Buthe still said the proper words and made the proper gestures, Trin reminded herself. It didn’t occur to her towonder how Thraceknew the proper words and correct gestures. After all, they’d alreadyestablished that she’d been wrong about his past. But there was something aboutthe pain she’d seen in his pale, piercing eyes that twisted her heart.

If she’d really seen it there at all. Maybe she wasjust imagining things…

“I’m fine. I feel good.” Thrace was already getting to hisfeet again, dusting off the tight leather trousers and giving her an irreverentgrin. “Well, was that show good enough for you, Mistress?”

“It was,” Trin acknowledged. Although she wonderedhow much of it was show.

“Good.” He nodded at her. “Well, let’s get back tothe cabin. I assume I’ll be sleeping with you tonight?”

“What?” Trin looked at him, genuinely startled.

“At the foot of your bed, of course. As any goodslave would.” He raised an eyebrow. “What did you think I meant?”

Trin cleared her throat, not willing to get intothat.

“I’m sorry but the small room where you were beforeis supposed to be for my body-slave.”

“You mean the one where you had me chained down soI couldn’t move for days on end?” His voice dropped to a low growl. “Look,Mistress, no disrespect but I’m not going back in there. I…” He cleared histhroat. “I can’t. Not on top of this.” He touched the collar lightlywith his fingertips and winced again as he got a slight shock. The collar waswired to keep a slave from trying to take it off too.

“Thrace—”

“Please, Trin…it’s too much,” he muttered, meetingher eyes. “I fucking can’t. Not tonight, anyway.”

“I…” Trin wasn’t sure what to say. It was true thatthere was space on the floor at the end of her bed—her cabin was rather largeas sleeping quarters went—probably because the ship had originally been builtfor an elegant and spoiled mistress from Yonnie Six. But she’d never expectedto have to share it with anyone—most especially not a male.

Still one glance at his face convinced her. Thelook was back in his eyes—that indefinable look that made her wonder…that madeher worry…that made her sorry.

“All right,” she said at last, stiffly. “But I’msleeping with the remote in my hand. Come on, I’m tired.”

“As my Mistress wishes,” Thrace murmured and followed herout of the pod and down the long metal corridor without further comment.

Chapter Twelve

Sidna was waiting for her in front of her cabindoor, as Trin had half expected she would be. She gave a mental sigh andstraightened her shoulders, unwilling to show weakness although she wasbeginning to feel more weary than she ever had in her life.

“Sidna, what can I do for you?” she said, trying tokeep her tone light.

“I’d like a moment of your time, Captain. Alone.”It was always a bad sign when Sidna called her by her title instead of hername. Inside, Trin groaned. Outwardly, she somehow managed to maintain apleasant, professional expression.

“Of course. Thrace—go in the cabin please andturn my bed down for sleep. I’m tired.”

“I will. And then I’d like a shower, Mistress.” Heraised his eyebrows at her, making it a request.

“Of course, that’s fine.” Trin nodded. “Just go.”

The huge Havoc nodded and walked into her cabinquietly. The metal door swooshed shut behind him.

Sidna looked at Trin, iron gray eyebrows raised indisbelief.

“So now you’re letting him sleep with you? A male?In your bed?” she demanded. “That’s sacrilege! The Goddess—”

“Of course he’s not sleeping in my bed,” Trin saidbriskly. “He’s sleeping on the floor so I can keep an eye on him.”

“Right. So you can keep an eye on him.”Sidna’s voice fairly dripped sarcasm.

Trin put a hand on her hip—time to nip this in thebud.

“What exactly are you implying, Sidna? Andyou’d better watch what you say. I don’t appreciate being insulted on my ownship.”

“I’m not implying—I’m saying that this…this malehas you fooled. Somehow he’s convinced you that he’s trustworthy when he’snot—no male is and you know it!”

Trin felt her professional demeanor slipping. Ithad been a hell of a long day and she was bone weary and not completely sureabout her choices. Which meant she really didn’t feel like defendingthem to her friend.

“You know how he convinced me to trust him, Sidna?”she demanded. “The fact that he came after me, all alone, and saved my life andmy honor in the Demon’s Eye. Then he risked his own life to get me backhere—fought off over a dozen of B’Rugh’s goons—and before you say that allmales are disgusting beasts that only think about sex and breeding, he didn’tlay a hand on me either, even when I was completely vulnerable. Then he willinglylet me put the collar on him just so you and the rest of the crew wouldn’tfeel uneasy about him being on board. So that’s how he earned my trust.What else can he do to earn yours?”

“Nothing,” Sidna said flatly. “He’s a male—they’reinherently untrustworthy and you know it. But since he has you fooled, I’ll trymy best to have your back when he turns on you.”

“He’s not going to turn on me like some rabid feral.”Trin couldn’t keep the exasperation out of her voice. “Look, is that all youcame to say? Because I’m really tired—being in mortal danger and nearlybeing raped and killed will do that to a girl.”

Sidna’s lips thinned. “As a matter of fact, no thatisn’t all. I also wanted to tell you that you have a message from Lady Malroth on Yonnie Six.I saved it for you on your private viewscreen.”

“Thank you.” Trin nodded. “That’s good news—maybeshe’s ready to deal.”

“Maybe,” Sidna snapped. “And I guess you’re readyto deal as well—now that you have a body-slave at your side to legitimize youin the Yonnie Six circles.”

“I am,” Trin said calmly. “And as soon as I sellthe Jaxite crystals I got from B’Rugh to Lady Malroth, I’ll makeback the investment on Thrace.Then he’ll consider his debt paid, and he’ll go. All right?”

Sidna looked slightly mollified.

“Really? This isn’t a long term arrangement then?Because I never liked the idea of you buying a male slave in the first placeand I don’t trust this one as far as I could throw him.”

“It’s just a one time thing,” Trin told hersoothingly. “As soon as the deal is done, Thrace is gone.”

“Well…” Sidna took a deep breath. “I still don’tlike it and I still don’t trust him. But I’m willing to stick by you, Trin—atleast until Yonnie Six.”

“Thank you.” Trin put a hand on the other woman’sshoulder. “That means a lot to me, Sidna. Good medics are hard to find and goodfriends are even harder.”

A small smile graced the medic’s thin lips.

“Just be careful letting him in there with you.Sleep with that remote in your hand.” She nodded to the small, black rectangleTrin still held.

“I intend to,” Trin said gravely. “Now, I’d bettergo listen to the message Lady Malroth left. And then I’m going to get some sleep—I’m deadtired.”

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Sidna said, nodding.“Pleasant dreams, Trin.”

“Pleasant dreams, Sidna.” She watched the medicwalk away with the feeling of a near disaster averted. Sidna was strong willedenough to stir the crew towards mutiny if she truly didn’t believe in adecision Trin had made. They’d had their differences in the past but neveranything this severe. Trin just hoped she had put the older woman’s fears torest.

And she hoped that Sidna was wrong about Thrace.

With a sigh, she went into her cabin and closed thedoor. There was nothing else to do.

** * * *

When he came out of the shower, a towel wrappedaround his hips, Thracesaw Trin was sitting on the end of her bed watching a message on theviewscreen.