Heart of the Beast

by Sonia Nova

  You had to be tough to survive. Xeegan and Zorq had learned and relearned that lesson every day since their escape from the Krezlians – and it wasn’t like their lives before that had been a walk in the park either. They had enough on their plates just making it from day to day.

  That’s why Xeegan had initially refused to help Zeon. Again and again. He had no time or energy to be responsible for another life.

  He should have stuck to his earlier decision. Using Zeon had been a bad idea.

  Although…

  Zeon had given Xeegan an important piece of information. Now Xeegan knew that he was right not to trust the off-planet pirates. They had murdered, tried to murder, or abducted Zeon and taken him away in a vehicle. None of those options sounded good to Xeegan. He and Zorq had dodged a bullet.

  Maybe Zeon would show up later, with a few new scars and a good story to tell – if he was strong enough. It could even boost his rep among the pirates on Riala.

  Fuck… The guilt still nagged at Xeegan’s chest. He knew he shouldn’t care. He had enough things to care about as it was. But fuck if the guilt wouldn’t leave him.

  If only that female hadn’t ruined his watch.

  Xeegan could have avoided this, if not for her. He frowned, wishing he hadn’t let her run so easily.

  Though… His mind returned to the pirates who had been chasing her. There had been two Mehelians in the group. Maybe Zeon’s disappearance wasn’t completely unconnected.

  Were they trying to abduct her, like they had taken Zeon?

  Xeegan’s thoughts went around in circles for a few moments. He let out a half-groan, half-sigh. There were no clear answers here.

  “Come on, Zorq,” he said, straightening and wiping his palms on his jacket. “I changed my mind. Let’s find the female. Up for some more tracking?”

  Zorq stood as well, but didn’t answer. He just tilted his head.

  Did he not understand what Xeegan was asking? Now, of all times?

  “The female, the human, you know…” Xeegan sketched out an hourglass shape in the air, at a loss of how to clue Zorq in to what he meant.

  Zorq’s eyes lit up. He repeated the motion, and then drew a finger down the side of his mane. What? Oh.

  “Yeah, she had that weird stripe in her hair.” Zorq nodded. Why did he look so happy about finding the female? Usually, this much excitement was reserved for a good meal or a strong drink. “Let’s track her. She might have the answers we’re looking for.”

  His words never reached Zorq, however. His friend was already halfway down the alley, nose in the air.

  Xeegan followed, matching Zorq’s pace.

  Was it really necessary to find the human female? He could just go back to the bar and conduct surveillance on any Mehelians he recognized. Or ask around in the bar to see if anyone else had seen Zeon leave. There were plenty of alternatives that wouldn’t involve tracking a random human woman.

  He knew all of that, logically, but for some reason, he couldn’t get this female out of his head. He had to see her again. It was as if he had no choice. He needed to question her, to find out the story behind their earlier encounter. To breathe in that fragrant scent again.

  But first, they had to find her.

  CHAPTER 6

  KIRA

  Thankful for the lack of streetlights in this part of the city, Kira walked with her head down and her hands in her pockets.

  Even after what had happened earlier, she still had to find and track those Mehelian pirates. They were her only lead, and she wasn’t about to give up on them yet. Technically, her cover hadn’t even been broken. Those three just hated her now and didn’t trust her.

  …And then there was the case of the random Ezak-X pirate and his partner.

  Fuck… So far this mission really hadn’t gone as she had hoped.

  She still had a chance with the Mehelians though, especially if she ran into any other pirates from the group. There was a good chance that they wouldn’t recognize her face or think to keep an eye out for her following them – unless the three who had caught her earlier had decided to make a report about it to the rest of them.

  There was really no way of knowing, but no matter what, she had to keep moving forward with her investigation. There were human women out there right now, somewhere alone and scared… and who knew what they were going through.

  Kira had made a report to Agent Grimmor about being discovered by the pirates and chased, but had downplayed the extent of their suspicion. She had made it sound like they had noticed she was following them, confronted her, and then ended up tailing her until she was able to lose them.

  She knew that if she had explained that weapons were drawn and that the chase had resulted in her nearly blowing her cover with the Ezak-X pirate, she could be taken off the case immediately. Agent Grimmor gave her independence, sure, but he was also extremely cautious and valued his agents’ lives over the investigation.

  Kira preferred to work her way.

  If the whole earlier fiasco hadn’t happened, she would go hang out in that bar until she saw any pirates that looked like they could be involved in the disappearances. Maybe even start some conversations, build up her undercover identity and make connections.

  But after what had happened, she knew that sitting in a bar full of pirates – that could include the Mehelians and Ghelian from earlier – or the Ezak-X guy – probably wasn’t the safest bet. She couldn’t risk running into them again so soon. So instead, she had no choice but to basically start from scratch and follow the last lead she had received before tailing the pirates.

  She arrived at the park where she had sighted the pirates earlier. Now that the sun had properly set, it was like a different place. When she had been there earlier, the small patch of dead grass, concrete, and benches had been empty except for her. Now, a few shady-looking characters, huddled in groups, looked up furtively at her when she approached.

  Kira ignored them. If she was on a case that had anything to do with the drug trade, she might have approached them, but at this point, she wasn’t going to bother anyone that didn’t appear to have some connection to the disappearances of the human women.

  Instead, she sat down on the same bench as earlier that day. She pulled a pair of purple shades out of her backpack and put them on, making sure not to push down her hood.

  The innocuous pair of glasses were more than a style statement. Pretending to adjust her hood, she pressed a button on the side of the frames, and the darkened landscape around her brightened until it was like daytime again.

  Kira suppressed a smile. One of her favorite parts of her job – other than the chance to save people, the adrenaline, and the independence – was the tech gear. The Alliance went to every length to make sure she had what she needed to get her job done, even the latest tech night vision glasses.

  Now, she just looked like any other individual at this park, trying to hide their identity and lay low. She was perfectly positioned to do some more surveillance.

  Even with her enhanced vision, it was hard to focus on the comings and goings of the criminals around her. Nobody looked familiar, and her thoughts kept going back to the Ezak-X guy she had bumped into earlier. She still couldn’t believe he had followed her all that way and questioned her.

  And that terrifying friend of his… The beast – Zorq. Actually, he had seemed friendly enough. Nicer than the Ezak-X asshole who had grabbed and sniffed her. But that didn’t mean Kira was going to be able to keep the Ezak-T’s huge fangs, horns, and hulking size out her nightmares tonight.

  What had the Ezak-X said his name was? Xeegan? If she ever saw him again…

  The blood in her cheeks got hot. Then what? He was a jerk of a pirate and irrelevant to the mission, what did she care? Why was the thought of him getting her all flustered like this? She wasn’t even that upset with him. Just annoyed.

  The sound of laughter was a grateful distraction from her thoughts. She looked in the direction of the noise and saw tha
t a few figures had just left a building across the street.

  Kira sighed. No one she recognized. She couldn’t even tell if they were pirates or not.

  She continued to watch the people around her, when a few moments later, two tall, thin figures left the same building. Her heart leaped in her chest as she recognized them. They were the two Mehelians who had chased her. Kira nearly held her breath, waiting for the Ghelian woman to follow, but she didn’t come out.

  The two Mehelians must have gone off on their own to get food or go to a meeting after losing track of Kira. This was perfect. They obviously hadn’t seen or recognized her shadowy form in a hoodie and shades on the bench across the street, and they had no idea that she could see them just as well as if there was a twelve o’clock sun in the sky.

  “Hey, you!”

  The deep voice made Kira jump. She looked over her shoulder, hand already at her weapon.

  Oh, damn this.

  Really?

  Xeegan and Zorq stood behind the bench, looking down at her from their impressive heights.

  “Why are you here?” Kira hissed, glancing around the park. The others who had been there were already filing out at the appearance of the two giant pirates. “You’re interrupting my… job hunt,” she finished with a grimace, glancing back at the Mehelians.

  Thankfully, the two pirates were still just talking and walking down the block and hadn’t noticed them yet. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t notice her if this conversation went on much longer. These Ezak pirates were getting in the way of her investigation.

  “You need a job?” Xeegan asked with a scowl.

  “Not from you, that’s for sure,” Kira said before he could comment on anything else. “Not that I think you could even offer one. How did you find me?”

  Xeegan looked at his partner. “Zorq has a good nose on him,” he said.

  They had tracked her? Why? Did this guy really care that much about what had happened?

  “Okay, you found me. Now you can get lost,” she said, nearly spitting the last words.

  Zorq looked at Xeegan. Something in the Ezak-T’s expression made Kira think he wanted to do what she had said, but the giant said nothing. Maybe he couldn’t speak, she realized.

  Xeegan shook his head. Her heart sank. What a day this was shaping up to be. Already, she was starting to give up on the idea that she was going to get any more surveillance done tonight.

  “Does your pet follow you everywhere?” she asked, her tone acidic.

  A line formed between the Ezak-X’s brows and his jaw clenched. “Zorq isn’t my pet,” he said. “He’s my partner.”

  Kira grinned, knowing she had hit the exact nerve she had meant to.

  “I wasn’t talking to you,” she said, looking up toward Zorq. “So, does he?” She nodded her head toward Xeegan.

  Humor glimmered in Zorq’s eyes. The Ezak-T let out a snort.

  “I’m not a–” Xeegan didn’t finish his sentence, realizing the fun that Kira and Zorq were having at his expense. He growled. “Cut the jokes. You never answered my questions.”

  “I didn’t know I owed you an explanation for anything I do or don’t do,” Kira said.

  She looked away from the two and tried to get a view of the Mehelians. They had stopped on the corner and were deep in a conversation. Great – that meant there was a still a chance she wouldn’t lose them just because of the appearance of Xeegan and Zorq.

  “Look at me,” Xeegan said, his voice still tinged with a hint of a growl. “And take off those damn glasses.”

  Maybe it would be smart to be scared in this situation, Kira realized. She was alone in a park at night with two pirates who were much bigger than her, one of which was getting angry. But for some reason, she was starting to feel like she had nothing to fear from these two. Her instincts were usually right – that was how she had got this far in this career.

  She did look at him, but didn’t take off her glasses. She wasn’t about to give up her advantage of night vision in this situation.

  “Go. Away,” she said, enunciating each word.

  “What are you doing here that’s so important anyway?” Xeegan asked. “Because I don’t think it’s job hunt. You also don’t look like the type to be waiting to buy Rialan drugs off the next guy that shows up. You look healthy enough and you’ve got all your teeth.”

  “I don’t think you heard me,” Kira said and turned back toward the Mehelians. It was almost as if this pirate enjoyed annoying her. The only way she was going to get rid of him was by pretending he wasn’t affecting her at all, like a schoolyard bully.

  “Look,” Xeegan said once she had turned away. His tone had turned extra serious. “Because of you, I… Fuck, it doesn’t even matter. You do owe me an explanation. That’s all I want.”

  Kira just shook her head and kept her gaze trained on the Mehelians. One had pulled out a blunt of zcey and was lighting it. They were planning on hanging out on that street corner for a while, apparently. If only she had extended listening equipment to go along with her night vision glasses.

  It didn’t matter. She had a bad feeling about them: they were definitely connected to the disappearance of the human women, somehow.

  Even with all of the unexpected setbacks of the last day, she wasn’t about to let these bastards slip through her fingers.

  CHAPTER 7

  XEEGAN

  Now Xeegan was getting really annoyed. Why the fuck was the female still ignoring him?

  He had even tried intimidating her with his threatening tone of voice, the one that could send seasoned pirates packing. He had tried joking, of all things. Hell, he had almost started pleading. The more she refused to answer his questions, the more he needed to know.

  The female was up to something.

  Even now, she was staring across the street like something fascinating was going on over there – something more important than their conversation, apparently. Maybe she was on drugs. That could explain why she was at this park, which pirates affectionately called “Cash Park” because of how easy it was to sell illegal goods – specifically drugs – here. It would also explain the ridiculous shades she wore.

  What was she staring at anyway?

  Xeegan looked across the street. Just a row of short buildings. Nothing unusual. Looked like closed businesses and maybe a couple of residential buildings. Of course, there were shady people all around, mostly drug dealers, but no one that really stood out.

  A couple of men were smoking and talking on the corner of one of the buildings. Maybe she was looking at them – it was hard to tell because of the dark lenses of her glasses. Xeegan concentrated on the pirates.

  Fucking hell…

  He cursed in his mind when a husky alien language reached his ears. Even in his grayscale night vision, the aliens had looked dark against their surroundings, but now that he focused on the pair, he could see them clearly.

  Mehelians. And they weren’t just any Mehelians. They were two of the pirates who had been chasing the female, and, later on, him.

  Fuck…

  What exactly was her business with them anyway?

  This all had to be connected. The jobs, Zeon, the female… These Mehelians had to be working with the pirates who had tried to recruit him – who had done something to Zeon. There was just no way multiple groups of a barely seen race, like the Mehelians, would suddenly show up on Riala and not have the same agenda.

  And, somehow, the female was in the middle of it all.

  She knew something.

  Xeegan wracked his brain. He needed more time to think about all of this and about the best way to move forward. The female was clearly spying on the Mehelians for some unknown reason. Who she was working for, he couldn’t guess. But maybe he should start thinking about doing some spying of his own.

  Xeegan turned to Zorq, about to tell him they should leave and call it a night. A quiet beeping caught his ears and, instead, he looked toward the noise. It was coming from the female’s
wrist?

  “I have to take this,” she said, and pulled down the sleeve of her hoodie to reveal a wristband embedded with electronics.

  A communications wristband? And not just any band. It was the latest tech. Why would some random human female have a state-of-the-art wristband like that? Either she had stolen it… or she had a rich employer.

  The female got up from the bench and strode away, presumably trying to get some privacy. She walked into a nearby alley that looked empty. Xeegan didn’t follow. He could hear everything she was about to say from here anyway.

  Intensely curious, he trained his hearing on her.

  “Hey,” she said, her voice hushed but completely audible. “I had to find a quiet place.”

  “Understood,” a nasal male voice answered from the wristband. “Please update on your location for the night.”

  The female pressed a button on the wristband. “I’ll be staying at the same base as the previous few nights. I’m currently conducting surveillance in the park I was at during sixteen hundred hours, and I have eyes on the Mehelians from earlier. I may pursue. I’ll turn on my tracker if I do.”

  What the hell was she talking about?

  “Roger that, Agent Medina,” the male voice said. “Signing off.”

  Agent.

  All of the pieces fell into place as a sinking feeling hit Xeegan. This female –Agent Medina – wasn’t a druggie. She wasn’t a pirate. She wasn’t even a normal citizen.

  She was an Alliance spy.

  Fuck… To think that his first, random stab had hit true. He should have figured it out earlier. The mysterious way she stood out among the pirates even though she clearly tried to blend in. It wasn’t just her too-clean and sweet scent, it was also the way nothing seemed to faze her. Like she’d been trained.

  As she clearly had.

  Zorq turned to Xeegan with wide eyes. He seemed to have been listening in on the female’s conversation too.