I was so focused on getting away from the crowd, I almost ran past the open door. Stopping, I spotted something painted above the door. It was that symbol again.
I glanced inside. Racks of clothes, huge painted canvases propped against a wall, and the heady scent of too much perfume. Whatever the symbol meant, I had a feeling it was a good omen.
“In here.” I ducked through the door, waited for Kolt to follow me, and then closed the door behind us.
I wasn’t sure if we’d stumbled into the back of a clothing shop or the home of an artistic eccentric, but it was safer than being outside. Sinking onto a canvas sack filled with who knew what, I heaved out a breath.
“What now?” Kolt asked.
I suddenly realized that muffled voices echoed somewhere overhead, along with the thunking of feet on floorboards. Were we under the arena? Then I looked more closely at the clothes on the racks. These weren’t ordinary garments. The racks held garish costumes, elaborate masks, and even armor, although a cursory glance told me that it wasn’t real.
“I think we’re in a theatre,” I whispered.
“A what?”
I breathed in the aroma of face powder and perfume, which tickled my nose but was still an improvement over the smell of the cell. “A place where they put on plays. You know, entertainment.”
Kolt made a sound in his throat, and I didn’t know if it was disapproval or confusion.
The canvas sack under me sagged, so I stood and walked to the racks of clothes. “The good news is that we should be able to find you something to wear.”
Kolt poked a feathered headdress. “I do not think these garments will make me less conspicuous.”
I grinned at the idea of him in purple feathers. “Well, not that.” I pawed through the clothing until I reached a section containing what appeared to be uniforms. I picked a dark blue jumpsuit that had stripes on the sleeves and reminded me of a flight suit I’d seen Imperial pilots wear. “This could work.”
He took it from me and frowned. “You wish me to wear all this fabric?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “I know you Vandar badasses like to run around half naked, but we need you covered.”
He narrowed his gaze at the costume. “It might fit.”
“Just try it.” I held up a pink and green fairy costume. “Unless you’d rather wear this.”
He gave me a scathing look as he draped the costume over the nearest rack and took the blasters from his belt. Then he unhooked his belt and dropped his kilt before I could look away.
Fuck me.
I wasn’t even sure if I’d said that out loud or not. I was too distracted by the enormous cock hanging between his legs to notice anything else. It even had the same dark swirls that covered his chest, which I registered as interesting beneath the low buzz of shock and desire that filled my head.
When I snapped out of the haze, I realized he’d asked me something.
I managed to wrench my gaze back to his face. “What? Um, yeah, I think the cut looks better.”
“That is not what I asked you.” He tilted his head ever so slightly. “I asked if you could take one of the blasters in case someone comes through the door while I’m changing.”
I snatched a blaster from where he’d placed them on a stack of crates and swung it toward the door, finally exhaling.
This was better, I thought as I listened to him pull on the jumpsuit and pointed the blaster at the door. At the very least, my heart now had a chance to beat normally again.
A low growl of frustration made me glance back. “Everything okay?”
“There is no hole for my tail.”
I turned, pointing the blaster down as he stood with the jumpsuit pulled up to his waist with the sleeves dangling to each side. “That’s good. We want to hide your tail.” I gestured in the general direction of his crotch. “Just tuck it down one side.”
“Tuck it down?”
I wanted to tell him he’d clearly managed to tuck his cock down the right side of the pants, but there was no way I wasgoing to say that out loud. “Pick a side and put the tail down that pants leg.”
