“One problem at a time. We’ll find you a home, and you should have enough credits leftover from Az’ud to live comfortably for a while. By the time you run out of credits, I should have more jobs completed and can take care of you and the kids.”
Yet another reason she felt guilty. Fanian wasn’t currently taking any bounty hunting jobs, wasn’t making money, and was forced to live off Az’ud too. Fanian didn’t like it. She saw it on his face with every credit spent.
“You said you wouldn’t come back after you dropped us off. So how exactly will you be helping us out?” She had to force out the words. It hurt just thinking about him abandoning them.
No. She had to think of it in different terms. He wasn’t abandoning them. Splitting apart was necessary. Az’ud could track her through Fanian. She knew it was for the best, but that didn’t mean she had to be okay with it or that her heart had to be okay with it either.
“I can’t come back to visit you.” When he paused, she glanced at him and found the tick in his clenched jaw working overtime. “I’ll transfer credits into your account through a secure banking system.”
He led her to a building where people waited in line to pass through a security. She’d learned that the nicer planets had such security measures in place. They didn’t let just anyone in. They were selective. Thanks to her new identity chip and biomarkers from Senur, she wasn’t afraid of being stopped.
“You didn’t steal us from Earth, Fanian,” she whispered as she scanned her comlink over the panel beside the glass door. She kept her voice low, so the guard standing near wouldn’t hear their conversation. Once the door opened, she stepped through and waited on the other side for Fanian and the kids.
Once through, Fanian led her toward the exit. “I know, but if it weren’t for me, you might’ve had a chance of getting caught by another hunter, someone who was truly looking for a mate.”
She stepped out onto a bustling sidewalk and almost got trampled by the crowd. Fanian stopped beside her, and with a show of teeth and angling of his body, blocked someone from almost mowing her down.
“Like I would ever wish one of the other hunters would’ve caught me.”
She glanced around. There were high buildings, all with the same large city vibe. The buildings looked to be made out of silver glass that reflected the sunlight. Many of the skyscrapers touched the clouds. While that looked normal to her, there were many differences between this place and Earth. The transporters in the sky were a significant difference. They didn’t fly in a random pattern. There was a clear directional path that they all followed. This wasn’t the first planet she’d been on where the sky was used as a mode of transportation, but she would never get used to looking up and becoming scared one of the flying vehicles would come crashing down on her.
Someone brushed by her and Fanian let out a growl. She turned her attention from the sky and back to the ground. The aliens that passed them seemed to be in a rush to get to their destinations. They were dressed business-like, not the leisure garb that the aliens on the first planet she’d gone to had worn. These aliens seemed like they were important business people.
“Not all hunters were bad. You made it to Level Two. The chances of finding someone who treated you well were in your favor.”
Miranda shook her head. “I’d rather be out here struggling than forced to be someone’s mate.”
She wanted to say “out here struggling with you,” but that conversation wouldn’t get her anywhere.
Someone else almost mowed her down. Fanian moved her out of the way. “Well, until you find a mate, I’ll have to take care of you.”
“Like a burden.”
He glared. “I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to.” She turned toward him. “So what happens when you find a mate? I’m pretty sure your mate would take issue with you taking care of some random family.”
He didn’t answer her.
“Fanian?”
“I don’t intend to get a mate. It’s too dangerous for me. I couldn’t imagine hiding from the Thruul with a family in tow.”
Was it wrong for her to wish he would never find anyone, and would pine for her forever? Yes. “You’re a great guy. It will undoubtedly happen. I’m just trying to think of the future.”
“You know I can’t take that risk, Mishka. Family life isn’t for me. We can drop the subject now.”
“Oh, because you don’t want to talk about it, we have to drop it?”
“Yes.”
She rolled her eyes. “Typical male.”
“So, you know enough Givvek males that you can compare us?”
“I said, typical male. Meaning, you’re acting like every other male, not specifically Givvek.”
His lips twitched. “Are we arguing?”
She lifted her chin. “No.”
He chuckled lightly. “Come on. Let’s look at the first apartment.” He tugged on her arm, making her follow him. “From all the hateful looks, we’re obviously in everyone’s way.”
She followed him down a path. The green light on the ground had arrows pointing in the direction they were walking. Across a barrier, there were red lights on the ground. She guessed if she was on that side and walking in the opposite direction, the ground would be green.
“Ugh. An apartment. I hated living in one on Earth. Now, it looks like I’ll be stuck in one on an alien planet. Just my luck,” she grumbled the last part.
“This one is nice. Well, I’ve never seen it, but it should be nicer than living on a spaceship. Omni said it has plenty of room for Adam and Lexi to play without you being afraid they’ll hurt themselves or break something.”
“I appreciate your efforts. I do. But for once, I’d like to live in a house.” She closed her eyes, remembering the house across the street from her parents. She’d been in love with it since she was a kid. “Brick, two-story colonial-style house. Blue shutters and matching blue door. A nice wrap-around front porch with an immaculately landscaped yard, surrounded by a white picket fence and in the backyard, there would be a jungle gym for the kids.”
“Picket fence? Shutters?”
Miranda sighed. “Never mind. Let’s go look at this apartment.”
FANIAN WORKED HARD, pretending everything was fine. It’d been his idea to look for available housing. Whenever he’d thought about keeping them and becoming part of their family, he’d been the one to press her about finding a home planet. That didn’t mean he had to be happy about giving them up, which now seemed inevitable.
Miranda liked the second apartment they’d viewed. It was also well within their price range. Thanks to Az’ud, they could pay five years’ rent upfront, stock up the food processor for just as long, and she would still have enough credits left over to live comfortably. She wouldn’t want for anything.
Without worrying about Az’ud, Miranda could settle into her new life, make friends, and eventually find a suitable mate.
And if she found a mate, Fanian would break his rule, come back and kill him.
“Are you going to keep grumbling and growling under your breath, or are you going to get that?”
Fanian stared at Miranda blankly. They were sitting on a bench in an outdoor cafeteria. She’d wanted to feed the kids lunch before they viewed the last apartment.
She ate her sandwich and tilted her head to his comlink. “That thing keeps going off.”
Fanian shook his head, trying to erase thoughts of having to spend the rest of his life without her. He glanced at his comlink, and seeing the familiar name, ignored the incoming holo-call.
“Az’ud?”
He shook his head again. “No, but it’s most likely someone acting on his behalf. Az’ud’s reach runs deep. He was able to secure me a spot in The Hunt. I should’ve guessed he would have a contact there who would attempt to track us down.”
“Who’s trying to contact you?”
“Bradliix, the Game Warden’s assistant.”
“You know...” she sai
d thoughtfully.
“What?”
“When I was in the processing center, I was too shell shocked to ask about the others. It would be nice to know where they ended up. Maybe I could live on the same planet as them? If the Game Warden’s assistant is trying to keep up with us, that means he might know where they are too.”
“Trust me. He isn’t contacting me to provide details about the other humans. He’s trying to figure out where we are so he can tell Az’ud.”
She waved a utensil in the air. “Omni said he couldn’t track us by the comlinks. She scrambled them. So what’s the harm in answering?”
He gave her a meaningful look. “You may not want to know how they fared, Mishka. The Hunt isn’t...”
Some of the humans were taken in Level One. Those humans were probably pets and used as breeding mares, or they’d been auctioned off to the highest bidder. He didn’t want to make her upset.
“We ended up okay. I have to believe the others made it out okay too. I just have to,” she begged.
His comlink pinged again with an incoming request.
“Answer it,” she urged. “Please.”
He couldn’t resist her and reluctantly tapped the communication icon. “What do you want from me?”
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you and Miranda,” Bradliix responded.
“I’ll tell you the same thing that I told Az’ud. I’m not giving Miranda to him. So you can stop contacting me.”
“I don’t know who Az’ud is.”
“He’s the person who paid for me to enter The Hunt. You and the Game Warden are aware I was a contracted hunter and under his employment.”
“That doesn’t concern me. You claimed the prey, er, Miranda, and per the rules, she is your responsibility now.”
“Then why are you contacting me?”
“The other humans she was in The Hunt with are trying to locate her. I must remind you that you’re under no obligation to allow her to talk to them, but if you would allow—”
Half of Miranda’s body was across the table with her hand on his wrist, pulling it closer, before he could blink. “The others? Can you tell me about them? Where is Esme? Ben? Are they safe?”
“Yes, they’re safe, and they’ve been looking for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Miranda twisted in her seat as the chauffeured hovercar zoomed closer to what had to be the most jaw-dropping palace she’d ever seen in her life. There were building extensions to the left and right, painted white with light blue, pink, and purple designs. The top of the buildings had towers with windows that reminded her of fairy tale castles. There were also rounded structures on the roof with pointed tops where flags draped, blowing in the soft wind.
“This is where Payton and Jack live?” Adam asked. “It’s so big!”
Miranda turned from her window to look over Adam’s head which was pressed against the opposite window. From the little she could see, Adam’s view was as awe-inspiring as hers. There were walking paths within a garden full of brightly colored flowers. The park seemed to stretch on forever.
She and Payton had talked often during the two weeks it had taken Miranda to reach Ipakethe, Payton’s new home planet, Payton had explained she was claimed by a hunter who was also a prince. Miranda had guessed there was a palace involved because, obviously, in her mind, prince equaled palace. She hadn’t expected this.
“Will Ben and Esme be here too?” Adam asked.
“Esme is here. Ben will come later.”
Payton and Esme had found everyone except for Kaylin. Danny had been taken from The Hunt by force, and Ben was a breeder for a warrior race. Yesenia had left willingly in Level Two, and Min had made it to Level Three. Spencer was in a pet in a harem, and Mary Ann hadn’t fared much better.
The lighting changed from bright to artificial as they maneuvered into the transport bay. Miranda’s stomach grumbled, not because she was hungry, but because of anxiety. She hadn’t seen Esme or Payton in...how long had it been? Four, five months or six?
There was no way of telling since time moved differently in space and on every planet they’d gone to. She’d stopped trying to keep up a while ago.
One thing would be certain, none of them were the same people who’d initially entered The Hunt. Miranda surely wasn’t the same. She’d gone from a depressed and stressed-out single mom who’d thought she was a magnet for bad luck, to a strong mom who’d do anything to protect her kids and who loved a hunter unconditionally.
Butterflies erupted in her stomach. She placed a hand over her abdomen.
“Nervous?” Fanian asked. He’d been quiet for most of the day. She’d been too stressed and worried about her reunion to press him about it.
She glanced at him and gave him a wavering smile. “A little. Can you tell?”
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “What’s to be nervous about? These are your friends.”
“Friends would be a stretch. Payton and Esme have had time to become friends. They’ve been in communication for a while now. We came into The Hunt together, but we didn’t spend a lot of time together.” She knew she rambled, but couldn’t stop. “Ours was a forced camaraderie. I wonder if they’ll like me now. I mean, the new me. I was a different person then.”
“They were together while you were stuck with me,” he grumbled. “I should’ve answered Bradliix sooner. I’m sorry for keeping you from them.”
“If I had a choice I would stay with you.”
Sadness shone in his eyes. “Mishka—”
“I see them! I see them!” Adam unfastened his seat belt and bounced from his seat. He banged on the window and waved. “Esme! Hi!”
Miranda closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forgetting her conversation with Fanian for now. Deep breaths did nothing to help steady her crazy nerves.
Fanian squeezed her hand again. His touch was warm and comforting. His very presence helped. He was her constant and her home and soon he’d no longer be by her side.
Miranda closed her eyes against the pain.
“Don’t worry. If they didn’t want you here, they wouldn’t have spent all this time searching for you. Bradliix said that both Esme and Payton have been trying to find you since they left The Hunt. They’ll love you as much...” He snapped his mouth shut.
She knew what he wanted to say because she’d stopped herself from saying the same word many times. Love. She loved him, and he loved her. They’d never told each other, but there was no doubt how they felt. Saying it would only pour salt in an open wound.
The hovercar came to a halt on a whisper. “I hope you’re right.”
“Come on.” Fanian stood and picked up Lexi to sit her on his hip. Lexi’s tiny hand grabbed a fistful of his shirt and the other wrapped behind his back. Her children loved him as much as she did.
“Do you want me to take her?”
“No. I have her. You need your hands free.” He dipped, angling his head to look out the window. “Besides, I think there’s going to be a lot of hugs involved by the way they’re running over here.”
Miranda peeked out the window. Esme, Payton, and another woman who Miranda had never seen before rushed toward them.
“I’m ready, open the door.”
Adam ran out first, pushing past her and Fanian. “Esme!”
He launched into Esme’s outstretched arms. Esme picked him up and swung him around. Laughing she said, “Adam! Oh, how I’ve missed you!”
Esme looked exactly as Miranda remembered her; a pretty, short Latina with dark brown hair. She’d been shy and quiet before, but now she carried an air of confidence about her.
Miranda exited next with Fanian behind her.
“Look at you!” Payton said as she approached Miranda.
Payton also looked the same, but instead of her hair pulled back into a ponytail, she had it in braids of varying sizes in no discernable style. They looked odd compared to her clothing that screamed money and royalty.
“You look
like one hot momma. All lean and fit,” Payton continued.
Miranda ran a hand down her outfit. Fanian had asked if she wanted to stop and pick out a new outfit for the meeting, and she’d declined. Now she regretted that decision. She had on a simple one-piece skinsuit and matching boots. Next to Payton, Esme, and the new woman, she stuck out like a sore thumb.
“Jesus. I don’t know why you’re standing there and acting all shy.” Payton had Miranda in a tight hug before Miranda could blink. “I was so worried about you all.”
Miranda hugged her back. Happy, the awkward greeting part was over. She’d wanted to run to both Esme and Payton when she’d first saw them, but held back for fear they wouldn’t want that type of greeting. “Thank you for looking for me.”
Esme wrapped her arm around Miranda too. “We wouldn’t have stopped until we found you. I’m sorry it took so long.”
A sob broke from Miranda’s lips. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed being in the presence of other adult humans or how much she’d missed them too. It’d been much easier to forget about The Hunt and focus on staying away from Az’ud rather than wondering how everyone else faired. She hadn’t wanted to think about them not making it out, or worse, ending up being owned by someone like Az’ud.
“Don’t start that crying shit. I vowed to hold it together,” Payton grumbled.
Miranda nodded and wiped tears from her eyes.
Esme pulled her back to take an assessing look at Miranda. “All in one piece. I prayed and prayed.”
Payton chuckled. “I did a lot of praying myself.”
“Thank you. We needed all the prayers we could get,” Miranda said with a light laugh.
“Payton, where’s Jack?” Adam asked.
“He’s around here somewhere. With a place this big, it’s hard to keep track of him, but I think he’s in the garden somewhere. I only see him about twice a day nowadays. In the morning and when he drags himself back to our wing at night to crash.” Payton smoothed a hand over his hair. “I’ll try to wrangle him for you. I’m sure he would love to see you again and have a kid to play fetch with him.”
Hunted by the Alien Vampire Page 22