“They’re a wealthy species with two moons full of dimmerion,” Sanian said. Between his high-pitched voice and lifted neck crest, she could tell he was excited.
She looked over at the three men, now all gathered just behind the captain. They were all staring intently at her, as if they were inspecting her.
“You aren't selling me, are you?” she asked.
“I know you like it here,” Riff said with another tug on her pants. “But they paid a lot of credits. The Hissa aren't known to be cruel or mean, I'm sure you will learn to be content with them.”
Cold dread settled in the pit of her stomach at the same time red hot anger built in her chest.
She swept her gaze over the three men, then settled on the one that was standing a little in front of the other two. This was probably the leader.
“Do you have a circus? Do you need a wild act?” she asked bluntly.
He looked surprised at her question, then answered in excellent space standard. “No, we don't have anything like a circus.”
His voice and body language made it clear that he was disgusted by everything around him.
They probably considered theDelighttoo public. They must like their entertainment to be private.
There really weren't very many reasons to pay so much for a slave, even one as exotic as her. If she wasn't going to be an attraction at a circus, that really only left one other option.
She looked at Sanian. “Don't do this.”
She was proud when her voice didn't waver with fear.
The captain's voice was stern. “It's already done. You don't need to pack your things. The men said they will provide you with everything you need.”
She cast them a disgusted look, of course they'd say that. If she didn’t have anything, it would be harder to escape.
Schooling her features, she sighed and slumped her shoulders, giving every indication she'd been defeated. “Please let me say goodbye to Melee and the cubs.”
Riff shook his head violently. “Absolutely not. You would get them to hide you. Come along and meet your new owners.”
Ducking her head down and with an exaggerated flinch, she stepped away from Riff. She could see him frown in confusion at her action and almost laughed. No one hurt the circus workers. If discipline was required, it was done with withdrawalof privileges, not corporal punishment. She and the others never hesitated to argue with Riff and even the captain occasionally when it came to safety.
She’d only meant to look cowed and subservient, but the Hissa reacted to her flinch with much more ferocity than she expected.
One of them grabbed Riff by the back of the jacket and held him high in the air.
Riff gave a loud screech of distress and tried to twist and bite the warrior but only got a mouthful of armor.
Sanian spoke rapidly, trying to deescalate the situation. “No, no, this isn’t necessary. Please put Riff down. He wasn’t going to hurt Nova.”
“Didn’t you see her move as if she thought she was going to be hit?” one of the warriors snarled.
“We saw the act and how you shoved shock sticks at her,” another said. “I heard them snap on her skin. How could you do that to her every day?”
“What other abusive things have you done to her?” the leader said, standing close to Sanian. The captain shrank back in fear and began sputtering excuses again. None of them were looking at her.
She couldn't have asked for a better distraction.
Taking advantage of their inattention, she turned and took a running step. One leap got her almost halfway up the cage, and she grabbed the crossbars with ease. It took no effort to scamper up to the top. She was lucky they’d shown up before she finished pulling on the drape or her escape would've been harder.
“No, get back down here!” Sanian yelled, sounding both scared and frustrated.
“Human, please don’t be afraid. We won’t hurt you,” one of the warriors called out.
“We’re here to take you to a better place,” another said.
