Free Stop (Cold Mark Book 3) by Scarlett Dawn Page B

Blatantly staring. Killeg straightened and narrowed his crystal blue eyes on his best friend. He hitched a thumb in the direction of the parlor. “Why don’t you see if Jax needs anything?”
    Stiller merely shrugged, not moving from the bar. “Jax flew us here. I’m sure he can handle opening the door.” His purple brows rose, and he pointed his water bottle directly at me with his regard still on Killeg. “I feel it is my duty to inform you, this is the most stupid action you and Phila have ever made.”
    My back straightened at the implication. Even if it were true.
    Killeg slid with a gentle glide, barring Stiller’s view from me. He didn’t say anything. He just continued to hold his best friend’s gaze with a dominating glare only a Pluma could enact. I was thoroughly content with not being on the receiving end of it.
    The look was enough. Stiller bowed his head in a respectful manner and jumped off the bar. Although his casual stride halted at the parlor door. In a soft tone, he stated, “I hope you two know what the fuck you’re doing. She’s not worth our extinction and you both know it.” With those parting words, he went to check on Jax.
    My lips thinned, and my own words were soft. “Well said.”
    Out of view, Stiller still shouted, “Hell, you fucks. Even the damn Human knows it!”
    A gentle, sardonic chuckle from behind had me spinning in a flurry.
    I had no clue when Phila had exited their bedroom, but he stood only a foot away from me. The corners of his eyes were crinkled as he peered down, holding my gaze. Black eyes so intriguing in their complexities were full of hilarity. He admonished gently, “Braita…how do you know we won’t start a war if you choose your Plumas over us—not the other way around?” My jaw gaped as he tsked gently, brushing his long hair over his shoulders, and showing the tips of his pointed ears in sharp relief. “Or will we?” He hummed ever so quietly, his attention honed solely on me. “It is a conundrum, is it not?”
    I snapped my mouth closed. “Riddles are not helping this situation.”
    He shook his head and lowered his face to mine. “Oh, but this is a riddle…yes?”
    My black brows gradually furrowed because he was more right than he knew. “Perhaps.”
    He leaned forward, his eyes wholly capturing mine.
    I held perfectly still, curious as to what he was planning.
    Sweetly, he kissed the tip of my nose. “You know it is, Human.”

A seven-foot-tall Mian peered down at me. It was the delegate of Triaz I had first encountered when my name had been called on Joyal. He was also the litigator currently handling the transaction—me—between the Plumas of the east and the west. His blue glowing eyes stood out from the darkness of his imperial hooded cloak which sported the Triaz symbol—even though he clearly wore the mark of the west on his left temple, a circle with a line through it. His expression was blank, hiding all thoughts of what he was truly thinking as we stood outside the hov-craft deep in the dark woods, surrounded by the Plumas of easts’ bodyguards. They had arrived at this location before we had landed. He asked, “Are you well, Ms. Valorn?”
    “I am.” Even though there was a cool breeze ruffling all the bodyguards’ colorful hair, Phila and Killeg stood on either side of me, their body heat warming my arms.
    He tilted his tall frame in my direction and took an exaggerated sniff above my head. He pulled out a small bottle of perfume from his cloak. I jerked in surprise, tucking my head down when he began spraying it all over me. It was a fragrant scent, but also, surprisingly clean. I choked at the overwhelming smell filtering through my nostrils, coughing loudly in agitation until he stopped. He put the perfume back in his cloak, his words simple. “You don’t want to see your Vaq smelling of the east, do you?”
    I barely kept from blushing, though my tone was strong to hide all fonder that had occurred on the