People squawked and ran away from Angela and Lulu, something difficult to do on the moving sidewalk. It was a lot like the ones in airports back home, with low walls and railings to either side. Some of the people jumped over them in their hurry to depart. Angela worried they were creating a commotion and that the people she and Treyjon were following would notice them because of it.

A part of her didn’t care. She’d been so into that kiss, so delighted that, ever since leaving the cargo hold with the svenkar, he’d started looking at her as if she was a beautiful woman instead of not noticing her at all… It had stung to realize he hadn’t been into it at all. That it had been some ruse.

She didn’t blame him for doing it, though a little warning would have been nice, but she blamed herself for falling for it. How had she not noticed that while his tongue had been doing those delightful things to her lips and mouth, his eyes had been focused on some man on the other side of the base? Admittedly, he was a damn good kisser for someone who’d been distracted, and she could hardly be blamed for getting all hot and tingly and forgetting about Lulu and all the people wandering past on the promenade. She should just be relieved he’d stopped when he had because she’d been on the verge of sticking her hand under his uniform jacket to feel the abs she’d seen in the rec room the day before. Or maybe she would have touched him lower to see if he’d been enjoying the kiss as much as she had…

But, no. She knew he hadn’t been. And her cheeks were still flaming with embarrassment when they reached the end of the walkway and stepped off.

He didn’t hesitate. He turned to the right and strode along a street filled with… she wasn’t sure what. They looked more like chariots than cars, even though they didn’t have horses hooked up to them.

Angela told herself she should be enjoying the sights of the city and experiencing this new planet rather than dwelling on a stupid kiss. She ought to be recording videos for Juanita. Not that Juanita wouldn’t have her own tour later. With someone who enjoyed kissing her.

“Stop it,” she muttered, rolling her eyes at herself.

A growl from Lulu reminded her to focus on being a good pack leader. Good pack leaders didn’t worry about boys.

Treyjon looked over his shoulder as they crossed an intersection, frowning as he considered Angela and Lulu. She was tempted to stick her tongue out at him, but that was even less mature than sulking over kisses.

He glanced down a street, then crossed into a gap between buildings. To call it an alley would be ambitious. The svenkar barely fit into it behind Angela, and Treyjon’s shoulders bumped against the stone walls as they walked. This appeared to be a much older part of the city, and she tried to decide if it reminded her of pictures she’d seen of the Mediterranean and Greece. Maybe a bit. Here and there, they had passed some very old buildings reminiscent of the Parthenon, but they had looked as much a relic of times past as the temple in Athens. For the most part, the city reminded her more of a setting in one of Juanita’s science fiction movies. The drones and shuttles constantly flying overhead had something to do with that.

As Treyjon led the way through a maze in the extremely narrow alleys, climbing up and down worn stone stairs built into the road, Angela grew more confused. There was nobody else back here.

“Your captain didn’t come this way, right?” she asked.

“No. Neither did the people following him, but I know where he’s going. If he doesn’t jump on a hover-chair, we might even get there first.”

They took a left, the third or fourth they’d taken. And there had been some rights too. A couple of downs. An up.

“Or we might get lost and mugged,” Angela said. “Didn’t you say you’d only been in the city three times?”

“I never get lost. And nobody is going to mug you when there’s a svenkar trailing you, hoping for more stuffed gordoza leaves.”

“That’s comforting.”

“The svenkar or my sense of direction?” Treyjon finally stepped out of the narrow alleys, and they headed for a canal spanned by a fancy bridge full of sculptures of naked warriors in togas or robes or whatever they were called. Now that reminded her of the little she knew of Ancient Greece.

“Lulu,” she said. “I’m not sure yet that I trust your sense of direction. We haven’t been lost together before.”

“You’ll never be lost with me.”

He winked back at her as they walked over the bridge. Were those cobblestones on the ground? A sign written in a couple of languages, as well as pictographs, conveyed that the bridge was very old and that motorized vehicles weren’t permitted on it.

“Are you always this cocky?” she asked.

The cobblestones continued on the other side, widening into a big public square. Darker stones formed pathways, one leading to the closest of several buildings that definitely reminded her of how she imagined Ancient Greece. Columns rose up to high, flat roofs, and she glimpsed an open courtyard inside. What looked like an old temple stood off to one side, and more buildings with tons of columns lay behind those two. The modern technology didn’t seem to be present here, with a lack of the monitors and holographic displays and moving roads and sidewalks that she’d seen by the space base. Shuttles still flew overhead, but nothing landed.

“Only when it comes to tracking people. And not getting lost.” Treyjon pointed toward a park on one side. It was full of trees with roots like vines—they grew down from the branches rather than out from the base of the trunk. Something hooted from the silver foliage above. “Let’s wait in there and try to look like tourists rather than spies.”

“Will there be more kissing?”

He stubbed a toe on one of the cobblestones. “That might not be a good idea.”

“My thoughts exactly,” she said with a frown. She didn’t want fake kisses.

His face grew closed, and he turned away, striding toward the park. He passed a few trees, then leaned against one that had a good view of the square and the central building. The roots dangling down like vines should hide them from the view of the people walking past.

The square wasn’t busy, but it wasn’t deserted, either, and a few people sitting on benches in the park looked curiously at Angela and Lulu. Mostly at Lulu, she sensed. Her clothing didn’t seem that odd among the variety of outfits she’d seen since stepping off the ship, including those worn by the aliens. Aliens she’d heard about from the Star Guardians but hadn’t imagined very well. There had been people—was that the right term for them?—with fur and scales and feathers, and only one kind that had shared the two arms and legs pattern of humans. If Angela hadn’t been focused on leading Lulu, she would have been stopping and gawking openly at them all.

Lulu was sniffing at the base of a tree now. Angela pointed to the grass, wondering if she could teach the svenkar to lie down. After a few more sniffs, Lulu dropped to the grass of her own accord, and that turned into her rolling onto her back and thrashing about with her legs in the air to scratch her shoulder blades.

“I can’t believe nobody thinks you’re like a dog,” Angela murmured.

“There he is,” Treyjon said.

Angela peered between the dangling tree roots in time to see Sagitta stride between the columns and into the building.

“Is he still being followed?” she asked. “By more people than us?”

“We’ll see. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re joined in the park. Not many people stroll into the agora’s government buildings unless they work there and have to go. Spies would stand out, so they might choose not to—never mind.”

Angela stepped closer to peer around his shoulder. Two men walked side by side toward the front of the structure. They carried brown satchels reminiscent of briefcases.

“Those are the ones from the base? They look like they belong. Like politicians.”

“Yes,” Treyjon said. “They didn’t have the cases earlier.” He lifted his logostec to his mouth as the men strode up the wide steps, walked between the columns, and headed into the courtyard inside the building. “Bridge, who’s in charge right now?”

“That would be me,” a voice drawled over the device. “You looking for a reading of your aura, Treyjon? Or a new charm to keep you safe?”

“No, Zakota. How is it possible that you’re in charge? All you do up there is fly.”

“But I fly most excellently. And everyone else took off to enjoy the city. Except for Korta. He’s scouring out his labs. Want me to get him?”

“No, I just want to tell whoever’s in command right now that the captain has a couple of nondescript men following him.”

“Reporters looking to cover the exploits of the great Star Guardian Captain Sagitta?”

“They don’t look like a film crew. Or people impressed by exploits.”

“Huh, guess the reporters have stopped stalking him. After the war, they stuck to him like leeches every time he left the ship. You know someone even wrote some books about him? Fictional space adventures, not a biography.”

“Oh?” Treyjon asked. “Did you enjoy reading them?”

“I only read them to see if I was mentioned. But it was all about the war. Boring. Look, what do you want me to do about it? Warn him? Can’t you do that?”

“Yes, that’s my next move. I thought someone responsible should know in case I lost him and he ended up in trouble. But I didn’t realize you were the only one on the bridge.”

“I’m all kinds of responsible,” Zakota said. “Like right now, I’m going to be responsible for closing the comm on you.”

Angela caught an exasperated look on Treyjon’s face, but he didn’t dwell on the conversation. He mumbled an order for his device to call Sagitta. But the captain didn’t answer, and he got dropped into a messaging system.

Treyjon sighed and lowered his wrist. “He must have silenced his logostec for the meeting. I should have commed him earlier.”

By now, the two men had disappeared into the courtyard or perhaps through one of the doors accessible from it.

“I’m not sure random people are allowed in there, but we’ll take a look anyway.” Treyjon nodded toward the entrance.

“Are random svenkars allowed?” Angela asked.

“Svenkars go where they please.”

When Angela walked after him, Lulu gave up on what had turned into a belly-up nap in the sun and followed them. Angela didn’t even have to tug at the leash. She was surprised and pleased with how well the svenkar was doing.

She and Treyjon trotted up the steps, pausing inside a corridor with half walls and intermittent columns. They could see the inner courtyard much more clearly from here. It possessed plants and small trees, as well as gurgling fountains and a stream that meandered through, with several bridges crossing over it. A number of doors opened from the sides of the courtyard. Sagitta stood next to one of the doors in the back, conferring with two women and a man in white flowing clothing and sandals. She didn’t see the stalkers anywhere.

“There,” Treyjon murmured, focused not on the captain’s group but above them, toward a second-story passage that ran around the courtyard and overlooked it. One of the two men leaned against a column up there. He wouldn’t be visible from Sagitta’s position, but he might be close enough to eavesdrop on that conversation. “Let’s visit him,” Treyjon added.

“What about the other one?” Angela asked, following him toward interior stairs.

“We’ll keep an eye out for him.”

Treyjon walked soundlessly up the steps, and Angela tried to do the same. Lulu didn’t make any noise, despite her bulk and claws that should have clacked on the stone stairs.

From the landing, Angela couldn’t see the captain’s group, but now she could hear their voices. She couldn’t make out words over the gurgling of fountains and the stream. Maybe that was why the water features were there. To make it harder for people to eavesdrop. Would the man be able to hear better from his spot?

“Stay here,” Treyjon said, pointing to a spot on the landing. “Plant the female—Lulu—there, and stand behind her. I’m going to go up to the next level and try to come down behind that man. I should be able to grab him, but if he’s fast and runs, he’ll run this direction. Until he sees Lulu. Then he’ll stop and piss down his leg, and I can catch up with him.” He considered her with hesitation on his face, like he was doubting his plan already. “You shouldn’t be in danger.”

“From the man or the pissing?”

“Both, but do watch out for wet spots.”

“Ew.”

Treyjon’s face grew more serious. “If he does try to barrel through past you and the svenkar, just jump out of the way. There’s no need for you to risk yourself for this. I should have taken you back to the ship.”

“You could have if you’d found me some donuts first, but I’m still waiting for my sweets.”

“It’s good of you to be so patient,” Treyjon said, smiling faintly.

“It absolutely is,” Angela said. “I can’t believe there’s no coffee or Oreos in space. You people aren’t nearly as advanced as you think you are.”

“Undoubtedly true.” He nodded toward stairs leading up to the next level, including another passage that looked over the courtyard. “Be ready.”

Treyjon jogged up the steps and disappeared from view. Angela was tempted to walk the ten feet or so from the landing, to where the wall turned into a half wall, so she could peek around the corner and see the man. But if she could see him, he would be able to see her. She wasn’t exactly intimidating, and she doubted anyone would think her a spy, but he might recognize her from the base and get suspicious. Also, it might throw off Treyjon’s plan if the man knew she was there.

“I urge you to consider the welfare of these women,” came Sagitta’s voice from below, drifting to her over the gurgle of the fountains. He was speaking louder than he had been earlier—she’d barely heard the conversation before.

“A small group,” a woman replied. “It’s unfortunate that they were victims in this, but we can find good homes for them here. They would be trained to have the skills to find jobs and thrive on Dethocoles.”

They were talking about Angela. Angela and the others. She rested her hand against the wall for support, then stood very still, trying to catch every word. Were these the archons Sagitta had spoken of? Or was this some preliminary meeting with government busybodies? Maybe the decision was still forthcoming.

“If we force them to stay here, then we’re no better than those who kidnapped them,” Sagitta said.

“I hardly think you can compare us to slavers, or staying on Dethocoles to going to the Zi’i. Nobody here is going to throw them into a jungle so their young can hunt them. And then eat them.”

“They believe we’ll take them back to their world.”

“If you promised them that, then you should not have done so,” a man said, sounding sad.

Angela swallowed. Actually, the captain had been careful not to promise he would return them. He must have had some inkling of this, that there would be trouble.

“It may be only temporary,” the woman said. “This world of theirs… it must be studied. From afar. Without the inhabitants detecting us. We can’t simply fly down and make contact. We dare not risk another Syanese Incident, and if their population is as great as the preliminary reports say, with billions of people there, there are many potential repercussions that must be considered before we make contact. Once they find out about the gate system and the Confederation, they could create trouble. It sounds like they’re not far from reaching spaceflight on their own. And what happens if their world truly is Gaia, the place where we all originally came from? What happens if they think that means they should become the leaders of our Confederation? Of all humanity? There is much to consider, Captain.”

“All of which can be considered after the women are returned. They’re not going to make bids to be Confederation leaders.”

“Perhaps not, but they will tell their own governments everything, and their tales could turn into the snowball that starts the avalanche.”

“Archon Lia, they—”

“With all due respect for you and your estimable career, Captain Sagitta, this is not your decision to make.”

“No, but it is my right as a citizen to argue before the Assembly.”

“And so you shall. I am simply warning you ahead of time that the vote will not come down in your favor. Come. You will see.”

Angela rubbed her face. Even though they’d been warned that this might be a possibility, she hadn’t truly imagined a future that didn’t involve her being taken home. Not since the Star Guardians had rescued them from the slavers. She’d assumed that the Star Guardians would do the right thing. And that she would go back to Arizona and the dogs at the shelter, to the training classes she was supposed to be starting in a few weeks. She had planned to go home and visit her parents before that, to see her sisters and help with the lavender, to make some of the lotions and oils that the family sold. This was—

A shout came from the courtyard, or maybe the second-story passage where the man had been.

Footsteps thundered in her direction. Angela pushed away from the wall and stepped behind Lulu, waving a hand and hoping the svenkar would face whoever was coming. She had no command for that, but Lulu stood and faced the corner anyway. The man with the briefcase raced around it, charging toward the stairs.

He’d pulled out a weapon—a dagger. Angela backed toward the edge of the stairs.

The man was so busy glancing over his shoulder as he ran that he made it halfway to Angela before he registered the huge obstacle in his path.

Lulu sprang toward him, roaring like a bear. The leash was pulled out of Angela’s hands. The man stopped so fast he skidded on the smooth stone floor. The dagger flew out of his hand as Lulu bowled into him. The svenkar buried him with her mass, and those dagger-like fangs snapped down.

“Stop, Lulu,” Angela cried, terror in her voice as blood sprayed, painting the stone wall next to them.

God, she hadn’t expected that. She raced forward to grab the leash, to use the shock collar to get the svenkar off the man.

Treyjon ran around the corner and reached Lulu at the same time.

“Off,” he barked, and Angela thought he would bodily push the svenkar back, but he also lunged for the leash.

His hand wrapped around the handle just before Angela’s, and she backed off, letting him take control. He hit a button, and Lulu stiffened, jerking her head up. Blood dripped from her fangs, and she howled in displeasure.

“Back, back,” Treyjon said, now using his body to force her away from the fallen man. “Shit,” he said looking at what remained.

Angela could only stand stock-still and stare. Lulu had ripped the man’s throat and chest to pieces. His eyes were frozen open, the horror and pain locked there even though he wasn’t moving. Wasn’t breathing.

Tremors wracked Angela’s body as she realized he was dead.

A bang sounded from somewhere below. Treyjon lunged toward the low wall looking out toward the river, park, and plaza.

“There’s the other one. Angela, here. Take this.” He thrust the handle of the leash toward her.

Take it? Was he joking?

“This one isn’t going to talk now,” Treyjon said. “I have to catch the other one. Here.” He wrapped her fingers around the leash handle, manipulating her thumb to rest it on the button. “Angela?”

He glanced toward the half wall again, clearly wanting to go after that man, but he gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look in his eyes. “Angela, I need you, please. Watch her. I’ll be right back. Promise. All right?”

She nodded shakily. It was all she could manage.

He took it for assent and vaulted over the low wall, dropping into the plaza below.

Hands shaking, Angela didn’t go to the wall to watch his progress or see whether he would catch up with the man. Her feet weighed a hundred pounds each, and she couldn’t move them.

The svenkar walked toward her, and fear surged into her chest. That fear almost gave her the power to lift those leaden weights on her legs and race down the stairs, but Lulu merely sat beside her, looking at her like a hunting dog proud that it had caught a pheasant and wanting to know what they were doing next. Even sitting on her haunches, Lulu’s eyes and bloody snout were as high up as Angela’s face. It was unnerving as hell.

Angela tried to pull herself together, to exert her pack-leader confidence, even though she was still shaking inside, even though her mind was silently screaming that this hunting “dog” had just murdered a human being.

But she wasn’t a dog. Treyjon had told her that. Everyone had. This was, as she herself had said, an apex predator. She’d been walking around the city with something as wild and deadly as a tiger or lion on a leash. She was lucky it hadn’t killed before this and that it hadn’t turned on her. It was impossible not to feel uneasy—and outright scared—to be alone with the svenkar now. She wished Treyjon hadn’t left and prayed that he would return right away.

Lulu lifted her chin expectantly.

Angela stared. It took a long moment for her to realize the svenkar wanted her chin scratched. Lulu thought she’d done a good thing and wanted to be rewarded.

“You did protect me, didn’t you?” Angela whispered, not looking toward the dead man. The dagger he’d pulled out as he’d run had likely been for Treyjon, in case he caught up to him, but Lulu wouldn’t have known that. She’d seen a threat running toward her and Angela, and she’d taken care of it.

Lulu twitched her head, as if to draw attention to her bared throat.

Though her hand still trembled, Angela lifted it to scratch the svenkar’s chin. Thankfully, it wasn’t bloody. Her chest was, as were the sides of her snout, but Angela found a bare spot. The creature sighed contentedly.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and the svenkar lowered her head and growled.

Treyjon came into sight, taking the steps three at a time. He was alone. Did that mean he’d lost the other man? That all this had been pointless?

He slowed when he heard the growl and looked at Angela. “You definitely have a bodyguard now.”

“Yeah,” Angela said, her voice hoarse. She couldn’t keep from glancing at the shredded body on the floor.

Treyjon winced. “I’m sorry about that. That was my mistake. I thought the man would see you two and turn around right away, that I would be the one to deal with him.” He slapped the side of his belt. “I should have brought a stunner with me. He needn’t have died, especially before we could question him. I didn’t think I’d need a bunch of weapons, walking around the capital. There are police, and it’s a peaceful city. Usually.”

“Do we need to, uh. Will there be repercussions for…” Angela waved toward the body and grimaced. She imagined herself being thrown into jail for life on some strange planet.

“Yes, but I’ll deal with them. He was running at you with a dagger, so even if some camera somewhere caught it, I think a court of jurors will rule it self-defense. Regardless, the svenkar is my responsibility, so I’ll take charge and talk to the law.”

“Thank you. I—” Angela didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want him to be in trouble, either, but she was relieved that he would take charge and shield her from the law.

Some of the tension seeped out of her limbs, and she suddenly felt like she might collapse.

Treyjon must have seen that, because he stepped forward and reached out to her.

Lulu growled.

Treyjon puffed out his chest and growled back as he slipped his arms around Angela’s waist. Lulu’s tail swished, but she stopped growling.

Angela slumped against Treyjon’s chest, glad for his support. He held her gently and stroked the back of her head. She was so relieved she wasn’t here alone, that she had someone to look out for her.

“The other one jumped into a boat waiting for him in the canal,” Treyjon said. “I ran alongside the water, trying to catch up to it, but it was too fast. All I managed to get were some pictures of the side of the man’s face and the boat.”

Angela nodded, feeling his irritation with himself, but not having anything to say. She didn’t yet trust her voice.

“I think the captain saw me,” Treyjon went on. “I was confronting that man as he walked through a doorway following the archons. He didn’t seem that surprised. Maybe he’d noticed their eavesdropping on his own. I hope he checks his messages.” Treyjon looked toward the body. “Wonder if he has any identification on him.”

Angela sensed that he wanted to check. She wasn’t ready to step out of the hug, but she did anyway, nodding to let him know that she was fine. Even if it was a lie.

Treyjon squeezed her shoulder, then headed for the man. But after pausing, he jogged past and around the corner.

Before she could ask, he returned with the man’s briefcase in hand. He opened it.

“Empty. Just a dummy.”

He tossed it aside.

“I don’t imagine spies carry their spy orders around with them,” Angela said, glad some of the raspy distress had left her voice. She didn’t exactly feel normal, though. She longed to return to the ship and take a shower. And even though she understood Lulu and what she was, she needed a break from the svenkar. She also needed that blood to be cleaned off Lulu before she could work with her again.

“No,” Treyjon said, crouching by the body, “but a clue or two would help.”

He didn’t seem bothered by the blood or the fact that the man’s throat and chest had been torn out. He searched the pockets and patted him down.

“Nothing,” he eventually said. “Not even a wallet. I bet he doesn’t have a banking or ID chip, either.”

Treyjon brought up a holographic camera on his logostec and took a picture of the man’s face.

“Since the captain will probably be in the Assembly for a while and won’t be checking his messages, I guess it’s up to me to take charge on this,” Treyjon said. “Let’s head back to the Falcon. I’ll contact the police, and see if anyone on the ship can help search the planetary and Confederation databases for a possible match for these faces.” He came to stand beside her again. “And you look like you could use someone better than me to lean against.”

“Who would that be?”

Her parents? They were literally light-years away. It had been almost a year since she’d had a boyfriend, and she wasn’t sure Kevin Meeker would count as someone she wanted to lean against after watching a man be killed.

“Your female friends?” Treyjon suggested.

“Juanita would think this a magnificent adventure, one that would give her ideas for her novels.”

“The doctor then? Tala?”

“She’s not the most empathetic person I’ve met. I doubt she knows how to hug people.”

Treyjon snorted, not disagreeing. “Must be fun for her lovers.” He offered his arm as they headed to the stairs. “Well, you can lean on me as often as you want.”

“Good,” she whispered, walking close to him and welcoming the supportive arm that went around her waist.

This time, Lulu didn’t growl. She followed behind them. Correction: she followed behind Angela.

As they walked out of the building, Angela tried not to dwell on the fact that she now seemed to be bonded with a natural killer.