"I'm so sorry," the female said, skimming gel from her legs and climbing to her feet. "I should have paid more attention to where I was going."
"Hrngh . . ." Cael grunted, all logical thought and speech abandoning his brain.
The guard picked up the last remaining dish and scowled at Cael as if this predicament was his fault as well. "You can't report for duty like that. Take her to the cleansing pods, and both of you get cleaned off. I'll deliver the slaves' food."
"Cleansing pods?" Cael repeated, still not able to form a complete sentence.
"She can show you. And clean your garments while you're at it. Lord Krissayr may not be onboard this ship, but we're going to act as if he is. Understood?"
"Understood," Cael repeated and watched as the guard shook his head at him and the small female in disgust.
"And no funny business. These females are property of Lord Krissayr alone. Keep all four hands to yourself. You can look, but you can't touch."
And with that, he walked away, leaving the prince to cleanse himself alone with the most desirous creature he'd ever met.
"The showers are this way," a soft voice said next to him.
Cael looked down to see the female staring at him, her brows furrowed.
"Showers?" he asked.
"Sorry. Cleansing pods, showers . . . whatever. They're down here. I'll show you."
The female turned and led the way down the hall. After a few minutes, she paused before a closed door. It swooshed open with a puff of air to reveal a large empty room. Cael followed her inside and looked around. Cleansing cylinders lined the ceiling every few feet, making it possible for a group of twenty to cleanse at once. Little was left in the way of privacy, but with so many guards on board, one couldn't expect privacy to be of any importance on this ship.
But the moment the female stopped and looked up at Cael with those furrowed brows, her fingers shaking over the buttons of her purple tunic, he realized what this meant for her. She was expected to cleanse herself in front of him, and the idea obviously filled her with fear.
Cael spun around and faced the door. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat. It had become dry suddenly.
"Proceed." His voice was gruffer than usual. "I'll watch the door."
"Okay," her small voice said behind him, followed by a shaky, "Thank you."
The sound of water streaming from the cleansing cylinder filled the room, replacing the sound of Cael's heartbeat thrumming in his ears. He still felt it pounding in his chest, though. What about this female unsettled him so much? Was it her strange anatomy? He'd seen plenty of two-armed individuals throughout the universe and had become used to the bizarre lack of limbs. Perhaps it was her strange coloring. Her skin was a dark, silky brown, so unlike his own blue flesh. But as he stood there listening to the sound of her cleansing herself, what came to mind were her eyes. So deep brown, they were almost black. Nothing like the silver eyes of his people. He wanted her to look at him again—stare at him so he could observe them further.
"I'm sorry to bother you," she said, "but could you do me a favor?"
Cael grunted, not trusting his voice to give away the strange effect the female was having on him.
"There's a sort of washing machine to the left of the door. Would you please put my clothes in there? They'll be finished in a few minutes."
Cael looked to the place she spoke of and saw the clothing refresher station. What had she called it? A washing machine? Perhaps where she was from refreshers only washed materials.How strange. For the first time, the prince wondered where this creature came from and why he had seen no others like her before.
Her clothing was on the floor behind him where she'd stripped it off. He turned to pick it up and glimpsed her naked flesh wet with cleansing liquid, the foamy bubbles sliding down her skin. Heat flared through his body, and he forced his eyes to look away. He'd promised her privacy. He wasn't about to break his word, even though his cock jumped at the sight of her.
What is wrong with you? Get ahold of yourself. Remember your purpose for being here.
Baelor. Finding him and figuring out what his uncle was up to. That's why he was here. Not to ogle over some strange female, and certainly not to become involved with her.
Forcing himself to refocus, Cael threw the dirty clothing into the refresher. It would only take a few minutes to vibrate the soiled particles from between the woven strands of cloth.
As he closed the lid on the refresher, the cleansing room door swooshed open, and a handful of guards walked in. Their conversation ceased as soon as they noticed the female bathing in front of them.
The one in front crossed his four arms over his chest and stared. "Well, well, well," he said. "Looks like we're just in time for a show."
TWO
In her wildest dreams, Midori had never expected to be abducted by aliens.
