His Human Prisoner (Zandian Masters 2)

Mierna muttered something and beckoned Lily to go with her. Lily flashed a grateful smile his way, which made him feel all kinds of warm. He hadn’t considered taking a mate. He hadn’t even come close with Taraw. But now the thought of ever being apart from Lily rankled him. He wasn’t even sure he’d be able to give her over to her mother and sister.

He waited for Lily to emerge. The pants came down to her knees and were a close fit, molding to the shape of her ass and thighs in the most delicious way. He couldn’t wait to tear them off her later. He held his hand out and took her palm, tugging her off the ship and onto the arid, desolate station. Beings of all species wove through the station, chattering in hundreds of different languages. His crew flanked him, hands at their weapons, ready for trouble.

There was no reason to expect trouble, but this was wild, ungoverned territory, which meant anything could happen.

He made inquiries about getting replacement scrap to mend the outer hull of his ship, and they were led to a toothless being of an unknown species.

“Five hundred stein,” the turtle-like creature demanded.

He shook his head. “Fifteen.”

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nbsp; The turtle shrugged his shoulders and turned away.

Rok, too, went silent, waiting. In his experience, persistence often won the wrangle.

Turtle turned back. “Give me the female.”

Lily shrank against his side, and he immediately cursed himself for bringing her. She was far too beautiful to be safe in a wild place like this.

He took a risk and pulled a dagger, lunging forward, stopping with the tip just a millimeter from Turtle’s throat. “Don’t look at her,” he growled. Beings around them stopped their conversations to stare. Many reached for weapons far more deadly than a blade.

The Turtle showed no sign of fear. He stared at Rok for several moments with watery eyes then shoved his wrist and the weapon away. “Fifty.”

Rok sheathed the blade. “Done.”

Half a planet rotation later, they had a stack of the material outside their craft. Gaurdo and Janu argued over the best way to patch the hole while he ignored them and went to work. He’d love to have the job finished before nightfall. He had no desire to spend more time at the trading station than necessary.

When the ship docked near them took off, he threw an arm over his eyes to keep out the flying grit. His protective instincts kicking into gear, he looked around for Lily.

Where had she gone?

“Lily?” He turned in a circle. She’d been hanging around behind him a short while ago. He jogged onto the ship. “Lily?” Maybe she’d gone to the washroom?

But no, he didn’t find her there, nor anywhere on the ship. His heart picked up speed. Back outside the ship, he called her name. “Lily?”

Gaurdo, Jano, Jaso, and Depri stopped what they were doing to look around.

“Where in the veck is Mierna?” Lily must be with her.

But Mierna came walking calmly toward them, a pouch of brew clutched in her little hand. “She’s gone.” Mierna waved a hand in the direction of the ship that had just taken off. For once she didn’t appear serene when imparting information others didn’t know.

“What in the veck do you mean?”

Mierna pointed again. “She’s been taken—she’s in great danger. We must follow, before it’s too late.”

Vecking excrement!

He threw the material haphazardly over the hole, welding it with a ray gun. He didn’t care if they had to repair it at the next stop; he just needed to get them in the air. Before he lost the first bright spot he’d had in his life in ages. Maybe ever.

~.~

Lily lay on the floor, hands bound behind her back, ankles trussed together and attached to her wrists. The serpent bite on her ankle throbbed in time with her heartbeat. It had taken a turn for the worse that planet rotation, and now she began to feel the poison flowing through her veins. Her head ached and lips felt cracked and dry. A fever made her alternately hot and cold.

This was it. Her life was over.

She’d made the mistake of wandering over to the ship beside them to inquire in which direction they were headed. She’d thought she might stow away on their ship if they were going in the opposite direction from Rok.