Page 54 of Sloane

Alik lets out a long sigh and then rubs the back of his head with one of his hands. "The Intergalactic Alliance isn't lookingto cause interplanetary conflict by aiding in helping Avery get the help she needs on Earth. There's a conflict within the departments on who gets to lead, and the Earth system isn't willing to offer her aid without being the lead. "

"Excuse me?" I say right as Essa says, "What does that even mean?"

"I don't have all the answers since it seems to be something happening even levels above our contact. All I know is that Avery can't return to Earth, and no other planet can be forced to aid her under orders from the Intergalactic Alliance. We can ask for another planet to aid us, but they can't be forced."

"She'll be asked to join either a mating or wedding ceremony on any planet that will take her, Alik." Essa's voice has taken a hard edge to it, harder than any I've ever heard from her.

Alik doesn't seem worried about Essa's anger, though. Probably because we all know the person or people Essa is mad at are so far away from us right now, we'd have to hyperjump three times to get to them. Not to mention the multitude of security the Intergalactic Alliance has for its space station. We'd be dead before we even made it into their gravitational pull.

"We're not going to force her into a mating ceremony," Alik says. "I've contacted the Varon planetary council to see if there's any way we could have her seen by doctors planet side. I'm still waiting to hear back, but if they say she needs to take a pair of males for a few months, we'll decline. I'll keep asking other planets until we find one that won't make her participate in their ceremonies, okay?"

Essa's hand is still tight around the hilt of her dagger, but she relaxes it slightly, giving Alik a stiff nod. "We can go back to Haven III. They'll help her even if for just the reason of me telling them to."

"And when you do that, they're going to force you into a marriage," Jovi says, leaning his upper arms on the table andshaking his head. "No one is getting married or mated on this ship unless they want it."

"I'd do it if there was no other option," Essa snaps. Her canines extend until they sink into her lower lip as she snarls at the three of us at the kitchen table. She's not mad at us. She's mad at the whole situation. Still, Essa is scary when she's mad.

"There are hundreds of planets we can reach out to," Alik says.

"And that's just the ones in the Intergalactic Alliance," Jovi adds. "We can reach out to ones not in the Alliance if we need to. Worst case, some corrupt government official will want us to make a run for him. Then we'll be space pirates." Jovi smiles even brighter when he gets a groan from Alik.

"We are not space pirates." I can hear the frown in Alik's words and notice how their usual banter is helping to ease more of Essa's worries. Jovi opens his mouth to say something else, but Alik cuts him off. "Do you want the good news?"

"I cannot see it being good enough to make up for the bad news," Essa grumbles, leaning her hip against the counter.

She doesn't turn away or make an attempt to leave, though, which is all the confirmation Alik needs to know that Essa's just as interested in the good news as she is in the bad. She might be grumpy right now, but she's never in a bad mood for long. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen her upset for more than a few minutes at a time.

"The good news is that we heard from the pleasure crew company, and Jovi and I are officially blacklisted for biting a pleasure crew member," Alik says like he's proud of it.

Knowing him, he's probably ecstatic that it's now in writing in a permanent folder somewhere that he bit me and claimed me as his. The thought of it has a blush racing up my face and staining my cheeks pink.

"Sloane has been released from her contract, all of her pay has already been sent to her account, and there's just one final step I need to take in order to make her part of our permanent crew."

Essa scoffs, causing Alik to pause what he's saying and level a glare at her. She waves it away with a flick of her wrist, her tail flicking as well, as though to make it more dramatic.

"You haven't already made her permanent crew? How am I to believe she went into this mating willingly when you make stupid decisions? The stupidest being not making her permanent crew before sinking your teeth into her."

"Wait." I turn in Alik's lap to look up at him. I give him the biggest puppy dog eyes I can and pout out my lower lip. "I'm not already permanent crew?"

"Yeah, Alik," Jovi adds, as though he isn't also aware that neither of them asked me to be permanent crew. I can see the smirk in his eyes as he tries to keep himself from laughing. "Why isn't she already permanent crew? It was rude of you to make us both bite her before offering her that."

"Yeah!" I add, just to make sure Alik is really getting the point that it's now three against one.

"Calm down," Alik snaps at us all, his arms wrapping tighter around me. His eyes find mine, a look of worry in them. He covers it when he sees the smile on my lips. One of his upper hands grabs my chin and holds it tight so I can't look away from him. "Did you think there was any chance of you getting away from us?"

My cheeks flush an even deeper shade at the sincerity in his question. Well, the sincerity and the bulge that I can now feel pressing against my backside. It would only take me moving a fraction of an inch to take his lips in mine. It takes everything in me to move my eyes from the fullness of his bottom lip up to his three eyes, staring at me and begging me to know that he has always, will always, think of me.

"Of course not," I manage to say past the lump in my throat, then with the smallest smile, I add, "Even if you tried to get rid of me, I wouldn't let you."

A deep growl rumbles through Alik's chest and icy coldness flitters in his gaze for a moment before he gives me one soft nod and turns his attention to the male on the other side of the table. "We need a majority vote to add her to the permanent crew."

"Oh, that?" Essa asks, her tail twitching side to side in amusement as she tries to hide her smile. I don't hide mine, knowing exactly what she's going to tell them. The secret we've kept from them for weeks now. "There's no need for that. Phial, Holoth, and I already took care of it."

"Did no one tell you two?" I ask, batting my eyelashes up at Alik.

"I think I need you to say it out loud, mate," Alik says, his words coming out rough as he tries to suppress the growl still rumbling in his chest. Jovi is fully leaning over the table now, one of his hands wrapping in mine. He tries—and succeeds—to pull my attention off Alik.

"How long have you been permanent crew?" Jovi asks, his gaze turning icy. Alik's growl only grows in volume, and I know we have maybe a couple of minutes before these two go full caveman and take me back to bed.

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