Page 87 of Dragon Me Through Space

CHAPTER TWENTY

We stopped on one of the largest planets between Porantine and Drakorantia to refuel and resupply.

The stop gave us time to get off of the ship, away from the prying eyes and listening ears of those aboard, and time to ourselves.

The past few days had been incredibly irritating as every time we left our rooms, a new set of listening devices would be planted.

Wayne finally changed the access cards to our room, making it impossible for anyone to enter but us. Gage’s father had almost immediately come to ask why we had stopped housekeeping from doing their jobs and cleaning our rooms.

Preston informed him that we didn’t need a cleaning service and that we would only need to trade out our dirty sheets for new ones once a week from now on. He had, apparently, been annoyed with the requirement, but hadn’t been able to argue since they were of equal station.

“We need to head to the slums,” I said immediately as we walked down the ship’s ramp to the port city we’d landed in.

“The slums?” Preston asked, eyebrows nearly touching his hairline.

I nodded vigorously. “That’s where you’ll find the best items and deals.”

Zeke indicated a nearby booth. “What about here?”

“Everything at the port is going to be significantly higher because of those who don’t want to venture very far away from their ships,” I explained. Turning around, I smiled at the four Dragonkin and asked, “Don’t you trust me? I’ve been traveling around to all kinds of planets, moons, and bases for the past ten years. I’m the best guide you could have.”

“Lead the way,” Wayne said and smiled warmly at me. “I’ll follow you wherever you wish to go.”

His statement seemed to mean more than just this circumstance, but now wasn’t the time to discuss that. I’d talk to him about it later.

Grabbing his hand, I pulled him with me and started skipping as we headed down the busy streets towards the slums. My sweet, silly tech guru, immediately joined in on my skipping.

“I haven’t skipped like this since I was a kid.” He laughed and his smile was so bright and warm, it made my heart beat faster and my own smile widen.

“Don’t get too far ahead,” Zeke warned.

I looked over my shoulder at him and asked, “Are you worried about me, Giant?”

He scowled and opened his mouth, but the next second, his eyes moved over my head and he suddenly ran forward, wrapping his body around mine and spinning me around so that his back was where my body had just been. His body jolted and he grunted in pain.

“Zeke?” I asked, concerned.

Wayne had released my hand a second before Zeke had moved, and he’d drawn a weapon from his side that I hadn’t known he was carrying. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

Preston stood in front of me, looking around Zeke. “What business do you have with Diamond?”

“Who the frak are you?” a female voice demanded.

“Are you okay?” I asked Zeke and reached a hand up to touch his face.

“I’m fine. It was some type of electric rod,” he explained and straightened, keeping me in front of him, away from the person who had, apparently, tried to attack me.

“Princes, do you require assistance?” a male Dragonkin in armor asked as he and a small group of soldiers joined us.

“Where did you get hired muscle like this, you crazy bitch?” the female demanded. “The reward isn’t that high.”

I stepped around Zeke, but he kept an arm in front of me, between my attacker and me.

The female before me wasn’t someone I recognized. She was a Tortian, a race of lizard-like people with hard shells on their backs that were incredibly strong, almost impossible to penetrate.

“What do you want with me?” I asked.

“You’ve got a bounty out on your head,” she explained.