Her face brightened.
“Thank you, my Lord,” she said cautiously. “You are very kind to give me your own clothing to wear.”
“You’re welcome,” Need said gruffly. “But it’s not like I’m giving you a gift—this is fucking necessary. Can’t have you running around naked, can we?”
“Some men do, when they take a female as a slave or wife or as a concubine,” she said quietly. “Though I would much prefer to be clothed, myself, my Lord,” she added hastily. “So I thank you again.”
Need thought about reminding her not to call him “my Lord”, but he doubted anything he said would stop her. The subservient form of address seemed to have been deeply ingrained in her at the place she’d been taken from—where was it again? He frowned. He’d heard the slaver mention it when he was calling out the girl’s details but it slipped his mind at the moment.
“Where are you from?” He asked her. “I mean, where were you taken from by that scum of a slaver?”
“Oh, he didn’t take me, my Lord,” she said quickly. “It was pirates that broke into the academy and stole me. Stole all of us—the ones that didn’t try to run, anyway.”
A haunted look came into her lovely eyes and Need wondered what had happened to her. He knew pirates—especially the ones who stole human chattel to sell to slavers—weren’t the gentlest males. For a moment he thought of asking if she needed to talk. But no, he had to keep some emotional distance between them, he reminded himself. So he only asked,
“Where did the pirates take you from, then?”
“The Twyleth Tigg Academy for Young Ladies of Beauty and Breeding,” she said promptly. “It’s in the Trell’wick System on my home world of Bantu.”
“Hmm.” Need nodded thoughtfully. “Is that in this galaxy? If so, maybe I can ask my Captain if we can divert our course and take you back.”
“You’d take me back? Set me free?” Her eyes grew wide with hope for a moment but then her face fell. “Only, even if you would, it would do no good. The Academy was burned to the ground and all the instructors killed.” She looked down at her hands. “I…I saw it with my own eyes as they were forcing us into the pirate ship.”
He felt another surge of pity for her that he quickly tamped down. But still, for the girl to have seen her school in flames and all her instructors killed, that was a lot to handle for one so young. How old was she, anyway, Need wondered?
“How many cycles are you, girl?” he asked abruptly.
“Nineteen, my last name day, my Lord,” she answered. “How old are you?”
Need gave her a mocking grin.
“More than ten cycles your senior, girl and that’s all I’ll tell you.”
She bit her lip. “Forgive my impertinence, my Lord. I should not have asked.”
“Never mind.” Need shooed it away. “If I can’t take you back to that academy of yours, where else can I send you? You must have another place to go to. A family? Surely you weren’t born and bred at the damn school the pirates stole you from.”
Lan’ara looked down at her small, shapely hands again, which seemed to be a nervous habit, Need thought.
“I’m originally from a small town on the other side of Bantu from the academy,” she said in a low voice. “But I have no family there to speak of—not…not anymore.”
There was a depth of pain in her voice that made Need stare at her. A sorrow even deeper than the fresh and awful sight of seeing her school in flames and her instructors killed.
Again he had the urge to ask her to tell more…and again he repressed it.
“Well then,” he said, frowning. “Where can I take you? Can’t have a slave girl hanging around indefinitely.”
“There is one place,” she said hesitantly.
“Name it,” Need said at once. “Wherever it is, I’ll see if I can plot a course to it.”
“It’s Genu Six,” she said. “That’s where Senator Pouncenblast lives. He bought my contract—I was to have been his Primary Bride,” she added, as though that was important.
“Primary Bride, hmm?” Need felt a strange mixture of relief and reluctance. Genu Six was at least in the same galaxy they were headed for. But something deep inside him rebelled at the idea of giving the girl to another male.
Mine, whispered a voice in the back of his brain. She’s mine.
Don’t be an idiot, Need told himself savagely. What would you do with her if you kept her? You’re not going to bed her and as long as she’s on the ship, you’ll have to keep a watchful eye on that bastard, Drung. She’s nothing but another mouth to feed and the bill is coming out of your own earnings. No, it’s far better to get rid of her—to take her back where she belongs and forget this ever happened.