Sitting at the comm system, she pulled open the menu for registered guests and began to scroll through looking for his name. Ah, there. Benjamin Carfel. Without hesitation, she selected his name and the comm system shifted screens to indicate it was trying to reach him on the hotel comm system in his room.
Cara chewed at the cuticle of her nail as it chimed repeatedly for several counts before disconnecting from the system. Frustrated, Cara scowled at the screen. Her eyes raked over the lobby until they came to rest on the customer service desk. At least someone there would help. They had to!
The beautiful Kadesh female behind the desk wrinkled her nose and ridges in disgust when she approached the counter, but Cara was past the point of caring. Sure, it was embarrassing, but it wasn’t going to stop her like it once might have. She forced a polite smile in the face of the other female’s disdain.
“Hello. Hi there. I’m staying with my fiancé in your lovely resort. If you could be so kind as to give me his room number and a spare key, I would deeply appreciate it.”
The female barely concealed her smirk. “I am sorry, but we cannot do that without standing permission from our guest. If you would like to comm him from our public system and have him comm the desk, we would be happy to help you.”
“Well, you know, just between us, he must have his comm on silent or something. Ben can’t sleep with even the slightest sound going off. I’m sure you understand. If you could just—”
“No, I regret that I cannot. It is against our policies. If you would like your own room and try him again later, I would be happy to accommodate you.”
Cara groaned. “How much are we talking here?”
“Pardon?”
“How much in credits for a room?”
“Two hundred and seventy-five credits per night,” she said loftily, as if there was pride in working at an overpriced tourist trap. Cara scrubbed her face with one hand.
“Okay, I’m sure I won’t need it for more than one night. Let me have a room then.”
“My pleasure. Please place your fingerprint on the screen for the biometric signature and give me your credit chip for processing.”
Cara found herself holding her breath as the credit chip was swiped. She was only able to breathe again when the payment cleared. She hadn’t been entirely certain if it would, because her credits were dwindling fast. She needed to resume her place with Ben.
The idea of being stranded on Kaidava, as an illegal passenger from Earth, was too terrifying to contemplate. For the first time since her adventure had begun, Cara started to wish that she’d had the sense to stay home and clean up the broken pieces of her heart there.
She smiled stiffly at the receptionist as she took her keycard.
“Thank you,” she muttered as she stuck it in her pocket and picked her bags up.
“Room 2087. Twelfth floor up, down the hall to your left. If you go just that way,” she gestured to the far end of the lobby, “you will find a lift to take you to the appropriate floor. Have a pleasant stay,” she said insincerely, her eyes glittering with the cool challenge of a female feeling her hunting territory being infringed upon.
Cara snorted to herself as she made her way up to her room. She certainly wasn’t interested in infringing on anyone’s territory. Kadesh females seemed to be territorial, which just made her want to leave that much quicker. She didn’t want to have to fight any and every female in sight for Ben. Her traitorous mind immediately turned to Lerix before she reined it in.
No, she wouldn’t think of him.
Upon entering the room, she was blown away at the high elegance of the accommodations. The decorative molding ran in clean lines and the walls were painted an inspiring shade of rosy orange. Spotless glass winked light from the setting sun throughout the room.
Cara immediately hunted for the cleansing unit. She desperately needed to get clean. To her delight the washroom was just as luxurious as the rest of the suite. After basking for a time under the hot spray, she finally made her way over to the large, well-cushioned bed.
. She took a moment to admire the thick padding and elegant embroidery of the bedding. Every fiber of her body yearned to dive into it. She wasn’t about to let anything stop her. With a delighted squeal, she threw herself onto the bed and curled into the plush comfort.
A nap wouldn’t hurt.
Chapter 11
Lerix stalked back toward the train platform, his tail whipping in anger behind him. He really didn’t have any plan. He just wanted to go kill something, preferably the assassins that were doubtlessly still crawling around looking for him.
It was absurd how many were sent to trail him. He understood that it was part of the crown jewels, but this seemed like overkill even to him. Koriee either really hated him or was a complete lunatic. Lerix suspected it was probably somewhere in the middle. They had gotten a little too close more than once before he spotted them.
He dragged his hand through the dark strands of his hair. Perhaps it was better that he parted ways with Cara. He’d agreed to help her, but he only brought danger to her now. But why did he feel so guilty?
He let out an exasperated sigh. When it came right down to it, she was delicate, naïve, and he did not know what to do with that Sure, she was amusing, and kind—and then there was the way she wrinkled her nose when annoyed and the way she smiled. And the way she smelled…
Yeah, he was full of shit. He knew exactly why. Like he’d told Cara, when it came to wanting someone for one’s mate—it just was something one knew.
With a muttered oath, he sat down on a bench in the waiting area near the platform. Damn it all to the gods of the great abyss, he wanted her. And it scared the hell out of him. Sure, he’d inherited the estate, and he had plenty of credits—although more never hurt—but when it came right down to it, what did he really have to offer a female?
He’d spent his entire adulthood up until that point running away from relationships. He’d never spent more than a single night of pleasure with the same female. Since he hadn’t felt even a niggling of sexual desire for several years, he hadn’t interacted with females more than was absolutely necessary. What did he know about what it took to be a good mate?
Still, it infuriated him that she was determined to chase after that fool of a human. And, of course, he’d promised to help her do just that. Lerix growled into his palm, imagining all kinds of scenarios where he had that idiot in front of him, alone. He couldn’t actually do any of the things he was imagining. Cara would be sure to have a fit if he even tried.
As Cara’s adorable scowl filled his mind’s eye, a terrible thought occurred to him that made his breath leave his body all at once. He’d left her all alone, but that didn’t mean that the assassins would do the same. They could assume that they were working together and intentionally splitting up. That was the conclusion he would have if the situation was reversed. Hiding jewels with a female partner was regular ploy among thieves.
“Fuck a giant pile of vurnol excrement!” he groaned aloud and leaped to his feet. A train drew noisily in front of him, but he was no longer even considering returning home. Motion reflected in the metal side of the train caught his attention.
A Korovik leaned out of the tree above him, a knife ready in his hand. Reflexively, Lerix’s hand shot up to grip the wrist holding the weapon and yank down with enough force to drop the male from the tree. He jerked his hand in the opposite, direction snapping the male’s wrist. The assassin didn’t make a sound, but the body beneath Lerix went stiff with pain and tension.
With a snarl, Lerix pulled the stylishly carved mask from the assassin’s face and leaned in close enough to see hints of gold streaking beneath the dark grease. All of Lerix’s scales bristled with menace. The flexible bedding of the scales allowed them to lift slightly, forming a strange layer of armor that few knew his kind possessed. It was an effective defense, first against some of the larger predators on Kaidava, and then later against angry offworlders displeased with
Kadesh stealing mates.
To his credit, the male didn’t so much as twitch with alarm, though his eyes widened a fraction to betray his surprise.
“Where are the rest of your number?” he growled.
The male suddenly presented a jagged smile, bordering on crazed, as he opened his mouth wide. He had no tongue. It had been severed and sealed a long time ago, likely when he entered the guild. Employed under the strict authority of their ruling body, no assassin unfortunate enough to be caught would ever be able to tell any royal secrets. Once a being of exceptional skill was conscripted into service it was a long-long commitment.
Letting loose a litany of foul words, Lerix stabbed upward with the blade at the tip of his tail through the jaw into the brain matter of his prey. He let the male drop and shoved him haphazardly into the thick flowering bushes that the tourists so enjoyed. Checking to make sure the body was completely concealed, Lerix snorted with silent laughter at the idea of the assassin doing civic duty to Kaidava by fertilizing the flower beds.
He doubted Cara would appreciate the joke. If he had his way, she would be spending a great many years learning to appreciate his odd sense of humor. Not that he thought she would really choose to stay with him. She was set on having her perfect human mating with her loathsome human male. Lerix sneered with contempt.
At least he could protect her, continue to help her, and demonstrate his finer qualities. True, he’d spent the last fifteen revolutions as a bodyguard and opportunistic thief to get by, but surely, he had something redeeming about him.
He was handy in a fight. He doubted Ben could say the same.
Lengthening his stride, he arrived at the resort within an easy half hour. Cara had no way of knowing that he’d intentionally circled around far from Efkalad to confuse their pursuers. A twinge of guilt assaulted him knowing that he’d left her to figure her way back to the resort on her own. He only hoped that she’d arrived safely.
Lerix planted his hands on his hips and looked up at the gawdy structure. His family had not been dishonest in their disparaging attitude toward the resorts of Sashalat. The lobby inside was even worse than outside. Not only was it garish and massively overdone—lacking the classical Kadesh lines—but upon entering, Lerix was immediately assaulted by the poignant pheromones of no less than twenty Kadesh females who were on-site hunting.
Instinctively, he wanted to gag and walk right back out again. Truthfully, he wanted to find somewhere to do the human act of vomiting if his body would cooperate and let him.
He was sure some scientist somewhere would probably be happily jotting notes if they knew just how strongly male Kadesh reacted to female Kadesh pheromones—and not in a good way. Kadesh were often criticized by offworlders for not even attempting to mate among their own. What they didn’t care to learn was that it was nigh impossible for male and female Kadesh to even get within touching distance of each other when aroused.
The quicker he could find Cara, the better. Hopefully being near her would drown out the other scents enough. It was just a matter of locating her. Not for the first time, he cursed himself for his foolishness. He shouldn’t have left her. No, he should have controlled his mouth and not speak so unkindly to force her into dismissing him. Not that he could have ignored her demands and stuck with her anyway. Bah, the whole thing was an entire mess.
His eyes narrowed on an elegantly coifed female behind the desk, who immediately began to frown as he approached. She shifted as to duck into the restricted area behind the desk, but he sprang forward and grasped her arm with an unbreakable grip.
She snarled and bristled her scales with anger, but he did not withdraw. After a short time, she slowly tired herself out and leaned against the opposite side of the reception desk, panting in exhaustion as she glared up at him.
“Unhand me immediately,” she growled.
His lips curved into a nasty smile. “Not just yet. I will be happy to unhand you, and generously tip you too. All you have to do is give me a keycard to the room my female is staying in.”
“What is with strangers wanting keycards to the rooms of customers?”
Lerix’s attention perked with interest. “Oh? Who else was looking to get a keycard?”
“A human female was here just a short time ago looking for the keycard of one of our customers, but I told her it is against policy. Which is what I am telling you now. We are not permitted to give out copies of keycards. If I do that, I risk my position here.”
“Do you know where she went afterward?” he asked, his mind rushing through possible scenarios.
The female smirked. “As it happens, she registered for a room for one night here at the Efkalad. She reeked of desperation,” she added disdainfully.
“Then there were three offworlder males I did not recognize who inquired of her and wished to get into her room, and I told them the same thing. The beasts did not even think to pay a compliment or show any interest in me despite my luring technique. They all wanted after that filthy human,” she sulked. “Worst luck when females come to Kaidava.”
“Only according to you females,” Lerix growled impatiently. “These males, what did they look like?”
“Well, two of them were dark in a sort of artificial way, like a disguise I suppose. They did not speak, but they had a gorgeous golden male with them with an absolutely divine voice I could listen to for hours. He was the one who seemed the most obsessed with finding her,” she pouted.
Alarm shot through Lerix. The Korovik never stopped hunting her even after he left. And it seemed like he wasn’t dealing just with assassins but possibly a member of the royal guard as well. He only prayed that they would not get to her before he did.
“Her keycard… now,” he ground out.
“Fine, fine. I am tired of dealing with all of you. Here, take the spare keycard and leave my desk before you start scaring away customers,” she said as her eyes slid to an attractive green male lingering in the lobby watching them wide-eyed.
Lerix gently plucked the keycard from her fingers as she thrust it out toward him and pocketed it with a winsome smile.
“Thank you for your cooperation,” he grumbled as he slid his credit chip over the pad on her badge to deposit a generous tip into her personal account.
He released her and pushed away from the counter, straightening his vest and tunic, though his tail was still stiff with anxiety. It served a purpose though as it gave aid to his balance as he sprinted toward the lift. He skidded into it as the doors slid open.
Impatient, he slapped his hand on the panel indicating her floor and paced as the compartment rapidly drew upward. Anxiety coiled through his belly, tightening through his muscles. Why did that female have to be nearly on the top floor?
When the doors finally opened again, Lerix was more than ready. He shot out into the hall, his tail arrow straight behind him, whipping every so often to help him turn as he rounded corners. He rounded a particularly sharp corner to her room at the end of the hall, slamming the keycard against the reader as he came up to the door.
When it slid open, he did not even hesitate. He loped full speed into the room and, catching sight of the Korovik pair approaching the bed where Cara lay deep in slumber, he launched himself toward the bed.
Lerix landed in a crouch over his female, his scales bristling in a threatening display as he armored himself against attack, the blade on his tail extended as he whipped it in a protective perimeter around his mate. Lerix momentarily felt his balance falter.
His mate.
He growled viciously, baring his fangs at the males, his dark hair rising around him like a storm cloud displaying his extreme temper.
The Korovik exchanged a silent look and both fell into a crouch. As one, they emitted a hollow vibration until his head pounded and even his eye-ridge horns ached. The males were attempting a disabling tactic.
If he wasn’t so resolved to protect his mate, it might have worked. He’d been worked into such a state that even the fine s
cales in front of his ears had pushed out to protect his eardrums. It made his hearing worth little more than shit unless he had a comm speaker set inside his ear canal but served its purpose in moments such as these.
With a savage grin, he leaped toward his prey, his claws outstretched in deadly earnest. He caught one male with his claws, ripping the flesh from his throat until nothing was left but a bloody mass of flesh as the male drowned to death on his own fluids. At the same time, Lerix whipped his tail around, stabbing the end deep within the eye-socket of the male.
Lerix shuddered with disgust as the gooey flesh of the eye popped out of the skull at the tip of his tail. He flicked it away. The male made a distressed keening sound until he whipped his tail around again and slashed open the neck. Lerix felt drenched in blood from goring the necks of the two males, but it was effective. He nearly gloated at how easily he won the fight when then room lit up and a shrill feminine voice shrieked at him.
“Lerix, what the hell are you doing in my room—and what the fuck did you just do?”
Chapter 12
Awoken by a sudden crash in her room, Cara scrambled up and stared wide-eyed at the Kadesh male standing at the foot of her bed. She was about to scream when he turned, but in the dim light coming through the window she saw that it was Lerix. She was close to breathing a sigh of relief when it occurred to her that he shouldn’t be in her room. He didn’t even want to help her. He’d better have a good excuse for showing up in her room in the middle of the night.
She reached over and pressed the bed-side panel to turn on the room’s lighting. She opened her mouth to make some scathing retort when she saw the bodies on the floor. Only then did she realize that the shiny red stuff on Lerix’s scales was not just his natural coloring. He was coated in blood. Her shrieked words ran out of her mouth with zero filter, and Lerix stood there in wide-eyed surprise.
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