Free Quick by Viola Grace Page A

knows what their preferences are. No sense tempting fate. The Yemish need this shipping route.”
    “Best behaviour. Got it.” Cam stepped into place behind him, and they left their quarters to head for the dining room of the elegant hotel they were staying in.
    As they ordered, she leaned in close and put her hand on his, laughing at a joke that hadn’t been spoken. To any and all that saw them, they were a happy couple travelling the sector on business for the Yemish empire.
    It was Companion business as usual.
     
    Governor Teliak smiled at her. “Are you enjoying your stay on Namkor?”
    She smiled shyly in return. The governor was a devastatingly handsome male. He practically exuded sex appeal, and his attention was focused on her.
    “I am enjoying this world, as I do all of my travels with Ambassador Vip Leahar.” Sounding passive was difficult, but she practiced, so it was hopefully convincing.
    “What do you think of our people?” He shifted closer to her.
    Her heart tripped in her chest. “The Namkor are a lovely species.”
    He laughed, and the thick column of his throat flexed while his white teeth gleamed in the late-afternoon sun. The luncheon had expanded into an invitation to witness the evening celebrations. A change of clothing was being brought from their rooms at the hotel.
    “You do not seem like the kind of woman to be subservient to a man, even the ambassador. A woman with spirit is a beacon of beauty that glows in every setting.” The flowery turn of his words seemed sincere.
    The ambassador in question was heading toward the gardens with a hunky horticultural specialist. Cam wanted to get away from the governor, but she was pinned in place by etiquette.
    She was searching for a response when she saw a gleam of light coming toward them. “Pardon me, but what is that?”
    The governor looked a little irritated to be interrupted in his seduction, but he glanced up and smiled slightly. “Ah, our Guardians. The Gifted. That is what this celebration is about. Tonight, Namkor prepares the energy that it uses to choose the Gifted. They will serve an apprenticeship with the Guardians for a year, and from there, they will be able to accept the Gift or they can return to normal life.”
    There was something in his tone, and she asked, “Is that what you did? You rejected the Gift and resumed a normal existence?”
    He grinned. “No one can be normal after the touch of Namkor. If we are lucky, we will see one who is granted the Gift at the party tomorrow evening.”
    He offered her his arm, and politeness made her take it. The corded muscles under the fabric of his tunic were tense and as thick as the rest of him. To her surprise, he walked her through the gardens and across the green space toward the landing vehicle.
    “We will be here tomorrow night as well? It is not on my schedule.” She licked her lips and exhaled quickly as his hand shifted to cover her back. The warm expanse of his palm was an inch from her coccyx, and she tried to keep her expression bland.
    “I am extending the invitation to you and the ambassador. Your rooms are being prepared as we speak.”
    She tensed. “That was not on my schedule. We were due to depart tomorrow.”
    “No one can leave during the Namkor Gifting Festival. Everyone has the time off in case they are the ones to receive the Gift. We don’t have any flight control or authorized personnel to allow your exit through our global shielding. The ambassador was not concerned.”
    Four men left the skimmer and approached the governor. One of them reached out, and her companion hugged him in an affectionate and masculine way.
    “Mordem, I would like to introduce you to Camile Reynolds of Terra, Companion to Ambassador Vip Leahar.”
    The man bore a striking resemblance to the governor, and he grinned, bowing low. “Welcome to Namkor, lady.”
    She inclined her head. “Thank you for the greeting, Guardian Mordem.”
    The other three Guardians were rolling