.”

Sliding my hands up his shoulders, I pushed gently until he let me roll him onto his back. I straddled him, staring down into his cold, hard face.

Not cold at all, as it turned out. Incredibly warm and caring.

And mine.

“I told you before, and I’ll say it again as many times as I need to for you to believe me. There’s nothing to forgive.”

With my left hand, I traced his sigils, watching as our patterns seemed to merge together, becoming complete, before I shifted my body lower onto his.

“I guess I’ll have to show you.” Slowly, I rubbed my slick folds over the ribs of his rock-hard shaft, back and forth until we were both a shuddering mess.

“My love, I don’t think I can stand you showing me much more.” His hands wrapped around my thighs, lifting me, then lowering me again, the broad head of his cock splitting me open as he drove into me.

I let out a sharp groan, my head lolling back as bliss streamed through my body and mind.

Rapture coiled up from my belly, dragging me under until I trembled on top of him, no longer able to sit upright.

But there was no stopping him. Alkard rolled me over onto my back, thrusting into me and I surrendered to the bliss. Our tattoos glowed in unison. It was as if everything he did was enhanced, every sensation magnified.

He came inside of me and I twisted in his grasp, my nails raking down his back as fireworks lit behind my eyes, the world vanishing into nothingness.

We lay there together, sweat mingling as it cooled. I pillowed my head on his chest and traced my fingers over the hard knots of muscle in his abdomen.

“I love you,” he said softly.

“I love you, too.” I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling safer than I ever had…in the arms of an alien mobster.

EPILOGUE

It was more than a little weird to be seeing my old boss like this, but Banek Mari had simply nodded to me as he entered Alkard’s office.

“You’re looking well, Tessi,” he said.

What was I supposed to say? Why wasn’t there some sort of instruction manual for when you suddenly became the mate of the leader of a criminal gang, and your ex-boss is his ally?

Was there a specific protocol for this?

Banek’s scaley face cracked into a grin. “Really. You should relax now.” But his expression hardened as he turned back to Alkard. “You on the other hand…”

Alkard poured three glasses of a dark purple liquor, silver sparkles swirling, catching the light.

“I owe you an apology,” he said, handing one of the glasses to Banek. “And my thanks.”

For a moment, I wondered if Banek was going to take the offered drink, but then he snorted.

“Send over a case of this, and we’ll call it even.”

Alkard laughed. “That would teach me to keep my temper in check.”

The tension eased out of the room, and I dared to take a tiny sip from my glass.

And then another, my mouth exploding with the taste of strange fruits, dark and sweet.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Alkard said, his smile broadening at my expression.

Banek settled back in his chair, eye ridges raised. “While I’d love to chat and watch the two of you be sappy, I suspect you have something else to talk about.”

“Two things,” Alkard said. “First, when we tore apart the image that was used to frame you, we found some traces in the code. Digital fingerprints, as it were. My men are on it.”

“When you find the culprit, I want a shot,” Banek declared. “It was my honor that was smeared.”

“Agreed.” Alkard topped off their glasses, but I kept my hand over my own. I was pretty sure this new body wasn’t a lightweight, but best to be careful, right?

“So what’s the second item?”

Alkard took a battered tablet from a drawer, and even though I’d seen it before this meeting, my heart still clenched.

It was Mera’s.

And maybe, just maybe, it had given us another clue to find her.

Banek watched the video, but I looked away. I’d seen it too many times, the women being shoved into cargo containers, the inside of the building a match to where I’d traced Mera’s scent.

Banek’s nostrils flared. “Trafficking. I thought we’d made it clear that wouldn’t be happening on Thodos III.” He set his glass down with exquisite care, as if afraid he might shatter it in his fist. “I guess someone needs to be taught a lesson.”

Alkard nodded. “Someone is playing us against each other, or trying to. And there’s a new player on the station. It seems unlikely the two things are unrelated. It’s time to start finding out what’s going on.”

He picked up the percomm off his desk. “Razov,” he said when the other line picked up. “It’s your turn now.”

MY HEART POUNDED as the slaver dragged me into the cells. After weeks trapped in the bowels of Thodos III, freedom had never seemed so far away.

Until he emerged from the shadows.

Razov, a Vinduthi on a mission.

Escape seemed impossible, but he refused to leave me behind.

Now we’re fighting for our lives in a deadly game rigged to ensure we lose.

Victory will mean throwing off our shackles forever…if we can survive that long.

But when his simmering desire ignites into a firestorm of passion, can I really give my heart to him?

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Copyright © 2023 by Ava York

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This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.