“I remember her voice more than anything,” Dora tells us. “I couldn’t make out what she was saying but it all sounded so sweet and elegant, and I kept thinking that she didn’t belong here with these awful men.”
Mathiras’s grip tightens on me, and I know that confirms his suspicions—that Straik’s mother is involved with things. Unless it was another female bounty hunter like Bethiah and Zebah? But I don’t think that’s the case. Bethiah sounds rough and tumble and she curses more than Mathiras and Adi combined. Plus, Dora and Ruthann trust Bethiah. Even now, I can see Dora sliding closer to Bethiah, as if seeking comfort from her.
As I watch, Bethiah reaches over and squeezes Dora’s hand. That’s interesting.
“Anything else?” Mathiras asks, keeping his voice pitched slow and easy, as if he’s now realizing just how skittish the humans are.
Dora shrugs helplessly. “That’s all I remember about her. That she was blue and she had a sweet voice.”
“Do you remember when this was?” he says. When Dora shrugs again, he prompts, “A week ago? A month ago—”
Ruthann gives him a vicious look. “You try keeping track of time when you’re kept in a cold dark room.”
Mathiras raises a hand as if to fend off her anger, but I snatch his hand and kiss his fingertips. “Matty doesn’t know,” I tell them. “He hasn’t been kept by slavers. Not like the rest of us. I was on a ship for years because slavers abandoned me there with my human sisters. The only way we kept time was because we made a calendar on one of the walls.” I smile brightly at them. “He’s just asking because the men we’re after are very dangerous and anything can help.”
Dora looks as if she might cry. “I’m sorry. My memories are blurry.”
“Your memories are just fine,” Bethiah says.
“I remember some of the guards,” Ruthann says after an uncomfortable pause. “Or at least what their hands felt like.”
I wrinkle my nose in sympathy and squeeze Mathiras’s hand before he can speak up. This is female conversation. “Because they were pinchers?”
“Yeah.” Her voice is flat. “Pinchers. Sure.” She gestures, hesitant. “One had claws and like…a weird pebbled, hard texture to his skin.”
“That’d be szzt,” Bethiah says, giving her an encouraging look. “You’re doing great.”
Ruthann straightens, as if she needed the praise. She licks her lips, thinking. “There was another that had really fat, thick hands. Not muscular…almost blubbery? Like his skin felt almost like rubber.
“Moden, possibly,” Bethiah suggests.
“And one had scratchy claws and feathers.” Ruthann’s face grows hard again. “That’s all I remember.”
“That was fantastic,” I say, beaming at them. “I’m sure we can use this information, right, Matty?” I turn to my lover.
He nods, giving the room a tight smile. “You’ve been extremely helpful, both of you. We’re very appreciative.”
“Do you remember anything about how they got you onto the station?” Bethiah asks, rubbing Dora’s knuckles. “Were you unconscious or did they make you walk there?”
“We walked,” Dora says. “They pulled us all out of the dark room and the cages we were kept in, hosed us down with some water to clean us off, and then made us walk across this plastic tunnel into the place you found us.”
Mathiras grunts.
“Huh,” is all Bethiah says. Then she beams at them. “Well, you both did beautifully. Very brave of you. Now, do you want to get back to our game? Because Sticks is a necessary skill on this end of the universe. I’ve gotten myself out of many a tangle with a good round of Sticks. Plus, it helps you study your opponent’s body language.” She points at her eye. “These give away everything.”
I suspect she’s trying to distract them. When Ruthann reluctantly picks up the sticks again, Mathiras shifts under me as if he’s going to protest. I put his hand on my boob to distract him and make him squeeze it. “Wanna go to the bridge again, Matty? I’ll let you finger me.”
“Helen,” he murmurs, sounding just a bit scandalized. But he’s distracted now, all right.
“Your quarters, then.” And I make him squish my boob again.
“Please, leave,” Bethiah says, not glancing over at us as she watches the two humans. “Your horniness is really distracting.”
I get to my feet and pull Mathiras to his. “You heard her. Let’s go.”
He doesn’t argue with me, just gets to his feet and lets me lead him down the hall. “Do you really want to have sex again?” he asks as we stand outside his room.”
“Yes?” I say, but then shrug. “I mean, the answer is always yes, but I actually just wanted to get you out of there because you were making them nervous. Bethiah will let us know if they remember anything else.” I slide my arms around his bigger one and press my cheek to his bicep, snuggling him just because I like touching him. “You’ve got to trust others to do their share, Matty.”