CHAPTER TWO
T hraxar 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.”
“In other words, I wouldn’t be able to account for where we’ve been for the past six months?”
“No, but surely your… mate would be too happy about your safe return to be concerned with the details.”
His gaze dropped to the child, still humming contentedly, but she gave a bitter laugh.
“I don’t have a mate.”
Why did that knowledge please him so?
“And everyone else I know would expect an explanation for such an extensive disappearance,” she continued before her words were interrupted by a crash from somewhere nearby.
“We need to move,” he said, gesturing at the guard’s limp body. “Whatever you decide, this location is not safe.”
“I know.” Despite her statement, she didn’t move, studying him with that crystalline gaze. “What’s your name?”
“I am Thraxar.” He didn’t add his name and legacy, but he still found himself bowing to her as he’d been taught so many years ago.
“I’m Kara, and this is Rory.”
“I am pleased to meet you both.”
She hesitated, then straightened her shoulders.
“If we do go with you, what would you expect in return?” she asked bluntly.
He knew the nature of transactions in places like this—nothing came without cost—but that didn’t prevent the wave of anger that washed over him. His instincts flared, demanding he remove her from this hellish place immediately. He fought them back and managed to keep his voice calm.
“Your safety is payment enough.”
“And you can promise that?”
“Yes,” he said immediately. He would protect her—them—no matter what.
The guard groaned, and the child returned to his mother’s side, pressing against her leg.
“You do not have much time to decide,” he added, watching her internal struggle play across her features.
“Very well. If your offer is genuine, we’ll come with you.”
A wave of satisfaction washed over him, but he did his best to ignore it.
“If you can get us away,” she added. “The road to the landing field is heavily guarded, and the field is surrounded by monitors.”
“I know. Grentz does not wish his workers to have easy access offworld.” He pulled the disruptor out of his belt and handed it to her. “You will have to bypass the road and circle around the perimeter. This will disable the monitors for a brief period so that the two of you can get through.”
“Won’t the failure also attract attention?”
“It is just a momentary interruption and, like everything here, the system is old and not well maintained.”
She frowned up at him.
“How do you know that?”
“I never leave my ship without making sure that I can return to it.” Some of his trading ports were less… reputable than others.
“You won’t need this?” She looked pointedly at the disrupter he had handed her, and he shook his head.
“Not if we leave before they discover the guard. I will return back through the gate as normal. My ship is the small black freighter at the rear of the field. I will open the engine compartment so it appears as if I am doing some last minute adjustments.” He hesitated. “I will wait for one hour.”
But even as he spoke he knew that he would not leave. If they did not arrive, he would go in search of them.
“We’ll be there. But you’ll have to release me first,” she added dryly.
To his shock, the tip of his tail had circled her wrist. The action had seemed so natural he hadn’t even noticed, but when he mumbled a hasty apology and released her, he immediately felt the loss.
As if in response, the child reached out and touched his tail again, a quick, gentle caress, before taking his mother’s hand.
A strange warmth filled him, and he had to fight back the urge to accompany them as they hurried away.
They would be safer and attract less attention alone.
In the meantime, he would move the unconscious Ruijin guard to a less obvious location.
A large waste disposal container proved a suitable hiding place, and the fact that the guard’s head hit the metal side when Thraxar tossed him inside meant that he would remain unconscious for a longer period.
Once that was accomplished he strolled casually back to the gate, still fighting the urge to go after his female and child.
“Leaving so soon, Cire?” one of the guards at the gate asked, and he shook his head.
“I need to check the calibrations on my engine first. That is why I originally stopped here, but since I had a crate of Partallan liquor on board, I decided to do some trading as well.”
The guard who had questioned him grinned.
“I’ll be sure and get some as soon as my shift ends.”
“You know old Cartan will charge the moon for it,” the other guard grumbled.
“It will be worth it.” The first guard grinned at him. “Glad you stopped by, Cire. Do you need any help?”
He managed to refuse politely and headed back to his ship before the guard decided to get any friendlier.
The ship was not directly visible from the guard post and opening the engine compartment would provide additional concealment.
He had been telling the truth when he said that he’d stopped on Jellix V in order to check his engine, but even though he started to examine it, he was too distracted to concentrate.
He didn’t expect that his female would take the entire hour.
In a place such as this one, a prolonged absence was sure to be noticed.
However, he had not expected her to appear so quickly.
His tail twitched as he caught the faint scent of flowers, and he looked up to see her hesitating by one of the piles of rocks left when the landing field was cleared.
His heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to wait patiently as she cast a nervous glance in the direction of the guard post. Then she straightened her shoulders, activated the disrupter, and hurried towards him holding her son’s hand.
“This is your ship?” she whispered as they joined him, eying it doubtfully.
The Sarex was a modified trading vessel, built for long-range solo operations. It was more than adequate for his needs, but it was dwarfed by the surrounding ore transports, and probably looked too small in her eyes.
“Yes.” He didn’t elaborate. The Sarex was more than transportation; it was his home, his sanctuary—and he was about to share it with strangers.
As he lowered the landing ramp, he felt an unexpected surge of uncertainty. Was he making a grave error? He’d survived on his own since the Red Death by remaining detached, by avoiding complications. This female and her child were the definition of complication.
Yet when the boy looked up at his ship with wonder in his eyes, humming that soft, melodic sound, he couldn’t bring himself to regret his decision.
The ramp descended with a soft hiss, and she hesitated, clearly having second thoughts herself.
“I gave my word,” he said quietly. “You will be safe here.”
She nodded once, took her son’s hand, and stepped onto the ramp. As they entered his ship, he felt that strange tug in his chest again—a sensation he hadn’t experienced in years.
His tail, once again acting of its own volition, curled slightly toward the female as she passed.
He forced it still, unsettled by his body’s betrayal. This was a temporary arrangement, nothing more. He would transport them to a Patrol station, then continue his solitary existence. But as he followed them on board, that solitude no longer seemed quite so appealing.