We strode out of the shadows and turned onto the walk, nearly bumping into a cloaked A’li-uud holding something that looked like rotten cabbage. Though I didn't see any, I felt like all eyes were on us.
“I don't think we're going to blend in,” I whispered. “I'm the only human out here.”
“Just keep your head down and do not make eye contact with anyone,” Zuran instructed.
I dropped my gaze as he directed, but I still needed to see where I was going and, frankly, I was curious. This was the market unlike I had ever seen it. During the day, the booths looked cheerful and promising with an array of items probably displayed for perusal. The silks and multicolored lights were bright and gave one the sense of a great party. Now, however, everything looked ominous. The lights cast faces into deep shadows and gave everyone the appearance of being sneaky--which I supposed was fitting. Nothing was displayed on the tables for passersby to view, but hanging from the booth ceilings and shelved on displays behind the merchants were items that I’d never seen before. It was like everyone had something for sale, but it all was a secret, and the only people who were possible sellers were people who knew the products existed in the first place.
The palace didn't look cheerful now either. The walls of vivid color and the balconies strung with beautiful canopies did nothing to stop the illusion that this was no longer a palace of approachable grandeur, as it had become a frightful castle fit for a villain in this criminal night. It almost made sense now that Kharid had died there. Ka-lik’et had become less of a bustling marketplace for travelers worldwide and more of an alien Red Light district.
Blue-skinned female A’li-uud weaved through the crowd wearing revealing silks with their white hair either tied back in smooth ponytails at the tops of their heads or flowing seductively over their shoulders while males lecherously eyed them. Now and then, one of the males would reach out and snag a female before she could walk by, pull her to him, and they’d begin to talk. Then, they’d walk off together and disappear between the booths. Other females approached men, engaging them in brief conversation before going on their way or strolling off together.
“Are those hookers?” I muttered in shock to Zuran.
He followed my gaze to one of the women, and then looked back to me. “I do not know what a hooker is,” he said. “If you mean the women, they are laaka.”
“What are laaka?” I whispered. They looked like hookers to me.
“Pleasure-seekers,” he said quietly, pushing me off to the side gently to avoid being overheard by the nearest of the laaka. “They seek out males to entertain them, for a price.”
“You mean, men pay to do the entertaining?” I demanded.
“Yes.”
I was aghast at the notion. Prostitution on Albaterra was shocking enough, but this was like backwards prostitution. These weren’t hookers; these were like one-night sugar babies. “So, it’s sexual?” I clarified.
Zuran gave me a look, and I distinctly saw a mischievous flash in his eyes. “Sometimes.”
“Well, what about the rest of the time, then?” I pressed. I was becoming less stunned and more fascinated. As felonious as the atmosphere felt, it was intoxicating, perilously inviting. I was beginning to understand the rush of crime. To be considered fearless and intimidating, not to mention attractive in the most dangerous of ways, was alluring. Then again, I probably just looked like a scared little human to everyone I passed, so I was probably deluding myself into glamorizing it all.
“Most laaka will mule black market goods for a payoff,” Zuran was saying. We were almost past the palace now, growing nearer to the front of the city where the colony was. The crowd of traders was thinning by the meter. “And some will perform more insidious tasks if the price is high enough. But none will do anything they deem unexciting.”
“Because they’re pleasure-seekers,” I said obviously.
“Yes.” He smirked, and his hand left mine to curl around my waist and skim down toward my hip. Heat erupted between my legs. “Because they are pleasure-seekers.”
He halted before a booth suddenly, jarring me to a stop with him. The A’li-uud behind the table was very slender, almost femininely featured, with long fingers and thick lips. I couldn’t tell if he was male or female until he twisted to the side and saw a flat chest and a bulging pelvis. I averted my eyes at once and tried to focus my attention on the silky tent around him.
Zuran said something to him in A’li-uud. I couldn't understand it, but the merchant’s eyes immediately went to me. I held more tightly to Zuran. The vendor responded to him, also in A’li-uud, and Zuran turned to me.
“What's going on?” I asked.
“You are going to be a laaka,” he replied.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Zuran
Phoebe looked incredible in the traditional laaka garb. It hugged her in all the right places, and while A’li-uud women typically were very muscular, she was very curvy. The silks clung to her and emphasized those curves, particularly around her hips and her breasts. The fabric was cut out on both sides, and it draped low on her chest and her back. The skirt hung all the way to the ground and even dragged a few inches, but a long slit running up to her hip revealed a supple leg at the end of which, on her foot, I could see the gold sandal.
I had never found a laaka so attractive.
She was reluctant to wear the clothing at first. I asked her the color of her choice, and she looked at me with disdain.
“I can't wear that,” she said. “I don't want people to think they can hire me.”
“I do not wish people to think they can hire you, either,” I said, “but it is imperative you blend in.”
“I won't blend in,” she protested. “All of the laaka are A’li-uud. There aren't even any humans out.”
It was true. She was the only human on the market walk at this hour, but she was drawing significant attention in her human clothing, much more than she would if she were dressed like a laaka. She would have a chance of blending in with the other females in that way. Aside from that, I was nervous about bringing her around Terrik or any of my other old associates. I hoped that, if she were adorned as a laaka, they would assume I had purchased her services for the evening and would leave her alone.
After a lot of argument, she finally settled on a subdued purple color. It brought out the boldness in her hair beautifully, and the greenness of her eyes almost exploded. She was breathtaking. If we had not been in the middle of a mission, I doubt it I would have been able to keep my hands off of her.
She dressed in the back of the merchant’s booth behind several shelves. I stood guard to make sure he wasn't looking and to make sure that no passersby happened to catch a glance. When she was finished, I paid the vendor, and we merged back onto the walk.
“What now?” she asked.
“Now, we go underground,” I said.
Her eyes widened, her lashes curling up to her brows, but she nodded with resolve and slipped her hand into mine. Regardless of what we were doing, or what we were about to do, it felt incredible to receive the gesture of trust. She was relying on me to protect her.
And protect her, I would.
We slithered between a pair of booths into the shadows. At first glance, there was nothing to be seen, merely a dark alley leading to shops that had closed for the night. I knew better, though. This was the entrance to the underground. Halfway down the alley, the trap-door came into view on the ground. Without releasing Phoebe's hand, I bent down and tugged on the loop.
“This is it?” she asked incredulously. “This is how you get into the mysterious underground? All of the guards have to know about this.”
“This is the entrance to the entrance, for lack of a better term,” I explained, flashing her a grin over my shoulder.
The trap-door opened to a set of stairs descending deep into the earth. I took the lead, still holding her hand, and eased my way down step by step. She followed. The skirts of her silks brushed against me a
s she moved, and I felt my skin prickle with desire at the sensation. Unfortunately, now was not the time. Deeper and deeper we went into the ground, light fading and blackness swallowing us until I finally reached flatness.
“Be careful here,” I told her. “The stairs end.”
She shuffled down to my level, and I felt her sway slightly with the sudden imbalance. When she was sturdy enough, we began walking again. There were no lights, not even torches mounted to the wall or a single geode lamp hanging from the ceiling. It was just darkness. Luckily, my memories had not faded, and I knew exactly where I was going.
The tunnels were like a maze. There were intersections, lefts and rights that seemingly led somewhere only to end up nowhere. There were paths that curved into circles and rounded you back to exactly where you had been minutes before. These tunnels had never served a noble purpose; they had been built solely for the underground market and its goings-on. When I first joined the rogues, I had found myself lost more times than I could count. It took years before I fully understood how to get where I needed to go by way of those tunnels. I was concerned as we walked that I had forgotten, but the sounds of fervor started to greet my ears, and I knew we were going in the right direction.
“Is there anything more than this?” she asked softly. “Or is it just the tunnels and the trap-door?”
“Oh, there is more,” I affirmed.
As promised, the moment the first inklings of light appeared in our vision, so did the silhouettes of several very large A’li-uud. Phoebe's hand tightened around mine, and I heard her take in a sharp gasp. I did not acknowledge her nerves. I was too concerned those standing guard would overhear.
They got into formation before we even reached them. Two stepped forward, standing side-by-side, and the other two flanked them on either side. As we drew near enough, however, I saw recognition dawn on all of their faces. I knew them, and they knew me.
“Zuran!” said Faja, the oldest of the group. “It has been a long time.”
I realized he was speaking A’li-uud, and I knew Phoebe could not understand him, but I did not ask him to use English. I wanted to keep as much attention off of her as I could.
“It has, indeed,” I agreed, inclining my head respectfully. “I hope you have been well.”
“Certainly better than you,” he laughed. “I do not think I would be capable of bowing to the whims of the Council as you have.”
“I have learned more self-control than I ever thought possible,” was my reply. He chortled appreciatively and then turned his gaze to my companion. His slanted eyes widened into circles.
“You have brought a human?” His friendly overtones were gone, shredded by suspicion and anger. “Terrik will not have it.”
I felt Phoebe stiffen beside me, hardening beneath his gaze. I was surprised. I expected her to shrink back, to be fearful, but quite the contrary. She was strengthening, defiant. God, this woman would be the death of me.
“She is my laaka,” I said. “Terrik can take any issue he has up with me inside.”
“I plan to do just that.” The voice came from behind the four guards, and they stepped aside to reveal Terrik standing in an aura of blue light.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Phoebe
The underground lair was almost glamorous, or at least it would have been if it wasn't so terrifying. Blue light was everywhere, cascading from the same crystal-style lamps that decorated the market in multicolored fashion, which made the A’li-uud cobalt skin look stranger than it normally did. The walls were like the walls of a cave, solid rock and uneven, but the floors were gray brick. I was reminded of a nightclub, with the tables and their high-legged chairs scattered around the space and the open square floor in the center of the room available for what I assumed would be dancers. As far as dancers, there were laaka everywhere. Some stood on tables, swinging their bodies as though they were being moved by a breeze. Others trounced from table to table, leaning over and speaking to the men briefly before moving on. And then, of course, there were the females who were draped on the arms of tall, muscular, battle-scarred males. I had always thought Zuran had a shifty look about him, but I now realized that, in comparison to these particular A’li-uud, he looked as innocent as a banker.
Terrik was as scary as I had thought. If his naturally squinted eyes and leering mouth and broad, bent nose weren't frightening enough, he had a massive scar running from the top of his forehead, over his eye, and down his cheek where it finally ended at the corner curve of his top lip. It made him look asymmetrical and jagged, but he didn’t look like a victim. He looked like he had done something terrible to earn him that scar. It didn't help that he kept looking at me like I was something to eat and looking at Zuran like he was something to kill.
Initially, Terrik tried to speak in A’li-uud, but Zuran held up a hand to stop him and said boldly, “I would appreciate it if you would speak in English. I do not wish to be rude to my female companion.”
“Of course not.” Terrik’s English was as choppy and brief as all A’li-uud, but he seemed more practiced in it than others. He did not stumble over his words, and the transition from his native tongue to mine was virtually seamless. Again, he laid his eyes upon me, and I felt a creepy shiver go up my spine. “Please excuse my rudeness.” He turned back to Zuran and asked, “Does she have a name?”
Despite my fear, I glared at him. I was immediately struck with the impression that he viewed women, or females as it was, as property. Zuran too seemed offended.
“Her name is Phoebe,” he said abrasively.
“How interesting a name,” Terrik replied smoothly. He was addressing me now, but I wished he wouldn't. “It is my great delight to make your acquaintance. I regret to say you are the first human I have met.”
I didn't know how that was possible as the Dhal’atian colony was established more than a year ago. Nonetheless, I wasn't going to ask. Terrik seemed ignorant, and it didn't surprise me that he had never gone out of his way to become acquainted with the new race sharing his planet. Instead of chiding him, I simply said with as much politeness as I could muster, “Thank you.”
He grinned, and I noticed a chunk of empty black space in his mouth. “So, Zuran,” he went on, reluctantly turning away from me. “What has brought the prodigal rogue back into our presence?”
“It was not I who thought I would be suited to join the militia,” Zuran reminded him coolly. “If you have taken issue with my long absence, perhaps you should not have ordered me to be your mole.”
“Oh, no, you misunderstand.” Terrik’s hand was at his hip, and I tried to inconspicuously lean to see what he was fingering. It looked like a sheath much like Zuran's, but it was longer and thicker, kind of like a hunting knife instead of a dagger. I felt another shiver cross my spine. This was a dangerous man. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice me looking, as he was saying, “I take no issue with your absence. I have, however, questioned your dedication to the rogues. We have received nothing from you in years. No goods, no intel, nothing. But you know me, Zuran. I always offer the opportunity for explanation.”
“There is no explanation to be made, Terrik,” Zuran retorted icily. “I worked hard to become a warrior and elevate my career to its current status. I was not interested in compromising that hard work and extinguishing a promising future.”
Terrik laughed out loud. It was an ear-splitting, booming laugh that echoed throughout the entire underground cave. Several sitting at other tables looked, and a group of A’li-uud dressed in all black like ninjas clambered onto their chairs to get a better view. I didn't like the extra eyes. It seemed though that Terrik did.
“You mean to suggest your future is more promising following the orders of a controlling, overbearing, and imminently doomed government?” he guffawed. “You truly have lost your way if you believe you have any future at all following that herd.”
Zuran narrowed his eyes. “Maybe,” he said. “But I know I am happier when I am not behind bars, a
nd, with the rogues, that was where I spent most of my time.”
“Only because you were arrogant enough to get caught,” Terrik returned, the laughter in his voice dying to make way for silken insult.
“Perhaps, but it was the decision I made after you made my decision for me.”
Terrik nodded, and he swung his eyes back to me. “Indeed,” he agreed. “Have you come back now because you have realized your error?”
“You could say that,” Zuran acknowledged. “I was hoping to find Feq.”
“Feq is not here,” Terrik responded at once. “Faro is, though.”
He pointed a thick, long-nailed finger toward the back of the room beyond the unoccupied dance floor. I saw a lone A’li-uud sitting at one of the tables with a cup in front of him. His head was hanging rather low, and his hair looked ratty even from this distance. On his hip, just like everyone else I saw in the lair, was a weapon, a long sword in its scabbard with a hilt longer than my forearm.
“Thank you,” Zuran said courteously. It was obvious it was difficult for him to be so polite to Terrik, and I didn't blame him.
“Surely, you do not think we have finished catching up already?” Terrik asked before Zuran could begin leading me toward the drinking A’li-uud.
“No,” said Zuran, “but I have some time-sensitive business to take care of.”
Terrik pursed his lips. I was surprised he didn't ask what the time-sensitive business was, but then I realized he probably would find out without Zuran even knowing it. “Make sure to see me before you leave,” Terrik said. There was a roll beneath his tone that hinted at a growling warning.
Zuran inclined his head, though only by a centimeter or two, then tightened his grip on my hand and started to cross the room. The A’li-uud with his head hanging down over the table looked up before we were even close enough to speak, but the expression on his face did not change. I knew he recognized Zuran, though, when he tilted his chin downward slightly. He waited until we were beside him, and then he plucked his cup from the table and said into it, “Long time.”
Zuran: A Paranormal Sci-Fi Alien Romance: Albaterra Mates Book 6 Page 14
