He had been nothing but a gentleman from the moment she spilled her dinner all over him, but that didn't mean she wanted to anger the seven-foot-tall alien with four bulging biceps.
Midori brought him to the room where she and the two other women were confined. They thought of it as their shared bedroom, though it was more like a prison cell. It's not like they could leave whenever they wanted.
Cael lifted his hand and hovered it over the palm scanner, refraining from pressing his skin against the metal to unlock the door. Midori wondered what he was waiting for.
He lowered his hand and turned to her, his silver eyes staring into hers. "You did not tell me your name."
"You didn't ask." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.
Again, his tiny smile returned and his tail gave a swish. "Well then, what is your name?"
"Midori."
"Midori?" He looked thoughtful. "The nanite translator is telling me your name means green. Is this correct?"
"Yes. My mother is from Japan. Was . . . was from Japan. It's a country on my planet, Earth. And Midori means green, but it's also a fairly common name in Japan."
"And this plant you have on your planet which shares my name, is it green as well?"
"It is." She nodded, noticing for the first time his black silver-tipped hair held a deep blue tint to it. Midori wondered what it would feel like running through her fingers and then mentally kicked herself for caring.
"On my planet, green is a very lucky color indeed." He placed his hand on the scanner, and the door swished open.
Midori walked inside and turned to thank him for the way he treated her.
"I hope to see you again, Midori. And I hope, unlike the “Cael” of your planet, you will not find me too bitter for your liking."
The door swished close, and he was gone.
THREE
Cael fiddled with his silver leathern vest one more time, attempting to lay it flat where wrinkles had creased it. A quick glance in the mirror showed his hair was tied in regulation braids and, more importantly, nothing was in his teeth. He wanted to look his best. It was nearly time to take the women their meal and then accompany Midori on her daily walk around the ship.
He'd visited her every day for the past two weeks since he first boarded the ship. Cael had also volunteered to bring the human females their meals and accompany them to the cleansing pods where he would guard the door as they washed. He'd been lucky enough to be chosen as Midori's escort for exercise.
Other guards had volunteered at first, but Cael found powerful means of persuasion to deter them from volunteering again. Luckily, most of the other guards were motivated by a few extra credits in their pockets. Those that weren't were motivated by other more confrontational ways. Word traveled fast regarding Cael's role as the humans' protector. The twoLuciverians in charge of the ship didn't seem to care as long as the humans were safe and untouched.
They had no idea he was putting together a plan for getting the females off the ship and out of the hands of Lord Krissayr. It wasn't his initial intention to interfere, but after coming aboard, he knew he'd never be able to leave the human females to be sold into slavery, especially Midori. He was determined to figure out a way to save her.
Each day, he attempted to learn more about the fascinating human female. The beautiful tiny woman was reticent. She'd answer his questions, but rarely offered any extra information. At first, he worried her quiet nature might be because she was afraid of him. She was a prisoner after all, and he was a guard.
But when they passed other guards in the halls, she always seemed to draw nearer to him until the other guard walked by. Perhaps instead of fearing him, she was mirroring his own restrained manner. After all, whenever she asked him a question, all logical thought seemed to fly from his brain. More often than not, his answers were grunts in varying tones.
Not for the first time, he wondered what she was like behind the closed door of her room when she was among the other females. Was she more open and loquacious then? He hoped to find out. He wanted to let the females know he intended to do everything in his power to save them.
Cael walked down the hall toward the Earthans' door and noticed one of the Luciverian guards coming toward him. The Luciverians were the leads on this mission and rarely left the comm room. Not that he minded. They were known as some of the fiercest, deadliest fighters in the galaxy, often hired as assassins. He wasn't surprised Lord Krissayr hired them to transport the Earth women, but he knew enough to stay out of their way. Their unique killer instincts were touted by some to bea sixth sense. He didn't need either of them becoming suspicious of him or why he was on board the ship.
When the Luciverian guard stopped in mid-step and turned around, Cael froze. The black and red tattooed guard turned and walked back to the females' door, tilting his head as if listening to the conversation beyond. But before he could do anything, the door slid open and a laser blast hit the Luciverian square in the chest, knocking him to the floor.
Cael slid into a doorway and watched. He knew protocol dictated he should sound the alarm, but right then he was far more worried about Midori than the fekking protocol. He watched as a tall black-and-white striped male stepped into the hallway and shot the Luciverian once more.
The three female prisoners followed the male into the hallway which was filling with smoke. The laser blast must have hit an exhaust pipe. Red lights flashed, and an alarm sounded.
"Follow me," the intruder said, leading the three females down the hall and into another corridor.
The look of fear on Midori's face pierced Cael's heart. There was no way he was going to leave her with a stranger obviously there to steal Lord Krissayr's cargo for his own nefarious means. He would probably try to sell the human women on his own, and they'd be lost forever. Cael wasn't about to let that happen.
He followed the humans and the intruder through the halls, though it became more difficult by the second to see them. The stranger stopped in the hallway, looking left and right. He touched his finger to his ear. Was he communicating with someone outside the ship? It seemed whatever plan the intruder had wasn't working.
