The bartender greeted them and Ka’Cit ordered some food, but she hardly heard any of the exchange.
All she could think about was…him.
She liked him.
A lot.
The short time she spent with him felt like much longer and, inside her, something had changed.
It was hard imagining returning to the Sanctuary and continuing life as usual.
Waking every day, feeling alone even with other people around her.
Fuck.
It dawned on her.
She was falling for him…or she’d fallen already.
When had that happened? She wasn’t sure.
Nia gulped as she risked a glance up at him.
His gaze was focused on the steaming meals the bartender had placed before them and he seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts.
“Zeregga meals?” She kept her voice low but loud enough for him to hear.
His gaze focused and he nodded. “More well done this time. You should be able to chew it.”
Nia nodded and smiled.
Why did she feel so sad inside?
What was wrong with her?
She was just about to put a mouthful of the food in her mouth when new patrons entered the lounge. She wouldn’t have noticed them if they were not so loud and when the color drained from the bartender in front of her, a bad feeling sprung up in the pit of her stomach.
More of those terrible aliens that had grabbed her the other day?
Ka’Cit glanced back and stiffened immediately before turning back to face the bar.
If she wasn’t looking at him, she wouldn’t have seen the reaction.
It was that fast.
One hand reached for the blaster he’d placed on the counter and the other rested against her back.
He lowered his head so he could speak directly into her ear and apart from the noisy new entrants to the lounge, Nia realized that the entire room had gone silent once more.
“Don’t move,” Ka’Cit whispered. “Don’t turn around. Don’t do anything to draw any attention your way and maybe we can make it out of this alive.”
Terror shot through her at his words and the food she’d grasped slipped from her fingers to fall back on the tray.
“What is it?” She kept her voice so low, she could hardly hear her own words but Ka’Cit’s hearing was perfect.
“Hedgeruds.”
Hedgeruds?
She’d heard that name before, but she didn’t keep the species’ names in her head. There were far too many to remember by name.
Still…where had she heard that name before.
What did it refer to?
All of her instincts told her to take a look so she could know what she was dealing with, but more than that, she trusted the man beside her.
He’d told her not to move or turn around and so far, she was still alive because of him.
Logic said she should heed his advice.
Ka’Cit’s hand grew firmer against her back as if he was holding her still and as soon as that feeling caught her senses, so did another. The air behind her moved as a large figure walked past and to her side.
Nia turned her head just a fraction and from her peripheral vision, she caught the sight of a long alligator-like tail.
Her spine turned to ice that shattered into her veins.
Suddenly, the name made sense.
Hedgeruds.
She knew this species.
She knew them because they were responsible for her being taken from Earth.
They were the guards that worked for the High Tasqals. The same guards who’d come to the Sanctuary and tried to take Lauren away from Riv. The same guards who’d hunted Sohut and Cleo in the jungle.
What the hell were they doing here?
For a few moments, she worried they might be there for her and she pulled her wrist up enough to look at the tattoo that was there.
Another spike of fear went through her.
She’d taken a bath.
The fake tattoo wasn’t on her skin anymore.
She had no way of even bluffing her legal status.
Fuck.
FUCK!
One more glance at Ka’Cit and he was as still as stone.
No one in the lounge made a sound except the Hedgerud—no, Hedgeruds, plural.
Judging from the voices, there were at least four of them.
“—deliver the shipment.” One of them was talking and she only realized this fact now that she’d calmed down enough to listen.
“Don’t know why the qrak we have to go to the excrement center that is Port Six.”
“You know they give our team the bad runs. Maybe if you’d pledged allegiance sooner we’d get better assignments.”
“You should talk to the boss about it.”
One of them scoffed. “And get my head chopped off. Qeffing qrak. I have a life to live…jekins to phek.”
They chortled at that and it caused a painful memory. Images of being in that alien slave ship and their laughter came right back to her like it was yesterday.
They had yellow eyes and elongated snouts with wicked teeth. They hadn’t cared how frightening they were. They would laugh right in her face, if only to scare the shit out of her.
And it had worked. It had worked so well that they’d kept doing it.
They were scum.
“It’s talix metal though. Why Port Six? We’ve never sent talix through Port Six before.”
There was a sound like someone got hit over the head. “Shut your mouth. These degenerates don’t need to know what we’re carrying.”
But the Hedgerud had already said enough.
Talix metal.
Wasn’t that what Ka’Cit said had been in that package? The one they needed to retrieve from the smuggler?
She glanced up at him and realized that he’d been as still as stone because he’d been listening far earlier than she’d thought.
His gaze met hers and they turned from cold ice to warm green. Then alarm passed through his eyes.
He shook his head a little to tell her no.
“We have to try,” she mouthed, her whisper almost inaudible.
“Not on my life. I’ve already put you in enough danger. If they so much as see you…”
She knew what he meant.
If she was caught, they were going to bring her right back to the slavers.
But there were humans that needed her help.
On this side of the universe, they were outnumbered and the
