DangerouslyForever

by A. M. Griffin

  As they approached the training field, Eva could hear the clashes coming from the jangos. As the warriors sparred, sunlight bounced off the weapons and made miniature sparks fly in different directions. Yells and grunts became louder and louder.

  She reached the edge of the field and looked for Taio.

  “Eva,” she heard him yell. “What are you doing out here unprotected?”

  She turned toward the sound of his deep voice. He was engaged in hand-to-hand combat, sparring with one of his guards. The guard raised his arm and brought it down, aiming for Taio’s side. He used his hand to deflect and grabbed the guard’s arm. He twisted it, making the other male grunt, and flung him to his back. Without giving the guard a second look, Taio stepped over him and came to her.

  “Go back inside and cover your skin.” Then he looked at Lo’Ren. “Why did you allow her to come without protection?”

  Eva shook her head. “Taio, later. I have info—”

  He put a finger on her lips. “And whatever you have to tell me can wait until after you cover yourself. I don’t want your beautiful skin to get burned.”

  “I need to get Ally,” she blurted out.

  His features instantly softened. He reached for her and placed both hands gently on her shoulders. “We have been looking for her for so long. I know you want to find her, but we can pick up the search after the baby is born.”

  She placed her hands on top of his. “No, you don’t understand. Ship finally found her.”

  His brows pulled together. “He did? Are you sure?”

  “I am quite certain,” Ship said.

  “Where is she?” Taio asked.

  “She is on Yinnis under the care of Alharad Nijiaira.”

  “Alharad,” Taio sneered, saying his name with disgust.

  “What is it? Tell me what you know about him,” she asked nervously.

  Taio let out a heavy breath and pulled her closer. “The Galactic Council has been keeping a very close eye on him. But so far, all of his dealings have been within the confines of the law. Whenever we hear of wrongdoings, we investigate, but we never find anything to confirm illegal activity. He’s bad, and he’s good at hiding it. I cannot lie to you. If she is indeed with Alharad Nijiaira, she may be damaged beyond repair. He is known to be cruel, even by Yinnis standards. He enjoys inflicting pain on others, particularly breaking their will.”

  “You speak like she’s a piece of equipment. She’s my friend, my family. I made a promise to her and her husband. I have to get her back.”

  “Shh, we will get her.” He stroked her head. “Kiehle is not far from that sector. I will ask him to go there and gather information.”

  “I have already asked him to keep an eye on the slave trade on Yinnis. But I believe it is a good idea for him to visit the brothel and confirm she is there,” Ship said.

  Eva pushed against Taio. “No. I want to go. I want to leave now.”

  “Little one, we cannot leave right now. It would take at least one rotation to prepare the vessel for such a journey. And you are due to be the witness in Sa’Mya’s bonding ceremony, you cannot miss that. And I will not allow for such a long journey with the birth so close.”

  “But—”

  “Do not worry. Kiehle will reach Ally before our vessel is even ready. He will watch over her until we can arrive and I can negotiate for her release.”

  “But what if Alharad tries to sell her again?”

  “Kiehle won’t let that happen.”

  “Kiehle will take care of her, Eva. He won’t let anything happen to her,” Lo’Ren said.

  “I know, but I still don’t see why you can’t just call Alharad and make him send her to us,” Eva said.

  “The Galactic Council raided him not too long ago. While I thought there was more wrongdoing than I could find, the only infraction I could cite him for was the poor health of some of his slaves. I imposed heavy fines on him. I don’t think he will be open to granting me favors anytime soon.”

  “Forget that idea,” Lo’Ren muttered.

  Right. Eva wrapped her arms around his waist. “Do you think Ally was there when you raided him?”

  “I am not sure. I had no idea Ally could’ve been there or I would’ve looked for her myself.”

  “Are you sure Kiehle will be able to keep her safe until we arrive?”

  “Kiehle is a warrior, one of the best. He will not fail. I trust him.”

  “I trust him as well,” Ship said.

  “Then I trust him too,” Eva said.

  She had no other choice.

  Chapter Six

  Yinnis, Latreian Star System, Torus Galaxy

  “So what’s the plan?” Thesan asked, looking over to Kiehle.

  “We don’t need much of a plan,” he replied, shifting his attention back to the transporter controls. He initiated the landing sequence, adding in the coordinates to the private transporter bay reserved for royalty, dignitaries or anyone else with an abundance of credits. “Between the two of us, we can keep an eye on Eva’s friend and make sure she isn’t sold again.”

  “But won’t Alharad get suspicious if we aren’t interacting with any of the females?”

  Neither he nor Thesan were particularly excited about going to a brothel. Traveling as much as they did afforded them the opportunity to meet females from across the galaxy. Running out of pussy wasn’t something Kiehle expected to happen anytime soon. He’d never had to pay for sex and didn’t want to start now. In all of his thirty-five birth cycles, going to a brothel had never been on his list of places to visit. The only reason he’d agreed this time was as a favor to Eva.

  He knew that not all brothels were bad. There were some upscale ones that he’d heard were excellent. But this particular brothel had a horrible reputation. The owner, Alharad Nijiaira, was known for his cruelty.

  “Like it or not, we’ll have to interact with them. I’m sure he isn’t going to point this human out to us. We’ll have to mingle in order to find her whereabouts.”

  Thesan shook his head. “I understand what we have to do, but I don’t want him trying to force slaves on me. Just the idea of him making females have sex against their will makes me want to gut the bastard.”

  “You can already bet that he’s going to parade the females and males in front of us, hoping one or two will catch our attention and we’ll spend all our credits on them. He’s a businessman. But that’s what we want. We can play hard-to-please and force him to show us every female he has.”

  “For a moon cycle?” Thesan grunted. “We’ll need a better plan than that. Alharad will notice when we haven’t engaged in any sexual activity for that long.”

  When they began their descent into the city, Kiehle let the autopilot take control of his vessel. The capital city’s main attraction was Alharad’s compound, which housed the brothel. All of the businesses surrounding it thrived by providing services for Alharad’s patrons.

  “We’ll have to make some friends.”

  Thesan stared at him hard. His dark features were set in a frown. Muscles that had been molded to perfection were flexed. “I already told you, I’m not forcing anyone to have sex with me.”

  If it were anyone besides Thesan sitting next to him, showing this much hostility, he would prepare to fight. But he’d known Thesan since before Taio had given Kiehle complete control over Sonis Mercenary. Thesan was his most trusted friend and confidant.

  “I’m not telling you to have sex with anyone. What you do behind closed doors is between you and the female. Order food and let her sleep. Who knows how long it’s been since any of them had a night to rest?”

  Thesan’s features softened at Kiehle’s words. Thesan was one of the biggest males he knew. He wouldn’t hesitate to use his thick hands to break an opponent’s neck, but when it came to females and children, he was softhearted.

  He finally nodded, and relaxed his body.

  “Good,” Kiehle said, as the transporter slowly eased into the docking station. What he
didn’t need was for Thesan to lose his temper at the conditions of the females and have them kicked out before Taio arrived to save the human. They would still be able to monitor Yinnis airspace from the Saia I, which was docked on Hiriel, a rotation away, but Eva had specifically asked him to keep her human friend with him as much as possible.

  The vessel came to a stop and Kiehle turned off the engines.

  “Do you think it’ll be hard to find her?” Thesan asked as he engaged the security system.

  “I hope not. The less I have to pretend interest in supporting Alharad’s business, the better.”

  He docked successfully, gliding the transporter into an empty spot. He shut off the controls and looked at Thesan. “You know this is the last unmonitored conversation we’ll be able to have, don’t you?”

  Thesan nodded. “I expect Alharad will have listening devices planted in our room. He’ll want to know our reason for visiting.”

  “Not only there, but I suspect the entire brothel is wired with surveillance equipment. We have to be careful with how we go about things.”

  “You can count on me.”

  Kiehle opened the hatch and stepped out to the dock with Thesan following him. He’d expected Alharad to greet him, but instead there were two Quold guards waiting for them. To the unassuming eye, it would appear the guards were there to ensure Kiehle’s safety. Since Kiehle was a prince in the royal house of Drazlan, one of the richest planets in this galaxy, it would be perfectly reasonable to assume the guards were there for protection. But Kiehle was part of the Drazlan Royal Guards and a trained mercenary. If Alharad had done his research—which he was sure the brothel owner had—he would know Kiehle didn’t need protection from anyone.

  There could be a number of other reasons why Alharad had sent the guards instead of coming himself. The man was afraid of crossing Taio again. Taio had issued a raid on Alharad’s brothel not too long ago, and Alharad couldn’t afford for Kiehle’s brother to be displeased with him. So maybe the guards were Alharad’s way of showing how much he valued Kiehle’s presence at his brothel? Guards were usually used to protect the owner, not the customers.

  Kiehle was sure that Alharad thought he was there to spy. He’d sensed it in Alharad’s voice when he’d requested a room. But after the surprised shock had worn off, the businessman jumped at the chance to host him. If he showed Taio’s brother a good time, Alharad likely thought he’d no longer be kept under the Galactic Council’s watchful eye.

  There wasn’t a chance that was happening anytime soon, but Kiehle kept that thought to himself.

  The guards saluted him by balling their right fists and slamming them over their hearts. Kiehle did the same. Without a word, the guards turned and began to walk.

  Like him, Thesan stared at the guards’ backs. “Are we supposed to follow them?” he asked, confused.

  Kiehle raised a shoulder. “I guess so. Sleeping in the docking station would get noisy at night,” he joked.

  From what he’d researched, Alharad’s compound was composed of three main parts. The brothel, which would take up a large portion of the compound; a separate area for guest to relax, pamper themselves and vacation; and Alharad’s personal living quarters.

  They followed the guards as they led the way down a long hall and through a large, finely decorated room, where people were lounging on cushions and talking. Some were being served food by staff. Thanks to Taio’s recent raid, Kiehle knew sexual activities wouldn’t happen in this area. That was saved for the brothel, where Kiehle would also find a room in which guests could pick out their companionship. The guests would have an option to take their companions to themed rooms or, if they were overnight guests, back to either private rooms or apartments provided as accommodations.

  Also in the brothel, there was an area where the staff and slaves lived. Guards protected the entrance, serving two purposes—to stop any guests from sampling the goods for free, and to secure the slaves. Alharad’s personal quarters would have guards stationed at the entrances as well, off-limits to guests unless they were specifically invited.

  While he didn’t see any of the brothel whores, Kiehle did see an abundance of Corian slaves, who were scrambling throughout the rooms cleaning.

  Kiehle and Thesan followed the Quolds in silence as they entered an area that was more elaborately furnished than the room they’d just gone through. There was less activity and the Corians he passed were better dressed.

  The guards stopped in front of double doors. “Prince of Drazlan, you must stay in this room,” one of them said. His voice was hoarse and every word was said as if it had been forced from his mouth.

  Kiehle raised a brow. “I must?” He didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want. That was the reason why he’d left Drazlan years ago—to chart out his own destiny and future. His father had used the word “must” a lot. Saying things like he must take over the responsibilities of ruling Drazlan, since Taio had abandoned them. It had been a lie and a ploy to try to turn Kiehle against his older brother. But after he’d heard all the things he “must” do so many times, he’d finally left Drazlan as well.

  The guard eyed him with a hint of wariness. One thing was for certain, Alharad didn’t want his guard to anger Kiehle even before he’d unpacked his bag. “This is your room,” he said, obviously deciding that he didn’t want to die over a war of words.

  Kiehle gave a short nod. He didn’t think the guard meant any harm. The Quolds were not known for their manners. Their abrupt speech patterns and way of thinking hadn’t won them any friends from other species. But just the same, as a warrior, Kiehle couldn’t show a hint of weakness.

  “What about me?” Thesan asked.

  “You will stay in the other quarters,” one of the guards replied.

  He and Thesan exchanged glances, both guessing what the “other quarters” would look like.

  “He’ll stay with me,” Kiehle stated.

  “As you wish.” The guards turned and walked away.

  “That was easy,” Thesan said. “I was hoping for some kind of fight.”

  Kiehle watched the guards’ retreating backs. “They don’t care where you sleep, so long as you spend your credits.”

  One of the guards stopped before turning a corner to look back at Kiehle and Thesan. “Alharad will send for you shortly.”

  Kiehle nodded his acknowledgement and entered the room with Thesan on his heels. “The sooner we find long-term companions, the better I’ll feel,” Kiehle said, for the benefit of the listening devices he knew were already in place.

  * * * * *

  A chime sounded in the suite.

  “Can you get that?” Kiehle yelled from the bathing room.

  I hate ionized showers, he thought as he stepped from the booth. Ionized showers were ideal on space vessels, and since he spent most of his time onboard them, it was something he had to endure all the time. He’d thought since Alharad had one of the most lucrative brothels in this sector, there was a possibility of bathing with real water.

  He tied his shoulder-length hair at the nape of his neck, securing all the wayward strands. He slipped on a clean pair of pants and a shirt then headed out of the room, following the sound of voices.

  He turned the corner and saw something he never would’ve imagined in Alharad’s compound. Thesan was on his knees, speaking to a human girl. She was so small and so thin, he could easily make out her bone structure.

  He approached the pair, feeling his blood boil. Why was there a child here? And why would Alharad send her to his room, when he knew he was Taio’s brother? “Thesan?” He let his question hang in the air, not wanting to ask if they should contact the Galactic Council out loud.

  Thesan rose to his feet with a grunt. “This is Yoshi,” he said, motioning to the child. “She’s Alharad’s pet. Meaning, she is his servant.”

  Kiehle growled low in his throat. She’s just a child. He took a step toward her. “Are you…” He couldn’t find the words he needed to ask the im
possible. If Alharad used or offered this little girl for pleasure, he would kill him now.

  Thesan shook his head. “No,” he stated. “She’s not one of the whores.”

  Relief poured from his soul. But it still wasn’t enough to temper what he felt.

  Yoshi looked up at him with big round eyes. “I’m not old enough yet,” she said.

  Kiehle balled his fists, imagining them wrapped around Alharad’s neck.

  Thesan put a hand on Yoshi’s shoulder. “She’s already explained that Alharad wouldn’t do anything illegal.” He looked down at Yoshi uncertainly. “He understands that children are not to work the rooms until they come of age.”

  “And you believe her?” Kiehle murmured. She would probably lie if she thought she’d get in trouble with Alharad.

  Thesan took a deep breath. “I have to for the time being. But it seems she’s reciting what she’s been told to say.”

  Right. Kiehle narrowed his eyes. He’d still pass this information to Taio. It seemed as though this brothel needed another raid by the Galactic Council.

  “I know,” Thesan said, as if reading his mind. “She’s come to get us for dinner.”

  “Let’s not keep Alharad waiting.”

  After donning his boots, he and Thesan followed behind Yoshi as she led them through the halls and to double doors where two Quolds were on guard.

  “These are Alharad’s guests for the evening,” Yoshi said.

  While one of the guards opened the doors for them, the other waved them through to Alharad’s personal quarters.

  More servants moved about at a fast pace, no one acknowledging their presence. Yoshi led them into a spacious room. The first thing that caught Kiehle off guard was the smell—flowers. The scent overpowered him. His nose tickled as the odor seemed to stick to the inside of his nostrils.

  “Whoa,” Thesan said, putting his hand on his nose.

  Glittery objects were placed around the room, some on pedestals and others attached to the walls. Kiehle wondered how the walls didn’t collapse from the weight of all the mirrors displayed.