did remember that wearing their clothes and smelling similarly meant being marked. Her orientation training in the Fleet had covered every warrior race known to the Alliance, particularly the ones most likely to challenge the Fleet and support the rebellion, and the Xaravians had been at the top of the most-troublesome list. EJ regretted suggesting they cuddle up, since it might have given him ideas. If there wasn’t a chance of her staying on the Sraibur, there wasn’t any reason to play that card.
Still, though... As she fussed with the too-big robe and caught him watching her ass as they walked, she had to admit that the Xaravian was a tasty treat in a giant, scaly package. Did she want to risk just having fun with him? They’d no doubt have a lot of time to kill. Sex definitely beat moving cargo around.
EJ tripped over the giant robe for the fifth time and bit her lip as Nokx chuckled behind her. She scowled at him and raised her arms to demonstrate how long the sleeves were. “This is ridiculous.”
“It is ridiculous because you’re not wearing it correctly.” He smiled with half his mouth, then stepped in and his hands went everywhere.
She stared as he pulled the robe off, somehow tied up parts of it and wrapped it through other parts, then whipped it around her and tied it firmly with a knotted belt. EJ looked down at herself and the gold-brown robe that no longer dragged on the floor. She no longer looked like she’d been hit with a shrink ray. “Well, you could have done that to start with.”
“I’ll remember that.”
She looked at him sharply but he’d already started walking, his grip on her shoulder dragging her along. EJ shivered but it definitely wasn’t from the cool air. He was too competent. A male like that wouldn’t be distracted from his mission, which meant her opportunities to escape and avoid the Hollbrd would be few and far between. That meant she had to plan and keep searching for an advantage, a distraction.
Nokx paused outside yet another sliding door, looking down at her with a faint frown, then studied her from head to toe. “Stay close to me. Do not laugh.”
“What? Why can’t I laugh?” Not that she expected him to be cracking jokes and making merry. It was still an odd thing to say. Telling her not to make eye contact, not to make certain gestures or show the bottom of her foot... Those would have been understandable. But was laughter offensive to Xaravians?
His eyes narrowed but he opened the door. “It is too... intriguing.”
EJ was still processing what that had to do with anything when he stepped into the room and she could see what awaited around his shoulder: a ton more Xaravians. EJ’s heart sank. She wasn’t afraid, not really. Well, not any more than she would have been walking into any small room filled with male barbarians. The fact that she was the only female in there just made it even clearer how out of her element she actually was.
When Nokx went to a small side table without any other occupants, dragging her along, all motion and chatter in the room stopped. EJ imagined she even heard the clatter of utensils hitting plates as jaws dropped all around. All hints of joviality disappeared from Nokx’s expression, and he turned a hard look on the other diners. The younger ones gulped and turned loudly back to their meals, though plenty cast surreptitious glances in her direction.
EJ was suddenly glad she wore Nokx’s robe. She wedged herself behind him to stay as far out of sight as possible, but he directed her into a chair against the wall and handed her the ordering panel. “Pick what you want.”
She fiddled with the high-tech gadget, pretending not to notice all the attention she drew. She’d never wanted to be the center of attention, even before she joined the Fleet and got sucked into the Information Ministry. Nothing good ever came of being the focus of a room like that.
Nokx hunkered down in the chair next to her, keeping himself between her and the room of males, his semi-familiar bulk a comfort. He bristled and took up a lot more room than she remembered, and his scales rippled between deep blue and flashes of red and orange. EJ struggled to concentrate on the ordering panel and flipped through the various options while still keeping part of her attention on Nokx. His