“Yeah?” I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “Well, the Zagrath also live longer than humans do.”
“And rule the galaxy,” Tannel grumbled, then caught himself. “Not that I mean I don’t—“
“I’m not going to turn you in.” I lowered my voice so the passing soldiers couldn’t hear me. “I know not everyone likes living under imperial rule.”
He let out a relieved breath. “So, why do you work for them again?”
“The same reason you live on one of their outposts.”
He cocked his head at me. “You have no choice.”
“Does anyone have a choice when it comes to the Empire?” I asked. “At least they pay well.”
“For supply runners, maybe. Not if you run a repair shop.” Tannel peered up at my ship. “When are you going to take me with you?”
I stifled a sigh. As much as I enjoyed my time spent rolling around in bed with the Rellarian, I could never take him with me. For all he knew, I delivered supplies from one imperial planet to the next. He had no clue that I left a trail of dead imperial enemies in my wake. I had a feeling it would sour our relationship if he knew I could snap his neck in a matter of seconds.
“Come on,” I slapped at his chest. “You’d miss all this. There are no menashi in space.”
He held my gaze. “But you’re there.”
Oh, boy. I did my best to keep things casual with the males I used for release and entertainment. I kept it fun and fast, and was always clear from the start that I didn’t want anything serious. In my line of work, I couldn’t risk getting attached to anyone or anything. Not when an attachment could be used against me. And I could not allow myself to have any weaknesses. Not if I was the best. And I had to be the best. The empire had also drilled that into me.
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him lightly. “I promise to do something extra special to you next time.”
The hurt expression behind his eyes faded, and his vertical, almond-shaped pupils flared. “You sure you don’t have time now?” His hand tightened on my waist, and he jerked me against him. “I can give you something to think about while you’re gone.”
The bulge in his pants was hard as it pressed into my stomach, and I wished I did have time. The Rellarian might not be the sharpest blade, but what he didn’t have in brains he made up for with the size of his cock, and he was my favorite distraction on the outpost. Even more than menashi, and that was saying something.
I cut my eyes to the imperial soldiers loading my ship. Their helmets made it impossible to tell if they were watching me, but I shouldn’t take any chances. I stepped away from Tannel. “Next time. I promise.”
He frowned. “How long will you be gone?”
“No idea.” This wasn’t a lie. My mission could be quick, or it could take so long he’d forget all about me. I had no illusions that the Rellarian was faithful to me, nor did I want him to be.
“A supply runner who doesn’t know how long a run will take her?” He eyed me, and I got the feeling he might be shrewder than I’d given him credit for. “What are you really, Alana?”
I smiled at him. “Just another lowly human working for the empire to stay alive.”
He looked like he didn’t believe me, but I was telling the truth again. I’d been working for the empire to stay alive since they’d taken me when I was a child. I hadn’t been given a choice when I’d been thrown into their academy and trained relentlessly. Now, I was the most lethal person in the Zagrath Empire, but I still worked for them. There was no other option in a galaxy where the imperial reach was long and their vengeance deadly. I should know. I was usually the one meting it out.
Tannel pressed his lips together and nodded. “If you do manage to stay alive, I’ll be here.”
Even though the Rellarian wasn’t more than a bit of fun for me, I locked eyes with him. “You’re a good guy, Tannel. You deserve someone who can give you a future. That isn’t me.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but I put my hand over his lips. “I can never give you what you want. Please believe me.”
I turned sharply and strode up the ramp of my ship, not looking behind me. No matter what happened with the Vandar mission, I would not return to Rellaren.
“That’s a fucking shame.” I stomped through the ship, passing the last few imperial soldiers. I would miss the menashi and Tannel, but getting attached to either was a bad idea, and the Rellarian was clearly getting too close for comfort.
I huffed out a breath. Tannel wasn’t the first male I’d left behind with a bruised heart, and he wouldn’t be the last. My trail of abandoned lovers was almost as impressive as my trail of dead bodies.
“That’s the last of it,” one of the helmeted soldiers said as I headed to the cockpit. “You’re all set.”
“Good.” The sooner I could take off the better. I had my orders, and I knew my mission. The imperial general had given me strict instructions. I was to pose as a female escapee from an imperial mining colony, and let my ship wander into Vandar space. Then I was to beg for assistance and be taken onto a Vandar horde. Since they were raiders, they would confiscate my cargo, which would allow the empire to track both it and me. When the Zagrath tracked down the horde, they would attack, and I would assassinate the warlord of the Vandar horde.
It wasn’t foolproof—nothing was—but we knew that the Vandar monitored their space for encroaching ships. We also knew that the raiders had recently taken human females as part of their
