Page 8 of Ruin (Villains for Hire)

T he taste of her, the sight of her coming apart on his tongue, her cries, and those words…

“I like you.”

They were playing on a loop in his head. Had been all day, which was dangerous. He needed to focus, to be alert for threats.

Today’s outing should be brief—just getting food and supplies—but that didn’t mean he could afford to slack off.

Damn sure not when Lira was with him.

Interlacing his fingers with hers, he guided her through the sea of beings crowding the thoroughfare, then slipped between two Xerkese and turned the corner into another lesser known market.

They were greeted by the usual riot of colors, scents, and sounds, all bathed in simulated sunlight. A wide walkway meandered between the tall buildings; the bases and each level’s balcony lined with stalls and booths, shaded by vibrantly colored, patchwork awnings.

Neons signs in a variety of languages flickered and flashed, trying to draw people in. A few floating platforms drifted above, casting slow-moving shadows on the patrons below, operated by droids selling teas, street foods, and a variety of intoxicants.

“Do you think they have that ji’la bread here?” Lira asked softly.

Lifting his nose, he sorted through the tangle of scents permeating the air. Catching a whiff of ji’la, he nodded. “Mmhm.”

“You can smell it? Out of all of this?” She waved her hand, gesturing blindly at the market while peering up at him owlishly.

“Mm.”

The cute little arches of hair above her eyes rose. “That’s impressive.”

Praise wasn’t something he was accustomed to, or usually particularly comfortable with, but from Lira, he found he liked it. It took actual effort to keep from preening.

“Could we get some?”

He smiled down at her. “We’ll get whatever you want, my bird.”

He’d give her the fucking universe, if she asked.

Ruin's chest tightened at the soft, adoring way she peered up at him. He had to force himself to focus on navigating the bustling market rather than getting lost in those verdant eyes.

As they approached the first stall, the vendor, a gruff-looking Zaar male, eyed them warily. Ruin met his gaze evenly, not backing down but not threatening him either, letting the male know he wasn’t there for trouble. After a tense moment, the Zaar grunted and turned his attention to another customer.

Lira leaned in, her voice hushed. “Is everything okay?”

"Everything’s fine. Lurians have a… certain reputation, s’all.”

She nodded, then turned her attention back to the dishes on display.

That she was so attuned to him pleased him in a way he couldn’t put into words. Even more pleasing was seeing the easy way she navigated this environment, the confidence with which she carried herself.

It was a damned far cry from the cowering waif he’d rescued… gods, had it only been a few days ago? Felt like weeks.

Having picked what she wanted, they continued weaving between stalls and around clusters of haggling shoppers.

“Soon as we’re done here, I gotta surprise for you,” he murmured, cutting a look down at her.

She paused with a bite halfway to her lips. “Really? What is it?”

“I tell you that, and it isn’t a surprise.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but closed it and gave him a squinty-eyed glance. “That’s very logical, but… I still want to argue.”

He chuckled.

As they ventured deeper into the bazaar, he couldn’t seem to stop himself from buying her more trinkets and baubles. To be fair, he wasn’t trying that hard. Or at all.

A primal part of him craved seeing her draped in his gifts.

Another pair of shoes, boots this time that went to mid-thigh, came first. While soft and comfortable, they were made to resist even a point blank shot from a bio-plasma pistol, were thermoregulatory, and had mag-lock soles.

Black, buttery soft, siilova leather pants were next. He was gonna stop there, but then they passed a stall selling hair adornments—sticks with hidden knives, decorative clips, metallic chains. He bought a couple of each to decorate that pale hair he liked so much.

Catching her peering up at him a little wide-eyed as he accepted the parcel, he reached out and tucked a stray lock behind her endearingly rounded ear, rumbling low in his throat when she leaned into his touch.

“You’re spoiling me again,” she whispered, a hint of teasing lacing the words.

“Every chance I get,” he agreed.

His heart leapt and his cock stirred when she laughed softly, then turned and nipped his palm, still cradling her cheek.

Groaning, he flashed his fangs. “Careful, little bird.”

The fear she’d cower from him didn’t have time to fully form before she sucked in a breath, pupils dilating as she stared up at him. “You liked that.”

“Too much,” he rasped.

Almost as much as he liked that look on her face.

A playfully impish glint sparkled in those pretty eyes and her full lips quirked up at the corners a moment before she flashed her teeth up at him, mimicking the expression he’d just given her.

Ruin barked a surprised laugh. She was mocking him, and godsdamn, he adored it. Shaking his head, he draped an arm over her shoulders.

“C’mon, my savage little female.”

“I’d be more savage if I had pretty fangs like yours.”

He slid her a glance as they navigated around another cluster of shoppers and smirked. “You think my fangs are pretty?”

Color flooded her cheeks. “I think all of you is pretty.”

Warmth spread through his chest and a broad grin across his face. “Is that so?”

She peered up at him, eyes squinted, one brow arched. “You couldn’t tell?”

Flashes of the way she’d touched him last night, hunger and appreciation in her gaze, had his cock twitching. “Oh, I could tell. I just find I like hearin’ it.”

As they continued their leisurely stroll, arms wrapped around each other, steps in sync, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt this lighthearted.

“Ready for your surprise?”

Turning the corner, he slowed his pace, drinking in the awestruck expression on her face.

“What is this place?” she whispered.

Exotic plants hung in baskets and grew directly out of the plasiform ground. Some grew up the sides of the buildings, while others had thin tendrils swaying lazily in the artificial breeze. A few sported flowers the size of her palm, petals furling and unfurling as though grasping for something. Others bore fruits, their hides a range of textures from leathery to downy, emitting fragrances that had her mouth watering.

But the true centerpieces were the creatures.

Inside cages and behind energy fields, various animals native to far-flung worlds milled about, drawing curious crowds.

One pen held a group of sinuous beings almost as big as Ruin, with long, graceful necks and shimmering grey scales that seemed to flicker and blend with their surroundings. It made them hard to look at, her eyes trying to find their outlines, only for those outlines to disappear. They wound themselves together in a languid tangle, liquid black eyes regarding the onlookers predatorily.

Lira shivered, though not from fear. She'd never seen anything so otherworldly, yet so alluring.

“What are those?” she breathed.

“ Lyrins ,” Ruin rumbled, voice a low rasp against her ear.

Her breath caught at his proximity, the warmth of his body against her back a delicious temptation. Seeking more, she pressed closer, reveling in the reassuring solidity of him.

“They're beautiful.”

His deep chuckle stirred the fine hairs at her nape. “An’ equally deadly. Many consider ‘em the galaxy's most perfect predators.”

A frisson of arousal danced up her spine.

She craned her head back to peer up at him. “Do you?”

His nostrils flared, and he gave her a glimpse of those double fangs. “What d’you think?”

Her stomach swooped at that look, thighs clenching reflexively.

As if he could sense the effect he had on her—which he probably could—one side of his harsh mouth quirked up. “C'mon. Let's keep movin’.”

The rest of the market proved no less mesmerizing than that first enclosure. Hovering spheres bobbed by, containing strange gelatinous creatures that fizzed and sparked as though electricity coursed through them.

Winged reptavians with jewel-toned feathers made trilling calls, paying their admirers no mind as they inspected and groomed their own and each other’s plumage.

She’d been on Skeldra for almost a year, but it felt like she’d entered an entirely new world.

Vargot hadn’t frequented the upper levels, or if he had, he hadn’t taken her with him. Mogovians were a nocturnal people and, as far as she knew, he preferred the lower levels that didn’t warrant simulated sunlight.

For every new sight, Lira had a hundred questions. Ruin answered each one in that same deep rumble that sent little shivers racing down her spine. Instead of getting irritated with her, he seemed pleased by her curiosity, those golden eyes warm with indulgence. He even walked slowly for her, lingering at each display without once hurrying her along or sighing with impatience.

About halfway down, one stall in particular caught her eye.

Where the other enclosures had been clean and well put together, with room for the various creatures they held to move about, this one was small and utilitarian.

Inside the cramped cage were half a dozen spacerats, eyes dull and flat.

The sight of them, trapped and hopeless, made her chest feel tight. She recognized that expression, had seen it in her own eyes not too long ago.

Grip tight around Ruin’s waist, she approached the stall, the heaviness in her chest getting worse the closer they got.

“Happy greet’s!” the vendor, a Na’ar male, called. “Gotta fine selection’a catchers here ta choose from. Best you’ll find on Skeldra! Ther’ fully trained, disease free, and enhanced. They can hunt and kill prey up’ta five times ther’ size.”

She nodded absently, not really listening, gaze still locked on those dull little eyes peering up at her apathetically.

“Lira?” Ruin rumbled softly.

She glanced up to find him staring down at her, head tilted, brow furrowed with concern. He searched her face, then flicked a glance at the cage before looking back at her. After no more than a second, his brow smoothed, and he nodded once.

To the vendor, he asked, “How much for the lot?”

“Oh ho! Well, fur the lot, I could do seventy-five vars .”

“Done.”

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

Ruin peered back down at her and brushed a thumb down the bridge of her nose. Bending low, he murmured for her ears only, “They make you sad. So, I’m buyin’ ‘em for you to set free.”

For a long moment, she just gaped up at him. Gradually, shock was overtaken by a flood of gratitude, affection, and something else—something pervasive and effervescent.

That he’d not only noticed her distress but understood what caused it would’ve been astonishing enough. But that he then took it upon himself to do something about it?

Lira decided right then and there she was going to keep this male. He was hers now.

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she pressed her forehead to his arm. “You didn’t have to do that. You’ve already bought so much for me. I don’t want to be a burden.”

He rumbled softly, the vibration of it soothing her. “Seein’ you upset is the only burden I can’t bear, my bird.”

Her heart swelled at his words, and that knot of emotion she’d just gotten under control tightened her throat once more.

In such a short span of time, he’d become her source of comfort and strength, his presence a balm to her tattered soul. Such a dangerous, intimidating male. A murderer for hire. Yet, so gentle with her, so caring.

So… loving.

How odd that a killer had been the one to save her life. How strange that a mercenary was the kindest being she’d ever met.

Face still hidden with her forehead against his arm, she mouthed the words she longed to say aloud.

“I think I love you.”