NIKI

I blink into the hot Suevan sun, the humidity settling on my shoulders like a damp towel. Draz isn’t waiting outside, like I thought he would be. Instead, an older Suevan waits for me, her white hair piled high on her head.

“You must be Ni-Kee,” she says, smiling warmly at me.

“That’s me,” I say, pushing back the urge to correct her. Captain Jacks doesn’t exist here, not the same way. There’s no reason to insist she call me by that name, the title that the Federation threw in the garbage. “Where is Draz?”

“He stepped away to tend to some warlord business,” the older woman tells me, a calculating glint in her eyes.

“Right.” Annoyance slips under my skin. Why didn’t he wait for me? He knows I want to lead here, too. Is there something he’s keeping from me? It rankles.

“I’m Cephi,” the Suevan says, still smiling. “Draz told me to take you into the market so that you can pick out new bedding and whatever other things you like to make his myza feel like home.”

“Ah,” I say.

My disappointment and irritation must show in my face, because Cephi laughs, her tail flicking behind her. “You humans are so expressive.”

“Did he say why he isn’t coming with me?” It’s not her fault I’m annoyed with him, feeling lost and small that he hasn’t included me in whatever he’s doing today.

“He did not. He did seem in a hurry to get back to you, though, so I would not be surprised if he meets us at the market. Then I am sure you can ask him as many questions as you see fit regarding his whereabouts.” The Suevan female gives me a knowing look, and I sigh.

I never in a million years thought I’d be what amounts to a kept woman, dressed in next to nothing and sent to shop while the menfolk make all the decisions.

It burns. I hook a finger in the material around my neck, tugging at it like it will help ease the sudden tightness in my throat.

“Come now, Ni-Kee, let us find some fine things. It is a beautiful day, and there is no sense in wasting it.”

Cephi gestures for me to follow her, and I do, letting her chatter wash over me as she leads me through the mostly empty streets.

“Where is everyone?” I ask, and Cephi glances sidelong at me.

“He did not tell you of the troubles our people have faced?”

“Oh, he did. I just expected more Suevans. This city is large.”

“Our numbers dwindle. Where there were once tens of thousands, now we are in the mere hundreds here.” Her pain is visible, her voice seeped in it.

“I’m sorry,” I say softly. “I didn’t intend to upset you.”

“It is not you I am upset with, Ni-Kee.” She sighs, and we round a corner, where a bustling marketplace awaits. Though the street could likely hold hundreds more, it’s still rather full of Suevans going about their business.

The smell of spiced meats mingles with the scent of hundreds of flowers, the colorful bolts of Suevan fabric competing with polished pieces of Suevan armor. One vendor hawks personal comms devices, and another displays delicate jewelry that doubles as weapons. Gen would love that.

My jaw drops, my eyes roaming the place, trying to take it all in.

Cephi prods my arm, and her eyes laugh when I meet her gaze.

“Well then, Ni-Kee, shall we find some new things for your new home?”

“I don’t really know where to start.”

“That’s all right, I certainly do,” the Suevan says briskly, setting off for a stand stacked high with bolts of fabric.

She speaks with enough authority that I follow her, curious about who, exactly, she is to my Draz.

“The human female is the warlord’s mate,” Cephi announces loudly, and dozens of Suevans pause, all turning to get a good look at me. “We need items to help make his myza worthy of her presence. Pillows, I think. New blankets. She will need gowns and pantsuits, too. Perhaps some cooking equipment—”

“Armor and weapons,” I interrupt her. “I’m not a good cook.”

“That’s all right,” Cephi says, looking at me with that sly amusement. “My son will be a good enough cook for both of you. We should bring him some new tools though, he will like that.”

My eyebrows shoot up, and I swallow hard, feeling every inch the idiot.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were his mother?” I wince, the words coming out too loud.

“I found it humorous to wait. I wanted to see what you were like, without any added pressure.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Did you find out anything interesting?”

“Just that my son has made a very good match, indeed.” She grins at me. “Welcome to Edrobaz, Ni-Kee. Go choose your weapons, if you wish. We can discuss garments and bedding once you’ve looked your fill at the sharper things.”

I bite my cheeks, trying not to become irritated at her overbearing tone. Unfortunately, I’m running on little sleep, too much stress, and am annoyed beyond reason with the fact that Draz left me without a word, not even giving me a heads up that his mother would be waiting for me.

“We’re already here, so I’ll pick out a few things now. I need clothes just as much as I need weapons.” The tone of command rings through the words, but Cephi’s grin only grows.

“Good, very good,” she says approvingly, and I belatedly realize it was a test to see if I’d back down to her or assert myself.

Good thing she wanted me to assert myself, because I am certainly not the type of woman to back down, human or otherwise.

I crack a grin at her, running my hands over a silky mint green material. “Did I pass your test?”

Her mouth twists to the side, her tail lashing behind her before she barks out a guttural laugh. “Yes, yes you did. Now then, let me show you how Suevans haggle. No one will make a fool of my long-awaited daughter, not while I draw breath. Isn’t that right, Xez?”

We both look up at the vendor, who must be Xez. “Of course not, Cephi. No one will make a fool of the warlord’s wife. Definitely not me.” He shakes his head, offering me another bolt of even softer fabric, this one in a deep red. “I can make you a gown like the one you have on out of this. I have a few new designs that may be suited to your human form, too.”

“Your clan has been the source of much gossip,” Cephi tells me.

“My clan?” It takes my tired brain a minute to catch up. “Oh, my crew? Well, that doesn’t surprise me. Have they come to the market then?”

“Not yet,” Xez says, pulling out more fabric swatches in a rainbow of gorgeous colors. “But I long to dress them. Will you tell them that Xez has many ideas to clothe their bodies in?”

I blink at his odd word choice.

“Don’t promise him anything,” Cephi tells me, glaring at Xez. “He knows good and well that the human women can choose who clothes their bodies themselves.”

“Of course they can,” Xez retorts, diamond pupils narrowing in anger. “I simply wanted the First Warlord’s wife to put in a good word. Is that not why you are here, Cephi? Because I am the best?”

Cephi makes a disgruntled noise, and I grin a little.

“I’ll take three gowns and four pant and top outfits,” I say. “In any of the colors you think will be best.”

“You don’t want to pick?” Xez sounds dismayed. “What if you don’t like them?”

“She needs fifteen gowns and twenty pant sets,” my mother-in-law says. “Give her one of each color.”

I cut my eyes to her, trying to decide if this is another test, but she smiles down at me without any guile in her eyes.

“My son has gone too long without a mate. He will want you dressed in the best, and you need clothes, do you not, Ni-Kee? You will have many functions to attend.”

“All right,” I say slowly.

“Put it on my son’s account,” Cephi says. “Do not even think of marking it up.”

Xez and Cephi begin haggling, and I wander over to the booth full of Suevan armor. I’ve only ever seen Draz wearing pants, and the thought of him in full armor makes my mouth go dry. My warlord is large and formidable enough without the armor, his scaled hide providing nearly all the protection he can need.