Page 15 of Enticed by the Alien Chef (Gladiators of the Vagabond #8)

Rex

Every time I saw Kara that evening, she looked paler. I was telling myself that it was just my worried imagination. Then, an hour before closing, she ducked into my kitchen with a panicked expression. “Rex, I think I saw one of the guys who kidnapped me!”

The words set off a chain reaction in my brain.

Protective instincts rose, followed by a deep desire for vengeance against those who had harmed her.

I was across the kitchen in a heartbeat, pulling my female into my arms where I knew she’d be safe.

Growls only I could hear vibrated through my chest as my eyes locked onto the barroom door as if I expected her enemies—my enemies—to burst through at any moment.

I signed with one hand, but I knew she couldn’t understand.

Her eyes were on my motions anyway, and for the first time, I noticed how blurry they looked—watery with tears, red around the edges.

Had she been crying? Why? That set off an entirely different reaction in my head, something close to panic.

Why had my female been crying until her eyes were red? What male had caused that?

“It’s okay. I don’t think he saw me,” Kara said eventually, a frown furrowing her small brow as she kept staring at my hands.

I wasn’t signing anything now, but she still looked.

I hated that she couldn’t understand me unless I brought out the datapad to write on.

Getting a permanent solution for that would be extremely expensive.

I had money saved, but not enough for perma-contacts, or I would have already bought them for her.

Tilting my head in what was my way of conveying a question mark to her, I tipped up her chin so she could see that.

“It’s fine, really. Can I hide here until he’s left?

I’m sure it won’t be a problem.” I nodded immediately, of course.

I was not going to let her out of my sight if there was a threat.

Taking her hands, I guided her to the table and urged her onto a chair.

Then, I made her one of her favorite herbal teas and shoved a basket of stringish red beans into her hands with a knife.

She laughed and got to work, but I was not about to forget the redness around her eyes or her shaky breathing.

As soon as I was certain she was okay, I headed for the bar and ducked my head around the corner to get a good look at the remaining patrons.

There was a pair of Tarkan males in one corner, laughing rowdily as they played cards with two Ovter dockworkers with hostile expressions.

Possibly a problem, but not mine. A handful of guests in the back booth were still talking and consuming drinks and a plate of spicy finger foods, while a few Rhico were at the bar throwing back ales.

I spotted another Ovter coming out of the backroom, near the stairs leading to Drova’s apartment. He was weaving and swaying as he plodded across the room, his yellow spots pale. That one had definitely had too much to drink.

I saw the Kertinal and two others huddled in a corner, and I knew that’s who Kara meant.

There was only one way she could have been stolen successfully from a protected Kertinal facility: an inside man, which made the presence of a Kertinal male here extra suspicious.

They were not the most common visitors in Akrod, and if their merchant ships did visit, they stayed in groups.

The Ovters held themselves apart and considered themselves superior, but the Kertinal had mastered that attitude.

It was very tempting to stride across the taproom and plant my fists in the male's face, snap his horns from his skull, and stick them in his eyes. Once, when I was still a prime ruling the arena sands, I would have done it in a heartbeat. But in the real world, such things had consequences, and I was no hotheaded youth. I withdrew after carefully memorizing each face of the males that shared the Kertinal’s table, and focused on my mate, who needed me to act calm more than anything right now.

Kara hadn’t made any headway with the string beans while my back was turned; her hands were shaking in her lap.

They were shaking so much that I gently freed the knife from her grip and curled her hand around the now slightly cooled tea instead.

Drink, I gestured, miming the action of taking a sip, which made her smile gently.

“Sorry, Rex. I didn’t think seeing them would upset me so much. I’m better now. When can we go home?”

Go home, I could do that. The kitchen had closed a while ago, and I’d only been doing prep work and cleaning for the next day.

Drova could do without a waitress with a small crowd like that; everyone looked half asleep.

Urging my female to take a few more sips of the drink, I set about closing up shop—locking away the food in the cold storage unit, rolling up my knife set, and putting that under lock and key.

Then I took the cloak I kept for Kara and pulled it around her small shoulders so that she’d be properly warm and covered.

She protested when I picked her up instead of letting her walk out on her own two feet, but she subsided soon enough, settling her head against my chest and resting quietly as I walked.

She was still so pale, and now that the initial protective surge was fading, I could remember that it had started before she had even laid eyes on her kidnappers in the bar. Was she getting sick?

Once we were home, she got even quieter, and I didn’t miss how she winced and clutched at her temples a few times.

A headache, then—was that common for humans?

I signed at her to ask, but that made her eyes water, tears trickling down her cheeks.

I tried again with the datapad, writing her a message, but she looked sad and shook her head.

“I’m fine, Rex. I want to sleep. Will you…

” she hesitated as if she was afraid to say what she wanted, and I urged her on with a hand.

If she knew what my mood spots meant, she’d know I was worried sick.

“Will you hold me like last night? Keep me warm? I liked that.”

My mind leaped back to the passionate encounter we’d shared last night—how I’d licked her repeatedly between her legs, along her delicate petals, until she’d come apart for me.

And this morning, I’d dared to stretch her as I pleasured her in preparation for my cock.

Remembering made me ache, heat surging through my veins and pooling in my groin.

I wanted her badly. But tonight was not that night—she needed me in other ways, and whatever she needed, I’d provide.

We took our turns washing up, and then I helped her into my hammock and curled her into my arms like she’d asked.

With my fingers, I gently massaged her scalp, and that seemed to ease the tension in her shoulders.

When she fell asleep shortly after, I drew out a relieved breath and considered my options.

Was there a doctor in Akrod that I could trust to treat her?

There probably were; I just didn’t know any of them.

I’d let her rest for the night, and tomorrow I’d see how she was and if she needed further assistance. I did not know enough about humans to know if this was serious or not, so all I could do was trust her word. My Kara said she was fine, that I did not need to worry, so I wouldn’t. For now.