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CHAPTER TWO

Thraxar watched the small female’s face as she processed his offer. He hadn’t intended to make it. For that matter he hadn’t intended to intervene—he preferred to avoid any unnecessary contact during his trade stops, especially in a place like Jellix V—but what remained of his honor would not let him stand by while a female and a child were harmed. He only regretted that he had not been in time to prevent the guard from striking the female.

An unexpectedly appealing female with smooth pale skin and rich brown hair threaded with strands of fire. Her eyes were an unusual mixture of grey and blue, like the sky before a storm, and her too-slender body was delicately curved. Even her scent was appealing, a subtle sweetness that perfumed the dusty air.

Appealing? Impossible.A Cire male was only capable of mating with a Cire female—a possibility that had ended when the Red Death took all of their females from them. He should not have found this delicate little female attractive—and yet he did.

Attractive and wary. She eyed him suspiciously as she drew her child closer.

“Come with you where, exactly?”

Her voice remained steady despite the blood on her lip. An unexpected anger burned through him at the sight. She should have been protected, not harmed.

“Off this rock,” he said calmly. No matter his original intentions, he would not withdraw the offer now. “That guard will not forget this humiliation. His kind rarely does.”

Her gaze darted to the unconscious male, then back to him, her shoulders tense.

“We have… protection.”

“That protection was not enough to prevent him from harming you this time. When he wakes, he will seek revenge. If not today, then tomorrow. Or the day after.”

Small white teeth clamped down on a plump lower lip, but before she could say anything, a soft humming sound interrupted them. The child had moved closer while they spoke, his attention fixed on Thraxar’s tail. The boy made no eye contact but continued humming as he reached out one small hand.

“Rory, no?—”

The female reached for her son, but Thraxar’s tail had already responded to the outstretched hand.

The boy’s fingers traced the pattern of darker skin that ran along the upper side of his tail. His touch was gentle, methodical, following the lines of the pattern with focused precision. His humming changed pitch, becoming softer, a contented sound.

“He does not speak?”

“No. He communicates in other ways” the female explained quickly. “He likes patterns.”

He nodded. “A natural interest.”

The child ignored their conversation, focused on retracing the markings.

“I have a ship,” he said, keeping his voice low to avoid startling the boy. “It’s small but serviceable. I can take you to the nearest Patrol outpost.”

“Patrol?”

Fuck. An uneasy suspicion crept into his mind.

“You’re not familiar with the law enforcement for the Confederated Planets?”

She hesitated, then shook her head slightly.

“You’re from a pre-spaceflight world.” It wasn’t really a question. “How did you end up here?”

“We were abducted from our planet by aliens. Vedeckians, I think they were called.”

He swore under his breath. The Vedeckians were also traders, but ones without any moral code. Their only interest was profit, and he’d heard rumors that they were trafficking in slaves.

“What they did was illegal. The Patrol can help return you to your home planet.”

For a moment, hope flickered across her face, but it quickly faded, replaced by suspicion. “Just like that?”

“Yes, but your memories of this time would be removed.”