DangerouslyForever (5 page)

“Try it on. Let me see what you look like in a dress.”

Eva cut her stare to Lo’Ren, who sat cross-legged on the
massive bed that Eva and Taio shared. The whiteness of the blanket contrasted
against Lo’Ren’s pink skin. Lo’Ren was bigger than Eva, but she still looked
like a child sitting in the middle of their bed. Eva always joked that she
would get lost in it and Taio wouldn’t find her until days later, shriveled up
and dead.

“Don’t give me that look. You’ll eventually have to wear
it,” Lo’Ren said.

Eva looked down at the dress she held. Lo’Ren was right.
She’d have to wear it for Sa’Mya and Kane’s bonding ceremony. She’d tried her
best to get out of it. She had even bought a white bodysuit that was too fancy
to train in but would have been perfect for the ceremony. She could still
remember how Sa’Mya had shouted when she’d suggested it. A shudder ran down the
back of her neck, making Eva cringe. Sweet baby Jesus, could that chick scream.

“Ugh,” Eva said.

“It won’t be that bad,” Lo’Ren coaxed. “It’s beautiful.”

“I can’t argue about that,” Eva said. The dress was so soft
it felt like silky liquid between her fingers. “What kind of material is this?”

“I think its
mezian
. If it is, that dress is really
expensive. The material it took to make one sleeve on that dress probably costs
more credits than I have in my account.”

“I don’t know why she went through so much trouble. Sa’Mya
knows I’ll only wear it once.
And
I’m taking it off right after the
ceremony. Plus, even if I wanted to wear it again, I wouldn’t be able to.” Eva
rubbed her oversized belly. The baby girl she carried within shifted under her
hand. “In about a month this dress will be too big for me.”

Lo’Ren clapped. “Oh! Why don’t you have Mazel take the dress
in for you? She could even make the new baby a matching gown. She could wear it
at her acknowledgement ceremony.”

Eva tilted her head, studying the dress. She hadn’t even
thought of an outfit for her baby’s acknowledgement ceremony. Taio wouldn’t
allow his new daughter to wear pants, and frankly, she wasn’t ready for a
battle on that one.

A little girl.

Her heart fluttered.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” she said.

“And,” Lo’Ren said as she crawled across the bed, “if
there’s any leftover material, you could give it to me. I could make it into a
wicked outfit.”

Eva shrugged. “Sure, but I don’t know how much will be left
after Mazel has her way with it.”

Lo’Ren held a piece of the gown. “I’ll only need two
strips.”

“Strips?”

Lo’Ren pushed her chest out and gave a lopsided grin. “The
smaller the better. I have to show Ankon what he’s missing.”

Eva shook her head. No matter what Lo’Ren did, Ankon always
seemed oblivious to her antics. “Why don’t you set your sights on someone else?
You’ve been chasing Ankon for how many cycles?”

Lo’Ren looked as defiant as ever, squaring her shoulders.
“It doesn’t matter. He’ll come around eventually. I can outwait him.”

Eva laughed. “I like Ankon, but I think the only reason you
want him is because he’s not paying attention to you.”

“But when I show up at his room wearing
mezian
clothes, he won’t be able to resist me.”

“Clothes?” Eva snorted. “Didn’t you just describe the outfit
as strips?”

“Clothes, strips…” Lo’Ren shrugged. “What does it matter
when I plan on making him tear them off anyway?”

Eva threw her head back with a laugh. Lo’Ren had been
chasing Ankon for so long that she was sure if he finally gave in, Lo’Ren
wouldn’t know what to do.

Eva’s eyes settled on a purplish haze coming through her
doorway. “Hey, Ship.” She held up her dress. “My dress for Sa’Mya and Kane’s
bonding ceremony arrived.”

“It is nice,” he said.

“Nice?” Lo’Ren exclaimed. “Do you know how much that dress
probably cost?”

“Whatever the price, I am sure Eva will look nice in it.”

Lo’Ren humphed. “When I wear a piece of it, Ankon better
think I look more than just ‘nice’.”

“For what you have planned, you don’t want him thinking at
all,” Eva joked.

“Right,” Lo’Ren said with a laugh.

“Although I would love to stay and talk about Lo’Ren’s
never-ending quest to bed Ankon, I actually came because I have news,” Ship
said.

Eva held the dress up to her body, imagining how it would
look when she finally got the nerve to put it on. “News? Well, that sounds
official. Did Jess have her baby?”

Jess was due any day now. It’s funny how all their
pregnancies had worked out. Jess was due first, then Eva and then Sa’Mya. All
three of them were expecting girls. Her baby would have instant friends.

“No, I have not heard word of her birth yet.”

“Then what’s going on?” she asked.

“I have found Allysan Miller from Ann Arbor, Michigan,
Earth,” Ship said.

Ally.

Eva stiffened. The dress dropped from her hands.

She had been trying to find Ally for so long that she was
almost too afraid to get her hopes up. There had been so many near misses and
dead ends, but she had never given up her search.

She released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.
“Is she alive?”

“Yes, she is alive and living on a distant planet named
Yinnis. She is the property of Alharad Nijiaira.”

She hated to even ask. “Another brothel?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

Eva’s heart felt as if it had dropped to her stomach in a
fit of despair. She groaned.

Six.

From her count, that’s how many brothels Ally had belonged
to since being sold by the Tresdonians on Xenaris.

She picked up the dress and tossed it on the bed. “How do I
get her back? How much are they going to sell her for?” she asked impatiently.

“Eva, I did not inquire.”

“Why didn’t you find out?” she yelled, her voice bordering
on hysteria.

Lo’Ren slid off the bed to stand beside her. “Calm down.
Ship found her, that’s the important part.”

Eva put a shaky hand on her forehead. They found her. All
they needed to do now was go get her.

“I didn’t inquire because of my known relationship with
Taio. Alharad and Taio have a complicated past. It would be wise if we came up
with a plan, maybe work a deal through another party? But overall, I think it’s
best to inform Taio first of her whereabouts and let him decide a course of
action,” Ship explained.

“That’s a good idea,” Lo’Ren joined in. “Now that we’ve
found her, we’ll need a plan to get her back.”

Eva didn’t care if Lo’Ren and Ship were right or not, Taio would
pay any price Ally’s owner asked. She wanted her friend back.
Now.
As
far as she was concerned, she and Taio should be boarding the
Saia II
right now and rescuing Ally.

Eva started for the door with Lo’Ren following her. “I have
to tell Taio. We have to get going. Do you know how long she’s been there?” she
asked, afraid Ally’s new owner would have plans to sell her again.

“She has been there longer than she was at the others,” Ship
said.

She walked as fast as she could to where she knew she’d find
Taio—the training field. “That could mean two things. The owner will soon sell
her again or she’s a prized possession. I don’t like it either way.”

“I have already enlisted Kiehle’s help. He’s in that sector
and is keeping a close eye on the comings and goings on Yinnis. We won’t lose
her again.”

“Thank you, Ship. I’m sorry for yelling at you. If I could,
I would give you a kiss,” she said.

“Although Taio and Josanis enjoy your kisses, I will have to
pass,” Ship said dryly. “Are you forgetting about Sa’Mya’s bonding ceremony? I
think it would upset her greatly if you did not show.”

Eva bit out a curse. She’d forgotten just that fast. “Sa’Mya
will understand. She knows how important this is to me. Maybe they can push
their ceremony back?”

Lo’Ren shook her head. “She can’t. If she has the baby
before she and Kane are bonded, he can’t legally claim the child.”

Eva pressed open the door leading outside. “What? That’s a
fucked-up rule. She’s the queen, can’t she change it?”

“Instead of focusing our energy on trying to change laws of
different species…” Ship began.

“Right. We should focus on who is going to make the trip to
retrieve Ally,” Lo’Ren finished.

Eva stepped out into the hot air. They hadn’t been living on
Drazlan for very long, and she still hadn’t gotten used to how humid it was on
this planet. She had thought Sonis was hot. But it hadn’t compared to this kind
of stifling heat.

Sheesh.
She waited a minute, trying to catch her
breath. She inhaled deeply, allowing her nostrils to flare. Lo’Ren and Ship
waited patiently for her. Once she had enough air filling her lungs, she
started forward.

“And while we’re on the subject of pregnancies, I don’t
think Taio will allow you to travel such a distance while
you
are
pregnant,” he continued.

Eva shielded her eyes with a hand, trying to block out the
brightness of the suns. “How far away is she?”

“A light-year,” Ship said.

Lo’Ren whistled low.

“And how long would it take me to get there and back?”

“A round-trip would take a month, and only if the
negotiations for her release are without complications.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. That would be cutting it close
to her due date. She doubted she would have enough time to go to Ally,
negotiate her release and come back. And that’s if she didn’t deliver early
like she had with Josanis.
Shit.

“I hate to break it to you,” Lo’Ren said. “But Taio isn’t
going to let you give birth anywhere but on Sonis or Drazlan.”

Eva remembered when she went into labor with Josanis. They
had been on Laconia rescuing Sa’Mya from her crazy uncle. Right after her
contractions began, Taio had whisked her into his arms, declaring that his son
wouldn’t be born anywhere but on Sonis soil, and they had broken all kinds of
speed records in order to get back home on time. He definitely wouldn’t let her
travel that far away if there was a chance they wouldn’t make it back for the
baby’s birth.

“It’s been so long. I want to be the one to get her,” she
said.

“I don’t think it would really matter who rescues her.”

“Ship’s right. A rescue is a rescue,” Lo’Ren added.

As they walked farther from the palace, the suns seemed to
become hotter and hotter. In all the excitement, she’d forgotten to don protective
clothing.

Lo’Ren didn’t have to worry about the sun as much as Eva
did. Her pink-colored flesh had natural UV protection embedded under the
layers. Her people had skin that was able to shield out all the impurities
caused by living on Bri’El, a colony on an asteroid.

As they approached the training field, Eva could hear the
clashes coming from the
jangos
. As the warriors sparred, sunlight
bounced off the weapons and made miniature sparks fly in different directions.
Yells and grunts became louder and louder.

She reached the edge of the field and looked for Taio.

“Eva,” she heard him yell. “What are you doing out here
unprotected?”

She turned toward the sound of his deep voice. He was
engaged in hand-to-hand combat, sparring with one of his guards. The guard
raised his arm and brought it down, aiming for Taio’s side. He used his hand to
deflect and grabbed the guard’s arm. He twisted it, making the other male
grunt, and flung him to his back. Without giving the guard a second look, Taio
stepped over him and came to her.

“Go back inside and cover your skin.” Then he looked at
Lo’Ren. “Why did you allow her to come without protection?”

Eva shook her head. “Taio, later. I have info—”

He put a finger on her lips. “And whatever you have to tell
me can wait until after you cover yourself. I don’t want your beautiful skin to
get burned.”

“I need to get Ally,” she blurted out.

His features instantly softened. He reached for her and
placed both hands gently on her shoulders. “We have been looking for her for so
long. I know you want to find her, but we can pick up the search after the baby
is born.”

She placed her hands on top of his. “No, you don’t
understand. Ship finally found her.”

His brows pulled together. “He did? Are you sure?”

“I am quite certain,” Ship said.

“Where is she?” Taio asked.

“She is on Yinnis under the care of Alharad Nijiaira.”

“Alharad,” Taio sneered, saying his name with disgust.

“What is it? Tell me what you know about him,” she asked
nervously.

Taio let out a heavy breath and pulled her closer. “The
Galactic Council has been keeping a very close eye on him. But so far, all of
his dealings have been within the confines of the law. Whenever we hear of
wrongdoings, we investigate, but we never find anything to confirm illegal
activity. He’s bad, and he’s good at hiding it. I cannot lie to you. If she is
indeed with Alharad Nijiaira, she may be damaged beyond repair. He is known to
be cruel, even by Yinnis standards. He enjoys inflicting pain on others,
particularly breaking their will.”

“You speak like she’s a piece of equipment. She’s my friend,
my family. I made a promise to her and her husband. I have to get her back.”

“Shh, we will get her.” He stroked her head. “Kiehle is not
far from that sector. I will ask him to go there and gather information.”

“I have already asked him to keep an eye on the slave trade
on Yinnis. But I believe it is a good idea for him to visit the brothel and
confirm she is there,” Ship said.

Eva pushed against Taio. “No. I want to go. I want to leave
now.”

“Little one, we cannot leave right now. It would take at
least one rotation to prepare the vessel for such a journey. And you are due to
be the witness in Sa’Mya’s bonding ceremony, you cannot miss that.
And
I
will not allow for such a long journey with the birth so close.”