She would forget about his old ship and all of the old furniture inside it. He should’ve removed the extra food dishes from the food processor. They were only a waste of space and drain on resources. Miranda now had Earth food in her new food processor. She could have desserts that reminded her of home.
Scrubbing them from his life was not an option though. It would bring home they were gone for good, and he was utterly alone. Again.
Fanian reached Melis’s private office without so much as any of the Kgosi’s personal guards standing in his way.
It’s a wonder someone hasn’t killed the Kgosi yet.
If his security was this lax, Miranda and the kids wouldn’t be safe here. He would have to take them to another secure location. Miranda wouldn’t like it after being reunited with her friends. Still, she would eventually see reason now that Az’ud was somewhere on Ipakethe, plotting and scheming on how to take them away at this very moment.
How long will it take Az’ud to make it to the palace? Would he come here and try to negotiate himself or send in incognito bounty hunters?
Fanian stopped at Melis’s door. The two guards on either side gave him a once over.
“Surrender your weapons,” one said.
Fanian gave a humorless smirk as he began unloading his blaster and knife onto the table, indicated by the other guard. “You’ve let me come this far with my weapons. What kind of guards let a stranger get this close to their king?”
When he was done, he waited for them to open the door.
“You have another knife hidden in your right sleeve,” the other guard said.
Fanian had concealed that weapon well. It was small, slender, and a part of his outfit just as much as the stitching in the fabric was.
“You passed through three weapons detectors on your way here,” the guard said.
“Three? Don’t you think that’s overkill?” Fanian grumbled as he liberated himself of his knife and tossed it on the table.
If he’d wanted, he could use his zvodny on these guards and get them to open the doors, but what good would that do but sow distrust? He wasn’t here for that. He was here to keep Miranda and the kids safe. If he wanted to do that, he needed Melis’s help.
“Maybe, but the new additions were a necessity. There was an attempt on our Kgosi’s life.”
“Yet, you still let me walk right up to the door.”
“Only because he was expecting you.”
Fanian chuckled. “You must have me confused with someone else. He’s not expecting me.”
“He told us three days ago to expect a visit from you.”
Three days ago? That’s when the notice about Miranda having moved to Ipakethe had gone out. Fanian didn’t have time to think about that coincidence now, even though he didn’t believe in coincidences. “Well, are you going to let me inside?”
One of the guards pressed a button, and the door slid open. Fanian walked into the expansive office. As the door closed at his back, his eyes settled on the person he’d spent these many months hiding from. Az’ud was sitting opposite of Melis’s massive desk.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. “Az’ud.” Fanian reached for weapons that were no longer on his person.
Az’ud turned and leveled a smile on Fanian that was full of malice intent. He won. If Melis wanted to hand Miranda over to Az’ud, there would be nothing Fanian could do about it. There were too many guards in the palace. He was a good fighter, but not that good.
Melis indicated to the empty chair next to Az’ud. “Welcome, Fanian. Please take a seat.”
He couldn’t think to fight the Kgosi, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t stop Az’ud himself. Fanian stretched his neck side to side. He didn’t need his weapons to take Az’ud down. Az’ud wouldn’t be leaving with Miranda, no matter what he and Melis had agreed upon. “I’ll stand.”
Az’ud chuckled and turned back to face Melis. “Don’t expect manners from someone who doesn’t honor contracts.”
Melis ignored Az’ud and kept his eyes on Fanian. “I’ve been expecting you. I thought you would’ve arrived sooner.”
Fanian lifted an eyebrow. “Why were you expecting me? I left three weeks ago.”
“You left the planet, but you’ve been hiding on the dark side of one of our moons, monitoring the incoming and outgoing traffic and communications of the space station. I’ve allowed you to do that, by the way. I wanted to reassure you we have tight security measures in place and everything under control.”
Fanian’s eyes flicked to Melis. His ship may be old, but his stealth mode was top of the line. “I was in stealth mode.”
One side of Melis’s mouth quirked up. “I have a very smart younger brother. Stealth mode means nothing to us.”
Az’ud shifted in his chair but was otherwise ignored by Melis.
“I thought you were getting tired of waiting for the inevitable to happen, so I sped it along.”
“Wait. You invited Az’ud here?” Fanian erupted.
“Not technically, but I did authorize the information regarding Miranda to be broadcasted.” Melis lifted a shoulder and gave a non-committal sound. “To be honest, I got tired of the security staff providing me with updates of what systems you and your AI were trying to penetrate daily. I have other things to do with my time. We’re in the middle of the construction of a major project. I’d like to get back to that.”
So maybe the Ngonyama weren’t as lax as he thought. But they’d still allowed Az’ud in the palace. “I won’t let him take Miranda or her kids,” Fanian growled.
“That decision isn’t up to you,” Az’ud sneered. “We have a contract in place. Since you won’t honor it, I’ve come to appeal to the Kgosi and hope he’s more honorable than you are.”
Melis steepled his fingertips together, the black claws pushed past the red skin on his fingertips. “Are you questioning my honor?” he asked in a low tone.
If Az’ud held any fear, it didn’t show. Az’ud had wealth, and with that wealth, he held power. There wasn’t much that would scare someone who believed they were untouchable.
Az’ud returned Melis’s stare. “That remains to be seen. As I’ve said when I first arrived, according to the terms of the contract file between Fanian and myself, the humans are my property. Release them to me, and I won’t take your harboring them as an offense to me.”
Melis’s claws grew and he clicked them together. “The contract is illegal. If the Okuthyu were to find out about it, you would be executed for it. If I or anyone else for that matter, honored it, we would suffer the same fate as yourself.”
“I’ll handle the Okuthyu’s if the time should come. What do you and this backward world of yours want? Alliances? I’ve heard you were begging your betters for one.” He flicked his hand. “Fine. I’ll give you mine if you return the humans to me immediately.”
Melis’s laugh was deep. “I have all the alliances I need.”
“Why did you allow him here?” Fanian demanded, hearing enough.
Melis leveled his stare on Fanian. “Because I’m Kgosi, and I don’t report or explain myself to you. This has to end. Miranda doesn’t need to live in fear any longer and you have to stop trying to martyr yourself. Settle down, be with the woman you love.”
Fanian opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say.
Az’ud leaned forward. His face tightened with anger. “My patience is wearing thin, Kgosi. I’ve asked you nicely, thinking we could be cordial with each other, but I see you want to do this the hard way.”
Melis leaned back in his large chair and arched a brow, his tail flicking in the air behind him. “Ah, so you’re planning to get your hands dirty? I thought you had your employees do all your dirty work?”
Az’ud’s body began to swell. Spikes pierced his skin, tearing through his clothes. “I don’t mind getting dirty every now and then. In fact, I enjoy it.”
Melis clicked his long black claws together and remained unmoved. “You’ve done yo
ur research on Ipakethe and me, but you’ve only read what we’ve allowed in the news files.” Melis stood, letting his red and gold robe slip from his shoulders, down his arms to fall on the floor. “Do you want to know what I did to the last person who tried to kill me?” Melis flexed his right hand, opening and closing it. “I stuck my hand through his chest and ripped out his heart.”
Az’ud pointed at Fanian, turning his hateful glare on him. “He’s using his zvodny on you. The only reason I’m not being affected is because I took a blocker.”
Melis glanced at Fanian with a look of unconcern. “Are you using your zvodny on me, Fanian?”
Fanian straightened his back and squared his shoulders. “No.”
Melis nodded then turned back to Az’ud. “He’s not using it on me.”
“He’s lying!” Spittle fell from Az’ud’s lips as he yelled.
Melis shrugged. “Eh, I trust Fanian more than I trust you.”
Az’ud was two-times larger than before. Green spikes now covered most of his body. “I only want what’s mine,” he growled at Melis.
“I don’t have anything of yours on Ipakethe,” Melis said calmly. “As far as I’m concerned, the contract between you and Fanian along with the secret contract between The Hunt and Fanian are illegal. I will not honor either one.”
“She. Is. Mine,” Az’ud snarled.
“Funny. She doesn’t think so. She told me herself that she belongs to Fanian.”
Az’ud sputtered. “You just said you wouldn’t honor the contract between The Hunt and Fanian.”
Melis shook his head. “You misunderstand me. I’m not talking about a contract. Miranda believes Fanian is her lifemate. You should know how my species feel about lifemates.”
Fanian’s knees weakened. Miranda loved him, and he loved her. When he saw her again he planned to tell her.
“What are your kingdom’s laws on open murder?” Fanian asked Melis. His eyes stayed on Az’ud.
“It is discouraged, of course. However, in cases where one person threatens or harms another’s lifemate, we are lenient.”
Hearing all he needed to hear, Fanian turned to Az’ud. “What do you plan to do with my lifemate?”
“What? She’s your lifemate now?” Az’ud laughed, deep and rumbling. “It doesn’t matter what you call her. I paid for this human. She’s mine.”
Fanian closed the distance between him and Az’ud. “Do you plan to harm my lifemate?”
A gleam passed over Az’ud’s eyes. “We might have different definitions of harm, Fanian. What you might call harm, I might call pleasure.”
“With which hand?”
Az’ud frowned. “What do you mean, with which hand?”
“Which hand do you plan to touch her with?”
“I have no time for this!” Az’ud tried to push Fanian away.
Fanian gripped Az’ud’s right arm, making sure to avoid the spikes and pulled, ripping the arm clean from the socket. It didn’t take much strength. It was like plucking a flower from the dirt. Az’ud’s screams were loud and high pitched. He stumbled back as blood spurted.
“I just got this flooring,” Melis mumbled as he stared at Az’ud’s blood soaking through his white carpet.
“Do you plan to try to breed with my lifemate?” Fanian asked Az’ud calmly.
Az’ud covered his groin with the only hand he had left. “This isn’t going to end. Even if I leave without her today, I’ll find another way to get my property back! I only announced myself to try to reason with this fool of a king. The next time I won’t bother with formalities.”
“Who will you send next time?” Melis lowered back into his seat. “One of the ships in stealth mode above my planet?”
Az’ud’s eyes widened.
“Yes, we know about your ships as well.” Melis smiled. “We aren’t as backward as you think we are.”
“The weapon’s systems on two of Az’ud’s ships are powering up,” a voice said over a speaker near Melis’s desk.
“Eliminate the threat,” Melis said.
“Done.”
“I’ve come here in good faith—”
Melis cut Az’ud off with a flick of the wrist. “You came in a warship with five stealth fighters. The only reason you didn’t attack first was because you didn’t know where on the planet Miranda was. So you had no choice but to come down and investigate for yourself. But you didn’t come alone. You brought two Yirzas who’ve infiltrated my palace.”
Fanian had heard Az’ud had Yirzas on his staff but hadn’t encountered them when he’d met with Az’ud to negotiate the initial contract. Not that he’d expected to meet them. Yirzas could blend into any environment seamlessly. Of course, Az’ud would’ve enlisted them to infiltrate the palace to locate Miranda. Locating her would’ve been easy for them, but the problem would’ve been trying to remove her and the kids.
Az’ud sputtered, and Melis continued, “You planned to keep me busy here, thinking we were negotiating the terms of Miranda’s release, while the infiltrators searched for her. Once they found her, they were going to steal her and the children away to your ship. You would leave, knowing I wouldn’t give them up, and once you were safely off-planet, you were going to launch an attack.”
Melis’s office door slid open, and Lanta came into the office. Her braids were messy, and there was a bruise on her left cheek. Melis was out of his seat like a shot and rushed over, cupping her face in his hand. “You’re hurt. You promised you wouldn’t engage, only observe.”
“They didn’t like being found out.”
Behind her, two guards came in with bundles wrapped in sheets.
“While you were researching us, my lifemate was doing her research on you.” Melis cradled Lanta protectively to his side. “Ever since Miranda and her kids came to Ipakethe, Lanta has considered herself their personal bodyguard. A past profession she hasn’t given up easily. She’s the one who told us what you might plan and how you would go about it. She’s also a skilled fighter. Your kidnappers are dead, your stealth ships are gone, and your warship is disabled. There’s nothing left for you here. If you ever return or pursue Miranda and her kids again, we will end your life. Do you understand?”
Az’ud turned to Fanian. He could barely contain the rage coursing through his body. “This is all your fault. You owe me!”
“The only thing I owe you is a refund for the credits you paid me.”
“Return them now,” Az’ud demanded, cupping his hand over his open wound.
Fanian opened his credit account on his comlink and transferred every credit Az’ud had given him, including the entrance fee to The Hunt. “Done.”
“Your business here is concluded,” Melis said. “Guards, escort Az’ud to his shuttle.”
The guards dragged Az’ud, blood dripping in his wake from Melis’s office.
“I’ll help them escort him from the palace,” Lanta said.
Melis stopped her with a hand on her arm. “No, I want you to go to the medic.”
“But—”
“Medic. Non-negotiable.”
Lanta opened her mouth to protest but closed it when Melis touch her stomach. She leaned forward and kissed him. “Medic, it is then.”
She left, leaving the two of them in his office. Fanian dropped into a chair and slumped. He wished that was the end of his problems, but it wasn’t.
Melis perched on the side of his desk and studied Fanian. “What’s the problem? With the threat of Az’ud eliminated, you can stay with Miranda.”
“Az’ud wasn’t the only threat. He’s upset. He’s threatened to tell the Thruul I’m here if he didn’t get her.”
“I know what you are and I also know that you’re good and honorable.”
“What does that matter? I’m a good and honorable, poor person who cannot stay on one planet long enough to build a life for myself for fear someone will figure out who I am and what I can do. They’ll either provide information to the Thruul, or they’ll try to enslave or extor
t me. Planet life isn’t for me, and life on a spaceship isn’t conducive for humans. They turn all sickly and pale.”
“Ipakethe can be your home, just like it’s quickly becoming Miranda’s home.”
“It can’t. I can’t endanger you and your family, and I can’t endanger Miranda and the kids. I’m a liability.”
Melis snorted. “Fanian, do you honestly believe the Thruul will come to this galaxy for you? You are but one Givvek and one isn’t sufficient to risk such a trip. Deep down, I think you’re more afraid of the idea of them coming.”
Fanian balled his hands into fists. “It’s not that easy to forget about the Thruul and the possibilities of what could happen if they come here.”
“It’s time for you to replace your old memories with new ones. You and Miranda deserve happiness.”
Could he forget about the past? Could he start anew? Ancients knew he wanted to. Fanian took a deep breath. “I gave Az’ud everything that was in my credit account. I have nothing to give to her. I can’t support a family.”
“Stay here and join my staff. I can solve your credit problem if you let me.”
Fanian shook his head. “I don’t want or need your charity.”
“What I want, is you on my staff.”
Of course, he did. No wonder he’d turned down an alliance with Az’ud. As corrupt as he was, Az’ud had power. Why ally with Az’ud when, with Fanian’s help, he could score stronger and more powerful alliances. Fanian wouldn’t allow himself to be used. He’d escaped his galaxy to ensure it.
Fanian stood. “You want to use me for my abilities.”
“If you’re talking about your ability to fight and hunt or your protectiveness and loyalty to family, then yes. I need someone like you on my security staff.”
“And my zvodny? Since you researched my species, I’m sure you know about that as well.”
“That’s a boon, but not needed.”
Fanian eyed Melis carefully. “Why would you want me on your security staff? Yours caught the two Yirzas. You seem to be doing fine without me.”
“My mate caught the Yirzas, against my wishes,” Melis pointed out with a grumble. “We’re a growing world. Our alliances are fresh and new. Our goal is for Ipakethe to become a hub for shopping, leisure, and play. I’ll need to expand my palace security as well as throughout my kingdom. I want you to lead that effort.”
Hunted by the Alien Vampire: An Alien Abduction Romance (The Hunt Book 4) Page 24