Well, he made it sound so…wrong. “It’s not that simple. It’s just…” How could she explain it to him?
“’Cause if you didn’t have to take care of me, then Master wouldn’t be able to make you do all those nasty things you have to do every night.”
She pulled away from him to meet his gaze. “Don’t you dare call him master. He never was, nor will he ever be, your master. Do you understand?”
He nodded.
“You may call him sir because he’s your elder. Or even Mr. Nijiaira. But you don’t address anyone as master ever again.”
She’d been teaching him Earth customs and ways since he came into her care. Master was not in his current vocabulary.
“Sorry. I forgot.”
She hugged him closer. “You’re Maximillion Miller, don’t ever forget that.”
He grinned and chuckled. “I think I want to change my name to Gazillion. You can call me Gazi for short. Gazi Miller,” he said with pride.
“I don’t think gazillion is even a true number. Who told you about that anyway?”
“Yoshi. She said trillion is more than a million and gazillion is more than both of those.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Let’s just stick with Max.” She placed a kiss on his forehead. “And just so you know, I do what I do because I love you and it means you’ll be safe. If your mother were here, she wouldn’t hesitate to do it, so I won’t either.”
She got up, letting him slide off her lap to his feet.
“Really?”
“Really. That’s what mothers are for,” she added.
“Mothers protect their babies,” he said firmly.
“And daddies too,” she confirmed.
There had been many nights when he’d cried for a mother and father he no longer remembered. The only thing Ally could do was hold him and promise that she would take over where his parents had left off. Assuring him time and again that his parents had loved him; there had been no doubt in her mind that they had. She told him they would have given him the world on a silver platter if they’d been given a chance.
“Will I have a daddy one day too?”
All the air seemed to leave her lungs at once. Her heart felt as if it splintered into a million pieces.
Jim would’ve made the perfect dad.
She tried to hide the assault of pain behind a smile. “Right now the Miller family consists of me and you.”
Holding his hand, she led him to the small bed the two of them shared. It wasn’t much but it meant something to Max. He couldn’t remember having a bed before. Alharad had made him sleep on a blanket on the floor at the foot of his bed.
He sat cross-legged on the bed and pulled his box of toys next to him. “Don’t forget to tell Yoshi to come visit.”
“I won’t. But if she comes, I want you two to keep it down. The walls have ears,” she said, referring to the females who spied for Alharad, doing anything to win his favor.
“We’ll be like itty-bitty sokals,” he said, speaking in a high-pitched tone. He wiggled his fingers in front of his face, referring to the animals that reminded her of mice, only smaller.
“Yuck. Remember, no leaving.”
“No leaving,” he repeated.
She pressed the handle of the knife she wasn’t supposed to have into his little palm. He took it and slipped it under the blanket. When she returned, she would take it from him and put it back in its hiding spot. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to use it, but if any of the guards came for him, he had strict instructions to stab them right in the eye and let her handle the rest.
She quietly shut the door behind her. After leaving, she made her way to the main slave quarters. She passed a few slaves on her way, some human, more not. She ignored them just as they ignored her. Everyone had their place in Alharad’s brothel and seemed not to welcome mixing. Alharad didn’t try to encourage it either.
She slowed her pace as she approached the room Yoshioka shared with a few of the other slaves…including one who used to be a seamstress, and occasionally still plied her trade in the brothel.
Reaching down, Ally tore a little piece of her clothing, causing a rip up the seam on the side of her leg. No one would question it. Alharad invested in the cheapest clothing he could find. As far as he was concerned, all of his slaves could walk around naked anyway. The only reason they didn’t was because he thought the customers seemed to prefer the costumes.
Satisfied with her destruction, she rang the bell outside Yoshi’s room and waited. After a few more minutes, she rang it again. Deciding no one was there, she turned and was two steps away before the door slid open.
“Ally?” a small voice asked in surprise.
She turned around, but didn’t go back. She could tell why Max was enthralled with her. Yoshi was a beautiful little Japanese girl. Her straight black hair hung past her shoulders. Her dark eyes seemed much older than her years and spoke volumes about what she’d witnessed. Although her frame was wiry, she had small muscles from running through the compound, doing Alharad’s bidding.
“Is anyone in your room with you?” Ally asked.
Yoshioka shook her head.
“Max won’t be able to visit.”
The little girl’s face dropped.
“But I told him that if you were free, you could visit with him in our room.”
“I can?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, but only if you are quiet and don’t let anyone see you coming or going.”
“Let me get my toys first.” She started to turn away.
“No.” Ally put up her hand. “Wait until I leave. Then you go, okay?”
Yoshi nodded. Ally left, walking down the hallway, this time without passing anyone. Guilt tried to rear its ugly head but she buried it. She couldn’t take in all the orphans. No matter how sorry she felt for them or how cute they were. She just couldn’t.
Before entering the waiting room, where she would line up with the rest of the whores to be picked for the evening, she grabbed the torn ends of her skirt and tied them into a knot. She snorted. It’s not like any of the brothel customers would notice anyway.
As she walked through the entryway, her senses heightened. The room currently held only fifteen customers. Those were the early birds, as she referred to them. They preferred to pick out their favorite whores before the rest of the customers arrived. Luckily for her, she didn’t have any regulars. She wasn’t anyone’s favorite. The thought almost made her laugh out loud.
She wasn’t anyone’s favorite because they came here to fuck, not fight.
Yes, she upheld her end of the bargain. She fucked his customers and hadn’t killed or maimed anyone. But she hadn’t promised she would be nice to any of them. No, that would take another bargain.
Although she didn’t laugh, she smiled as she made her way to the lounge area, where the rest of the whores were waiting to be picked. As the hours passed, one by one they left and came back, while she didn’t move.
Until finally it was her turn.
A pale hand reached out for hers. She took it without thinking twice. It was a Uurosolian. He would be able to handle her mood and she would be able to handle his.
Perfect.
Chapter Five
“Try it on. Let me see what you look like in a dress.”
Eva cut her stare to Lo’Ren, who sat cross-legged on the massive bed that Eva and Taio shared. The whiteness of the blanket contrasted against Lo’Ren’s pink skin. Lo’Ren was bigger than Eva, but she still looked like a child sitting in the middle of their bed. Eva always joked that she would get lost in it and Taio wouldn’t find her until days later, shriveled up and dead.
“Don’t give me that look. You’ll eventually have to wear it,” Lo’Ren said.
Eva looked down at the dress she held. Lo’Ren was right. She’d have to wear it for Sa’Mya and Kane’s bonding ceremony. She’d tried her best to get out of it. She had even bought a white bodysuit that was too fancy to train in but would
have been perfect for the ceremony. She could still remember how Sa’Mya had shouted when she’d suggested it. A shudder ran down the back of her neck, making Eva cringe. Sweet baby Jesus, could that chick scream.
“Ugh,” Eva said.
“It won’t be that bad,” Lo’Ren coaxed. “It’s beautiful.”
“I can’t argue about that,” Eva said. The dress was so soft it felt like silky liquid between her fingers. “What kind of material is this?”
“I think its mezian. If it is, that dress is really expensive. The material it took to make one sleeve on that dress probably costs more credits than I have in my account.”
“I don’t know why she went through so much trouble. Sa’Mya knows I’ll only wear it once. And I’m taking it off right after the ceremony. Plus, even if I wanted to wear it again, I wouldn’t be able to.” Eva rubbed her oversized belly. The baby girl she carried within shifted under her hand. “In about a month this dress will be too big for me.”
Lo’Ren clapped. “Oh! Why don’t you have Mazel take the dress in for you? She could even make the new baby a matching gown. She could wear it at her acknowledgement ceremony.”
Eva tilted her head, studying the dress. She hadn’t even thought of an outfit for her baby’s acknowledgement ceremony. Taio wouldn’t allow his new daughter to wear pants, and frankly, she wasn’t ready for a battle on that one.
A little girl.
Her heart fluttered.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” she said.
“And,” Lo’Ren said as she crawled across the bed, “if there’s any leftover material, you could give it to me. I could make it into a wicked outfit.”
Eva shrugged. “Sure, but I don’t know how much will be left after Mazel has her way with it.”
Lo’Ren held a piece of the gown. “I’ll only need two strips.”
“Strips?”
Lo’Ren pushed her chest out and gave a lopsided grin. “The smaller the better. I have to show Ankon what he’s missing.”
Eva shook her head. No matter what Lo’Ren did, Ankon always seemed oblivious to her antics. “Why don’t you set your sights on someone else? You’ve been chasing Ankon for how many cycles?”
Lo’Ren looked as defiant as ever, squaring her shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll come around eventually. I can outwait him.”
Eva laughed. “I like Ankon, but I think the only reason you want him is because he’s not paying attention to you.”
“But when I show up at his room wearing mezian clothes, he won’t be able to resist me.”
“Clothes?” Eva snorted. “Didn’t you just describe the outfit as strips?”
“Clothes, strips…” Lo’Ren shrugged. “What does it matter when I plan on making him tear them off anyway?”
Eva threw her head back with a laugh. Lo’Ren had been chasing Ankon for so long that she was sure if he finally gave in, Lo’Ren wouldn’t know what to do.
Eva’s eyes settled on a purplish haze coming through her doorway. “Hey, Ship.” She held up her dress. “My dress for Sa’Mya and Kane’s bonding ceremony arrived.”
“It is nice,” he said.
“Nice?” Lo’Ren exclaimed. “Do you know how much that dress probably cost?”
“Whatever the price, I am sure Eva will look nice in it.”
Lo’Ren humphed. “When I wear a piece of it, Ankon better think I look more than just ‘nice’.”
“For what you have planned, you don’t want him thinking at all,” Eva joked.
“Right,” Lo’Ren said with a laugh.
“Although I would love to stay and talk about Lo’Ren’s never-ending quest to bed Ankon, I actually came because I have news,” Ship said.
Eva held the dress up to her body, imagining how it would look when she finally got the nerve to put it on. “News? Well, that sounds official. Did Jess have her baby?”
Jess was due any day now. It’s funny how all their pregnancies had worked out. Jess was due first, then Eva and then Sa’Mya. All three of them were expecting girls. Her baby would have instant friends.
“No, I have not heard word of her birth yet.”
“Then what’s going on?” she asked.
“I have found Allysan Miller from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Earth,” Ship said.
Ally.
Eva stiffened. The dress dropped from her hands.
She had been trying to find Ally for so long that she was almost too afraid to get her hopes up. There had been so many near misses and dead ends, but she had never given up her search.
She released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “Is she alive?”
“Yes, she is alive and living on a distant planet named Yinnis. She is the property of Alharad Nijiaira.”
She hated to even ask. “Another brothel?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
Eva’s heart felt as if it had dropped to her stomach in a fit of despair. She groaned.
Six.
From her count, that’s how many brothels Ally had belonged to since being sold by the Tresdonians on Xenaris.
She picked up the dress and tossed it on the bed. “How do I get her back? How much are they going to sell her for?” she asked impatiently.
“Eva, I did not inquire.”
“Why didn’t you find out?” she yelled, her voice bordering on hysteria.
Lo’Ren slid off the bed to stand beside her. “Calm down. Ship found her, that’s the important part.”
Eva put a shaky hand on her forehead. They found her. All they needed to do now was go get her.
“I didn’t inquire because of my known relationship with Taio. Alharad and Taio have a complicated past. It would be wise if we came up with a plan, maybe work a deal through another party? But overall, I think it’s best to inform Taio first of her whereabouts and let him decide a course of action,” Ship explained.
“That’s a good idea,” Lo’Ren joined in. “Now that we’ve found her, we’ll need a plan to get her back.”
Eva didn’t care if Lo’Ren and Ship were right or not, Taio would pay any price Ally’s owner asked. She wanted her friend back. Now. As far as she was concerned, she and Taio should be boarding the Saia II right now and rescuing Ally.
Eva started for the door with Lo’Ren following her. “I have to tell Taio. We have to get going. Do you know how long she’s been there?” she asked, afraid Ally’s new owner would have plans to sell her again.
“She has been there longer than she was at the others,” Ship said.
She walked as fast as she could to where she knew she’d find Taio—the training field. “That could mean two things. The owner will soon sell her again or she’s a prized possession. I don’t like it either way.”
“I have already enlisted Kiehle’s help. He’s in that sector and is keeping a close eye on the comings and goings on Yinnis. We won’t lose her again.”
“Thank you, Ship. I’m sorry for yelling at you. If I could, I would give you a kiss,” she said.
“Although Taio and Josanis enjoy your kisses, I will have to pass,” Ship said dryly. “Are you forgetting about Sa’Mya’s bonding ceremony? I think it would upset her greatly if you did not show.”
Eva bit out a curse. She’d forgotten just that fast. “Sa’Mya will understand. She knows how important this is to me. Maybe they can push their ceremony back?”
Lo’Ren shook her head. “She can’t. If she has the baby before she and Kane are bonded, he can’t legally claim the child.”
Eva pressed open the door leading outside. “What? That’s a fucked-up rule. She’s the queen, can’t she change it?”
“Instead of focusing our energy on trying to change laws of different species…” Ship began.
“Right. We should focus on who is going to make the trip to retrieve Ally,” Lo’Ren finished.
Eva stepped out into the hot air. They hadn’t been living on Drazlan for very long, and she still hadn’t gotten used to how humid it was on this planet. She
had thought Sonis was hot. But it hadn’t compared to this kind of stifling heat.
Sheesh. She waited a minute, trying to catch her breath. She inhaled deeply, allowing her nostrils to flare. Lo’Ren and Ship waited patiently for her. Once she had enough air filling her lungs, she started forward.
“And while we’re on the subject of pregnancies, I don’t think Taio will allow you to travel such a distance while you are pregnant,” he continued.
Eva shielded her eyes with a hand, trying to block out the brightness of the suns. “How far away is she?”
“A light-year,” Ship said.
Lo’Ren whistled low.
“And how long would it take me to get there and back?”
“A round-trip would take a month, and only if the negotiations for her release are without complications.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. That would be cutting it close to her due date. She doubted she would have enough time to go to Ally, negotiate her release and come back. And that’s if she didn’t deliver early like she had with Josanis. Shit.
“I hate to break it to you,” Lo’Ren said. “But Taio isn’t going to let you give birth anywhere but on Sonis or Drazlan.”
Eva remembered when she went into labor with Josanis. They had been on Laconia rescuing Sa’Mya from her crazy uncle. Right after her contractions began, Taio had whisked her into his arms, declaring that his son wouldn’t be born anywhere but on Sonis soil, and they had broken all kinds of speed records in order to get back home on time. He definitely wouldn’t let her travel that far away if there was a chance they wouldn’t make it back for the baby’s birth.
“It’s been so long. I want to be the one to get her,” she said.
“I don’t think it would really matter who rescues her.”
“Ship’s right. A rescue is a rescue,” Lo’Ren added.
As they walked farther from the palace, the suns seemed to become hotter and hotter. In all the excitement, she’d forgotten to don protective clothing.
Lo’Ren didn’t have to worry about the sun as much as Eva did. Her pink-colored flesh had natural UV protection embedded under the layers. Her people had skin that was able to shield out all the impurities caused by living on Bri’El, a colony on an asteroid.
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