Chapter 16CamilaBerus

Chapter 16

Camila

Camila hadn't been prepared for the flood of relief that hit her when she saw that her chip no longer listed Uctarr as her owner. If anything happened and she got separated from Berus now, or kidnapped by Dominion scum later, they wouldn't send her all the way back to the inner planets. They'd send her to the Rev —no, the New Horizon instead.

She hated to cause more trouble for the crew, but she made a promise to herself that she'd make it up to them one day. Cooking for them once was surely not enough. She would take care of it after she was settled on Reka 5.

The New Rhean port city, named incredibly creatively as Port Number Two, was downright diminutive compared to the sprawling metropolises on the inner planets and it wasn't long before they were at the border.

Since so few of the port residents visited the wilds in their transport—those who left the cities usually went by train—they still hadn't automated the gates. It was supposedly cheaper to pay someone to stand there and open and close the gates than to install the technology to automate it. Which sounded silly, but what did she know?

She was worried that the attendant at the gate would recognize her. Earlier, Berus had gotten a message from Ulrek advising them that there was a port-wide search for a missing slave and that she might be traveling with a Tallean male. Then again, the only image Rehden had of Cami was from an event Uctarr had held last year, when she had been dressed up in a gaudy, flashy costume with strands of sparkling tinsel in her hair and enough makeup to outshine a showgirl.

All the slaves had worn those hideous outfits, which despite looking tacky and cheap were in fact anything but. The dress had been encrusted with real jewels, and every female had been a walking billboard for the merchant's wealth.

Berus had grinned like a loon at the costume. "It's cute."

"It's hideous!"

"It's very inner planet, but I'll make a note that you prefer something more subdued."

Again, Camila didn't mention that he'd never need that mental note because she'd be at Reka 5. She imagined for a moment attending a big Tallean bash with Berus, and that had her smiling. Talleans really knew how to party.

Her smile died when they reached a gate at the edge of the port city.

There were a few signs listing how far it was to the nearest settlements, but Cami wasn't paying attention to those. She was completely focused on the solid stone wall around the city limits and the fences built on top of the walls. They didn't look one bit welcoming, especially the pictogram of a lightning bolt that even she could understand.

"Why are there heavy-duty walls with electrified fences around the city?" Cami asked, worried about what they might find out there.

Berus might consider the wilderness of New Rhea safer than that of Vosthea or Reka 5, but that wasn't what she'd heard. She'd heard that all the outer planets, New Rhea included, were terrifying, with countless bloodthirsty beasts and poisonous plants galore. There were a million ways to die out there. Her experience on the mining planet only strengthened that idea in her mind.

"It's to keep out the wild beasts." Berus didn't look one bit worried. "New Rhea isn't as dangerous as Vosthea or Reka 5, and doesn't really need it, but there are still predators. It is normal to fence off settlements in the outer planets. It's also there to keep ignorant or drunken fools who are in port from wandering out and getting killed or maimed. It's not good for business."

"I'll bet."

Their conversation was cut short as they came close to the gatehouse.

Cami was nervous. What if the attendant recognized her? Or recognized Berus? The alert didn't have an image of him, only a description. No name, because Rehden hadn't bothered getting to know the crew. Although even if Berus had given his name, Rehden would probably have forgotten it. But still.

This transport didn't have a space at the passenger's feet for slaves. Right now, she really wished it did. It would have hidden her from view. As it was, she bowed her head and tried to make herself as small as possible.

Berus put a hand on her lower back and gave her a calming rub. "Relax, little one. This attendant does not get paid enough to do his job thoroughly. He will only ask why we are leaving the port. It is normal. Don't be alarmed. It's to make it look like they're doing something to keep the port safe. They don't really care what you say." Then, he opened communications with the outside world.

"State your business outside the walls," the attendant asked in a monotone voice, seeming bored as fuck.

"I'm visiting friends in Shifting Sands," Berus said.

Shifting Sands? Why did that sound so familiar?

"Just you?"

"Me and my slave."

The male briefly glanced through the window at Cami. Cami kept her eyes down.

"Okay, go on through."

Berus closed communication, and the gate opened.

That was it? Cami had been worried for nothing!

Berus

Berus sent a message to Ulrek's personal comm unit letting him know they were out past the gates and heading toward Shifting Sands. They weren't really going to the small village, or to the nearby island of deadly sand pits for which the village had been named. He only planned to travel in that direction long enough that anyone trying to follow them would hopefully erringly assume that was where they'd gone.

Cami relaxed a lot after they left the port and sat with her cute little human nose plastered right to the window. This was her first experience on an outer planet, and she was eager to soak it up.

New Rhea really was the least dangerous planet to be on, though it was by no means safe. Not because there were that many dangerous creatures, but because of the deadly plant life.

Berus thought back to their time in the ship's greenroom. They wouldn't be able to have a repeat of that here. Not only was it rumored that many of the plants were poisonous when ingested, but a handful could kill through nothing more than dermal contact. On top of that, some flora actively ate the fauna!

When he'd still been a soldier with the Dominion, he had heard stories of many recruiters dying to the New Rhean wilderness, but Berus wasn't sure how much of that was just rumor. He suspected some of those deaths hadn't been caused by the plants or the animals at all. It was more likely that the locals had dispatched the unwanted Dominion recruitment officers on their own when nature failed to do the job for them.

But there had to be some truths to the stories because some recruiters who had survived spoke of sands that had eaten their comrades whole, plants that could dissolve flesh on contact, and prehistoric beasts that fed unlucky Talleans to their young. Now that Berus had spent time in the outer planets, he knew that some of those tall tales were indeed just that, tall tales. But he also knew that treating the wilderness with disrespect was a fast way to die.

Since Berus didn't know the planet well enough to tell one species from another, he didn't plan on letting Cami get close to any of them. It was one of the reasons he'd insisted on that plasticky outer garment meant for the rain. If they had to traverse the dense forest on foot, it would protect her—though with any luck they wouldn't need to do that. The plan was to stay with the transport; it did, after all, contain the ship's medical supplies.

Cami had her shoes off and her tiny, clawless feet tucked next to her on the seat as she leaned against the window.

Curious, Berus analyzed them. The toes had flat nails, almost like those on Tallean and human hands. Except the nails were much too thin to offer much protection. He found himself reaching over to touch them, just to make sure they were actually hard.

When he did, Cami made a soft squealing giggle and tucked her feet under her hips.

"Hey! That tickles!"

The translator in Berus's ear balked at the word.

"What is this ‘tickle?' My translator does not have a word for it."

She furrowed her brows. "Are you saying Talleans aren't ticklish?"

"Tick-lish?" The best his translator could come up with was "resembling a small blood-sucking invertebrate." That couldn't possibly be correct.

Cami changed position, reaching over to wriggle her fingers along his side. When he didn't react except to look at her in mild amusement, she poked him in the ribs. It was much too light to hurt. Still not getting the reaction she desired, she lifted his arms and poked his armpit. That made him flinch, but only because he hadn't expected it.

"Aha! You are ticklish!" She poked him again.

This time, Berus was already expecting it and didn't react with surprise. What reaction was she looking for?

Cami kept trying, returning to the wriggling motion. "I give up," she said finally with a defeated sigh. "And…this is going to sound a little weird… Why do you smell so freaking good?"

"Me?" Berus asked.

"Yeah, you." She leaned in, buried her face in his armpit, and inhaled exaggeratedly. Then she coughed-laughed. "Ahh! Too much! Too much!"

That had Berus bellowing in laughter.

"Sorry. I must be weirding you out."

"No, little one. You are not." He tossed his arm around her, pulling her in next to his body. Would forming a mate bond to her really be so bad? Maybe Cami would stay on the Revenge with him. Or maybe he could get a guard job at Reka 5 when his contract ended. The ever-growing colony was always looking for more guards. Although that would mean leaving his crew.

"You're the one who smells good." Berus leaned down to inhale a big lungful of her.

Scent was a big determining factor for a mate bond, and Berus wondered if Cami finding his scent noteworthy was a sign that she was getting attached to him too, even though humans didn't form mate bonds.

Suddenly, she moved quickly, trying to "tickle" him again, reaching under the thin fabric of his top for his belly.

"Aww man, I thought if it was a surprise, you wouldn't be able to hold it in. I guess Talleans really aren't ticklish."

Curious as to what reaction she was looking for, Berus ran his fingertips over her ribs the way she had done with his.

Cami's eyes went wide. She wriggled deliciously against him, trying to get away, then burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

How delightful! He tried for her underarms, and she squeezed her biceps ineffectively to her sides and tried to scramble out of the protective circle of his arms. When that didn't work, she pounded her little fists on his chest to get him to stop, laughing the whole time.

When she was laughing so hard that she wheezed and then snorted, the sound utterly adorable, Berus finally gave her some reprieve, stopping to let her breathe.

"That is quite astonishing. Why best a warrior in battle when one can simply tickle him into submission?" Berus mused.

"You'd," she wheezed, "better not"—inhale—"try that"—exhale—"when sparring with the guys on the ship. It's not considered sporting. And it's way too intimate. They might get the wrong idea."

Good point. His body had reacted to her wiggling against him in a very intimate way indeed. He pulled her fully into his lap.

"Look what you've done to me, little one." He gripped her hips and rubbed her firmly against his erection. Then he slid his hand up to cup her breasts, rubbing a thumb over her nipple as they pebbled under the fabric.

She licked her lips, and the transport suddenly filled with her lust. "Who, me?" She wiggled in his lap, teasing him.

Reaching down, he adjusted the seat all the way back to give them space, then urged Cami to straddle him. Just as she did so, his comm unit buzzed. It was the rhythm he'd assigned to Ulrek's contact.

"Fuck. I have to take this. We'll continue this later."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Cami reluctantly crawled off him, giving his cock a bit of a squeeze through his pants. The little tease! He reached for his comm.