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“Ah, that sheriff again?” He wiggles his brows.
I roll my eyes.
“I’m only teasing,” he says. “Don’t do that thing where you mime dying. I imagine you scared those pirates right out of their skin.”
“It’s not miming death,” I mutter. “I’m looking up at the heavens for assistance.”
“Does the spirit of Earth live in the heavens, then? The sky?”
“I guess you could say that, but Earth has a million different religions. Sky gods are popular, though.”
“Hm.” He squints. “Are you certain about that? It makes more sense to me that you’d be theatrically feigning death. Sort of like when I say I’d rather return to ashes than perform whatever mundane chore that needs doing.”
“You know what? I really don’t know.”
When we run into the other crew members, either in the hallway or in the cafeteria, they stop to observe our interactions with undisguised amusement. Not every member of the crew is Kar’Kali, but they all seem to understand that I haven’t accepted the fated mating bond. And they seem to think it’s hilarious that Niko is being ‘rejected.’
I give Niko a lot of credit for waving off the flack that his fellow Kar’Kali give him for not sleeping in my bed. Their non-stop teasing is enough to make me feel guilty. They say he must not be satisfying me, that hiskalimust be weak, and that this is payback for not having visited home in so long. He shrugs them off and always has a dig to throw back in their faces for one thing or another.
When Rossa apologetically explains that we need to wait another day’s time to hear back about my friends, I’m ready to give in, so they’ll leave him alone. We already spent days together on Lungfish Station, and it’s extremely hard to forget the level of physical intimacy we’ve shared. I push that out of my mind quickly before the erotic memories fog my brain. From the way the Kar’Kali sniff around the two of us, I’m starting to think they cansmellsex.
“Look, I’m comfortable with you staying here if you sleep on the couch,” I say after one such ribbing from the first mate, Satto. “They won’t know the difference, and then they wouldn’t bother you.”
“Don’t make your decisions based on their rudeness,” Niko replies. “They’re just jealous. I am mated, and they are not. It’s as simple as that. We don’t need to explain anything to them about our relationship.”
Because he’s being so sweet and supportive, I don’t even utter a word about his assumption that we’re in a relationship. I can’t help admiring the little details about his personality as they reveal themselves. Niko is an independent man, and it isn’t the front of some swaggering pirate. It’s not just confidence; it’s something that runs deeper—an integrity, a loyalty to me that I’m not sure I’ve earned.
I spend a second night alone. It should feel like a relief to stretch my limbs across the bed and sleep soundly like I did before my life turned upside down. But I wish Niko had taken me up on my offer. Then, it wouldn’t be so quiet. He would have some flirty comments to throw my way. He might whisper teasing words in the dark from across the room. Even if he started on the couch, he would find some excuse to end up beside me.
A smile warms my cheeks as I imagine it. Holding him at arm’s length is feeling less and less like practicality. Right now, it feels like a self-inflicted punishment.
CHAPTERTWENTY
NIKO
When we’re calledup to the ship’s bridge for an all-crew meeting, Raina’s nervous energy is practically vibrating off her. I press a steady hand to the small of her back as we walk across the deck of the ship. She barely spares a glance at the transparent domed ceiling or the many fancy toys that Captain Rossa keeps parked there.
“Breathe,” I remind her as we climb the short stairwell that leads to the helm of thePrimordial Avenger.
“Trying,” she squeaks.
As my mate bursts through the door hoping for good news, I thank the spirit that Rossa is the kind of female that doesn’t know the meaning of tact. She always gets straight to the point.
“We think the friends you’re looking for are about to go up for auction at a place just outside of the Rathe System border.”
Raina nods hopefully, waiting for more information.
“A private advert for an auction on Tharethe just went out to select clients. There’s a last-minute addition to the many available lots up for sale. Two human females, one described as having a ‘red mane and colorless skin’ and the other described as having ‘brown curly mane and sand color skin’. Would that match your friends’ appearances?”
“It sounds like them,” Raina eagerly says.
“The only drawback right now is that it’s happening in thirty intervals, so we don’t have time to pick up any additional crew to help us get this done.”
“Exactly,” Satto sighs. “So we have to be clever about it because we’ve only got so many crew that can walk in there.”
“What do you mean?” Raina asks.
“No one would believe a Kar’Kali buyer,” Satto explains, “or even that one of us could stand to be in the presence of Azza citizens. It would draw unnecessary attention.”
