Page 42 of When the Universe Sings

“Captain Ruciyah, I see your pet has fine tastes,” Lesephous boomed from far too close on my other side.

Asher dragged me back against his chest, hands gripping my hips in a way I couldn’t help but liken to the ones on stage. Shame curled across my cheeks at my heaving chest and the sheen of sweat dewing across the back of my neck. The Louxurian male’s eyes were greedy as they roved from my face to my breasts to the creases of my hips.

I realized all too late this was how I should have felt when Asher had taken the same perusal. With him though there had only been a strange sort of calm warring with a tightening deep in my belly. But now I wanted to cross my arms over my chest, to curl into a ball until I was so small no one could see me and then strike so they never saw me coming.

“That she does, Lesephous. It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Asher pushed me behind him in the pretense of greeting the male in a similar fashion as they had on the ship. I couldn’t help but notice that when they straightened from the greeting, Asher stood almost directly in front of me, as if he was shielding me from view.

Was this the sort of male who would allow countless lives to be forfeit for the sake of unimaginable wealth?

It was a question I couldn’t help but continue to ask myself. Every time I thought I knew Asher—understood him even—something else changed. I saw glimpses of both male and monster, savior and murderer, and I could not tell which one was the mask. Even now, as he laughed with Lesephous, asking after a Senator Torion, there was a cold edge to his voice making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Ly’anen,” he murmured. A knuckle touched beneath my chin and I realized I’d been staring at the floor between us,loosely pinching the hem of his cloak. “A drink while I catch up with an old friend?”

This was the signal we’d agreed on for me to wander the party and see what information I could gather. It was a weak point with those in the upper class of our galaxy: they tended to have loose lips around those they believed less than them. Lunastra used it to her advantage. Not outright, not enough to cause distrust, but enough to get what she wanted.

A secret muttered at the perfect time to one you would not remember by morning was sharper than any knife.

So, with a dip of my chin and a stroke of his thumb against my cheek, I wandered my way toward the long table on the opposite end of the room. It was laden with crystal goblets and carafes full of what I could only imagine were the finest liquors credits could buy. Those I passed paid me no mind, unless it was to eye the slit in my dress or the curve of my neck, but they didn’t look at my face—they didn’t seeme. And with each step I heard murmurs of business deals and betrayals, of mistresses and scandals that would ruin the livelihood of so many.

“About twenty or so hired arms made planetfall this afternoon,” one male said, the ring of skin on the top of his head gleaming as he threw back a small vial of liquid.

I slowed on the pretense of watching the performance again in the center of the room. The bronze-haired male was now on all fours, face screwed up with a mix of pleasure and pain as the other male pushed into him from behind. Even from here the slapping of skin on skin rang out, the grunts of their breaths loud enough it was as if I was beside them. The female knelt beside them, her hand disappearing beneath the first male, who let out a loud keen.

“Dunbar will report within the next hour if they are successful,” the male behind me continued.

“And you’re confident it’s here, Xarium?” his companion asked with a disbelieving chuckle.

A huff and a slurp. “Confident enough to have three bidders on the table. Two of whom are Federation officials with deeper pockets than you could dream.”

Could it be the stone or merely another priceless artifact harvested for the gain of powerful beings who used that power for greed? They didn’t speak of whatever their quarry was and internally I frowned at their self-awareness. After another few quips, mostly from his companion about his overconfidence, they moved to one of the many food tables and out of earshot.

I lingered for a little while longer, watching the play of light across the white-haired male’s amethyst chest. His shoulders were wide, muscles sculpted as if from stone, arms flexing with each powerful thrust. As I watched, his gaze rose from the male’s back in front of him, through the crowd, to meet mine. Molten silver, almost hauntingly so, such a contrast with his purple skin as to be breathtaking. A grin pulled the corner of his mouth as he gave his next thrust, brows immediately furrowing, hips starting to stutter.

But his eyes never left mine as his pace quickened, as the male before him cried out, spilling his release across the gilded stage. Before he could find his own completion, I turned away, ignoring the ache between my thighs and the heat creeping up my throat. It was clear Lesephous had hired the kind of pleasure yeskas most would never be able to afford to gaze on.

I stopped a few more times to listen while others chatted, lingering to look out the window onto the sea, or at one of the sculptures carved into the crystal walls. But the conversations were of no consequence, mostly boasting about credits or sex or both. There were rumors about a planet the Federation was keeping under wraps, something about genetically modified soldiers. Another male claimed to have a harem of overthree hundred Venyan males—something seemingly impossible unless half those males were withered and gray, given how small Venya was.

By the time I reached the drinks table, all I’d gleaned was that Phyenix Listra’s collection was one of the richest in the galaxy. We were not the only ones who were eyeing his riches either, from the sounds of it. Apparently, Listra’s security team had already apprehended two Burenko males attempting to map the layout of his estate.

“Hello.”

Two fingers lightly touched my elbow, just for a brief second, but I froze all the same, staring unblinking at the crystal chalice in my grip before turning. The male I’d seen on the stage stood a few paces back, a soft smile playing around his lips. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

I sighed. “I’m afraid I was lost in thought.”

One white brow rose in what I thought might have been amusement. He was naked, save for a small silvery wrap around his waist that left almost nothing to the imagination. His chest gleamed with sweat and even from here I could catch the unmistakable scent of sex emanating from him like a cloud. It was heady, the way Lunastra’s pheromones had been.

“You’re Venyan, aren’t you?” The question was past my lips before I could help myself.

He blinked, surprise coloring his features. “I am. How did you know?”

“My mistress is as well.”

Silver eyes dropped to the brand on my inner forearm and he hummed in understanding, taking a step closer. “You’re immune.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, breathing deeply. “To her, yes, and mostly to you.”

“Mostly?” Another step until I could see the shards of white in his eyes.