Page 27 of Lost Companion

Ranna smiled slowly. “I see my father has let you know that our contract is complete.”

“No, he didn’t mention it. I suppose there are signs.” One sign was under her thigh with all the subtlety of a freshly baked traffic cone.

Rath chuckled against her ear. “Really? Point them out to me.”

She shivered. “You are trying to become one with my ear. That would be one of them, Overseer Rath.”

He chuckled. “Anything else?”

“You are holding me with your fingers wide across my ribs, and your erection is moving under my thigh.” She paused. “Overseer.”

Ranna clapped a hand over her mouth, her gaze amused.

He licked her neck. “Why are you calling me Overseer and not Lord Rath?”

“We no longer have a close association. I am supposed to go back to the bond house to start over, right?”

“No. You are not leaving my side again. The next time you need the lav, the door will be open, and I will be waiting.”

Riley jolted as Ranna started laughing again. “Uh, that isn’t going to work.”

His fangs grazed her neck. “Why not?”

“I am pee shy. I can’t pee with folks watching.” She kept her gaze on Ranna’s. “I will explode, and it won’t be pretty. Lady Ranna found out during one of our spa days, where we were sharing a massage room.”

Ranna nearly fell off her chair as she convulsed with laughter.

Rath lifted his head. “Seriously?”

She was crimson, but she said, “Seriously.”

“Riley, I intend to have you spread wide so I can examine every part of you. Your shyness should fade.”

“Um. Did you have to say that in front of your daughter?”

Ranna was still giggling. “I have heard worse but not something with that kind of intent behind it. Riley, are you going to be my new mom?”

Rath laughed and looked at his daughter. “Are you satisfied that she is alive and well?”

“I am. Only my Riley could colour up like that. I am going to take out this relief on Nizzen. Boy, is he going to be surprised. See you when you get home, Riley.”

“See you, Lady Ranna. Thanks for laughing at me.”

Ranna grinned. “My pleasure.”

The connection winked out, and Rath hugged her and buried his face against her neck. “You have no idea how worried we were.”

She ran her fingers through his hair. “They weren’t stupid enough to do anything to me with you following. How did you get on their tail so quick?”

“Ah, Ranna identified that you never spend that much time in the lav. There was a male scent mixed with yours, along with a chemical trace left behind. That was enough to know you had been taken. From there, Ranna called Horib to bring your comfort items in case things got bad for you. I got my shuttle ready, and the warship got prepped and fuelled. I was less than thirty minutes behind that little bastard, but he was in a diplomatic courier ship.”

“Oh. So, you caught up with him?” She looked at him.

“No, I contacted his grandparent. He has more grandchildren who are not felonious. Nelako did not find his family’s home a safe place. Zymar was very apologetic that his grandson would have the bad taste to grab a woman contracted to a Hmrain.” He grimaced. “He had already sold your pod to the mine, but we didn’t know it yet. So, I had to backtrack and arrived just in time for the contract with the Sisters to be requested. Technically, they fulfilled the contract. They got the women under control and stopped their aggressions against the miners.”

“And then I called them.”

He sighed. “And then you called them. Why didn’t you call me?”

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