His anger resigned, and he let go of her throat. As soon as he did, she scrambled out from under him and bunched herself up at the front of the bed away from him. She acted as though he was the monster when she had been the one reaching for his groin. He grunted, put his cloth back in place, and headed for the door. However, the ooman sprung at him.

He tensed for a fight, but she merely slipped in front of him to block the door. She started saying things in ooman, fast and without pause. Where he was from, speaking a language in front of someone who didn't understand it was disrespectful. The ooman pointed to her knee where there was a light purple discoloration then swept her hair away to show him scratches in her skin. He tilted his head and clicked his mandibles, annoyed.

She tried to touch him, but he backed away. The ooman was acting strange, ill maybe, and he didn't like it. He growled and shoved her out of his way. She struggled not to topple over, then prevented the door from closing behind him. Her eyes started to leak water, so he quickly shoved her back inside the room and shut the door.

Her sudden overreaction repulsed him. He didn't understand oomans. Dumala walked to the front desk, pacing until the owner came. Her amber eyes coldly looked him over. Her mandibles flared slightly, irritated.

"Leave. You do not pay if you didn't enjoy the service." She clipped.

"The ooman was adequate. One shallow scratch was left on her thigh."

"Excuse my manners, but I smell no musk on you. Her job is to lay with you, and if she doesn't, she gets punished."

"I am willing to pay for the time I spent with her regardless, yet you would still beat her?" He was staring to understand what the ooman had been trying to communicate.

"She did not perform her job."

"I will pay you not to harm her." The words slipped out before he considered his words.

The yautja female casually tipped her hips, "Why?"

"I thought customer privacy was a priority." He growled.

She jerked her head to the side, angry at not receiving an answer, but typed into the tablet before presenting the scanner to him. He paid the amount she requested, then asked to visit one of the yautja females rooms. The last yautja female and the ooman had been a tease and he didn't think he'd be able to go any longer without some attention. He was relieved to get back into the old routine, able to predict the females movements.

Nicole was terrified. She searched the room for anything to use as a weapon, but the bed was solid, and there was no other furniture. She foolishly tried to shove the bed against the door, but it didn't budge. She paced the room, her heart hammering against the inside of her ribcage. Nicole jumped when she heard the door slide open.

She had been ready to fight, but at seeing the nine foot alien female, her resolve collapsed, "I'm sorry! I tried!"

The yautja slowly walked towards her, and Nicole's knees bent until they touched the floor. "Get up. He paid for you not to be harmed."

Nicole looked up at her, "What?"

"Get up!" The female thundered.

Nicole staggered to her feet.

"He requested that you would not be punished. Walk towards the door."

Nicole obeyed, and the alien female led her into the medical bay. Yautjas took their promises very seriously. She would not touch the ooman for the rest of the day, and even intended to heal her wounds. The female grabbed a cylindrical container and took the lid off. Nicole hoped up on the table.

The container was filled with an opaque gel that healed minor wounds. At the end of the container was a roller like a pen and all the female had to do was slide it over Nicole's skin. The wound on her thigh vanished immediately. The female headed her bruise and scratches as well. Then, it was back to her cell.

On the way there though, Nicole couldn't help but ask, "Who is he? The important customer that paid for me not to be punished..."

"He was once a feared and respected warrior. When badbloods descended on his chiva, he slaughtered them, and helped secure the hard meat queen alive...He fell from grace when his primary mate died. That is all I will tell you."

"What's his name?"

The female hesitated, but then clicked, "Dumala, born of the Secra Clan."

The yautja female almost warned the ooman that the male might not take kindly to prey knowing his name, but shoved her into the cell without a word instead. Nicole sat down in the gel mat and was plagued with boredom until her next meal was served. She received a bowl of condensed pellet food and a glass of water. The stuff tasted awful. She poured the water in the bowl, trying to pretend that it was cereal.

When Dumala was back home, he went into his kehrite. He used to dedicate himself to practice every single minute he had to spare. Now, most of his equipment looked dull and tarnished. The weapons hadn't been polished, let alone practiced with for a long time. He circled the room, considering the weapons.

He plucked several laser nets off the wall and tossed them carelessly around the room. When they activated, it created a netting of lasers across the middle of the kehrite. They would slice through the hardest organic materials, and limbs would be easily severed. It was just the sort of challenge that Dumala used to test himself with when he was in his prime. To reach the back wall without so much as a burn would be his goal.

Dumala approached the lasers with enthusiasm, ducking and weaving past them quickly. His muscle was not just powerful bulk-he trained for precise and controlled movements. He was able to stand in awkward positions without swaying as he maneuvered past the red lines. He slid under some, the beams dangerously close. Others he lept over or contorted his body to squeeze past then safely. The thrill of the challenge was giving him back his confidence and drive.

He was more than half way across when he moved and one of the lasers grazed his shoulder. He could have pushed on, but his goal had been shattered. A laser had touched him, and his passion drained away in an instant. He wasn't the warrior he used to be. He angrily punched the top panel of his wrist controls to turn off the laser nets, then stormed from the room.

It was days later, but he still didn't understand why he was going back to the ooman. His pace slowed in the familiar corridors. She was being forced to copulate with him, and now without punishment, he doubted that she would make any move to touch him. Still, he was compelled to find out if his suspicions were true. Dumala entered the room, and spotted her standing against the far wall.

Nicole figeted with her bracelets, wanting to thank him for asking that she not be punished, but not knowing how. She glanced up at his orange eyes only to look away immediately. She didn't understand him. She didn't know why he would pay for her company, or pay for her not to be punished. She contemplated possible reasons, as she couldn't ask him.

Neither of them moved closer, or went to the bed. It seemed that he was correct in thinking that the ooman wanted nothing to do with him. She shifted her balance but hardly looked at him. He had his suspicions that the yautja females really didn't like him either. Dumala turned around and slid the door open.

Before be could leave, Nicole spoke up, "Dumala?"

The yautja male halted in the doorway, and her stomach was doing flips. It was disrespectful for a slave to say a yautjas name, and an invasion of privacy for the owner to have given it to her. Servants and slaves were supposed to say master. However, hearing her small voice say his name did not encourage any anger from him. He turned around to face her, the door automatically sliding closed behind him.

He waited to see if she would say anything else, but doubted she could even pronounce yautja words very well. He almost turned to leave again, but noticed that her scent was completely without fear. He walked forward, getting as close to her as he could before she got scared. Nicole remained still, unsure what sort of game he was playing. She was worried that he would suddenly dart after her, but then she sort of liked that idea at the same time.

When her fear dissipated, he moved closer, pausing when she seemed alarmed again. Each time he got closer, he had to wait longer for her not to smell of fear. It was worth the wait, though he had no idea what he'd do with her once he got to her.