Salvage Rights (Distant Worlds Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

kidding
me.  The man is a ruthless bastard, almost as bad as his brother,” Mac
interjected.
    “Almost being the key
word there,” Lore said.  “He does not allow abuse of women and children and his
word is as good as cold steel.  Even better, no one can get anywhere near his
planet without an invite, and his brother is never invited.  Hell, even the
pirates let his ships go freely rather than incur his wrath.”
    “And he would be as
good a genetic match as Cor Warrung would be,” the doctor interjected.  “Once
she is imprinted, there will be no way to take her from him and all will know
it.”
    “And if he doesn’t want
a mate?” Mac asked belligerently.  “He has never had his brother’s drive to
continue his lineage.  A Bruha mate is no small thing.”
    “We are not going to
take her to him as a proposed Bruha mate.  We are going to take her as a
truthsayer and reader.  For employment.  She does not even look Bruha.”
    “You want to try and
trick Lucan Warrung?”  Sera asked incredulously.
    “I will tell him his
brother is after her, that she has some Bruha blood and that she is a
truthsayer.  All of those reasons are the truth and will be too much to say no
to.  He will make an offer for her; I will stipulate that she is not a slave
and he must negotiate with her; we will take a small broker fee, anonymous of
course, and all will be fine.  Warrung will have to deal with his brother, not
us, and she will be as safe as we can make her, being what she is.”
    Within hours of the
message being sent, Lucan had agreed to meet with them.
    ***
    “I have his agreement
that you will be considered an honored prospective employee with all the rights
of any free person with safe passage until an agreement between you can be
reached.”  The captain rubbed his head and sat back in his chair.  “He has
agreed to a small finder’s fee to be deposited in a numbered account when you
prove that you are a truthsayer.  I would love to tell you that if you can’t
reach an agreement that we will pick you back up, but Lucan really is the
lesser of two evils.  So, my advice is to be flexible.  He will not be.”
    The captain had also
given her a name.  “Danika, it means morning star.  It seemed appropriate.”
    “Thank you, Captain.”
    “Don’t thank me.  I
feel like I’m selling you to the damn slavers.”
    “On the contrary, you
have saved me from becoming exactly that, and I will not forget it.”
    He shook his head.  “Tell
me that again after you meet Lucan.”
    She took the bag he
handed her.  She was wearing borrowed clothes, but Lore had been able to adjust
them to fit her smaller height and you could not tell that she was not the
original owner.  She wore the standard fitted grey slacks and top without the
utility belt that held the sword and blaster, which she would not be allowed to
wear.  Her hair had been cut to her thighs, also by Lore, and was presently pulled
up and back, wrapped tight against her head in one of Sera’s clips.  Though no
one could deny that she was a beauty, no one would look at her and think
Bruha.  She slipped the bag onto her back and pulled on the black gloves that the
captain handed her last.
    “He knows you have
Bruha in you and what the consequences are if you are compatible mates.  He
says he has plenty of others to warm his bed and has no need for a mate, but he
has not seen you yet and if you touch, all bets will be off.  So try to keep
your distance.”  From his tone of voice, he held no hope that she’d be able to.
    “You will give the
others my farewell.”
    “Yes.”
    She held out a hand “Good-bye,
Captain.”
    Instead of shaking, he
pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a hard edge of passion before
releasing her just as abruptly, stepping back, and hitting the controls. 
Because of that, she transported down slightly heated from the kiss.
    ***
    Luc had expected
someone beautiful, mostly Bruha, even with only a little of