Chapter 30

Chapter

Thirty

R ixx stared into the fire, already drowsy after eating a hearty meat pie and sipping some of the sweet ale that had been delivered to his room. He glanced at the tray he'd set aside on the side table, but he knew better than to attempt to return it to the kitchen. Serena had given him strict instructions not to leave the cozy room, promising him that it was for his safety.

"If Myrria sent you to me, I must protect you," she'd said, glancing at the closed doors that ringed the winding balcony. "I suspect she would like you safe from your pursuers and the ones I employ."

Then she'd laughed and winked before opening the door to the single room with a lit fire and a bed covered in a floral blanket and a pile of cushions.

Even though he had not opened the door, Rixx knew that it was getting late. The noise outside his room had been escalating, along with playful shrieks and the occasional moan. He suspected that the pleasures had emerged from their rooms as patrons had started to arrive, although there was no window in his room so he had no way of knowing how much time had past since he'd arrived that morning seeking asylum.

A past version of Rixx would have been intrigued by the idea of a building filled with beautiful females whose only job was to pleasure their clients. He would have ached for a glimpse of them in their alluring outfits that might not have covered much. He would have been eager to charm them himself. But not anymore.

Now, Rixx could only think of Myrria. His mind would not stop replaying the last night in his head, no matter how many times he reminded himself that it was over.. She had given herself to him when she believed her husband was gone, lost in space, dead.

But he was not gone. He had returned, and no amount of wishing could change that. It did not matter that Myrria did not want him back. It did not even matter if he was a bad husband. The fact remained that she was married to the man. She was not Rixx's wife, as they had pretended. She was his .

The thought soured his tongue. He had only heard smatterings of conversation when her husband had arrived, but even from his position in the loft as he'd prepared to escape, Rixx had despised the sound of the man's voice. He had hated the lazy way he'd greeted Myrria, the arrogance in his voice as he had presumed that she was still his to command.

Rixx curled his hands in fists on the arms of the chair, fighting every Dothvek urge to storm back to the house and challenge the man to a fight. That is how it would be settled on his planet. Then he choked out a laugh. As if any Dothvek would dare leave their mate behind.

"The coward does not deserve her," he said darkly beneath his breath.

The sounds of female chatter rose for a moment, the din seeming to enter his room as the door opened behind him. He turned, expecting to see Serena or maybe the terrifying female who guarded the door and had brought him his food. But it was neither.

The female standing inside his room was striking, but he was sure she was not one of the females who worked in the house. For one, she had short white hair that was spiked up like many of the human men he'd seen. For another, she was dressed in a snug black pants and top, making her look more like she should be burgling houses.

Rixx stood to face her, although he did not get the sense that she was a threat. "Who are you?"

Her green eyes assessed him as she rested her hands on her hips. "You can call me Rose. I didn't think I would ever encounter you personally, especially after we helped your friend find you."

Rixx's heart stuttered. "Zaandr? You helped Zaandr?"

"And his lovely friend." Rose smiled. "We hid them in a place very similar to this one, although several streets away."

There were so many questions darting through Rixx's brain. He knew nothing of how his best friend had located him after he'd been abducted, and even less about how he and Tegan had become so close, but he had a feeling that this woman knew.

"We all thought you were dead," Rose continued, walking across the room and standing close to the crackling fire. "Your friends searched for your body for days before they gave up. They finally left because they could not feel you."

Rixx's throat tightened. He knew his Dothvek brothers would not have abandoned him so easily, but they would not have been able to sense him if he'd been unconscious and at death's door. It pained him to know that they had believed him dead and had probably mourned him.

Rixx cleared his throat. "I was found by a local woman. I was wounded, but she nursed me back to health."

Rose lifted a brow. "So I've heard." She pivoted and held her palms to the fire. "I also know that the Zevrians continue to search for you, which means that you are in danger, and you're a danger to anyone who harbors you."

"I do not wish to put anyone at risk because of me."

Rose made a sound in her throat. "We need to get you off Kurril."

He eyed the woman. It was clear she was not a pleasurer, but he still did not know who or what she was. "How—?"

"I can get a message to the bounty hunting ship that you arrived on," she paused, "if you still wish to return to it."

"Yes, I do." Rixx almost tripped over his own words. "There is no reason for me to stay on Kurril."

Now that Myrria's husband had returned, he could no longer pretend that there was any reason for him to remain. The Zevrians were hunting him, and the life he had been pretending was his had only ever been a fantasy.

Rose gave a sharp nod and strode to the door. "Do not let yourself be seen until I can arrange for your safe passage back to your crew. I do not want to plan another rescue to save you."

She opened the door and hesitated, glancing back at Rixx and giving him a sly smile. "If you change your mind, let Serena know."

Rixx was about to assure her that he would not be changing his mind when he spotted Myrria standing in the hall outside his room.