case she went crazy and tried to run or attack someone, and nodded to Faros. “Found a stowaway near the brig.”
Faros’s silver eyes flashed and his scales reddened still more as he considered the Earther in front of him. “Why are you on my ship?”
EJ tensed and Nokx squeezed her shoulder to remind her not to run. Some of her puffed-up anger deflated and she lost a bit of the bravado that had animated her when she was trying to distract him in the old brig. “I needed to get off the port, and your ship seemed like a good option.”
“My ship?” Faros snorted. “Out of all the ships on that dock, you thought a small cutter full of Xaravians was your best option? How damaged is your brain?”
She tensed again and Nokx tightened his grip in warning. The girl was determined to get herself in more trouble. She couldn’t seem to read Faros’s body language or understand why Harzt glared. Or if she did, she didn’t care. He’d seen the other Earthers be surprisingly reckless with their safety, particularly given how vulnerable they were to all manner of things, so perhaps it was a trait of the species. Not that Violet or Gemma thought they were unreasonable about putting themselves in danger. They didn’t even acknowledge the risk.
He dragged his attention back as EJ’s voice trailed off in explaining her reasoning, and Faros’s head tilted back so he could stare at the ceiling. He looked at Harzt and gripped the arms of his chair. “Have we put out a beacon to signal Earther females to jump on this ship? We seem to be attracting them at a disconcerting rate. If the trend continues, we’ll have more females than Xaravians on here before the year is out.”
Nokx snorted, shaking his head, and EJ glanced over his shoulder at him with an uneasy expression. He should have turned her back around to face the captain, since her fate wasn’t in his hands, but somehow his brain short-circuited and his hearts jumped and he ended up patting her head to reassure her.
Which only drew a sharp look from Harzt. Faros was unimpressed, frowning as he studied the girl and debated what to do with her. Nokx looked at the captain and said blandly, “I could take her to Violet so she can weigh in.”
“There’s no need for that,” Faros muttered. His eyes narrowed as he studied Nokx, searching for the joke.
Nokx spent most of his time since joining the Sraibur being easygoing and laid-back. A joker as much as possible, though someone who was competent and professional when the need arose. He didn’t like to cause trouble as much as Faros himself, but Nokx was a close second. He figured it was only a matter of time until Harzt accused him of bringing the stowaway on board. It was better if he just kept his mouth shut until the captain decided what to do with the stowaway.
Faros stretched his legs out in front of him and tilted his head as he evaluated EJ from head to toe, though he spoke to the security officer. “Harzt, what should we do with her?”
“Jettison at the soonest opportunity,” Harzt said. But there wasn’t as much heat in his voice and his scales had returned to a neutral blue-gray, so Nokx wasn’t worried about the security officer trying to enforce the punishment. Maybe he’d gotten a good enough look at the Earther to realize she posed no real threat.
Although they’d thought that about Gemma, right before she drugged Wyzak and kidnapped him to surrender for a huge bounty from the Tyboli. Nokx eyed the back of EJ’s head. Those Earthers seemed unpredictable even in the best circumstances.
Faros grunted, unimpressed, and glanced at Nokx. “And you? Why shouldn’t I jettison you, too?”
“Me?” Nokx blinked. “What did I do?”
“You were guarding the cargo bay,” Faros said, his eyes narrowed. “And then you conveniently found the stowaway once we were away from the port. Why should I believe you didn’t find the girl on the port and entice her onto the ship?”
Nokx laughed, stepping back from EJ, and shrugged. “I don’t need the aggravation. Believe me.”
The captain grunted, unconvinced, and kept eyeing Nokx as if he expected some other explanation to be forthcoming. Like Nokx would suddenly admit to having lured an unsuspecting female onto the Sraibur. Faros finally gestured at EJ herself. “Well, what do you have to say for yourself? What’s your name? Where do you come