Page 78 of Stolen Slave

I chuckled. “Senwar system is the system in which Earth is located. And Mtinash’s home is a private paradise that he owns.”

“How is it different from a trade station?”

“A trade station is a destination where all are welcome. Mtinash’s paradise is not. His location is only known by a few. The size of his paradise is much smaller than a station too.”

“Didn’t look small,” she said quietly. Her skin flushed, and she cleared her throat as the scent of her arousal spiked. I tried not to feel jealousy, but it was there regardless.

“Would you like to return to Mtinash?” I asked gently, wanting to give her everything she wanted even though I feared her answer.

“No, I’m just trying to understand the differences.” She held me closer. “What’s a Helix station, then?”

Her answer and the way she clung to me proved so distracting that she had to nudge me to get me to answer.

“A trade station and a Helix station are very similar. Both are overseen by the prime races. Both uphold strict rules and tight security. However, the trade station in your system will have many unmated females, which is why the males will stop there. Typically, few unmated females dwell on a Helix station. Most are inhabited by male station personnel. Males go there to report issues to the prime races or purchase legal supplies.”

“Legal? Do they go somewhere for illegal supplies?”

“A void station.”

The scent of her humor wrapped around me.

“Floating paradise, Void, Helix, and Trade… How many types of stations are out there?”

“Void, Helix, and Trade are the primary types. Private places like Mtinash’s floating paradise are less common, as are the Oebri bathhouses.”

She shuddered at the mention of a bathhouse.

“So a void station for illegal goods?—”

“Or if you want your presence not to be noted.”

“—A trade station if you want a woman?—”

“Or supplies.”

“—and a Helix station if you want to report a problem. Does that mean a Helix station is like a police station?”

“A station for those to enforce the law? Yes, it primarily houses the Conservators who uphold the systems’ laws.”

“That’s kind of comforting,” she said. “So no mated women live on the Helix station? Wouldn’t that be the safest place for single women to live too?”

I thought of the Helix stations I knew. On the surface, they weren’t as dirty and rough as void stations, but that element of roughness still existed, even while walking in the pristine hallways.

“Many females find them less desirable locations due to the bounty hunters that frequent them and the bounties in their holding cells.”

“Bounty hunters? No way. Tell me more.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

KHORAHN

“What would you like to know?”

Excitement sweetened her scent as Vya leaned closer.

“Everything. What are bounty hunters like? Who do they capture? What did those people do wrong? What’s their punishment? Are holding cells like jail cells? How long do they stay there?”

I chuckled, liking her inquisitive mind and lack of fear. Not many females looked favorably at those who shared my profession.

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