a female.”
Once again he started to turn away, but at Maakin’s words, the human had raised her head, and now their eyes met. Hers were as wide and blue as a saachi flower. That’s what her scent reminded him of, he realized, the rare exotic flowers that lived in the highest reaches of the trees on his home world. She didn’t speak, but he could see the tension in her narrow shoulders.
“A very reasonable amount,” Maakin pressed, seeing him hesitate.
“I am leaving the planet today.” He should already be on his way. Why was he still lingering?
“Even better. A…companion for the journey.”
The male gave him a lewd wink, and disgust filled him. He shook his head and took a step.
“Please…”
The soft whisper just reached him, but he looked back to find the female staring at him with painful intensity. Her hands gripped the bars of her cage so tightly that he could see the fragile bones beneath the dirty skin. Fuck. He knew what it was like to be trapped and caged.
An almost forgotten compassionate impulse had him opening his mouth before he could reconsider. “I’ll take her.”
“Excellent.” Maakin rubbed his hands together in greedy pleasure. “Now about the price—”
He tossed him a Kaisarian ducat—solid gold and sufficient to buy his whole establishment—and the male’s mouth dropped open.
“Does she have any clothing?” Aidon asked.
“A few items, but of course that would be extra.”
He growled, the low angry note of his true form, and Maakin’s eyes widened.
“Yes, Your Worship. I’ll just get them for you.”
The male hurried away while Aidon waited impatiently, annoyed at yet another delay. He would have moved on if he believed for a single moment that the bartender would honor their deal without his presence.
“Here they are.”
Aidon cast a disgusted glance at the handful of ragged, stained items but decided the matter wasn’t worth arguing about. “Release her.”
“Yes, Your Worship.” Maakin thrust a long piece of leather at him. “Her leash.”
He simply stared at the male until he coughed and turned away, fumbling nervously with his keys until he found the one to open the cage. As soon as the door swung open, the female jumped free, landing awkwardly. Aidon took a half step toward her, but she had already recovered and headed for him, keeping a wary eye on Maakin.
“Here.” Aidon thrust the bundle of clothing at her, then turned and walked out of the bar.
Once they were around a corner, he turned and looked back. She was right behind him, those striking eyes enormous in her small face. Something about her was remarkably tempting despite the dirt and the unpleasant aroma that mingled with that lush fragrance. His eyes traveled down over a rosy-tipped breast peeking through all that hair to the small patch of fiery curls between her legs before his usual sense of self-preservation kicked in. No. He had neither the time nor the resources to deal with a female right now.
“You are free now,” he said gruffly. “Stay away from the Aalzz in future.”
“But I didn’t—”
Her words trailed after him as he turned and walked away. He made it less than half a block before she called out.
“Wait. Please wait a minute.”
Even though he knew he was making a mistake, he paused and let the girl rush up to him. Gods, she was a tiny thing. In his true form, her head would barely reach his chest. Her eyes were wide and frightened, but he noticed approvingly that she’d had the sense to pull on the odd assortment of clothing and secure her distracting hair in a tight knot. At least she had some survival instincts.
“What is it?” he asked brusquely.
“What do I do now?”
“Find meaningful employment.” Even as he said the words, he realized how empty they were. He sighed. “Do you have any marketable skills?”
“I am—I was—a florist. Somehow, I doubt there’s much demand for that here. Especially since”—she fingered her ear with a disgusted expression—“this translator bug they put in my ear doesn’t extend to written language.”
“Try the local tavern,” he suggested impatiently even though a part of him cringed at the thought of this small creature in one of those rowdy establishments.
“And put myself at the mercy of some other asshole? Maybe this one won’t be satisfied with just displaying me.”
He sighed again, then pulled out a card with a tavern symbol. “Try here. The owner is decent enough. He won’t try and prostitute you—but he won’t object if you want to earn some credits that way.” He