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Steffy cleared her throat. “Um, Lord Yavor?”
“Yes, Terran?”
“You are mispronouncing her name.”
He nodded. “I am aware. The Vor have another word which is similar to her name, and that is what I have chosen to call her.”
Iris smiled. “You know. Like a pet.”
His fingers clenched on her. “Like an honoured member of a new species. A name to adapt to new surroundings. A name that you can use to fly.”
She sighed and wrapped an arm around his back, under his wings. She stroked him slowly. “I know, Yavor, but it will take me more than a day to get used to it.”
He smiled at her. “We have time. Now, where is that new fruit? I want my Irith to try it.”
The instructor went to one of the trees and reached up. He pulled a fruit down and handed it to Yavor with a bow. Yavor smiled, and a razor-thin claw flicked out of his index finger. He carved it and handed it to Iris. “Try it.”
She took the slice and bit into it. It was sweet and exploded in juice. It was like the sweetest apple crossed with a pear. “Oh, wow. That is really good.”
He chuckled and leaned in. “Let me see.”
He tasted the item via her, and she blushed.
Steffy muttered, “Really? Stop showing off, Iris.”
Iris didn’t see the movement, but she felt a puff of air on her face. Steffy was lying on the ground twenty feet away. Leena was staring.
Yavor tutted. “No disrespect to my companion. Her acquiescence purchased you two years to find a mate. I could make a mate auction for you next week, and you would go to the highest bidder like she did. You are here and have the freedom to choose a career because she was with you. I purchased your bond because she was with you. The rest of you were originally slated for a brothel as your skill sets are minimal.” He looked at Leena. “Your gathering had nothing to offer me but the one person who would not be parted from her sibling, so you are here and expected to be useful citizens. If you aren’t on the way to it in the next twenty-four months. You go back to the bondauction at the nearest base, and that is the end of you. I have other Terrans here who are happy to be safe with a future.”
Iris took another bite of the slice that he held out to her. For Lily’s sake, she was glad that they had been sold as a batch in that case. The others had been less than pleasant to both her and Lily after the event, so Iris’s heart didn’t go out to them. She bit down on the apple slice and chewed slowly. She looked at the instructor. “This is really good.”
He smiled. “It has taken years of engineering. We are very pleased with the results.”
The younger male swallowed. “My lady, is it similar to something from your world?”
“Yes. Very much so. This is an odd occupation for a Keh-hel. You don’t have taste buds.”
He grinned. “I am half Keh-hel but excellently observed, my lady.” His lizard skin flashed emerald with pleasure.
“I only had a few weeks to learn, so I learned all I could to get ready for whatever came next. I didn’t want to be stuck at the bottom of the job pool again.”
Yavor wrapped both arms around her. “And now she pays the price.”
Steffy and Leena were standing together, and Leena asked calmly. “My lady, how many languages do you speak?”
Surprised, Iris looked over. “Four from Terra and fourteen from out here, including Hmrain and Vor. My bond was huge because of it.”
Yavor looked at the women who were staring with understanding. “You and the others were the free gifts with purchase. Irith’s bond is the one I was after.”
The instructor chuckled, and Iris got another slice of apple. She felt like a pet that had just learned a trick.
Chapter Six
She was flown back to the manor and didn’t know what to think. Yavor cradled her carefully, and when they were back in his quarters, she asked him warily, “That wasn’t true, was it?”
He poured himself a glass of water. “What wasn’t?”
“About purchasing the bond on the bulk of us.”
