Polly had been scrubbed clean. Long dark hair framed a pale, extraordinarily innocent looking face. She was not only clean, but wearing a short, floaty dress in pale blue. She blushed as they all stared at her and took a tighter grip on Njkall’s hand.
“Njkall gave me a bath,” she said proudly.
Varga felt Joan tense, but before she could say anything, Njkall added calmly. “At her request, of course.”
Joan sighed but remained silent. Varga looked at the other male and realized that despite Njkall’s apparent serenity, there was an underlying strain on the male’s face.
“And we’re moving to the resort,” Polly added.
“But why?” Joan asked. “I don’t understand.”
“I… I don’t feel safe here. I know we stopped that male today, but what if someone like him comes again? I don’t want to be anywhere near town.”
“But—” Joan started again, and he put a hand on her arm. She looked at him, then sighed and nodded. “Of course, Polly. If that’s what you want to do.”
“Does this mean that there is housing there?” he asked.
Njkall nodded. “The staff quarters are almost completed. Perhaps the two of you would care to join us?”
“What do you think, sweetheart?”
She smiled up at him, and he suspected that she was secretly as relieved as Polly to be getting away from town. “I’d like that.”
Izzie nodded. “I think it’s a great idea. That way you’ll be right there to make sure everything goes as planned with the restaurant and the kitchens.”
“You mean you’re giving me the job?” Joan’s eyes lit with pleasure.
“Of course. And we can still come visit you—we have the most marvelous sleigh,” Izzie added with a smile at Baralt.
“It is time for another ride,” his friend agreed.
The conversation turned towards the plans for the restaurant. Varga watched as his mate laughed and talked while she cooked, while the kitchen filled with delicious aromas. They were surrounded by their friends, and his mate was safe and happy.
For the first time since he had left Sorvid, he was truly home.
Epilogue
Four months later...
Varga looked up as his replacement entered the security room of the resort and gave a relieved sigh.
“I thought you were going to be late.”
Harwit, an overly serious Hothian male, frowned at him. “I am never late. Is there anything I should know?”
“No, everything was quiet.”
As usual. He had taken this job as a way of occupying his time while Joan was working in the restaurant, but it turned out to be much more boring than he had anticipated. He would never dream of complaining to Joan when she seemed to be enjoying her work so much, but he had to find something else to do.
He was still turning over the possibilities as he entered their quarters. Joan had not yet returned, and he was about to go to the kitchen to meet her when the communication panel chimed.
With a frown, he opened the vid link, then blinked when he saw the Elginar who had taken over the Derian ship while Varga went after Joan.
“Manam. I did not expect to hear from you again.”
“I wasn’t planning to contact you, but…” The Elginar frowned and rubbed his head, and Varga realized that the other male was letting his hair grow out to cover his tattooed scalp.
“But?” he urged.
“It took several trips to return the other slaves to their desired destinations. There’s not a lot to do while we’re in space so I started digging deeper into the logs.” Troubled blue eyes looked back at him. “There are more.”
“More?”
“More human females. It looks as though some of the Derians have been picking up a female or two each trip for some time—and I think they are getting bolder.”
Fuck. He hated the idea of more females subject to the horrors of slavery, but he wasn’t sure what one person could do.
“What are you going to do?” Manam asked, echoing his thoughts.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Do you know where any of them are now?”
“Not yet. I will continue to search—the puzzle intrigues me—but once I find them…” Manam shrugged. “I’m not the hero type.”
“I’m not either.” But despite his denial, the notion had an unexpected appeal. It certainly sounded more exciting than monitoring an empty snow-covered plain or making sure that ridiculously wealthy people didn’t suffer from their own stupidity. But Joan was happy here and he couldn’t take that away from her. “Please let me know when you find out more.”
“I will.” Manam signed off, but Varga sat staring at the blank screen until Joan came home. She was carrying George—the lizard frequently kept her company in the kitchen—and as soon as Joan put the little creature down, she headed for her basket by the heater with a sleepy chirp.
“I think these late nights are too much for George,” Joan laughed as she came to join him. “You’re looking thoughtful. Is something wrong?”
“No, just thinking. How was dinner?”
“Long,” she sighed. “Tiring.”
“Would you like me to run you a bath?”
“Not that kind of tiring. It’s more… restlessness. I’m too wound up to sleep.”
She gave him a provocative look, and his cock immediately hardened. “Perhaps I can assist?”
“Only if you can catch me.”
She darted off towards the bedroom, and he let her get halfway there before he caught her, throwing her over his shoulder as she squealed with laughter. He gave a firm smack to her luscious ass and felt her quiver with excitement as the sweet scent of her arousal filled the air.
He carried her into the bedroom and proceeded to make sure that she would have absolutely no trouble sleeping.
The next evening, Joan made one last check of the gleaming kitchen and headed for the door.
