Chapter 13

GENERAL KOZA

My rage is a simmering fire just under my skin, the feeling crawling over me like swarming insects.

I wanted to run the soldier through when I heard Ava’s gasp of pain, but an overreaction could make the interest in her even more prevalent, and therefore dangerous.

The soldier was new, a member of the units sent by the High Commander. I know he cares not if his soldiers show rough treatment to the slaves.

Tomorrow, their training with me will begin, and they will soon discover I have no tolerance for such behavior. My army does not take slaves after battles, and any man caught taking liberties with civilians is executed.

They will learn.

But such bad habits can be ingrained so deeply in a man that no amount of training can erase it. The best I can hope for is that the desire to save their own hide is enough to curb their actions.

Ava does not move past the foyer, her body tense and her eyes still wide with shock.

“Ava,” I say, raising my voice slightly to grab her attention.

Her chin slowly lifts, and she meets my eyes.

“Are you well?” I ask, more softly now that I have her attention.

“His blood was purple,” she blurts out sharply.

“Yes, he is Mernex,” I reply, as if that is all the explanation she requires.

“Is your blood purple?” she asks me, the sharp tone of panic still lacing her words.

“No, Ava, my blood is orange, like most.” I don’t understand her fixation over the color.

“Orange?!” she exclaims, her eyes growing impossibly wider in shock. “Most?!”

Blast it, apparently that was the incorrect thing to say.

I sigh deeply, grabbing her hand and gently leading her into the house. She follows me obediently, her eyes glassy and unfocused.

“Mine is red,” she tells me, her words coming out quickly. “Is that weird? Am I weird?!”

“You are not weird, Ava,” I assure her, pulling her body against mine. “You are perfect.”

Her breaths hit my chest in rapid gasps. I run a hand over her hair where it rests on her back in a calming gesture. It is soft, and the feeling of it slipping over my palm is entrancing.

“I will let no harm come to you here, you have my word, Ava,” I say softly.

She leans back to look up at me, her wide eyes shining with tears. Her lips turn up in a wobbly smile. “Thanks, Koza.”

My chest tightens as I study her delicate face. I find myself fighting the urge to cover her trembling lips with my own.

I clear my throat and drop my hands, taking a small step back and breaking the contact with her body.

I made her a promise that she will not be touched and used as the pleasure slave she was sold as, and already I am struggling to keep it.

It is why I avoided her presence on the journey here. Just a hint of her sweet scent was enough to make me stir with arousal. Even Zynett’s debrief on the successful meeting with our rebel contact in the market could not distract me from her for long.

So, I kept out of sight for fear of making her uncomfortable.

As well as to maintain my own sanity.

Ava frowns at my abrupt withdrawal but quickly recovers. She also takes a step back of her own and clasps her hands together in front of her.

“This is my residence, and the only other being here is the housekeeper Olean,” I tell her, forcing my voice into the formal tone I use with my men. “You are welcome to go anywhere you please within these walls, but do not venture outside without an escort.”

She nods, dropping her gaze to her clasped hands.

I spot Olean moving slowly toward us down the hall, his limping gait a familiar sight. I nod to him in greeting over Ava’s head before looking back down at her slender form.

With her shoulders hunched and her eyes on the ground, her small size is even more pronounced. I clench my fist against the urge to tip her chin up to meet my gaze.

“Olean will show you to your room.” As soon as the words are out, I turn and head back through the door. I will find a sparring partner and hope the blows will knock some sense into me. Or at the very least, dull the urge I feel to take the tempting human upstairs to my room instead.

AVA

Koza hurries out like his ass is on fire. I stare after him, puzzled.

I thought we were totally having a moment, until he seemed suddenly irritated to even be near me. I missed his touch already.

~I guess he’s like any man, alien or not, totally weirded out by female tears.~

“Miss?” the polite voice interrupts my internal struggle. I turn to who must be Olean, standing a few paces away, a pleasant smile on his face as he looks at me.

Olean is Plurian, the feline species just like Kiri, and the reminder of her makes tears well in my eyes again. I sniff them back, determined to not make a first impression of an emotional wreck, and force a smile onto my face.

“You must be Olean,” I say, inwardly cringing at the false sound of my cheery tone. “I’m Ava.”

Olean smiles wider, the action exposing the points of his teeth and oddly stretching the scar that runs through his lips.

His fur is a muddy-tan color, and as I discreetly study him, I notice many other scars covering his body. They cut through his fur, leaving only stripes of pale, gray skin exposed.

“Hello, Ava, it is nice to meet you. I must admit, I did not know what to expect when the general informed me to prepare for your arrival. It is very unlike him, you know,” Olean divulges, a conspiratorial gleam in his eyes at the words.

I shrug lightly, at a loss on how to properly respond.

“I was a gift… He…didn’t really want me,” I finally settle on. That seems to properly sum up both the reason I’m here and Koza’s hasty departure.

Olean’s grin doesn’t falter, and the only response from him I get is the swish of his tail barely visible behind him.

After a long moment he turns, walking away with a heavy limp. “Come along, Ava, I will show you to your room,” he calls, and I hurry to follow him.

He leads me down a hallway to a staircase and at the top is a large, circular landing furnished as a sitting room. Three closed doors are spaced along the rounded wall, and Olean moves toward the closest one.

As the door swings open into the room beyond, he takes a step away and gestures me inside.

I move past him and into the room, a real smile forming as I take in the sight that greets me.

The room is filled with natural light from large windows framed with light, airy curtains that show the view behind the house. Outside is an expanse of that dark, strange soil and a scattering of alien trees as far as my eyes can see. It’s oddly peaceful, and I find myself glad I will not overlook the area the soldiers were gathered in when we arrived.

I turn reluctantly away from the windows to study the rest of the room, which is pleasantly not spacey and alien-looking in the slightest.

The furniture is made from wood so fair it’s almost white, and the pale-cream bedding matches the rug beneath the bed. A plush armchair and matching wood table are on the opposite side of the room, and an archway in the wall next to them leads to what I assume is the bathroom.

“The bathing chamber is just through there,” Olean tells me, gesturing through the archway as if reading my mind. “I was able to procure a few garments for you, which you will find in the wardrobe, but I apologize there are not more to choose from. There are not many as small as you here, and the task was surprisingly difficult. A tailor will be here at his earliest opportunity to measure you for additional attire. I will fetch you something to eat now,” he finishes, backing out of the room and closing the door before I can thank him.

I stand in the middle of the room for a handful of heartbeats, the sound loud in my head. Then I huff out a heavy breath and turn to the archway.

~Here’s hoping there’s a bathtub in there I can figure out how to fill.~