by A. G. Wilde
“I speak the truth,” Shive repeated. He wasn’t struggling to break free. Instead, his arms fell and he endured Kyro’s suffocating hold. “I didn’t take her. She’s been taken by a spy. He is working for the High Tasqals.”
He was aware of his eyes widening as he released his hold on the chitinous male a little.
“Explain.”
“M’Agunt.” Shive took a breath. “M’Agunt is a spy. He’s working for the Tasqals. I wasn’t sure about it. I was working undercover based on some intelligence my team came upon. M’Agunt is no merchant. He is working for a Tasqal called Messius Proctor Tracki. The one they call His Excellence.”
Kyro released his hold some more.
Shive took another breath.
“He’s been leaking information about missions to Tracki. He told him when the humans were brought on the base.”
“Go on,” Kyro ground out. The more Shive spoke, the more the rage that was building within him felt like a fire igniting his entire being.
“Tracki was one of the Tasqals who’d paid for the humans’ abduction. He’d paid for the one who lives in these quarters. Heard she wasn’t bonded to anyone yet. They’d been keeping eyes on her, waiting for the right moment to take her away.”
A growl left his lips that had Shive pressing himself into the wall as if he wanted to put distance between them.
“If I recall,” Kyro spoke through gritted teeth, “You were ‘keeping eyes’ on her too. Explain.” He shook Shive, his hands tightening around the male’s throat once more.
“I was only trying to keep a look out. I had no real proof. I couldn’t take the matter to headquarters. It was only a hunch based on the initial communication I received. I only came here this day to warn her after I saw her with M’Agunt at the shuttle bay. He had almost gotten her to leave with him. No doubt he would have taken her to Tracki. But when I got here, she was gone.”
Kyro’s eyes narrowed. “Then why did you hide?”
“Because of this.” Shive motioned to Kyro’s arms at his throat. “I was trying to avoid this. I am aware you don’t trust me.”
“Why should I trust you? You already tried to get her into your bed. How do I know that what you say is true?” Kyro shook him.
“Because if I had her in my bed I wouldn’t be here right now.” Shive looked at him pointedly and Kyro growled low in his chest.
With one movement, Kyro threw the male to the side, a sharp crack sounding as if some chitin plates were broken when the male’s body hit the other wall.
Shive hissed in pain.
The rage Kyro felt had him punching a hole in the wall beside him. His fist went right through, crumbling the material like paper.
Beside him, on the floor, the wide eyes of Shive caught his peripheral gaze as the male gaped at the hole.
“M’Agunt,” Kyro growled.
Eyes slicing to Shive, he spoke, “Follow me” as he began moving toward the door. “One wrong move and your face will be that wall.”
He was barely aware of Shive nodding before they exited the room.
M’Agunt made a mistake making a deal with one of the slimy Tasqals.
If they thought Evren was alone, that she wouldn’t have anyone fighting for her, they were in for a nasty surprise.
He wouldn’t stop till she was safe again. He didn’t care if that meant taking on the entire ship by himself.
36
Rage.
Possessiveness.
Obsession.
All three channeled through him and the beings they passed on the street must have seen it all printed on his face because they parted, moving to the side as he stormed through on the way to his living quarters.
Behind him, Shive followed as told.
They had to move quickly.
Sending a message via datapad to the rest of his brothers, he told them to meet him in the conference room immediately. It was a Code 11. Once M’Agunt did the handoff, it would be near impossible retrieving Evren from the Tasqals. They needed to move now if there was any hope for a rescue.
And he would rescue her. Even if it was the last thing he did.
Entering his quarters, the door slid shut after Shive entered behind him. He was barely aware of Rokan’s confused stare, which promptly turned suspicious when he spotted Shive.
“Brother, is something the matter?”
Kyro was already moving through the space, throwing the gadgets he’d need into a bag. “They’ve taken her.”
“Her?” Rokan glanced between him and Shive. “The human?”
“Evren and yes, they’ve taken her.” Kyro pulled out a drawer full of gadgets, searching for the right one. He needed a distorter, a gadget that could distort a person’s cells so they appeared to be something else. He had a good feeling he was going to need one.
“Who took her?” Rokan moved from his seat to stand, his arms folding across his chest.
“The merchant called M’Agunt is a spy,” Shive offered. “He’s been feeding information to the Tasqals. He is taking the human to Messius Proctor Tracki.”
“The one they call His Excellence?” Rokan asked, his eyes widening almost imperceptibly. “And you know this how?”
“I’ve been keeping eyes on him ever since my team came upon some leaked information. He’s been trying to get close to the human since she arrived on the base.”
Rokan approached Shive, his face set in a snarl. “And you tell us this now?! When it is too late?!”
“I—”
Turning his attention to Kyro, Rokan said, “It is difficult to get in contact with Tracki. How do you intend to retrieve her?”
“It is not a question of how but when. M’Agunt has already left.” Kyro was moving toward the door without another word, his bag packed and hanging from his hand. In his waist were two blasters. “You,” he said to Shive. “Follow me.”
“I will come too, brother,” Rokan said, reaching for his blade. “You will need all the help you can get.”
“It’s not going to be easy just getting her back,” Shive said from behind him. Kyro didn’t bother to spare him a glance or acknowledge his statement as he headed to the gravity lift.
“She will be guarded,” Shive continued.
Turning so suddenly Shive had little time to move, Kyro spun, his arm closing around the chitinous male’s throat before Shive could blink.
“Let me worry about mine. I have not forgotten your stunt in the market. Don’t think that because you have offered me this information that you are safe now from my wrath.”
With much reluctance, Kyro released his hold on Shive. He wanted something to crush and Shive’s throat had felt perfect. Add to the fact that Shive was not completely innocent among them, he almost gave in to the bloodlust.
“You said M’Agunt is heading to his cargo ship.” Rokan spoke as they entered the lift.
“Yes,” Shive answered, rubbing his throat absently, his wary gaze not leaving Kyro.
“Where next?” He knew why Rokan was asking. They needed to know because there was no way he was going to catch the cargo ship now. By the time his shuttle left the surface, the cargo ship would have already warped. His best bet was to head to the ship’s destination.
“Klepna 89. He’s meeting His Excellence there.”
“Klepna 89. Qrak. It will take two turns to get there.”
Kyro’s mouth set into a hard line.
Two whole days knowing she was in the clutches of his enemies.
It was two whole days that would rip him apart slowly.
“There will be guards everywhere. It’s a lost mission,” Shive continued as their feet touched the ground and the lift opened.
Kyro rounded on him, his glare enough to melt the male’s hard outer shell. “You,” he growled.
Rokan stepped between them. “We need a plan,” he said.
“There’s no time for a plan.” Kyro’s eyes cut to Rokan. “Update the others. They are awaiting me in the conference room.”
“I am taking the reserve ship.”
“It’s a suicide mission, Kyro.” Rokan’s voice held reason but this wasn’t a time for reason. This was a time for action because every second that ticked by was one for the Tasqal’s team and allowing Evren to fall into their grasp was a literal death sentence.
“Yesterday I was prepared to let her go, but not like this. Let her fall in the Tasqal’s hands? I’d rather die first.”
“You might.”
“Yes,” his eyes met Rokan’s, “I might.”
He knew Rokan saw the look in his eyes. Only Rokan knew how deep his intent was. Only Rokan would understand.
37
“You.”
She could hardly believe her eyes.
The same face, the same grin...
M’Agunt curled a purple tentacle over the back of the plush seat as he regarded her, his grin unflinching.
Beside him, a huge yeti-alien sat looking at her, his gaze not hiding his boredom. To her right, she was aware of another yeti sitting, his fingers playing idly with a blaster in his hand.
“Surprised?” M’Agunt’s grin seemed to widen, if that was possible. Only this time, there was no denying the intent behind his apparent happiness. This grin was evil. Threatening.
“I played my part well,” he said, glancing at the yeti beside him. “The jekin had no idea.”
“Jekin?” Her gaze moved to the yeti-alien beside M’Agunt briefly, wondering if M’Agunt was referring to his race. The big, white, furry alien was still looking at her as if she was a fly on the wall. A new species of fly but a fly nonetheless. She was inconsequential to him.
“Corugas,” M’Agunt snarled his meaning.
Bitch.
He meant bitch.
Her translator picked up the alternate word.
Anger bubbled within her, but she bit her lip to hold it back. An outburst wouldn’t help her right now. She needed to keep calm enough to think clearly. She was outnumbered and restrained. The best she could do for herself right now would be to try to figure out what they were planning on doing to her and how she could escape.
She was pretty sure they were no longer on the surface of the planet. She could tell from the blackness at the front of the shuttle. They were somewhere in space.
She needed information and she needed to bide her time for the right moment to try and free herself.
Or maybe she could talk them into freeing her.
“What are you talking about?” she asked. It was an effort trying to keep her voice level and unaffected. All she wanted to do was to scream at him. “Where are you taking me?”
“So many questions.” M’Agunt grinned. “It shows just how clever my plan was. Or you are just a stupid human.” His chuckle was an awful sound that made her want to launch herself across the small space to kick him in the face.
“Your plan?” Evren paused, her lip curling in disgust as she stared at him. “All this time, you were just waiting for the right moment to do this?”
“Waiting? Yes. For many, many turns.”
She was still confused though. “Why me?”
M’Agunt made a sound in his throat and the loose skin on his face moved as his face took on a look of snobbery. It was almost as if he was turning up his nose at her.
“I wondered the same thing as well,” he replied.
M’Agunt moved then, lifting himself from the seat by use of his tentacles, his shimmering gown swaying as he moved. As he slid across the space to stand in front of her, Evren fought the urge to scoot back. But she couldn’t. It was difficult shifting in the confines of the restraints that were still fastened around her body, but she managed to move back a little.
A tentacle emerged and came against her cheeks, the touch soft as M’Agunt moved his limb down her face.
“Such a strange-looking beast,” he said, his grin disappearing so suddenly it almost made her shiver. “Your kind is hideous. It is unclear to me why His Excellence wants you so badly.”
So he wasn’t abducting her for himself?
She’d thought this whole abduction was because she’d been avoiding his advances. There was another player involved?
Things were getting a bit complicated and she didn’t like that.
“His Excellence?”
M’Agunt’s eyes focused on hers and the look in them was chilling. There was coldness there. Such coldness and derision.
“I guess it doesn’t hurt letting you know now.” The corners of his lips turned up slightly. “Messius Proctor Tracki. Your master. You will be reunited with him shortly.”
“I have no master,” she bit out.
“Oh, but you do. The High Tasqals are all of our masters.” M’Agunt grinned. Behind him, she heard one of the yeti-aliens grunt.
M’Agunt’s words felt like cold water running down her back. The Tasqals? He was taking her back to the Tasqals?
No.
Not after she’d been rescued from them. Not after she’d had a chance at a life of freedom. The last thing she wanted to do was to get herself caught within their clutches once more. She knew what they were capable of and, at this point, they must only want her for one thing.
M’Agunt must have seen the thoughts fly through her head because he began to chuckle, the sound low underneath the flaps of skin at his throat.
“What do they want from me?”
M’Agunt made a movement as if he shrugged. “How should I know what they would want from such a hideous, weak species?”
As suddenly as he shrugged, his face transformed into another one of his grins. Moving close to her, his face so close she could smell his rancid breath, his eyes traveled down her face.
“What do they want from me?” he mocked. His eyes took on a dark sheen as he looked into hers as his grin dropped. “You are not worth anything else. They only want you for one thing...your cunt.”
Fuck. Him.
Pulling her head back, she launched it forward as hard as she could, slamming her forehead into M’Agunt’s nose.
With a cry, M’Agunt fell backward, a tentacle covering his face as his angry eyes turned on her.
“You dare to wound me!”
She didn’t bother to say that the wound was minor compared to what she wanted to do to him. The cutting instrument was still nestled against her spine.
She’d go down fighting rather than be taken back to the vile Tasqals.
“Fuck you.” She struggled against the restraints.
“Restrain her!” M’Agunt shouted, tentacle still nursing his nose.
The yeti-alien behind him turned his bored gaze to the other and then back to M’Agunt.
“The jekin is already restrained.”
M’Agunt groaned in frustration. “Yet, it still managed to wound me!” He glared at his accomplice.
“You!” he said, turning back to her. “You will wish you hadn’t done that.” Eyes narrowing, his mouth curved into a terrifying grin. “No physical wounds, His Excellence said. But we have another way to break you.” His voice took on a taunting intonation and Evren couldn’t help that her breathing rate increased a little.
What the fuck did he have planned?
“We must break you. His Excellence demands it.” M’Agunt stood, stretching a tentacle to a compartment above them to retrieve something. “His Excellence needs you broken for his ministrations when we arrive.” He turned back to face her, a small, circular patch at the end of his tentacle. “Broken and ready for his swelling cock, just as you jekins should be.”
His words were like poison for she felt the bile rising in her throat.
As he approached her with the patch, she tried to scoot back but was held fast by the yeti-alien close by her.
“Inject her with the serum.”
What?
She had just enough time to turn before she saw the needle going into her arm.
M’Agunt approached and stuck the pa
tch to her temple, pressing it against her skin even as her knees began to go weak.
She tried to struggle but she couldn’t move. Whatever they’d injected her with took all the strength from her muscles.
“Activate it,” M’Agunt said. “Let her remember.”
“Mama?” Evren heard herself call.
Her voice sounded different.
Opening her eyes, she paused.
Where was she?
There were trees everywhere.
Trees. Shrubs. Vines. Roots.
This couldn’t be right.
This looked exactly like...
No.
The terror crawling up her spine had her standing on shaky feet to look around her.
No.
Her heartbeat was pounding in her head so hard; she could hardly hear herself breathing.
She shouldn’t be here. How was it possible that she was here?
“Mama?” she called once more.
Her voice.
Her voice sounded different...like a child’s.
Glancing down at herself, she almost collapsed.
She was...
She was little again.
The same shoes. The same dress.
That day when she’d gotten lost.
She was there again.
She’d just been following the bunny. The one that looked like she did.
She hadn’t meant to get lost.
How? How was this possible?
“Papa?”
No.
Papa is dead.
Father is dead. Why are you calling for Papa?
“Mama?”
Mama is dead.
What was happening to her?
Turning, she tried to find the way she’d come. She needed to find Mama. Mama and Papa would be looking for her.
No.
No!
They were dead.
It felt like a fight in her mind. She was fighting with herself—against the Evren that she knew now and the Evren back then.
The young Evren.
The scared Evren.
It was as if her mind couldn’t differentiate the past from her present.
They want to break you.
They’re trying to break you.