He didn’t want her to follow him.
Terri darted a look over at Azan, but the pirate remained at the far corner with Garswal, her face almost relaxed as she watched the eager greed rise in Egbor as he hurried after Veral.
“No tricks this time!” the captain called out as he struggled to catch up to the Argurma’s greater speed and longer stride as they pushed through the water. “I will be first through this time. I will not tolerate any more loss of wealth from mischievous females and their games.”
Terri smiled innocently and lifted her hands in front of her in the universal gesture of surrender. “I won’t even dream of coming in,” she said agreeably.
There was enough for her to continue to lift from the room she was already in.
She didn’t need to enter the treasury, though she had to admit that she was curious to see it. Pirates’ gold was a thing of dreams and fairytales. To be that close to it… No. Veral didn’t want her to enter. Egbor eyed her suspiciously, but she sat on the bed once more and patted the embroidered cloth covering one of the prince’s skeletal arms. “Princey and I will keep each other company until you return.”
Egbor grunted and nodded at the remains. “Be of some use then and strip that robe. Those fibers are of a quality to last for generations, according to rumor, and it appears the rumor is true. I want that robe for myself. It will be the finest thing in my wardrobe.”
Terri balked, her hand dropping away. “You want me to remove it from a dead body? So you can wear it?”
That’s sick.
Apparently he was determined, because his eyes did not move from her until she reluctantly turned and began to pull the sleeve from the corpse. The bones fell out from the sleeve, along with the dust of decay. She swallowed back her bile and yanked the robe out from beneath the skeleton, the bones rolling from it, scattering over the bed. Gray matter dusted the forearms of her armor. Gingerly, with one hand, she plucked off a few smaller bones that were stubbornly clinging to the fabric.
“This is so disgusting,” she mumbled as she yanked the other arm out of the robe, freeing it of bones and plucking off the few remaining strays before rolling the fabric up. She held it out, certain she was going to throw up at any moment.
Scurrying over the body was one thing. Direct contact made her stomach turn.
“Your robe, Captain.”
A smug smile curled his lips, no doubt noticing how green the entire situation was making her. “Put it into your pack and carry it for me. I will need mine to fill with treasure. I will recover it from you once we return to the ship.”
Terri grimaced and swung her pack from her back. “Sure. Just… awesome.”
She tried not to think about the nastiness that it would be getting all over everything as she shoved the rolled-up material into her bag. As far as she was concerned, anything within it was now tainted from the contact, including the food rations and hydration pods that were divvied up the last time they stopped out of concern over having the food all with one individual, with the way the crew was dying off. In light of how few people survived the encounter with Experiment 226, as Veral called it, she’d been grateful. Now that they were buried in the crumbly remains of a dead prince… well, she was no longer hungry. She hoped that Veral had been given some rations to carry.
She shouldered the bag again and looked back toward the pirates, noticing that they were no longer paying attention to her. His orders being followed, Egbor had resumed focus on his objective: getting into the room. He drew up to Veral’s side, his face tight with expectation as Veral worked on the door codes.
The door unlocked and slid open as Veral stepped back to permit the captain entrance. Egbor didn’t even hesitate, pushing his way through, a joyous shout coming from him. Terri’s eyes widened at what she could see from where she sat.
There were visible containers of gold, precious metals she couldn’t even identify from the distance, and gems that put the palm-sized ones she had ferreted away to shame. Most containers were large enough that they stood above the water level like brilliant beacons, but even those beneath it glittered beneath the artificial lighting that had activated when Veral opened the door. In fact, the water seemed to lend mystery to those it concealed, and Terri had to wonder what was hidden on the floor, obscured by the sediment.
She blinked. Wait… Water?
The prince’s chamber hadn’t been flooded until they opened it. Why was the treasure room already flooded? It appeared to have been for some time, the lower ends of several tapestries rotting and falling apart where they were submerged. That didn’t make sense, unless…
Egbor laughed, his arms stretched out as he circled. “Is it not as I told you!? Behold the wealth of the Evandra! It is ours!”
Hands dove among the treasures, eagerly filling packs to the brim as Veral took one step back and then another to place his hand once more on the key panel. Terri sucked in a breath as he initiated the sequence to seal the door once more. The pirates spun around just as the door began to slide shut, panic on their faces, but what Terri saw made her blood run cold.
An enormous fin broke free of the water, and a deafening shriek filled the room.
They shouted in fear, scrambling for the door. Veral grinned ruthlessly at Egbor, who had waded too far into the room to make it back in time. The captain shouted as he made his way to the door, only then noting the creature emerging behind them.
“Wait! Argurma, you cannot leave us in here!” he bellowed.
“I told you, did I not, that you would never threaten my mate again?” Veral said just as the door slid home, the heavy chink of the locking mechanism engaging filling the room. He turned away from the door just as the screaming began and looked at Azan.
“Will I have any trouble from you, pirate?”
A lazy smile stretched over the female’s face, and she shook her head. “From me? Not at all. With no Igwins left on the ship, I will be able to exact complete control and put things back in shape that his endless greed allowed to fall apart. In fact, I would say that this may put me in your debt for ridding me and the crew of that overbearing male.”
Terri sloshed over to his side, a tremor running through her when the last hair-raising scream split the air. “That might set some kind of record for vengeance delivered. Send the guy to be eaten by a monster. Well done.”
He smirked down at her, his vibrissae smoothing through her hair. “It would be lauded among my people, though I lost the trophy,” he said, his smile falling.
“I’d say it was worth it. Something worthy of legends, far better than a skull.” A puzzled frown pulled at her brow. “But how are we going to get off the planet? The pirates…” She cast a hopeful look to Azan, but the female shook her head.
“Although I fully intend to take over the crew, it will not be so easy as that. I will need to return to the ship and wrest control. That takes time—and a lot of blood spilled, if I’m unlucky. I do hate to lose crew members, but I will have to deal with those who consider themselves loyal to Egbor. We still need to devise a way off this planet, and to return us to the ship, without being blown out of the sky. By now, his vitals implant will have flatlined. His upper crew will be aware of his death. They will have been alerted by medical immediately.”
“Fuck! What are we going to do?”
“Do not be concerned. I have a contingency plan en route,” Veral replied.
“What?” Terri asked, bewildered.
“We will no doubt have to deal with him as well, but it will allow us to get away from the pirates.” Veral tilted his head again, smirking. “He is arriving now. We must leave.”
“Let’s hope we don’t meet up with 226 on our way out,” Terri muttered. “How did you know it was in there?”
“My scans revealed that the room was flooded and a large bio-organic tech was present. It was clear that the thing had made the treasure room its den. I estimate that we will be able to pass through the flooded compartments before it realizes that
there is more prey awaiting it.”
“Please don’t refer to us as prey,” Terri groaned.
“Yes, please,” Azan muttered as she swung Garswal onto her back. “Lead the way, then.”
25
Veral noted the longing look that Terri gave the room, no doubt wishing to scavenge for anything that captured her attention. If this had been a normal salvage job, he would have been pleased to watch the joy on her face.
“We do not have time to linger,” he said quietly at her side, his hand grazing her arm as he gently nudged her forward. It was perhaps unnecessary, but still it required saying for clarity sake. “I am sorry that I cannot give you more.”
A small sigh escaped from her, but she met his eyes and nodded. “I know. None of that went down the way it should have, but we have what’s most important. We’re both alive.”
“Let us not celebrate prematurely,” Azan interrupted dryly as she headed toward the doorway. “We have not escaped yet.”
There was nothing to say following that. Although they had survived to that point, events could follow which would tip fortune out of their favor. For that reason, instead of speaking further, Veral stepped out into the hall. He froze, his vibrissae whipping and vibrating around him as he stretched his senses to pick up any trace of 226 approaching. He could sense the smaller life forms in the water around them, but thankfully the creature was absent.
Half-turning, he gestured for his mate to follow him out. She hurried out of the royal cabin back into the corridor, the water rippling all around her as she rushed through it. Veral tensed, certain that the vibrations from the moving water would alert the creature. He still could not detect any sign of movement from it, but that did not mean it was unaware. Azan splashed after her, causing more disturbance. His muscles tightened, but he forced himself to temper the reaction, even as his systems went on high alert, increasing his surveillance of their surroundings.
The moment she joined them, he struck out ahead, half of his attention remaining on Terri to make sure she was not struggling to keep up as he plowed ahead to where the water broke. Terri stumbled at his side, ragged gasps for air escaping her as she labored to maintain his pace.
The water dragged at them, her worst of all, but gradually the waterline dropped, making their movement easier and faster. The dark floors rising from the water drew closer with their every effort to surge forward. His body tightened, triumph filling his blood with liquid fire as they drew closer.
They were close to dry ground when he felt it.
Veral stopped, the water splashing around him in broken crests as he turned to look back even as he pushed Terri forward. His mandibles clicked softly, a thoughtful sound just as he watched the monstrous fin break free from the water. The hunt had begun!
Hissing, he whipped back around and leaped forward, driving his body through the water with all of his strength. Reaching out, his fingers closed around Terri’s upper arm, dragging her with him. Azan’s startled exclamation rang out behind him as she too took note of the creature advancing on them. Panting breaths filled the air amid the dragging, splashing sounds all around them. Even the splashing, however, could not dull the ripples he felt race toward him, punctuated by the sonar shriek of the creature attempting to precisely locate them.
Spurred on by its rapid approach, Veral grabbed one of Azan’s muscled arms and yanked her forward with him as well. Together they raced as the creature barreled after them, water breaking around its girth as it began to surface.
A large wave rolled forward, knocking them all off their feet at the exact moment the creature’s girth rose through the water. Veral’s fingers curved, his claws extending to dig into the ship’s floor as he pulled himself forward, gaining his footing again. Azan sputtered but rose to her feet quickly as she pulled Garswal from the water, the young male coughing out fluid as he hunkered against her, his wet hair streaming rivulets all around him and over Azan’s shoulders. Terri choked, coughing as she rose from beneath the surface, but she stumbled forward determinedly. Veral grabbed her arm as she reached for him. A growl rose in his throat as they pushed forward again.
“Do not look back. Just run,” he commanded as he saw her turn her head.
“Oh, fuck—too late. Too late! I saw it! Oh my gods!” she cried out.
“Not looking!” Azan shouted as she surged forward, her legs kicking up higher as she made every attempt to increase her speed in the now thigh-deep water. “If Egbor was not already in the belly of that thing, I would kill him for this alone!”
Terri’s breath came out in rapid pants as she attempted to run faster. The water rippled around them violently as 226 raced toward them, its shrieks rippling and echoing through the cavernous corridor.
With a snarl, Veral turned and grabbed his mate around the hips, lifting her from the water as he vaulted her over it. Her scream was cut short with a loud breath as she hit the dry ground. Turning, he grabbed Azan next and ignored her snarl as he repeated the move, hurling her and Garswal as far as he could. The female pulled the male into her arms and curled around him midair. When they landed with a splash in the shallow water close to where Terri lay on the dry floor, the pirate had absorbed the full impact.
The water quaked everywhere, droplets bouncing from the surface at its approach. He was not going to be able to outrun it. His eyes fell on his mate as she pushed to her feet. Her hand cradled her ribs as she grimaced, but her expression turned to one of terror.
“Veral!” she screamed, grief trembling in her voice.
It was too late. He turned, slashing out with his claws, his vibrissae whipping out in defiance just as the large maw of the predator opened wide, a crest of water rushing over him. Metallic teeth descended just as a large metallic barb struck it. Veral felt a piercing pain scream through him. It was echoed by the terrible screams of pain from the creature as it thrashed behind him.
Despite the red-hot pain and alarm flashing through his systems, he turned away from the thing, racing forward again. The barb, possessing the same bio-organic signature of the symbiont, had bought him time. Azan grabbed him at the same time Terri did, both females helping to haul him to dry ground as he stumbled forward. Tattered remains of several vibrissae on the right side of his head attempted to writhe in their instinctive need for input, sending shooting pain through him.
He could already feel his nanos rushing to the spot in an attempt to heal it. It would take time, but they would mend. Until then, he felt off balance, the sudden loss of a part of his sensory receptors making him move with uncertainty, a large blind spot now at his right.
An Argurma with injured vibrissae was vulnerable. This was a hazardous place to be vulnerable, especially with his mate in danger.
She and his unborn offspring needed him.
Turning back, he glared at 226. Its body writhed and splashed, terrible shrieks still coming from it as it rolled in the shallow water. It was pushing away from them, flopping to push its girth back into deeper water. From one of its lower eyes, he could see the barb jutting out, dark blood spurting from the wound. Eventually, it would heal. It was not a killing shot any more than its bite, its aim disrupted, was a killing strike to Veral.
They were both left with injuries from their encounter, but they both would survive.
“Veral, thank the gods,” Terri whispered, her hands running over him in self-assurance. Her hand raised to the side of his head and she winced. “Your vibrissae…”
“Their loss is better than dead, or any greater damage. I will heal,” he murmured as he pulled her hand down and brought it to his lips. “You are safe. That is what is most important to me.”
She gently pulled her hand back and punched his shoulder. “Damn it, Veral! Stopping to throw us out of the water slowed you down. You nearly got yourself killed. You shouldn’t have done that. We could have made it!”
“Speak for yourself,” Azan muttered, two pairs of her arms wrapped around Garswal, comforting the young male who had final
ly broken down and curled against her with soft sobs. “I, for one, am grateful. Not only for my life, but for his as well.” The pirate glanced over at Veral, her expression contemplative. “I do not have much use for males, not even before I was captured by Egbor, and certainly not after revolutions of torture at his hands. But you have made me reconsider that there could be a few males who could be worthy allies and not just crew to follow my orders. I owe you a life debt. If we get out of here and you are ever in need, call on me and I will repay my debt.”
The debt of a pirate was one that could be useful if a dire circumstance rose. He eyed her extended hand, the one that had her comm out and activated, the gesture inviting an exchange of comm information. Slowly, he nodded and activated his own comm before reaching out to grip her forearm. It took less than a second for them to exchange details, and even less time for that information to imprint on his systems so he would have it regardless of whether he had his personal comm or not.
He released her hand and stepped away, his attention returning to the bio-tech experiment. He watched it submerge once more until eventually even its fin disappeared from sight.
Turning back to his mate, he regarded her with a new respect. “You have saved my life—again. This repeated theme is disturbing. It seems that your symbiont armor has weapon abilities that I did not consider.”
Terri grimaced. “It was luck that it worked at all. Good thing I have good aim. That thing was tiny. Hurt like a bitch, though.”
He nodded as his eyes trailed down to the symbiont still glowing on her arm. Terri had pushed the sleeve up to free it. They would have to modify her armor once they were in the ship again. As his was modified for his horns, it would not be difficult. She was already bonding with it and learning how to use it, but they would have to undertake many training sessions and simulations once they were safe to build her control. This symbiont was going to give her safety that he had not imagined she would ever have. He could feel a sense of relief ease someplace that he had not even realized had been wound tight.
Pirate's Gold (Argurma Salvager Book 2) Page 18
