“I understand,” Vintor replied with a grim nod. “Adeoda is Mave’s lieutenant. I’m certain he knows something.”
There was no avoiding it. Adeoda was a nasty bastard, who enjoyed hurting others for the fun of it. Cyprian wouldn’t lose any sleep with that warrior out of the picture.
“Sweet mother of Kali. I hope I didn’t eat whatever he’s hacking up in there,” Cyprian commented as he exited his bedroom and plopped down in a chair.
“That’s too bad. We were heading out to see what trouble we can get into,” Pacen said.
“I know you’ve got your tail in a knot, because I won’t tell you who my friend is,” Mave began. Cyprian’s brow rose in censure. “I understand your perspective,” he quickly added. “But you must also understand mine.”
“I do understand. I realize we just met. Unfortunately, age old friends or not, you’ve dragged me into quite a situation. Not that I don’t think it has merit. I just like knowing who’s getting me killed if this goes bad,” Cyprian explained, attempting to sound sympathetic and more reasonable than he had the night before.
“Understood. You help us watch our backs with the Jurou Biljana and I’ll introduce you to my friend personally.”
“Fine.”
Cyprian relaxed his shoulders so he appeared mollified, though really, he remained aggravated. Mave was still stringing him along.
“Are you coming?” Mave asked as the smugglers headed for the door.
“I suppose Vintor will hail us if he’s on the edge of death,” Cyprian said as he followed the band of bastards.
They reached the viewing gallery, where’d they’d eaten the night before, and found it crowded.
“There is an entrance fee to see the exotic female,” Cyprian overheard the hostess tell a patron.
The general wasn’t surprised the auction house was using Riley to squeeze every last credit from their guests. Distraho oozed greed.
“Do we really want to pay to go in?” Adeoda asked.
“Not if Vintor got sick eating in there. I’d like to find someplace else,” Gio objected.
“What about you? You want to see the human breeder shake her thick ass?” Mave smiled at Cyprian.
Cyprian wanted to knock Mave’s teeth in. Riley had more curves than a Cadi female, but they looked damn good on her dangerous little body. What pissed him off more than the crude comment, was the lascivious look in Mave’s eyes. The bastard found her appealing. For some foolish reason, it had Cyprian seething.
“I think I’m fine. Let’s move on.”
Cyprian looked back at the gallery as they walked away. He did want to check on Riley. The urge had been gnawing at him since he left her the night before. He worried about how Riley was being treated in a place where everyone viewed her as an object. Human females were tough little things, but they weren’t invincible. If anything, they were more apt to come to harm.
Cyprian shook his head. He needed to focus on the mission. Too often his thoughts drifted to the wild female. And not all his preoccupation centered around her wellbeing.
Stop thinking about her. You will bid on her at the auction this evening, Cyprian reprimanded himself. He couldn’t believe the things his mind was conjuring. It was far from honorable, given the situation.
“How big is this place?” Pacen asked. “The winding halls, restaurants, stores, and galleries go on forever.”
“I’m still amazed at all the characters here. Look at that one sliding across the floor. Reminds me of the worms we fish with.” Gio pointed out.
“Steer clear of it. Last night I saw one of those things stab another patron with its tongue, then pull it into a dark corner,” Adeoda warned.
“Why does the auction house let them on the asteroid?” Nomino asked.
“Grow a tail. Do you think a single one of these creatures would hesitate to kill? They’re just pretending to be civilized,” Mave growled.
Cyprian nodded at the assessment. The guards were present to protect the auction house, not its guests. Distraho wasn’t for the meek. Even the characters who were well dressed, and carried themselves with class, were armed. Civility was just a mask, in a place like this. Cyprian felt dirty by association.
“How about this place? It’s free,” Gio suggested.
The posted listing featured various people doing acrobatic feats. It seemed as good a venue as any, so they went in and grabbed a table. The willowy figure onstage tumbled and contorted into impossible positions. It was an impressive act. If Cyprian was on holiday he would’ve been entertained. But he wasn’t at Distraho to sightsee.