Page 10 of Willow and the Wraith

Both females looked at Malacar, but his stubborn look didn’t change. Fuck. They didn’t have time for this. He pulled a small canister out of his belt and sprayed a quick puff in the old male’s face. Malacar crumpled to the ground.

CHAPTER FOUR

Willow’s heart leapt into her throat when Malacar collapsed. She rushed to his side, Sooni following her anxiously. Her hands trembled as she checked for signs of life, sighing with relief when she felt his pulse beating slowly and steadily.

“What did you do to him?” she demanded.

Wraith regarded her coolly, his eyes devoid of emotion.

“It’s merely a harmless sedative. We don’t have time for this.”

She cradled Malacar’s head, still glaring at him

“We can’t just leave him here!”

“We need to go. Now.”

Wraith’s tone left no room for argument. She carefully laid Malacar down and rose, planting herself between Wraith and the unconscious male.

“Why? What’s the rush?”

“You said the Fleet was on their way.”

“So? I thought they were kind of like cops - law enforcement.”

“They are.” His eyes darted to the door. “But the Royal Fleet is not known for their… understanding.”

She crossed her arms, refusing to budge.

“Explain.”

“If they arrive here expecting to encounter slavers and find an illegally abducted female, their first assumption will be that I was the one who abducted you. They will impound my ship and imprison me - or at least they will try.” He gave her a cold smile. “They will not keep me long, but it would be an… inconvenience.”

“But I can tell them it wasn’t you.”

“I doubt they would listen to a primitive female.”

An outraged gasp escaped.

“What do you mean primitive?”

“The Kaisarians are an arrogant lot. They think everyone is beneath them - but especially anyone from a pre-spaceflight planet.”

“Wait a minute. How do you know that?”

He gave her an impatient look.

“We can discuss it later. The point is that they will not treat you as an equal. If you’re lucky they’ll treat you like a slightly intelligent pet.”

He probably wasn’t wrong, and the thought of becoming a prisoner of the Fleet made her shudder, but she couldn’t bring herself to desert Malacar. Even though he didn’t want to leave the space station, she couldn’t abandon him here alone with only a small amount of food remaining. And she certainly wasn’t leaving without Sooni.

“I’m not going anywhere without Malacar and Sooni,” she said firmly. “Either we all go, or I stay with them.”

His eyes narrowed, a flicker of something—surprise?—crossing his face. For a moment, she thought he might argue further—or simply leave. Instead he gave an annoyed grunt, then bent down and hoisted Malacar effortlessly over his shoulder.

“Fine. You can tell him this was your decision.”

She nodded, relief washing over her. Sooni had been watching anxiously, but she hurried over to join her.

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