by Hope Hart
He glances at my empty plate. “If you’re finished eating, I need to meet with my council.”
That’s it. I push back my chair and get to my feet. “Why are you being so ridiculous about this?”
“Why do you feel the need to wander this camp without a guard?”
I open my mouth, unsure what exactly to say, and he laughs, but the sound is harsh.
“Did you think Rowax would not tell me about your questions?” he asks.
“What questions?”
He tilts his head, looking down his nose at me, and I fight back the urge to slap him across the face. In this place, hitting the king would probably not be a good idea. They’d probably try me for treason or some shit.
“Why play games? After just one night here, you are already looking to escape. Is honor so meaningless on your planet?”
My mouth drops open, and I lean over the table. “You’re saying I don’t have honor? Are you or are you not the same man who bargained with my freedom in exchange for information about my lost, injured friend?”
His face is like stone as he gets slowly to his feet. Then his eyes drop to my chest, and they’re hot when they return to my face. I look down and mentally curse. The dress is low-cut enough that I’ve been giving him a nice view of my cleavage while leaning over the table.
He opens his mouth, and then the damn bell sounds again, turning his eyes blank once more.
“I have a meeting,” he says as a warrior appears, bowing at the qatai before glancing curiously at me. Dexar stalks out the door, and I stare at the empty table.
Chapter Four
Dexar
I thought it would be easy. That having the human female in my space would allow me to focus on things that are more important.
Instead, she makes me question things that I have never questioned before.
All while she attempts to manipulate me into letting her study the security of this camp.
I snort.
“Did you say something, qatai?”
“No.”
My councillors are silent as we sit in the large kradi they use to gather and discuss issues to bring to my attention. I scan them, reflecting on the female’s words.
I am the ultimate authority in this tribe. Yet my council is the closest thing we have to the idea she calls democracy.
Such a thing would not work here, where Braxian tribes have historically been quick to war with each other. However, I still enjoyed watching Alexis’s eyes light up as she explained the concept to me.
“We have received word of Lafa’s tribe, qatai.”
I narrow my eyes, pushing thoughts of the female aside. I find myself wanting to apologize for putting the hurt in her eyes—
“Qatai?”
“What have you learned?” I ask.
Andon straightens. The warrior is younger than most on my council. After he came close to death, his mate insisted that he refrain from battles unless we are at war or he is ordered to fight.
Now he has turned all his focus and attention onto gathering the information that helps me make some of my most important decisions.
“There are reports that Lafa has been seen speaking to the Voildi,” he says.
The room goes silent. No Braxian would speak to the flesh-eating creatures. They are vermin of the worst kind, yet they are dangerous vermin.
Many revolutions ago, Tazo’s sister left camp alone, planning to follow Zarix after an argument. The Voildi found her before taking her body and leaving behind only enough for us to realize what had happened.
We are not the only tribe to suffer losses from the Voildi.
“Impossible,” Orcan snorts. “Never would a Braxian tribe king speak with Voildi.”
Andon ignores him, speaking directly to me. “I would not have believed it either, qatai. Yet multiple sources have reported the same. Lafa has not been as careful as he should.”
I lean back in my seat as the councillors mutter amongst themselves. Orcan slowly gets to his feet, heaving a sigh.
“If Lafa were planning some collusion with the Voildi, he would be careful not to be seen by anyone. Do we really want to risk what small cooperation we have from Lafa’s tribe over these unfounded rumors?”
Andon ignores the older male once again, speaking directly to me. “Not rumors. Facts. Lafa has been seen multiple times with several Voildi. I disagree that the tribe king would be careful. He has gradually lost more and more territory, and his tribe grows smaller as his warriors choose more established tribes. We have welcomed nine of them ourselves in the last few years.”
I raise an eyebrow. Andon is proving knowledgeable and capable. I have a feeling that if asked, the male would be able to name all these warriors along with any others who have sworn loyalty to our tribe over the past years.
I can name the few warriors who have left. Varic’s face swims in my mind, and I push it away.
“Paranoia,” Orcan snaps, and the warriors next to him nod in agreement.
“What you call paranoia, I call preparation,” Andon says softly.
“Listen, you—”
“Enough,” I bite out.
The room is silent while I think. Over the past few years, I have stabilized this part of the planet, banning infighting that is without cause between Braxian tribes. Rakiz’s tribe is the second largest after mine, and he, too, appreciates peace.
However, Lafa has long scrambled for more power.
“I want more spies in his territory,” I say. “If he is planning to take advantage of the instability caused by the Voildi’s attack in some way, he will be made an example of.”
I scan the twelve warriors who make up my council. “Anything else?”
They shake their heads and get to their feet as I leave.
As soon as I’m seated in my preferred workspace, the bells announce yet another interruption.
The human female—Beth, I remember—stands in front of me, leaning on crutches, Tazo standing behind her.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hello. What do you need?”
She looks uncomfortable, biting her lip briefly before the words leave her mouth in a rush. “I heard that there’s another human woman here. I was wondering if I could see her?”
Alexis’s face flashes before my eyes, and I clench my teeth. My initial instinct is to refuse, and I barely refrain from ordering this female to leave.
Alexis will learn that her friend is here. And then she will be even angrier with me. I don’t want to see rage in those icy eyes when she looks at me. I like it when they soften, lightening with laughter.
“You may see her,” I say finally. “But keep in mind that Alexis will stay here. With me.”
The words come out all on their own. I’m like a dragon guarding its horde when it comes to Alexis. Already, I am jealous of others who spend time with her, and she has only been here for one day.
“Okay,” Beth agrees.
I force myself to let it go. I have more important things to focus on than the small human female currently safe in my kradi. I nod at Tazo, and he gestures to Beth, leading her away.
I attempt to concentrate, but within moments, I’m grinding my teeth again. What are the human females talking about?
I ignore the voice that tells me I should give Alexis privacy as I stride back out the door, moving toward the qatal’s rooms.
I gesture for the guards to be quiet as I approach, and they’re silent as I lean close. I designed these rooms with privacy in mind, so the females’ voices are a low murmur.
I lean closer as I manage to catch a few words.
“You haven’t heard anything about the other two women taken with you?” Alexis asks.
“We were supposed to look for any trace of them when we were in Nexia, but it all went to hell. I didn’t keep a good enough eye on the kid—the one traveling with us—and he distracted Zarix. He nearly died, and I was completely focused on getting him back here.”
There’s a long pause, an
d Alexis says something I can’t catch. But her words reach me as she raises her voice.
“We know they’re with the Voildi, which helps us rule out any other Braxian tribes. And we know the Voildi will likely sell them, based on the way they were talking. That means they’re going to have to keep them somewhere. We’ll find them.”
Alexis’s voice is confident, her words assured. After our discussion during the midday meal, I knew she was intelligent, but her reasoning reminds me of one of my councillors. A strange sort of pride warms me even as I attempt to ignore the guards who are watching me listen to the females’ conversation as if I am not the qatai of this tribe.
The females speak some more and then move closer, and I narrow my eyes as the conversation turns to Alexis’s new home.
“Wow,” Beth says. “You’re living the high life here.”
Alexis’s voice is dripping with disdain. “I am. But it wasn’t my first choice, believe me.”
She tells her friend about her experience with the Voildi, and I tremble with rage. I just found Alexis, and yet I could have lost her if Rakiz’s warriors had not found the females as they were blindly following the Voildi.
“Tell me about Charlie,” Beth says.
“She disappeared. We looked everywhere she could have hidden within the area if she was frightened, and we know she wasn’t taken with you guys. Nevada, Ellie, and I actually came to this tribe to ask if they’d heard or seen anything.”
“What did they say?”
“Well, first, Dexar wouldn’t tell us anything until I agreed to stay here with him.” Alexis’s voice is bitter, and I ignore the shard of guilt.
“For how long?”
“A year.”
“A year? Are you kidding me? For a piece of information?” Beth’s voice is almost a shriek, and I glance at the guards, who are stone-faced as they stare at the wall.
“Yeah,” Alexis says. “In Dexar’s own words, he’s a ‘bad man.’”
“No shit. Had they seen her?”
“One of his sentries had. And get this: apparently they’re convinced she was taken by a dragon.”
“A dragon? Get out of here.”
A long silence, and then Beth’s voice is low. “Okay. Say she has been taken by a dragon. How do we get her back? Do you think it…ate her?”
“I find it strange that she was the only one who was bleeding heavily and she was the one who was taken. I think her blood lured it, and I think it took her for a meal. But the others aren’t so sure. So please ask anyone you find about the dragon.”
“I will,” Beth says, and then her voice lowers. “Are you seriously going to stay here for a year?”
I lean closer, but the two females are whispering. I clench my teeth until my jaw aches, but their words are too low to catch. As far as I am concerned, this proves that the little human can’t be trusted. She clearly has no intention of fulfilling her side of our bargain.
The two females begin to speak about Zarix, and I turn to leave, uninterested in their female frivolities.
“I wish I could come help you find the other women,” Alexis says, her voice heavy with longing, and I snap.
It’s as if I’m watching from a distance, unable to control my legs as I stride into the room.
Alexis jumps to her feet. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have minions to be ordering around?”
I ignore that. For some reason, it seems entirely necessary that I separate these females immediately.
“Zarix is asking for Beth,” I say. Zarix will not deny this if asked.
Alexis’s eyes are bright even as her voice turns bitter. “What, I’m not allowed to talk to my friends now?”
I glance at Beth, and the female sighs. “I should get back anyway.”
Alexis helps her up, handing her the crutches.
“Come back soon,” Alexis says, and the females embrace.
Then we’re alone, and Alexis turns away as if she is too disgusted to look at me.
Alexis
Dexar is turning out to be a giant dick. For a moment, he looked angrier than I’ve seen him, and as soon as Beth left, he turned it off like a switch. Now he seems much more relaxed as he prowls the room like a jungle cat.
“Were you listening to my conversation?” I ask.
He glances at me, stopping in his tracks. “I own everything in this tribe. Including your words.”
My mouth drops open, and despite myself, I laugh. His eyes instantly heat, and he takes three large steps, suddenly close enough to touch.
I step back, immediately feeling hunted. There’s something predatory about the way he looks at me, but if he thinks he can order me around and listen to my conversations, he’s about to learn differently.
I give him a look. “I’m going to let that statement go ’cause I’m just a passenger on your train to Crazy Town. But if you’re going to lock me away in here, you should know that I’m a high-maintenance pet. And this bitch bites.”
Dexar is silent for a moment as he obviously grapples with whatever translation he’s receiving from the device in his ear. He must get the gist of what I’m saying, though, because he frowns.
“I don’t want you to be unhappy,” he says finally, and I narrow my eyes at him, distrustful of this turnaround. He moves even closer and takes my hand. I allow it, and he strokes his thumb over the sensitive skin of my wrist.
He’s obviously expecting this change of tactics to actually work for him. It’s likely that the twits on the receiving end of that charming grin fall for his act hook, line and sinker.
I almost snort, and it hits me then. This guy may be a king, but he’s still just a man. A man who’s in love with himself and is used to everyone else being in love with him too.
Oh, you sad, entitled male.
“If you don’t want me to be unhappy, how about you let me have a little more freedom? Do you honestly think I could break out of this place?”
I gesture down at my lengthy dress and thin slippers, and Dexar gives me a long look.
“I believe you could do anything you put your mind to.”
I almost flush with pleasure at that.
Get it together, Alexis. He’s already got your number.
“Okay, let me be honest here,” I say, laying most of my cards on the table. “I want three things. First, I want to learn as much as I can about where Ivy and Charlie could be. Second, I want to talk to the people here about your birth problem and why there are so few females. And third, I want to be able to walk around without Tall, Dark, and Grumpy breathing down my neck.”
Rowax has got to go. I’ve left out the thing I want more than anything—to get back to our ship and examine it. I can’t do anything until the other women are all together anyway.
“You expect me to believe that you won’t attempt to leave this camp?”
“Look, I’m a curious cat. Sue me. Do I want to know how your security works? Sure. But I’m not an idiot. I’ve got three hots and a cot here. You think I’m gonna give that up to go wander around in the wilderness by myself?”
Dexar frowns, so I spell it out for him.
“I like my rooms, okay? I like the food, and I sure as hell like that bed.”
He sends me a wicked smile. “My bed is bigger.”
I run my eyes over his massive body, attempting not to think lustful thoughts. “I bet it is.”
His eyes darken, and I clear my throat as the air around us seems to crackle. “So,” I say, my voice hoarse. “Are we going to compromise?”
“Compromise.” He tastes the word, and I almost laugh.
“A difficult concept for you, I know.”
This whole asking for permission thing is more than a little irritating. But one thing I know well is that we have to play with the hand we’ve been dealt. If sweet-talking the qatai will get me what I want, then that’s what I’ll do.
“You may have access to the food kradi and all common areas of the camp,” he says finally. “You may not go near
the training arena, the weapons kradi, the mishua, or the camp walls.”
I frown at him as I let that sink in. “The camp walls, the mishua, and the weapons kradi I understand. What’s the deal with the training arena?”
He frowns at me. “You are mine. You don’t need to be spending time near my warriors.”
“There are so many things wrong with that statement that I don’t even know where to start.”
He shows me the edge of his teeth. “Those are my terms.”
“Fine, Your Majesty. I’ll stay away from the training arena.”
Chapter Five
Dexar
It has been eight nights since Zarix left for Tecar’s tribe, taking the boy and the human female with him. Just hours after they departed, Tazo followed them, two more warriors with him.
As soon as they arrived at Tecar’s camp, it became evident that Tecar would need hundreds, if not thousands, more warriors than he had available. Not only has Lafa been talking with the Voildi, but he is planning to attack Tecar’s tribe and split their territory with Killis, the Voildi leader.
I sent thousands of my best warriors, who marched to Tecar’s tribe. I also sent messengers to Rakiz and the other tribe kings in the area with the hope that they will join the battle.
Now there is nothing left to do but wait.
In the meantime, Alexis wanders the camp, speaking to my people. My warriors watch her, reporting back, but so far she has kept her end of the bargain.
With the battle against the Voildi and now Lafa’s tribe, it has been days since I spoke to Alexis myself. I should be content simply to have her in my kradi, yet I find myself missing her smart mouth, husky laugh, and mischievous grin.
Today I will make time to eat with her.
“Qatai?”
I look up as the room goes quiet. Brix has appeared, his eyes hard, and my councillors give him their attention.
“What is it?” I ask.
“A message from Zarix.”
“Tell me.”
“Lafa is dead. The Voildi leader, Killis, is also dead. One of our warriors was a traitor. His name was Perik, and he was killed. Our forces defended Tecar’s tribe, and any Voildi or Braxians who did not die retreated like the cowards they are.”
