Venomous Heart

by Mary Auclair

  Naomi’s eyes grew wider and she glanced at Derek, who was sleeping peacefully now. She swallowed, then lifted uncertain eyes to Ava.

  “Ben won’t listen to reason,” Naomi whispered. “His two sisters were sold just before the Eoks came to free everyone. He won’t trust any alien. I understand, but there is nothing I can do.” She looked down at her son. “I can’t betray Ben. Derek and I, we’re all he has left.”

  “Even if I somehow save him and you all escape, it’ll only be a matter of time before Prime Councilor Aav finds you. What will you tell Derek when she comes for you then?”

  Ava reached for the woman’s hand, and she didn’t shy away from her touch.

  “I know you don’t want to betray him, but you will have to if you want to save your son,” Ava said, and the woman bent slightly forward, like Ava had hit her. It was a cruel thing to say, but it was the truth. “It’s that simple. You need to choose what matters most. Ben’s trust, or Derek’s life.”

  Naomi sustained Ava’s gaze for a long time, her face showing a succession of feelings. First, she pursed her full lips in defiance, then her eyes filled with despair. In the end, despair gave way to something else. To the sadness that went along with the terrible choice of one who knew what betrayal would cost.

  Finally, Naomi nodded. She had made her choice.

  For a long time, the woman stared at her sleeping son, then she lifted her dark brown eyes to Ava, and there was a strength there that echoed Ava’s own. A strength and a deep pain, because she knew Ben would not forgive her.

  “I will help you if you promise to save my son.”

  Ava held the woman’s gaze as tears fell down her cheeks, unchecked. The choice was made, and now Naomi had to pay the price.

  “Take me to the Eoks,” Ava said.

  Naomi shook her head. “We don’t have time. I can smuggle you to the storage area where they keep the transport. You and Derek can be out of reach before Ben knows you’re gone.”

  Ava locked gazes with Naomi as she understood what the woman was telling her. She could save Uril, could escape with the Exo-Heart, but she wasn’t going to save Arlen.

  The choice was hers, just like the choice had been Naomi’s.

  Shock and pain twisted inside Ava, coiling with panic as she understood she was trapped. One way or another, her heart was going to be ripped to pieces.

  Arlen’s face, that hidden vulnerability in the way he kissed her, that honor that made him stand for those he loved against all odds came back to her.

  Yes, she had a choice, just like Naomi. But she wasn’t giving up on Arlen.

  “No. I’m not leaving without him. Take me to Arlen.”

  Arlen

  Arlen paced in the ten foot long cell, fury coursing through him. His mind was a thicket of rage, the anger of being separated from Ava muddying his thoughts, tinting his vision with bloodlust. He had nothing to unleash his rage upon, and as he took another sharp turn in the small cell, his eyes wandered across the storage room he was being held in. The rebels had an impressive stash of weapons, but the only one that truly mattered was the innocuous looking black cylinder he and Ava had found in the vault.

  The negative particle bomb. A weapon with the potential to destroy several planets at once in a flash of pure destructive evil.

  And for some reason, Knut wanted it enough to risk coming back to the one place in the Ring where Prime Councilor Aav was sure to be looking out for him.

  Why does he want it back so badly? Why doesn’t he just run?

  Knut was powerful enough and rich enough. He had the means to run from justice for the rest of his life, far beyond the Frontier, beyond the reach of the Ring. He could buy a planet—an entire string of them—and an army to defend them; live a long, pampered life like the parasite he was. But instead, Knut was wasting resources to retrieve the negative particle bomb from Aveyn, knowing full well that Prime Councilor Aav was there at the same time with a thousand Mantrilla soldiers at her disposal. Knowing full well she would trace the bomb back to him wherever he hid.

  There was something he wasn’t seeing, something that he didn’t understand in Knut’s game. He only hoped he would figure it out fast enough.

  The sound of footsteps made him turn to the right and a human male entered the room, an ionic gun in his hands, pointed directly at Arlen. He was young, more a juvenile than an adult male, with pale hair the color of straw and eyes a washed-out gray so full of terror, Arlen was surprised he wasn’t soiling himself.

  Arlen’s eyes fixed on the young male and he hissed, exposing his fangs as his talons shot from his fingertips, his rage finally able to lock onto an enemy. An enemy who took a hasty step back, his eyes filled with terror and limbs shaking.

  “If you don’t take me to my bloodmate right now, human,” Arlen ordered the young male who stood, transfixed, like prey before the final blow, his eyes glassy and his jugular pulsing visibly, “I will rip you limb from limb like an insect.”

  The young man’s mouth trembled with terror, but still, he didn’t move. Rage invaded Arlen’s vision and he kicked at the metal bars of his cell, but to no avail. The Allurium alloy was the strongest in the Ring. Nothing, not even his Eok strength, could break it.

  “Don’t be afraid, Alfie.” Another voice came from the hallway, familiar and which filled Arlen with a renewed rage. “He can’t break out of that cell.”

  The young human named Alfie shot an uncertain glance to the side and another human male appeared. One who was infinitely more confident, and immensely more dangerous.

  “Release me immediately.” Arlen articulated each word. “Or you will regret it.”

  “It’s not exactly wise to threaten the man with the gun.” Ben lifted the barrel of his ionic gun casually in Arlen’s direction. The message was clear. Arlen wasn’t in a position to make demands. “You Eoks have a reputation for being feral beasts, to terrify your enemies into defeat even before the beginning of a combat. I’m not sure I see why.”

  “Come closer and I’ll show you.” Arlen lifted his lips in a savage grin, but the human wasn’t to be cowed.

  “I wanted to tell you myself what will happen to you. You deserve to know the truth.” Ben’s face was sober, without any trace of pity or hatred. It was clear he didn’t take any pleasure in torturing Arlen. That forced Arlen’s respect. “Knut has sent specific instructions for your capture, for the capture of any Eok warriors.”

  When Arlen didn’t respond, Ben continued.

  “He will send you and your men to the fighting rings on Garatua. You will become gladiators, all of you. I don’t expect you to last more than a year, even with your Eok strength.”

  Arlen locked eyes with the human. What he said wasn’t shocking, but it was still a blow. And it was true. None of them would survive more than a few months of being starved and forced to fight in the gladiator rings of Garatua. It was a gruesome prospect, but he didn’t care. What he cared about was Ava.

  “What about Ava?” His rage slipped through with Arlen’s words as he glared at the human. “If Knut wants revenge on the Eoks, I can’t imagine he’s going to be forgiving to Ava.”

  Ben’s eyes darkened and his mouth twisted grimly. “He wants to send her to Area 45.” He shook his head. “But if it’s going to give you any consolation, I won’t hand over the good doctor to Knut. We have an agreement, she and I. If she saves my son, I will let her leave with the Exo-Heart. A life for a life—or, in her case, two lives for one. If she holds up her end of the bargain, I’ll hold up mine.”

  Arlen glared at Ben, but he could see no signs of deceit in the human’s face. Ben was telling the truth. If he was going to die in the gladiator planet’s arena, at least he could die knowing Ava had survived.

  “But don’t worry, you will have your wish to get out of here soon enough. He’s coming to collect his prize.”

  Arlen squinted at the human male, struggling against the fog of fury that made his thoughts slow. He had to calm down and think if h
e wanted to get out of this cell and save Ava before it was too late.

  “Knut is coming to Aveyn?” Arlen frowned, his thoughts finally becoming clearer. “Are you sure? It’s a big risk with Prime Councilor Aav being here.”

  Ben smirked, but there was no humor there. No humor, and no derision either. “Exactly.” He nodded. “He’s going to take the deadliest weapon ever invented right from under her nose. I doubt she’ll have any real power left when he shows the entire Ring that he possesses a negative particle bomb. Prime Councilor Aav will be finished.”

  “And Knut will make a move for her seat. He wants to become the Prime Councilor.” Arlen felt suddenly sober. All the rage leached from his mind and he stared with cold lucidity as Ben stared back.

  “How could you help him do that? He’s the one who enslaved your entire people, and you will help him become the most powerful male in the entire Ring.”

  “What happens to the Ring or anyone living in it is not my responsibility.” Ben shook his head, then glanced at the small portable screen in his hand. “By the time Knut and Aav have finished slashing at each other’s throats, my family and I will be so far gone beyond the frontier of the Ring that no one will ever find us.”

  “So, you would betray your people, sell them out to save yourself?” Arlen didn’t hide the contempt in his voice. “You deserve every inch of the pain you will receive.”

  Ben turned deadly eyes to Arlen. “They just stood by when Knut took my sisters from me. I owe them nothing.” A noise came from the small screen in his hands and he looked down. He frowned, then looked up sharply at Alfie. “We have a breach in the security perimeter. Go check it out.”

  Alfie nodded and turned, probably just too happy to get away from Arlen. Silence invaded the room as Arlen stared at Ben while the human studied his small screen, still frowning.

  “Let me guess. The position of the transport you’re tracking hasn’t changed, but you have multiple alerts inside your security perimeter,” Arlen said.

  Ben glanced up sharply, then went back to studying his screen. He didn’t answer, but Arlen noticed the slight flicker in his eyes.

  “He tricked you.” Arlen straightened, then smelled the air. “Iodine. That means ionic detonations close by.”

  “It can’t be.” Ben turned around toward the door, his face a mask of incredulity. “He’s not even close by. I’m tracking each of his transports. He should be hours away.”

  “It’s like Ava said. Knut is always a step ahead.”

  Ben shot him a fearful glance before running out, his ionic gun drawn in front of him.

  Arlen was left alone in the storage room, but it didn’t do him any good. As the sounds of battle reached him, he gripped the Allurium bars of his cell with his fists and thrashed against them with his full strength, but it was no use. He wasn’t getting out of there until someone let him out.

  Ava. He had to get back to Ava. If Knut got his hands on her, she would be better off dead. He roared, his rage unbridled against the indifferent metal of the cell.

  “Here!” A female voice, hushed and full of fear, attracted his attention. Arlen stared, his eyes fixed on whoever was going to appear down the stairs. A human female, her skin dark and beautiful, rounded the corner as another female followed close by.

  A female who made his entire body tense with anticipation.

  “Ava!”

  Arlen said her name as the dark-skinned female approached, eying him warily. She fidgeted with a set of magnetic keys before pressing a round device into the depression on the door. The lock clicked and Arlen stepped out, his eyes on the unknown human female.

  “You have to hurry.” The human female looked over her shoulder, her face full of fear. “The other Eoks are in the storage room at the back of the facility. It’s far away, and you’ll have to get through the fighting upstairs, but you have no choice. There’s a transport vehicle in the storage area—it won’t take all of you, though.”

  The female stepped away from Arlen, then stared toward the stairs where the sounds of combat were getting louder by the second.

  “Come with us,” Ava said.

  “No.” Tears fell freely down the female’s silky cheeks and her voice shook. “I’ve betrayed Ben enough as it is.”

  “Naomi, please, you know what will happen.” Ava took the female’s hands in her own but Naomi shook her head, her dark eyes full of resolve. “Ben and his men won’t win against the Ilarian guards.”

  Naomi pulled her hand from Ava’s grip as Arlen came to stand at her side. He bore down on the female and saw what he had missed before in Ben: pain and fear, the rage borne of losing what one loved most. Their child.

  “Go.” Naomi shook her head as a sad smile spread over her lips. “And don’t forget your promise. Save my Derek.”

  Then a faint noise in the back made them all turn. Ben stood there, his face slack with shock. He had eyes only for Naomi as he climbed down the stairs. Silently, the human female began to weep.

  “I couldn’t let him die, Ben.” She dropped to her knees as he stood in front of her, his ionic gun raised, his eyes brimming with anger and betrayal. “Ava will save him. She promised.”

  “What did you do, Naomi?” Ben asked, his face an unreadable façade.

  “I sent for her. I warned Prime Councilor Aav!” Naomi cried, tears still pouring down her cheeks as she spoke. “She’s coming. It’s over.”

  “You betrayed me.” Ben raised the barrel of his ionic gun as Naomi bent her head. “You betrayed all of us.”

  Ben turned to Arlen and Ava, and Arlen pushed his mate protectively behind him. The man’s face was marred with smoke and blood, and Arlen saw it in his eyes. Ben knew he was defeated.

  “Go.” Ben threw his ionic gun and Arlen caught it in mid-air. “Save Derek and your men. I’ll fight off Knut’s Ilarian guards for as long as I can.”

  “I will send for help,” Arlen promised before turning around. Ava’s wrist felt small and fragile in his fist. It filled him with a sudden fear—not for himself, but for her.

  And that fear awoke the bloodlust lurking deep inside him, ready to be unleashed and bathe the world in blood.

  21

  Ava

  Arlen was just in front of her as they made their way up the steps to the first level of Facility Twenty-One. All around them, the sound of men shouting mingled with the metallic stench of blood and the smell of iodine as ionic detonations filled the night air.

  Ava’s mind was full of fear as she followed Arlen, his towering shape hiding the worst of what was coming ahead. She had seen her fair share of broken bodies as a doctor, but she’d never seen war. The idea of violence made her stomach squeeze painfully and she was aware of the shaking of her hands as she tightened her arms around the glass jar containing the Exo-Heart.

  They arrived at the top of the stairs, then Arlen flattened her against the wall with one arm as he took aim and shot down a tall figure clad in white. The figure fell at Ava’s feet, the familiar white uniform of the Ilarian guards soiled with red, a hole the size of her fist in his chest, blood pooling shockingly fast around his body. The guard’s generic, bland features were turned up to the ceiling, eyes unseeing as his pale yellow skin became even paler with the rapid blood loss.

  Dead. He was dead.

  Ava stared, dumbfounded. “An Ilarian guard.” She tried to crouch at his side to see if he was still alive, but Arlen maintained his hold on her. “How is this possible? They all left with Knut.”

  “No.” Arlen shot her a grim glance. “The Vault wasn’t the only secret hiding place Knut had on the planet. He kept an entire regiment here on Aveyn, just waiting for the right moment to strike.”

  Ava blinked as she understood the magnitude of Knut’s deception, the lengths to which he would go to keep his power. An entire regiment—over a thousand guards—hiding underground for months, just waiting for his signal to attack.

  “But why? Even a thousand Ilarian guards aren’t enough to fight off Pr
ime Councilor Aav’s forces. He’s not fool enough to attack her in the open.”

  “That’s just it.” Arlen’s face took on a nightmarish scowl as his eyes lit from within. “Prime Councilor Aav will be disgraced when it becomes known that Knut stole a negative particle bomb from right under her claws. There will be an uprising, she will lose power.”

  “And then no one will be more powerful than Knut himself.” Ava almost faltered at the realization of Knut’s plans. “It was his plan all along. All this was just a long game for him.”

  “It’s like you said. Only he wasn’t just a step ahead, he had already won the race and we didn’t even know it.”

  Ava felt buried under the weight of Knut’s deviousness. Was there even anything they could do against such a man? Was it even worth it?

  “He’s already won,” she whispered as tears bloomed in her eyes. All she could do was clutch the Exo-Heart in its glass jar close to her chest. “Ben was right. All we can do now is run far, far away, and hide.”

  “No.” Arlen’s fierce expression radiated pure rage. “He hasn’t won until he has the negative particle bomb. Until then, he’s just an outlaw.”

  “No one can prevent them from getting the bomb now.” Ava looked around as more Ilarian guards slipped through the doors and the combat made its way inside the facility. “All we can do is run.”

  “I won’t be the Commander who let Knut destroy the Ring.” Arlen bent over her, his eyes cold and pale. In that moment, she understood what it meant to be a warrior, to fight in the face of overwhelming odds. Arlen was that warrior, he was all the warriors who had ever been, and more. “I will alert Prime Councilor Aav so she can stop Knut before he gets away with the bomb.”

  He didn’t give her time to respond. His mouth closed over hers, the kiss hard and quick, then he turned away. He grabbed her wrist and they ran, dodging human men armed with ionic guns, running toward the battle that was raging outside the walls of the facility.