Dangerously Hers by Deborah Pin (i am malala young readers edition txt) 📖

him. His black hair was pulled off his face, revealing a tribal tattoo that showed the tip of a light-blue-and-indigo wing covering his cheek and extending down his neck and chest, where, displayed proudly, was a vivid bird of prey in flight with outstretched talons.

“God, please let us survive this,” JB prayed.

One of the guards stepped forward. Gigantor put out a hand, stopping him from advancing any farther. “The female is mine.”

So he likes to beat up on women? She reached for her blaster. Her hand circled around the hilt, ready to use it in the blink of an eye.

“It seems Gigantor wants to wrestle,” she said loud enough for the guards to hear.

Gigantor raised a lazy brow. “Wrestle? Is that what you call it?”

“Cool it. Stop provoking them,” JB said.

Jess clenched her jaw. “I’m not provoking them.”

No. Provoking him would be telling him he reminded her of a living and breathing Jolly Green Giant. The same one that used to be pictured on canned vegetables back on Earth. Except he was golden instead of green and a lot less jolly.

“Ho, ho, ho, green giant,” she mumbled.

JB elbowed her in her side.

“How curious,” Gigantor said. “You are in no position to win a fight yet you will not stand down.”

“Hey, look.” JB put up his hands. “We didn’t come here for a fight. I think we might have jumped the gun.”

“Eva invited you to Sonis as guests. No matter how curious I find you, if you pose a threat it is I who will make you leave.”

“We understand. You won’t have any trouble out of us,” JB said.

“Any more trouble,” Gigantor added.

JB nodded. “Sorry for any inconvenience we might have caused. We wanted to explore a bit.” JB advanced forward and offered his hand. “Please accept our apology.”

The giant briefly looked at JB’s hand and gave him what appeared to be an awkward handshake.

JB released his hand and motioned in her direction. “This lovely lady is Jessica. She came here to work.”

“JB, you motherfucker.” She quickly, stepped around JB. “Call me Jess.”

She didn’t offer Gigantor her hand, nor did he request it. Instead he stared at her intently and nodded.

“If either of you are to remain, you will never provoke a guard again. Is that understood?”

JB nodded while she remained still. When Rasha locked eyes with her and JB elbowed her again, she finally relented and nodded.

Rasha turned on his heels. “You are to follow me,” he said over his shoulder.

“Sure,” JB said.

“Call me Jessica again and I’ll break your arms,” she said to JB.

He snorted as they followed the retreating pack. She didn’t find anything funny. Jessica Moore was somebody who had died a long time ago. Jess was just a shell of the woman she had once been.

They followed in silence. It wasn’t long before she spotted Eva rushing toward them. Eva stood just above five feet tall and probably didn’t weigh much more than a hundred pounds, which made her and Taio an odd-looking pair. Taio was about the same size as the giant escorting them.

Eva’s long jet-black hair was in a braid down her back. She was the first female they’d encountered wearing pants but Jess hadn’t expected anything else on Eva.

Josanis, her chunky son, dangled on her hip. He had his parents’ black hair but had one blue eye, inherited from Eva, and the other was lavender, which he had inherited from his father.

“Thank you, Rasha, I’ll take it from here,” Eva said after reaching them.

Rasha glanced from Eva to Jess. “I think I’ll claim my—”

“Rasha…” Eva said through clenched teeth.

Chapter Four

 

Rasha stood his ground. “I want to stay.”

Eva shook her head and repositioned Josanis on her hip. “Um…no, we already talked about this, remember?”

Rasha glanced from Eva to Jess. “But…”

Eva waited for Rasha to continue. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Eva said, “Thank you but I’ve got this.”

“They were posturing to fight us,” Rasha blurted. “It might not be safe for you and Josanis to stay with them alone.”

And he had to bring that up.

Jess pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Rasha saying it out loud and in front of Eva seemed so…so bad.

Eva cocked her head at Jess and JB. Both she and JB cowered slightly.

“Really? Trying to go up against royal guards? Neither of you has any sense of self-preservation, do you?”

“I assure you it was a small misunderstanding,” JB said. “We did apologize.”

Eva rolled her eyes. “Jesus. Not even a full day,” she said to herself.

“I want—” Rasha said.

Eva put up a hand. “Rasha, I’ve told you I’ve got it from here. If they get testy again I’ll fuck them up myself.”

Jess shrank under Eva’s piercing stare. How could Eva assume she was the culprit? After all, JB did start it. Plus, didn’t Rasha know the cardinal rule of snitching?

Snitches get stitches.

She narrowed her gaze on Rasha. She’d have to teach him that saying.

Maybe while they were alone. She could catch him in a darkened corridor…

from behind…with a rock.

“Then when?” Rasha asked.

Then when what? Punish them? Throw them in the dungeon?

Jess watched the exchange warily. The hairs on the back of her neck stood

on end.

That motherfucker.

Jess moved to JB’s side and grabbed the back of his shirt, holding on to it with a firm grip.

“It’s all good,” he said, trying to put her at ease.

Eva stepped between Jess and Rasha. Her short stature did nothing to block Jess’ view of him. “Leave, Rasha. After I show them to their apartments, I’ll take them to the security center for registration.”

“For registration?” Rasha asked, confused.

“Yes,” Eva said, stretching her lips into what looked like a painful smile.

“If that is a command then it will have to suffice.”

“It’s a command,” Eva said through clenched teeth.

Rasha hesitated before he nodded and turned on his heels. It seemed Jess was the only one to notice that he glanced back twice before finally rounding a corner.

Eva let out a heavy breath. “You’ll have to excuse Rasha. He does take his duties very seriously. Everyone who visits Sonis for the first time has to be registered with security.”

JB pried Jess’ fingers from the back of his pants. “That’s totally understandable,” he said.

“But getting back to your actions. Tsk, I can’t believe you two,” Eva said warmly.

Eva extended a bronzed arm to JB. While the inhabitants of Sonis were golden in appearance, Eva had the perfect tan. No doubt attributed to the amount of time she spent training outdoors under Sonis’ two suns.

JB opened his arms to receive her embrace. “I’m sorry, Eva. I’ll take the blame. Jess wanted to wait for you but I got antsy and wanted to take a peek around.”

Jess cleared her throat. “No, it was me too. I guess my temper…”

Eva released JB and smiled her way. “Apologies accepted. I’m happy you came, Jess, temper and all.”

As Eva held out an arm, Jess instantly stiffened. For being so little, Eva sure was strong. She grabbed Jess and hugged her tight. It wasn’t long before Jess finally relaxed in Eva’s hold.

Eva pulled back and grinned up at her. She was beautiful. No wonder Taio had made her his queen. “Despite that little mishap, you’ll love it here, I

promise.”

I sure hope so. “Thank you for inviting me.” Jess shifted on her feet. “I guess we screwed things up.”

Eva waved a hand through the air. “Oh, don’t worry about Rasha or the other guards. Sonis guards are always looking for a fight.” Eva winked at her.

“You should fit right in.”

“They weren’t at fault. If we would have waited as instructed, none of this would have happened,” JB said.

“No worries. I’m just sorry I couldn’t meet you. I was working in the infirmary and couldn’t get away until now.”

“Infirmary? Sonis has a high-tech medical center, doesn’t it?” JB asked.

“Yeah, but once a nurse always a nurse.” Eva turned to Jess. “Come on, let’s go see your new home.”

New home.

She put a hand on her stomach to help control the acrobatic movements that had begun there. Could she call Sonis her home?

Eva led the away. The child on her hip wrapped a hand around her braid.

“Did Rasha give you a tour?” she asked.

“No,” Jess replied.

Eva shook her head. “Figures.”

They made their way through a palace that rivaled Sa’Mya’s. Eva pointed out various rooms and introduced them to everyone they passed, human and alien alike.

After spotting a group of women, Eva stopped abruptly. “Mecca!” Eva said, calling to an African-American woman who was talking to three other women.

“Here, hold Josanis.” She turned to Jess and before she could be stopped, held the baby to her.

Jess took a giant step back and shook her head. “I don’t do babies.”

Eva continued to dangle the baby in front of her. As he grinned, drool dripped from his mouth. Eva laughed. “He doesn’t bite,” she said, still dangling the baby, not accepting no as an answer.

“Anything that has teeth bites,” Jess replied, disgusted.

Eva pushed the baby into her hands. “Here, he won’t break. I’ll be right back.”

Jess found out why Eva had placed Josanis on her hip. He weighed a ton.

She jutted out a hip and set the baby there, mimicking how she had seen Eva

hold him.

“If you drop him, you can expect Eva to renege on her offer to let you live here,” JB said.

Jess rolled her eyes and motioned forward, pretending she would give the hefty child to him. “You take him then.”

JB maneuvered out of the way, flailing his hands in front of him. “No.

Way.” He laughed heartily. “Man, what I wouldn’t give for a camera right now.

The guys won’t believe this in a million years.”

Jess peered at him. “Don’t give me a reason to kill you.” She turned her attention to Eva speaking animatedly to the small group of women. “Besides, it’ll only piss Kane off. He’s quite fond of you.”

As promised, after speaking with the women, Eva returned. “I’m sorry.

Mecca was a wedding planner back on Earth. She’s helping us get ready for the engagement party.”

Eva retrieved her baby and motioned for them to follow her as they continued their tour. Jess’ arms and hip immediately felt relieved.

“Engagement party?” Jess asked.

“For Taio’s little…well, she isn’t exactly little. But for Taio’s younger sister Saia.”

“Oh,” Jess said.

She followed Eva as she chatted about the decorations and plans for the party. JB pretty much ignored them both but flirted at every female they passed.

Eva lifted a curious brow at JB. “JB, you do know the human females are here to bond with the Sonis males, don’t you?”

“Um…it might have been mentioned before.”

“Didn’t you rescue them from slavers and brothels?” Jess asked.

“Mostly slavers. We only have a handful of women from the brothels. Many of them have been sterilized and Taio didn’t deem them as suitable mates.”

Sterilized.

Not suitable mates.

The memory of the brothel owner ’s cackling laughter assaulted her. He couldn’t even wait for the drugs to wear out of her system before he gleefully told her she could no longer have children.

Jess stumbled over her footing.

Eva stopped and rushed to her side. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean…”

Jess’ legs shook and wobbled with each step she tried to take. “It’s okay.”

Her lips quivered as she spoke. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t put me there.”

“Jess, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t have said that…”

It wasn’t a secret that most of the females in the brothels were sterilized, if they were lucky. Brothel owners didn’t want to take care of offspring or lose profits from females dying trying to give birth to hybrid species.

Her head throbbed out of control. “Really, I’m fine,” she mumbled, ignoring the whispers between Eva and JB. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Understood,” Eva replied.

JB grabbed for her hand, holding it as Eva continued on. Eva kept looking over her shoulder with guilt and concern written across her face.

“The people of Drazlan have a pretty low birthrate,” Eva said.

“Drazlan?” JB asked.

“Drazlan is the home planet. You can see it on the horizon. Almost