to toss a peace sign into the air and take a sled right back home, because home is safe. Space is where the slavers roam and people treat humans like dogs…or sex toys. Ugh. But I don't want Nassakth to go alone, so I hook my hand into his belt, holding onto him, and shake my head. "No, I'll go with you. Besides, all the bots are busy harvesting the noli, so it's not like I'm needed right now."
Even the lie sounds stupid the moment it comes off my lips.
"I do not care about the crops," Nassakth tells me, glancing down at my too-smiley face. "I care about whether or not you are comfortable."
I bite back a sigh. "We both know humans aren't treated the best. By anyone. Like you said, everyone's going to think I'm your pet and you're some sort of sexual deviant for toting me around. They're going to give you weird looks…or worse, try to buy me from you. I just need to get my brain wrapped around heading back into that environment again. It'll be fine."
I'm willing to do it for him. I…trust him. Dammit. I realize I still trust him even though he buried one of my suitors in the backyard and didn't tell me about it. To think I've been sleeping alone all this last week for nothing. That's irritating.
"I will not let anyone treat you badly," Nassakth tells me. "I have decided that you are my mate, and I will tell any and all that ask that you are my mate. And if anyone tries to touch a praxiian's mate, no law will protect them." He bristles, looking positively fierce.
I soften. "You don't have to do that."
"I do. It is the truth. Why would I hide the truth from anyone?"
"To make things easier?"
"Easier for me, you mean, but not easier for you." He shakes his head. "I will not sacrifice your comfort for mine."
I smile up at him. "You're a good man. Are we…are we quartering together on the ship?"
"We must." His expression is stoic. "I will sleep on the floor, however. There is no need for you to be uncomfortable."
I bite my lip and smile up at him. "Or you can sleep with me."
Nassakth gazes down at me, eyes dark. "You want that?"
"I would like it, yes," I say shyly.
He leans in, his brushed mane tickling against my face as he moves in to whisper in my ear. "You are going to make it difficult for me to walk aboard this ship, aren't you? My cock is going to knock these fools out of the way if it grows any harder."
I giggle at that. "Try to keep your warrior under control, please. I'm not fond of others looking at what's mine."
His eyes grow warm and I can hear him purring. He strokes my shoulders and then rests his hand on the back of my neck, a possessive gesture I like far too much. "Come, then," Nassakth murmurs. "We should greet the crew before Bethiah shakes them down for more credits."
"I'm looking forward to the day we never have to see that woman again," I murmur to him.
"As am I."
We head toward the ship, and I fight down any nervousness fluttering in my belly. I trust Nassakth. He'll keep me safe. There's no need to be anxious about space flight. It's just a quick hop over to Rakhar Station, a seedy sort of place orbiting an equally seedy planet a few systems over. No big deal.
The big mesakkah crew member strolls forward as we approach. He seems to be a guarded sort, his expression unreadable. He wears a gray, form-fitting tunic tucked into a weapon belt and his trou are equally tight, showing off a muscular form. His gaze flicks over me briefly, and then settles on Nassakth. "You are our travelers?"
Interesting how he's included me in that comment. Travelers, not just traveler. Already I feel a little better.
"I am Nassakth," my mate says proudly. "This is my mate, Kim."
I don't speak up, not until I know how I'm going to be treated. Some aliens don't react kindly to humans talking, after all.
The mesakkah nods. "I am Mathiras and this is my ship, the Little Sister. Welcome aboard."
58
NASSAKTH
These men are pirates. Corsairs.
It should not surprise me, given that Bethiah has likely chosen a crew she has worked with in the past, one that will not ask questions of a praxiian living on the fringes of the known galaxy. One that is accompanied