by Tana Stone
Rukken pressed his lips together in anger. His gut had been right. Zatvar had killed the clan’s leader. He had taken the mantle of leadership and, from what he had heard, taken K’alron’s wife as his own. It took every bit of self-control not to rush at the despicable creature.
“You are not fit to replace K’alron,” he finally said, his voice cracking.
Zatvar’s nose wrinkled as he scowled at him. “K’alron was weak and easily fooled. Even when he thought I might be dangerous, he did not guard himself from me.”
“Perhaps he found it inconceivable that a Dothvek would be as dishonorable as you.”
Zatvar twitched one shoulder up. “What of honor? I have power and status and a female to warm my bed. I had none of those before. You are a fool, if you think honor is more important than having your cock sucked.”
Rukken did not turn as he saw more movement outside the door to the bridge, out of eyesight of Zatvar, but he hoped it was not Caro. He did not want her anywhere near danger. “So, you think you can walk out of here, and return to the village as leader?”
Zatvar grinned. “I make it worth my supporters’ while. And, like I said, no one would believe you.”
“They will believe me.” K’alvek strode onto the bridge and stood beside Rukken.
Zatvar’s grin faltered. “You stand beside the traitor?”
“No,” K’alvek said. “I stand across from him.”
Zatvar sneered at him. “You were too weak to step up when your father died, and you are too weak now.”
K’alvek flashed his blade as he moved forward. “We will see.”
Zatvar reached behind him and produced a blaster. K’alvek threw his blade across the room as Zatvar fired, hitting him in the chest and sending him sprawling backward, as the blaster fire went over their heads.
Rukken found himself holding his breath as he stared at the Dothvek unmoving on the floor. Was it really over?
K’alvek turned. “You were not hit?”
Rukken grunted no, still barely breathing. He heard a sharp inhalation of breath behind him and Caro saying his name. Before he could turn, he saw the figure on the floor move. Zatvar’s arm lifted off the ground, and he fired at K’alvek’s back.
Rukken did not have time to think, pushing K’alvek down and feeling the blast as it impacted his chest. Heat exploded as he flew back, hitting the floor of the bridge hard. Screams and roars tore through the air, as he drifted away. He tried to open his eyes to see Caro one last time, but there was only blackness. And then silence.
Thirty-Four
The air rushed out of her body as Caro watched Rukken arc through the air and crash to the floor. He seemed to move in slow motion, his arms flailing before his body thudded hard, and the metal beneath him shook.
K’alvek spun a moment later, hurling another curved blade across the room. The satisfied smirk on Zatvar’s face vanished, as the blade embedded itself between his eyes, and he collapsed in a heap.
Then K’alvek had turned back around and was kneeling at Rukken’s side. Caro heard more voices behind her, and bodies pushed past, but she couldn’t move. T’Kar joined K’alvek by Rukken’s side, both men exchanging silent glances as they stared down at the Dothvek, who lay limp.
An arm wrapped around her shoulder, and she was propelled forward until she stood over him. Her chest ached, but she couldn’t feel him anymore. The hum of the barbarian’s emotions—the pulse she’d finally gotten used to—was gone and there was only the buzz of her own mind, whirring out of control. She looked down at him, unable to do anything, as the Dothveks tried to resuscitate him.
“Caro, honey.” Holly’s voice pulled her back to reality. “Maybe we should let them do their thing.”
Caro shook her head and shrugged off Holly’s arm around her shoulder. “I’m not leaving.”
She dropped to her knees next to him, putting her hand in his limp one, and squeezed. His skin was still warm, even though it no longer sent warm jolts of energy up her arm when she touched it.
K’alvek and T’Kar were alternating thumping their flat palms on his chest and pressing their ears over his heart, but she focused only on his hand, stroking her finger down his callused fingers and circling the softer center. If she kept her eyes on his hand, she wouldn’t have to see the desperate looks in K’alvek’s and T’Kar’s eyes as they tried to save him.
She was vaguely aware of the Dothveks who had gathered behind them and of the rest of her crew who were kneeling with her. She couldn’t look at them, because she knew she would start crying, but it felt good to know they were there.
K’alvek sat back and let out a breath, his expression grim. Caro heard a choked sob and knew it was Holly, but she refused to look away from Rukken’s hand. She couldn’t. If she looked up and saw his lifeless face, she’d have to admit he was gone. She couldn’t do that. Not yet. Not when she’d barely realized how much he actually meant to her and how much she wanted him. No. Needed him. And now he was…
“Out of my way,” Tori yelled, pushing her way through the group.
She even knocked Caro back as she bent down next to Rukken, and Caro lost her grip on his hand, watching it flop down on the steel floor. As Tori jabbed something into Rukken’s chest, Caro fell back, her tailbone smacking the floor and sending pain shooting through her body.
“Are you okay?” Bexli was at her side, helping her up, but all Caro wanted to do was get as far away as she could.
She turned over and started crawling through the mass of legs surrounding her, hot tears falling down her cheeks and pinging the floor. She needed to get away before she lost it completely.
“Holy shit,” Holly said from behind her. “What the fuck did you do, Tor?”
There were murmurs and cries of surprise and then Caro heard a deep voice from behind her.
“Caro?”
She stopped crawling and swiped at her eyes, as she swiveled her head around.
T’Kar and K’alvek were helping Rukken sit up. He looked dazed, and a scorch mark still covered half his chest and marred his intricate tattoos, but he was alive.
Caro gaped at Tori, who still squatted by his side with a long needle in one hand. “What did you…?”
Tori winked at her. “Zevrian medicine is pretty powerful, and this ship’s former captain had a major stash of it. It would kill most humans, but I figured I might as well give it a try since he’s Dothvek. Plus, since he was already dead, I couldn’t kill him.”
Caro threw her arms around the woman, almost knocking her off balance. “I love you.”
Tori patted her arm awkwardly. “All right. No need to get all mushy on me.” She peeled off Caro’s arms and motioned her head behind her. “I’m no expert on relationships, but you might want to tell that to him.”
Caro hitched in her breath as she locked eyes with Rukken, who was now sitting up, unaided. T’Kar and K’alvek had stood up and moved away, so it was just her sitting beside him.
She put a hand to his cheek, feeling the familiar scratch of his beard, and the warming pulse of his touch. “I thought you were…” Her voice cracked, and she couldn’t finish the sentence.
“So did I.” He closed a hand over hers, moving it to his lips and kissing her open palm.
She climbed into his lap, not caring about the Dothveks and her friends still on the bridge. Rukken wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so her body was flush against his. His steady heartbeat thrummed through her, and she savored the feel of him and the proof that he was alive.
“You left,” she finally said, not looking up as she nuzzled her head in his neck.
“I did not want to make you choose.” He stroked a hand down her hair. “I know how important your friends are to you. I could never take that away from you again.”
“You’re important, too. I can’t live without either of you.” She bit her bottom lip. “Don’t you know I love you, you big brute?”
His heart beat faster. “I love you, too. You will not have
to live without me. I promise I will never leave you again.”
She pulled back slightly, peering up at him. “Does that mean you’re going to come back and live in the village?”
Rukken brushed a tear off her cheek, hesitating. “If I can.”
K’alvek cleared his throat behind them. “I heard every word Zatvar said to you, and every crime he admitted to, including the murder of my father.”
Caro twisted to look up at him, and saw the pained expression on the Dothvek’s face.
K’alvek heaved in a deep breath, as Danica slipped an arm around his waist. “It is clear that Rukken is innocent of all the crimes he was accused of.” His gaze flicked to Caro. “Except, perhaps, one.”
Caro’s cheeks warmed. She knew he meant the crime of abducting her and holding her prisoner. “I don’t think I’ll be pressing charges.”
“You don’t think?” Rukken asked, one slash of an eyebrow cocked up.
Caro grinned at him. “I mean, I’ll have to give it some serious thought. You did apologize already, so that’s a start.”
K’alvek was obviously trying not to smile as he looked at Rukken. “If the female forgives you, you are welcome back in the clan and the village--after a suitable probationary period during which you do not violate any of our laws.”
Rukken nodded, accepting K’alvek’s pronouncement.
“I would warn you what you are getting into with a human mate,” K’alvek continued, “but I suspect you already have some idea how difficult they are.”
Danica slapped his bare chest. “Hey!”
Rukken looked back down at Caro, desire flashing in his eyes. “I understand exactly what I am getting into, and there is nothing I want more.”
Thirty-Five
Rukken opened his eyes, expecting to see the gray metal of the ship’s ceiling. Instead, sun was pouring in through the beige tent fabric, dust motes drifting lazily in the gold slats of light, and he heard the distinct sound of the flaps snapping in the breeze. Despite the presence of a gentle wind, the air was warm and carried the scent of charred meat. Was he back in the Dothvek village?
He pushed himself up onto his elbows, and black spots danced in front of his eyes from the sudden movement. Even though Tori’s medicine had restarted his heart, he still felt as if he’d had all the energy drained out of him. He guessed that was to be expected after dying and coming back to life.
Peering around the tent and pushing off the woven blanket, he realized he wasn’t in the Dothvek village. This was his own single-pole tent in his small oasis. His heart raced for a moment. Had he imagined everything? Had it really happened, or had he dreamed about facing off with Zatvar and being reunited with Caro?
“You’re awake.” Caro smiled at him as she pushed the flaps aside and stepped into the tent. Her dark hair was pulled up high, and she looked rested. More rested than he felt.
“Why am I—?”
“In your own tent?” She finished for him, flopping down on the pile of animal skins and blankets. “Tori’s drugs were amazing, but you were still pretty weak from the blaster. We decided to bring you back here, before continuing on to the village. Plus, I thought you might want to pack up your stuff.”
He glanced around the sparse tent, pulling her to him. “You are the only thing I need to take with me.”
Caro laughed and rolled on top of him as he pulled her down. She swatted his bare chest and dropped her voice to a whisper. “You know, everyone is right outside.”
His hands froze from where they’d been moving quickly down her body. “Everyone?”
“They wanted to see where you’d been living for the past few years. Everyone’s seriously impressed that you not only survived alone on the desert, but did it with style.”
Rukken rubbed one hand down her back, loving the feel of her weight on him. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Two days.”
He jerked up, and she rolled onto the blankets. “Two days?” He had no memory of arriving at his camp, or of falling asleep in his tent. He looked down at Caro, who’d pushed herself up on one elbow.
“You needed the rest. Being shot took a lot out of you. K’alvek didn’t think we should move you until you’d recuperated.”
K’alvek. Everything that happened on the bridge of the ship rushed back to him. “What about Zatvar? What will happen to him?”
Caro’s brow furrowed in obvious confusion. “Didn’t you know? He’d dead. K’alvek buried a knife in his forehead the second after the asshole shot you.”
He didn’t remember, but satisfaction filled him that the traitor was dead. And it felt right that K’alvek had been the one to do it. A son should avenge his father’s death.
“Everything is still a bit muddled,” he admitted.
“As long as you still remember me.”
Rukken rolled on top of her and pinned her hands to the blankets. “It would be impossible to forget my mate.”
Her cheeks colored, and she strained her hands against his grip. He lowered his head to her neck and nipped the skin. “I also remember what you like.”
She inhaled sharply. “Who said I like that?”
He kissed his way to her ear and sucked on her lobe, feeling her arch against him and desire pulse through her. “Did you forget that I can feel what you do?”
“Fucking empath,” she said with a breathy sigh.
Raised voices outside the tent made him pause. “How many of the hunting party came with us?”
“All of them.” Caro shifted as he released her hands.
He blinked at her several times. “Where has everyone been sleeping?”
“Oh, didn’t I mention? Tori flew the ship here and parked it outside. There are enough cabins on board for everyone, although some of the Dothveks still prefer to sleep under the stars.”
Rukken looked toward the tent flaps. “Are you telling me there is a massive spaceship sitting outside my tent?”
“Well, not right outside, but yes. A few dunes away where there was enough of a valley to land in. Everyone has been waiting for you to wake up.”
“So, we can go back to the village?”
“That, and so we can celebrate the fact that Zatvar is dead and you’re returning from being unfairly exiled.” She stood and held out her hand. “Come on.”
Rukken stood, following her out of the tent and holding up a hand at the brightness from the suns slipping across the sky.
Just as she’d promised, the dark, hulking ship sat several dunes away behind the pond and patch of trees. He could only see the top half, but he saw a trail of black smoke twisting into the air near it and smelled the scent of roasting meat.
A few Dothveks sat around his small fire, but he suspected there was a larger one by the ship. A small head poked above the surface of the pond, and he recognized Rynn paddling over to the sandy bank, waving one hand over his head in greeting.
Rukken dragged a hand through his hair. “I really have been out for a while.”
K’alvek rose from where he sat around the fire. “You look better, brother.”
Rukken tried not to be taken aback. It had been a long time since any Dothvek had called him brother. “I understand I have you to thank for taking out Zatvar.”
“And I have you to thank for saving my life.” K’alvek clasped his arm at the elbow. “You pushed me aside and took the fire meant for me.”
Rukken cleared his throat. “I did not think the traitor should get to kill both father and son.”
K’alvek nodded, and Rukken could sense a swell of emotion from the warrior. Both men looked down.
“Where is the rest of my crew?” Caro asked, swiveling her head around to take in the Dothveks moving around the camp.
K’alvek jerked his head behind him. “Inside the ship. Tori said she wanted to share the stash.”
Caro groaned. “If she means the Zevrian stash of booze, that sounds dangerous.”
“We have a good deal to celebrate.” K’alvek locked eye
s with Rukken. “And much time to make up for.”
Rukken’s chest swelled, as he glanced at the Dothveks moving around and making preparations. It had been a long time since he’d been a part of anything larger than himself, and it felt better than he’d remembered.
“I assume the celebration will begin at nightfall?” he asked.
K’alvek nodded, cocking his head to one side. “Why?”
Rukken took Caro by the hand and pulled her behind him toward the tent. “There is something I need to take care of, first.”
Caro gasped as several Dothveks swung their heads toward them. “Everyone will hear us in the tent. Why don’t we go to the ship?”
Rukken scooped her up into his arms, smiling wickedly as he strode toward the tent. “There is no rope on the ship, mate.”
Epilogue
Bexli hoisted Pog up higher on her hip as she headed for the ship’s ramp. The celebration around the fire was still going strong, but she’d had about enough singing and drinking for one night. She leaned a hand against one of the steel arms that lowered the ramp and cast a final look behind her.
The fire flamed in the night, sending sparks high, as the Dothveks passed bottles around. The moonlight bounced off the dunes behind the fire, but it was the orange glow that lit the faces of the barbarians and her friends laughing and drinking. Several warriors sang a traditional war chant, the words of which were slurred, but rose high in the air.
The rest of the bounty hunters were gathered around the blaze, paired up with their mates and seemingly content. Danica sat in K’alvek’s lap, her head on his shoulder. Tori stood next to Vrax—she could never imagine the Zevrian willingly sitting on anyone’s lap—but his hand rested protectively on her hip. Max leaned back against Kush, his broad arms circling her, as she talked to Holly, who sat next to T’Kar, one of her legs thrown over his, while he talked to K’alvek. Caro and Rukken had disappeared again, but it didn’t take a genius to know they were in his tent again. At least, the singing and talking were loud enough to drown them out.