Defiance Read Online Free PDF Page B

escape. I simply opened all the doors and took her with me. If I had orchestrated an escape, more of those kept would have made it to freedom.”
    That part of her job still bothered her. She had to stop the retrieval at the person she was assigned to. Her methods of transport were always arranged for two and only two.
    She paced restlessly for a moment.
    Akath cocked her head. “You are not what you seem to be at first glance, are you?”
    Teeny shrugged. “It depends on what you think you are seeing.”
    The seamstress chuckled. “Apparently, my eyes are not giving me accurate information.”
    Zhomos came in and inclined his head. “Cousin, where is my visitor?”
    Teeny moved out of the shadows and tried not to blush as his gaze ran over her with almost tactile appreciation. “I am here, Zhomos. Where to next?”
    Akath made them wait while she retrieved the swimsuit and wrapped it in a length of fabric. “Have fun. I will have the rest of the clothing packed up for your trip home, or should I just send it to the resort?”
    Zhomos nodded. “Directly to the resort, please, Akath. Thank you for your help. You know where to send the bill.”
    Teeny froze. “Akath, I will pay for the clothing.”
    Akath grinned. “Are you sure?”
    “What methods of payment do you take?”
    “Oh, I will take Alliance credits. Don’t worry about that.” Akath rubbed her hands together with glee.
    Teeny used her seventeen-digit access code and paid for the clothing while Zhomos scowled at her. She chuckled at him. “Don’t worry, Zhomos. You are technically paying for this. Some of this currency was for retrieving Thaka.”
    A smile flirted around the corner of his mouth. “Then proceed, and I will keep my feelings on this matter to myself.”
    Akath and Teeny snorted in unison before bursting into synchronized laughter. Teeny was sure that she had not heard the last of it, and they had the rest of the day for Zhomos to rake her over the coals.
    She was looking forward to defying him at every moment possible, and she had a month to get it right.
     
     
     
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    She started out with her hands in the same position they had had on the initial flight.
    Zhomos looked back at her and smiled. “Hold tight.”
    He throttled forward, and she was forced to abandon her prim attempt at balance for flattening herself to his spine with her arms tight around him. Teeny counted herself lucky that the engine was silent and didn’t have the rumble of a motorcycle back home. The vibrations were notoriously bad for a lady’s self-control.
    She sighed and watched as they skimmed above the shoreline. They approached a rocky break, and he dropped them down to rest on the far side of it.
    “Welcome to Norcroft Beach.” He turned off the cycle and dismounted.
    She followed him, watching as he opened the storage area of the cycle, and she took the swimsuit as he handed it to her. A large basket came out next, as well as two large towels.
    “You can change into your suit. I won’t peek.” He smiled and winked as he walked down the beach, choosing a site in the shade before he began to shuck his own clothing.
    Teeny blinked as he stripped to the skin and walked casually to the water. He waded in until he was knee deep, and then, he dove forward, a tail flipping where his legs used to be.
    “Well, he’s a man of his word. He isn’t peeking.”
    She walked over to the towels and followed his lead, slipping the new swimsuit on with only a few false starts. With her feet bare, she moved quickly across the hot sand, stepping into the waves with relief. The waves lapped at her legs as she moved deeper into the surf.
    Zhomos surfaced a few meters away, and she kept wading until she could swim out in relative comfort. The current tugged and pulled at her, but she was stronger than she looked, and it was a relief to use her strength to its full capacity.
    When Zhomos surfaced in front of her, he rose to clear his shoulders from the