Accidental Acquisition Read online

  “This is it.” Jillian had felt the impulse to ask him more about the Blood Circuit—was it some kind of Ultimate Fighting thing? But she thought it was probably better to let things go. After all, she was never going to see him again after this and it didn’t matter if there seemed to be a sexy little spark between them—he was a bodyslave, owned by the Yonnite Mistress—absolutely nothing could come of any kind of mutual attraction.

  She pressed her hand to the side of the shuttle and the door slid obligingly open.

  Kalis peered inside and nodded approval.

  “Nice. You got an antigrav compartment I can put this in?” he asked, nodding down at the brick in his cupped hands.

  Jillian frowned.

  “Um…an antigrav compartment?”

  He nodded.

  “They usually have one in a shuttle like this—helps with carrying heavy, dense, or fragile objects you don’t want getting bumped around. Mind if I look?”

  “Help yourself,” Jillian told him. She couldn’t help thinking, as the big warrior climbed into the shuttle and looked around, that it seemed built to his larger proportions. Was he some kind of a Kindred? It seemed rude to ask so she kept her mouth shut.

  “Here you go,” Kalis called and she came to see what he was looking at.

  “Oh—I thought that was some kind of safe or strongbox for storing valuables,” she exclaimed, looking at the small black metal door on the side of the shuttle wall.

  “Well, it kind of is,” Kalis remarked. “Only you’re storing whatever the valuable is in antigravity. Do you mind opening it up?” He winced and nodded at the brick of thaelite in his cupped palms. “Even for me, this stuff is getting damn heavy.”

  “Oh, sorry!” Quickly, Jillian pressed her palm to the black metal door and it opened with a soft click. Inside was a shiny silver compartment about a foot square. She frowned. “Are you sure that’s a, uh, antigrav chamber?”

  “Just watch.” Carefully, Kalis put his cupped hands into the silver compartment. Then, slowly, he opened his fingers, as though he was releasing a wild bird.

  Jillian watched in amazement as the incredibly heavy, ultra-dense brick of thaelite drifted quietly inside the shiny silver walls, as though it was lighter than air.

  “Wow,” she murmured. “That’s amazing.”

  Kalis shrugged his broad shoulders.

  “Nah—just antigrav. Looks like magic if you’re not used to it, but it’s not really a big deal.”

  “I guess I’m going to have to warn whoever gets it out of there how heavy it is,” Jillian remarked.

  “You don’t have to worry about that, little Mistress—I’ll get it out for you,” Kalis rumbled.

  “Uh…” Jillian looked at him uncertainly. “But…you’re not coming with me to the Kindred Mother Ship. I have to get you back home to your, uh, Mistress.”

  Kalis frowned at her.

  “But you are my Mistress now—my old Mistress sold me to you.”

  “No, she didn’t!” Jillian protested. “She only, uh, rented you to me in order to transport the thaelite. Like I would rent a moving truck back on Earth,” she added, and then felt bad about comparing him to an inanimate object. But wasn’t it true, though? Wasn’t that what her deal with the Yonnie Mistress boiled down to?

  Apparently the big bodyslave didn’t think so.

  “I hate to contradict my Mistress,” Kalis rumbled. “But I was included in the price of the thaelite—I’m sure of it.”

  Jillian took a deep breath, trying to think how to defuse this situation.

  “Look—I can totally understand you wanting to get away from her. I mean, she seems awful. But I’m really sorry, I am just not the one to smuggle you out of here! I’m not allowed to bring back strangers to the Mother Ship for one thing—the Kindred High Council forbids it. And—”

  “That’s all fine and good, little Mistress,” Kalis interrupted her, though Jillian thought she saw a flash of hurt in his silver-green eyes. “We can go back to my old Mistress and you can try to return me if you want.”

  “It’s not that I want to return you, it’s just that I’m not allowed…oh, Hell.” Jillian sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Come on—let’s go.”

  Feeling extremely awkward, she shut the door to the antigrav chamber with the thaelite inside and the two of them walked back into the market and boarded the tram again.

  This time they rode in complete silence, neither one saying a word as they went to the back side of the market and returned to the Yonnite Mistress’s stall. Kalis just stood there as Jillian rang the bell. After a moment, the Mistress came out and glared at them both.

  “What are you doing back here?” she demanded, pointing at Kalis. “I sold you. Or did you forget something?” she asked, looking at Jillian.

  And that was when the fighting started…

  * * *

  “As I said, there are no refunds, returns, or exchanges for any items sold at my stall,” the Mistress repeated for probably the third time, glaring down at Jillian.

  “Look, I’m not trying to return the thaelite,” Jillian protested, thinking maybe there was some misunderstanding. “I’m trying to return the person you sold me—Kalis, here.” She pointed at the big bodyslave.

  “Kalis is yours now—he’s your problem!” the Mistress exclaimed. “I will not take him back—you cannot make me!”

  “But…I can’t take him with me!” Jillian protested. “I’m not allowed.”

  “Well, that’s not my problem.” The Mistress crossed her arms over her bare breasts and shook her head adamantly.

  “Well, then, if I really actually own him, I guess I can set him free,” Jillian said. “You shouldn’t be allowed to own people anyway,” she added, severely. “It’s horrible!” Turning to the big bodyslave she said, “Kalis, you’re free. Do what you want and go where you want and, uh, have a nice life, I guess,” she ended rather lamely.

  “Wait! You can’t do that—you can’t free him!” the Yonnite Mistress exclaimed. “He is registered as a deadly weapon! If the Yonnite Sacred Seven who rule my planet think I set him lose without a new Mistress to look out for him, I’ll lose my license to sell at the market!”

  “A deadly weapon?” Jillian repeated, staring at the big bodyslave.

  Kalis shrugged his broad shoulders expressively.

  “Seventeen years in the Blood Circuit,” he rumbled. “And then there’s the matter of my other form…”

  “Your other form!” the Mistress repeated, shuddering. “Ugh—no, you must take him!” she told Jillian. “Credit has exchanged hands and all sales are final!”

  “But…but you can’t just sell someone to me and then make me be their owner—I mean, their Mistress,” Jillian protested. “That’s dishonest! I would never own a slave—it’s reprehensible!”

  “It is not!” the Mistress bristled. “It’s only right and just that males should be subjugated by Mistresses. And now that you’re a Mistress, you’d better see to it that you’re a good and responsible one! By which I mean, you are now responsible for Kalis here, and I have the bill of sale to prove it!”

  And she waved the tiny paper receipt she had apparently printed out after the transaction went through.

  For a moment, Jillian was at a loss. But she hadn’t made it to the top of the kitchen hierarchy by laying down in the dirt and letting people walk all over her.

  “All right,” she said crisply, crossing her arms over her chest. “Let’s take this matter to the Master of the Market. Maybe he can decide who’s in the right in this situation.”

  The Yonnite Mistress’s face grew pale under her thick layer of make-up.

  “What? No—surely that’s not necessary,” she said quickly. “Look, why don’t you come with me to tea and we can discuss it. We’ll bring Kalis along and you can see what a truly fabulous bodyslave he can be. Why, by the time we’re done, you’ll be happy to be his Mistress. He’s a Kindred, you know—they’ll be loyal to the right woman until de
ath!”

  I thought he looked like a Kindred! Jillian mused to herself. But aloud, she said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to have any tea with you. I’m going to go to the center of the market right now to speak to the Master. You can come with me or not—I don’t care either way.”

  She started to walk away but the Yonnite Mistress screeched,

  “Wait!” in such a panicked voice that she reluctantly turned around.

  “What?” she said flatly. “Whatever you have to say, it’s not going to change my mind. You can’t force me to become a slave owner and make me responsible for a whole other person just because it’s inconvenient for you to be his Mistress any longer.”

  “Come with me to tea,” the Mistress begged again. “And I’ll give you the ion-scoop you need in order to use the thaelite you purchased for free.”

  “The ion-scoop?” Jillian said, frowning. “What’s that?”

  “It’s the only tool that can render down a brick of solid thaelite,” the Yonnite Mistress said rapidly. “Without it, you’ve just got a dense, incredibly heavy mass that won’t disintegrate or melt or dissolve in any way, no matter what you do with it. Why, without an ion-scoop, you could drop the thaelite in a pot of boiling lava and the brick would come out exactly the same as it went in!”

  Jillian felt her heart sink at these words. She’d been planning to put the thaelite into the boiling pot of jumja soup in order to give it the unique flavor the Nebrians adored. But if what the Yonnie Mistress was saying was true, that wouldn’t do a bit of good.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about this tool I need before?” she demanded, frowning at the other woman. “I would have gotten back to the Mother Ship and been unable to do a damn thing with that expensive brick of thaelite you sold me.”

  “Yes, but then you would have come back and I could have sold you the ion-scoop for twice as much!” the Mistress said. “I admit, it isn’t very nice, but a girl has to make a living, doesn’t she? And besides, now I’m offering to give it to you for free and all you have to do to get it is come to tea with me and give Kalis a chance to serve you.”

  Jillian wavered for a moment. This was all getting too complicated for her and what if the other woman was lying?

  But what if she’s telling the truth and you really do need that damn ion-scoop to get into the thaelite? whispered a little voice in her head. Then what will you do? The VIP dinner is tomorrow night—you don’t have time to make another trip out here to the market. There’s a hell of a lot of prepping to get done!

  “All right,” she said reluctantly. “I’ll come to tea with you, but I want it very clearly understood that’s all I’m promising. At the end of this ‘tea,’ you will give me the ion-scoop for free and we will part ways. I do not promise to take, er, Kalis with me.” She cast a glance at the big bodyslave. “No offense.”

  “None taken, little Mistress,” he rumbled. “I understand your reluctance to take me with you—I haven’t proved myself to you yet.”

  Jillian thought about telling him there was no way he could prove himself enough for her to agree to own him and be responsible for him. After all, she couldn’t bring home a bodyslave like a lost puppy—even if he was a Kindred—albeit a kind she’d never seen before.

  Also, the Yonnite Mistress had said he was registered as a deadly weapon—what if that meant he was some kind of serial killer or something? Not that she’d ever heard of a Kindred serial killer—they were supposed to be very supportive and respectful of women. But they were in uncharted territory here and Jillian was simply not prepared to take any crazy risks.

  I’m too old for this shit, she thought, rubbing her forehead tiredly. I shouldn’t even be going to tea with her, but I don’t want to come back here just for that damn ion-scoop!

  But the Yonnite Mistress seemed to think that everything was going to be all right now. She was all smiles and sunshine.

  “Fine, that’s fine—just come to tea with me,” she chirped happily. “Come on, right this way.” And she held open the brocade curtains to her booth, beckoning Jillian inside.

  Jillian frowned, not budging.

  “Is the tea brewing in your booth? Why can’t we stand right here and drink it?”

  “Heavens forefend! Drink it right here in the street like savages? Impossible! One cannot have a proper tea without a bit of pampering,” the Mistress exclaimed.

  “Pampering?” Jillian looked at her blankly.

  “Yes, pampering. I go to a very exclusive spa at center of the market to have my tea,” the Mistress said primly. “It’s only for Yonnites and their bodyslaves but now that you have a bodyslave yourself, you can get in!”

  “I don’t own a bodyslave!” Jillian protested, still holding her ground. “And do you really expect me to believe the way to an exclusive spa is through your stall?”

  “Of course not!” The Mistress looked offended. “The spa itself is not here—but being a Yonnite, I do have an exclusive way to it—as do all Yonnites who live and work here on Prius Six. It’s quite hidden and there’s no getting to it if you don’t have a doorway leading into it.”

  “Seriously?” Jillian looked at the big bodyslave, wanting confirmation for this elaborate tale the Yonnite woman was spinning.

  “She does have a special door which leads exclusively to the Yonnite spa, little Mistress,” Kalis rumbled, nodding. “And she is telling the truth—no one who doesn’t have such a door installed in her booth or stall can get to the spa. It’s near the center of the market,” he added.

  Jillian didn’t know why, but she trusted the big Kindred much more than she trusted the Yonnite Mistress. She believed he was telling the truth. Of course, now it seemed that the simple cup of tea she’d agreed to had turned into a fancy spa day, which was considerably more than she’d bargained for.

  But if it’s near the center of the market, I can go right over to the Master of the Market and complain if she won’t give me the ion-scoop or insists that I take Kalis with me, she thought.

  “All right,” she said grudgingly. “I’ll go with you—but give me the ion-scoop first.”

  “Oh, very well, but then you must come,” the Mistress said sulkily. “Come on—it’s in the back of my stall, along with the door.”

  She held open the gold brocade curtain and shook it impatiently, glaring at Jillian.

  Shouldn’t do this, Jillian, whispered a little voice in the back of her head. It probably isn’t safe…

  She had read once that humans are the only animals on Earth that ignore their gut intuition and do things they instinctively feel are wrong or dangerous. Later—much later—she would remember those words and wonder why in the world she hadn’t listened to that little voice.

  But at the moment, all Jillian wanted to do was get the ion-scoop and go home and she thought the only thing standing between her and her trip back to the Mother Ship was a cup of tea with the unpleasant Yonnite Mistress.

  She had never been more wrong in her life…

  5

  The ion-scoop looked like a tiny, miniaturized melon-baller with a silver, grape-sized cup at one end and a switch on the handle that hummed ominously when she turned it on.

  “For pity’s sake, don’t turn it on until you need to use it!” the Mistress exclaimed, when Jillian flipped on the switch. “It’s absolutely lethal—it will cut through anything. That’s why it’s so useful for the thaelite.”

  “Sorry—I didn’t know.” Fishing in her pocket, Jillian pulled out a spare plastic shopping bag she’d brought in case she got any really stinky produce, and carefully wrapped the ion-scoop, making very certain that the switch was in the “off” position. Then she stowed it securely in her jeans pocket, beside her poison-checker.

  She would have been more comfortable putting it in her tote, but it had a hole in it now and besides, she’d left it in the shuttle back when they’d deposited the thaelite. So her pocket was the only place to put it. She just hoped she didn’t accidentally flip it on an
d gouge a chunk out of her leg, but she didn’t think it would be a problem—she had wrapped it really well.

  “All right now—where’s the door to your secret club?” she asked, frowning. As far as she could tell, the back of the Yonnite’s stall was just filled with stacks and piles of merchandise—most of it still in boxes and bags and barrels. There was no door in sight in the small, crowded space.

  “I don’t leave it out in the open, of course!” The Mistress sounded offended. “How could I keep it secret like that? Kalis, move the stack of yarbedeen music boxes and reveal the door,” she commanded the huge Kindred.

  He frowned, crossing his arms over his broad, bare chest.

  “Afraid I can’t do that, since you’re no longer my true owner, Mistress Douchenbag.”

  “Wait—is that her real name? Douche bag?” Jillian lifted her eyebrows.

  “Douche-en-bag. Twyla Douchenbag. It’s my family name, passed to me from my dear mother,” the other woman said primly. “And you are? Since we are to have tea together, I suppose we ought to be better acquainted.”

  “Jillian Marks,” Jillian said.

  Mistress Douchenbag sniffed.

  “What a very strange and unattractive name. But no matter.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Mistress Jillian, you must instruct your bodyslave to move the music boxes and reveal the door. He won’t do it for me.”

  Jillian sighed and looked at Kalis.

  “Kalis, would you please—as a favor to me and not because I own you—move the boxes so we can open the door and get this teatime over with?”

  Kalis nodded gravely.

  “As my Mistress wishes.”

  He walked to the back wall of the crowded stall where there was a tall stack of extremely heavy-looking carved wooden boxes. Squatting low, the big Kindred scooped up the entire stack—which was higher than Jillian’s head—and moved them three feet to the right. Then he stepped back, revealing what looked like a drawing of a door on the back wall, done in white chalk outlines.