Page 90 of The Pleasure Contract

I take a breath, staring at my everything, right in front of me.

“And mine.”

40

Az

“Did they really do that?” I ask, wincing as the healer places my busted-up hands into the recess of a healing chamber. He tuts and presses a few buttons. I can feel a cooling spray activate inside, making sure to properly clean and seal my wounds. I could, of course, use my own venom to do this, but team contracts dictate that any injuries picked up in the arena must be dealt with by a drakball league-sponsored healing center.

“Do what?” my Lois asks, too busy looking at all the healing technology to see what I’m seeing – a big screen on the wall replaying the dramatics from today’s game.

Also known as the game I threw my career away on.

Or the best fucking day of my life.

Depending on which way you look at things.

“Them,” I jerk my head toward the screen. “The fans. Did they really applaud us in the end?”

She smiles a soft smile over her shoulder. “Well, it started out with a few awkward claps, but yeah. You don’t remember?”

“No,” I say, answering plainly. “All I remember is that you said something about loving my abs?”

She rolls her eyes.

My grin grows wider. “Say it again, Lois.”

“I said it sixteen times on our way over here. I don’t want to spoil you.”

The healer clears his throat and removes my hands from the chamber. My gaze stays on Lois as the male turns over my now cleaned and bandaged hands, inspecting them.

She lifts one adorable brow but whispers the best words in the whole of the known galaxies. “I love you.”

I swear my heart is pumping so hard and loud; surely the healer can actually hear that? I look at him as he finishes his checks, jotting my medical notes down on his tablet. When he finally makes eye contact with me, he must see something very clearly written on my features, because he almost trips over himself to vacate the room, finally leaving Lois and I alone.

I rush to her, expecting to be able to sweep her up into my arms – and perhaps make use of that medical bed over there in the corner of the room.

Instead, she halts me with a single hand to my chest.

“I have to ask you something.”

I say nothing, waiting for her question.

“Have… have you ever encouraged your friends – other Xavianns to… you know, get a human of their own?”

I furrow my brow. In a million years, I would never have imagined such a question.

“Get a… as in, buy? To engage with the human trafficking we’re trying to combat?” I blink at her for a second. “No, Lois. I have never done that. And I never will.”

She lets out a shaky breath. “I believe you. I just needed to hear you say it.”

I’m still so confused. “Where is this even coming from?”

* * *

“Zyre!” I bellow down the hallway of the healing center. “Zyre! You steaming pile of drak shit, where the fuck are you?!”

I’d seen him pass my patient room not too long ago, but had thought nothing of it.