The sales attendant tilts her head. “But aren’t you giving the companion as a gift?”
“It will remain in the palace. My name is fine.”
She raises her brows as she types, but I assume she enters all the pertinent information as when she’s done typing, she passes me the data pad to transfer the credits.
“There must be a mistake, there’s no way that little thing costs this much?” Surely, she’s added a few too many zeros to the bill.
She arches an eyebrow. “It’s an incredibly long waiting list, as I said, Your Grace.”
I wince as I flick my finger on her screen to authorize the payment.
“Excellent! I’ll have my staff deliver all his supplies to your estate.” Her smile is broad as she hands me the crate. The little beast scurries around in a circle inside.
I let out a sigh as the attendant shows me to my cruiser.
Maybe it’ll help Marta adjust,I find myself hoping as the kahne’ah whines and snorts insistently in my arms.
CHAPTER21
?NUBBINS?
?MARTA
I’ve been lyingon the duke’s bed for the past few hours, counting the number of swirls in the ornately carved ceiling—I’m already up to 142.
I don’t want to admit that I’m excited to hear the door lock activate. I don’t even care that it’s Raf’ere. Even if he makes me angry, I’ll have some relief from the all-encompassing boredom that this room holds.
His hulking form backs in through the door, quickly latching and locking it behind him. He’s struggling with something large and blue under his arm.
He faces me, his eyebrows shooting up before I realize I’m still on his bed. I jump to my feet, smoothing the wrinkled bedspread.
“What’s that?” I ask, gesturing to the box.
His eyes rake over me. I almost forgot about my new clothing.
“You look…nice,” he manages to choke out.
There’s something behind his eyes, but I don’t know if it’s the hunger from our last meeting.
“What’s in the box?” I ignore him and ask again.
“Oh this, it’s a gift from one of my subjects. I’m not sure I’m going to keep it.” He places the box on the floor with a disinterested sigh. “Seems like more work than it’s worth, honestly.”
The boxmoves, jiggling slightly as though something alive is inside. No, something is definitely in the box,I realize as soft grunts emanate from the slits in the blue plastic container.
“Do you want to see it?” He asks over his shoulder as he drops his data pad on the table. I kneel in front of the crate, curious.
“Is it dangerous?” I have no idea what kind of things aliens keep in crates.
“Probably not…I think,” he says before unlatching the door.
My breath catches in my throat as one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen waddles out of the crate.
“Oh my fucking god,” I squeak out as I instinctively hold my hands out to the chunky blue creature in front of me. He’s slow to approach at first, sniffing my fingertips cautiously.
He waggles closer before a purple tongue darts out of his flat snout and he licks my knuckles. He smacks his lips as if trying to decipher my motives by taste alone.
He blinks his eyes rapidly, the black dewy orbs shining, before the two antennas on his head light up. The blue light is so bright I squint my eyes a bit as they adjust.
