to say something sarcastic like she always did but the silence dragged on. She dropped her gaze to her feet and my stomach clenched. I could see a large wound just above her right temple, her scalp torn wide and blood still oozing from it.
“Did the Emirans do that?” Krey pointed to her head.
“No.” She glanced quickly at me. “I tripped and banged my head in the ship.”
“Do not believe a word she says, Krey,” I said. “Every word that comes from her mouth is a lie.”
She winced and the hurt that crossed her face immediately made me want to take back what I said. Instead, I said, “What do you have to say for yourself, human?”
She pressed her lips together. “I told you I was a liar.”
“You did. I suppose it is my fault for not believing you.”
“No,” she said. “Everything that’s happened is my fault. I’m sorry, Galan. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You did not,” I said. “You mean nothing to me, human.”
Her face went white and regret poured through me. “Human, I -”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said dully. “I get it.”
The other female, Inara, put her arm around Ellis’s shoulders. “Ellis only did this to -”
“Be quiet, Inara,” Ellis said.
“Ellis -”
“I said be quiet.” A bit of colour had returned to Ellis’s face and she was giving the other female a pointed look. “Don’t say anything else.”
“Neither of you say anything,” Krey said. “Not until we are back on our ship. Move.”
They followed Krey out of the room, Ellis refusing to look at me as she passed. The Emirans gave them a wide berth and while normally I was amused by the Emiran’s queasiness about humans, this time I found nothing funny in the situation.
We walked in silence to the docking bay of the Emiran’s ship. Krey turned to Gwandole. “Thank you for rescuing our females. Once your war with the Cillades ends -”
Every Emiran in the room spat on the floor at the mere mention of the Cillades. I rolled my eyes and Krey wiped some stray spittle from his pants before opening the cargo hold of our ship. “When the war ends, we will send men to repair our broken ship.”
“Wait,” Gwandole said when Krey tried to usher Ellis and Inara onto our ship. “There is still the matter of our payment.”
“Payment?” I raised my eyebrows at Gwandole. “For what?”
“For rescuing your females. For storing your broken ship,” Gwandole said. “We should receive something in return, should we not?”
“You have received plenty from us,” Krey said. “How many times have we assisted you in your silly wars with the Cillades?”
The Emirans spat in disgust and Krey gave Gwandole a tight grin. “No doubt, our assistance will be required again in this war.”
Gwandole scowled, the middle digit on his right hand tapping away at his chest. “We will take one of the females as payment.”
“Like Krono you will,” I said, automatically stepping in front of Ellis.
“You have no use for them,” Krey said.
“Not true,” Gwandole said. “The human females sell for a hefty price in the Peleus system. Consider the price we will receive for her as payment for storing your ship.”
He studied Inara and Ellis before pointing to Inara. “We will take the big one.”
Four of the Emirans stepped toward her and Krey’s tail lashed out, wrapping around Inara’s waist and tugging her back until she was pressed against him. His arm joined his tail around her waist in a possessive grip and his other hand dropped to the handle of his sword.
“The female belongs to me. Touch her and you’ll regret it.” His voice was soft but already I could hear the bloodlust in it. The only thing Krey loved more than fighting was fucking.
Gwandole tapped at his chest again. “There are only two of you and,” he glanced around the docking bay, “many of us. Surely one little female is not worth this quarrel.”
“She belongs to me,” Krey said, “and you cannot have her.”
“You are outnumbered,” Gwandole said.
I rested my hand on my own sword. “There has been peace between us for many years. Will you destroy that over a woman and a broken ship?”
“Do you think you can defeat all of us?” Gwandole said.
“Yes.” Krey’s voice didn’t waver. “Try to take my female, Gwandole, and your ears will ring with the screams of your dying brothers.”
Fear flickered across Gwandole’s face and he waved the others back. “Fine. Take your females, but your king will hear of your insolence toward me.”
Krey