Free Gamble by Viola Grace Page B

moment.”
    “Well, thank you. You were the only one with contacts in the area that wouldn’t be questioned.”
    “And I was a frequent patron of that establishment in the past.”
    Nitza coloured. “That didn’t hurt. You have specific tastes, and they are on record. Thanks for getting him out. Reality was worried.”
    “Reality?”
    “His cousin. She is partnered with Exile and Whisk on Hakatha VI.” Nitza grinned. “Nepotism is alive and well in the Nyal Imperium.”
    Kora snorted. “Well, he is alive and well. Just find me a place to park him and I will be fine.”
    Nitza nodded. “I will get on it. Have a good afternoon. You look like you need a workout.”
    “You have no idea. Goodbye, Nitza.” Kora disconnected the call and stretched. The Star Fairy was underway and heading away from the shipping lanes. Hanging out between stars was a good way to waste time.
    Sexual frustration was her most common reason for working out. Heading down to the main level, she tried not to think of how close she had come to having sex before she rescued Neuro.
    She dropped the gown to the ground, stripped off the jewels that she had worn to the brothel, and she put on a set of exercise shorts and a sports bra. With a request sent to the ship, the boxing unit descended from the ceiling. It was time for a workout that was more painful and less fun than the alternative of taking advantage of her guest.
    She started hitting the dummy and paused every now and then to check her strike levels. If she had been hitting the ship, she might have dented the hull.
    Having the implants in her body, reinforcing her skeleton and strengthening muscle, had turned her into something that she had never imagined she could be. She was just on the far side of normal but no longer able to shatter at the lightest touch.
    Osteogenesis imperfecta was not an easy disease to grow up with, and since her case was severe, her life had been doomed to a series of inevitable breaks and caution just walking around in her own home.
    When her application to the Terran Volunteers was accepted, she had been shocked. Her life had been a misery of pain and fear until that moment. The Alliance scientists had spoken with her after her acceptance and made her an offer. They could not do what she needed, but the Nyal Imperium had an experimental program that would involve invasive therapies and implants if she were willing to risk it. Her answer had been a resounding yes.
    Now, six years later, she was up and around, an active and highly trained individual in the Nyal Imperium, wired to a ship that was worse than a nanny. The Star Fairy had intelligence and had been grown from her own cells mixed with that of another species. Its mind ran through the entire ship in all the electrical systems and com units. It was literally a ship made specifically for her.
    Sweat dripped into her eyes, and she paused to wipe her forehead.
    “Do you always make so much noise when you exercise?” Neuro was leaning against the wall, and it was obvious he had been watching her.
    “Yup. I make as much noise as is needed for each situation I am in.”
    She dismissed the boxing unit and summoned the treadmill.
    “How do I summon equipment like that?” Neuro closed the distance between them.
    “You ask the Star Fairy politely. I am afraid you will have to make noise.”
    He chuckled, and she watched him inhale deeply. His eyes contributed to the expression of amusement.
    She didn’t ask him why he was smiling. Selna had excellent senses for pheromones. He could probably smell her heat.
    Once the Nyal team had completed her new systems, she and they had been shocked to find that her sex drive had increased by over one hundred times. It was as if her body had only been waiting for the cessation of pain to kick into high gear.
    Unless she was paying for sex, she didn’t indulge. For her entire life, everything had happened to her. Now that sex was an option, she wanted to make all the