Page 24 of Tempting Cargo

I grinned. “I pegged you as a neka girl, Shohari.”

“And I pegged you”—she looked me up and down—“as less insolent, human. I don’t needmorebitterness in my life. Chrya now, please.” As if realising what she’d said, she glanced away, fiddling with the hem of her tunic.

“Aye, Cap.” I turned lazily, scanning the supplies while I made her drink.

“If you promise to keep things tidy, the other humans can come here for refreshments too,” she offered after a few minutes’ comfortable silence, and I nodded, staying quiet until the second cup was in my hands.

I crossed the distance between us and handed the mug to her with an open smile. When she took it, her clawed fingers brushed mine, sending a shiver through me.

Beneath her bristly exterior, there was a vulnerability to Shohari that made me want to peel back her defenses and find what made her tick. I wanted to know why things were so fraught with her mother and smooth them over—or kick some arse—until the tension drained out of her.

“Are you vaccinated?” she said.

What train of thought led to that? “As a child, of course.”

She jerked away from me, her voice sharpening. “You didn’t get any when you were captured?”

Shit. Space vaccines? “No. The Reserve didn’t know what to do with us once they realised who and what we were. We were put in quarantine for a bit, but that’s it.” I drained my drink, putting the cup in the dishwasher before spreading my arms wide. “Promise I’m not diseased or anything.”

“Not now. But the galaxy is a big place.” She took a long swig of chrya, and the strain in her features softened a fraction. “After I’ve dropped you humans off, one of my next destinations is Maughnis. They sell the finest, softest leather you’ll ever feel and a much sought-after silver alloy.” She stroked her midnight blue tunic across the curve of her hip. “Even though I know I’ve got immunity, I’m still going to medbay to check.”

She grimaced and turned to the small window, where the shipping lane traffic gave way to a backdrop of stars. “There was a war. Long before I was born. The maughni are essentially poisonous to other species. The male pheromones send females of other species into an insatiable lust that’s all-consuming.” She wrinkled her flat nose. “The only cure is sex with a maughni male. It was traumatic for all involved.”

My brows rose, but I swallowed my ‘you’re kidding me’ retort. If that was true, it was hideous.

“They’re much, much bigger than us.” She shivered, and so did I. No way was I considering the implications of that.

“What about guys attracted to guys, or women attracted to women? Are they still affected?”

“I don’t know. But there’s a vaccine now. They weren’t able to devise a medical cure.” Tension stiffened her shoulders again and I gestured at the cup in her hands. She smiled softly, taking another sip. “Maughni don’t travel the galaxy often. There’s a lot more to the story, and they carry a lot of generational trauma, I believe. It’s a great honour to be invited to visit them in order to trade. And while the vaccine is one hundred percent effective, I still get nervous about going there.”

“Understandable. Are these vaccines all for things like that, then?”

“No. Mostly for sicknesses.”

“I thought viruses can’t usually cross species?”

She rolled her head in what must’ve been a shrug. “Some must do. Interbreeding, mutations from odd nebulae fields, someone’s distorted plasma ray. Who knows why?”

Right.

“Thanks. How do we get them?” The idea of coming all this way, only to be taken out by some space virus or primal mind control was depressing.

“AnimaCorp has an extensive medical facility, so we’ll go there.” She paused, amethyst eyes dropping back to the window. “I got them as an adult too, just before I got my ship.”

I sensed there was a story there, but she didn’t offer anything more, and I didn’t press. “Careful, Captain, I’m about to say that’s very kind and thoughtful of you.”

She snorted, the spines on her head ruffling in a wave, but I spied a tiny curl at the far corners of her mouth. “I don’t want diseased cargo.”

“Potato, potahto. How many credits will it be?” We didn’t have much left after passage, and that was for getting us set up—wherever that might be.

The muscles around her eyes tightened, tipping her crystalline orbs up in a ‘give me strength’ gesture that appeared so very human. “I do not remember. But I’ll work something out. Let’s get your friends.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Wraiths through my bones

Shohari