Page 8 of Adtovar
I bit back a smile. “Why do you call her a dud? She is lovely.” The female was truly the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen, but I wouldn’t admit that to Bozzo. My mission was to buy her without driving the price up to a point where Duke Ako would have to mortgage the citadel to accomplish it.
“Yes, yes, she’s beautiful and exotic.” Bozzo waved his hand as though he found those attributes bothersome. “But she’s dangerous.”
This time, I did laugh. “Dangerous? She’s tiny.”
Bozzo frowned at my amusement, the pinch of his brow giving him a pointed look. “Yes, but she’s protected by a powerful god calledvoodoo.”
“Voodoo?” I’d never heard of it, despite spending much of my time on theHistoriastudying Earth’s culture and history. Perhaps my human daughter might be able to shed some light—if I had the means to contact her. Bozzo’s astuteness as an entrepreneur was matched only by his paranoia. No doubt any communication on or off the planet was monitored. Ako had already put a plan in place should I not be able to contact theHistoriain a given amount of time.
“Shhh!” Bozzo waved his stumpy arms in my direction. “Voodoo is always listening.”
“I did not know you to be superstitious,” I chided.
“Superstitious!” Bozzo slammed a hand down on his desk, his flesh rippling and jiggling like gelatin. “Her god gives her powerful magic. She’s almost blown me to bits on several occasions. Once just outside my office. The human is dangerous!”
I took the opening. “Perhaps I could take her off your hands? Merchant Tregtar wishes to build a Prize stable as well as a first-ratefamilia.”
Bozzo’s yellow eyes went comically wide. “Really?” His excitement only lasted for a moment before he gave adisgruntled huff. “The last time I attempted to sell her, she threatened to hex me. I don’t want to be hexed.”
“No, that would not be good,” I commiserated with a shake of my head, addinghexto my mental list of Earth customs to research. “Perhaps I could meet her and convince her to come with me. Surely, she would not hex you if she felt the decision to leave was somewhat in her hands.”
Bozzo studied me for a moment, the oily residue on his skin thickening. Bareak secretions increased when they got excited, a rather disgusting occurrence to witness.
“That would be wonderful.” His stumpy hands slapped together gleefully. “Come, I will take you to her now.”
I rose from my seat, eager to follow Bozzo out of his office. I didn’t believe for a moment the tiny human female posed any sort of threat, yet I couldn’t expel the shiver of excitement racing down my spine.
Chapter 4– Maddie
Who the hell was that?
I’d gone into Bozzo’s office, steeling myself for interaction with a being that looked like a walking, talking, secreting turd emoji, and found Legolas.
And I loved Legolas. All my friends had swooned over Aragorn—except Trixie, who liked Frodo for his enormous feet. Trixie always was a bit of a freak. But me, I was a Legolas girl, and the dude in Bozzo’s office nearly took my breath away.
He was strikingly pale, with straight, silky white hair cascading over his broad shoulders like a waterfall of moonlight. His eyes held an almost ethereal shade of pale blue, so icy and penetrating they seemed to freeze the air when he glanced at me. Even while seated, he cut an imposing figure, tall with broad shoulders and muscular arms that strained the fit within the sleeves of his leather jacket. I’d always been a sucker for nice arms.
The sight of his horns initially shook me. Yet, I couldn’t help but admire how seamlessly they complemented his appearance, curving elegantly up and away from his forehead. The shape resembled the horns of a bison but with a stunning pearlescent sheen.
Damn. If he was a new gladiator, I might just have to sign up for the prize pool.
The thought made me chuckle. The sound bounced off the earthen walls in echo, accompanying my muffled footstepsas I headed back to the cells. A musty smell, reminiscent of aged wood and forgotten places, lingered persistently in the atmosphere, pushing away the spicy, forestry, male scent I’d picked up emanating from my alien Legolas.
Who was he?
From his size, the idea of him being a gladiator wouldn’t be a stretch. Yet there was something about him... something decidedly lacking the barbarism inherent in the other fighters. His clothes appeared expensive, the black leather clinging to every muscle as though tailored specifically for him. Plus, he didn’t seem at all taken aback by my conversation with Bozzo. His handsome expression suggested that alien Legolas might have been amused, which I found appealing.
Seriously, the dude was hot as twin suns, which, based on my luck with men, meant I’d most likely never see him again.
I turned the corner, entering the female section of the cells, and my mind immediately shifted to more serious matters. Lafalia’s cell was the second door on the right. The other females had left her, no doubt to nap in their own beds, as was the usual practice after a prize night.
Lafalia lay in a deep slumber, her breathing now more rhythmic and steadier than the last time I observed her, which brought a sense of relief. Her brow furrowed deeply, a poignant reminder that even in the realm of dreams, pain held her in its grip.
If I could only get my hands on some herbs. If I could only get my hands on anything, but there didn’t seem to be anything on this planet but dust and rocks.
With utmost care, I rested my fingertips against her temple, feeling the temperature of her skin while gauging the subtle rhythm that pulsed beneath. Her skin was cool to the touch, and her pulse maintained a calm, steady beat—good signs as far as I was concerned. I was no doctor. My first aidknowledge was limited and amateurish at best, but I did the best I could.
Satisfied she would heal, I left Lafalia, trudging the short distance to my own cell, wincing as the rickety door emitted a loud, grating creak when I pushed it shut behind me. The sound echoed off the cold stone walls, resonating through the dimly lit corridor like a reluctant groan.
