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“I’m not sure I’ve noticed either of you in our circles before, friend,” he purrs. Beady eyes roam over us, and he gently swirls a glass of amber liquid in one hand. “I’m Boljis.”
Volethos pulls me so my back is flush against his chest. “We’re new to the scene,” he explains. “I’m Votan. This lovely morsel is Shah.”
“A pleasure.” Boljis bows deeply at the waist but keeps his eyes locked with mine in a way that makes me want to hide behind Volethos rather than against him. Especially when he grins and asks, “And when might I have a chance to sample this exquisite beauty?”
Volethos chuckles, but I don’t miss the way his fingers are digging into my hip. “I’m afraid she isn’t here to fuck. Shah likes to watch. Don’t you, lovely?”
I tip my chin up in a sharp nod, while trying not to let on just how terrified I am. Or how stupid I am for thinking this would be easy, that everyone here wouldn’t be lechers who want nothing more than to take what I have no intention of giving. Or the way Volethos’s solid presence at my back is affecting me.
“Does she?” Boljis groans, and his eyes lift to focus on Volethos. “Perhapswecan give her something to watch then.”
I bite back the nervous laugh that bubbles up at hearing Volethos being propositioned by this giant alien.
“Well, we’ll just have to see what comes up then.” Volethos chuckles and then carefully steps to the side. “If you’ll excuse us, we were on our way for some refreshments.”
The orc steps aside with a wave of his hand. “Of course, another time then.”
Holding me tightly to his side, we change direction and head for the tables set up along the wall.
“Is that what you meant?” I ask, my voice sounding a lot breathier than I mean for it to. “When you asked if I’d be opposed to watching you with others?”
A low growl passes through Volethos’s lips as he pours himself a glass of clear alcohol. “Not quite.” He tips it back, draining it in a single swallow and then fills the glass a second time.
“Aren’t you going to ask your female if she would like a drink?” a soft, melodically feminine voice says from behind us.
Volethos stiffens, and then a heartbeat later, he spins on his heel and freezes. Standing there is a tall female with jet-black hair that falls straight down her back. She’s wearing a casual pantsuit that reminds me of linen in a creamy color that brings out the much darker color of her skin. At first, I assume she’s human, except her eyes are just a bit too wide, and her ears taper into tall tips. She looks elfin. Or maybe fae.
“My female isn’t much of a drinker,” Volethos rumbles. His body has gone still, every muscle taut.
My mouth falls open to argue that a drink sounds lovely when the female points an elegant, claw-tipped finger to the food choices. “Does she not eat either?” Before he can respond to that, she steps into him, hips swaying, strange amber-colored eyes heavy-lidded. She wets her red lips and leans in. “I must say, never in a million revs did I expect to find you here…Volethos.”
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Volethos
* * *
I’m already tense. Agitated. Practically buzzing and ready to snap if I see one more male make eyes at Shae. So, when Raela appears at my back, I can’t hide the shock of seeing her.
It’s been…revolutions. I thought—I’m not sure what I thought. That Kurrahstka sold her off. Or shipped her to another system. Maybe she escaped or died. I just knew she vanished one day, and I never saw her again, until this moment.
What is she doing here?
Then she leans in close, and my name—my real name, not the fake one I’ve been using for the sake of our disguise—whispers past lips I am intimately familiar with. The blood in my veins turns to ice, and I’m certain the look on my face mirrors the way my heart just stuttered in my chest.
She knows it’s me.But…how?
“Don’t look so shocked,” she scoffs, brushing her hand across my shoulder as if dusting off some lint. Then she leans in close to me again. “By the way, it was your voice that gave you away. I’d know you anywhere from the sound of it.”
While I stare at here, slack-jawed, she turns her attention to Shae. “And who might you be?”
Shae looks just as stunned as I feel.
“She’s not your concern,” I growl, pulling Raela’s attention back to me. And then it hits me, just how dangerous this situation has suddenly become. I might have known Raela once, but that was long ago. Who is to say what kind of person she is now? Where her loyalties lie. Whether or not I can trust her. Hell, if I ever had her trust in the first place.
I start to reach out for her, wanting to grab her, put her up against the wall and threaten her life if she even thinks about revealing what she knows about us. I stop at the last minute and instead ask, “What are you doing here, Raela?”
Her red lips pout, and she looks over at where Shae is staring at us with her lips pressed into a tight line and her alien eyes shooting green fire.
