Page 22 of A Savage Bargain

“I can travel with you, right?” Anxiety shot through me at the thought of being left alone on an alien planet.

“Yes. You will travel with me as my assistant.”

“Partner,” I corrected.

“Partner,” he agreed.

“To new adventures.”

With my pronouncement, Krake pushed me back into the bed, the bulge below his waist informing me of his intentions. “Later.”

Six Months Later

Klaxon really was both incrediblysimilar and dissimilar to Earth, I thought to myself while lounging on a dock overlooking the great lake behind Krake’s one-story home. He’d built the home himself out of a material that withstood moisture, much like Earth’s cedar. Water covered even more of Klaxon than Earth, maybe 90%, I guessed. Krake had explained that was why the dominant species could live on land and in the water.

One cool difference, though, was that Klaxon had two moons. They rose from the horizon and shone in the darkening sky. Dusk was my favorite time of day, as it turned out.

Krake had no nearby neighbors, so the silence combined with the blue tone of the world around me… I loved it. And I loved being here.

A squeak pulled my attention.

“Groz!” I exclaimed as the Krake’s pet bholo came into view next to my stone chair, which was quite comfortable, believe it or not. Groz resembled an Earth otter, but in a bright blue. Luckily, they didn’t have many predators; even on a blue planet, bholos couldn’t hide very well given their dazzling color.

Groz nuzzled my arm, squeaking his pleasure when I ran my fingers through his silky hair, scratching behind his ears like a cat. He rubbed against my hand.

“Are you ready for dinner?” Krake’s voice asked from behind the chair.

I startled at the sound. “How are you so quiet?”

“I’m used to gliding through the water.”

I smiled at his answer to my rhetorical question, then stood from the chair. “Yes, I’m ready for dinner.”

He and I wore traditional Klaxon pantsuits, similar to Earth jogging suits, though his was purple and mine was green. The bright, comfortable clothing his species preferred thrilled me.

We were having dinner with his family, something we did every few weeks. This was to be our last for a while, however, since we were leaving on our first assignment as partners. He never told me exactly what he told his boss Vadhea—the head of the Lynka syndicate based on the planet Magvu—only that Krake had permission to bring me along on assignments. So long as I didn’t create any problems. What would happen if I inadvertently created a problem remained an unasked question. I shuddered at the reminder of my constant fear of being shot out of an airlock on the ship when we’d met. I knew I was safe with Krake. His associates… I had no idea.

I leaned down to scratch Groz behind the ear again. He rewarded me with a squeak of pleasure and a twitch of his long tail. “We’ll be back soon.”

Krake took my hand and led me up the dock and around his house to our hovercraft. Its real name was an overlift, but it looked like a hovercraft to me. It sat four and traveled over land and water, so was perfect regardless of where we were going. His parents lived on the same lake as us but on the far side of it.

I sat inside the overlift and the seat molded around me. Krake sat in the captain’s seat and the engine whirred to life.We maneuvered past our house and onto the lake’s flat surface. It was a beautiful night, so we left the cover down. We were in a floating convertible. I stifled a chuckle remembering when I’d asked why a species that could breathe underwater needed a way to travel over it, and he’d said sometimes they preferred to remain dry. That made perfect sense.

The wind, scented like a red apple, wafted over me. I inhaled deeply, amazed at the turns my life had taken.

The water, so dark below, remained calm, and we made quick work of the trip. Krake piloted the boat onto land and parked it next to a one-story similar in style to ours. We exited the overliftand walked, hand in hand, to the front door, which slid open at our presence.

“Loxa,” Krake called out a hello.

“Loxa,” I mimicked. Learning the Klaxon language was a work in progress, but I was trying, and his family made it a point to speak slowly for me. I’d long adjusted to the minimalist decorations in their home. There were almost none. It appeared like an empty log cabin. The technology of Klaxon allowed most things to remain out of sight until needed. They also weren’t fans of clutter or items that didn’t serve a purpose.

His parents, Jonla and Horren, came into view, dressed in red pantsuits that nearly matched my long hair. They had dark hair and bright green eyes like their son. And they were adorable, although towered over me, much the way Krake did. Jonla, his mother, enveloped me in a hug. This was not the Klaxon way, but she’d confided she quite liked that Earth tradition.

Krake and his parents exchanged greetings, and then his father informed him that dinner was ready. At least, I believed that was what he’d said.

We joined them at a low table, sitting on cushions on the smooth floor. It looked like we were having a seafood stew ofsome type. I wasn’t sure the type, maybe a Klaxon crab-like creature. It tasted like a cross between crab and lobster. Oh, how I fucking loved seafood. In more ways than one now, my naughty mind interjected. We ate in silence, as was the Klaxon tradition, until the bowls were empty.

“We are leaving soon,” Krake enunciated, in English. His parents were trying to learn my language as much as I was trying to learn theirs. When the topic held importance for me, Krake tried to use my language.

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