by Sadie Carter
“He went out into the gardens last night, did he not? He could have gotten it then.”
“You’re being paranoid, Dex.”
“Really? Then he was not the one who put a chewed-up piece of meat under my pillow a few days ago? Or put that stink bug in my transporter as I was getting ready to leave for the academy a few weeks back?”
“That stink bug probably got in there on its own and he might have been choking on that piece of meat and that’s how it ended up there.”
Dex gave her an incredulous look.
“Um, I believe I shall get rid of this,” Racar said and quickly left. Jaxan and Torex left with him, leaving just Boris and Giz.
“It was him.” Dex pointed at Giz. “You best get some control over him, Zoey. These tricks will stop. Now.”
“Or what?” Zoey asked in a quiet voice.
Dex gave the creature an angry look. “Or he may need some obedience training. And a diet. He is growing fat.”
Dex stood.
Boris reached out to touch Zoey’s arm as she opened her mouth. Tension rode her body. Then she let out a deep breath and nodded. Arguing while Dex was so angry would be pointless.
Boris gestured with his head towards the door.
“Are you sure you don’t need me to come with you today?” Zoey asked. “Won’t Rohan think it strange that I’m not there with you? After all, we changed our plans to come here instead of Ulrika because of him.”
Dex waved a hand as he started checking his other shoes, presumably to ensure they held no other nasty surprises. “No. I have some things I must catch up with him about first. He will not expect you there.”
“Okay, we’ll go shopping then. What time will you be back? Do you want to have lunch together?”
Boris could hear the note of longing in her voice.
“No,” Dex told her as he bent over and grabbed a pair of Zoey’s shoes, shaking them. “I do not know when I will return. Do not wait around for me to eat.”
“Okay.”
Boris watched through narrowed eyes as Zoey straightened her shoulders, quickly plastering a smile on her face to hide the hurt. But he’d seen it. Dex might have too, if he could get his face out of the shoes for a moment and look at his mate.
“More shopping for me then.”
“And take Zillion with you.” Dex stood.
“Oh no. No way.” Zoey shook her head, looking panicked.
“You need more protection than just Boris. This is not Zerconia. If you do not agree to have two guards at all times then you do not go anywhere.”
“Then I’ll take Jaxan.”
“I need Jaxan,” Dex countered. “You will take Zillion. He is your replacement guard.”
“I wish you’d asked me about who I wanted as a replacement guard,” she muttered. “Fine. Ordering him not to talk isn’t unreasonable, is it?”
But Dex has already stepped into the attached cleaning room and didn’t hear her.
Giz made a snuffling noise and Boris looked down at him.
If Zillion did dare complain then Boris had a feeling he might be the one to end up with a squishy bug in his shoe.
***
Boris followed patiently behind Zoey as she perused the market stalls. Giz lay in his hover cart, which she pulled along behind her. The creature munched on a bag of hot fried dough that Zoey called doughnuts, a look of deep satisfaction on its face.
Boris moved his gaze away from the fat bundle of fluff to study their surroundings. Zillion had walked a few feet away and stopped to keep watch. While he might not like the warrior, Boris was pleased to note he was taking Zoey’s protection seriously. Not that Boris needed anyone to help him protect his charge.
Although if they had to run, he might need someone to carry the fat ball of fluff currently working his way through his second bag of fried treats.
Giz let out a loud burp and Zoey turned, frowning. “Giz, did you eat that second bag too? You were meant to save them for later. I think Dex might be right, you need to cut down on the treats.”
Giz made a snuffling noise that was a clear disagreement.
She waggled a finger at him. “And no more playing tricks on Dex. He’s getting rather grumpy.” Her lips twitched. “Although putting that squishy bug in his shoe was pretty funny.”
It had been.
Perhaps the fluff ball did have some uses. A bad smell wafted up to his nose, forcing him to breathe through his mouth, and he glared down at Giz, who bounced happily in his seat.
There was one thing he and Dex agreed on, though. A diet change was definitely necessary.
“Oh, Giz, that is bad.” Zoey quickly moved forward, not meeting anyone’s gaze as they started coughing and choking, eyes watering.
“What is that stench?” Zillion walked over with a frown. “It smells like a squashed squishy bug.”
Zoey’s eyes widened and she purposely didn’t look down at Giz. “Really? I thought it smelled like rotten garbage. Let’s go over to the other side of the market, yeah?”
As Zillion moved forward, leading the way, Zoey leaned down and quietly said to Giz, “How many of those bugs did you find?” She looked over at him and tapped her nose with her finger. “Mum’s the word.”
What? What word? And what was wrong with her nose? Did she need assistance?
She sighed. “It means that this just stays between the three of us, all right? Dex is already on the war path.”
Boris’ eyes widened. He had not thought Dex mad enough to start a war. Dex was not foolish enough to begin a war over a squishy bug, surely?
But Zoey had turned away and didn’t see his confused expression. He gave Giz a firm look. There would be no more pranks and he would make sure Giz knew he was serious. The furry creature yawned. Then he settled down on his stomach, his butt waggling in the air. Yes, he was properly cowed. Boris sighed.
Zoey waved her hand in front of her face.
“That smell is almost as bad as that damn ulgy beast we encountered on Ulrika.”
The ulgy beast. Nassir. His body stirred at the memory from a few months ago.
He had tried to forget that female. The ulgy beast had been chasing her through the marketplace when Zoey had decided to interfere. She never could stand by while she thought an injustice was being done. Zoey championed those that she thought needed someone to stand up for them. It is how he ended up with her. It was not everyone who would buy a scarred male with a useless left arm in order to free him. That act of kindness had shocked him. And secured her place in his life.
He still intended to fulfil his vow of vengeance. But when Zoey attempted to rip up his ownership papers—which had been made of an indestructible substance—he had realized there was still good in the world.
And it came in the form of a talkative, impetuous blonde with more heart than good sense. She needed him.
And he needed her.
The ulgy beast had turned on Zoey, catching her in its revolting roar and Nassir had escaped. Later, though, she’d turned up by chance and collapsed in front of Zoey and Dex.
He had often wondered if that had happened by chance. Coincidences were not really something he believed in. But they had not seen Nassir since.
Every so often, though, she would drift into his head. Once all the grime had been cleaned from her body and she had been dressed in something other than filthy rags she had been…
Beautiful.
He sucked in a deep breath, regretting it as the remnants of Giz’s awful gas hit him. But it forced him to focus on the present. He couldn’t afford to let his mind wander. He had a job to do.
And that was the reason he had let her sneak away that night.
Because she was a distraction he didn’t need. And couldn’t trust.
***
Nassir was deep in flooga poop. Not literally.
But right at the moment she could be slathered in the smelly, green poo and she wouldn’t care.
Gods, her mother would be rolling in her grav
e if she could see her.
But then if her mother was watching over her at all she was doing a poor job in looking out for Nassir. She glanced down at her swollen wrist, the skin a mottled greenish-purple. It was definitely broken. She needed medical help. Or at least a pain inhibitor. There was no way she could manage to steal anything at the moment and not get caught.
Maybe being arrested wouldn’t be so bad. She’d probably get to eat more. She’d have a roof over her head. Nothing would try to poop on her…at least, she hoped not. Maalika didn’t treat its prisoners that badly, not like other planets she’d hidden on. On some of those planets, being arrested was a quick pass to execution or worse. She shuddered at what she’d seen some of the so-called guardians of the law do to prisoners. Public whippings, beatings, rape.
No, she’d have taken her pill before ending up in their hands.
Sweat broke out on her forehead. Her stomach lurched. She really needed some food. And a pain inhibitor.
Maybe that flooga bird had been a bad omen. It had sensed she was going to die soon. Damn thing had returned every night since pooping on her two nights ago.
A medicine man was set up in the middle of the market. Surely, he would have something that could help her. She fingered the bracelet she held in her pocket. It was stolen. Her locket was the only piece of jewelry she had left from her previous life. The bracelet was worth far more than the medicine she’d get in return, but she didn’t have time to barter properly.
She forced herself to move forward, remembering at the last moment to pull her hood tightly around her face. Coming to the market place during the day was foolish considering how close Tazan’s men had come to discovering her the other day. But she had no choice.
She stumbled and had to catch herself.
Compose yourself, Nassir.
She bumped into someone and turned, mumbling an apology at their complaint.
Don’t bring attention to yourself.
She held her cape tightly around herself. People stepped back out of her way, whether because of her appearance or her stench she didn’t know. She’d long since stopped noticing the smell from her lack of hygiene.
“Ooh, look at this, Giz.”
Nassir paused. She might be sore and starving, but she knew that voice. It would be hard to forget the woman who had shown her so much kindness. For weeks afterwards, she had wondered if she had made a mistake the night she’d snuck away from the villa on Ulrika. She hadn’t dared trust the blonde female or her large, frightening mate. Although it had been the dark male with the scars that had scared her the most. The way he’d looked at her…she shuddered as she quickly stepped behind a stall; it had been as though he could see right through her. See all her secrets. Her fears.
Even though Zoey had seemed genuine and friendly, Nassir knew she couldn’t trust her. It would be just like Tazan to send a female to trick her. So, as soon as everyone was asleep, Nassir had snuck away.
That was when she’d seen the Dark One. She’d thought she was a dead woman when he had stepped out from the bushes. She’d expected him to raise an alarm or to grab her. So when he’d just stepped back again, disappearing into the bushes as silently as he’d appeared, she’d stood there like a fool for a few moments, wondering what in the heavens had happened.
Finally, she realized that he was going to let her leave and she’d taken off. It wasn’t until she was far away that she’d realized the implications of him letting her go.
She hadn’t been locked up. She hadn’t been closely watched. She hadn’t been a prisoner. Which meant that Zoey had probably been genuine in her wish to help Nassir.
But even if Zoey hadn’t been working for Tazan, she couldn’t have stayed. It would have put Zoey in Tazan’s sights. And her uncle’s. She couldn’t bring her problems to someone else’s door, much as she wished for some help, for someone just to take all the worry for a while so she could rest.
And even if Zoey had wanted to help, her mate hadn’t seemed enthused over the idea. He had probably told the dark one to allow her to leave. What had Zoey called him?
Boris.
An odd sounding name. It didn’t quite suit him and yet at the same time it did.
No, Zoey’s mate wouldn’t have appreciated her putting his family in danger. It had been best for everyone that she left. So even though she longed to see a friendly face, she knew she had to retreat.
Nassir took a step back without looking. The squeal of protest behind her had her jumping and twirling, almost in one movement. Her heart pounded in fear as she stared up into the angry face of a creature she’d never encountered before. Dark, beady eyes glared down at her. She took in its flat, round nose and pale pink skin. Sitting back on its large hind legs, it opened its mouth and let out another loud trumpeting noise.
“I-I apologize. I did not see you.”
“Stupid girl!” A man stepped in front of the creature. “You stepped on my igglewood’s tail.”
An igglewood? She’d heard of them before but never seen one. They were rare and coveted due to the eggs they laid, which were exquisite in taste. She’d had one once and she’d never tasted anything more delicious.
“I demand restitution.” The man slapped his hands together.
Restitution? Was he joking? She’d stepped on its tail, she hadn’t killed the thing. And was he blind? Here he stood dressed in expensive clothing, his pot belly a sure indication he had never gone hungry, and he wanted something from her?
“I have nothing except my apology,” she told him stiffly, drawing on her mother’s training as she threw her shoulders back and gave him a cold look. She ignored the temptation to tell him what she really thought of him. That he was a pompous fool. And that he needed a better tailor since the buttons on his jacket were about to pop.
He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped at the sweat dripping down his forehead. Her gaze fixated on the large mole at the end of his nose and the single black hair growing from the middle of it.
He half-turned away and she let out a breath, but then he seemed to notice the crowd that had started to form, all of them watching and muttering to themselves. He turned back to her, his face firming.
Stars.
He wouldn’t give in now; men like him were all about appearance and ego. But he couldn’t take from her what she couldn’t give. And she hadn’t broken the law. Still, probably best she get out of here, quickly.
She took a few steps back.
“Not so quickly!” the round little man exclaimed. “I am still owed restitution.”
“I will not provide any restitution as your pet has suffered no harm.”
His small eyes narrowed and he puffed out his chest as around him people laughed quietly. Stars. That was the wrong approach to take. She should have just apologized again and tried to sneak away.
His eyes narrowed as he studied her chest. What? Was he staring at her breasts? If he was he was in for disappointment. Any curves she’d once had had been whittled away to nothing from starvation and months on the run.
He pointed at her chest. “I will take that.”
Oh no. That was the one thing she hadn’t resorted to. Selling her body. And she wasn’t going to start with this fool.
But then she stared down and saw that her locket had come free and was glinting in the sunlight.
She placed her hand around the locket protectively.
“No.” She took a step back.
“Yes.”
She turned to run, but she was too slow. He leapt at her, surprisingly fast considering what a round ball of a man he was. He grabbed her cloak, pulling her towards him. But Nassir hadn’t lived for months on the run without learning a trick or two. She twisted and pulling her good hand back, shoved her fist into his nose with a sickening crunch.
“Little bitch!” With a shake, he shoved her to the ground. She landed on her ass with a heavy thump and her hood flew back. She bit back a scream of pain at the jolt to her wrist. Gods, that was sore.
/> “Guards! Guards!” the ugly little man screamed.
“What the hell is going on here?” someone asked from above her.
Nassir groaned as she heard the familiar voice. The very person she’d been trying to avoid and she’d just landed at her feet.
“Must you yell so loudly, little man? You’re hurting my ears.”
Nassir looked up at Zoey incredulously where she stood over her. And yes, she had her hands clamped firmly over her ears.
“Yes, I must! This filthy female assaulted me.”
Zoey looked down at her then, her eyes widening in recognition. Nassir tried to scramble up, to pull her hood around her. Gods, how could she have been so careless? Anyone could have seen her.
Zoey looked from Nassir to the man who was flapping his arms around. His pet igglewood, who actually bore some resemblance to him, stood behind him, munching on a bucket of cornsta. Nassir’s tummy actually rumbled. Cornsta wasn’t something she’d had since she’d left Alyya, her home. She had detested eating the yellow grain which was usually cooked in milk and served for breakfast.
Right now, she was incredibly jealous of that igglewood.
“Just what is going on here?” Zoey placed her hands on her hips, looking around. “Does no one come to a female’s aid when she is assaulted? Shame on you.”
Zoey reached down a hand to Nassir, but suddenly she was pulled away and there stood the dark one, staring down at her with his too-knowing stare, those purple eyes cold and unforgiving. She shivered and climbed shakily to her feet.
“Sorry, you’ll have to forgive Boris. He’s a bit overprotective,” Zoey said to her.
A bit? She was pretty certain that Boris would kill her if she even looked at Zoey wrong. Oh, he wouldn’t do it out in the open. No, she’d meet her end in some shadowy alley when she was least expecting it and then her body would end up scattered to the small corners of the universe.
She was pretty certain she had him pegged. He stood between her and Zoey, not letting her close to the other woman, as if she would infect her with just her presence. Another large male with hair the color of sunshine back on her home planet, stepped up to stand on Zoey’s other side. He gave her a curious look before his gaze returned to the crowd, moving over everyone gathered around.