Heroic Abduction Read Online Free Page B

danger knowing you can handle it.”
    Dyre nodded his head. “My thoughts exactly. You are wise. My own mother has not grasped that fact. She claims these aren’t thank-yous but attempts to kill me. As if I could get taken down by a mere plant.” Oops, getting a little boastful. He’d have to rein it back in, but it was nice to speak with someone who at least followed his point of view.
    “On my planet, the more dangerous the gift, the more it speaks of our respect for the recipient. Why, our great queen once gave her biggest enemy the gift of a razor-tailed, rare three-headed Ihro raptor. It was a most wondrous gift.”
    “And did her enemy appreciate it?”
    “She did until it ate her.”
    Betty shook her head. “You guys are both whacked. Speaking of which, I’m tired and sticky. Any chance of getting a room with a shower?”
    “But of course. I’ve been remiss as a host.”
    Dyre led them back through the ship to the spacious chambers. The Zonian commandeered the first room he showed them despite the pale one’s grumbles. “I’m in charge so I get first choice,” Zista said with a clack of her beak.
    Betty stuck her tongue out, and Dyre couldn’t hold back a smile. While childish in gesture, it only served to highlight the friendship between the two, a camaraderie Dyre would have enjoyed. The road of a hero was a lonely one.
    With one guest taken care of, he led the human to another chamber, which coincidentally—ahem, by purpose—was alongside his. The door slid open, and he led her into the most sumptuous suite.
    “Good grief. This room is massive.” Betty turned in a circle, her eyes wide as she took in the space.
    “It is the largest one aboard.”
    She whirled, suspicion in her eyes. “Is this your room?”
    He could understand her confusion. “Of course not. As behooves a hero, I’ve taken the smallest of the quarters for myself.”
    “Smallest? But why?”
    Dyre blinked. “Um, because.”
    “Because isn’t an answer. If this is your ship, and you’re its captain, then why would you take the smallest room? I mean, hero or not, that doesn’t make any sense.”
    “Heroes aren’t supposed to enjoy comforts.”
    “Says who?”
    Dyre didn’t answer. Given his planet followed The Mercenary’s Guide to Prosperity , he’d had to cobble together his own handbook, The Unofficial Guide to Heroism. Basically, he did the opposite of the mercenary one.
    “Do you belong to some sect-like or monk-type group that thinks all comforts are a sin or something?”
    “No.”
    “Taken a vow of poverty?”
    “No.”
    “Celibacy?” she asked with a smirk.
    “Most definitely not.” A question that surprised him. Had she not emphatically stated she wanted nothing to do with him when it came to sexual intercourse? “As mentioned before, should you have needs that require tending, I am more than capable of aiding you.” That was Dyre, always willing to help.
    “Thanks, but no.” An odd red hue flooded her cheeks.
    He frowned as he noted it. “Are you ill?”
    “No.”
    “Are you sure? Your skin has changed color.”
    She slapped her hands to her cheeks. “It’s normal.”
    “Normal? Does it have a cause? Is it something I can fix?”
    “It’s called embarrassment, dum-dum. I shot off my mouth before thinking. Can we stop talking about it now?”
    So her query as to his sexual status embarrassed her? How intriguing. The human was turning out to be more and more interesting. He’d have to do some research on her kind. Perhaps question the Zonian more on the whole breeding thing. It was his duty as host and rescuer, after all, to ensure all the needs of his guest were met. More than once if required.

Chapter Four
    “Courtesy is overrated.” – A Mercenary’s Guide to Prosperity
    “Mind your manners.” – The Unofficial Guide to Heroism
     
    What the hell possessed me to ask him if he was celibate? Betty couldn’t believe she’d done that. Or that she’d blushed. She wasn’t