“Chances are they haven’t been here long,” V’rex said. “Probably don’t even know where the Eye is hidden. You have the clues on your map, right?”
Penny nodded.
“It’s supposed to be in the deepest, darkest place in the mountain. Although I’m not sure how we’ll tell which spot is the deepest and the darkest in there. Mount Ra’gar is huge.” She motioned at the vast gray peak in front of them. “Also, I’m not sure how well I’m going to survive the cold out there. Kat had made me a warm-suit to wear that was supposed to keep me insulated but I lost it when the NeverBreeders captured me.”
“You won’t need to worry about the cold—not unless we’re here for over a week or so,” V’rex told her.
“What? Why not?” Penny asked.
“Because my lust-honey is still in your system.” He looked away as he spoke, busying himself with the ship’s controls and not meeting her eyes. “It will keep you warm enough—it works as a kind of biological antifreeze. Of course if we end up staying here for an extended length of time…”
“Then…you’d have to sting me again?” Penny asked in a small voice. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings but the idea of going through that fiery agony again was too much.
“No.” V’rex’s face hardened. “Then we’d have to go before you froze. I cannot sting you again under any circumstances—we are Foresworn, remember?”
“How could I forget?” Penny tried not to let the bitterness slip into her tone but it was hard not to. She still felt blindsided by the sudden way the big Hybrid had broken things off with her.
Although at least he’s willing to come along and help me with my mission, she reminded herself. That’s something, at least.
“You should be fine,” V’rex said, ignoring her comment. “I’ve stung you three times in the past two days. That’s enough lust-honey in your system to keep you from freezing for quite a while.”
“Okay…thanks,” Penny said numbly, not sure what else to say.
“Of course, we’ll still replicate you a fur body suit,” V’rex said casually. “One for me too. It will help us keep warm and fit in with the Fox’ens.”
“A fur bodysuit?” Penny asked, raising her eyebrows.
“The Fox’ens have a natural fur coat,” V’rex explained. “And they tend to get along better with people who emulate them. They consider it a form of flattery when ‘hairless ones’ as they sometimes call us, dress to look like them.” He frowned. “Might have the replicator whip a couple of fur hats for us, too. Couldn’t hurt.”
Penny shook her head as he finished locking the controls and went to the back of the ship, where the replicator was located. A fur body suit and a fur hat? Was she going to an archeology dig or to a Furry convention?
“Guess I’ll find out,” she muttered to herself and followed the big Hybrid.
Ninety-Eight
“There—now we look like people the Fox’ens will want to barter with.” V nodded in approval as he looked at himself in the 3-D viewer. He was wearing a tight-fitting bodysuit made of sleek, white fur that went all the way to his wrists and ankles. He had on a pair of warm fur boots as well, in the same color, and a white fur hat with fake fur ears that pointed straight up to mimic polite attention in the Fox’en society.
“Are you sure about this?” Penelope looked down at herself uncertainly. She was wearing an exact duplicate of V’s outfit except hers was made of sleek black fur instead of white. V thought the perky little fur ears at the top of her hat made her look fucking adorable.
“Sure, I’m sure,” he said. “Told you, I’ve had dealings with them before.”
“But I feel like I’m going to a Furry Convention!” she protested.
“A what?” V frowned at her.
“Oh, it’s a thing on Earth. A bunch of people who like to dress up like animals and get together and hang out together.” Her voice dropped. “And sometimes have sex, I’m pretty sure.”
“They have sex while dressed as animals?” V shook his head. “Sometimes I think I’ll never understand humans.”
“Well, we’re not all into that,” Penelope protested. “But still, I just feel…weird in this getup.” She nodded at herself in the viewer.
“Better get used to it,” V advised. “Do you want to be able to get in there and get the Eye or not?”
“Of course, I do!” she said.
“Then you’ll wear the outfit.” V frowned. “Now what have I got I can bring with me to barter with?” He snapped his fingers. “Of course! I got some bars of rare Silka spice the last time I hit a slave ship.”
“A what?” Penelope frowned.
“I like to harass the Kindred but it’s the slavers who are my main targets,” V explained. “I set the poor bastards they kidnapped free, set the slavers themselves adrift, and take whatever pretty items they’ve collected along the way as payment for my good deed.”
Going to the safe in the wall of the room—which happened to be his home office—he pressed his hand to the print identifier. The door hummed as it read his print then clicked open to reveal a small fortune in precious gems, rare currency, and luxury items. He chose a few things to put into a furry black pouch, including the carved wooden box of Silka spice sticks.
Opening the box, he looked to make certain the six delicate sticks were unbroken. They lay in narrow grooves on a bright orange velvet cushion, which made their indigo blue coloring even more intense.
“What is that stuff?” Penelope asked, coming forward to look at the open box curiously. She sniffed cautiously. “Smells like a combination of cinnamon, cardamom, and curry powder.”
“Silka spice is one of the rarest substances in the known universe,” V told her. “It’s said to give true visions of future or accurate answers to any question you ask before you take
