Need smiled grimly in return.
“I feel sorry for the females working there. But I’m glad he’s out—I need to leave Lan’ara here for a bit while I finish sorting out our shipment.”
“I see.” Psoas’ pink eyes scanned over the scantily-clad girl—Need had given her his shirt to tie around her waist, which hid the high slit in the skirt, but the top of her gown still plunged far past the point of decency. “Something wrong?” he asked casually.
“Wrong? No, of course not,” Need lied. “The girl’s tired out—that’s all.” He looked at Lan’ara. “Why don’t you go lock yourself in my quarters and take a rest, sweetheart?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Raising up on tiptoes, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you again for rescuing me,” she whispered.
Need suppressed the urge to draw her to him and hug her tight. After so nearly losing her, the last thing he wanted was to leave her alone again. But he had to get this mess with Myakk straightened out or he would never hear the end of it from Captain Glo’ll.
He watched Lan’ara go down the vine-draped hallway and kept his eyes on her until she went into his quarters. Only when he heard the door snick shut and the lock click into place did he turn to go.
“You’re getting pretty possessive of that girl of yours, Needrix,” Psoas remarked. “How are you going to make yourself let her go once we get to Genu Six?”
The engineer’s question caught Need off guard. He had to admit it was true that the idea of Lan’ara with another male made him want to go into Rage. And when he had been searching for her, it wasn’t just because she was a valuable piece of property that might be damaged or devalued—it was because he was worried about her.
Because you love her, whispered a little voice in the back of his head but Need pushed that aside. It was nonsense—he couldn’t love anyone. Not since Cleah had died. All his capacity for love had died with his mate—of that he was certain. He was just being careful of Lan’ara—that was all—just protecting her because of his Kindred nature, which dictated that he must protect and care for females. It was nothing more than that.
“Genu Six hasn’t called back about her,” he said shortly, replying to Psoas’s question without really answering it. “Doesn’t look like the deal will go through after all.”
“Good,” Psoas said immediately, surprising Need. He frowned at the engineer.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I’m glad Lan’ara will be staying with us. Not because I find her attractive in any way,” Psoas said quickly, retracting his neck when Need glared at him. “But because I like her as a person.”
“You just like that she makes you your damn small cakes,” Need growled, grinning a little.
But Psoas shook his head.
“It’s not just that. She’s kind and thoughtful, Need. A good crewmate—a good soul. And if you ask Laxah or Kreeva and Krax, they’ll say the same. Hell, Captain Glo’ll will too. She just fits with us—with The Dark Star. The way some people never have.”
Need knew he must be referring to Drung, which was hardly surprising. Nobody fit well with a Trollox—not even another Trollox.
“I agree,” he said shortly and he did. He had known, of course, that Lan’ara was liked by the rest of the crew—it just surprised him a little to hear how much she was liked. She hadn’t been with them that long, but apparently his heart wasn’t the only one she had touched.
“Keep an eye on her for me if Drung comes back before I do,” he said to Psoas, who nodded in agreement. “I won’t be long.”
He hoped. But who knew how long it was going to take to straighten the mess with Myakk out? In the meantime, though, he felt good knowing that Lan’ara was locked safely in his quarters and that she wouldn’t come out for any reason.
It was the only way for her to stay safe.
Forty-Two
Lan’ara poked her head out of the door and listened intently. No, Drung hadn’t come back—she was certain of it. She would have heard the Trollox’s heavy tread, which seemed to shake the entire ship, and smelled his foul stench if he had. He was definitely still gone.
Which meant it should be safe to run down and take a quick sonic shower.
She normally would have stayed in Need’s quarters, as he had instructed her. But after all she had gone through that day, she felt desperately dirty and in need of being cleaned. She would have liked to take a long soak in the tub, but she didn’t think she could stand to have the wash blossoms torment her just now.
The touch hunger inside her had grown exponentially, even in the past hour. Lan’ara wasn’t sure why that was—maybe because someone besides Need had tried to touch her sexually or maybe just because it had been some time since she had been intimate with the big Kindred. For whatever reason, the hungry flower inside her had unfurled its petals and was begging to be touched…to be filled.