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It was instantly clear to Zaandr that this was why he was being assaulted by so many thoughts. The place was packed with aliens of all varieties. Pink-skinned females were swinging on circular trapezes high above them as males hung from the balconies and cheered. Creatures with enormous eyes that never blinked danced around in swirling gowns and beckoned males to follow them, and slender males with delicate features paired off with burly males with beards. Couples slipped in and out of rooms, the desire and satisfaction rolling off them in waves.
“It’s a brothel,” Tegan said, her voice laced with disapproval.
Zaandr had only heard of such houses of pleasure, and the one Vrax had mentioned visiting while he was in the Den of Thieves had sounded much less raucous and more sinister.
The female leading them flicked a finger to urge them to stay close as she wound through the crowds. Many of the female entertainers nodded to her or waved, but she continued moving quickly. As they snaked through the gyrating bodies, Zaandr sensed curious gazes sliding toward him. They wondered who he was and why he was with her—not Tegan, but the female who’d found them. His face warmed as he picked up more thoughts about him. His head snapped up as he heard them wonder what was under his cloak and imagine all the things they would like to do to a male as large as him.
Zaandr strengthened the blocks in his mind and pushed aside the throbbing desire that surrounded him. He needed to focus on finding Rixx and keeping Tegan safe. Luckily, most of the patrons of the brothel hadn’t noticed her, since her cloak didn’t expose the lower half of her body.
After spiraling down a staircase that seemed to go on for longer than a typical flight of stairs, they were pulled through a door tucked beneath it. Once the door was shut, the music and voices were muted, and Zaandr allowed himself to take a deep breath.
Despite the atmosphere outside the door, the room was cozy. A fire crackled in a hearth and a high bed was topped with a neat, floral blanket. Two chairs and a low table huddled in front of the fire, and heavy curtains covered the only window. Instead of reeking of bodies and the perfume meant to cover the smell, this room carried the scent of burning wood and fresh linens.
Zaandr turned to ask their guide why she’d brought them to a brothel, but she slipped from the room and clicked a lock in place.
“What the hell?” Tegan raced to the door, yanking on the handle that held fast. Then she spun on Zaandr. “I thought you said to trust you about her.”
So, she had heard him. The pleasure that this news brought him was dampened by the look of pure fury she was giving him. “I sensed no deception from her. I still don’t.”
Tegan fluttered her hand in front of the door. “Then why are we locked in?”
The door swung open, almost smacking Tegan, and she stumbled back as another female entered the room. This woman appeared human, with short, alabaster hair and green eyes that flashed as she took in them both. She definitely wasn’t one of the entertainers, in her black, form-fitting, masculine clothing and matching thick boots. If Zaandr had to guess, he’d say she was a burglar, or thief of some kind.
“Apologies,” the woman said, but it was clear that she didn’t often apologize and wasn’t all that sorry, as she braced her hands on her hips and stared them down. “But the Den of Thieves’ only underground liberation movement can’t be too careful.”
Chapter
Ten
“Say what?” Tegan gaped at the woman. If the creature had sprouted extra arms, she wouldn’t have been more surprised than she had by what she’d just told them.
The woman with white hair smiled. Her face was unlined, but her skin was tan, making the color of her hair even more striking. “You didn’t expect to meet the leader of Kurril’s underground?”
“Not in a whore-house,” Tegan said, still not completely convinced this wasn’t all a big joke.
The woman’s brows lifted. “A pleasure house is the perfect place to keep a pulse on the darkness of the city, and lure unwitting informants.” Her smile widened. “Besides, who would ever suspect a madam of running an operation to uncover criminals and liberate their victims?”
“Not me,” Tegan mumbled.
“Is that what you do?” Zaandr asked. He didn’t seem to be thrown by the revelation, although Tegan suspected that was because he was able to read minds. He must have known what was going on the entire time.
The woman nodded and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “You can call me Rose. My associate who brought you to me is Astromeria. Meri for short. All the members of our organization are women, and we’re all survivors of Kurril’s seedy underworld.”
“Those aren’t your real names, are they?” Tegan asked. What were the chances both women were named after flowers?
“No,” Rose said. “But it’s better this way.”
Tegan didn’t have any argument for that. She liked the idea of a bunch of women surviving a dark place like Kurril and naming themselves after beautiful flowers.
“We know we can’t stop all of what goes on here,” Rose continued, “and if we disrupt too much, we’ll be hunted down and eliminated. The crime bosses don’t like it when their dirty money dries up. So we rescue one victim at a time, make small changes to make life a bit harder for those who hurt others, and cause revenue streams to inexplicably dry up.”
“Isn’t that frustrating?” Tegan asked. “You never win, and the bad guys are always popping back up to do more damage.”
“The most important thing is keeping the victims we do save safe, and we can’t do that if we aren’t around.” Rose waved a hand at the door behind her. “All those entertainers you see out there were once slaves or prostitutes in the direst conditions. Now they’re here.”
Tegan folded her arms over her chest. “But aren’t they still prostitutes?”
Rose shook her head. “Our pleasure house is not what it seems. The males all leave here satisfied and with a strong desire to return, but they could never tell you exactly what happened. They think they drank too much or smoked too much prillyweed, but they don’t know that they drink a potion that convinces them they had the time of their life and leaves them with a profound feeling of satisfaction and happiness. More than they’ve ever experienced at an actual pleasure house.”
