Page 31 of On a Rogue Planet
The gentle humof starship engines was almost soothing beneath Xander’s feet.
But he didn’t feel soothed.
He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze on the stream of stars outside the cockpit window. The Phoenix brothers’ salvage ship was, not surprisingly, very modified and much faster than any salvage ship he’d ever seen.
They were only hours away from Rhage.
He’d spent the last few hours in a cabin with Eos and Niklas Phoenix, having them share everything they knew about the pit-fighting world and perfecting his disguise.
He was no longer a clean-cut CenSec.
He was a down-and-dirty pit fighter.
All he wore were well-worn black leather trousers that molded to him in a disturbing way. Not synth leather, but the real thing off some long-dead animal. His chest was bare and all he wore on top were chainmail sleeves that tied across his shoulder blades and hid his mechanical arm. Eos had spent over an hour creating temporary tattoos over all his implants, incorporating the silver into the design.
Added to that, she’d shaved his hair.
He ran a hand over it. It was very short and unlike anything he’d had before. CenSecs didn’t wear their hair too long or too short. It made him feel…naked. He wondered what Malin would make of it.
Xander was pretty sure his CenSec team would not recognize him. His second-in-command, Xenia, who had somehow retained a good deal of emotion despite her heavy enhancements, would no doubt laugh at him.
Behind him, down the corridor, he heard female voices. Arguing.
“I can’t go out in public likethis. I need trousers.”
“Mal! Did you see any of those women on Rhage wearing trousers?” Lala cried.
“Yes. That tall one.”
“She was apit fighter.” Lala made a strangled noise. “Girl, you’re there to show skin and look beautiful.”
“I’m not beautiful.”
That made Xander frown. He thought Malin was extremely beautiful.
“You are.” Eos entered the fray. “And you definitely look…eye-catching.” It sounded like she was trying to hide a laugh.
“I look like a pleasure worker.” A disgruntled note in Malin’s voice. “You two go, let me…adjust to having my ass hanging out all over the place.”
A snicker from Lala. “Come on, Eos. Let’s go tidy up your kick-ass makeup supplies.”
Malin’s light footsteps got closer, and Xander turned.
And nearly swallowed his tongue.
He knew Malin Phoenix wasn’t tall. She barely reached his collarbone. His sensors told him she was five feet, three inches tall.
But right now, all he could see was a mile of slim leg.
He started at the bottom and worked up. Black boots with high, high heels slicked up her calves to her knees. Then smooth skin was bared for all to see until it met a tiny black strip of sparkly fabric he assumed someone would generously call a skirt.
Her midriff was bare, with some sort of silver stone twinkling in her navel. Gauzy silver fabric was tied over her shoulders and breasts in a way that made a man think he could give it a tug and it would unravel, leaving her…
Xander snapped his advanced filters into place and gritted his teeth.
He forced his gaze to her face. She’d been heavy-handed with the makeup. Her eyes were smoky and dark, making their beautiful purple color stand out in her fine-boned face. Her lips were nebula-red. Someone, he guessed Lala, had tousled and styled Malin’s short hair in some sort of spiky design.
“What do you think?”
