VAROK
Itried to make my excuses and leave early. I’d gone to the trouble of sticking Penny with extra interviews. Why bother if I didn’t take advantage of her distraction?
The fun of watching her deal with it, of course.Alas, I didn’t have time to linger. I turned toward the exit, only to find my path blocked. A pretty Halveran female in a very flattering, almost skin-tight black outfit grinned up at me, posing artfully to show herself off to best advantage.
“The magnificent sculptor of antimatter,” she said, tossing her head to make her golden mane catch the light. “Tell me, do you need a subject for your next work?”
Her eyes gleamed, and she purred her words. To make them out over the party sounds, I had to lean in close. Which was her plan, of course. For all her grace, she lacked the skill to make the move seem natural.
Mentally flicking through the guest list, I realized this wasn’t someone I could shrug off. Almost every male in the galaxy would kill to be her prey! Why had she set her sights onme?
“Princess-Elect, I am overjoyed to hear you like my art,” I said, looking for a way to disengage without giving offense tosomeone who might one day rule over one of the nastier military empires bordering the Reach. “I fear, though, that my skill is too poor to do your beauty justice.”
Her blush was as artful and practiced as the rest of her, as was her pout. “But the Collectors prize your art. You don’t give yourself enough credit, and anyway, the only way to improve is practice.Enthusiasticpractice.”
I resisted the urge to grit my teeth. Clearly, the princess wasn’t used to refusals, and either didn’t recognize mine or didn’t care. Time to make it explicit, then.
“Highness, when my art is at a standard worthy of your attention, I will be glad to seek you out. Until then, I must decline.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion, perhaps the only honest expression I’d seen cross her face. Eyes narrowing, she glanced past my shoulder and hissed a curse before storming off. My turn to frown. Before I turned, another female took my arm. Ssyll, the beautiful and bloodthirsty noble I’d marked as my next target, had chosen me as hers, too.
She latched onto me with a possessive strength that reminded me of a snake’s coils in more ways than one, and her attention focused on the rest of the room as she staked her claim. My gaze followed hers, and I blinked.What in the Starless Void is happening?
False modesty serves no one—I know I am an attractive male. And my cover story would add to the appeal for some.
But now I was the focus for half the females in this exclusive gathering. Flattering perhaps, but implausible. And aggravating, killing my chance of slipping away unnoticed.
That was the moment it clicked. Every eligible female here was on the verge of fighting over me, except one. The one who benefitted from keeping me busy while she slunk away to strike first.
Penny. I caught sight of her at one end of the bar, her drone floating beside her as she conducted her ‘intimate interview’ of an Akedian priestess. For an interview, it involved a lot of giggling and glances in my direction.
The Akedian’s green skin darkened as she noticed me looking, and she raised a fan to cover her face. Penny shooed her over in my direction, grinning all the while, and I fumed helplessly.
Whatever story she was spreading, I’d taken a leap from important guest to catch of the century. Perhaps if I’d spotted her work sooner, I could have stopped it. Now the rumors were already flying, and any denial I offered would just inflame the situation.
Penny shot me another mischievous smile that made me want to either throw her off the balcony or fuck her on the table, andoh Void,now she’s speaking to the Liil.
If I didn’t take care, this would turn into an actual bloodbath.
With a blown kiss and a wink in my direction, Penny went back to ‘interviewing’ the Liil battlemaiden.You wicked littlestobor,I thought, impressed, amused, and angry. I’d thought that sticking Penny with extra interviews would slow her down, but she’d turned the tables and made it impossible for me to leave without catching attention I couldn’t afford.
Penny had evened the playing field. If I was unlucky, she’d bought herself a head start, though perhaps not as long as she hoped.
The females she’d sent were enticing, but for the first time I found none of theminteresting.Not now that I’d met Penny. Thoughts of the human female consumed me—her beautiful curves and her wicked smile. Her, and what I’d do when I got her alone once more.
9
PENNY
Things weren’t going according to plan. Some of the interview subjects Varok hadkindlyarranged for me liked the sound of their own voices too much for me to get the interviews done quickly.
At least my tormentor didn’t get to escape early, either. A smile pulled at my lips as I caught his exasperation, and I wondered if he’d worked out what I’d told them.
I kept fighting the urge to break into laughter.Secret prince of a planet that’s invented cheap matter-antimatter conversion. Rich beyond anyone’s ability to match. Here to forge a marriage alliance that will remake the Reach!
It sounded ridiculous, but he had a ridiculous amount of antimatter in his sculpture. Or rather, everyone thought he did. The opportunity to catch Varok—rich, powerful, muscular Varok, attractive and looking for a long-term alliance—was impossible to ignore. All it took was one heiress making a move, and they’d swarmed him.
Admittedly, that wasn’t the distraction I’d intended. I’d expected him to pick someone he found palatable right away and vanish with her for a few hours. Given the number of attractivewomen in the room, he’d be faster taking one to bed than refusing each in turn without causing offense.
