Page 5 of A Mate for Vasek (Tallean Mercenaries #11)

Dawn

Dawn held her arms out to her sides as Vasek ran the device over her body. They’d made it to the port with no complications, but he’d insisted on giving her a thorough examination before they left the planet.

Vasek didn’t just own a nice transport; he also had his own space-faring shuttle.

Like the transport, which Vasek had driven right into the back of the shuttle, the shuttle was understated.

It looked very plain on the outside. Dark gray, well cared for, but plain and unassuming … until she stepped inside.

He had not spared any expenses on the finishing of the inside of the shuttle.

The thing about Tallean design was that it was often excessive and gaudy, with more sumptuous fabrics, gilded trim, and marble and gold than was tasteful.

It was all about showing off what one had.

Kotch had started with the outside of his home before moving to the drawing room, where he conducted most of his meetings, since those were the places people saw most.

Vasek had done the opposite, keeping the outside of his transport basic and going all out on the inside, where few people would see. Was it because he didn’t want people to know he had the credits? Or was it because he was a private person? He did have a bunch of rules about privacy and all that.

It wasn’t the kind of shuttle to traverse long distances in space, but the type for hopping from planet to planet in the same sector.

This was great news. It meant that Morad would have a much harder time finding her once he figured out that Dawn wasn’t with Bakum. And if Bakum was half as wily as he’d been in the short time she’d known him, he’d probably evade the pirate crew for a while yet, giving them extra time.

“When was your chip removed?” Vasek asked, after running the device over her arms and legs again and stopping at the scar on her thigh.

He meant the chip that was supposed to track who owned her. The way Vasek spoke to her and looked at her was very casual, like the way Kotch had been, and she took that to mean he didn’t expect the proper slave etiquette that her first owner, the Dominion captain, had required.

Come to think of it, very few out here wanted that. They just wanted someone who was obedient and quiet.

“A while ago. My owner at the time couldn’t reprogram it with his name, so he cut it out.” She showed him the scar on her thigh.

“Not Kotch?”

“No.” She knew what was coming. Vasek would want to know how many owners she’d had.

The older female barkeeper who’d swooped Dawn up and sold her to Kotch had lied about her origins, claiming to have stolen her off the original Dominion captain and removed her chip herself.

Kotch had believed her. Should she continue the lie and make it seem like she had a few owners, or tell the truth?

Would Vasek be disappointed? She hated being treated like a vehicle; the fewer owners she’d had, the more she was worth.

But the question never came. Instead, Vasek said, “Very little scarring. It’s good work. One less thing for me to do. Any other trackers or chips I should know about?”

She shook her head.

Dawn wondered where they were going. Were they going to stay here in New Rhea’s Port Number Two—these Talleans had such original naming conventions—or did Vasek live somewhere else?

Maybe on one of the smaller outposts? Or Vosthea?

Vosthea was an even worse place for someone like her to be than New Rhea, except for Kean’s compound. But she doubted they were going there.

“Aside from the infection and some minor nutritional deficiencies, you are in good health.” He got up and returned the scanner to one of the cabinets lining the wall. Dawn gawked at all the devices and equipment piled inside. Who needed so many robotic hands and legs?

Then the cabinet was closed again, and Vasek went to sit in the pilot’s seat in front of the navigational panels.

The inside of the shuttle was arranged in such a way that told her he often traveled alone.

There was a partition separating the living area and the navigational panels, but he kept the space open.

There was one bed for when the shuttle was on autopilot between destinations, and a desk that doubled as a table.

She was currently sitting on the only other chair other than the pilot’s seat.

It looked like the one Kotch had in his office, except the leather on this was buttery soft, and there was a botanical pattern embossed onto the armrest. Used to sitting on the floor on a cushion, it felt awkward to continue sitting on such a fancy chair, so Dawn looked around for the best place.

Not seeing any mats for her to sit on, Dawn decided that the floor by the corner next to the ornately carved desk would be the most out of the way.

She made her way there and sat down cross-legged, glad that she’d had the chance to shower before coming here.

She’d hate to track dirt and mud onto the shiny wood floor and plush rugs.

She traced the exotic grain of the wood under her with a finger.

It was gorgeous, the innate beauty outshining the colorful and gilded tiles Kotch had preferred.

She wondered how much a space-faring shuttle would cost in comparison to a planet-side home.

He may not look it at first glance, but she’d bet Vasek was rich. He was a doctor after all.

Also, Bakum had mentioned, quite unhappily, that Vasek charged a premium for his work. Maybe he’d like to keep her. She wrinkled her nose and stopped herself from continuing the thought. This was temporary. Everything out here was. Owners and acquaintances came and went.

“What are you doing in the corner?”

“I apologize. I couldn’t find a mat.”

Vasek approached and motioned for her to get up. “You need to be strapped in for takeoff.”

He guided her over to the pilot’s seat—another luxurious masterpiece of buttery soft leather—sat down, pulled her into his lap, then pulled the harness down over them both. As he did, his breath brushed the shell of her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

Maybe it was because he’d been nothing but nice to her, but there, backed by a solid wall of muscle and surrounded by his masculine scent, Dawn’s body reacted.

The sudden desire shocked her, and she squeezed her legs together to stop it.

But it was too late. Talleans had an impeccable sense of smell, and she knew Vasek could scent her arousal.

She froze, and sure enough, something thick grew against her ass. The sexy, rumbling growl only made matters worse as lust flooded her senses.

Vasek

Stars! A male would need the will of tungsten to resist the heady fragrance that perfumed the air. Every part of his being told him to drop everything and take care of her needs. Now.

But they needed to leave this port; there was no time for this. So he held his breath and forced himself to concentrate on the launch sequence instead.

Gravity pulled Dawn’s delectable body against his, and for a short moment, her lust was overshadowed by the acrid scent of fear as they sped toward the planet’s stratosphere. Her hand was on his thigh, her fingers with their dull little nails digging in like she thought they were going to explode.

“Be calm. You are safe. This shuttle is in good repair, and I am a good pilot.”

He focused on making their ascent as smooth as possible. When the shuttle finally stopped rattling and they were safely airbound, she finally relaxed.

Vasek wondered when she was going to realize that he was still hard against her. The launch had not dulled his need, and her closeness only made it worse.

She released her death grip on his thigh and shifted her weight … then froze. Slowly, that wonderful fragrance returned.

Oh yes, she realized it now. And she still wanted him.

Vasek bent his head to nuzzle at her neck, inhaling her delicious scent. She seemed to melt into him, until his hands joined his explorations. His hands slipped under the oversized top she was wearing through the generous armholes to touch the soft skin of her breast.

Vasek froze. What in Stars’ name was he doing anyway? He shouldn’t be nuzzling her! Did he really want to tempt fate?

He released them from the harness and stood quickly, nearly dumping her onto the shuttle floor. She looked confused as she scrambled to her feet. Then, with her head bowed, she scurried to the corner where he’d seen her before.

He wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to be in the corner, but the shuttle was small, and he was glad for the distance between them.

From what he knew, Dawn had been through many hands, and Vasek was sure they hadn’t treated her well. He thought back to her reaction to Morad. If Vasek wasn’t in this particular profession and Morad hadn’t been paying an exorbitant amount of credits for his treatment, Vasek would avoid him too.

Vasek set the shuttle on a path to a hideout in the wilderness outside of the port. He knew better than to take off from here and head straight to Vosthea. Not while he still didn’t know the outcome of the feud between Morad and Bakum.

When he turned to look back at Dawn, she was sleeping, leaning against the side of his desk and sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Vasek hadn’t understood what she meant earlier when she’d mentioned not finding a mat, but now he realized that she’d meant one for slaves to sit or sleep on the floor. It hadn’t even occurred to him.

He couldn’t have her sleep on the floor, but they only had one bed. He’d let her sleep in it. Vasek considered lifting and carrying her to the bed, but didn’t want to startle her, so he tapped her on the shoulder instead.

“Sleep on the bed,” he said firmly. “You don’t need to sleep on the floor when you’re here.”

Or ever, if he had his say. But this was temporary. He couldn’t keep her.

A male like him couldn’t keep a female. Not only was it uncomfortable and stressful to move around so much, but his life was also dangerous. A human female would be a target. She’d be his weakness, and he couldn’t afford that.

Dawn looked unsure, so he said it again, this time more as an order. “Sleep on the bed.”

She got up and made her way over to the bed, lying down on it awkwardly until he shook out the fluffy blanket filled with tepin down and tucked it around her.

“You are tired. Sleep. When you wake, I will update your translator,” he said, his voice softer.

“Thank you,” she said, yawning.

Vasek sat at the adjacent desk, digging the gems he’d picked up back at the inn out of his pocket. He had an auto loupe somewhere in this desk. He hadn’t used it since he’d added the rule about paying with credits only, but had kept it around just in case.

Now to see which ones of these gems were real.