unfounded

How were you supposed to hunt for someone and keep your head down too? It was impossible. She was there less than half an hour and she's already had a plate thrown at her and she's been threatened with a dagger.

The rat people were nothing like she thought they'd be. They were very pretty, tall, well muscular women. Very pretty considering most of them didn't try to look like women at all. They ate like animals and as far as Jess could tell, most their language was done in grunts and groans. One little offense, rather from each other or from the people they consider slaves, would throw them into a fight. Gold, blond hair that was mostly worn short if not shaved altogether. They had golden skin that looked a little thicker than a human, but Jess didn't want to get close enough to find out.

They're clothes consist of a fur looking bikini bottom and a fur top that covered less than the bottoms did.

They didn't mind showing off their bodies. They're boots came up to their knees and they carried huge swords at their sides. Some even carried two of them.

Jess served her food quickly trying to cover as much ground as she could cover.

The whole atmosphere out here was totally different than on the inner decks. Other than the rat people, everyone else was male and as far as she could tell there were at least a dozen different types of species and none of these men looked or acted like the prisoners she knew them to be.

Most of them were dressed the same as the women just minus the swords. They ate, drank, and laughed the same as the women.

There was one race of men who were small, puny things. You could tell they were a favorite among the rat women because the ones who had one of these men for her own kept hers very close to her. Some even had the men sitting on their laps, so they could shower them with attention.

Why the men didn't mind that the women were covered in greasy food and eating like pigs were beyond her.

"I'll have my dinner now."

Jess had already seen the male headed in her direction. She didn't look long enough to be able to tell you anything other than he wasn't Julian.

Keeping her eyes down, she handed him one of the plates that were on her servicing trey.

"Do you think I should carry it when I have you to do that? Bring two and that jug of ale."

Since she'd already learned her lesson about not listening, Jess grabbed the things and followed after him. It was killing her to not look around and see if anyone was paying any attention to her, but she managed not to.

He led her through one large eating room into another. Once in this room she couldn't keep her head down any longer. She searched over it quickly hoping to find the one person she longed to see.

She didn't get to look long. Her eyes landed on one of the Ratkilgon's staring her down, her hand on her hilt. Bitch did not look happy.

Jess bowed her head low and rushed to follow the guy.

When he left this room, she was more than glad, even if she hadn't been able to look everyone over.

The guy stopped in front of a wall and placed his hand upon it. When it opened, he stepped in.

Did she have any other option but to step in as well? Tamer never mentioned this in the job description.

"You can sit it on the table."

Jess couldn't help it, when the door shut right after her, she looked at him to see what his plans were. She didn't know how to open that door but she damn sure could make him walk funny for a week if he tried something.

He looked as human as she did but somehow, she knew he wasn't.

"I can tell you haven't been here long. You walk too confident and you look around too much. If I would have left you in there, it would have only been a matter of time before one of them would have clobbered your ass."

"I should get back to work. Enjoy your dinner."

"Didn't anyone tell you not to talk?"

Her eyes narrowed. "How else was I going to tell you to let me out?"

A smile lit up his face.

That was it! His mouth was wider than any human. When he smiled it covered his whole face. His forehead was broader and his ears a little bit bigger.

"I miss a woman acting like a woman. Would you like to have intercourse with me?"

"No, I wouldn't."

His grinned grew. "Even if I ply you with food and drink?"

He was kind of hard to not like but she didn't have time for anything but finding Julian. "I need you to let me out of here unless you can help me. I'm looking for a human. Wavy, lite brown hair and chocolate brown eyes."

Now that she mentioned it, this dude had dark brown hair that was only a few degrees darker than Julian's. His was cut shorter. He wore small fur bottoms and no top.

He stepped closer. "What do I get if I help you?"

"I don't have time for this. They are going to notice I'm gone and then___."

"They won't. They could care less about you. They will all assume you brought me my food and you went back to work. They aren't used to someone crossing them, so they won't expect it."

"If someone finds me here___."

"They won't. I used to have visitors until they began getting so many other males. Now they have no time for me. I'm sterile so no one wants me."

"I don't know rather I should say I'm sorry or not. Who would want to be with them is beyond me."

His smile was back. "They have their good qualities." He stepped closer. "I like your qualities better."

"His name is Julian. He'd be new and fighting the system."

"What do I get?"

She clinched her jaw. "What would you like?" She swore if he said sex, she was going to bash his head in with the jug of ale she was still holding.

"Just spend some time with me. Have dinner with me."

Jess didn't miss the hopeful look in his eyes. "I can do that, I guess. At least this stuff looks like real food."

He smiled and walked to the table. "It's all good but don't eat the pudding looking stuff. It's a dope of some kind. Why do you think they're all so jolly?"

"That's jolly? You mean the men? Are you saying they are all drugged?"

"Yep. They all know it and believe me they can't get enough of the pudding. I guess after you've been here for too long you start making the most out of it."

"How long have you been here?"

His table was really a stone slab sitting in the middle of the room. A fur pallet laid off to one side.

"I stopped keeping track. It was too depressing."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I hear the women have it worse. You didn't by chance see anyone in there with you who looks like me, did you?"

"I don't think so."

He sighed. "I didn't think so. I think I'm the only one of my kind they took. Once they realized I was no good to them they just kept me anyway."

"Your people weren't sick?

"From what I could gather, they tried but my people were immune."

"Isn't that what they are looking for? People immune to them?"

"Men immune to them who aren't sterile. My kind are useless to them. We can only breed with our own kind." His eyes traveled over every bare inch of skin. "I can't tell you how much I miss the touch of a woman's skin. Soft and smooth. Warm. I miss the smell of a real woman."

"Look, dude I'm sorry you're lonely but don't be getting any ideas. You touch me it's not pleasure you're going to be feeling. Touching me is painful." At least she thought so. After being able to kiss Adrian she wasn't so sure anymore.

"I'm willing to chance it."

"Have you seen who I'm looking for or not?"

"Humans are still new. Most are kept to their own rooms until they stop fighting the inevitable. I've seen a couple of them. I know there's one that is causing a huge ruckus and fights keep breaking out."

"Does he look like my guy?"

"I don't really pay any attention. I can tell you how many slaves come each day, and I can tell you which ones are broken or not, but that's about it."

Jess stood. "Where can I find the humans?"

"You'll never get that close to one. You definitely won't be able to get into a room with them."

"I'm going to try anyway. Point me in the right direction."

"I like you too much to let you get hurt. I'll help you." Using his fingers, he offered her a piece of meat.

Narrowing her eyes, she took the bite and bit him in the process.

His smile actually lit up his eyes. It was like the sun hiding behind some stormy grey clouds. He put wow eyes to shame.

And but damn that meat was good. She couldn't remember the last time she'd tasted anything so good. Before she'd even realized it, she'd ate all of it on the plate. After her hungry frenzy, she probably made the rat people look like mild manner debutants.

He pushed his plate towards her.

"How can you help me?"

"Is he a big man? These women only take two things seriously. Bedding men and training to be better than men. After dinner they train then they get to the bedding part. If he's not a big man, then the only time they won't notice a man missing is during training."

"He's about the same as you. Maybe a little buffer."

"What you're saying is that I'm your type?"

Damn he was hard not to like. "Are you sure they won't notice me missing?"

"I'm sure. The problem will be getting you back. If you stick around till training, then I won't be able to sneak you back in until the morning meal."

"Look, asshole, I know bullshit when I hear it."

"It's not bullshit. I can bring this human to you, but you'll be stuck here till morning. I might try and persuade you into being intimate with me, but I would never force anyone. My kind are lovers not fighters. I won't have to force you anyway. You'll fall for me soon enough."

Jess gave a dry look and reached for the ale. It wasn't great, but it wasn't as bad as the human kind of beer and it wouldn't get you drunk.

"I'm William, by the way. William the second."

"Jess."

He frowned. "On my planet that is considered a male's name. You're much too pretty for such a name."

"It is what it is." Not seeing anywhere else to sit, she pushed the food over and sat on the stone slab.

"I'll think of something more appropriate. If you don't like the ale I have some water."

"Sure."

He went to a very small table near his sleeping area and poured her some water from a small clay vase.

"Tell me how these people can have technology and yet in some ways they are like the stone ages."

"They have technology, but they don't care for it. When at all possible they stick to what they are comfortable with. Other than this ship, the collar around your neck, and their swords then you won't find much here that isn't made of stone or fur. They've been away from their planet for a long time and long for the day they can return home."

"Excuse me if I don't feel sorry for them. I hope they all die. Know any information that could help me hurry along that process? You tell me how to get off this flying donut and you might even get lucky."

"If there was a way out of here, I wouldn't be here. I'm allowed to go anywhere I want to go except for where the women are kept. There's no way out. As far as I know they don't even leave."

"I won't accept that. There must be a way out. What about the collar I'm wearing? Know any way to get it off?"

"What good would it do?"

"Just answer, already."

"I don't have one, as you might have noticed, so I've never thought about it. I'll look into it."

She lost her bravo. Looking at him, she let him see how desperate she was. "I need to find him. I must get him off this ship. He's not immune and everyday he's here is a day he's closer to being sick. He was given a vaccine but it's not going to last forever."