Page 59 of Taken to Heimo
“We would make more selling them to the Niahhorru. They’d give us a ship!”
“We could give you a ship,” I interrupt.
“Bah. Not like the Niahhorru.”
More murmured agreement. My heart starts to pound. If they won’t sell us to the Voraxians, then who?
More names are flung back and forth, some I’m familiar with. Some I’m not. “What about Igmora? She’d take the female for a lot of credits. Or even Kintarr.”
They allooohhat that. “Bah,” one of them shouts, “She only likes babies, remember? She likes to raise them from birth. She wouldn’t take this one. It’s not a kit.”
More assent.
“What about the Oosa?” I know Reoran personally. If we could get sold to the Oosa, I’m sure they’d trade with Voraxia to return us. I’d convince her.
“The Oosa. Hmm…”
“Ontte, the Oosa would trade us a lot.” They seem to be considering the Oosa and my heart beats faster in hope.
“Wait!” One of them shouts, “What about the Sky?”
“Oh ontte, the Sky!”
“Nox,” I shout. “We won’t go to the Sky willingly.”
They make sad, disappointed sounds at that. “What about Evernor?” One of them says.
There seems to be tentative agreement over this when Krisxox interjects. “Evernor. We want to go to Evernor.”
There’s laughter at this, some applause. Eventually, there seems to be wide agreement that Evernor is the destination we’ll be traveling to.
“Evernor, then.” The Eshmiri seated at my feet stands and pats the top of my head. “You will go to Evernor.” The Eshmiri smiles down at me with its sharp, frightening teeth and nods and all of the Eshmiri stand with it.
Without another word of protest, they start backing out of our ship — pod. So stunned that this actuallyworked, I give them a wave. They start murmuring again at the gesture, giggle loudly and then wave back, using both of their short, muscular arms. I offer a final, confused grin as the door seals itself shut between us, blocking the sight of them out.
“What’s Evernor?” I say, turning to Krisxox, but he’s already closed the distance between us by half.
He scoops me up off my feet, one strong arm cupping my rear, the other winding into my hair. His lips find mine and he kisses me so hard, I feel it in my toes. His mouth tastes like lemon and sugar, the bitterness eased by something sweet. His tongue is covered with ridges and it scrapes the roof of my mouth, pressing against my tongue, lapping at my lips. He kisses me like someone who has practiced a thousand times before, studied every manual, read all my thoughts and knows exactly how I want to be kissed.
Maybe he wasn’t lying when he said he practiced for me.
Just as I start to lose my breath, he breaks the kiss on a wild, raucous laugh. I’m struck by the sound. A beautiful melody, it must be the language of the stars.
“Verax,” I say.
“I can’t believe that xoking worked.” He smiles at me. Brushes my cheek. “You’re incredible.”
My hearts flutter with pride. “Thank you.”
“May’reeme.”
My mouth parts and my stomach lurches. I correct quickly and whisper, “Maybe.”
He kisses my forehead, all sweet and tender. “I’ll take it, but only for now.”
He starts to retreat from me, returning to some of the weapons he dropped on the ground. The Eshmiri left behind a thin sword and he inspects it, then hands it to me, forcing me to wrap one hand around it.
“What are you doing?”
