Daughter of the Alien Warrior - Honey Phillips Page 0,50
carrying baskets and pushing small hand carts, while the colorful butterfly-like creatures that were the Trevelorian equivalent of birds swooped and danced overhead. At last, she spotted him on the far side of the market, his broad shoulders and gleaming green skin obvious even from a distance. Should she join him? He had seemed very firm about her remaining where she was.
As she debated, he stepped to one side and she saw who he was talking to. It was one of the furry aliens from the auction. A bead of cold sweat trickled down her back. He looked so much like the one who had tried to buy her.
It’s a different species, she reminded herself. You don’t know them well enough to pick out one in particular.
But then he raised his hand towards Inzen and she saw the gleam of metal around his wrist. Even from this distance, the red-tipped spikes were unmistakable. Her heart beat so rapidly that her chest ached. Lord Gokan. Why was he here? And more importantly, what was he doing with Inzen?
The alien pulled out a small bag and tipped it into Inzen’s outstretched palm. Jewels cascaded from the bag, the light catching on their multitude of facets. Inzen’s hand closed around them, and she realized that Gokan was paying him. But for what?
A moment later, the male waved his hands in the air, sketching out the curves of a woman’s body as he laughed. He was too far away for her to hear, but she remembered the sound of his laughter all too well—and she remembered what he had said.
He would find her.
The memory of his hands around her neck cut off her breathing. She had to escape. Now.
Inzen tried to hide his disgust as the Ruijin male chatted amiably about his journey to Trevelor. The Ruijin were also a warrior race, but they valued brutality more than discipline and he had little respect for them. However, he did trust their ability to protect his purchase. When his jeweler had suggested that this male—Gokan—bring his purchase, he hadn’t hesitated. Now, he was beginning to regret the decision.
“You brought them?” he asked impatiently as the male continued to ramble on.
“Of course I did. I had intended to make a trip to Trevelor anyway so when I heard that someone was looking for a courier, the timing was perfect.”
Gokan started to slap Inzen on the back and his tail automatically intercepted the movement, clamping down on the male’s wrist.
“No need for that. I was just being friendly.” The male grinned, showing a mouthful of fangs, but Inzen could read the irritation in his eyes.
“I am anxious to conclude our business.”
“Of course. Here they are.”
The Ruijin opened his pouch and poured the gemstones into Inzen’s hand. Perfect. He was especially delighted with the stones that matched Jade’s eyes. Trevelor was a fine planet, but they did not possess any naturally occurring crystals, let alone ones worthy of his mate. He had arranged to purchase these from a jeweler on Driguera instead.
“May I ask why you wanted the jewels?”
“It is for a mating bracelet,” he said briefly. Gokan threw back his head and laughed.
“Ah, a female.” He made the shape of the female body in the air between them. “In these troubled times, you are lucky to possess one.” He bared his fangs. “I thought I had found one, but she escaped my grasp. That’s why I’m here.”
Inzen frowned at him, not liking the other male’s phrasing. “You are aware that it is a crime to pursue an unwilling female on Trevelor?”
The fake smile reappeared. “Of course. It’s just natural female hesitation. They all need a little… persuasion, you know.”
His tail quivered as a chill ran down his spine. He nodded curtly, already deciding that he would notify the authorities as soon as they parted.
“I must return to my family.”
“Of course. With so few Cire females, you can’t keep one waiting, eh?”
He started to slap Inzen’s back again then drew back his hand in time. Inzen made no attempt to correct his assumptions about his mate but nodded again and went to find his mate and his daughter.
But when he returned to the property office, they were gone.
Chapter Nineteen
Hands shaking, Jade ducked inside the small property office, trying to make sense of what she had seen. Why was Inzen accepting all of those jewels from the alien who had tried to purchase her? Her pulse raced as she remembered being at the male’s mercy.
She had to get away