The Mercenary's Bounty

by Kristen Banet

“What?” she frowned.

  “Did ya ever think that they’re using it so you get used to it? I don’t like it, but the group had the idea and-” Please, don’t be mad at me.

  “They’re…doing it on purpose?” she hissed out. Bryn swallowed the fear and nodded. “To help me?”

  “Aye.”

  “They could have said something!” She turned to look at the door inside, and Bryn continued nodding slowly. He agreed. As it was, he was going to get in trouble for outing the plan, but he was tired of watching it. When Bryn had joined the Company, he already knew Andena, but it hadn’t mattered. They made the effort to talk to him, make sure he was okay.

  Aside from Matesh and Rainev, only he really was trying to talk to her. Not that she makes it easy.

  “Matesh says I should just start asking for them to repeat it in Common, to explain but…” She shook her head. “That’s…”

  That wounds her pride and makes her feel even more alone. I can see how that idea wouldn’t work for her.

  “I’ll make ya a deal,” Bryn said quickly, realizing this was his chance. “We’re going to come out here and work on yer wings every day, three times a day, just like planned.”

  “Okay.”

  “And while they all talk in Andena, I’m going to translate for ya. Explain things, if yer too scared to ask.”

  “And what do you get out of it?” she asked, now eyeing him with such suspicion that he was worried she would pass up on his offer.

  “Uh…” He hadn’t gotten that far. He just wanted to help. He wanted to pass forward the great things the Company had given him. It was the Andinna way of things, to pass forward good deeds like that. “It’s best for the Company to get along, and by doing this, I help ya and ya become more helpful to the Company.” He shrugged. “I mean…Two prior slaves, me and ya, both fucked over by pointed-ear bastards for just havin’ wings and horns, and tails. Why wouldn’t I want to help ya? Maybe I feel a little bad for bein’ a gladiator too, seeing what the others did to ya. I don’t know. Not really. I just know I want to help ya.”

  He laid it all out there and hoped. She didn’t give him many chances to speak with her. He never really talked that much to new people, but something about her made him want her approval.

  Damn being an Andinna male sometimes. It’s because she’s a dominant female. Of course I want her approval.

  “You’re a strange male, Bryn,” she commented, still watching him.

  “I’ve been called worse,” he conceded. There were worse things she could have said to him. “Strange isn’t an insult, though. Neither is different.” He pointed at her plate. “Eat yer breakfast, then we’ll get to work on yer wings.”

  She didn’t respond to him, focusing on her food. He ate quickly as well, hoping today was the day any sort of progress would be made. He was glad she didn’t run when he got too serious or personal. That seemed to be the sticking point. She had so many walls to climb over, and that deterred everyone. He felt like he’d made it over one.

  He took their plates in when she was done and hustled back out to start on her wings before the Company came out to waste time doing nothing. Other than her strict training and lesson regiment, no one had much to do on the ship.

  “So, they’re sore from yesterday, aye?” he asked, running a hand over her right wing. He didn’t miss how her tail twitched with anxiety, probably from being touched. Her tail didn’t reflexively move as much as others, so he needed to watch it with extra care. If it was bouncing around, he knew she was being pushed too hard. He pulled his hand back until she responded.

  “Yes, but I still want to work them out today again.”

  “I’m going to start, okay?” he asked, just to make sure.

  “Okay.” He watched her tense up as she answered and knew she was going to make his work difficult.

  He nodded and began to rub out the muscles of her wings, starting at the main joint. He was taller than her, which made his job a bit easier. She was an average height for a female, and even as a shorter male himself, he had her in height. It made him think more about her time in the pits with dozens of other Andinna males, all her enemies. They all probably had her in height and weight, and yet she spent nearly a thousand years putting them down and winning.

  “Relax, little miss,” he murmured, working slowly. “I ain’t going to stab ya in the back or nothing. Just focus on how good this feels for yer wings. Pretend I’m Rain or Mat.”

  When he was at her right shoulder, he continued to work on the muscles in her back as she stood patiently, looking out on the ocean. He could remember all the places he had knots in his back when he was learning to fly again. She relaxed by little degrees until he wondered if she were real or putty, swaying a little from the breeze around them. It was the most relaxed he’d ever seen her.

  A small noise escaped her mouth, which he smartly ignored. He figured it would be rude to comment on the small moan of pleasure, since it wasn’t for him to hear. It really just told him he was doing a good job, and that wasn’t something he could ignore. Something male and satisfied filled him, then a shred of annoyance. Andinna males serve, and here I am, servin’. Should have known my fuckin’ instincts would love this.

  He wanted to scoff at his male brain for wanting to knead a little harder to see if he could elicit the noise again. He resisted the temptation. He wasn’t her male and he wasn’t interested in becoming her male. He just wanted to help, since he was one of the only males who could.

  “Tell me about everyone,” she ordered. He wondered if she meant to ask, but it came out like an order. Another sign of a dominant female who knew her place and knew his, even if she truly didn’t realize what she was doing. “I feel like everyone knows everything about me, but I don’t know anything about…any of you.”

  “Ya know a lot about Rainev and Matesh,” he countered.

  “That’s different. We were in the pits together.”

  “Why don’t ya ask ‘em?” He was curious. “I’m positive Rain would tell ya everythin’ you want to know.” He snorted. “Matesh would probably like to talk to ya about anythin’ else. Or not talk at all.”

  The look he got from her should have stripped the flesh and muscle from his bones. “Is there a problem with Matesh and I?”

  “No, but ya haven’t answered my question.” He quickly backtracked and refocused on what she brought up instead of teasing her about the big male more.

  “I don’t want to rely on Mat for everything,” she admitted softly, turning away from him again. “I don’t want him to be my crutch, and he’s already helping me with so much.”

  “Ah. And Rain?” he asked softly.

  “He’s been withdrawn, and I don’t want to bother him. He probably wants to spend time with his father-”

  He had to cut her off there, laughing as he waved a hand for her to stop. “Mave, Rain hates spendin’ time with his father. Yer right that he’s been withdrawn, but that’s somethin’ different.”

  “Either way, I don’t want to bother either of them.” She shrugged. “Can I start my extensions?”

  “Aye, but nothin’ else.” He backed away and watched her large, perfect black wings extend. When he was a slave, his wings had gotten scarred from accidental injuries. Like most Andinna who saw battle, his wings had a myriad of thin cuts and slices, even a couple of very small holes. Her wings? Perfect. As if they never saw a day of hardship. She held them in tight like he did, a habit neither of them would ever break from centuries of the bonds, but she had protected hers more. He was always impressed when he saw them, considering she had a warrior’s scars on her body.

  “So, tell me about them,” she ordered again.

  “Fine. You know Luykas and Alchan. Half brothers through their father. They’re equally dominant, but ya will notice one is easier to deal with.”

  “Luykas,” she responded. “He’s easier. Alchan is a challenger.”

  “Good instincts. If ya need something personal, go to Luykas.
If you need something dead, go to Alchan. If you need both, do like Leshaun and Zayden did to get the rescue mission in the Empire, and play both of ‘em. Don’t think you can outsmart either of ‘em, though. When they put their heads together, they’re strategy and logistics geniuses.” Bryn shrugged and walked in front of her. He didn’t need to stay behind her, and he wanted to talk to her face. It also gave him the position to see if anyone else walked out on the deck. “Ya know a lot about ‘em and don’t even realize it. Yer father was training ‘em from before the War and during it. I mean, I don’t know too much about ‘em either past that. They’re closed-lipped about the time before meeting yer father. Aye, ya don’t know as much as us, but not much less either.”

  “Okay. What about…Nevyn and Varon? They don’t really talk to me.”

  Bryn chuckled, nodding. “They don’t really talk to most new people. Ya got to approach them first. They’re open and friendly, but they never make the first step.”

  “Why not?” she frowned and he watched her try and figure it out. “Males in the pits never thought two men together was bad. Is it different on the outside? What does that mean for Rain?”

  “Ya’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion,” Bryn said, waving a hand to stop her again. “There’s nothing wrong with ‘em in the eyes of other Andinna. Really, they’re very good together and everyone else is jealous. They’ve been together longer than most of us have been alive.”

  “Then why do they never make the first move? Why do I need to go out of my way to meet them?”

  Bryn tried to find a good way to explain it. It was complicated and very Andinna and he had found it ridiculous when Nevyn had explained it to him. “They don’t want to give you the impression they want ya.”

  “What?”

  “Two males together oftentimes look for a female together, but Nevyn and Varon…don’t want a female. So they aren’t going to approach ya, so ya don’t get that impression. If ya approach them and offer friendship, they’ll absolutely take it, but they won’t make the first move and they won’t accept more than friendship. Plus, they’ve worked with a lot of rescued slaves before and they think not everyone should be trying to get in yer face all the time.”

  “There’s so much I don’t understand,” she mumbled.

  “Aye, but then not many people understand Nevyn and Varon. A lot of females have tried to either get them as the pair or get between them, not realizin’ they’re blood-bonded and never leaving each other.” Bryn chuckled. “They both like females, but they’re that in love with each other. Not unacceptable in our culture, but not too common either. Normally a male pair will find a female who ends up in the center, but neither of ‘em will ever let a female become that. They have eyes and hearts only for each other.”

  “You know a lot about them.”

  “They’re my closest friends,” he admitted. “I spend more time with ‘em than anyone else. Varon is a priest, and a good one. Helps ease my soul when I need it. Nevyn is just fun. He’s a good guy.”

  “They sound good,” she murmured. He watched her intently, wondering what she was thinking about. “A priest…”

  “You’ll have to sit down with ‘em to ask about all of that.” He didn’t want to get into it. Varon was a particular type of priest and Bryn felt that if he explained it, he would ruin her impression of the mute male. “But, there ya go. Nevyn and Varon.”

  “You said they were blood-bonded?”

  He had wondered if she was going to catch that. He nodded, waiting to see if she would say any more, but instead, she looked away from him, getting that distant look where he could tell she was thinking of something and wouldn’t share those thoughts. She had some obvious tells. He could probably swindle her out of a lot of money in cards, if he ever convinced her to play.

  “How do yer wings feel?” he finally asked.

  “Better, thank you.”

  “I’ll massage ‘em out like that every mornin’, to make sure you don’t get too stiff and pull anything now that we’re trying to build the muscle.” He kept his gaze on her face, wondering where to go from here. “Is there anythin’ else ya want from me? We can play some cards and hang out. Take a day off.”

  “Um.” She shook her head. “I was going to go read, but thank you for the offer.” He watched her take a step back from him. He didn’t try to stop her this time, just letting her go.

  The conversation they’d just had was the most progress he’d seen from her in weeks. He just wanted to help her, and it felt like talking to a skittish rabbit. It was really hard to see the Champion when she acted like that. He could relate, but it had been a long time since he was in her shoes.

  “Varon,” he mumbled to himself. Varon always had these sorts of answers.

  Bryn headed inside long enough after her so he wouldn’t run into her. Not for his space, but so she knew he wasn’t following her around. He had a tendency to walk quietly and spook people, and he knew that wouldn’t end well with her. It made him careful about how he crept around the ship when he couldn’t sleep. He knew she was working out on the deck more often than not, but he made sure she never knew he was out there too, trying not to panic about being locked on the ship.

  “Bryn,” Nevyn said plainly when he found himself at the couple’s door. “You look like you need something.”

  “Varon’s advice,” he answered. “Y’all ain’t busy, right?”

  “We always got time for you,” Nevyn reminded him kindly, pulling the door open wide. “Get in here. This is about Mave, isn’t it?”

  “It is. I’m trying to get her to open up and I don’t understand. I’m doing everythin’ right. I’m kind, unassumin’, gentle.” He walked in while he spoke and Nevyn shut them in, giving him the privacy he wanted for the conversation.

  Something snapped in front of his face. He blinked and saw Varon’s hand there. He followed the hand as it moved and the mute began to sign.

  “You’re male. There’s nothing you can do except give her time.”

  He frowned. “She’s not scared of cocks, Varon. She’s more than capable of cuttin’ ‘em off when it suits her, I bet. She doesn’t like bein’ touched, but then, neither do I, or nearly any freed slave.”

  Varon shook his head and sighed, giving Nevyn a forlorn look. Nevyn chuckled, shrugging. Varon huffed, his eyes narrowing. Nevyn rolled his eyes a bit at Varon’s behavior before sighing himself, nodding slowly. Bryn was always mystified by their completely silent interactions. In those small gestures, those two had an entire conversation and came to a resolution.

  “She’s not scared of us,” Nevyn agreed. “She’s wary. I mean, there’s a reason Varon recommended you try to get to know her instead of offering his own very safe presence. You know how it feels to have no trust in fellow Andinna and see your kind as the enemy. But you’re male and she’s female.”

  “She trusts Mat and Rain,” Bryn retorted.

  “Hm. She’s fucking Matesh and Rainev isn’t a threat to her.” Nevyn raised an eyebrow. “But you? An unattached male showing an interest while she’s in a new place, dealing with so many new things, surrounded in tight spaces by males who have her in height and weight? She’s not carrying steel. We’re threats. She’s naturally wary and trying to find the safest ways to do things.”

  “I’m not interested in her like that. None of us are except Matesh. I’m…She doesn’t need to be an outcast. No one let me be an outcast when I first joined. Ya all spoke to me and helped me find my feet.” Bryn didn’t understand where Nevyn was going with. “And I know you don’t want her thinkin’ ya will join her mayara or anythin’, but-”

  “Don’t go there. We’re not getting in the middle of this because she’s got Luykas breathing down her neck with a blood bond neither of them should have.” Nevyn’s voice grew taut and pissed-off. Bryn looked down, wincing as he remembered Nevyn and Varon hated the idea of Luykas and Mave’s blood bond. Nevyn took a deep breath before continuing in a much calmer tone. “We’re not gettin
g in the middle of a new Andinna relationship that is trying to grow stronger by the day. Matesh is trying to settle his place with her, all of that young male insecurity involved, and if too many of us start taking her time, he’ll get pissy and vulnerable. We’re not getting in the middle of this for more reasons than just making sure she doesn’t want to fuck us. Actually, it’s one of the smallest worries I have right now. We’re way too old for her and she doesn’t trust males enough to deal with more than one in her bed, I think.”

  “Something she’ll need to work past,” Varon signed from his spot on the bedding on the floor. “She’s a female, and eventually she’ll find a second male, probably more. I have a feeling she won’t be like her mother and have only one lover.”

  “Another good point, love.” Nevyn softened, smiling at the priest. “You know more about these things than me. Personally, I like your idea of getting her drunk.”

  “That was your idea, not mine,” Varon signed, then threw a pillow from the floor and hit Nevyn in the chest with it.

  Bryn began to laugh, enjoying their easiness. “Really, Nevyn? You passed that off as Varon’s idea?” he tried to ask. He was glad Nevyn could even understand him.

  “Of course. They wouldn’t listen to me if it was my suggestion. Mind you, only Kian and Leshaun are older than me, but I still get no respect from anyone.”

  “You might if you acted your age more often.”

  Bryn continued to laugh, bending over as Nevyn sputtered from Varon’s silent insult. Nevyn was well-respected when it came to combat and he offered solid advice when it was needed, but he also believed in getting rowdy and crazy every so often. He could also tell a good joke. He wasn’t always the most serious male, and that worked against him sometimes. He didn’t stop laughing until someone gently touched his shoulder. He looked up to see Varon had gotten up and walked closer.

  “Do you need anything?” Varon signed. “Seeing her, dealing with her, I know it’s bringing up bad memories for you.”

  “I’m fine. Promise.” Bryn swallowed. “The ship…I think that’s the problem.” He sighed. He didn’t want the conversation on him so he shifted it quickly, aiming it on a younger male who really did need some help. He could figure out Mave later. “She mentioned Rain’s been withdrawn. I’ve noticed it myself. Do ya have any idea on that?”