Chapter Nineteen

Zoe

 

I scanned the dim, smoky area of the VIP lounge carefully, trying to stay to the shadows and look unobtrusive. Not that I stood out at all. Even with my ugly-ass mask on, I was by far one of the least noticeable people in the big, weird room.

There was a kind of round, circular bar at the center of the lounge that was made of what looked like bones. What kind of bones, I didn’t know and didn’t want to find out. The ivory of alien femurs and tibias and scapulas and whatever the other bones were gleamed in the dim, hazy light. Whoever or whatever it was that had donated the raw material for the grisly bar must have been big though—freaking huge. Most of the aliens sitting around the bone bar were Sarden’s size or even bigger and not all of them were humanoid, but none of them looked like they had bones big enough to make such massive furniture out of.

Well, almost none of them. Far at the end of the bar was a creature the size of an elephant, taking up three of the bone bar stools at once with his wrinkled, purple behind. He spoke in a voice so low I felt it as a trembling vibration in the air and seemed to be having a conversation with the bartender—who had three faces and was speaking with several other customers at the same time.

Beside the purple elephant man sat a thin woman—I thought it was a woman, anyway—wearing an elegant fur bikini which barely covered her three gigantic breasts. She had light green skin and was smoking the longest, thinnest cigarette I had ever seen. It must have been three feet long and the smoke coming out of it changed colors occasionally, from pink to purple to dark, cerulean blue.

Sarden was working the other end of the lounge, casting an occasional glance in my direction. I was keeping to the fringes of the crowd, listening as best I could while I pretended to drink a weird, fizzing concoction that didn’t look too different from the liquid in the healing foot bath he had used on me. I couldn’t really taste it through the mask but I pretended to suck it up through the long, tube-like, blue tongue, which was how Sarden had told me Grubbians drank.

A band played in the corner—making loud, unpleasant squawking sounds on bagpipe-looking instruments that appeared to be growing out of the musicians’ bodies. I wondered if we were being serenaded by their burps and coughs and other bodily noises—that was certainly what it sounded like, anyway. Ugh.

Honestly, if this was the VIP lounge, I would hate to see the regular one. It really wasn’t a very pleasant place at all. But then, I wasn’t there for pleasantries. I needed to collect information and I was hot on the trail of someone I thought might have some.

He was a big son-of-a-bitch—even bigger than Sarden, I estimated, though not quite in the same league as the purple elephant man. I had only seen him from behind because he was hunched over the bar with his head down, saying something into a communications device gripped in one big hand. His skin was a dusky blue, the color of the sky at twilight when the sun is just starting to sink, and he was wearing black leather trousers and a leather vest to match, which left his massive, muscular arms bare.

Between the bass rumblings of the elephant man and the strange, unmusical sounds coming from the “band” in the corner of the large room, it was hard to hear anything. But I was absolutely positive I’d heard the big blue guy say, “Tazaxx” into his phone-thingy. Trying to be quiet and unobtrusive, I crept closer.

“No, don’t know if she’s here or not,” he was growling to whoever he was talking to. “I’ll have to do recognizance and it won’t be easy—Tazaxx doesn’t let anyone into his compound without a damn good reason. Fuckin’ asshole.”

There it was again! I was certain I’d heard the name this time! I snuck even closer…and that was the moment when a drunk alien with two heads bumped into me.

“Oh, ‘scuse me. Pardon me!” one head said, nodding a drunken apology.

“Watch where you’re going! Clumsy Grubbians!” the other one barked. Apparently he was an angry drunk, even if the other head wasn’t.

“Sorry,” I muttered, because I just wanted him to move along and let me listen some more. But that wasn’t good enough for the two headed guy.

“Do you even know who you’re speaking to?” the second head demanded, looking down his long nose at me.

“Uh, Zaphod Beeblebrox?” I said, hazarding a guess.

“What did you call me?” the second head demanded. “Is that some kind of insult?”

“How dare you insult my brother?” the first head asked, getting into the act now.

Oh, so they were brothers? That must be awkward on dates. Not that having two heads was ever going to be simple.

“Look, I wasn’t trying to be insulting. It was a joke and not a very good one.” I made what I hoped was a placating “calm down” gesture with one hand. “Why don’t we just forget about it and go our separate ways?”

“Such an insult can never be forgotten or forgiven!” The second head proclaimed. He shoved me with one of his three arms (did I mention the three arms?) and my drink flew out of my glass and landed on the back of the big, blue alien’s head, dousing his black, skull-cut hair with fizzing blue.

“What the fuck?”

The big blue guy spun around, moving much faster than anyone that huge ought to be able to. He took one look at me and the empty drink in my hand and grabbed me by the front of my shirt.

“The Hell do you think you’re doin’?” he growled in a deep, menacing voice. Up close I was surprised to see that he had horns like Sarden’s—only his were thicker and curled like a ram’s horns—also they were jet black. There was a curving black tattoo that grew up from one muscular pec to encircle his thick neck in a pattern that reminded me of thorns.

But the weirdest thing about him was his eyes—it was It was as if they had been reversed. The whites were jet black and the pupil and iris were outlined in white.

“Oh, I…I’m so sorry,” I gasped, tugging at the bottom hem of my shirt. Al had yet to manage to synthesize me a working bra and I was afraid that if the blue alien pulled my shirt up much further, my bare breasts would be exposed. That would certainly blow my cover. Nothing like flashing your titties at an alien bar to let them know you’re human.

“The fuck did you throw your drink at me?” he demanded, his white-on-black eyes narrowing and his lips peeling back in a snarl. Great, he had two short, sharp fangs to go with the weird eyes and black horns.

Some people are just blessed, I guess.

“I…I didn’t! I mean, not on purpose!” I exclaimed breathlessly. “He shoved me! He…” I looked around for the two headed alien but he had conveniently disappeared.

“He, who?” the big alien demanded, shaking me.

“The two-headed guy. He was just here—he was really drunk and he shoved into me and tried to pick a fight.”

“Right. Tried to pick a fight while you were busy listenin’ in on my conversation,” he growled. “What are you, anyway?” His nostrils wrinkled. “I can tell you’re not really Grubbian.” He pulled me closer and took a deeper sniff. “And you’re not male either. So who in the Scalding Hells…”

“She’s with me,” Sarden said, suddenly appearing behind the blue alien’s massive shoulder. His eyes were glowing molten gold with rage and his voice was a deep, angry growl. “So put her the fuck down or suffer the consequences.”

The blue guy whipped around to face Sarden with me still clutched in his fist. I was sure at any minute my shirt would rip open or pull all the way up to my neck and then the whole bar would see my fun-puppies. But when he caught sight of Sarden, his expression suddenly changed from one of irritation and anger to pleased disbelief.

“Sarden?” he asked. “Sarden de’Lagorn?”

“Gravex? Grav N’gol? I don’t believe it!” Sarden put out an arm and the big blue guy grasped it, his hand closing over Sarden’s forearm as Sarden’s hand closed over his. “How long has it been?”

“Too long,” Sarden said, positively grinning now. “I haven’t seen you since our time on Vorn 6 when you, well…” He trailed off, looking extremely uncomfortable.

“You can say it,” the blue guy whose name was apparently Grav rumbled. “Since I was tried and found guilty in the High Court.”

“Listen, for what it’s worth, I never believed you did it,” Sarden said earnestly.

“But I did do it.” Grav grinned, flashing his short, sharp fangs. “Which is why they sent me away to triple max detention. But I’m out now, as you can see.”

“All I can see is that I’m about to be exposed here,” I said, breaking into their conversation. “I hate to interrupt your reunion but if you guys are friends, could you please put me down?”

“Oh—sorry.” Grav set me on my feet and I smoothed down the front of my shirt, relieved not to be exposed. He pointed a thumb at me and looked at Sarden. “Who is she anyway and why is she sneakin’ around listening in on other people’s conversations?”

“She’s with me.” Sarden pulled me close, draping one arm around my shoulders protectively.

“Yeah, you said that but who is she?” Grav’s nose wrinkled. “What is she? I’ve never smelled anything like her—so fuckin’ sweet.”

“She’s not available.” Sarden’s voice went from friendly to a menacing growl so fast it made my head spin. Apparently his trust in his old friend only went so far.

“I didn’t think she was,” Grav rumbled, frowning. “Hell, I can smell your scent all over her, Sarden. I was just curious—that’s all.” He frowned at me. “Curious the same way your little female was about me. Why do you have her skulking around this fuckin’ place anyway if you’re so protective? It’s not very damn safe, you know.”

Sarden sighed and seemed to relax a little.

“I know. But she insisted.” He gave me a look which I returned with interest. “The truth is, she’s here helping me gather any information we can get about Sellah.”

“Sellah? Your Eloim blood-sister?” Grav frowned as he grabbed a napkin looking thing from the bar to swab at the back of his head which was still dripping with my drink. “What about her?”

Sarden took a look around the bar. Nobody seemed to be listening but he still frowned.

“Let’s take this reunion someplace a little more private,” he muttered. “Come on.”

“Sure.” Grav shrugged amiably and the three of us went to find a dark corner—of which there were plenty in the dim, smoky lounge. Walking between them, I felt like a little kid between two adults—they were both so freaking huge.

I wondered if Grav was part Vorn like Sarden. His horns were a little different and his eyes and skin color were completely unlike Sarden’s but they both had the same big, muscular build and confident way of walking.

We finally got settled in a booth with extremely high sides and a gauzy curtain at the entrance to keep prying eyes out. Apparently the regular patrons of the VIP lounge valued their privacy. I sat beside Sarden, who kept his arm around me, and across from Grav. The table of the booth was so high, it was almost up to my chin, though both guys rested their brawny forearms on it easily.

“So what happened to your sister?” Grav asked, frowning. “Is she all right?”

“I don’t know—I hope so,” Sarden said grimly. “She was kidnapped and sold to a wealthy Gord merchant—Tazaxx. He has a compound on Giedi Prime where he keeps his private exhibit—beautiful and unique females from all over the galaxy. Some he keeps but some—”

“He auctions off. Right.” Grav nodded.

“So you know about him?” Sarden leaned forward eagerly. “What can you tell me about the situation?”

“Probably nothin’ you don’t already know. That he keeps his ‘treasures’ as he calls them, hidden away and it’s fuckin’ impossible to get in to see them unless you’re a wealthy investor who might buy one at an exorbitant price.”

Sarden nodded. “I know all that. I’ve smuggled several shipments for the bastard but he’s never once offered to let me see his private collection, even though I’ve been in his compound twice.”

“Excuse me,” I said. “Not to interrupt but if he sells his, uh, exhibits sometimes, why not just buy Sellah back? I mean…” I lowered my voice and spoke in Sarden’s ear. “Don’t you have enough money, er, credit from selling all that medical-torture stuff to Count Creepy? Especially since you didn’t have to pay to have the ship’s panels replaced?”

“I thought about that but Tazaxx won’t sell to me.” Sarden sounded frustrated.

“What? Why not?” I asked.

“Because…” He sighed. “We had a…dispute over the last shipment I smuggled for him. Terrinian quarthogs. He wanted to pay less than he’d offered in the first place so I offloaded the whole lot to another merchant. Once you piss Tazaxx off, he’ll never deal with you again.”

“But what about…I thought that was why you got me in the first place?” I said to Sarden. “So he would deal with you. Make a trade with you.”

“That would have been different—a trade doesn’t involve credit changing hands,” he said. “It’s not the same thing to a Gord.” He shrugged. “But even so, I don’t know if he would have gone for it. He hates me—he’d be glad to cause me pain by withholding Sellah just because I want her back so badly.”

“My employer is in the same situation,” Grav rumbled. “He offended Tazaxx and now he’s paying the price. Gords never forgive an offense—they hold on to a grudge like it’s fuckin’ credit.”

“Wait—your employer?” Sarden raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t strike me as the kind who goes to work for a regular paycheck, Grav.”

“Oh, I don’t—contract work only. I’m too much of a son-of-a-bitch to work with on a regular basis.” Grav grinned. “I’m a Protector now.”

Sarden’s eyebrows went even higher.

“You? A Protector?”

“I’m fuckin’ hurt.” Grav put a hand to his broad chest. “You don’t think I’m Protector material?”

“It’s just…surprising, that’s all.” Sarden shrugged. “But of course a male has to do what he wants with his life.”

“Excuse me,” I said, butting in again. “But what’s a Protector and why shouldn’t your old friend be one?”

Sarden looked uncomfortable but Grav answered me without hesitation.

“A Protector is a sentinel for hire—I shield my wards from harm or in some cases, like my current job, I retrieve them when they’re in danger. I put my life on the line to keep them safe—but the position requires them to trust me completely.”

“Oh,” I said. “So, kind of like a bodyguard slash rescuer?”

He inclined his massive head. “In a way.”

“But…” I shook my head. “I still don’t understand why you think Sarden thinks it’s odd for you to be a bodyguard…er, Protector.”

“Probably because I’m also a murderer.” Grav spoke matter-of-factly, as though it was no big deal. I threw Sarden a glance from the corner of my eye and saw that his facial expression hadn’t changed. But his hand on my shoulder tightened and he drew me a little bit closer to his big body.

“Ooookay,” I said at last, when the silence that had fallen between us was getting really uncomfortable. “Well, that’s not awkward.”

“Just answerin’ your question.” Grav shrugged.

“So who are you protecting now?” I asked. “You said it’s some guy who crossed Tazaxx like Sarden did?”

“No, my employer isn’t my ward—he just pays the bills. In fact, I don’t ward males at all.”

“You don’t?” I asked.

Grav shook his head, the polished tips of his horns gleaming in the dim light.

“Fuck no. Any male who can’t protect himself doesn’t deserve my help. I work strictly for females—I ward and protect those in danger—especially if they’re being threatened by a male.”

He cracked his knuckles menacingly, making me suddenly glad I had girly parts. I wouldn’t want to be the guy he was after for mistreating a female, that was for damn sure.

“That’s…very chivalrous of you,” I said, my throat dry. “But if you’re not protecting your employer, then who—?”

“It’s my client’s granddaughter—only twelve cycles old. I warded her for over a year and then her grandmother decided to take her on a trip without me—something about the mysteries of femalehood…becoming a woman—I don’t know.” He shook his head in disgust. “Anyway, pirates attacked their ship. The grandmother was killed and my ward was snatched up and sold to Tazaxx for his damn zoo.”

His face had gone cold as he told the story, the easy good humor disappearing from his white-on-black eyes and leaving them hard as stones.

“Only twelve years old?” I whispered, feeling a surge of pity for the girl. “That’s awful! Is she…is she all right? Did they…?”

“I don’t know exactly what they did to her.” Grav’s voice was a low growl. “I have to get her back first to find out. Then I’ll punish the ones who took her. And believe me, if they laid so much as a finger on her before delivering her to Tazaxx…”

He seemed to grow bigger somehow, if that was even possible, and if I had thought he was scary before, well, he was freaking terrifying now. I wouldn’t have been the pirates who had captured and sold his ward for all the world. They were going to be in a universe of pain if Grav caught them and something told me he wouldn’t stop until he did.

“And you think Tazaxx has her—your ward—in his exhibit?” Sarden asked.

Grav nodded. “I know it. But getting in to find her is a problem.”

“But…if there’s going to be an auction, couldn’t your, uh, employer just buy her there?” I asked. “And the same for Sellah—couldn’t you just buy her at the auction?”

“Of course—if we were sure that Tazaxx had them marked to go to the auction,” Sarden said. “We don’t know that. We don’t know what he plans to do and he’s sure as hell not going to share his plans with me. He told me last time we spoke that he never wanted to see my face again.”

His words sparked something inside me—an idea. It might be a really stupid idea, I wasn’t sure—but that didn’t keep me from speaking up.

“Why does he have to see your face?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” He frowned at me.

“I mean, you said that he sells to wealthy investors sometimes, right? So why not pretend to be one and get in his compound that way?”

“That’s a damn good idea,” Grav rumbled. “If you’ve got technology that will defeat his facial scanning software. If he recognizes you, you’ll be out on your ass before you even step foot in the door.”

“Will this do it?” I asked, pointing at the Grubbian mask I was wearing. “I mean, can you use the smart-fabric to make something that will fool his tech and get you into his compound?”

Sarden frowned. “Well, technically yes, the smart-fabric should be able to do it. That’s the reason it’s illegal almost everywhere.”

“Well, then—that’s it!” I was starting to get excited about my plan. “Just have Al synthesize you a mask and go in pretending to be some wealthy entrepreneur with a taste for exotic females. You could buy Sellah and the other girl—what’s her name?” I looked at Grav.

“Teeny,” he said promptly. “Teeny Kiv’orop.”

“Right. Buy Sellah and Teeny right there and get them out before the auction,” I said.

“It’s not that easy,” Sarden growled. “He won’t let just anyone in. Gords are very selective.”

“That’s true,” Grav said thoughtfully. “You can’t just flash your credit and get in the front door. Tazaxx has this idea he’s a classy son of a bitch and he doesn’t want anyone around him that doesn’t meet his ‘standards.’”

“Exactly.” Sarden nodded. “Tazaxx wouldn’t let anyone who wasn’t someone into his compound. An important someone.”

“What about Baron Van’Dleek of Armitage 3?” Grav asked.

“Who?” Sarden and I said at the same time.

“Van’Dleek’s an emissary from another galaxy—Tazaxx has never seen him. He’s supposed to be among the trillion-credit elite and he’s named as one of the invited guests on the auction list—paid a hell of a lot of credit to get my hands on that damn list.” Grav shrugged. “Why couldn’t ‘Van’Dleek’ come early to get a look at what he’s going to be bidding on?”

“Hmm…it could work.” Sarden looked like he was thinking hard. “You have a holo render of him?”

“Of course.” The stone in Grav’s ring was dark red instead of black but it projected holographic images the same way Sarden’s did. I really had to get myself something like that before I went back to Earth, I thought. It put the Apple watch to shame.

The dim booth was the perfect place to project and the image that popped up was clear. Van’Dleek was about Sarden’s size and build—which was good—but he had pale blue skin and was bald as an egg. He was wearing flowing white trousers cinched at his narrow waist, no shirt, apparently so he could show off his chiseled chest, and a big, boxy black jacket that matched the trousers. Also loafer-like shoes with no socks on. I thought he looked like something out of an episode of that old TV show, Miami Vice.

Sitting at Van’Dleek’s feet were two females, both skimpily dressed and looking up at him adoringly. One had orange skin and several long, fleshy tentacles growing out of her head where a human’s hair would be. The other looked like she could have come from Earth—she seemed to be a regular girl with tan skin and long brown hair—until I looked closer and saw that she had three purple eyes, all in a row under one long black eyebrow. Eww.

“He never goes anywhere without a fuckin’ entourage,” Grav explained, gesturing to the adoring girls and the muscular bodyguard who stood at Van’Dleek’s back with his massive arms crossed and an alert expression on his face.

“So much the better,” Sarden remarked. “I’ll play Van’Dleek and you can be my Protector. That gets us both in.”

“I guess that makes me one of the bikini-babes,” I said, gesturing at the holographic projection of the skimpily clad girls.

“Oh, no it doesn’t.” Sarden frowned down at me. “You’re not going anywhere near Tazaxx’s compound—it’s not safe.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said bristling. “You need me there to make it look real. Look at this guy…” I gestured to the holo again. “He doesn’t go anywhere without arm candy. He’s probably the biggest douche-nozzle in the universe and he needs a girl with him constantly to tell him how amazing and wonderful he is.”

“Douche-nozzle?” Sarden stared at me.

“Actually, from what I can tell about Van’Dleek, she’s probably right,” Grav said, nodding at the holo apologetically. “About him always having a female or two with him, anyway. I don’t know what a douche-nozzle is.”

Sarden’s face looked like a thundercloud about to break.

“I don’t want to risk you, Zoe. I nearly lost you once—I’m not going to let you walk into danger again,” he growled.

“Look,” I said in a low voice. “I won’t be in danger—I’ll be between you and Grav here, who looks like he could bench press a city bus. Besides, this is the least I can do since you aren’t, you know, trading me away.”

“I don’t know…” he began.

“Come on,” I said. “This is my plan—you can’t just cut me out of it. Besides, I might be able to see more than you can. You’ll be playing the big, important man and I’ll be down on my knees adoring you and being unobtrusively nosey.”

“Well, if it means getting you on your knees…” His gold eyes flashed for a moment and my stomach did a little flip. For a moment I thought he was going to kiss me but he didn’t—maybe because Grav was sitting right across the table, watching us with interest.

“I’m glad you’re seeing it my way,” I said, trying to ignore the rush of heat his words sent through me. “So let’s get started—the sooner we do this, the sooner we can all go home.”

I regretted my choice of words almost immediately but it was too late to call them back.

“Home. Yes, I did promise to take you home,” Sarden mused, the heat leaving his eyes abruptly. “And I will keep that promise, Zoe—I swear it.”

“I know you will,” I said, feeling suddenly miserable for no reason I could really name. “But we have to take care of this first. We have to get your sister.”

“And Teeny,” Grav put in. “I’ve sworn to retrieve her or die trying.”

“Wow.” I looked at him appraisingly. “You really take this bodyguard stuff seriously.”

“A Protector is more than just a guard,” he said, frowning. “I told you—I lay my life on the line for my wards. That’s why I’m very fuckin’ careful who I take as a client.”

“Duly noted,” Sarden said, nodding at his friend. “Hopefully we can get both our females back.”

“There is just one thing…” Grav cleared his throat. “I picked Van’Dleek from the auction list because he’s coming from a different galaxy and it’s a pretty sure bet Tazaxx has never met him before. But he’s Frellian.”

“So?” Sarden shrugged. “What does that mean to me?”

“Nothing, except, well, take a closer look at his clothes—his trousers.” Grav fired up the hologram again and made it bigger, zeroing in on the loose, white trousers. Now that he had zoomed it up, I could see what he was talking about.

“Hey—there’s no fly in those things,” I protested. “His, uh, junk could just fall out at any time. Why is that?”

“Frellians…” Grav coughed. “Uh, they expose themselves as a type of greeting to their equals. It’s considered an insult not to.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “They literally have a dick measuring contest every time they meet someone? That’s insane.”

“No—that’s Frellian,” Grav said. “Fuckin’ weird but what are you gonna do? Different cultures, right?”

I had a sudden mental image of Sarden opening a pair of loose, white, Miami Vice-type trousers and flopping out his dick while saying hello to the infamous Tazaxx. I couldn’t tell if the idea was horrifying or funny. Maybe just scary, considering how freaking huge he was down there. To my surprise, though, Sarden didn’t look the least perturbed.

“So, he’s Frellian. So what?” he said, shrugging. “Tazaxx isn’t—he’s Gord. Why should he care about the social conventions of a business partner?”

“Good point.” Grav looked relieved. “You probably won’t have to do it. I just wanted to, uh, lay it out there before we got started with this.”

“No pun intended?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Grav grinned, his white fangs gleaming.

“Right.”

“Is there anything else I should know?” Sarden asked.

Grav shook his head. “That’s it for weird Frellian customs as far as I know.”

“All right.” Sarden slapped the table with his palm. “Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s go back to The Celesta and prepare.”

 

Sarden

I still couldn’t believe I was letting Zoe come with me. Bearding Tazaxx in his den was damn dangerous and I didn’t want to risk her again. I wouldn’t have done it if it was just the two of us alone. But I would have Grav with me and no male could ask for better backup than that.

I watched him from the corner of my eye. He was in the corner of my room, putting on the disguise Al had synthesized for him. It wasn’t much—just two black leather straps with spikes that crisscrossed his bare chest and torso. We’d decided to leave his face unmasked because he looked fucking terrifying enough as himself. Also, if Tazaxx’s facial recognition tech picked up on him, it would show his checkered past. And the male I was impersonating, Baron Van’Dleek of the Tig’o’bah system, seemed like the type who would hire a Protector precisely because of his violent reputation.

I looked away from Grav. To say I’d been surprised to see my old friend was an understatement—especially since I’d been under the impression he was serving three consecutive life sentences for his crimes. I wondered how he’d gotten early release—I would bet my left nut it wasn’t for good behavior.

The crime he’d committed was the worst thing you could do on Vorn 6. In fact, if he hadn’t been underage at the time he’d committed it, he would have faced immediate execution. I had never believed my friend could do such a thing but he admitted it freely—as he had during the trial, I remembered now.

Grav had never denied his guilt or the savagery of his actions. He had stood before the High Court and laid his crime out for the three judges like a bad hand of cards, never even trying to pretend he was innocent of the gory violence he was accused of. There was blood on his hands and no mistaking it.

Which made it all the more surprising that he’d decided to become a Protector.

He’d been right when he told Zoe a Protector was more than just a guard. They trained for years to earn the title and swore an oath when they took on a new client. Something like… “Your blood is more precious to me than my own—I spill mine willingly before a drop of yours is shed. Your flesh is my flesh—may I be pierced a thousand times before the blade shall even scratch your skin…” I frowned, trying to remember the rest of it.

“Well? What do you think?” a soft, feminine voice said, interrupting my ruminations.

I looked up and felt my eyes widen. Zoe had insisted on having a say in what kind of disguise she wore and she and Al had been holed up in the synth closet for almost an hour when we first got back to the ship.

I had wondered what was taking so damn long—Al had made the clothing for my own disguise in next to no time, although the mask had taken a little longer since it had to be an exact duplicate of Van’Dleek’s face. My skin I was going to tint with saphor solution, which allows the user to change his or her epidermis to any color they choose, but only for a certain amount of time. We would have to get in and out of Tazaxx’s compound pretty quickly.

Now, looking at Zoe, I saw why she had been taking such pains with her own clothing—it was eye-catching to say the least.

The top was two intricately curved bronze cups which held her full breasts in place while showing a generous amount of her pale, creamy cleavage. Her midsection was bare, showing the soft curves of her sides. A metal belt was cinched low on her lush hips and from it hung two long, shimmering strips of fabric which barely covered her sex and her luscious ass and left her legs bare. A pair of small sandals which showed off her tiny feet completed the outfit but I confess my eyes didn’t linger there for long—I was too busy looking at the rest of her.

“So do you like it or what?” Zoe asked again, twirling so that her long, red curls glittered in the overhead glows. “I figured if you could dress like Crocket and Tubbs I could be ‘Slave Leia.’ It’s perfect, right?”

“It’s…you’re…” I found I couldn’t finish my thought. Though I had seen her naked on several occasions—and almost naked in the Majoran clothing—this particular outfit seemed made to emphasize her curvy beauty. She was absolutely breathtaking and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. It made me glad I had closed the slit in the ridiculous white trousers which were part of my own disguise—if I hadn’t, my feelings about her outfit would have suddenly become a lot more obvious.

“Fuckin’ gorgeous,” Grav said. “Hell of a lot better than that damn Grubbian disguise you were wearing at the port lounge.”

I tore my eyes away from Zoe long enough to see that my friend was looking at her admiringly. I felt a possessive growl rise in my throat—Vorns don’t share their females like Denarins do—but he held up his hands in a gesture of peace.

“I’m just stating the obvious, old friend. You’re a lucky son of a bitch to have found such a beautiful, smart female to call your own.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to say that Zoe wasn’t mine—that she was a free female—but somehow I couldn’t make myself say it. That was because part of me rose up inside and growled that she was fucking mine and I would kill any male who tried to take her away from me. That I would kill or die for her as surely as Grav would kill or die for his female ward to whom he had sworn his oath.

“Thank you.” Zoe was blushing prettily, her pale, freckled cheeks flushed with pleasure at the compliment. I noticed she hadn’t denied being mine any more than I had, and wondered about it. She’d been quick to point out I didn’t own her before I had given her her freedom, but now she wasn’t so quick to mention it. Did it mean anything?

“Any more like you back home?” Grav asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a female quite like you before—where are you from, anyway?”

“A closed planet called Earth,” I said, speaking up at last. “It was locked by the Ancient Ones after they seeded it so the inhabitants have never mingled with races outside their own planet.”

Grav’s white-on-black eyes grew wide. “A Pure One? She’s a Pure One?”

“And a La-ti-da,” Zoe added. “A Lat-ti-zal, I mean. Whatever that means—I’m still not completely sure.”

“Really?” Grav’s eyes grew even wider and he looked at me. “I can see why you wanted to protect her, Sarden. She’s fuckin’ priceless.”

“She is,” I murmured, looking down at my little Pure One. “In fact, this is beginning to seem like a really bad idea, flaunting her in front of Tazaxx.”

“No, if anything it’ll add verisimilitude to our story,” Grav protested. “Van’Dleek would definitely have a female like Zoe on his arm. And Tazaxx won’t be able to resist taking a closer look at her.”

I tore my eyes away from Zoe to look at him.

“Excuse me? Verisimilitude?”

He shrugged and gave me a sardonic grin.

“Hey, I read a lot in Triple Max. Helped pass the time.”

“I bet,” I said dryly. “But the very fact that Tazaxx won’t be able to resist Zoe is what makes me so reluctant to take her.”

“He wouldn’t dare steal another male’s property—especially not a rich and influential one like Van’Dleek’s,” Grav pointed out. “But you having Zoe—it’ll impress the hell out of him and make him more willing to deal.”

I knew he was right but I couldn’t suppress the feeling of worry that rose in me when I thought of taking Zoe into danger—even a controlled kind of danger. She was mine, Godsdamnit and I needed to protect her. I wanted nothing more than to lock her away and keep her safe forever.

But I couldn’t do that—because no matter how loudly my possessive instincts growled, she wasn’t mine. Not really.

“All right,” I said at last and pointed a finger at Zoe. “But stay close. I’m serious, Zoe, don’t leave my side. I don’t want a repeat of Gallana.”

“Speaking of Gallana, look who’s all recovered.” Zoe parted the hair at the side of her neck carefully and I saw a tiny, purple-green face peering out at me.

“What in the Frozen Hells, Zoe?” I growled, frowning. “You can’t take those damn things with you.”

“Why not? They’re really tame—look.” She put up a hand and the three little creatures came crawling out to sit obediently on her hand.

“Nib-nibs!” In two strides, Grav was across the room and reaching for one of the tiny creatures.

“No!” Zoe snatched her hand away and held the chittering nib-nibs protectively to her chest. “They’re pets,” she explained to the startled Grav. “They’re not for snacking.”

“Hey—okay.” He held up his hands. “I wasn’t going to eat ‘em. I’ve read about them—just never seen any up close.”

“Sorry—it’s just that some people think they’re only good for a between-meal snack.” She shot me a look.

“What?” I said, defensively. “I told you—I tried one once and spit it out before I even bit down.”

“You say you’ve got them tamed?” Grav asked, apparently still interested.

“Look, I’ve been working with them while Al synthesized my costume. It’s amazing how quickly they learn. Okay guys,” she said, addressing the nib-nibs, “Roll over.” Immediately all three of them lay on their backs and rolled over in her hand. “Speak,” Zoe told them and they all sat up and chattered. “Play dead,” she said and they immediately flopped down and lay motionless across her palm.

“Nice,” Grav said, nodding.

“It’s more than nice—it’s amazing.” Zoe’s big blue eyes shone, making her even more gorgeous, if that was possible. “I taught them all that in less than an hour. It’s almost like they know what I want them to do even before I tell them.”

“That’s because they’re mildly telepathic,” Grav said. “It’s how they keep track of each other—if you take one away from its colony, it can still get back, no matter how far away it is, just by zeroing in on the mental energy of the others.”

“Wow.” Zoe looked at her tiny pets with newfound respect and I knew I’d never be able to convince her to leave them behind now. Well, maybe having a Pure One that had tame nib-nibs as pets would also add to the verisimilitude of our disguise. It certainly seemed like the eccentric kind of thing a rich douche-nozzle, to use Zoe’s term, would do.

“What did you name them?” I asked, resignedly. “You did name them, right?”

“Of course. This one is Rhaegar, this one is Viserys, and this one—the one I rescued from Count Creepy—is Drogon. He’s my main guy, aren’t you, fella?” she asked, stroking the little creature gently with one finger. He hummed contentedly and rubbed against her hand in apparent ecstasy.

I felt a tightening in my gut and realized I was actually getting jealous of the damn nib-nib! At least it got to feel the touch of her soft little hands. I wanted those hands all over me—and I wanted mine all over Zoe. Seeing her in that damn disguise which showed off all her creamy curves didn’t help my desire to possess her either.

“Rhaegar …Viserys…Drogon. Are those Earth names?” Grav asked, still watching as she played with her pets.

Zoe flushed, her freckled cheeks going pink.

“Well, sort of—they’re from a TV show I like—a kind of entertainment you watch on a screen. Just call me ‘the mother of dragons’—or, I guess ‘the mother of nib-nibs.’”

She laughed and Grav rumbled laughter too, not because he got her Earth-centric joke, I was sure. But just because Zoe had such an infectious laugh. Soft, and feminine, and lilting—Gods, was there anything about her that didn’t arouse me? I didn’t fucking think so.

“It’s time to go,” I said, my voice rougher than I meant it to be. As if on cue, Al came whizzing into the room, already in his travel form.

“Master, I have received an answer from the compound—Tazaxx will be most pleased to meet with Baron Van’Dleek today.”

“Good,” I said, pulling on my mask and drinking a few drops of the saphor juice compound. “Tell him the baron and his entourage are on the way.”