Iroth (Paperback)

Iroth was just after a quick buck when he came to Earth, but ends up accused of trying to assassinate the galactic crown prince. Forced into hiding, he transforms into one of the human’s primitive four-legged pets and takes refuge with a kind human female who loves dogs.

Maise expected to leave the charity auction with a hot date. Instead, she goes home with a wounded Great Dane and a whole lot of questions. When the giant canine transforms into a sultry blue alien with amazing turquoise eyes and asks for her help, she can’t refuse… until she helps him back onto his space ship, and he won’t let her leave.

She’s determined to find an escape, but the more time they spend together, the more she suspects he’s not the alien monster she imagined. But will her strength and kindness be enough to melt the armor around his heart?

Striding along the path, Iroth examined a pair of females who stood shoulder-to-shoulder as they watched the guests pass by. He’d worked with the black market long enough to have heard rumors about human captives capable of inciting passion in the most reticent partners. Tonight marked the first legal event for human bondservant contracts, and competition would be high.

The females he looked at now each wore a long dark gown, one with sparkles and the other with a skirt that turned sheer at mid-thigh to reveal shapely legs. Not bad looking, he acknowledged, smiling at them as he passed. The one in the sparkly dress locked eyes with him, and he opened his Iki’i briefly to feel her emotions.

She was curious and a bit nervous. He understood how she felt—the first job he’d hired himself out for had been thrilling and nerve-wracking, and he’d been glad when it was over. He could hardly imagine wanting to sell himself long-term to a single person.

He continued past them, heading toward a raised platform illuminated by lights. His gut churned and his matrix wanted to contract into the smallest form possible at the sight. No matter how many times he saw a stage, he always battled those feelings. You’re not revealing yourself to anyone, he reminded himself. He wouldn’t be changing color or escorted away by his parents in shame.

No one here knows what you are.

Still, he sat at a table at the outer edge of the audience, taking some comfort in knowing he could bolt at a moment’s notice. Although the emperor had forbidden ship landings on the planet and restricted access through the teleportation web, Iroth had managed to land an unmanned, cloaked ship outside the city several days ago. He’d only used the transportation web tonight in order to be documented as a bidding guest. But ever since he’d had a job go sideways and leave him stuck in the slums on a G’naxian moon for six revolutions, he made sure he always had alternate ways to get off-planet.

A human male approached his table carrying a tray with tall thin glasses of a golden beverage, and another human offered a selection of local food. Iroth politely took one of each but set them aside untouched. He’d never enjoyed foreign foods very much, plus he was too busy examining the human females gathering to one side of the stage. Each one possessed a quadruped, either on a leash or cradled like a baby. He hadn’t been warned this species required accommodations for an additional life form, and made a mental note to demand additional payment when he delivered the female.

A small white quadruped put his front paws against the legs of the female holding its leash, stubby tail wagging. It reminded him of a baby nezumi he’d found as a child, a downy creature with a stubby tail and long floppy ears. It had been cowering in one of the space station’s condenser pipes. Most residents considered the creatures pests, and the poorer families on the station hunted and ate them. But he’d put the baby into his pocket and taken it home, sneaking it crumbs of their precious food. When his father found out, he was furious. They’d eaten nezumi soup that very night.

Iroth shook off the memory and refocused on the human females. Now was not the time to fall into dark thoughts.

A black-haired beauty in a sleeveless burgundy dress caught his eye. The fabric was shimmery without being gaudy, and detailed with layered pleats across the bodice and a smooth skirt that draped effortlessly from her hips. Her rich golden brown skin reminded him of well-polished amai wood and made him wonder if she smelled as sweet.

The quadruped on her leash had thick red-and-black fur over its back and a heavy white ruff that continued down to its front feet. The animal’s mouth hung open in what looked like a smile, and though his Iki’i was closed, he imagined the complete adoration the creature must have for the female.

Bid on her, a voice inside him urged. He pictured how she’d look splayed across the silken sheets of his bed, dewy-eyed and yearning for his next touch. Except he wasn’t buying a bondservant for himself. His client wanted breeding stock, and the woman in the burgundy dress deserved better.