Beyond the Shadows Read Free

another drink. “Yes, sir.”
    He placed the glass back on the table, never once breaking his eye contact. “I’m sorry. I don’t take on passengers. You’re out of luck.” He leaned back into the shadows, giving her a reprieve from his gaze.
    “Everyone has a price,” she hissed, unable to contain her ire. Did he think he could just dismiss her? “Name yours.”
    Tuz leapt up on the table and glared at him with slanted yellow eyes only a shade lighter than hers. The table nearly tipped under the cat’s substantial weight.
    “No deal, I’m allergic to cats.”
    “Take a pill,” she quipped.
    “There’s no pill for attitude.”
    Great, he thinks he’s smart.
    Tuz hissed, as if he agreed with her assessment.
    “Tuz wouldn’t disobey me,” Yara stated. Her cat growled and swished his thick tail. Which wasn’t entirely the truth, but she could be reasonably sure Tuz wouldn’t kill the bastard. She just couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t bleed a little.
    Cyrus kept a wary eye on the cat. “Sixty thousand.”
    Yara felt as if she’d just taken a blow to the gut. “You’re out of your mind.”
    “No, I’m the one with the ship and you’re desperate.” He downed the last of his drink and placed the empty glass between them. She found her gaze inexplicably drawn down to it and caught there a moment before she could snap out of it.
    “How long will it take your ship to reach Azra?” she asked. She shook the image of his hand caressing the glass out of her mind and focused. He had caught her unprepared, but now that she was in the thick of it, she wouldn’t lose control again.
    “It should take four days to reach Gansai and one to repair the converter. After that, it’s an hour-long macro-leap tops.” He leaned forward, locking gazes with her again. Oh, he knew this was a battle, the filthy rat.
    “Wait a minute. The converter on the macro-drive is damaged?” Her shock slapped her in the face, followed by the sting of disappointment. This would not be an easy trip.
    “It’ll be an easy fix. Don’t worry, the transwave systems still work.”
    “You mean we have to travel transwave?” Her voice pitched up on the last word. She’d get there faster floating adrift in a pressure suit than using the outdated leap tech.
    He shrugged. “You could hold your breath and try to jump, but I don’t think you are going to make it off this base any other way.”
    “Fifteen,” she snapped as she crossed her arms and glared at him. “You’re not worth sixty.”
    “Are you sure?” He let the sexual suggestion drip with innuendo as he said it.
    Elite warriors were supposed to remain celibate. Very few adhered to that rule. She had neglected it in her youth, and now her transgressions haunted the back of her mind. She had enough experience to recognize this game for what it was but not enough to numb her to it.
    He watched her with a sinful look. “I know for a fact I’m worth forty-five,” he added.
    “I’m not paying more than thirty-five.” She’d let his innuendos fall on deaf ears. “If the Grand Sister wants me that badly, she’ll send transport herself. I don’t need you.”
    “But do you want me?” The fringe of his dark lashes lowered, turning his gaze into a polished seduction. He smiled that damn smile.
    Her dagger sunk into the worn chair with a satisfying thunk.
    Yara enjoyed the look of surprise on the trader’s face as he looked down at the dagger lodged just centimeters from the seam of his crotch, then back up at her. It was all the answer she felt like giving him.
    “Do we have a deal?” She stood straighter and looked down at him.
    The Earthlen slowly rose to his feet, forcing Yara to look up to meet his arrogant gaze. Again that annoying shiver rushed down her spine, and she felt a tingling in the backs of her thighs. Her heart beat faster with a sudden rush of adrenaline. She felt as if she was about to begin a long and difficult sparring match, one she wasn’t sure she