Aubrey clenched his jaw. He could only be Moribund. The man he had never seen; the man who had forced him to kill so many people. Heat seared the back of his skull. A memory flashed. A long shard of steel sinking into a uniformed body… Hot red liquid spilling over his hands… The smell of raw meat… Something in his chest vibrated and rumbled.
Seht looked down at him and raised a brow. “You’re growling.”
“Huh?” Aubrey’s thoughts stilled. He blinked up at Seht, shocked.
“I’m…growling?”
Seht eased up off Aubrey, rising into a squat. He slid his bolt rifle off his shoulder and into his hands. His fanged smile was chilling. “You were saying something about not being a beast?”
“Shut up!” That’s when he realized that was also baring his fangs. He sat up cautiously and felt his cheeks heat furiously. Crap.
Seht waved at Aubrey. “This way.” Moving quietly, they strode across the clearing and downhill into deep brush.
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Chapter Thirteen
Seht stopped cold among the standing stones at the edge of a broad clearing.
Damn.
Only a step behind him, Aubrey stared at the wavering air that marked Seht’s hidden ship just on the other side of the clearing.
Seht grabbed the front of Aubrey’s suit and hauled Aubrey behind a large rock.
Held fast in Seht’s grip, Aubrey teetered off balance. “What the—”
Seht dropped into a crouch, pulling Aubrey down with him. “We are not alone.”
A flurry of whizzing pops echoed between the tall rocks from more than one direction accompanied by shouts in several languages.
Aubrey sucked in a sharp breath. It sounded like a lot of men, with a lot of guns.
Just how many people were hunting him?
Seht peeked past the edge of a jagged stone. “I do not think they have seen us.”
Aubrey knelt up and strained to look past Seht’s shoulder. “Then who are they shooting at?”
“Stay down.” Seht pushed Aubrey back. “From the voices, it appears that my cousin grew impatient and came for me.”
“Oh…” Aubrey scraped a hand through his hair. “So, how are we supposed to get past this?”
“We go around it.” Seht looked over at Aubrey. “Are you good for a fast run?”
Aubrey snorted. He wasn’t even winded. He grinned. “Just try to leave me behind.”
Seht raised a brow at him. “You’re showing teeth.”
Aubrey’s grin dissolved into a scowl. “Well, excuse me for smiling.”
Seht rolled his eyes. “You can smile; just avoid baring your teeth while you do it.”
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Aubrey had to work to suppress a growl. Of all the stupid things to bitch about…
“Can we worry about that later, when people aren’t shooting for us?”
“Stubborn brat!” Seht bared his teeth and released a low growl. “I am definitely beating you at my first opportunity.” He bolted back the way they had come, zigzagging between the rocks.
Aubrey lunged after him. What in Bleeding Fate was his problem?
The run through the rocks and brush was a howling mess of gunshots, violent shouts, and moving shadows caused by flashes of too-bright light from muzzle fire.
And blood. The smell of wet copper and raw meat was overpowering. It was also arousing. He was getting hard, and hungry.
Aubrey nearly tripped. What the hell? What kind of freak got turned on from blood? Never mind that, how the hell was he supposed to run with a hard-on? His trousers tightened, and his steps faltered. Shit. He grabbed himself to set his dick a bit more comfortably and nearly lost sight of Seht in the process.
Seht stopped and looked back at Aubrey, frowning.
Aubrey hurried to catch up.
A red flower bloomed on Seht’s left upper thigh and dripped. As though in slow motion, Seht’s eyes widened, and his lips parted. He turned sharply to the side, slamming back against a standing stone, and collapsed.
Shock blazed at the back of Aubrey’s skull. “Seht!” He didn’t think, he threw out his hands and leaped, putting every ounce of power into his legs. He landed practically on top of Seht, very nearly falling on him, and dragged him behind a rock.
Seht gasped on the ground. “No need to shout. It is merely a bolt.” He lifted a hand.
“Move back.”
“‘ Merely a bolt,’ he says.” Aubrey moved back and crouched down, unsure of what to do.
“This is not my first bolt wound.” Seht sat up and scowled, baring his teeth. He took a breath and grabbed the leg of his suit. “I doubt it will be my last.” He dug his long nails into the tear and ripped the fabric, exposing the bullet hole. “At least it is not in a vital area.” He grabbed at his sleeve and wrenched. The fabric ripped from the shoulder and came free.
Aubrey blinked. He couldn’t have done that. He sighed. Oh yeah… Seht was mechanically augmented, where he wasn’t.
A whisper of pain throbbed in Aubrey’s leg. He winced. Apparently, words weren’t the only things transferred through the telepathic link in the collar. He felt something else. A freezing-hot searing between his eyes that raised the hair on the back of his neck. Aubrey blinked. Anger, he was feeling anger. Seht was furious.
“Idiots.” Seht wrapped the sleeve around his left leg, and a growl rumbled from him. “We would have made it.” He knotted the sleeve with sharp jerks. “But, oh no, Syrhus 80
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just had to come down and stir this viper’s nest!” He grabbed Aubrey’s shoulder. “Help me up.”
Aubrey grabbed Seht under his arm and around his waist to lever Seht onto his feet and against Aubrey’s right side. He groaned under Seht’s weight. “Bloody Fate, you weigh a ton.”
Seht snorted. “Ah, yes…” He looped his arm around Aubrey’s shoulders, balancing on his right leg. “You have no augmentations.”
“And you do.” Aubrey readjusted his grip to free his left hand. “Give me the rifle.”
Seht looped the rifle’s strap over his shoulder so that the rifle draped on his right side, out of Aubrey’s reach. “No.”
Aubrey stared at him. “You can’t shoot it—”
“Forget the rifle!” Seht leaned forward, forcing Aubrey to step forward or fall over.
“Go!”
Aubrey went. Side by side, they limped forward at a fairly swift walk with Aubrey acting as Seht’s crutch. His feeling of discomfort grew stronger. He didn’t like being unarmed with Seht wounded. If they were attacked, there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it. “Can I have a knife at least?”
Seht sighed heavily. “Very well.” He pulled his long dagger and sheath from his belt at the small of his back. “Do not pull it unless there is need, and for Night’s sake, do not pull it before any Skeldhis!”
“Yeah, fine, whatever.” Aubrey took the sheathed dagger. He jammed it into the slender belt around his suit and felt a hell of a lot better. “I just don’t like being unarmed.”
Seht snorted. “Apparently not. You have been grumbling about it for a while.”
Aubrey winced. He was going to have to do something about guarding his thoughts.
They turned past a group of boulders, and Aubrey froze. Every hair on his body rose, and an icy sweat formed down his back. Something wasn’t right.
Seht frowned at him. “What is it?”
Aubrey stepped back, urging Seht back the way they’d come. “I don’t know.” He wasn’t sure what was wrong, but something definitely wasn’t right. He looked around sharply. He didn’t see anything or hear anything other than the wind… He sucked in a sharp breath. That was it; the silence. The shooting and shouting had stopped.
Seht’s fingers dug into his shoulder. “Over there.” He raised his chin toward the right.
Aubrey pulled Seht back and shoved him back against a stone, then tugged his hands
free of Seht.
Seht winced and teetered off balance. He grabbed the stone for balance. “Aubrey?”
His heart pounding in his mouth, Aubrey turned his back to Seht, pressing him back against the stone.
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Seht gasped. “Aubrey!”
Aubrey pulled the long knife from the sheath.
Four fully armored men stepped from the surrounding rocks. They froze.
One of the armored men tilted his helmeted head. “Holy fuck, the kid is still alive!”
The one in the center, wearing officer’s bars, raised his hand. “Take it easy, kid, we’ve come here to get you.”
Aubrey held up the knife. “Go the fuck away.”
“Who’s that behind him?”
Seht swung the rifle forward, the long barrel pointing past Aubrey. “Good evening, gentlemen. If you’ll excuse us, my pet and I are on our way home.”
The officer nodded. “Somebody shoot that.”
Aubrey held out his arms, bared his long teeth, and growled. “Nobody touches him.”
“Don’t shoot the kid!”
“Hey, is he supposed to have fangs? I thought he was human?”
“Ah, fuck… He’s been bit.”
“Who gives a shit, as long as he’s still breathing?”
“Yeah, but now we know why he’s breathing.”
Aubrey had no clue what they were talking about and didn’t particularly care. He could barely think past the white burning at the back of his skull. It wasn’t fear; it was anticipation. If they took one step closer, he was going to rip their hearts out. His lips curled into a fanged smile.
Seht chuckled. “Gentlemen, I really think you should let us pass, before it is too late.”
The officer waved. “Ignore that and get the kid.”
Two men shouldered their rifles and moved toward Aubrey. Seht’s rifle went off very close to Aubrey’s head. Sound disappeared completely, and one man fell.
Aubrey tightly focused on the man left and lunged. The world drifted into slow motion. It was a simple matter to duck, avoiding the hands reaching for him, and dip his knife into the unprotected arm joint of the man’s armor. As though he had all the time in the world, he carefully angled for the heart. He pushed deep and twisted. He stepped back, pulling the knife free at the same time. Scarlet sprayed in a slow, lovely arc.
It felt right. It felt good. No, it felt better than good, it felt great! He grinned.
The man folded at his feet.
He raced for the man standing nearby. Dodging the grasping hands was so very easy. So was stabbing upward under the jaw of the helmet. He pulled his knife free and twisted away from the spray of liquid rubies.
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Hunger burned in his belly. He raised his knife and licked at the warm blood running down the steel. It wasn’t enough. He wanted meat. He focused on the last enemy before him. The heart… He was willing to bet he could rip it out and bite into it before it stopped beating.
Somewhere at the back of his mind, someone was shouting his name. He ignored it.
The enemy trembled, and the bitter perfume of fear filled the air between them.
The man dropped where he stood.
Disappointment crashed down. A howl ripped from his throat. Sound abruptly returned.
“Aubrey!”
He stiffened. That voice… He knew that voice. He turned.
Leaning heavily against a tall rock was a beautiful, silver-haired boy. A rifle was slung over his shoulder in an unthreatening manner. The scent of sweat and blood rolled from his body. It was a familiar aroma. It was a delicious aroma. The boy held out his hand. “Come, pet. Come to me.” His voice was gentle but firm.
A chill raced from the back of his skull straight down his spine, leaving shivers in its wake. His hands shook. He took a step toward the boy on shaking legs, and then another. The knife fell from nerveless fingers.
Tall, pale shadows glided at the edges of his vision.
The boy’s gaze darted from side to side, then focused on him. “Look at me, pet, only at me.”
He stepped closer, drawn by the voice and the perfume of his skin. Thought surfaced through the burning haze in his mind. He blinked. “Seht?” His knees wobbled, and he reached out toward him.
“Yes.” Seht kept his hand out, and a crooked smile bloomed. “I can’t go to you.
You have to come to me.”
Aubrey’s gaze was drawn to the rag tied around his leg. That’s right, he was shot.
He lurched to Seht and grabbed for his hand. His knees gave out, and he collapsed in a trembling heap at Seht’s feet. He wanted nothing more than to pass out right there.
“Very good.” Seht slid his fingers through Aubrey’s tangled hair. “How do you feel?”
Aubrey snorted and then groaned. “Like total crap.”
Seht frowned at him, his gaze darting about. “Are you wounded?”
Aubrey lifted his arms to look at them and tugged at his ship-suit. Blood was spattered everywhere, and several rents had been torn into his suit, but the sting of cut flesh seemed to be missing. “Doesn’t feel like it.”
Seht released a soft breath and flashed a small smile. “Good.”
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Half a dozen tall, dark shadows eased from behind rocks and brush to become men in decorative black helmets and armor, bearing swords and bolt rifles.
Aubrey stiffened.
“It’s all right.” Seht continued to stroke Aubrey’s hair. “Just stay as you are.”
A man in a deep green cape, his shoulders enveloped in black fur, stepped forward. He pulled the black helmet from his head, releasing a cascade of white hair.
Thousands of green beads gleamed among the tiny braids of his hair. An iridescent black circlet graced his brow above gleaming blue eyes that held the deep green glow of reflected light. “Deshryt Seht.” He crossed his arms and frowned deeply. “You are late.”
Aubrey blinked. Eh?
“Atehf Syrhus.” Seht dropped his gaze and delivered a short bow. “You could have left me. My ship is jump capable.”
Aubrey’s brows rose. This was Seht’s uncle? Cousin? Both?
Syrhus’s gaze shifted to Aubrey, and his brows lifted.
Aubrey pulled his gaze away just in time to avoid a direct stare. He didn’t want this man focusing on him, though he wasn’t sure why.
Syrhus shifted his gaze back to Seht and scowled. “As long as you are in my care, you will be accounted for at all times.”
Seht snorted. “I am so blessed, Syr.” Sarcasm dripped from his words.
Aubrey tilted his head. He called him Syr? Apparently that word was a standard form of address to one’s superior. Suddenly his resistance to the word felt a little…silly.
“And you will count those blessings once we reach the ship, I promise you.”
Syrhus nodded toward Aubrey. “Would you care to explain that?”
Seht lifted his chin. “That is mine.”
Syrhus sighed and scraped a hand through his long, beaded mane. “In the midst of a raid”—he curled his lip, revealing one long fang—“only you would stop to pick up a half-starving stray.”
Stray? Aubrey felt a growl begin to rise. He took a very deep breath to smother it.
Seht’s fingers bit hard into Aubrey’s shoulder. Apparently he wasn’t happy with Syrhus’s words either.
Syrhus’s gaze narrowed and focused, staring hard at Aubrey. He frowned. “Please tell me that that is not the prey Moribund was stalking?”
Aubrey turned sharply away and glared at the ground.
Seht’s nails dug into Aubrey’s shoulder. “It is, Syr.”
Syrhus sighed and wiped a hand down his face. “How many doses?”
Seht’s expression shifted to something like mild disinterest. “On his second, Syr.”
Abruptly, Syrhus turned awa
y to face the other pale shadows and snapped out something in a language Aubrey couldn’t begin to decipher.
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Aubrey looked up at Seht. “Is there a problem?”
Seht stroked his shoulder, but anger shimmered at the back of his thoughts. “No.”
Syrhus turned back to Seht. “Come.”
Seht stiffened. “My barque…”
“You are going to it. However, you’re in no condition to pilot anything.” Syrhus stared pointedly at the blood sliding down his leg.
Seht bowed briefly. “Yes, Syr.”
Syrhus turned and started walking.
Seht patted Aubrey’s shoulder. “Time to go home.”
Aubrey rose, or rather he tried to. His legs utterly refused to cooperate. Panic slammed into his heart. He looked up at Seht in alarm and watched the boy’s pale face disappear down a long dark tunnel.
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Chapter Fourteen
Aubrey opened his eyes to a low, domed ceiling lit by small dim lights along the curved wall, and the softness of a mattress under him. The bed and the room around it appeared to be round. An echo of pain radiated in his heart. “Another needle? ”
“Yes.” Seht eased down onto his knees and leaned over Aubrey with a soft smile.
His silver mane spilled down one shoulder to drape across Aubrey’s bare chest. He swept his hand through Aubrey’s overlong red hair, and a wave of affection pulsed straight from Seht’s mind to his. “How do you feel?”
Aubrey blinked. How did he feel? For some reason it was hard to tell. He went to lift his hand and found it ridiculously hard to do. He frowned briefly and persevered until he was able to touch Seht’s hand. “I think I’m okay, just tired.” He spotted a white patch behind the rent in the upper thigh of Seht’s ship-suit. “How about you?”
Seht snorted. “I’ll be fully recovered by the time we reach home, as will you.” He grinned. “I have so much to show you.”
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