Page 43 of Soros
“Thank you for your help,” I told them. “We’re fine now.” Placing my hands on Nerix’s and Lios’ shoulders, I moved us forward and a few steps away from the young women.
“What’s wrong? Do you not like Americans?” one of them called after us and once again they all laughed.
Nerix turned his head and met my glance. “What is with those females?”
“They are young and probably just curious. When I lived here, I experienced sexual interest from humans all the time. You get used to their flirting.”
Nerix’ eyes widened. “You think they’re flirting with us? But they look so young.”
“Are you sure that you don’t want us to show you around New York?” one of the girls asked us again. “You all look pretty fit so we could show you the nearest gym if you want.”
“No thank you,” I said with another polite smile.
“How long before that ride gets here?” Nerix was scouting the street but gave a few glances in the direction of the girls and asked me. “How can you know they’re flirting and not just being friendly?”
“Focus.” Lios insisted and turned his back on the girls, who finally moved on. “There are only two women of interest in this city right now and that’s Tania and Star.”
Nerix nodded and I agreed as well. I cared about Star but to me Tania was in a different category. Last night we had finally reconnected on a romantic level and the thought that Ko’roz might hurt her in any way made my stomach burn with protective rage.
CHAPTER 15
Malbreean Puppet Master
Tania
I was tense and afraid when we followed Ko’roz from a distance, but the moment he spoke to me I calmed down. All those vile things I had heard about him weren’t true. Ko’roz was friendly, kind, and the most fascinating person on Earth.
Malliko’s voice sounded in my earpiece. “Get away from him, Tania. He’s going to mind cloud you.Run!”
Ko’roz moved closer and gave me a warm smile. Touching the earpiece with one finger, he asked me nicely, “Don’t you want to take that thing off and leave it here?”
I complied right away and when he pointed to my smartwatch and asked the same thing, I ignored all the thoughts in my head telling me that I loved my watch and that it was expensive.
“Don’t you feel better now without that communication device? Isn’t it better just listening to my voice?” Ko’roz asked and I nodded and assured him, “Yes, it’s so much better.”
Placing a hand on my shoulder, he gave me another charming smile that melted me completely. “It was incredible lucky that we ran into each other, don’t you think?”
“So lucky,” I agreed and grinned back at him. It felt as exciting, as if I had met an idol that I had adored for years.
Getting close to me, he cupped my face. “Are you going to be a good girl and make sure I’m happy?”
There was something about that sentence that I didn’t like. Something that didn’t feel right. When I hesitated, he changed his question. “Am I not your first priority from now on? Isn’t my comfort and happiness more important to you than anything else?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Moving two steps, he focused on Star and asked her the same question. She looked up at him with complete adoration and assured him that his comfort and happiness were her highest priority. The moment of connection between them had me feeling a little jealous. I wanted his attention because Ko’roz was by far the most amazing person I had ever met.
“Let’s walk together,” Ko’roz suggested, and Star and I were both trying to get closest to him. Like most Malbreeans he had distinct eyebrows, a long neck, turned-up nose, and thin lips. Normally, I wouldn’t have considered Ko’roz a handsome man, but as we walked through the streets of New York I felt as proud as if I were walking with the world’s most respected celebrity. It was strange how others passed us without paying attention or realizing that they were in the presence of someone as magnificent as Ko’roz.
A few times we stopped when he wanted to get things and each time, I eagerly insisted on buying it for him using my credit card.
When Ko’roz wanted a taxi, I happily paid, feeling blessed that I got to be of service to him. Star didn’t have a credit card and so paying for things gave me an advantage.
“Where are we going?” I asked him with curiosity.
“To see some friends of mine,” he said with a smile. “They like pretty girls like you and you’ll have all the attention you can imagine.”
