Page 15 of Tempting Cargo

I shook my head. He was small. They were all small, so he was small too. Even if he was the same size as me. As far as I was concerned, that was small for a male. And soft. And they were only here for a few days while I coasted around the semi-local area like some kind of transport ship.

“Down the corridor. The cargo bay is at the end,” I said, following them into the cavernous space.

They stopped short. “There’s nothing here,” one of the females said, her hands on her hips. “We can’t just rattle around here for however many days. Where will we sleep?”

“Hush,” said another, jostling her with an elbow. “We have a lift. That’s what we need.”

“Yeah, but we’re people, not cargo.”

I slammed my foot against the floor. “You’re cargo.” My voice echoed around the space, making it deeper and more harsh. “That’s why you’re in the cargo bay. Strap yourselves in because this can be a bumpy ride.”

“We can’t—”

The big one placed a light brown hand on the female’s shoulder, quieting her, and stepped forward. “Captain, I get that we’re just what you’re transporting today. And we appreciate that, and—”

“Good. Hold tight for launch.”

The cool metal under my feet was a balm as I stomped back to the bridge.Home.I could have my own mug. My own chair. My own bed.

Damn. Could those sapients sleep on a cargo bay floor?

I yanked my headspines so hard my nostrils prickled and turned on my heel.

“Captain Shohari.” Rapid footfalls accompanied the masculine shout.

Even though I pulled up sharply, the big human nearly ran into me. He took a few steps backwards, panting. “Captain, I’m sorry to bother you, and we don’t want to make a fuss, but”—he gritted his teeth—“are we expected to stay in the cargo bay the whole time? Sleep in there?”

Skyk.

When I circled a finger and tried to shoo him back the way he’d come, he planted his feet as firmly as he jutted his chin. My headspines surged, and I let them shift and quake as I gave him an open-mouthed grin. How far would he dare push me?

He pressed his lips together, and the dark hair lines on his brows arched upwards. Rather than merely walking back, hebeckoned me with an imperious hand, brown eyes trained on me as though ensuring I followed.

I did. Dearest gods, his arse.

The infuriating male caught me looking. Of course. And I swore he put a keen little arch in his back as he paced the rest of the way to the cargo bay.

Well, if hewantedme to look…

The other humans crowded round the bay door, and the big one stopped just outside.

“Thanks for coming back.” The lump in his throat bobbed. “Look, humans probably injure more easily than kri’ith do.” His tongue tripped over the alien word, but he didn’t flatten it the way lots of sapients did; hetried, and my jaw softened. “And we require a certain amount of sleep to function, and certain conditions to be able to sleep. Do you have anything soft, like blankets or cushions maybe?”

Kri’s shiny arse, did he think we didn’t sleep in beds?

His little speech seemed to have given the others confidence. “And what about a convi?”

“And water?”

Soft creatures. So small and lost and sad. I stroked my ear ridge idly. This was why I always picked up new cargo at any drop-off destination; if I didn’t have the space for live cargo, I couldn’t be tempted to carry them. Just typical the rare occasion I had an empty bay, I also found some odd creatures who needed a ride.

Not creatures. Sapients. Strange, soft sapients.

It wasn’t as though I had any spare quarters. Well, apart from one. A four-berth LX73D freighter was made for maximising profits, not comfort, but two or three of them could cram into the spare berth.

I rubbed my forehead.Skykking talking cargo.

“Cargo covers in that locker,” I said, pointing over to the side. The giant padded cloths we used for fragile shipments would afford at least some level of comfort, though I couldn’t attest to their cleanliness. Not that I should care.