Page 27 of The Pleasure Contract

“So what’s the game plan?” someone says beside me just as I catch Az glancing back over his shoulder at me.

“Wh-”

I need to snap out of this! It was just a stupid kiss!

When I refocus on the conversation at hand, I realize it’s Niska asking the question.

Game plan?

At first, my brain jumps to Az, and my treacherous eyes find him again, not looking at me this time, but walking away… walking away in tight pants that do nothing to conceal that ridiculously round ass of an athlete-

“With Senator Glex. I think it would be wise to try and befriend him before going head-first with the human trafficking angle, you know? Try and figure out how to get him to care before shoving all the facts in his face.”

Right.

Shit.

Human fucking trafficking.

It feels like I just swallowed a boulder.

A boulder of guilt.

A boulder of guilt with a note stuck to it that lists all the ways in which I, Lois, am a terrible, terrible human being.

My cheeks heat with shame as I nod enthusiastically to Niska’s plan.

I’m going on this trip with Az to help change laws and protect humans, not fantasize about bouncing a quarter off that stupid hot ass of his.

“Yeah, absolutely! I’ll dial the charm up to ten. He’ll love me!” I beam back at her.

Niska and Jaya both give me the same look.

It’s a ‘Girl, what exactly is going on here?’ look.

And, I really don’t want to explain myself. Saying out loud why I feel so flustered and guilty right now will only make me feel more flustered and more guilty. So, instead, I go in for two big hugs, with extra squeezes, and hurriedly exchange goodbyes with added sprinkles of ‘I’ll miss yous’ thrown in.

I mean, I’m not lying. I will miss them. Especially Jaya. We were close before, but after Niska moved out of the townhouse and into the palace, we became a nice little duo, with our evenings reminiscing about things we missed from back home.

I leave her with what I hope she sees as a heartfelt look before Drex approaches, urging her back inside while murmuring something about human skin exposure to the sun’s rays.

* * *

Because Az needs to transport Lady and Puff with us to the Capital, we can’t travel via an airship cruiser. Instead, we’re being provided with a royal rail ship – which, as far as I can see, is like some kind of mega-version of the monorail at Disney. Although I wouldn’t really know, since we never had enough money to go there when I was younger.

This thing is enormous, though. It’s plush – kitted out with soft cream leather furnishings and luxury velvets, embroidered with the Xaviann royal crest. I’ve never been on a fancy train before, but this thing kind of feels like how I always imagined flying on a private jet would be – but even bigger. There’s a whole carriage just for us to dine in, ones for us to sleep in, one with a library of games and all manner of screens to keep us entertained – this thing even comes with its own dedicated staff. And, right at the back, there’s an enormous, purpose-built carriage, keeping Lady and Puff contained. Apparently, Az had to hide a special pill in some meat to give it to both heads of the drak – just to keep them sleepy and sedated while they’re moved from the Northern Principality to the Capital.

I’d asked Vel why Az couldn’t just ride her all the way there, but she’d explained that a journey like that would be too much for the drak and could possibly risk injury. “Az would sooner hack his own horns off than see ‘his girls’ hurt,” she’d commented as everyone had gathered to wave us off.

Zek, one of the Xavianns that work at the townhouse, is even coming with us. Apparently, he’s become quite territorial over my care, and had already started snapping at the rail ship staff, as if the thought of anyone else being able to look after a human as well as he can is a preposterous idea.

Seating myself in a huge, Xaviann-sized, plush, white leather chair by the window, I watch the city as we whiz by. Then, when the buildings become less dense, and there’s a touch more greenery, a purple drink arrives at the low table beside me. I’d been too absorbed in watching the outside; I hadn’t even noticed which staff member had come to wait on me. The first sip is sweet and, surprisingly, warm, but it goes down smoothly, and by the time I see the bottom of the glass, Xaviann civilization has given way to wilderness – to thick forests, mountains, lakes, and waterfalls.

I imagine Az taking me for another drak ride, with Lady and Puff skimming their claws along the glass surface of the lake.

And my tummy does a little flip.

“Ooh, no,” I tell myself, swiftly standing up to go put my now empty glass down at the bar in the far corner of the carriage. “We are not taking a walk down to horny-town. Come on, girl, pull yourself together.”