by Presley Hall
Kaide really is like no man I’ve ever met before—in so many ways that I’m beginning to lose count of them all. I’ve never known anyone like him.
But does that mean I’m ready to go all-in on this whole mate bond thing?
“What are you thinking about?”
Kaide’s deep voice rumbles in my ear, rough from sleep, and I yelp, jerking in surprise.
“Um, nothing,” I lie, praying that the bond between us doesn’t allow him some kind of psychic insight into my thoughts. I don’t think it does, but my cheeks burn a little anyway.
He rolls me onto my back, propping himself up on one elbow to look down at me. His cat-like pupils are dark and liquid, and the light gray color of his irises makes me think of clouds hanging low over the ocean on one of those rare days when we got rain in LA.
“I know that’s not true,” he says with a chuckle. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you not thinking about something. You’re one of the most quick-witted people I know. What was going through your mind?”
“I was thinking about last night,” I admit, surprised when the truth comes out. Right up until the moment when I opened my mouth, I was planning to lie again.
Heat sparks in Kaide’s eyes, but then his brows furrow a little. “Do you regret it? What happened between us?”
“No.”
That’s true too, and the answer falls from my lips before I even have time to consider it.
Kaide grins, the line between his brows smoothing out. “Good. Neither do I.”
He brushes his thumb over my lower lip, then pauses when he reaches the left side of my mouth. His thumb moves downward as he cocks his head, and I realize he’s tracing the small scar on my chin.
“Where did you get this?”
“Oh.” I roll my eyes, chuckling. “I taught myself how to ride a bike when I was twelve, and it turns out I wasn’t the best teacher. I ended up wiping out and bashing my chin on the pavement.”
Kaide winces, as if even the idea of twelve-year-old me in pain rouses his protective instincts. As if he’d like to go back in time and save me from that injury.
That thought is so ridiculous and sweet and it makes me laugh, and I reach up to grab his hand, pulling it away from my scar. “I’m okay,” I tell him. “It’s just a little scar. And I got better at riding a bike, believe it or not. I did learn eventually, even with no one to teach me.”
The same expression that he wore last night steals over his face as our joined hands hover between us.
It’s not pity, exactly. More like resolve.
As if he’s determined to make sure I never have to feel alone like that again.
My breath catches, and I have the strongest urge to lift my head and press my lips to his. To make the connection between us a tangible thing, to give it physical form by pulling him as close as possible until there isn’t an inch of space left between us.
“We should… get going,” I say, and my voice is so rough it’s like I ran it through a cheese grater.
It takes a solid few seconds before either of us acts on my words, as if we’re both frozen in place and unable to move. But finally, Kaide throws the blankets back, and we get out of bed. We get ready quickly and throw our packs on before heading out of the small hostel-like building.
My stomach grumbles as we step outside, and Kaide glances down at it as if it’s speaking directly to him.
“Food first,” he says decisively.
I can’t even argue, because I am hungry, and I know I function better on a full stomach. We stop on the way to The Pits, and Kaide barters for our breakfast with a squat alien whose dark gray skin is so rough that I initially mistake him for a rock. We eat as we walk, and Kaide tells me about the food he misses from back on Vox. It all sounds delicious, and much better than what we’re currently eating, which is filling enough but bland.
I tell him a few of the things I miss from back on earth, including the tacos I used to get at least once a week from my favorite taco truck, and as he glances down at me and grins, I realize that I’m having fun with him.
We’re on a dangerous mission with incredibly high stakes—not just for us, but for all the Voxerans—but in this moment, the two of us could almost be on a date, eating and swapping stories as we walk down the street. And if it was a date, it would be a good one.
I blink in surprise, almost missing a step as that thought settles in my mind.
When I first asked to come on this trip, I thought it would be easy to prove Kaide wrong—to make him see that the mate bond is the wrong way to go about creating a match between two people.
But maybe I’m just proving him right.
Because the more time I spend with him, the more I realize that I genuinely like him.
Fortunately, we reach The Pits a few moments later, saving me from having to examine my feelings too closely. When we walk into the large building, I’m surprised to see that it’s still pretty crowded, although nowhere near as packed as it was last night. Instead of prisoners battling each other in the pits, it looks like the alien equivalent of a dog fight is going on, and I grimace a little at the sound of the snapping and snarling.
We spot the purple-skinned alien in the crowd easily, and I let out a relieved breath when I see that he really is here. He held up his end of the bargain, just like Kaide said he would.
He’s watching the animals in the pit fight with a lazy sort of disinterest, which makes me assume he doesn’t have a bet riding on this match like he did on the ones last night. He seems much less distracted, at any rate, which is a good thing.
He glances up as we near him, lifting his chin in greeting. “Ah. There you are. Come to collect?”
“Yes,” Kaide says shortly.
The man nods, then leads us over to stand by one of the walls of the large space, where it’s a bit quieter and much more private.
“So, K’Mek, eh?” He cocks his head, running a hand over his chin. “What do you want to know?”
“Anything you can tell us. Anything you know about his habits or his whereabouts. We need to find him quickly, and Pascia is too big to search at random.”
“Well, I don’t know where he is at this moment,” the alien says. “But I saw him here often. He’s in a lot of debt, and he comes to The Pits to gamble with what he’s earned selling his little gadgets. He needs to repay what he owes, and I suppose he thought this would be the best way to do it.” A smirk curves his lips. “But he’s not a very good gambler. Not like I am.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes at the man’s smug attitude as Kaide leans forward. “Who is he indebted to? Did he ever say?”
The man flashes another sly smile, looking pleased with himself. “He didn’t say. But I figured it out. The one he owes is Hyron.”
The name doesn’t mean anything to me, but as soon the purple alien says it, Kaide stiffens beside me.
Shit.
It definitely means something to him.
And it definitely isn’t good.
17
Kaide
Slanch it all.
This mission just became much more difficult.
I grit my teeth, frustration seething through me. I wish I could go back in time and wring K’Mek’s scrawny little neck for betraying us, or at the very least, stop him from getting away with the diamantum.
The Reskin grins at me, clearly unbothered by my reaction to his information. I can feel Raina’s gaze on me and see the questioning look in her eyes, but I shake my head slightly. I’ll explain it to her later, but I don’t want to say too much in front of the purple-skinned alien. I doubt he’s in the business of selling information, but he can clearly be bought for the right price, so I don’t want him knowing any more about our goals than he already does.
“Can you tell us anything else?” I ask, my voice hard. “Anything that might be useful for us to know about K’Mek?”
“He’s desperate,” the Reskin says with a deep chuckle. “But I suppose you could’ve guesse
d that yourself, given what else I’ve told you.” He lifts his chin, crossing his arms over his chest. “That’s all I know. My debt is paid.”
I study him for a moment, trying to determine if he’s lying or telling the truth. But he meets my gaze unflinchingly, and after a moment, I give him a curt nod. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you.” He grins again. “I did very well last night thanks to your performance in the pit. You should come back again. There’s no shortage of prisoners willing to fight in the pits, but ones who can win are rare.”
My lips curl back, and I give him a tight smile. “I’ll consider it.”
I won’t. I don’t intend to be in this slanching city long enough to have to earn my way by performing for the amusement of other prisoners.
Fighting is in my blood, and I won’t deny that I enjoy it. But battling in the pit last night was a harsh reminder of what my life on Nuthora might’ve become if I hadn’t been banished here with my fellow warriors. If Droth hadn’t been there to lead us and keep our group from splintering apart as we struggled to find a place for ourselves after our arrival.
Although I curse the day Drokar banished us here, I know I’m luckier than most. I’ve managed to carve out a life for myself here, despite the harsh circumstances.
I’ve even found a mate.
My gaze flicks to Raina, and I have the strongest urge to reach out and take her hand. Instead, I catch her gaze and jerk my head toward the door, indicating that our meeting with the Reskin is over.
She walks close by my side as we leave The Pits, and as soon as we step out into the morning air, she turns to me with her eyebrows raised.
“So what was that all about? Who’s Hyron? I know you recognized his name—I could see it in your face when the big purple guy said it. Is Hyron someone you’ve had run-ins with before, like Churbac?”
Anger rises inside me at the mention of the raider leader’s name, but I take vicious satisfaction in the knowledge that he’s dead. He won’t be able to come after my people or the Terran women ever again.
“No,” I tell her, glancing up and down the street to get my bearings before setting off in a new direction. She keeps pace with me, sunlight glinting off her dark hair. “I’ve never met Hyron, but I know him by reputation. Everyone in Pascia knows who he is. He controls a large section of the city, right near the center. He’s one of the most merciless outlaws on Nuthora, and he’s been here far longer than my fellow Voxerans and I—longer than almost anyone.”
I adjust my grip on my spear, keeping a wary eye out as I continue speaking.
“The rumor is that he was among the first criminals dumped here when Nuthora was designated as a prison planet, and he guards all of the power and wealth he’s been able to amass with a heavy hand. It’s dangerous to even step foot in his section of the city, let alone try to sneak in and take something, even if the thing we’re taking belongs to us. If that’s where K’Mek went, it’ll be a lot harder to get the diamantum.”
Raina’s brow furrows, and she moves closer to me to avoid a large alien with matted brown fur coming from the opposite direction. Our arms brush, and I know she’s aware of it, but she makes no move to step away even when she has room to do so. Instead, she tilts her head, looking up at me with her glittering forest eyes.
“I don’t understand,” she says. “Why would K’Mek take the diamantum to Hyron? If that guy is really so terrifying, and K’Mek owes him so much, wouldn’t it be smarter for him to just build the communication device and use it to try to escape Nuthora, just like we were planning to do? Then he could get away from Hyron, and the debt he owes wouldn’t matter.”
I shake my head. “I see what you mean, but K’Mek likely doesn’t have people on the outside with enough resources to attempt to get him off the planet. Nuthora is not an easy place to escape, even with the possibility of communication beyond the planet’s surface. Given how powerful Hyron is, it’s likely that he knows people who could manage it. K’Mek is probably hoping that if he builds the communication device for Hyron, it will clear his debt and allow him to hitch a ride off Nuthora if Hyron calls for a rescue.”
“Oh.” Raina goes silent for a moment, considering that. Then she adds, “Fuck.”
I chuckle, enjoying the Terran curse word. They’re different from our own, and I’ve noticed that most of the Terran females use them as liberally as the Voxerans do. But my grin fades as I consider the reality of our circumstances. We were already on a short timeline, trying to find K’Mek before he managed to finish building the communication device with our diamantum, and now our mission feels even more urgent.
We walk for a while longer as I navigate the way carefully. I don’t know Pascia well, but I’m familiar enough with the layout to be certain we’re heading toward the middle of the city. Hyron’s territory should be—
I stop abruptly, throwing an arm out to block Raina’s path. She comes to a halt beside me with a small noise of surprise, then looks ups at me.
“What is it?”
“We’re already there.” I press my lips together as I gaze down the street ahead of us. “Hyron has expanded his territory since the last time I was here. That can’t be good. It only means his power and reach will have increased as well.”
My warrior’s instincts flare, my fingers tightening around my spear as Raina and I take a few cautious steps forward.
“Holy shit,” she murmurs, scanning the street just like I am. “I can feel it. It’s something in the air, like some kind of invisible ‘do not trespass’ sign. There were a few places like that near my neighborhood in LA. Places I just knew not to go into.”
I glance over at my mate appreciatively. She’s perceptive, and she’s not wrong. The street we’re on is fairly empty, but we’re on the only ones who have stopped rather than step into Hyron’s territory. Everyone here knows how risky it is to venture into his part of the city uninvited.
Catching Raina’s arm, I draw her to one side of the street, putting my body between her and Hyron’s territory as if an attack could come at any moment. It’s doubtful one will, but I can’t help the protective instinct that flares whenever there’s a possibility my mate could be in danger.
“We’ll have to sneak in and see if we can find any clues as to K’Mek’s whereabouts,” I say. “Verify whether he’s gone to Hyron with the diamantum as we suspect. But it’s probably best to wait for cover of darkness to do it. The city is more dangerous at night, but stepping into Hyron’s territory is risky at any time, and the cover of darkness will make it less likely we’ll be caught.”
“Okay.” She nods, chewing her lip as she glances over my shoulder at the street beyond. “I feel like loitering right at the perimeter is too suspicious, so should we go somewhere else and come back?”
“Yes. We’ll go back to the same place we stayed last night.” I snort. “What I paid for our accommodations was enough to secure us several days, so we might as well get off the street.”
She nods again, and we walk quickly back across the city, stopping on the way for a bit of food. The proprietor of the shabby building where we’re staying glances up as we enter, looking annoyed to see that we’re returning customers and not a fresh source of payment.
Once inside the room, we shrug off our packs and settle in to wait.
I pass a bit of the time by filling Raina in on everything I know about Hyron—although beyond what I told her already, I don’t know much, so it doesn’t take long. I can already feel impatience buzzing through my veins, and when Raina starts to pace the room, making a half circle around the bed in the small space, I chuckle. We’re more alike than I realized at first, and I’m glad to know I’m not alone in my anxiousness to act.
“It’s better this way,” I say, not sure if I’m reminding her of that, or myself. “It’s a risk to wait, given how quickly we need to move if we want to get the diamantum back—or get the communicator, if K’Mek builds it before we find him. But if we get killed trying to do surveillance
, that would be worse.”
“Yeah.” She stops pacing, twisting her dark hair around her hand before releasing it. “I know. I’ve just never been great at waiting.” She pauses, then shoots me a suspicious look. “If I wasn’t here with you right now, would you still wait until nightfall to do recon on Hyron’s territory, or would you take the risk and go right now?”
I lean against the door, crossing my arms as I grin at her. The fire flashing in her eyes lets me know there’s a right and a wrong answer to that question, but I won’t lie to her.
“I might go now if I were on my own,” I admit. When she scowls and opens her mouth to say something, I hold up a hand. “But it wouldn’t be wise. It’s smarter to wait, especially since the element of surprise may be one of the only advantages we have.”
“Right.” She sighs and relaxes her shoulders, then smiles wryly. “Sorry, I get a little defensive when I feel like I’m not pulling my weight. Or like I’m not allowed to pull my weight. Just ask any of the guys I dated back on Earth.”
I cock my head. “What does that mean? ‘Dated’?”
“Oh. Um…” She purses her lips, shrugging. “It just means I spent time with them. That we went out and did things together sometimes. On Earth, that’s how people pair up romantically. They date someone, then maybe get more serious, then get married eventually if they stay together long enough.”
I press away from the door, straightening as the muscles of my shoulders tense a little. “Did you date many men back on Earth?”
Raina snorts, shaking her head. “No. I mean, I hooked up with a few guys, but you could hardly call it dating. There were a couple I saw more than once, but it never turned into anything serious.” She levels a stare at me, her lips twitching like she’s holding back an amused smile. “I’ve never had a serious boyfriend, so you’ve got nothing to be jealous about.”
