“Was taking no chances,” Thrace said grimly. “He wanted youand he meant to have you, whether you agreed to his ‘deal’ or not.”

“Ugh…” Trin shivered again and this time it clearlywasn’t from cold. “I still don’t understand why he would want such athing from me! We’re clearly not compatible species.”

“I believe he said it was the color of your skinthat drew him,” Thracemurmured, eyeing the creamy light brown tones of her cheek with admiration. “Inthat I can’t say that I blame him. You are unique, Trin. And fucking gorgeous,as I think I mentioned before.”

She drew away from him, eyeing him uneasily.

“Why are you saying this to me? You want the samething B’Rugh did? I told you—I won’t be penetrated by a male. Ever.”

“It was a compliment. An ill-timed one,apparently.” Thracesighed and held up his hands in a gesture of peace. “Look, I didn’t save youfrom getting raped just to rape you myself. I’m not like that—I’ve never takena female against her will and I don’t intent to start now.”

“They why did you say all those things to be backaboard The Alacrity?” Trin demanded. “Why did you tell me all the thingsyou…fantasized about doing to me?”

“I was bored,” Thrace growled. “Bored and hornyout of my fucking mind. You had me chained up, treating me like a pet you couldwash and feed and play with while you walked around in your panties andnightdress exposing yourself like I wouldn’t care.”

“I told you, I didn’t know you’d care,” Trinprotested. She sighed. “Look, I realize you hate me for what I did to you andfor not believing you when you said you weren’t a slave. It’s clear now I waswrong about your past—you couldn’t have been a slave if you were offfighting B’Rugh and his kind for control of your planet.”

“Well…” For a moment he actually considered tellingher about his past—about what had happened when he was sixteen cycles old andhe and his Sire had been taken by slavers. But only for a moment. “It’s allright,” he said roughly at last. “You had no reason to believe me.”

“I had no reason to disbelieve you either—otherthan my fear of your physical strength and my distrust of your sex,” Trin said.“I treated you as inferior because you’re male. I’m sorry for that but I can’tchange the past.”

“What’s done is done.” Thrace made a chopping gesture withone hand. “It’s over now.”

“Why did you come for me?” She wrapped the thermalblanket more tightly around her slim shoulders and looked at him uncertainly.“After what I did to you? Chaining you up…treating you like you were one of mypets…”

“Because before you did all those things, you savedmy life,” he said roughly. “That fucking slaver at the Flesh Bazaar would havekilled me with the pain collar and why not? I was pure profit and no loss tohim since he scooped up me and my friend Solar at a dirty little portside baron Padge. He could have killed me and not lost a moment’s sleep about it butyou…you cared. Even though you don’t like males and I was a stranger toyou, you cared enough to stop him. To save me.” He looked into her eyes. “Thatmatters, Trin.”

She held his gaze for a moment, her dark eyes wideand uncertain.

“So…a life for a life? We’re even now, is that it?”

“Even?” Thrace got off the bunk and startedpacing. “Ha. Not even close.”

Trin shook her head. “I don’t understand. What moredo you want me to do? Obviously you can have your freedom—with my apologies ofcourse. And I can take you wherever you want to go—”

“No, you don’t understand.” Thrace turned to her. “We’re noteven because I still owe you.”

“Owe me what?” She looked completely confused now.

“Don’t play dumb,” Thrace snapped. “I know how muchyou paid for me—fifty thousand credits. It nearly bankrupted you, didn’tit? That’s why you decided to go into the Demon’s Eye alone—you weredesperate.”

She lifted her chin, fire flashing in her darkeyes.

“I’m never desperate. I told you, I took acalculated risk.”

“One that almost got you raped and killed,” Thracepointed out harshly.

“I’ve thanked you for saving me and given you backyour freedom,” she flared. “What more do you want?”

“I’ll tell you what I don’t fucking want,” Thracegrowled. “I don’t want my freedom. Not yet, anyway.” He took a deep breath.“I’m going to continue being your slave until I make this right—until I pay thedebt between us.”

“What?” She looked at him blankly. “But that couldtake years. You don’t know what you’re offering.”

“Yes I do. Gods…” Thrace shook his head. “I neverthought I’d volunteer for slavery willingly but I don’t see any other way—aHavoc always pays his debts. And besides, it won’t take years. It’ll only takeuntil you can sell these.” Reaching into the pocket of his tight leathertrousers, he produced the small black bag filled with Jaxite crystals.

“You got them?” Trin jumped up from thebunk, shedding the thermal blanket in her excitement. “You got the crystals?”

“Of course I did,” Thrace said roughly but he couldn’thelp liking the excitement and joy he saw in her eyes and knowing he wasresponsible for it. “Had to blast some big holes in a few of B’Rugh’s thugs toget both them and you out of there but I got them.”

“That’s wonderful!” Trin actually laughed, alow, musical sound that he liked a hell of a lot. “Amazing.” She frowned. “Nowthat I think of it, the last thing I remember before I blacked out was that wewere surrounded.”

“Not for long. I rigged the blaster’s power switchand turned it into a heatbeam—little trick I learned in the war with theLud’oms. Cut a few of B’Rugh’s thugs in half and blasted a few more to puddlesof twitching ooze…they got out of the way pretty quick after that.”

Her eyes widened. “You overrode the safety setting?You could have blown your hand off!”

Thrace shrugged. “It was a calculated risk—like the oneyou took. Just so happens it paid off. You complaining?”

“No…” She looked thoughtful. “I guess I don’t haveroom to complain considering the results. It’s something I never would havedone myself but well…”

“But your new slave is crazy,” Thrace growled. “So he doeswhatever the hell it takes to get the job done.”

** * * *

“I’m glad you do,” Trin said seriously. She wasstill stunned that he’d come for her—she really couldn’t complain about hismethods. “Listen, about this slave business,” she began. “You really don’t haveto—”

“Yes, I do,” Thrace interrupted, frowning. “Itold you, a Havoc always pays what he owes. It’s a point of honor andpride among us. If you deny me the right to serve you until I have paid thisdebt, my honor will be forever darkened.”

“Well…” Trin looked at him uncertainly. Males weresuch strange creatures—so big and strong and stubborn. There seemed to be noreasoning with him about this. Though she honestly felt he had more than paidhis debt by rescuing her from B’Rugh’s horrible plot, he seemed determined tohelp her sell the crystals as well.

Butcan I trust him? What’s to stop him from taking over the ship the minute I lethim back on board? Of course ifhe’d wanted to do that, he probably already could’ve done it when he got out ofhis chains in the first place. How had he gotten free, anyway? A sickfeeling formed in the pit of her stomach.

“How did you get loose in the first place?” sheasked softly. “My crew…”

“Are fine,” he assured her. “Your good friend,Sidna let me go. Then she held me at blaster point and forced me into one ofthe pods—this one, in fact. I’m afraid we had to leave yours behind back at theDemon’s Eye since I couldn’t pilot them both.”

“Sidna let you go?” Trin asked without surprise. Itwas exactly what the medic had been advocating before she left—the exact courseof action Trin herself had decided on, in fact. She supposed she ought to bemad at her friend for going behind her back and making the final decisionwithout her but considering the circumstances, she really couldn’t be upset. IfSidna hadn’t set the huge Havoc free, Trin would be helpless, at the mercy ofthe slimy B’Rugh right now. Ugh!