The azhera’s lips turned down in an annoyed frown, but he quickly returned his expression to its neutral state. His nostrils flared with a slow exhalation. When he inhaled, his slitted pupils dilated, thinning the green irises around them. “Not here to argue. I want to start over.”
“What do you meanstart over? You fucking purchased me from that walrus to be your sex slave.”
Something moved behind the azhera. It took her a moment to realize the movement was from his tail. His broad-shouldered frame filled most of the doorframe, leaving little of the corridor visible around him.
“I paid him so he would be forced to accept that you weren’t his anymore. I wasn’t going to keep you as a slave,” he said.
“You expect me to believe that? You were there for a reason, with all that talk about deals andrutting.”
The azhera bared his fangs to release a sigh that was punctuated by a low, brief growl. “He was a client. Didn’t know about his zoo until he brought me down there to show it off. All I wanted was to conclude my business with him and get out, but thezhe’gaashwouldn’t shut his mouth.”
Shay’s brow furrowed. She’d encountered words to which her translator could attribute no meaning, but never in direct conversation like this. “Zee gash?”
“Zhe’gaash,” he corrected. “It’s a word in an ancient Azheran dialect that fell out of common use a long time ago. It’s someone who’s…dishonorable, disgraceful. Cowardly. Those aren’t exactly it, but it’s along those lines.”
She tilted her head, sweeping her gaze over his body. He was dressed in black pants with reinforced knees and cargopockets that would’ve fit perfectly with the uniforms of most private security companies and law enforcement divisions back on Earth, and a gray shirt beneath a form-fitting jacket. Though she couldn’t be sure what anything was made of here, the material of that jacket looked to be leather; it was a dark, rich brown with the slightest hint of red, and it brought out the subtle copper highlights in the fur on his face and mane.
He wore a belt similar to the one she’d stolen from him, its hip holster empty. Though his lower legs from mid-shin down were clad in black leather wraps not unlike the upper portions of combat boots, his feet were bare, and his toes were tipped with wicked looking black claws.
“Deciding whether you want to rob me again or not?” he asked, just as drily as before.
She met his gaze. “Maybe. Some of your other stuff sold for more than I expected.”
He narrowed those intense green eyes and asked in a slightly strained voice, “Did you sell my belt?”
“I think you meanmybelt.”
His ears flattened against his head, and he muttered, “Vrek’osh, that was my favorite belt.” Moving slowly, he lifted his right hand and combed his fingers through his dark mane, tugging the fur back. “Look, terran, when I said I wanted to start over, I?—”
Shouting from down the hall called the azhera’s attention to the side. From the sound of it, Ostik and Zira were arguing again, like they did most days. Drakkal turned his head toward the disturbance.
Shay found herself studying his strong jawline and admiring the patterns in his fur. It really was quite appealing. Despite his animalistic traits, she found his appearance far more masculine than bestial. She was suddenly tempted to reach out and touch his fur to see if it was as soft as it looked.
What the fuck am I thinking?
She was reaching for the door control—meaning to shut it while he was distracted—when he turned his face toward her again. His gaze flicked to her extended hand, and he frowned. Her hand paused. Why did it fucking pause? And why did she feel a little pang of guilt over what she’d been about to do?
“I want to talk. Can I come in?” he asked.
“For real?” she asked. “You really expect me to believe that you weren’t trying to buy me as a sex slave, or that you’re not going to make me pay for robbing you and leaving you naked in an alley?”
He shrugged his right shoulder; she swore she could almost see the play of his powerful muscles through his coat, even though that didn’t seem possible.
“I’ve been naked in worse places. You can keep your gun on me, and I’ll keep distance between us. Whatever makes you feel safe, terran.”
“I’d feel safe if you left.”
He turned his head, glancing first right and then left before swinging his gaze up across the ceiling as though taking in the entirety of the apartment complex. His brows rose questioningly when he returned his gaze to her.
“Yeah, okay, so maybe I don’t feel safe here at all,” she said snidely, “but your being here definitely isn’t making that better. You looked like you wanted to eat my face yesterday!”
His expression darkened. “That’s just how I look, damn it. It’s not my fault!”
“So you’re really trying to tell me that this is all a big misunderstanding because you suffer from RBF?”
“I don’t know what that means.”
Shay snickered. She couldn’t help it.