Page 75 of Sold to the Nalgar
Another goddamn sign.
She was changing.
Zarokh held her chair out for her—like a gentleman, if a gentleman were seven feet of muscle and menace. He wore black again, of course. Always black. The crown still adorned his brow. His long hair was tied at the nape of his neck, the ends brushing against his shoulder blades.
He looked… striking. Disarming. Dangerous in the way fire was—warm and deadly all at once.
She sat, careful not to show how off-balance she felt.
The translator device rested between them, blinking faintly. Ready. Watching.
“You look,” he said smoothly, “more than exquisite.”
“You look like you dressed to impress,” she replied, her voice dry.
His grin was pure predator. “Did it work?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she lifted a fork and took a cautious bite of the nearest dish—something that looked like beef, though it definitely wasn’t. Her tongue exploded with spice and salt and smoke.
It wasdelicious.
Zarokh watched her with amusement, but didn’t comment. He served himself silently, his movements surprisingly refined for someone who'd once torn through armored warriors with his bare hands.
After a moment, he spoke again.
“I want to know more about you.”
She looked up.
“You abducted me, altered my body, and now you want polite dinner conversation?”
“Yes.” He gave a slight nod. “I want to understand the female who stabbed me in the chest and now shares my bed.”
She blinked. Fair point.
“I used to work for a legal aid nonprofit,” she said eventually. “Earthside. I defended vulnerable people. Refugees. Victims of abuse. People the system chewed up and spat out.”
Zarokh tilted his head. His eyes were keen. “You fought for others.”
“Yes.”
“That explains much.”
His tone was oddly reverent. She hated that it sent a warm flutter through her chest.
“And you?” she challenged. “What do you want? In this Universe?”
He paused. A long one.
“For most of my life, I wanted only power,” he said. “To never be weak again. To never be at another’s mercy.”
She watched him closely.
“But it was hollow,” he continued. “Even when I conquered. Even when they bowed.”
“And now?”
“Now… I have something thatfeelsdifferent.” He looked at her. “You.”
