“She says she’s fine. That Petralt arrived in time. Thank God all of you are all right. What happened?”
“Petralt found a female to rescue.”
Her eyes flew to his, and he knew she was remembering the incident with his brother. “Are you really all right?” she asked softly.
“I am. We both survived.” He looked at Petralt, bent solicitously over Mei. “And I suspect that Petralt has found his mate.”
Isabel looked a little doubtful. “She seems nice enough but isn’t it awfully quick?” she whispered.
“It doesn’t take long for a warrior to recognize his mate.” He touched her cheek. “It may take her longer but she seems pleased by his attention.”
“You’re right. In that case, I’m glad they found each other, even if this was a terrible way for it to happen.” She shook her head, then looked back at him. “What about the ones who attacked her?”
“They are no longer a threat.” He sighed. “But there are always others.”
“Why? Isn’t there any kind of law and order in Port Eyeja?”
“I’m afraid not. It’s under Imperial rule.”
“But the Empire has laws. According to what I read, no one is allowed to attack a female. You know, there’s even a whole section on the rights of slaves—not that either the Derians or Relkhei abided by them.”
“Unfortunately, the Imperial Patrol has little interest in one small spaceport, so most crimes go unpunished.”
“Why don’t the Hothians take over? I’m sure you could handle the situation.”
“Our contract with the Empire states that we are forbidden to interfere.”
“Forbidden to interfere with Imperial laws, yes—but are you forbidden to enforce them?”
Her question made him pause, and he tilted his head, considering the idea. “I don’t believe anyone has ever approached it from that aspect before.”
“Do you have a copy of the contract?”
“No, but Njkall would.” The possibilities filled him with excitement. If they could make Port Eyeja a safe place… “I will contact him immediately.”
“It’s official,” Baralt announced a few days later as he joined her in the kitchen.
“What is?”
“The Hothians are going to provide law enforcement—Imperial law enforcement—in Port Eyeja.” He hesitated. “I have agreed to lead them.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Won’t that be dangerous?”
“Not as dangerous as being a fighter. Or hunting a paxha,” he said lightly.
“You’re not helping!” She still remembered the way her heart had stopped when she saw the warrior being carried out of the underground caverns after the hunt.
His face grew serious as he touched her cheek. “My aria, I have to do this. The job is going to appeal to the young males and they will not be prepared for life outside the caves. If I can save them from what happened to Akhalt, what almost happened to Petralt…”
How could she argue when she knew how important it was to him to be able to prevent something like his brother’s death from happening again? She took a deep breath and ran her hands up his muscular chest to the broad width of his shoulders, taking comfort in his strength.
“All right then.” She forced a smile. “At least maybe now you can shut down Madam Kitula.”
The brothel owner had been to see them twice already, demanding Mei’s return, and Izzie had despised her more each time. It had only taken a short time in Mei’s company before Izzie had realized that the girl was as sweet as she appeared and totally unsuited for that line of work.
“I’m afraid prostitution isn’t illegal.”
“Selling your daughter to pay a debt should be,” she said indignantly. Mei’s father had done just that, which was how Mei had ended up in Port Eyeja.
“It should,” he agreed, and she sighed.
“What are we going to do? Petralt will never give her up, but Madam Kitula seems equally determined.”
Laughter danced in his eyes. “Petralt has decided to take Mei back to the caves with him.”
“Really? What happened to the excitement of the port and wanting to expand his horizons?”
“I suspect finding a mate is excitement enough for him. I know it was for me.”
She rewarded him with a kiss that got rapidly out of hand, and she was breathless by the time he finally lifted his head. For someone who had never kissed before, he had certainly mastered the art. From the gleam in his eyes, he intended to do more than just kiss her, but she was determined to get the full story first.
“Where are they going to live? Didn’t you tell me he didn’t have a family cave?”
“He doesn’t. I invited him to share ours—if it’s all right with you, of course.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. There’s plenty of space, and we’re hardly there. It doesn’t seem like Zemma is going back anytime soon either.”
The tribe had not been as accepting of Strax as they had been of Izzie. Perhaps it was because of the already limited number of females, but Zemma’s announcement that she intended to mate with Strax had been met with cool disapproval.
When Njkall had promised to speak on her behalf, Zemma had simply shrugged. “I hope that will change with time. At least they haven’t banned us. For right now, we’re going to live in Port Eyeja anyway.”
With a little help from Baralt, Zemma was officially opening a small jewelry shop. She and Strax would be living above it.
“As long as I still have my family,” Zemma had continued, “I don’t care what the rest of the tribe thinks.”
“You will always have us,” Izzie had assured her.
Now she gave an exaggerated sigh. “Petralt’s moving out. Zemma’s moving out. It’s just going to be the two of us. All alone in this big house. Whatever are we going to do?”
Baralt’s eyes gleamed. “There are some advantages to having the house to ourselves.”
“There are?” she asked innocently. “I can’t think of any.”
“If I need to see my mate’s beauty, there is no one around to stop me.”
He reached out and flicked a claw across the top of her blouse. The fabric fluttered to the ground, leaving
