With any luck, they would’ve gone the wrong direction, toward where they should be going instead. Perhaps hismistakes had helped them after all. And the strong fragrance meant that even if the pirates did eventually come in this direction to look for them, it would be difficult for them to track them through the scent. Even now, Ranek couldn’t smell anything except for Maya and the flowers. He couldn’t even smell the leaves on the ground.
Strengthening his resolve, Ranek tracked on, and soon they left the intoxicating field behind. He was not free of the torture of Maya’s body against his, however. Every movement brought them together, and the scent of her arousal was undeniable.
It didn’t help that she nibbled at his skin wherever she could reach. Ranek wanted to drop to his knees and claim her right there on the soft leaf litter. But now was not the time. He gritted his teeth and trekked on, trying to ignore his growing need.
He kept his eyes open for a safe place to shelter, and soon found an overgrown road cutting through the jungle. The jungle had already reclaimed part of the road, but it was there. Walking along the edge of it, he soon came across a fork in the road and an old sign, sun-faded but still legible.
They were on Fortuna II, a decades-abandoned mining planet. There were no real settlements or villages on the planet; the Dominion had never thought it useful to build anything. But there were plenty of buildings housing the industry that had kept the planet inhabited.
They were nearing one of the many refineries dotted around the planet. The other fork in the road led to a food production and supply hub. Knowing the Dominion, he was willing to bet that the “hub” consisted of the bare minimum, some farmland, a processing facility, and maybe a building or two. But it was closer and enough to provide them shelter.
He relaxed his hold on Maya and she slid down his body, making the most decadent-sounding moan as his half-hard cock bumped up between her legs on the way down.
“You are making this trip very difficult, my love.”
“Do you mean veryhard, sweetie pie honey bunch?” She reached for him, squeezing lightly, then giggled.
The intoxicant must be taking longer to filter out of her system than his.
But something about the way she was acting gave him a hint of what the flowers were. Those hadn’t been the truth serum flowers at all; they were the plants used to make Euphora! He remembered now that they had blue flowers and smelled very pleasant.
The natural compound alone affected Tallean brains, but didn’t have a lasting effect. It also caused too much confusion and other negative responses, like paranoia. But once isolated, refined, and mixed with other supporting compounds, it really shone. Euphora was used as a recreational drug by Talleans throughout the galaxy, though the Dominion strictly controlled its manufacture.
They claimed it was for safety reasons, but everyone knew it was for the profits.
This little bit of information jogged a tiny piece of Ranek’s memory loose. Wasn’t it rumored that an old friend of his, whom he hadn’t seen in years, Kean, was setting up a production facility in the outer planets? Was that why Ranek was out here? To join him?
But that still didn’t explain the pirate’s claim that Ranek had been in prison and had escaped. And Ranek had gotten a goodlook at that screen. That was his face; there was no denying it. The pirate had not mistaken him for anyone else.
Maya swayed up to the sign, and as she did, the dragus pup stepped forward, squatted, and peed on the post.
“Which way? Left or right?”
“Left.”
“Food and Waystation?” she read.
Close enough. The written Tallean language was difficult to master, and unlike his brother who excelled at everything he did, Ranek had struggled as a youngster. He remembered at least that much. Unless there were decades missing from his life, Maya couldn’t have been learning the language for long.
“I’m hungry. Do you think we’ll find a Mickey D’s?” she asked jovially.
He wasn’t sure if she was still under the influence of the flowers’ intoxicant—did it work longer on her kind? Or if this Mickey D thing was something he had forgotten about. Even though he couldn’t recognize what species Maya was, his translator clearly did. And so had the pirates.
“I do not know of this Mick-ee-dee. But we should be able to get our bearings, depending on what state the buildings are in.”
“Good idea, maybe there will be a map that can get us back to the mining station.”
Ah, so that was where they’d been before the pirates showed up. What the hell were they doing there?
“You were looting the place so you can sell the goodies and make credits.”
Ranek hadn’t realized he’d asked that out loud. Or maybe she was so attuned to him and his moods that he didn’t need to. But looting an abandoned mining station to make some quick credits sounded too close to desperation. Was that why she’d denied being his mate at first? Because he was not a good provider, and she was embarrassed at what they had to do to survive?
He reached for her and pulled her close before cupping her face in his hands. “I don’t know what we’ve been through before, but I promise that from this moment on, I will do everything in my power to give you a good life. Please give me a chance to prove it to you.”
She bit her lower lip, and for a second it looked like she was going to deny him their bond again. Emotions rushed across her face, and her eyes welled up with unshed tears. It worried Ranek until her lips lifted in a smile.
“Okay. Prove it to me.”
