Page 71 of No Strings Attached

Vi staggered a little at that. She hadn’t given any real thought to how dangerous it was for Bobby to be on his own in public. That asshole was going to steal him, brand him, and force him into sex slavery? Just because he was there asking about the price of a female?

“But Valis subdued the bouncer before he could do anything to either of us.” He turned toward Valis and said, “Thank you, again, for that.”

Valis nodded serenely.

“The owner called for,” Bobby swung around to look at The Zig, “Former Commander Zalon and ran to the back. We followed. Valis got in front of the owner to meet Former Commander Zalon, so the owner backed up toward me to get away from any fighting between those two. He stepped on the back of his robes and fell backwards onto my knives. He died.”

Vi stood there, looking at him incredulously, then started laughing. “So, you just brought everyone back here with you afterwards, huh?”

Bobby smiled crookedly, “Well, we couldn’t just leave them there.”

She ran to him then and he opened up his arms, catching her and swinging her around, once. She looked up into his face, serious, “You could have been killed.”

He shrugged, “Just like you could have been killed a few hours ago when you single-handedly faced down Prag and 25 guards.” He pressed his forehead to hers, “It’s a dangerous life we’ve chosen, but it’s a good one. Look at everything we accomplished today.”

She nodded, then pulled a little out of Bobby’s grasp and turned to Valis, “Thank you, Valis, for everything you did to keep Bobby safe. You have my vote for joining us, if you still wish that.”

Valis had a look of confusion on his face, “Vote, my queen? I would most certainly still like to join you, but don’t you have the authority to decide that?”

“That’s not really the leadership model we follow here. The King and Queen stuff is for the public, but we have a different organizational and command structure behind closed doors.”

Acken interjected, “And she is at the top for both, make no mistake. Shecanuse her authority any way she pleases, but she chooses to include the rest of us.”

Valis looked at Acken, then back to Vi, thoughtfully.

Vi pulled fully away from Bobby, grimacing at the blood that had transferred to her skin from his fur. She gestured at The Zig, “Your story hasn’t covered Former Commander Zalon’s presence, yet.”

Valis looked over at The Zig, then turned back to her, “He was indentured to the owner of the brothel. His indenture period hasmany years remaining on it. You have the option of taking over as his master or putting him up on offer at the next indenture auction.”

Vi looked disgusted, “We don’t condone slavery. Can’t we just set him free?”

The Zig turned his head and barked, “No!”

Vi started toward him, but Bobby grabbed her left arm and Acken grabbed her right. She looked from one to the other, eyebrows raised, and they both reluctantly let go. She walked over and stood before him, craning her neck to look up at him. He was at least seven feet of heavily muscled saurian.

“Explain, please, Former Commander Zalon.”

He stiffened then addressed the far wall high above her head, “I am disgraced. Once The Zig has been disgraced, a period of indenture is set that he must complete. If he does not, The Zig will not allow his remains to be returned to the home world and placed with his family.”

“So, your indenture is voluntary? You wish to complete it to erase the disgrace?”

“Yes, ma’am. No, ma’am. I wish to complete it so that my remains can be returned to the home world. I can never erase the disgrace.”

“Would you prefer to remain with us or would you prefer to be sent to the auction?”

“It is not appropriate for me to be given that choice, ma’am.”

Vi blew out an exasperated breath, “Well, tough shit! I’m not going to make your life choices for you. I’ll tell you this. If you remain with us, you will not be treated as a slave or an indentured servant, although you can still be officially completing the terms of your servitude. The Zig are military geniuses, right? The ultimate tacticians? Well, we desperately need one of those on our team. That’s how you’ll be treated, and you’ll be a valued member of our crew. At the auction, whothe fuck knows? I’m sure you have a better idea of the possible outcomes there than I do. But there is a price for choosing to remain with us.”

Zalon lowered his strange orange, slitted eyes from the far wall and met hers.

“You’ll have to tell us why you’re disgraced so we can know if those circumstances cause us to retract our offer to you. Think about that before you make your decision. Now, please tell me what your role was in the brothel.”

“Protecting the females, ma’am. Dealing with unruly patrons. Raglan Ark wanted to use me for more nefarious tasks, but The Zig do not participate in criminal activities.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic.” She turned toward the sofa and said, “Females! Has Former Commander Zalon ever hurt you or done anything inappropriate with you?”

All the females, and the Trallian male, shook their heads.

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