by Hope Hart
My heart races as my stomach swims at the thought of one of the women being so defenseless in a place like that.
“The woman was alone?”
“Yes.” She frowns, staring into space for a moment before she clicks her fingers with a grin that displays rows of pointed teeth. Her claws slide off each other, making a slight screeching sound. “Hair like fire,” she blurts. “That’s why my sister thought to mention the female to me. She said her hair looked like fire.”
I turn to Rakiz. “Ivy has red hair.”
He nods, but his eyes are still on the woman. “How much is the medicine to cure both chlidren?”
The woman’s grin fades. “One hundred credits,” she murmurs softly. “Each.”
I scowl. “How much do they charge her each week?”
“Ten credits for each child. That is usually enough for them to get through the week, although sometimes they fall ill right before their next dose.”
Twenty credits a week. And this guy seemed stunned that Rakiz paid twenty-five for information. No wonder the poor woman can’t see a way out.
I stroke my sword. “Where can I find these assholes?”
The man barks out a laugh, and I narrow my eyes at him.
Rakiz reaches over and places a leather pouch in the woman’s hand. She opens it, and her mouth drops open in shock. She sways on her feet, and the man lunges forward, grabbing her arm. He bares his teeth at Rakiz, and the woman chokes on a sob, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“You…you—” She can’t get the words out, but she tries to hand the pouch back.
Rakiz smiles gently and takes her hand. He wraps it around the pouch. “No one deserves such a life,” he says. “Tell your sister it is a gift from my tribe to her family.”
“May you and your female be blessed for all days,” she says, sobbing as her mate wraps his arm around her, staring at Rakiz and me in shock.
“The same to you,” Rakiz says. He nods at the couple, and we turn to walk away.
“Wait,” the man says. I turn back, eyes widening as he holds out the dragon scale I admired. The blue is so dark in places that it appears almost black, lightening to an aqua and then finally darkening again to a deep green. It’s almost incandescent, gleaming in the light.
I don’t know what I would do with a dragon scale, but I clutch it, completely unwilling to give it back.
“Thank you,” I say, and the man nods at me before once again wrapping his arm around the woman, who still has tears dripping from her eyes.
I study Rakiz as we walk back through the market. He places his hand at my lower back, scanning for threats as Tagiz walks in front of us, Hewex covering our backs.
Rakiz’s upbringing seems to have been the very definition of privileged. He was raised knowing he would rule the tribe, and it’s likely that people have been falling over themselves to do his bidding from the moment he could talk.
Even now, I’ve never seen anyone talk back to him in public. Other than me, of course. I know Terex has disagreed occasionally, but he wouldn’t dare question him where others could hear.
Taking all these factors into account, it would be easy to assume that Rakiz would be an entitled prick. A man-child with few skills and fewer morals. At the very least, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was out of touch and unable to empathize with people like the woman who has such a hard life with her sick kids.
And yet…the opposite is true. It’s what makes Rakiz such a good ruler. He genuinely cares about people. He wants what’s best for them even as he hates the fact that he is what’s best for his tribe.
A tiny part of my heart fractures as I scan his hard face. For some reason, the reminder that Rakiz is absolutely, one-hundred-percent necessary for the health and well-being of the tribe hurts something deep within me. And I’m not quite sure why.
Chapter Ten
Rakiz
Nevada is quiet while we travel toward the prexa where the human female was last seen. We need to move quickly if we are to get out of the prexas before darkness approaches. While there are few places as dangerous as this area during the day, there are none as dangerous as the prexas at night.
“She will be okay,” I murmur, and Nevada snorts.
“You don’t know that. What I want to know is how she got separated from the others and how she ended up alone and in the worst part of this planet.”
Tagiz moves his mishua level with us. “We must walk to one of the entrances from here,” he says, and I nod. It has been many years since I ventured into a prexa, and Tagiz and Hewex now have much more experience in this area.
Nevada swings her legs over the saddle and jumps off, landing in a crouch. She looks like what she is—a dangerous, furious, sexy female. Lust hits me in the gut, and I dismount behind her as I force my focus back to the task at hand.
“You will stay close to me the entire time,” I tell her, and she turns her head to stare at me with a frown.
“Try that again,” she says as she gets to her small feet, tapping one of them.
“I’m not playing games,” I tell her. “You will agree to this, or I will tie you to the mishua.”
Both Nevada and the mishua in question snort at the same time and then eye each other with distrust.
Nevada scowls at me. “I know you’re stressed out, so I’m choosing to overlook the fact that you’re once again giving me orders even though I thought we were past this. But since you’re obviously in a pissy and slightly unstable mood, I’ll tell you that yes, since I have no plans to be killed underground, I’ll stay next to you.”
She bites out the last three words, and Hewex gives me a look that suggests that I may not be sleeping in Nevada’s furs tonight. I suppress a growl and nod instead, turning to gather extra weapons from one of my packs.
I continually war with my urge to dominate this mouthy, intelligent, brave warrior. I know she will make me pay for this conversation later, but I can’t risk her life in the prexas without knowing that she will be by my side the entire time.
If anything should happen to her…
I’m almost shaking with tension, and Tagiz steps close as Nevada ensures all her weapons are within easy reach.
“I will protect her with my life,” he murmurs, and I nod in gratitude. I recognize that Nevada can more than protect herself, but somehow the knowledge that Tagiz will lay down his life for her if I should fall…
I exhale forcefully and then reach into my final pack, pulling out the dragon scale. I gesture for Nevada to step closer, and she does, eyebrow raised in challenge.
She yelps as I reach for her shirt and glances around. Both Tagiz and Hewex have found other things to look at, and she turns back to me with a glare.
“What are you doing?”
“Dragon scales are used for many things, but their best use is for armor. There is a reason they are so rare and expensive.”
I slide the scale under Nevada’s shirt, and she reaches down the front, helping me wiggle it into position. It bends and curves as if part of her skin, and her tight shirt keeps it in place. I step back, nodding approvingly. No swords will be able to slide into her front. I wish I had thought ahead and purchased another for her back.
Nevada’s face softens slightly as she gazes up at me.
“I’ll be fine,” she says. “I won’t do anything dumb, I promise. We’ll all be fine.”
I nod, and within moments we’re moving toward the entrance to the prexa. This one is hidden amongst the trees and located between two large boulders. A wooden ladder leads down the hole, and Nevada tenses as we take it in.
“Are you okay?”
She swallows but nods, and Tagiz sends her a sympathetic look.
“It’s not as dark as it looks,” he tells her. “It’s narrow in some places, but the locals cooperate enough to ensure that the passageways are usually lit.”
Nevada nods again, sending Tagiz an uneasy smile, and I vow to talk to her about this fear later. I want to know everything
about this female—from the things that make her smile to the memories that put shadows in her eyes.
Tagiz smiles back at her reassuringly and then disappears down the hole. I go next, the wood rough under my palms. Hewex will follow after Nevada, ensuring that she is protected.
I hit the dirt floor and watch as Nevada makes her way down.
“I can feel your eyes on my butt,” she says, and I grin.
“I’m still a male.”
Her boots hit the ground, and she grins up at me. I can’t help it; I lean forward and take her mouth.
Tagix groans. “Shall we get back to our mission?”
Nevada sends Tagiz an easy grin, and he turns as Hewex jumps down beside us. Then we all turn, ready to move deeper into the warren of prexas.
Nevada
I hate it down here.
It smells like piss, vomit, and all kinds of things I’d rather not think about. As we turn the corner, I get a whiff of blood and almost gag at the heady stench. Rakiz steps in front of whatever it is.
“You don’t need to see that,” he says, face hard as he gestures for me to keep walking.
I almost grin. I’ve seen any number of disgusting and horrific sights in my twenty-seven years. While I don’t need Rakiz to hide them from me, I’m willing to concede that it’s a nice gesture.
His order to stay next to him, on the other hand…
I’m willing to give him a break today. He’s obviously on edge. Earlier he mentioned that he usually wouldn’t dream of sending fewer than ten warriors into this area at a time. While he’s slowly learning that I’m not a fragile flower, today obviously isn’t one of the days that he’ll be overcoming his natural instincts.
I shiver as the air turns colder. Every twenty feet or so, a lantern burns, providing dim light that I’m incredibly grateful for. Small, tight, enclosed spaces are not my jam, and I take a deep breath, suppressing the memories that want to come out and play.
It’s not quiet down here. We cross several forks in the path in front of us, and voices reach us. A scream sounds down one passage, and I tense, reaching for my sword. I feel like we’re sitting ducks down here. The space is small enough that it would be difficult for the warriors to fight. But if someone had enough men, they could take us on either side.
A cackling laugh echoes down the prexa, making me flinch, and Rakiz glances back. I nod at him, but I’m sure I look like a deer in headlights.
Of course our best lead to Ivy and the others had to be underground.
Tagiz seems to know where he’s going. The plan is simple: head back to the place where Ivy was last seen and slap a few people around until they tell us everything they know.
Another laugh sounds, and it’s like ice water down my spine.
“Does anyone down here have a noncreepy laugh?” I mutter.
Hewex snorts behind me. “The laughing is the very least of our concerns.”
On that happy note, we head left at the next intersection. This prexa is even more poorly lit than the last one, and I grit my teeth at the sound of shuffling ahead. It pauses and then continues as we get closer.
A lamp goes out somewhere in front of us, and I scowl as the shadows around us grow. This does not bode well. Tagiz keeps moseying down the prexa, and I lovingly caress the hilt of my sword.
We reach a giant as he’s extinguishing another lamp. It throws the prexa into even further darkness, and I scowl.
“Dick move, asshole.”
I don’t know if he’s technically a giant, but he would probably stand several feet above the warriors. They’ve had to bow their heads in places, but this dickhead is walking practically hunched over. He holds out his hand as we get close.
“Fifty credits,” he says, and I snort.
Rakiz studies the giant with ice-cold eyes. Like us, the giant’s skin is…well…skin-colored. And he has two legs. But that’s where the similarities end. I count six arms at first glance, but then the giant turns slightly, showcasing another two sticking out of his back.
His horns look incredibly sharp, and from the pieces of rotting carcass between his huge teeth, it’s evident that he’s not a vegetarian. One of his hands is wrapped around a huge spiked mace.
“Move or die,” Rakiz says, and I nod approvingly. The best threats are simple and to the point.
If I wasn’t stuck underground and staring at an eight-armed giant, I’d grin at the dumbstruck look on his face as he stares at Rakiz. I’m guessing most people take one look at his size and immediately pay up.
Rakiz can more than afford to pay the giant, but I’ve seen this expression before. The lowered brows, narrowed eyes, and—ooh, there it goes—the muscle ticking in his jaw all say one thing and one thing only.
He’s more than ready and willing to kill someone.
I lean against the rock and cross my arms. Rakiz has had a rough day. I know every single one of his caveman instincts urged him to leave me safe in the cave or even tied to the mishua as he threatened. He’s tired and grumpy, and he feels like he has his back against the wall.
This isn’t going to be pretty.
“You die!” the giant roars, and I almost gag at the stench of his breath.
“Jesus, man, you ever thought of using one of those hands to brush your fucking teeth?” I say.
The giant meets my eyes and roars again, and I give him a little finger wave. Best to let Rakiz get this out of his system.
It’s messy and brutal. Tagiz is obviously thinking along the same lines as me because he steps aside, letting Rakiz move forward and dispatch the giant.
He starts by cutting off two of his arms.
I stare as both of those arms fall to the ground within a single figure-eight sword stroke. That move was a thing of beauty as Rakiz skillfully dodged the mace when it swung toward his head.
The giant roars again, and I slap my hands over my ears. The mace hits the wall of the prexa, and I grimace as a tiny waterfall of rocks fall from the roof above us.
The giant swings again, and I tense as Rakiz jumps back. There’s hardly any space for him to move. We all scatter to give him more room, but as soon as the mace hits the other wall, Rakiz blocks the fist that’s heading toward his face.
With his sword.
“Another one bites the dust,” I sing softly to myself as the arm hits the ground. Hewex widens his eyes at me like he thinks I might possibly be crazy.
I shrug. The enclosed space is definitely getting to me.
The giant roars, and it’s the last sound he ever makes. Rakiz’s sword slides through his neck muscles like a knife through butter, and we all watch as what’s left of the giant falls to the ground.
Rakiz whips his head around, running his gaze over my body as he checks if I’m okay. I give him a thumbs-up, and he frowns slightly in confusion. His eyes are wild, but he blows out a long breath and sheaths his sword. He nods at Tagiz, who steps over the body, and then Rakiz follows him, waiting on the other side for me.
I frown down. There’s no way I can get to the other side without stepping on the giant, and I like these boots. I squeak as Rakiz leans over and lifts me, using nothing but his arms and abs to pull me over the body.
“Show-off,” I mutter, but I stroke one hand over his arm in thanks.
The next few minutes are uneventful until we reach yet another crossing. I’m good with directions, but at this point, even I’ll struggle to get out of here if our little excursion goes downhill.
We turn left again, following the prexa until we’re suddenly standing in a room about the size of the meeting room in Rakiz’s hut back at the camp. Five other prexas also lead into this room, all exiting in different directions. This is one of the trading posts that the blue woman told me about.
In fact, there’s a blue man who looks a little like the blue woman’s mate currently talking to a Voildi. The Voildi sneers at us but says nothing, since he’s completely outnumbered. The blue man passes something to the Voildi, who hands a small package back, and t
hen the Voildi stalks away, baring his teeth at the warriors.
Tagiz’s hand strays to his sword as he contemplates the Voildi.
“No violence in the trading post,” a raspy voice says, and I turn, taking in a bent old man. His leathery skin is a shade of blue similar to the alien who just traded with the Voildi, but he’s twice the size with numerous horns winding from his head, reminding me of a mishua.
“Seriously?” I ask. “That’s a rule?”
He nods. “Neutral ground. Kill someone here, and you’ll be hunted by every creature around.” The horned man tilts his head at Tagiz, and a slow smile creeps over his face. “Doesn’t mean you can’t follow him to a quiet prexa and get the job done.”
I can practically see Tagiz itching to go fight the Voildi. He shakes his head though, and the horned man lets out a low laugh.
He’s leaning against a large rock, watching the trading happen around us. Rakiz examines the room and reaches behind him, taking the tail of my shirt in his hand and reassuring himself that I’m close.
“Araz,” Horned Man says, and the tension level in the trading post shoots sky-high. A few creatures glance at our group and decide they have business elsewhere, scuttling away down various prexas.
“You know who I am,” Rakiz says in a silky voice. Horned Man laughs again, and I have the urge to take him by the hand and show him what Rakiz just did to the last creature who pissed him off.
“I do.”
The shadow of a smile remains on his mouth, and I sigh.
“How about we cut the crap? What do you want?” I ask.
Horned Man’s gaze flicks to me, and he examines me. It’s not sexual, more like he’s filing away what I look like for future reference, but Rakiz tenses further.
Horned Man nods suddenly as if deciding something, and he gets to his feet. His face turns serious, and he bows formally to Rakiz.
“You recently helped a friend of mine,” he says. “A friend too proud to accept help from those she knows.”
Rakiz’s face is blank, and Horned Man sighs, his face serious. “You have given her the means to cure her sick children. For the first time, she will be able to get more than a few hours’ sleep each night. She will no longer have to listen to the choked sounds of her babies struggling to breathe as she prays to all the gods that she will be able to afford medicine the next day.”