Chapter 6

Sadie"s heart rate kicked up a notch as Vaarn"s large hand rested on the small of her back, herding her through the crowded space station corridors. Every line and muscle of his frame was tense, and she glanced up, noting the way his jaw was clenched tightly.

The various life forms they passed—creatures and machines of all shapes, sizes, and colors—became a blur as she concentrated on keeping up with his long strides. She had so many questions, but there was only one she could think about.

"Vaarn," she leaned in, keeping her voice low. "Why am I under the Emperor"s protection? I don"t understand."

He glanced down at her, his silver hair catching the overhead light. His steps didn"t falter as he leaned in close enough for his breath to brush her ear.

"All human females are under the Emperor"s protection, I reminded Tiir of that fact in case he"d forgotten," he murmured, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her. "He has connections we can"t trust… connections to pirate factions."

"Pirates?" She only just managed to squash a squeak of alarm. The thought sent a chill down her spine. The Lathar themselves were dangerous enough… So what were Latharian pirates like?

He wrapped his arm around her again, pulling her close to his side. She felt safe and warm in his embrace, despite the chill that had settled in her bones.

"Don't worry," he said. "You are safe with me. I'll protect you."

Her breath caught at the look in his eyes—an intensity that was both terrifying and comforting. She should focus on the danger around them, on the pirates, but something about Vaarn"s closeness hijacked her thought processes. Then he smiled, the expression transforming his stern features into something heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and she couldn"t think anymore.

"We"re here," he said, sweeping her through a set of double doors.

"Yes!" She blinked. "Right, of course! Game faces on."

But she didn"t feel less like she had her game face on as he stepped up to a short, purple alien with green hair sitting behind a desk. Swallowing hard, she attempted to gather her composure.

"Chief Engineer T'Kaan of Devan Station," he said. "And Lady Sadie T"Kaan, also of Devan Station."

"Why did you introduce me as Lady T"Kaan?" She hissed in an undertone as the receptionist turned to the counter behind her to find their name badges.

His brows snapped together. "Respect, and as a way of ensuring you receive no unwanted attention here."

"You know that, on my world, giving someone your last name implies marriage?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

His eyes widened slightly. "My apologies. I did not intend to misrepresent our association. Do you want me to correct the name with the receptionist?"

She shoved her hair behind her ears. "No, it"s fine. I get why you did it. It was just a shock, you know?"

And, when he gave her his name, if he ever did, she wanted him to mean it.

"You"re right. It was foolish of me to presume." He inclined his head. "My apologies."

Some of the fight went out of her and she dropped her arms to her sides. "Just...ask me first next time, okay?"

"You have my word." The corners of his mouth quirked up.

She didn"t have time to dwell on it as the receptionist returned and handed them name badges with a conference logo printed on the front.

"Here are your passes. Please take your place in section D, your seats are numbered fifteen and sixteen. The talks will begin in a few minutes."

"Thank you," he said, guiding Sadie away from the desk with a hand at her back.

There was sibilant chatter behind them and when they turned, she saw a small group of aliens. She hadn"t seen anything like them before. They had smooth hairless heads, big golden eyes, and long, prehensile trunks that curled down over their chests. Their short, round bodies were draped in flowing red robes.

"Eyes ahead," he murmured close to her ear. "It"s impolite to stare."

She snapped her gaze forward. "Sorry. I"ve just never seen aliens like that before."

"They"re Savhilians," he explained in a low voice. "A very insular species from the outer rim. Rarely seen this far from their home worlds. There must be something on the agenda they"re interested in purchasing."

She nodded, filing away that information for later. There was still so much for her to learn about the different cultures that made up the galactic community that sometimes she didn"t know where to start.

He guided her to their seats in the front section of the auditorium-style room. She settled in, smoothing her hands over her knees. She hoped she didn"t embarrass him during the talks. This was her chance to prove she could handle herself in an alien environment.

"You"ll do fine," he said. "Just follow my lead."

She offered him a small smile, warmed by his confidence in her and scanned the diverse array of aliens filtering into the auditorium. She recognized a few species from her reading, like the tall, willowy Altirians with their flowing garments, and the stout, whiskered Vrox, but many were new to her.

A bell chimed to signal the start of the conference. She sat up straighter, focusing her attention on the stage as a mix of species began to file out and take their seats at a long table.

Vaarn gave her hand a brief, subtle squeeze. "Ready?" he asked.

She nodded, unable to keep from grinning. "Ready."

The meeting started,and her head spun with all the information being thrown at and over her. Everyone spoke a different language, and she was lost waiting for her translation matrix to catch up. One green-skinned alien in a different section kept waving at her and shouting in a language that sounded like a snake hissing. She shrugged, trying to signal that she had no idea what he was asking her.

Vaarn was no help. He was already talking to a white-haired woman with golden skin across the room, his deep voice booming above the others. She tried to make out what he was saying but again, her translation matrix couldn"t catch it all, only random words here and there.

When he finished speaking, he sat back down, leaning in to murmur. "That"s Laythia from Talex Corp. She"s as tough as the hull plating on a warship. Talex has the materials we need, but she wants to extend the lead times on her shipments to us and get an exclusive long-term contract before agreeing to sell."

Sadie"s lips quirked. "Not much then, really?"

He shook his head. "It"s not a problem. I just want to bring the price down a little, so I"m leaving her on the hook. Watch what she does now. She"ll either stand to open negotiations with someone else, or she"ll excuse herself from the room for a while."

Sure enough, after making a few notes on the pad in front of her, the golden-skinned woman stood up and left the room. At least three people screamed demands at her but she ignored them all.

Sadie shook her head. "I don't understand any of this."

He smiled. "It's okay. You're doing fine."

"Doing fine?" she hissed back. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing here! I thought I was going to be helping you. I thought I would at least understand people."

He sat back in his chair, his gaze sharp and assessing as he looked at her. "Is your translation matrix not picking everything up?"

She shook her head. "I didn"t understand even half of what you were talking about with Laythia."

He grunted. "That is somewhat concerning. We need to get that checked out when we get back."

Someone across the other side of the room caught his attention and he leaned forward, nodding to them. "That's Zaklar, I need to talk to him. Bear with me a moment."

She nodded and leaned back, watching as Vaarn stood to speak with the imposing alien. He was tall, with jet-black scales that reflected the station's bright lights like polished obsidian and small horns that jutted from his forehead, framing his angular face. He moved with a predatory grace as he rose to his feet, his yellow eyes taking in everything around him.

She leaned in, but once again, couldn"t understand a word of the conversation. Sighing in disappointment, she sat back and started to doodle on the pad. Little scribbled designs like the one on the bracelet that Vaarn had given to her.

The meeting went on for an hour, but then a ringing chime went off and all conversation stopped. Vaarn dropped back into his seat and looked at her. "Lunch," he explained. "Are you okay?"

She suppressed a yawn. Doing nothing was as boring as hell. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good." He stood up. "Shall we go and get something from the buffet for lunch?"

"Sounds like a plan," she said, her stomach rumbling as she followed him out of the room. She had never been to a conference like this before and the whole morning had left her frazzled and hungry.

When they got there, she stared at the buffet table in confusion. "I don"t recognize any of this food."

The corner of his lips quirked. "Of course you don"t. Most of it isn"t human food."

"I can see that." She wrinkled her nose, eyeing two bowls which contained some sort of writhing, pulsating mass. Just looking at it made her feel ill. "I mean, they look like worms."

"They"re exactly that," he said. "Those are Pazian worms, very high in protein. I can't recommend them though… They are not what they seem. And the little blue ones are Jveestian, also high in protein. They"re safe for humans, but I warn you, they give you bad gas."

She shuddered at the wriggling masses in the bowls. "I"ll pass, thanks all the same."

He chuckled, moving along the table. "These are Skallian slugs. Don"t let their appearance fool you, they"re delicious. Slithery, but delicious."

She felt sick. "Okay, passing on those as well."

He walked right by a bowl of what looked like vibrant, multi-colored flowers.

"Ooh, flowers? Can I try one?" She reached out for them, her fingers hovering over the bowl.

His hand shot out and latched around her wrist like a manacle, stopping her touching them. "No. They're not flowers."

She frowned. "What are they then?"

He shook his head, pulling her away. "You don't want to know. Trust me."

She pouted but followed him as he piled two plates with foods she recognised from the market on Devan Station and led her to a corner of the room.

They stood, eating in peace and watching the other conference goers. She felt totally out of place. Everyone seemed to know each other and chattered away, their voices mixing in a din that hurt her ears.

"I feel like I"m missing out," she murmured. "I can"t understand anyone so I can"t do anything to help. I feel like a spare part."

He tilted his head as he looked down at her. Damn, she kept forgetting how big he was. She was tiny next to him… and everyone else in the room. Like a little girl playing dress up. Why did humans have to be the smallest bloody species in the galaxy?

He looked at her sharply.

"You"re not a spare part," he said in a low voice so only she could hear. "I admit, to begin with I didn"t want you here on this mission. But your insight is invaluable when dealing with different species. You look at them in a way I never would think to, and that"s priceless."

She shrugged, not convinced. "I don"t know. I just feel so… out of place. Oh, it looks like we"re about to have company."

He turned as Laythia, the striking woman with white hair and golden skin approached them. Sadie tried to keep the envy off her face. Laythia was tall and willowy, beautiful in a way that she would never be.

"Chief Engineer T"Kaan," Laythia greeted Vaarn, her voice melodic and lilting. She wore an amazing red robe that swirled around her slender figure, and shimmered with intricate embroidery. This close, Sadie could see her eyes were silver. "And you must be Lady Sadie T"Kaan." Laythia turned to her with a smile. "It"s a pleasure to meet you."

She stood up, feeling a little intimidated by the alien woman's poise and beauty. She'd never met anyone like her before. Was this the type of woman Vaarn was interested in?

"The pleasure is all mine," she said, then frowned. "I can understand you? How is that possible…I couldn"t understand you before, in the meeting room."

He cleared his throat. "Sadie is having a few issues with her translation matrix."

Laythia smiled, silver eyes twinkling.

"That would be because I"m wearing a universal translation field," she said, tapping the intricate brooch in the center of her robes. Her smile widened into a grin. "And, despite what the Lathar would like to think, their technology is not the best in the universe, bless them. I do have a spare, if you would like it?"

Sadie flicked a glance at Vaarn, who gave a slight nod. "Really? That would be amazing."

"Of course. Let me just..." Laythia reached into a small bag she was carrying and pulled out a sleek, silvery broach and held it out to Sadie. "Here, try this."

"Thank you so much!" She pinned it to the front of her suit. It was much less ornate than the one Laythia wore, but she didn"t care, as long as she could understand everybody, then that was all that mattered.

"Just tap the center," the alien woman said. "And it will activate the device."

She did as she was told and between one heartbeat and the next, the world around her transformed. Suddenly, she could understand everyone, from the sibilant chatter of the Savhilians, to the booming voice of the Vrox.

"Oh, my goodness," she breathed, her eyes wide with wonder. "This is amazing."

Laythia smiled. "I"m glad you like it. It"s yours to keep."

She blinked in surprise. "You"re just giving it to me?"

"Of course. It"s a small trinket, and the least I can do to help." Laythia inclined her head. "Especially for someone who I would very much like as a business partner. Call it a gesture of goodwill. Now, shall we get back to business?"

She turned to Vaarn, her expression becoming more serious. "I"ve thought about your offer, Chief Engineer. I"m willing to lower the price of the materials, but only if you agree to a long-term contract."

He shook his head. "I"m afraid that"s not possible. I can only commit to a short-term contract at this time."

Laythia"s lips pursed in disappointment. "But why not? A long-term contract would benefit both of us. You would get a steady supply of materials, and I would get a guaranteed market for my products."

"I understand your logic, but I need to be able to assess the quality of your materials before I commit to anything more," the big engineer said. "So, let"s start with a short-term contract, and if I"m satisfied with the quality, we can discuss a long-term deal."

The golden-skinned alien sighed, but then nodded. "Very well. But I want you to know that I"m not offering you this discount out of the goodness of my heart. I want something in return."

"And what is that?" he asked, his voice cautious.

"I want you to introduce me to the CEO of one of the tech corps on Devan Station," Laythia said. "I"m looking to expand my business there, and I believe that a partnership with a local company would be mutually beneficial."

He frowned. "I"m not sure I can do that. The CEOs of the tech corps are very busy people, and I don"t want to waste their time if you"re not serious about this deal."

Laythia smiled. "Trust me, Chief Engineer T"Kaan. I"m very serious. And I"m sure that once they"ve met me, they will agree that I"m worth their time."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "All right. I"ll see what I can do."

Laythia beamed. "Wonderful. I knew we could come to an understanding."

She turned to Sadie, her eyes twinkling. "And thank you for your help, Lady Sadie. I"m sure you"ll find your translation matrix very useful."

"You"re more than welcome." She smiled back. "I"m sure I will. Thank you again."

As Laythia walked away, Sadie glanced sideways at Vaarn. Were her suspicions correct? Was the beautiful, golden-skinned alien woman the kind of woman he was attracted to?

"So, I assume that went well?" she asked, trying to keep her tone of voice neutral.

He shrugged. "She"s a businesswoman. Tough as nails. Knows what she wants and goes after it. Hence that little gift of a translator field before she moved in to close the deal."

She hid her disappointment. She had hoped for a more enthusiastic response or some clue as to what he was thinking.

"She"s also very beautiful," she added, unable to keep the envy out of her voice.

He glanced down at her, his eyes unreadable. "Yes, she is."

Her heart sank. Okay, it was official. He was attracted to Laythia, not her.