Instead of a fight, she was met with applause from the guards before they returned to what they had been doing.
Slowly rising, she watched as Rasha walked toward her.
“I think you may have some requests from the other guards to help with their training,” Rasha said after stopping in front of her.
“You think so? They won’t be upset that I took down one of their own?” She looked over to Coyl’s body. Jor’Dan was now standing over his unconscious body, nudging him with a boot.
“That’s exactly why they would want some training tips. The hard part will be getting Taio to agree to it.”
As if on cue, Taio came stalking into view. The guards made certain to keep out of the way as their large king walked toward them. Guards who were training near her inconspicuously moved farther away.
“Rasha! Ship told me there was a disturbance on the training field. What’s going on here?”
“Nothing that should have caused Ship to be alarmed,” Rasha replied.
“No?”
“No.” Rasha wasn’t lying. In fact, she had taken care of the situation effectively.
“Lo’Ren?”
Lo’Ren shrugged when Taio turned her way. Her mouth was sealed shut. Eva loved her immediately.
She silently prayed no one would give them away. If Taio found out Coyl had almost jumped on her, she could kiss training on the field goodbye. It wouldn’t even matter that most of his guards didn’t mind her presence here. One idiot would ruin her chances of returning.
Taio looked around, taking in the surroundings. His eyes settled on Coyl. “Great Ancients! Is he dead?”
Eva and Rasha looked over at the heap lying on the ground. Just as Coyl started to groan, Jor’Dan gave him another hard kick in the face.
“He was injured while training,” Jor’Dan said.
Chapter Thirteen
“You are still going through with it?” Rasha asked Taio.
They were both watching the dinner entertainment. Three females swayed their hips in shimmering see-through material to music as they danced in the center of the dining area.
“Yes, I am still going through with it. Nothing has changed for me.” Taio glanced at Eva, who was sitting next to Lo’Ren, smiling as she watched the provocative dance. As he watched the pair, he decided he had made the right decision when he brought the two together. Unsure at first if the quirky female would be good company for Eva, now he was quite satisfied.
“Have you told Eva?”
“I will. But it will not make a difference. My plans have not changed.”
“I thought you were getting closer to her. You two seem to be a good match.”
Taio blew out a breath. “She has almost everything that I hoped to find in a suitable mate. She is beautiful, smart and brave, she has nice-sized breasts and the roundest ass I’ve ever seen.”
“Whoa. Enough, my friend. I know how much you enjoy your human. I believe everyone who happens to be in earshot of your coupling knows how much you enjoy her.”
“As much as I enjoy her, I cannot create a match with her.”
“Why not?”
“She will not bring what we need to Sonis. I need to create a match with someone who can bring more business to the people of Sonis. If I take her as my mate, we will remain in the same position that we are in now.”
“I think we have done quite well for ourselves. We receive families who migrate from the home world every day.”
Taio pondered the thought. He would want nothing more than to be bonded with Eva. But she could not offer him or his people what they needed. It would be selfish for him to only consider his needs and not look at the bigger picture. Yes, families came in droves from Drazlan to Sonis, but without a means to provide for themselves, his people would be forever dependent on him.
His only option would be to find a mate in name only, all the while keeping Eva for himself. Eva would agree because he was all she had. He was sure it was still an acceptable plan for the both of them.
“What do you plan to do with Eva once you find a mate? Let her live on the palace grounds? Once you give up your claim on her, I expect the guards will be falling over themselves to claim her. Are you prepared for her to find a mate as well?”
Taio stilled.
Never. I would kill any male who tried to touch her.
“She would have no need for a mate. I will still have her. It is practiced in many cultures throughout the galaxy. Who’s to say it was not practiced on her home world as well? She would have to move from my personal quarters, of course. But I have no problem with setting her up in one of the apartments on the other side of the palace.”
Taio tried to control his temper. He cared for Rasha just as he did his own brother, but if he kept up this talk of Eva finding a mate, he would gut him.
“Oh and you think Eva will abide by this new arrangement?” Rasha jerked his head in Eva’s direction.
“Of course she will. Why wouldn’t she?” He seemed to be trying to convince himself more than his friend.
“It may be widely practiced in this galaxy, but what if it is not in her culture? Have you even talked to her about it?”
“No, I haven’t. But it will not matter. She will stay with me. She has nowhere else to go. Eva will understand that it is for the best.”
He blew out a breath. “I am responsible for everyone who you see around you. This is extremely important to us. We need to make a good alliance to bring prosperity to our world.” Taio could feel himself growing more agitated by the minute. This conversation was pointless and he didn’t want to talk about it.
“I thought we were already prosperous,” Rasha replied. “We have Sonis Mercenary and Sonis Gold. We are one of the richest worlds in this galaxy. What more do we need?”
Taio’s fist slammed down on the table. “What we need is more businesses to ensure our world will thrive. We need visitors to flock to our markets to buy the local goods.”
Exasperated, he ran a hand across his hair. “We can accomplish this quicker and easier if I am able to form a successful bond. The right mate will help bring more visitors, settlers and businesses to Sonis. Sonis will need to survive on its own without the help of my businesses. I want the people of Sonis to be independent.”
“Taio, you are not your father. You never were, nor will be.”
It wasn’t easy growing up in the royal Xochis household. He had tried time and time again to forget his childhood. His father had made the people of Drazlan, including himself, subject to his every whim. His father owned the largest company on Drazlan and “employed” the people of Drazlan to work for him.
“How do you intend to find a mate?” Rasha asked as Taio sat in silence.
Taio let his friend’s question pull him out of his trance. “I was thinking of a party.”
“A party?”
“Yes, a party. I am thinking of inviting eligible females here for a party,” Taio said, satisfied with the decision.
“Well, good luck with that. Be prepared for every female species in the surrounding galaxies to come running here in hopes of mating with one of the richest males.”
“I’m not opening my doors to just anyone.” Taio shook his head. “I want to extend invitations only to those who I know can help bring prosperity to Sonis.”
“Which females do you have in mind?”
“I have a few in mind. But I need help finding enough to choose from.”
Rasha raised his eyebrow.
“I’m going to ask my mother for help.”
“This ought to be really good.” Rasha choked out a laugh.
His mother was known for her wildly extravagant parties. Any good news, or the possibility of good news, was a reason to throw a party.
Taio’s eyes wandered again to where Eva sat. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her. The thought of bonding with someone else was not sitting right with him and he would never release her to another male.
As if she could feel him watching her, Eva turned around and met his eyes. He wanted her, here and now. His cock throbbed and hardened between his thighs. Eva playfully licked her lips. She was ready for him. She was always ready.
His cock twitched in response. Without a word to his friend, he rose, walked through the dancers, sending them scattering out of his path, picked Eva off the pillows and slung her over his shoulder.
“Remind me to tell you about cavemen sometime.” She giggled.
* * * * *
Screams. She covered her ears but couldn’t keep the screams from filtering through. Her eyes scanned the panicked crowd. Everyone scattered and cowered, hiding in the smallest of places while the Loconuist stomped their way through the makeshift tent city.
If the Loconuist were in the belly of the spacecraft, it meant one thing, trouble. Her heart picked up speed. It was another “taking”. The monstrous lizards stopped only to grab humans, picking them out indiscriminately. Men, women and children, it didn’t matter.
Her eyes darted through the frenzy. Where was Allysan? “Ally!” she yelled. Eva pushed through the crowd. “Ally!”
The Loconuist were coming her way. She dropped to a low crouch as everyone else panicked and pushed around her. Through the sea of legs, she spotted a wide-eyed Ally staring back at her.
Eva held Ally’s stare, willing her to be quiet and patient. They needed to stay unnoticed. Fear was written all across her friend’s face. Ally flicked her eyes upward before her crazed eyes came back to Eva’s. Ally opened her mouth to scream.
Eva shook her head. “No,” she mouthed.
Time stood still. The air grew thick and hot. She forced air through her lungs and out. A hot drop of liquid landed on her forehead and rolled steadily down to her eyebrow.
She lifted her hand to catch the drop before it hit her eye. Scooping the glob away, she brought her hand to eye level. Slime coated her fingers.
No. Her eyes filled with tears. It was time. She didn’t need to look up to see what stood over her, waiting.
Searing pain tore through her shoulder as large claws dug through the skin and gripped the bone. No! No! No!
* * * * *
“Eva!” She opened her eyes. Taio’s face was inches from hers. “Wake up, little one. You are having a nightmare.”
She pushed herself up to a sitting position. Wetness dripped from her forehead. She wiped it away and looked at her hand. Sweat, not slime.
“I’m okay.” She scanned the room, taking in her surroundings. She wasn’t on the Loconuist spacecraft. The Loconuist weren’t here. She was safe. But Ally…
She covered her hands with her face. She’d lost Ally. Taio pulled her closer to him.
“What were you dreaming about?”
“Them.” She didn’t want to say their name anymore.
“You are safe here.”
“I am, but Ally…I lost her.” The tears rolled easily down her cheek. She punched at the pillow. “Damn it! I need to find her. I have to find her. She’s out there all alone.”
“Come here.” Taio lay back down, pulling her on top of him. “Go back to sleep. If anyone can find her, it is Ship. But I can assure you he won’t find her tonight.”
She nuzzled into his arms. Her protests died away as sleep claimed her once again.
Late the next morning, Eva rolled over to find Taio’s side of the bed empty. Taio had since gotten up and was no doubt in his office tending to “official Sonis business”. That man worked too damn hard. Taking care of Sonis was definitely more than a full-time job.
Ship explained to her that Sonis had a total population of fifty thousand people, which definitely wasn’t enough to occupy an entire moon. He was working hard, trying to make Sonis a thriving world, and she was proud of him for that. He ruled over the people on Sonis, but he had their utmost safety, livelihood and happiness in mind with every decision he made.
Before taking a quick dip in the large pool that passed for a bathtub, she straightened their room, made the bed and folded the clothes that he’d left scattered around the floor. She was aware that as soon as she left, there would be someone in to clean up, but she felt compelled to do it herself. There were no maids in the orphanage and definitely not in her small apartment back in Michigan.
She donned her training jumpsuit. The special material let the wearer’s skin breathe while providing protection from the penetration of sharp objects. With her new
jango
strapped to her back and Lo’Ren by her side, she left for the training field.
She had to give it to Taio, ever since Lo’Ren started shadowing her, the other females in the palace were being nicer. Even now, as she walked through the halls, the females she passed nodded to her. Eva hesitantly returned their greetings. These same females had previously turned their noses up at her. What a difference a week made, she thought.
She didn’t know what the big deal was. So what if she liked to be able to take care of herself? Apparently, that belief made the local female population avoid her as if she carried the plague. Plus, if they could accept Lo’Ren, they should accept her. Lo’Ren was pink with hot-pink hair, for God’s sake!
“When is Taio going to give up this idea that his whore can train on the same field as warriors?” Coyl said as Eva led her training simulator out to the field.
Ignoring him as she had for the past couple of days was getting harder by the day.
“Whores are good for one thing only.” Coyl laughed, holding his hand between his legs.
As the days progressed, his audience had significantly dwindled from a handful to two. Briefly, she had thought to tell Taio but had decided against it. If Taio found out there was trouble on the field and it was because of her, he might take her training privileges away. If she had to suck it up and deal with this asshole, she would, in order to keep her training time.
She turned her favorite training simulator on and started through the warm-up exercise. Without warning, the simulator immediately jumped from the warm-up stage to stage four, the most advanced stage. She was in a world of trouble.
The large tail whipped around, knocking her down. She fell to the ground. The sand and dirt temporarily blinded her as it mushroomed around her. As it cleared, her vision was of a large, scaly foot that tried to smash her head in. She rolled out of the way. The simulator had definitely been tampered with.
“Help!” She leaped to her feet as she avoided the green foot that landed inches from her face.
As she struggled, Coyl and his friends laughed and smacked each other on their backs. Her only hope was to try to overtake the simulator. With every move she completed, she tried to turn the stupid thing off. Appearing out of nowhere, Rasha lunged at the simulator’s back and disengaged it. The simulator froze with its claws reaching out to grab her. She wanted to throw up.
“Eva, why would you set it for the most advanced setting? It could have killed you.”
She leaned over and put both of her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.