York (The Vorge Crew Book 3) Read online

  He was going to be trapped with that bitch for life, just like she was stuck on Relon until she died.

  The classes the shelter provided had said some aliens were basically set up by their families to marry. For others, it was about trade deals or making alliances. She wondered what York’s story was. He couldn’t have picked that blue bitch by choice. She was horrible to him.

  The hover transport slowed and lowered, coming to a stop. Sara waited until the bigger aliens exited the craft before she got to her feet, not wanting to risk being trampled or groped. The blue couple walked ahead of her with the yellow alien at their side. They entered a store and she passed it. The blue alien woman smacked the big guy yet again, that time on the chest, but she couldn’t hear the words.

  “Poor bastard,” Sara whispered.

  A block down, she reached the bar and walked around to the side entrance. A big green alien with horns nodded at her and opened the door. She entered, put her lunch bag inside the cubby her boss had assigned her, and then tied on an apron. Minutes later, she was serving drinks.

  Time passed fast, since there were a lot of customers. She dodged groping hands and tentacles. That still took some practice; a few of the aliens had six arms. One guy even sported pinchers. She avoided him entirely, fearing he’d take off body parts with those sharp appendages.

  Her boss finally let her know when it was time for a break and she fled into the back to retrieve her lunch. The room she ate in was tiny but at least it gave her privacy. She finished and used the bathroom, washed her hands, and returned to work. Her boss jerked one of his two thumbs toward the dining area, and she was grateful to go. Most of the customers who came in for food weren’t drunk or grabby.

  The other waitress caught her up on orders, which tables were waiting for food, and who had just entered. Sara took the electronic pad and walked to a table. “Welcome to Vay. Are you ready to order?”

  The red-skinned devil-looking alien stared her up and down. “What are you?”

  She really hated that question, seeming to answer it a hundred times a day. Her boss had ordered her to always be polite to the customers. “A human from Earth.”

  He sniffed at her. “You smell like food.”

  She took a step back, praying he didn’t try to take a bite out of her. “I’m not. I only serve it. Check out the menu. That’s what’s available.”

  “Do you bleed red?”

  That scared her even more. “I’ll give you more time to decide.” She turned and attempted to flee, slamming into a hard body.

  “I’m so very sorry.” She looked up—and gasped. It was the blue guy from the hover transport.

  “Did I hurt you? You’re quite a tiny human.”

  He was a good foot taller than her, probably six-six or seven. Huge up close, and even more brawny than she’d thought; easy to tell, since she’d just slammed into him. His body was hard-packed with muscle. There was a blue insignia on his black uniform, probably the name of the ship he worked on.

  And he knew what she was. That came as a surprise. Most aliens had to ask.

  She peered up at his face. “I’m actually not tiny. I’m average-sized for a woman…well, from my planet. I’m so sorry I bumped into you. It’s my fault.”

  “I’m big and difficult to avoid in small quarters.” He gave her a dazzling smile. “You couldn’t damage me if you tried. Are you sure I didn’t hurt you? I know humans bruise easily.”

  That offhanded remark alarmed her, and it must have shown on her face.

  The blue skin darkened on his face. “Not that I would ever hurt one. A few of my crew are bonded to female humans.”

  That surprised her again, but she tried to keep her expression neutral. Bonded meant married. And so far, she’d been pretty sure women from Earth were only bought and sold by aliens to be sexual slaves. “I’m fine. Do you need me to show you and your party to a table?”

  “It’s just me, and yes, I need a table.”

  She turned, glanced around, and found an empty one in the corner. She led him there and pushed a button on her pad. A menu hologram appeared above the table. “Have a seat. I’ll give you a few minutes.”

  He sat his big frame in the chair. “Thank you.”

  She wondered where the two alien women had gone as she returned to the devil alien. He sniffed at her and made her uncomfortable again when he ordered raw meat. He was one of those. The fresher the kill, the better. There was a squid alien who came in sometimes who ate his food still squirming. His favored dish was live fish in a bowl.

  She picked up a tray to serve another table and then returned to York.

  “Have you decided what you want to eat?”

  “I’ll have the Parri plate. It’s the only thing from my old planet that you serve.”

  She tapped the screen, sending his order to the kitchen. “To drink?”

  “Hoser.”

  That was the equivalent of beer on Relon. She tapped it into the pad. “It should be five minutes for your meal but I’ll get your drink from the bar now.”

  She began to turn away when he gently brushed her arm with his fingers. She startled slightly, then faced him.

  “Sorry. I don’t know your name. I didn’t mean offense by touching you. Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “What are you doing on Relon?”

  “I was taken from my planet and sold.” She hesitated. “The Relon police found me before I was handed over to the buyer.”

  “I thought this planet was good about sending victims back to their home worlds?”

  “They offered. I decided not to return.”

  She didn’t want to explain that Earth officials had been responsible in the first place. It would probably only make the bad reputation of humans even worse.

  She fled, getting his beer and picking up food for the devil alien. He sat at his table sipping something that looked like blood. A shudder ran down her spine as she placed his raw meat in front of him. The way he looked at her left little doubt that he’d prefer to eat her.

  Another group of customers came in. She got them a table and found out what they wanted, then she picked up York’s order, taking it to him. As she approached, she noticed he looked depressed, maybe sad, until she put the plate in front of him. His food appeared to be cooked meat with some kind of rice.

  He smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Enjoy. Wave at me if you need something before you finish.”

  “You could tell me your name.”

  She met his eyes. They were beautiful. A dark blue framed by long black eyelashes. “Sara.”

  “Thank you, Sara.”

  She turned away, glancing around the room. The dining area was small, only ten tables. All the customers had food. She spun back around. “May I ask you something, York?”

  His head snapped up and he stared at her. “How did you know my name?”

  She felt her cheeks warm. “Um, we were on that hover transport from the city together.”

  “We were?” He frowned. “I didn’t see you.”

  “I was seated in the corner. You were sitting near me. I kind of overheard some things.”

  “Oh.” His face darkened again. She hoped it wasn’t anger that made his pale blue skin turn that color.

  “Forget I said anything. I’m sorry. Enjoy your meal.” She started to flee but he reached out, lightly grasping her arm. She met his gaze.

  “What did you want to know?”

  “It’s none of my business, but…you seem like a nice person.” Alien. Whatever. “Your woman…isn’t. Are you being forced to marry her?”

  He released his gentle grip on her arm. “No.”

  That confused her more. “Then why? She’s kind of…” She paused, not wanting to insult him.

  He glanced at her and his face darkened again.

  “My apologies. Humans are curious. Please forget I said anything.”

  “No. It’s fine.” He sighed. “Two of my c