Rujali had cleaved the chip off, the only person capable of doing something like that. The tower was virtually indestructible and had existed since the beginning of time, certainly since the inception of the Negari. It was what allowed their species to live. To love. To provide generation after generation. The crystal glowed with life when a new soul was brought into the Homeland, one dependent on the other.
However, no new births had been welcomed into the world since the crystal theft and he didn’t know how much longer it would live without new life energy to sustain it. It had already been a decade, and lately the signal had become weaker and weaker.
It was a near miracle they’d managed to track it here. If not for the blast of recent, pure energy, Setzan would have all but given up hope.
The chip, no bigger than a sliver the size of his thumbnail, glowed like a tracking beacon whenever the crystal was near. The blush of light from the crystal lit his hand and warmed his skin, as brilliant as a ray of sun.
“I haven’t seen it so bright before,” Rujali said.
“Nor have I.” Setzan stared at the tiny piece of crystal.
“Could have something to do with our mate being so close,” Klaej said.
Rujali pursed his lips. “You could be right. Still, for it to burn so bright is nothing short of a miracle.”
“Just like finding our mate.” Klaej said.
“At least we know the crystal is still planet side,” Setzan said.
Relief flooded his system. “We’re close. At last.”
“We find our mate first,” Klaej said. Some emerald broke through the crimson on his skin.
“That goes without saying, brother,” Rujali said.
“Surely a creature so different couldn’t have gone unnoticed in this place,” Setzan said. “I’ve never seen anything like her. Not even heard of a species who looks like her.”
“I never thought to see a female so perfect.” Klaej paused, nostrils flaring, before he turned into an alley, breaking away from the main thoroughfare.
“What species do you think she is?” Setzan asked.
“I have no idea. She looks close enough to us, but she’s so small. Her skin is the color of nothing I’ve seen before. And she doesn’t have horns either,” Rujali said.
“Do you think she’s…compatible?’ Setzan asked.
“Even if she wasn’t, she is still our mate, but I don’t think the fates are so cruel. Our Homeland needs children and she has been chosen for not only us, but our Homeland.” Rujali brought his gaze to first Setzan and then Klaej.
“I’d like to know how she even came to be in a place like this.,” Setzan said.
The Helion 6 spaceport was a rough place, known for its high crime rate and equally lawless state. If there were any law enforcers here, they either made themselves scarce, or were as corrupt as the rest of the population. Honesty was not a high commodity here.
“We’ll work everything out once we’ve found her,” Rujali said, and then turned to Klaej. “What’s going on?”
Ignoring Rujali, Klaej paused and scented the air. He turned into yet another alley. Setzan had rarely seen him more focused, but if finding one’s mate wasn’t a good enough reason, he didn’t know what was.
They followed him deeper and deeper into a labyrinth of narrow walkways. There seemed to be no pattern with the twists and turns she’d taken. Worry dampened his excitement. Their mate was hurt and, judging by the haphazard twisting and turning alleyways, might also be hopelessly lost. It was not a good combination.
Klaej paused at a corner, a deep growl reverberating in his chest. Setzan stooped at his side. A smear of blood in the shape of a dainty hand stood out alarmingly on the light tan sandstone. All emerald disappeared on his skin, the crimson bleeding out the gold. He was almost the same color as that of her blood. It wasn’t a nice thought.
“She’s still bleeding.” Klaej’s claws curled into a fist.
The scaled ones had really hurt her. Badly, judging by the amount of blood she’d leaked by the time she’d come through here. The first thing he’d do after they’d found her and made sure she was safe was to seek retribution. What sort of species purposefully injured innocent females?
The females of their Homeland were fragile. Timid. Easily upset. They didn’t have the means to fight back. They simply didn’t know how. That was why it was the males’ duty to love, protect, and care for them. Without them, there would be no future. To protect a female was to protect the future.
Not only was she hurt and afraid, she was probably beside herself, if their own sister and mother were anything to go by. They would need to be gentle when they found her, no doubt. His heart was heavy. By the gods, he’d never felt this way before. He didn’t have an inkling what it might be like to find their mate. It wasn’t responsibility, as much as feeling completely undone. His life had changed so much in the space of a few moments, and instead of his mate being in his arms, sated and content after all three of them loved her, she was nowhere to be found.
What had once been a normal thing to find a mate on their Homeland was vastly different to finding a mate somewhere like here, especially finding a mate that was not of their species, but life hadn’t been normal since the day the Ozar Crystal had been stolen and Rujali had asked both Klaej and himself to find it—no matter what.
As royalty, it was up to them, but duty or not, they would have done it: for their parents, their sister who had yet to find her mates, and everyone in their Homeland. They’d travelled for so long across such great distances, and privately, Setzan had given up hope of ever finding a mate.
He could barely come to terms with the fact it had actually happened.
Klaej stopped at a door. A faint red outline of their mate’s dainty hand was smeared on the paneling. Rujali’s growl echoed in the narrow walkway.
Close by, a door slammed shut, someone not wanting to get caught up in their business.
Wise choice.
“Is she close by, Klaej?” Setzan asked.
Klaej’s shoulders tensed until he was twice as broad as he normally was. The red tone of his skin told Setzan he was barely keeping it together. Klaej couldn’t go rushing to their mate like this. He would likely scare her in this state.
Setzan placed a hand on Klaej’s arm. “Pull yourself together, brother. You don’t want to frighten her more than she probably already is.”
Rujali pushed past Klaej, no mean feat, and slammed his shoulder into the door. The material splintered with a crack. A middle panel crashed into the inside wall, showering them with door shards.
“Where is our mate!” Rujali bellowed.
Setzan filled his lungs with a tense breath. “I’m glad you’re being gentle and subtle. That’s the way to do it.”
Klaej slanted a look in his direction before stepping behind Rujali. Both his brothers filled the small room inside. Setzan pushed Klaej aside. He needed to be the first male she saw. He, at least, was calmer—by a thread—than his brothers.
He knew how… intimidating… they could be.
All he saw was a swathe of dirty, rough-hewn material shaking at Rujali’s feet. No female. No mate. Just a filthy pile of rags. Definitely not what he wanted to find.
Setzan took a sniff. The stench emanating from this being was not his mate, and it was so bad it cloyed in the back of his throat, but underneath the reek of this being came the faint undertones of their mate’s blood.
The final vestige of calm snapped. He launched himself at the being, grabbing it by the scruff of its neck, and held it at eye level. Its feet dangled far off the floor. It couldn’t be worse. A Norvegicus. Panic took a hold of his heart and choked him with it. A Norvegicus with their mate’s blood on it didn’t mean anything good.
“You have hurt her! Where is she?” he said with a growl.
The creature flinched. Its nose twitched and its whiskers danced. Setzan shook the Norvegicus. Even by the species standard, this one was grimier than most. A state they lik
ed to be in. Not only were they filthy on the outside, they’d sell their own mothers for credits without a second thought. They were the vermin of the universe and didn’t find anything wrong with being that way. More than a few beings had been sold to slavery—and worse—at the hands of these beings.
“Are you looking for someone? A female perhaps? If you are agreeable I can show you a whole roomful of them. Some are even willing, but if you’re not in the mood for that, I can get some unwilling if you like a fight. If you prefer them more placid, they don’t even have to be conscious. It’s entirely up to you and your tastes.” The creature lifted its top lip to show crooked yellowed teeth in what Setzan assumed was a smile.
Klaej roared and his chest heaved. “Have you taken our female?”
The Norvegicus’ whiskers twitched and it rolled its little clawed paws. “Would you like me to take your female? I can have her chained and whipped into submission if you don’t want to be bothered with her screams. Or her blood. Pesky things, females. Not worth the upset she seems to be causing all of you. Are you sure you still want her? I’ll make it worth your while if you want to sell her to me.”
“Where. Is. Our. Mate?” Klaej boomed, his skin flaring with deep crimson.
The creature’s enormous buck teeth clacked in fright. Splatters sounded on the ground, and the stench became worse. Setzan held his arm out at full length and stepped back, trying to ignore his watering eyes. Norvegicus’ urine was notoriously hard to wash out, the smell often lasting years.
“If you’ve wrecked my boots, you worthless piece of drumas crap—” Setzan began.
“Setzan,” Rujali interrupted, placing his hand on Setzan’s forearm. “We need him to talk.”
Setzan took a deep breath and forced the anger down. There was a real danger that if the Norvegicus had taken their mate was lying to them, they might never see her again. They needed information, which they couldn’t get if he choked the Norvegicus. These species had no respect for females. Didn’t they see that females were the lifegivers of the universe and should always be treated with the utmost care and respect, no matter the species? If there were no females, there was no life. If it had taken their mate, there would be no other for them.
Setzan loosened his fingers from around its neck, realizing just how tightly he had been gripping the creature. The Norvegicus gasped, its frantic breathing fanning over his arm. Setzan forced himself not to gag with its fetid breath.
“So she is your mate? I have several products that will help you train her into the docile mate all males like. She’ll be good for cleaning and fucking and will do anything you tell her to do. Overnight she will be transformed,” the Norvegicus said.
“Talk!” He shook the Norvegicus again, but not as roughly.
“She came through here. I can smell her in your domicile. If you have laid one claw on her, you will be sorry,” Klaej said.
The Norvegicus’ nose twitched. “I did smell something when I came home, but I thought it might have been a thief. If I thought it was a female, I would have looked for her.”
Setzan’s fingers twitched with the pulsing need to find their mate. Blind rage fueled his blood and he clenched his teeth to contain himself. Setzan growled, his frustration. The creature squeaked as its tiny black eyes bulged.
“Where is she?” Setzan yelled.
He heard, and felt, the Norvegicus swallow. “You make it very hard not to be extremely frightened of you. It makes business arrangements very uncomfortable.”
“I’m finding it very hard not to pulverize your face.” Setzan’s jaw ached with the pressure of grinding his teeth.
“Put him down, Setzan. He’ll talk if he’s more comfortable, won’t you, drumas turd?” Rujali stepped very close to the Norvegicus and growled.
Setzan knew that particular growl. Rujali was hanging on by a thread, just like he was.
The creature nodded, its small clawed hands desperately scratching at Setzan’s fist. Setzan grimaced as he put the Norvegicus back to its feet. He hoped the scratches didn’t become infected.
Although Norvegicuses were unpleasant, they did also have an excellent sense of smell. Better than Klaej. The creature would have to know the direction their mate had taken after she’d come through by the smell of her blood. That was if it hadn’t stolen her first.
“If you talk, we’ll let you go.’ The creature knew something it wasn’t telling them. They always knew something.
Rujali towered over the creature. “Tell us where she is.”
“You know, this is a very poor planet and a person must find coin where he can…” A pained expression crossed the Norvegicus’ face and its paws twisted over and over. “You don’t find females to sell just on any corner. Maybe a few coins will jolt my memory—”
Klaej shouldered past Rujali and roared. Something rattled off the top of a table and crashed onto the floor. The Norvegicus shook so much, Setzan wondered how its cloak remained on it.
“I can always tell when a Norvegicus is lying. You argue, and you evade direct questions, much like you’re doing now, so you have one more chance. Where. Is. She!” Rujali bellowed.
There was splattering sound and another waft of urine. The Norvegicus’ long pink tongue darted out of its mouth and licked its dry lips. “You have to understand. If I knew anything you can be assured I would sell her back to you. Relatively unharmed, I might add.”
“Where?” all three of them yelled.
“In… in the dumpster,” it said, pointing to a door to the right. “Out the back.”
Chapter Four
Klaej
Klaej splintered the door the Norvegicus indicated with his shoulder. His gaze landed on the standard issue waste container. The smell of her blood was strong, despite the overpowering stench of waste which made his gut churn inside out.
A few short strides took him to the container where a smeared bloody handprint painted the lid. He ripped the lid off its hinges and threw it, barely hearing it clatter down the alley.
Their mate was there, thrown inside as though she was trash.
He leapt over the edge, careful to land on either side of her before gathering her limp body up in his arms.
“Is she..?” Setzan’s voice sounded choked.
Klaej glanced in his direction. Both of his brothers looked as though their still-beating hearts had been ripped from their chests. He brought her to his chest, her body slumped against his. Lifeless.
Silken strands of her hair brushed his bare skin.
He was inadequate. How could he tell if one of her species lived?
He cupped the back of her head, supporting her, his insides twisting in helplessness.
“Brother. Are we too late?” Rajuli’s quiet voice cracked.
“I… I don’t know.” Klaej had never felt so helpless holding their mate. He was a fighter. Knew how to work things out with his blade and his fists, but now, having this precious female in his arms, made him realize just how vulnerable he truly was. The universe could really hurt him now.
Her head slid backwards, and glazed large brown orbs stared at him. His entire body tensed and his chest rumbled. Her small hands rose to his biceps. Her grip was weak, but there was a sense of rightness when she touched him.
“My mate?” He tried to speak gently, but his voice deepened with his concern.
Her fingers firmed on his arms and she said words he didn’t understand. He glanced at Rujali. He was the linguist of their trio and naturally spoke many languages without use of the translator. “Did you understand her?”
Rujali shook his head, his beads swaying. His brows pushed together. “I have not heard that language before. It sounds so strange.”
Her body stiffened and her fingers tightened, before she yelled something and jerked out of his grasp. He would not let her fall and held her tightly.
“Be still,” he said. “You’ll hurt yourself even more, my mate.”
As he spoke, the smell of fresh blood was foremost in his
senses. He growled. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a gasp of air.
She reached back, formed a fist, and struck him in the center of his chest. The resounding sound of flesh against flesh seemed to be much louder than it actually was. Rujali blanched and Setzan gasped. Her knee connected with his thigh, and another fist struck him in the same location. That wasn’t a mistake. There was a fair bit of force behind her punches, as though she knew what she was doing. He’d never known a female to be this way.
“Stop her, Klaej. She’ll hurt herself more!” Rujali’s fingers circled over the lip of the container.
Setzan’s jaw fell, revealing his fangs as his jaw became slack. It had been few and far between since he’d seen him look so destroyed. They’d been five annuals old when Setzan had learned his favorite pet Clavas had found its way into the great beyond. That was the same look as now.
“I’m trying,” Klaej said. His hands felt big and clumsy as he tried to be gentle while she thrashed, but he was not going to let her go. Not when she would fall into garbage.
“Do something, Klaej!” Rujali bellowed.
Klaej hooked one arm beneath her rump and the other around her waist and brought his lips to hers.
She body went still, and he thought he’d been able to calm her. Then she pushed against his biceps and kicked his knee. She tried to shift away from his kiss, and he moved his hand from her waist to splay around the back of her head. He slid his tongue along the seam of her closed lips. They were so soft. Pliable. And her taste—ambrosia.
Her limbs stopped moving, and he was pleased to note that both Setzan and Rujali had joined him in the container. Rujali was at her back, cushioning her movements with his chest as well as holding her arms in a position so as not to hurt her. Setzan knelt and wrapped his arms around her legs, keeping her still so she couldn’t kick and hurt herself against his much-harder thighs.
She spoke gibberish, but the quake in her voice told him just how scared she was. Once they had her back on their jet, they would give her a translator and then she would understand.
The Ozar Triad Page 3
