Page 49 of Sloane

"The spinal column?" I ask, passing the collar back to the male and opening another palm to the other.

"It has the same barbed needles, but the barbs in the spinal column allow us to keep the females docile if needed. We've only had to use it on one who was annoying with her crying. Most females are scared of the punishment shocks enough that we never need them incapacitated."

"Interesting," I manage to say. I'm surprised I'm not snarling, growling, and throwing things right now, but I'll take it. "The female you have now. She has one of these?"

"Yup," the male pops his lip at the end of the word, and for some reason, it only adds to the ever-growing list of why I'm going to enjoy killing him. "She's the one we've had to make docile. I'll be glad to be rid of her. We're dropping her off on Zelarix VI after we pick up your female, and then we can wipe our hands of this mess."

The second male hits the other one with the back of his hand, a wide look on his face as he mouths something that my translator picks up as "Shut up."

"Sorry," the first male rubs his arm and frowns. "Weren't supposed to tell you that part. Don't tell Vyron, or I'll get thrown out the airlock before we even disconnect from your ship."

I don't have the heart to tell him he's going to be drifting off into the inky blackness of space whether or not I tell his captainof his little slip-up. So I just shrug my shoulders and hand back the spinal column. The males twitch awkwardly as we wait for Holoth to return, even though he won't.

They shift their weight from side to side, mess with something in their pack, and eye the door. Nothing they do is going to make Holoth appear, though, and the more time that passes, the more they realize that they may have messed up by following me into this room.

The first one digs through his pack again, but his tells are so obvious he doesn't even get the blaster out of the pack before I have both of mine pulled and aimed at each of them. My upper arms are still crossed over my chest as I shake my head in disapproval.

"I really thought we could get through this civilly before I killed you. Then you had to go and almost pull a blaster on me."

"Sorry!" they both shriek at the same time, their arms raised in surrender. I don't hear more of their begging before my wrist comm dings with a notification. The alert tells us all to meet back up in the navigation pit and not to kill the males.

Phial's back, with the human and with our data. I'm not happy about not killing them, but there will be a reason. It just better be a good one.

I tilt my head to the side, cracking my neck as I reholster my blasters. If I can't kill them, I'll need to make sure they're not a threat in a different way.

twenty

Alik

I'm going to kill Essa. Not just for putting herself in danger, because that part is very on brand for her. But for having to put herself in danger because she wanted to protect me and my fragile emotions and volatile anger issues.

Should she be the one to take on my ire? Definitely not, but she's the one who will because I'm not about to kill myself now that I have a mate that I promised I'd stay safe for. That means the only person I can safely murder right now is Essa.

I can hear her voice through the door to the pleasure crew room just enough to know she isn't dying. I swear if I hear her call out or say 'no' once, I'm busting in. The entire plan can fall to shit for all I care. My friend is not about to be hurt, not because of me. Besides, if she's hurt, it ruins the whole point of killing her once this is all over.

When she dragged Vyron into the room, he spotted me but seemed to understand why I was there. Essa is playing as our illegally purchased pleasure crew.

If those females get hurt in any way that lowers their value, there's a part of the universe so far away from any inhabitable planets that a person can be dumped, and no one will ever find them. That's what happens to males who abuse illegally obtained pleasure crew members without it being part of their contract. Those who want unwilling participants buy a smuggled female or male for long-term enjoyment. The idea makes me want to gag.

"Strip for me."

I hear Essa giggle through the door, and it makes me wince. I have known Essa for ten years now. Ten years of her annoying the ever-loving shit out of me. What I don't need to hear is her seducing a male. Especially not her successfully seducing a male.

Something hits the wall, and the sound makes me tense. Then, there's another laugh that has me relaxing back against the wall. As much as I hate the pleasant sounds, I'd prefer her laughs and giggles over Vyron hurting her.

"Oh! Please. I've always wanted to try this."

I focus on the bolts lining the seam of two metal wall panels across the hall from me. I stare at them like they're the most entertaining thing in the world.

"You're so much better to me than they are. Maybe I'll join you when you leave."

There's a masculine groan that fills the air at the same time that I hear his purr start rumbling. I might feel bad for the male since he's falling for whatever Essa's telling him, except he deserves so much worse happening to him. He's altered a female's body without her consent, and who knows how many others he's done it to.

The purring continues, making it sound like he's trying to calm her. Holoth's purred exactly once since we've known him, and it was when Phial was having a panic attack after one of our missions. The purr helps calm others, but Holoth has also told usit can be heard when the males of his species are happy. I frown, wondering why we never hear it. The thought doesn't get much traction in my mind before Essa calls out my name.

"Alik!"

I'm through the door before Vyron has a chance to silence his purr. I have a blaster pulled in one hand and a dagger in another, and the other two are balled into fists, ready to do whatever I need to keep Essa safe. Of course, in true Essa fashion, she needs no one's help in keeping her safe.