Arix retakes his throne, and the entire clearing goes deathly silent. He points to the loudmouth and then to the door behind us. The guy looks shocked but doesn’t dare argue. Instead, he turns and shoves past Jozet, stalking out.
I clear my throat, and Arix glances at me. The remaining courtiers remain silent, obviously deciding that now is not a good time to piss him off.
“We have heard of the strange, tiny females who have mated with our barbarian cousins,” Arix says. His eyes flick to Vivian’s empty wrists and then return to me.
I almost laugh. If he thinks Rakiz and Dexar are barbarians, what would he think of Khax?
I don’t know what to say to that.
Vivian clears her throat. “The Braxians have so far been most generous with their help.”
“Is that right, lovely? And I’m guessing you’re here to ask for some of that generosity for yourself.”
He makes it sound incredibly dirty, but Vivian has regained her composure, and she simply raises one perfectly plucked eyebrow.
“You’re right,” she says. “We are currently looking for allies.”
She explains our situation to the tribe king, who listens intently. He glances at me occasionally, but for the most part, his eyes stay steadily on her face, even after she falls silent.
I open my mouth and then clamp it shut as he flicks me a look.
All righty then.
Arix angles his head. “Why did Rakiz not come here himself?”
“He thought you would prefer to see why we need your help. As you mentioned, we are much smaller than Braxian females. If the aliens who are coming for us manage to take us with them…” She bites her lip and visibly shivers.
The woman deserves an Emmy for this performance.
The king’s eyes soften minutely, and he stares at Vivian for a long moment, considering it.
“We have never worked with the barbaric tribes on the other side of the water before,” he finally says. “There are reasons for that.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” I say, and Arix gives me an unfriendly look. “Plus, if these guys are landing on Agron looking for us, who’s to say they won’t decide to take Braxian females with them as well? This entire planet is at risk.”
Murmurs sound at that, and I glance at the courtiers. One of the Braxian women has turned pale, and a warrior—obviously her mate—pulls her into his arms, shooting me a look.
Arix ignores that, returning his attention to Vivian.
“We will think on it,” he says. Then he stands, walking down the stairs that lead to his throne.
His voice is low, intimate as he gazes at Vivian. “If you are frightened, you may come here, pretty female. My guards will protect you with their lives.”
Her eyes widen slightly at that. “Thank you for the offer,” she says carefully. “But I will stay with the other human women. A threat to them is a threat to me.”
He gives her a faint smile. “You are welcome if you change your mind.” He glances at me. “You both are.”
I nod, and we turn to leave, obviously dismissed. Nice of him to extend the offer to me, if only to attempt to entice Vivian to come to him for safety.
The Braxian warriors are silent as we walk back to the boat.
I lean close to Vivian. “What was that all about with you and Arix?”
She wrinkles her pert nose. “I have no idea. Let’s hope he helps though. If those aliens are really coming back…”
“Yeah.”
We’ll need all the help we can get.
Charlie
Vivian and I are both exhausted when we finally get back to camp. She goes straight to her kradi, and I head back to Rakiz and Nevada’s tashiv, finding them eating dinner.
“Hey, girl,” Nevada says. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
Nevada turns to a woman who is currently carrying in a platter of meat. “Arana, would you mind bringing an extra plate for Charlie?”
The Braxian woman smiles at me. “Of course.”
I take a seat and attempt to ignore the intimate smile Nevada gives Rakiz as he strokes a hand down her hair. Why is it that it’s so much harder to see happy couples when you’re dealing with your own heartbreak?
“So how did it go?” Nevada asks.
I fill them in on what Arix said, and Nevada gets up to pace. Her shirt moves up, and I burst out laughing.
She turns to me. “What?”
I point, and she stares down with a rueful grin. Her leather pants, usually tied tight, are currently barely staying put. The strings that hold them around her waist are obviously straining with the effort, and they look close to snapping as she moves.
She grins. “Yeah, I’ve officially popped. I’m going to need some new pants.” She glances at Rakiz, and the joy in his eyes is so fierce that I look away, giving them their moment.
Nevada turns back to me. “So he was interested in Vivian, huh?”
I smile at the reminder. “Enough that he offered her safety if she stayed with him.”
“Wow.”
I can see the wheels turning in Nevada’s head as she glances back at Rakiz, and he stretches out his legs, raising one eyebrow.
“There’s got to be some way we can use this,” Nevada murmurs, and we all look up at a knock on the door.
One of the guards leans in, speaking directly to Rakiz. “Visitors. They insist you will want to speak to them.”
Rakiz gets to his feet. “Show them in.”
My mouth drops open as Khax strolls in. He glances around the tashiv, his expression impressed, and nods at Rakiz before giving me a smile. It transforms his face, making him suddenly handsome, and I blink at him.
“You’re going to help us?” I blurt out, and he nods again, turning his attention to Rakiz.
“After such pretty words from your alien females, and such an impressive gift, we decided to help. A threat to your females is a threat
