Page 12 of Master
"He'll survive," I growled. Truthfully, I didn't have to hit him. I could have tied and gagged him easily. I wanted to hit him. He bought Clara like a piece of property. I wanted to do more than hit him, but I didn’t need to add murder to my long list of sins tonight.
“Do you know him?” Clara prodded the Karisian’s sloping shoulders with the toe of her shoe. "You didn't seem to like him much."
"You know he was your client for the evening?" I gazed down at her with a lifted brow. The top of her head barely hit me mid-chest.
“Mr. Magoo?” she sputtered and frowned.
“Magoo?” I knew many human vernaculars, but not this.
“Never mind.”
She shook her head forcefully, the silky tips of her long hair flickering across my bare arm. My cock jerked in appreciation. I shifted, mentally ordering the appendage to behave before turning my attention to the doorway and the space beyond. Thankfully, there was only silence.
"We need to go. Be quiet, walk softly, and do exactly as I say."
Clara frowned, but obeyed when I motioned her closer. I glanced at the male she'd dubbed "Mr. Magoo" and decided the need to bind and gag him unnecessary. I'd broken his nasal cavity as shown from the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, and Karisians’ weren’t used to violence. I doubted he'd wake before the three hours he purchased ran out.
I pulled the door open a fraction. The red light cast a blood shadow on the floor. I snagged Clara's hand in mine. She tensed in resistance, but it only lasted a moment. With my free hand, I laid a finger across my lips, admonishing silence, and stepped into the hallway.
We didn't move toward the exit. Instead, I led her further down the hallway toward the ship's port side. The doors spaced farther apart, indicating spacious, more luxurious accommodations. We turned a corner, the end of the hallway coming into view, along with the sight of the ornate silver doors of Luarian's rooms. Clara's eyes widened as I pulled her nearer to the madam's cabin, turning right into what to her eyes must have looked like a wall. Her faint sigh of relief echoed my sweeping aside of heavy drapery concealing an exit door. True to my expectations, I found the door unlocked, and we silently slipped through.
Once sequestered inside the stairwell, Clara tugged at my hold on her wrist and pointed to her lips.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “Just be as quiet as possible.
"How did you know this door was here?"
“This isn’t my first time on the Hartouk Lenaii,” I smirked.
"Oh great," Clara moaned, rolling her eyes. "Emmy picked the pervert to rescue me."
I chuckled, even knowing she didn't mean the comment to be amusing. Clara didn't attempt to remove her hand from my grip as we maneuvered the stairway. Her skin felt soft and warm, and the small fingers fit perfectly in my grip. Despite her ire, she gripped my hand tightly.
“Where are we going?” Clara whispered as we descended another flight of stairs.
"To my ship on the docking level. We can't stroll out the main entrance like most guests. We need to take a less monitored route."
Clara stopped as we approached a landing with another wide, gray door. She blinked at the writing on the panel, understanding on her face. The Trogvyk would have implanted her with a translator, making the common universal languages easy to understand.
From beyond the doorway, sounds of pounding flesh and raucous cheers came loud enough for even Clara's human ears to discern that we stood at the entrance to the brawling level. A smile curved my lips as memories flickered through my brain. During warrior training, Daicon, the Bardaga's war chief, and I nearly got ourselves expelled for sneaking out tovisit the hedonism ship. While most suspected us of being horny younglings, we spent as much time on the brawling level as on the pleasure one. Daicon was a sure thing in a fight, and we'd both loaded our pockets with winnings.
I nudged Clara away from the violence and down the next few flights of steps. When we approached the second door, she issued a faintpeepof concern, jerking her hand from mine.
“This is level seven.”
The look of worried betrayal on her face twisted like a blade in my heart.
"I am sorry, darlin’. If there was another way to reach the dock, I would take it."
Clara stood her ground, eyes darting from me to the doorway and back. "The girls told me no one ever returns from level seven."
I issued my bawdiest wink. "I did."
Her lips hinted at a smile, which surprised me.
"Pervert," she quipped, but slipped her hand into my waiting grasp.
"Stay very close to me," I warned. All teasing aside, level seven was no place for a human. "Keep your head down and your eyes on the floor."
