“Destination?” she asked, the universal tongue word heavily accented.
If she was startled to see a human female traveling with three Keriv’i males, she didn’t show it…which made relief thread through Valerie. Nimida was a transport hub after all. All kinds of beings passed through there.
Dravka answered for them. “Second Quadrant.”
The Killup female made a small sound. “Nzonito is the transport colony for the Second Quadrant. A vessel will leave for there in two days. You can purchase passage at the kiosk, though it won’t open until morning. It’s quite late,” she said, sounding a little put off at that fact.
“Sorry,” Valerie said, giving her a small smile. “Late flight.”
The Killup made another sound, blinking her large black eyes at her. “Where are you coming from?”
“Fourth Quadrant,” she replied, not specifying the New Earth colonies. She thought it would make her suspicious since Keriv’i weren’t known to be among the New Earth colonies. New Earth was notorious for its closed borders. “We are on our way to meet friends in the Second Quadrant, friends we haven’t seen in a while.”
Another sound from the Killup. She studied each of them in turn while Valerie forced herself not to fidget.
“You are with them willingly?” the Killup asked next, eyeing her.
Valerie’s brows raised. “Yes,” she said, swallowing when she felt Dravka’s hand drift to her lower back. She touched Dravka’s wrist, feeling his heat, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by the Killup. “Of course.”
“He’s your mate?” the Killup asked, gaze narrowing.
“Pax,” Dravka rumbled, the word making Valerie flush with pleasure, despite the circumstance. “Yes,” he corrected. He gestured to Tavak and Ravu. “These are friends of ours, traveling with us.”
Another chittering sound.
“Kiosk opens at dawn. Book your seats early because they sell out,” the Killup finally said, seeming to decide that they posed no major threat and that Valerie was, indeed, not being trafficked by three Keriv’i males. “Be sure to check out our gift shop while you are here, yes?”
From the way Dravka’s brows furrowed, Valerie could tell he was perplexed at whatever a gift shop was, but the strange words coming from the Killup almost made Valerie laugh.
Valerie smiled, though her shoulder twinged when she shifted forward slightly, and said, “We sure will.”
“Last inn open right now is down the third corridor, on your left,” the Killup said, hitting a button against the wall.
The door behind her suddenly slid open, releasing a gust of cool wind into their faces.
“Welcome to Nimida.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Valerie sat perched on the edge of the bed, her fingers thumbing over the soft fabric that covered it, her eyes looking out the small, rectangular window that overlooked part of Nimida’s main depot and the main street below.
A part of her could scarcely believe that she was there. Sitting in an unfamiliar place. The air smelled pleasant, though artificial. Something sweet mingled with the engine fuels that seemed to permeate Nimida.
The room at the inn was surprisingly spacious, a large bed pushed against a corner, its headboard smooth and silver and modern-looking. A small table was pushed against another corner and the dresser drawers were hidden in the walls. They popped open with the slightest wave of her hand. The washroom door was still slid open, steam from her shower billowing out, though she’d been careful not to get her shoulder too wet.
It ached something fierce and the bone felt like it was throbbing. Dravka had told her she’d been bleeding a lot, that they’d had to hurry to close it. A part of her was uncomfortable that the tracker hadn’t been removed entirely—though she understood why. Dravka had told her it had beenfusedto her bone. They couldn’t take it out without seriously injuring her shoulder.
Once we’re on Dumera, she thought,I’ll look into having it removed.
A part of her knew she wouldn’t feel right until it was. A permanent severing from her aunt, from the control and abuse that had plagued her for five years.
Though she winced, Valerie stood from the bed, standing at the window, peering down at the narrow corridor below for any signs of a Keriv’i male. Tavak and Ravu were staying down the hall. They’d been lucky enough to snag two of the last rooms available for the night. The male at the desk—whose species she didn’t know though Dravka had told her he was a Laoti—informed them Nimida was always busy this time of the week. Dravka had passed over the credits that Khiva had given them to pay for the rooms.
There was movement at the door and she tensed. A moment later, it slid open to reveal Dravka. Dangling from his hand was a satchel and in his other was a platter of food.
When he closed and locked the door behind him, Valerie sighed and went to him. She was wearing one of the tunics he’d packed, the material dangling down to her mid-thighs.
“How do you feel?” he rumbled down to her, depositing the food on the table, which he’d gone out in search of with Tavak.
