Page 26 of Needed in the Night (The Fortusian Mates, #2)

ISLA

The amount of tension in Mikas’s body made it clear he didn’t trust our guide and he certainly didn’t think much of this wine shop as a way to escape the clutches of Nubo’s agents. And the closer we got to the shop’s doors, the less he seemed to like it.

I squeezed his hand and urged him to follow me, hoping he could tell I had faith we would find help at the wine merchant.

The Sirrah’s sudden appearance out of the crowd had startled me, but the moment we’d locked gazes, I recognized a kindred soul.

Survivors often recognized each other—or rather, recognized hyper-vigilance and the shadows in our eyes.

She might not bear signs of captivity now, as Mikas had noted earlier, but she had faced some of the same horrors I once had.

And like me, she had found a way to help those in need of safe passage.

The shop’s sign out front was as bright as any other on the promenade.

Inside, though, it was quiet and dimly lit, unlike most of the market.

It must cater less to raucous tourists and more to locals interested in its offerings of expensive imported wines.

And since those were outside my budget and I got my drinks for free at Zaa’ga, I’d never stepped foot inside until now.

With Mikas on my heels and the Sirrah in the lead, we entered the shop. The smell of warm, brackish water hit my nose before my eyes adjusted to the low light.

Rows and rows of bottles, pipes, and other containers in every shape and size imaginable lined the walls, which made sense for a wine shop. More surprising was a terrarium containing a small pool, towering plants, and heated rocks in the middle of the shop’s main floor.

As the Sirrah stepped aside, a trio of large, squat, amphibious creatures emerged from the terrarium, waddling on wide, webbed feet. They left trails of water on the floor as they moved. My jaw dropped.

“Singer,” the Prylothian in the center of the group croaked. He bobbed his head in greeting.

I’d never seen him outside Zaa’ga. And to my embarrassment, I hadn’t really wondered what the bar’s amphibious regular might have as a profession. Purveyor of fine wines wouldn’t have been near the top of the list even if I had.

Utterly nonplussed, I echoed his head movement, hoping that was the proper response.

The Prylothian’s cluster of eyes moved from my face to Mikas’s. “Bartender,” he croaked.

“Atlath,” Mikas said, his tone cautious. “Why are we here?”

“Embassy.” Atlath—whose name I hadn’t known until this moment—gestured at his companions, who wore plasma guns in holsters and carried rather intimidating swords.

“This shop is on interplanetary ground,” the Sirrah said in her musical voice. “Atlath is the Prylothian ambassador to Fortusia. And as this is his official place of residence, the shop and the land on which it sits is an embassy under Galactic Alliance and planetary law. ”

“Entry granted,” Atlath croaked, indicating Mikas and me.

Then he pointed out the doorway, where Slug stood, her hands resting on the daggers in sheaths on her thighs.

Behind her, two stone-faced human men and a hawklike woman I didn’t recognize also waited.

“Entry denied,” Atlath added, his voice now distinctly menacing. “Penalty…death.”

The Prylothian guards raised their swords in unison and hissed, all their eyes fixed on the people standing at the door.

For the first time since our intimate moments in Madame Ycari’s back room had been interrupted, I felt Mikas relax just a little.

“Thank you,” he rumbled, with another bow of his head. “We are in your debt.”

“There is no debt…between friends,” Atlath croaked.

I leaned back against Mikas and let him take some of my weight. No sense pretending we weren’t a couple now, and I trembled with a combination of adrenaline and nerves. The shop wasn’t cold, but I shivered.

Keeping himself between me and the doorway in case our enemies decided to do something rash, Mikas wrapped his arm gently around my upper chest and rested his chin on top of my head. His warmth banished my chills.

“He knows where you are,” a rough female voice said from behind us.

Mikas and I turned to see Slug toying with the handle of one of her daggers and smirking.

“You can’t hide here forever,” she continued, her tone mocking.

“Your lives are worth nothing now. You might as well send them outside, Prylothian. You’re only delaying the inevitable.

” Her dark gaze focused on my face. “If you beg, he might spare you, little human. A collar and chain would be better than the death that awaits you.”

Mikas’s growl vibrated through my body. The Sirrah let out a hiss that made me wonder if despite her small stature she might be a fierce fighter herself.

“No,” I said, my voice cold. “They wouldn’t.”

“Such defiance.” Slug laughed. “I thought at first he wanted you for your beauty alone. Now I see the truth, little human. He’ll enjoy breaking you.”

The shop’s wide doors beeped a warning and began to swing shut.

“The shop is closed,” Atlath croaked. “Be…gone.”

The door’s edge passed within what looked like a centimeter of the Atolani’s nose, but she didn’t so much as blink, much less move as both doors closed and locked with an impressive thunk that reverberated through the floor.

The noise of the market vanished. The doors went from transparent to opaque, cutting us off from the sight of Nubo’s henchmen. I sagged against Mikas and rested my forehead on his chest.

The Sirrah smiled up at us. “Such love,” she said wistfully. “I still seek my mate. I know in my heart she is out there and our paths will one day cross.”

“I hope you find her soon,” I said, meaning every word. I didn’t yet think of Mikas as my mate, and probably wouldn’t for a while, but his presence was a wonderful comfort.

“I am sorry for the disruption to your store,” Mikas said over my head, addressing Atlath. “But we are grateful for the refuge.”

“No apology necessary.” Atlath waddled closer to us, his cluster of eyeballs roving from Mikas to me and back. “You stay upstairs tonight. I will secure transport.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I’m not sure what we did to earn your help. I know you said no debts, but I feel we owe you, especially since you had to shut your store early.”

“No debt,” Atlath repeated, now gruff. “You sing beautifully. Mikas pours best wine. We are even.”

The little Sirrah chirped. “You sing, Isla? ”

My cheeks heated. “Nowhere near as beautifully as you. I sound like howling wingwolves compared to you.”

She laughed, but Mikas bristled. “Isla sings just as well,” he rumbled. “She is modest.”

I did not sing as well as the Sirrah—not even remotely. But I appreciated that Mikas thought so.

“Can I have your name?” I asked the Sirrah.

“I am Pioni.” She crouched in a kind of curtsy. “I am friend to Madame Ycari.”

“I thought so. Thank you for your help, Pioni.” I bit my lip. “Will you be in danger now that you’ve helped us?”

She trilled in what I realized was laughter. “No, I do not think so,” she chortled. “I do not fear Nubo. He is a pest. Ycari and I are not bothered by pests.”

“Nubo has dangerous friends,” Mikas warned.

Pioni clasped her little hands in front of her chest and tilted her head as if debating how to answer. “I too have dangerous friends,” she said, and by all the gods above and below, I believed her.

“Stairs,” Atlath said to us, gesturing at the rear of the shop’s retail area. “Level Three. Star Bird room. Rest tonight. You are safe here.”

“Our deepest thanks,” Mikas said, and guided me toward the door Atlath had indicated.

Behind us, Pioni chirped something in her native language. Atlath burbled in response, also not in Alliance Standard, so I had no idea what they said.

Once we were on the other side of the door and on our way upstairs, Mikas chuckled.

“What’s funny?” I asked, nearly grumbling as I plodded up the steps. I was more tired than I’d realized and nauseated from so many surges of adrenaline.

“What Pioni said.” Without missing a beat, he scooped me up. I squawked in surprise. He kissed my forehead and continued climbing the stairs cradling me in his arms. “She advised Atlath not to disturb us until tomorrow midday because we would be busy .”

“Nosy Sirrah,” I muttered. “I didn’t realize it was so obvious how badly I want to get naked with you.”

Mikas nearly missed a step, but regained his footing immediately and continued up the stairs at a much faster pace. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one excited at the prospect of picking up where we’d left off in Ycari’s back room.

On Level Three, we found the doors labeled in a language I didn’t know—probably Prylothian.

But as we entered the hallway, the nameplates next to the doors blinked out.

When they lit up again, the words were Alliance Standard.

A scanner must have identified us as not being from Atlath’s native world.

The Star Bird room was the third doorway on the right. I waved my hand over the scanner next to the door. It slid open, revealing the dimly lit room beyond.

“Oh,” I gasped.

Mikas carried me inside and put me on my feet. The door closed and locked behind us.

To call the room a room didn’t do it justice. Half the suite was a much-larger version of the terrarium downstairs, complete with a pool, waterfall, and warm rocks heated both by lights and probably radiant heat.

There was also a well-stocked kitchen and a bedroom area near the terrarium with an absolutely enormous bed.

The bathroom was as large as the bedroom, with both sonic and water-based cleansing systems. Personal care items catering to a variety of species, including humans, filled the shelves in the bathroom.

“A lovely suite designed for visiting dignitaries,” Mikas observed after we’d explored our accommodations.

We returned to the bedroom area, standing near the stone steps that led down to the pool and heated rocks.

He rested his hands lightly on my shoulders.

“But adaptable to shelter a pair of runaway lovers seeking safe harbor for the night.”

“Calling us runaway lovers makes this seem like a romantic adventure.” I craned my neck to look up at him.

“Which I suppose it is. It didn't seem very romantic when we were trying to get to the market’s exit and all the way to the Alpha Megaport without getting captured or killed, though. At that point, it just seemed scary.”

“Yes.” Gently, he turned me to face him. “It was scary, but now we are safe for the night.” He kissed my forehead and guided me to the bed. “Lie down, Isla. You are exhausted.”

I wanted to argue, wanted to follow through on what I’d said about getting naked with him, but now with my rush of adrenaline gone, I was painfully aware that I’d slept poorly for days, I wobbled on my feet from emotional and physical exhaustion, and my hands trembled because I’d had little to eat today besides that bowl of jampa berries.

I sat on the edge of the bed, intending to unfasten and remove my boots and take off my wrist sheath and dagger. Instead, I found myself falling onto my back to stare up at the ceiling. “I am so tired,” I mumbled.

Clothing rustled, and then I felt tugs on my boots. I raised my head to see Mikas on his knees next to my feet. “You’ve really got to stop kneeling in front of me,” I said with a sigh.

“No, I do not think I will stop kneeling before my mate.” He kissed the inside of my left knee and slid my left boot off. He peered inside my boot and glanced up at me, his eyebrows raised. “How many daggers do you carry, Isla?”

“How many do you carry?” I shot back.

“Five.” He set my boot aside and reached for the other one. “Approximately.”

Chuckling, I dropped my head back onto the bed and closed my eyes.

Once my boots were off, he rose and removed my forearm sheath. “Do you want me to look for sleepwear that might fit you?” he asked from beyond my closed eyelids. He set the sheath and dagger on what sounded like the small table next to the bed. “I believe the closet contains such items.”

I had no energy to change clothes. “No,” I murmured. “I’m fine sleeping in my dress.”

For the next few minutes, he moved quietly around the room. Then the lights dimmed even further and I heard rustling nearby.

When I opened my eyes just enough to see Mikas, he stood next to the bed in a pair of sleep pants that I would have ripped off his body with my teeth if I’d had enough energy.

“You should be comfortable.” He held up a tunic and pants that were a much-smaller version of what he wore. “I found some I think will fit you. I will help you change.”

“All right.” Sleepily, I sat up and raised my arms.

He slipped my dress off over my head, then put the tunic on in its place and got me into it, his hands gentle. Then he knelt, got my legs into the pants, and drew them up as far as they would go without me raising my hips or standing.

He lifted me with one arm, pulled the pants up to my waist with the other, and set me down. “Better?” he asked, straightening.

I barely heard him. At the moment, his lower abdomen was right in front of my face as I sat on the edge of the bed. The lightweight fabric of his sleep pants clung to the distinct shape of not one but two thick, partially aroused cocks.

Maybe I wasn’t too tired. One tug on those loose pants, and…

No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than in one fluid movement, he scooped me up, drew back the covers, and settled me into the bed.

Thoughts of removing our sleepwear evaporated. “Oh, gods,” I groaned, snuggling deeply into the bedding, which felt as soft as clouds. “The bed is a dream. ”

“Yes.” He climbed into the bed beside me and drew the covers over us both. “Much softer than I prefer, but I believe I am tired enough not to notice.” After a hesitation, he asked, “May I hold you while we sleep, Isla?”

“You’d better,” I grumbled. “I didn’t go through all this just to sleep by myself tonight.”

Chuckling, he drew me against his chest so he could tuck me under his chin. I burrowed my face against his hot skin and closed my eyes.

“Whatever comes, we will face it together,” he murmured, his chest rumbling in the way that turned my insides to warm honey. “And once we have rested, I will continue in my quest to find all the ways I may touch and taste you that will make you call my name.”

I liked the sound of both those promises.

Moments later, warm and secure in his arms, I slept.