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“Friends? Not really. Caralt and I get together occasionally, but she has a young daughter and a job and a very busy life. I’ve tried to keep in touch with a few of the previous waitresses from the tavern but once they leave, they don’t really want to remember it.” She looked back up at him, her eyes suspiciously bright. “It sounds pathetic, doesn’t it?”
“No. It simply sounds as if you are alone.” Something he was all too familiar with. “Perhaps a new start would also give you a chance to form new relationships.”
“Maybe.” She didn’t seem convinced, but she hadn’t rejected the idea outright. “There’s something else you may not have considered. Here in the city, non-humans are pretty common. I understand it can be different in the smaller settlements. Does the owner know that you are… not human?”
“Of course. And neither is he. The males on the farm are all former warriors from off world. And their mates are all human,” he added when her eyes widened. “Another reason you would be the perfect person to accompany me.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I don’t believe I will take the job,” he said truthfully.
He’d found the idea of Marshall providing him with a wife distasteful to begin with; it seemed even more so now that he’d met Lottie.
“But you still want to leave the city?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t respond immediately. Instead she twisted her hands around the empty teacup and looked out over the water. As he waited, he noticed for the first time the deep shadows beneath her eyes, the weariness in her posture. For some reason it suddenly became even more important to him that she join him.
“When would you want to leave?” she asked slowly.
“As soon as possible. I don’t know what business you may need to attend to first…”
“That’s not an issue. I live in furnished rooms and I only have my clothes and a few personal items to pack.” She took a deep breath, her body moving enticingly beneath the blue tunic. “The reason I was asking is that my rent is due tomorrow. It seems foolish to pay for another month if we are leaving almost immediately.”
We. A smile threatened to erupt, but he forced himself to maintain his usual stoic expression.
“We could be ready to leave by tomorrow. The arrangements will not take long.” Especially with Marshall pulling the strings.
“Then I think… I think, yes. I will accept your proposition.”
An unexpected sense of triumph filled him. He had caught his prey.
CHAPTER 4
Alittle after noon the next day, Lottie perched next to Celenk on the seat of a mechanized wagon as they passed through Port Cantor’s outer gates, still stunned at how quickly her life had changed.
Celenk had escorted her home the previous night, then left to prepare for the trip. She’d climbed the stairs, still dazed at her decision. Rather than second guess herself, she’d immediately started packing. Almost everything had fit into the small trunk she’d brought with her when she moved.
Almost everything, she thought with a smile as an inquisitive squeak came from her lap. Raja poked his head out of the satchel she’d used to transport him and sniffed curiously. She’d returned to find the small ball of fluff half-buried in the nest of towels. He squeaked eagerly when he spotted her and immediately tried to climb up her leg. She laughed and picked him up, studying the small face with the big eyes.
“Since it appears I’ve adopted you, I’m going to call you Raja.” The two big ears moved as if he were listening more intently. “I hope you’re going to like the country.”
When Celenk had arrived that morning, he’d informed her that Raja was a kedji, a race of small marsupials who were frequently found on spaceships as they were clean, pleasant companions.
“Not that that means they are suited for wagon journeys,” he added, eyeing the fluffy little creature suspiciously.
“I’m not going to leave him - he’s just a baby.”
He’d looked from her face to Raja’s, then shook his head.
“As long as you do not expect me to tend to him.”
He picked up her trunk, hoisting it onto his shoulder without any sign of strain, the muscles in his arms rippling beneath the gold and copper scales. That was… impressive, she thought breathlessly, then realized she was staring at him. She blushed and turned away to tuck Raja into the satchel. When she picked up her additional satchel, Celenk immediately took it and slung it over his other arm.
“I can carry something,” she protested.
“You can carry the rodent.”
