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Tegan met his eyes and smiled. “I’m starting to think you’re right.” She sighed and stole a glance at their vessel across the shipyard. “I guess you’re coming with us, naughty boy.” She opened the flap of her crossbody bag, dropped him inside, and flipped the bag closed. “But don’t make a fuss.”
A tuft of green appeared at the corner of the bag, and Pog wiggled his head—at least Zaandr guessed it was his head—through the gap.
Zaandr stifled a laugh, and Tegan caught him, grinning along with him. Zaandr felt a jolt of warmth for the woman, that spread along his bare skin like sand sparks after a lightning storm.
“Like I was saying,” Rixx raised his voice and resumed his conversation, but Zaandr tuned him out.
What had just happened? Zaandr’s heart was beating fast, and his throat was tight. He clamped down any thoughts he might have, shielding them from his best friend. Luckily, Rixx was too consumed with himself to notice Zaandr’s emotional flux.
That was all it was, Zaandr told himself. A momentary burst of irrational emotion. Because it was irrational to think that a female like Tegan would ever be interested in him. Despite his physical might and skills in battle, he was not good at interacting with females. Whatever charm had been in the family had clearly been taken by Vrax, who must have used his skills to win over his challenging Zevrian mate.
Zaandr had none of the ease that the other Dothveks had around females. He didn’t even have the strong and silent energy that the elder Tommel—Bexli’s mate—exuded. He was just nervous and awkward.
But not then, he thought. He hadn’t felt nervous when he’d handed Pog to Tegan. He’d been able to smile at her and even share a joke. Something about the new midwife put him at ease. Something about her was both exhilarating and familiar.
As they walked under the massive stone arch and entered the city, Zaandr tried to focus on his task and ignore the fact that his best friend was openly pursuing Tegan. At least one of them needed to pay attention to the teeming crowds of unseemly characters milling about.
Their threesome gained a few curious glances, mostly directed at their gold skin and exposed chests, but none were malicious. It wasn’t like they were the only aliens on the planet. He spotted creatures with various colored skin, some with shimmering scales, and even a few with tusks. Zaandr sent his mind into the crowd to sense for potential threats, and he was almost overwhelmed by the torrent of dark thoughts that flooded his mind. Vrax had warned him about the Den of Thieves, but he hadn’t told him enough.
Zaandr stepped closer to Tegan as he picked up on pulses of desire from nearby males. Even though she was dressed like a male and had almost every part of her body covered, there were still those who wondered what was beneath her hood and all her layers.
A low growl tickled the back of his throat. An irrational desire to rip out the throat of whomever was thinking about Tegan startled him. Despite his skill as a hunter and fighter, Zaandr had never wanted to kill someone as much in his life.
You are not here to start a war. You are here to keep her safe.
He pushed aside his murderous instincts, remembering Vrax’s instructions and guiding them through the crowds and down a series of passageways until they reached an open-air market. Faded fabric canopies sagged over stalls hawking everything from live animals, to books purported to contain magic. Bolts of fabric were unfurled, and baskets of strange produce overflowed.
The sounds of animals squawking and braying jostled with the noise of shopkeepers haggling over prices. The pungent scent of livestock mixed with the aroma of herbs and the sharp bite of the tanning shops, the combination an assault on his nose. It took all Zaandr’s concentration to drown out all the actual sounds and smells so he could listen for dark intent.
“I’m looking for someone who sells medicinal herbs and oils,” Tegan told them as she peered around.
Rixx walked ahead with his arms wide and one hand on the curved blade hanging from his waist, parting the way for Tegan to follow.
“Your friend is wasting his time,” she said, cutting her gaze to Zaandr.
He almost wasn’t sure she’d spoken. “Wasting his time? Looking for your supplies?”
“No.” She gave me a pointed look. “Trying to seduce me. It won’t work.”
Zaandr started to defend his friend and say that he wasn’t trying to seduce her, but that would be a lie.
“It’s nothing personal,” she continued. “I’m just not interested in guys.”
He blinked at her. “You prefer females?”
She grinned. “Not romantically. It’s just that I don’t want to take a mate, get married, have kids, any of those things I’m sure your friend wants.”
“And you want none of those?” Zaandr had never heard of a female who did not want a mate. Or a male, for that matter. Unless she was a priestess, which Tegan was not.
She shook her head as she paused at a stall where bunches of herbs hung from the edge of the canopy. “I never knew my dad. Most of the women back home were single moms. From my experience, men leave. I don’t want to be left.”
Zaandr could sense her pain as if it were his own, a sad ache that twisted his heart and made him feel hollowed out. He put a hand to his heart, the words barely able to escape from his lips. “Not all males leave. A Dothvek would never leave his mate or child.” The pain around his heart eased, and he was able to speak more forcefully. “Dothveks do not leave.”
Tegan tilted her head. “Really? Then where is your friend?”
Zaandr spun around, his gaze searching for Rixx. Then he extended his mind to search for his friend. Nothing. He was gone.
Chapter
