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The Plax takes the bait, looking down my body with a growing smile. Sharp yellow teeth reveal themselves.
Before I even have the chance to come up with a smooth line to throw out, Dash begins the distraction. His tail whips across to wallop the Plax across the chin.
“Keep your eyes to yourself!” He turns toward the Plax, aggressively puffing his chest and showing his own fangs. “Do you think I didn’t notice you ogling my female?”
“That slut was asking for attention,” the Plax snorts. “Perhaps you’ve lost her interest.”
“Dash, baby,” I croon, grabbing his arm and trying to steer him away. “It’s nothing. Let’s not make a scene.”
The two females running the checkout desk watch the developing scene anxiously. Dash’s tail whips up into another frenzy before wrapping tightly around my waist. His nostrils flare for a moment before he backs off.
“Fine. Let’s leave before I lose my temper,” he mutters.
I clutch my headscarf against my chest as he quickly drags me out of there. We pick up Honey in the lobby and rush out. One glance at the wealth of bodyguards killing time in the lobby is enough to tell me there was no chance of running some kind of smash-and-grab to save Kaye and Frankie today. Dash continues his bit all the way to the door, grumbling loudly about how he should have given that insolent lizard a lesson in respect.
“I’m having the purchase delivered to my family’s vacation home on Irrine,” Dash announces as we exit among the crowds of other patrons.
My ears perk. That’s the code. He’s telling the crew back on the ship that he’s placed the data tracker where it needed to go. With all his tail whipping, I couldn’t even see the moment he pulled it off. We wind our way back to the docks, where we parked one of Rossa’s ships. It’s small but ostentatious, hard to miss from far away because it glitters under the sun. That’s why the captain calls it her “Gemstone,” just one of her many ‘girlfriends.’
“You’ve done well today,” Dash tells me as we wait on the platform for the gangplank to drop. “I’d say you’re no longer a civilian. You’ve completed your first mission.”
“Can I stop pretending to have no thoughts or opinions yet?” Honey whispers.
“Could you wait until we board?” Dash mutters. “Are you bursting with some particular thought?”
“I could certainly give Raina some tips on how to comport herself like a lady of the high classes,” the robot starts off.
“I’m good,” I say as I start marching up the gangplank. I’m eager to get back and hear from Rossa about the buyer data they pulled from the auction systems. But Dash is hesitating. A figure is approaching, waving at him as they jog toward us.
“You go on ahead,” he calls over his shoulder at me. “Honey, with me, and keep your mouth shut for now.”
“Affirmative,” the robot sighs.
I head up to the ship’s entrance, more than ready to free myself of this gown and all the filth it encountered today.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
NIKO
I’m doingmy best not to ruin this mission, but part of me would like nothing more than to barge onto the auction floor, scoop Raina up, and leave Dash and the rest of the attendees looking speechless. There’s no logical reason for it. She shouldn’t be in any immediate danger. But the mating beast disagrees with logic. The mating beast would rather have always her within its sights.
“I still don’t understand why I’m excluded from the comm hookup,” I complain, impatiently shaking my leg as I sit on the benches at the back of the bridge. I’ve been forced to watch as Rossa and her main crew members exchange commentary on how the mission is going. They have earpieces that relay a live feed of Dash’s recording device. As far as I can tell, things are running smoothly.
Rossa’s best pilot, Luka, throws me a smirk.
“You’re not to be trusted,” he says. “Can’t have you ruining everything because your mate stubbed her toe.”
I grunt.
“This is generally why I don’t allow mated pairs on my ship,” Rossa adds. “It’s guaranteed to cause a mess when someone’s in danger.”
It’s a practical choice, but what will she do if Satto and Luka and the others start finding their own mates? It’s not as if she’ll happily exchange them for another person.
Thankfully, the mission is going well, and I have no reason to worry about Raina’s safety. It’s a long day, but there are very few chances for this kind of intelligence recon to go awry. When the auction ends, Dash and Raina fabricate some distraction at the check-out counter and slap a data tracker on the computers.
“We have the buyer’s names,” Rossa announces, springing up to whip out her comm. “I’m getting the research team on the line. Make sure Dash, Raina, and Honey get out of there safely. I’ll be back when I know our next move.” She doesn’t wait for a reply before she disappears into her private quarters.
It’s essentially over, and I have half a mind to wander down to the deck and wait there for Raina’s arrival. But before Raina, Dash, and Honey have boarded their ship for the return flight, the captain returns with the results of the data analysis.
