Themba blew out an irritated breath. He didn’t know what upset him more. That he was leaving a trail that screamed, “Follow me!” or that he couldn’t find Payton.
He tapped an icon on his comlink, and a list appeared. It was a description of prey who’d been claimed and taken to the processing center where the prey’s collars and comlinks were removed. They were treated for any diseases, parasites or injuries they’d incurred during The Hunt and if the hunter wished, the prey’s universal translator was upgraded from the base model, and prey could receive biotechnical enhancements or a dose of nanomites to their bloodstream.
Three faces appeared. One male and two females had been claimed. The same as the night before. Payton’s picture wasn’t there. But would she be there soon?
Guilt racked Themba. He should’ve claimed her when he’d had the chance. Keeping her was out of the question, but at least he could’ve saved her. That would afford her a better life than the one she would have if she were caught in Level One and used as a breeder or domestic staff.
Themba grunted and kicked at a clump of mud. Something hard pelted him from above. Snarling, he turned and found a drel monkey holding a cumla, a brightly colored fruit. It raised its hand high in the air.
“You better not throw that!” The fruit whizzed through the air and Themba dodged out of the way. “Son of a vyolth!”
The monkey launched another piece of fruit at him.
Themba hustled from the area. He could tell when he wasn’t wanted. He fought his way through vines and overgrown brush and picked his way through the thick and almost impenetrable vegetation.
Before long, he came upon voices. A male and female. The female was very much human. He could tell by the ebb and flow of the voice and the accent. Themba crept closer. His feet soft on the ground. The pounding of the rain covered the sounds of his sloshing steps.
“Please don’t hurt us. We didn’t ask to be here,” the female cried.
A claiming?
Themba dropped low to the ground and prowled through the high brush on all fours.
“I’m not here to hurt you or your children. I’m here to help,” came a rumbling voice.
Themba lifted his head. His eyes were just above the tips of the high grass. A human female, slight in stature clutched a child to her breast with one hand and held tight to a youngling with the other. The youngling cried and gripped her leg.
The Hunt was barbaric, but he hadn’t known there were children prey this round. He’d never imagined he would come upon this scene.
“I’m begging you to let us go,” she whimpered. Tears fell steadily down her face, blending with the rain pelting her.
Themba wanted to leap from his hiding spot and claim the prey and her children. The credits to acquire her would be exorbitant as he was sure he would have to pay for the children as well, but he had the credits in his account. Except the Dar’E was in the way. If he tried to take the prey away from him, Themba could expect not only a fight but a shock to his spine for disobeying a rule.
“I’m here to help you,” the Dar’E stated.
“H-help?” The female visibly trembled and stared at the Dar’E with her wide-eyes. “Wh-what do you mean?”
“There’s a trap ahead. It’s been set by a hunter. Don’t go that route or you’ll end up as his mate.”
“I-I don’t want to be anyone’s mate.” She lifted her chin a notch. “Not even yours.”
“I’m not here to claim you. I’m here to warn you.” He pointed to his left. “Stay off the trail. I know it’ll be difficult with the children, but the hunters are expecting you to take the easier routes. You’ll have to outsmart them.”
The female chewed her bottom lip and squinted as if in deep thought. “I can call for a pod and get out of here.”
The Dar’E nodded. “That would probably be for the best.”
“What’s your angle? Do you want me to call a pod because if I do I’ll end up in a trap set by you?”
“If I wanted you, I would have you, female. You aren’t faster than me, and the children would surely slow you down. Trust me on this.”
She eyed him carefully. “Is your name Xrez?”
The Dar’E nodded.
“You talked to Esme and told her how we can win the game.”
“As I said. I’m trying to help.”
“I have a question.”
“Ask it.”
“If we make it through Level Three and win The Hunt, will we get to return to Earth?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” She pressed her comlink then her and the children dropped into a waiting pod.
When the female was out of sight, Themba stood. “Huh.” That was definitely out of the norm.
Chapter Eleven
Burning. Hot. Pain. Suffocating.
Payton inhaled. Burning air scraped along her lungs. “I...I can’t breathe.” She clawed her throat. Her lungs screamed in pain. She opened her eyes against thick black smoke. It felt like someone scrubbed sandpaper across her eyeballs.
The next breath was worse than the last. She coughed, arching her back off the ground. Her body wracked with dry hacking. But she couldn’t clear her lungs. She kicked and pushed out her sleeping bag.
“Esme.” Payton’s breath came out coarse. Freed, Payton activated her sleeping bag. “Esme!” she cried out again.
Esme didn’t stir. She slept slack-jawed, her breathing deep and heavy.
“Esme!” she yelled, unconcerned of who or what might hear her. Payton crawled over to her, coughing as she did. Esme still didn’t move. Payton gripped her shoulders and shook. “Wake up!”
Esme’s eyes flew open. “Wh-what’s going on?” Immediately Esme went into a coughing fit. She blinked at Payton through red eyes.
Payton released Esme and stood, running over to peer out the crevice. No lizards, but she could hear them. Deep guttural voices nearby.
“Where are they?” one asked.
“I don’t know. But they must be near.”
“You’re right. I smell them.”
Well, that’s not good.
She’d let herself get comfortable. Now they were about to pay the ultimate price for that mistake. “They’re trying to smoke us out.” Jack whined and tried to step outside. Payton pulled him back by his collar.
Esme kicked out of the sleeping bag. “Are they out there waiting for us?”
Payton nodded. “I don’t think they know which cave we’re hiding in. They’re throwing smoke bombs in all the openings, large and small.”
Esme hurried to store her bedding. Her eyes were wild with fear. “Should we wait them out?”
Payton coughed into her shirt. “We can’t.” It hurt to talk. Her chest was on fire. “The smoke just started, and we can barely breathe. If we don’t get fresh air, we’ll die of smoke inhalation.”
Esme peered over Payton’s shoulder. The rain continued to fall, and now the ground was a shallow lake, rushing downhill, carrying broken rocks and sticks in its path.
“I don’t see any of them.”
Payton glanced up. “They’re somewhere above us. Every couple of minutes, I can hear them talking and walking around.” She rubbed her eyes. Her action only irritated them more.
“What’s our plan?” Esme choked out.
Payton glanced at Esme. She had to squint to see through the smoke. “We’re gonna have to make a break for it. Don’t run on the rock, you’ll end up falling and busting your head open. Drop to your butt and slide as far as you can. When you get to solid ground, call a pod.”
Payton pulled one of her knives from her fanny pack. She really needed all her weapons, but in good conscience, she couldn’t send Esme out there with just the sticks she’d been using.
When they’d been stuck in the make-shift camp, before all hell had broken loose, they’d distributed the carved sticks Payton had started making. Those who didn’t have weapons thought the pointy sticks would help them.
Payton shook her
head at the thought of their small group of abductees up against aliens with only sticks to defend themselves.
If Esme didn’t have a proper weapon, she wouldn’t make it to roll call. “Here, take this.”
Esme evil-eyed her knife like Payton was offering her crack cocaine. “I-I can’t. It’s yours.”
Payton shook her head. This wasn’t the time to argue about it. Esme didn’t have a lick of self-preservation. Payton dropped the knife into Esme’s purse. “Don’t be afraid to use it, Einstein.”
“I-I can’t take this from you. You might need it.”
Payton patted her fanny pack. “Don’t worry about me. I have another knife, brass knuckles, and pepper spray.”
“Why do you have so many weapons? You were only taking Jack for a walk.”
“Crazy ex. Divorce court. Remember?”
Esme winced then nodded. “It’s been cool hanging out with you two. See you in Level Three?”
Esme hugged Jack. They’d spent the last few days in a tight space. Jack had spent a lot of that time snuggling with Esme just as much as he had with Payton. Then before she could stop her, Esme pulled Payton into a hug.
Payton stiffened. It’d been so long since someone had hugged her. It was such a basic human sign of affection. But for her...if she had to think back on it, she would guess it had been almost two years. It had been the last time she’d seen Collin. She’d hugged him tightly, afraid she would never see him again.
Payton closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Esme. “See you in Level Three, Einstein.” Payton patted her on the back then stepped away. She wiped the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. “On the count of three.”
Esme sniffled and nodded.
Here goes nothing.
“One, two, three.” Payton squeezed out of the crevice. Jack followed. She didn’t have time to see what direction Esme had gone.
“There!” The same guttural lizard voice.
Crap! Payton dropped to her butt and slid down the steep side of a rock. To the naked eye, it looked like a puddle, but the water came up to mid-thigh. Jack could swim, but she picked him up anyway. Payton glanced behind her. One lizard was close. The other one must be following Esme.
I hope she gets away.
Payton reached the other side and set Jack down. He danced around, growling and barking at the presence quickly gaining on Payton as she swung her legs over the side and launched herself into a run.
Her sneakers were heavy and soggy. She chanced another glance behind her. In one bound, the lizard leaped over the deep puddle she and Jack had struggled to get through and landed on the other side. His large webbed feet hit the rock with a slap. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Jack’s barks turned frantic.
The lizard was even larger up close. His thick arms flared out. Muscles flexed. His scaly skin was dull. He assessed her with diamond-shaped yellow eyes in a way that unnerved her. The lizard spread his hands. His claws were orange and black furry substance coated them. The claws looked razor sharp and stood out against his green skin.
His claws cut through the air and swiped at Jack as if he were a pesky fly. He missed Jack’s snout by mere inches.
“No!” Without thinking, Payton jumped in front of Jack. It was stupid. But if she lost Jack, she didn’t know what she would do. The lizard pulled back and swiped again. Its claws cut through her thigh as easy as butter. The pain was blinding. Payton’s eyes rolled up, and one knee crashed to the ground.
Jack surged forward, but she had just enough strength to grab his collar and hold him back.
“Mine.” It said through a slit that served as its mouth and with a voice that held a lisp. The lizard’s diamond eyes gleamed. It took another step forward and chuckled.
Payton pushed to stand. Her leg almost buckled from the pain. She winced and backed away. The foot of her injured leg dragged against the ground. Jack followed suit and whined. He must’ve sensed the end for them as well. Payton took another step back. She shook with fear.
“No more run.” The lizard grabbed his cock.
Payton gagged. If there’d been anything in her stomach, she would’ve thrown up all over herself. The thing in the creature’s hand wasn’t right. It was long, snaking down to its knees, pink and slick.
Oh, God.
“We couple now.”
Yeah, right.
It was enough to snap her out of her shock. She turned and ran, gimpy leg or not, she would not couple, screw, fuck or have sex with that thing.
The lizard chased behind her. The heavy thuds of his feet plagued her. Prickles spread across Payton’s back.
Crash. The lizard roared. The ground rocked beneath her feet. Payton turned. The lizard sprawled on the ground and convulsed. She didn’t know what was going on and didn’t care. She ran faster. The dirt underneath her gym shoes had never felt better. She scooped up Jack and pressed her comlink to call a pod.
Payton dropped inside. Claws scraped her shoulder. “Argh!”
The top closed and the pod hurled forward. She rolled on the floor of the pod, screaming in pain. Blood squished through her fingers as she clutched her shoulder. Jack whimpered and licked her face. At her feet was the severed lizard arm that had fallen inside.
ANOTHER WET AND MISERABLE day. Ancients, Themba hated how it made the air dank and hated the soggy, lumpy ground. It rained in certain regions on Ipakethe, but rain wasn’t as prevalent in the lands of his kingdom.
He was used to the heat and ample vegetation. This arena mirrored Ipakethe in that respect, but Ipakethe was dry and arid. It was the humidity of this arena that bothered him. It was thick and suffocating, weighing on his skin and muscles. There was no use in complaining, though. From what he’d read about the Level Two arena, he would totally be out of his element. Themba shivered at the thought of what awaited him there.
Themba trudged on. Another day searching for Payton. His agitation was barely contained. The weather was only a small part of what made him gnash his teeth together.
He’d tossed and turned all night, thinking about what had become of Payton and where she could be. She hadn’t been caught. He’d checked the roster over and over again.
After he’d gotten dressed, he’d received an incoming recording. He’d wanted to ignore it, but thinking it was Melisizwe, he activated the message. Instead of his brother, it had been Chikondi’s face on the screen. She was beautiful, no doubt. Her thick, dark hair was braided in the tradition of most females on Ipakethe. Her eyes were a captivating light green and she’d chosen to wear a high collared outfit that matched them perfectly.
Chikondi had been the furthest thought from his mind, his bonding almost forgotten. All of the responsibilities awaiting him when he returned to Ipakethe came crashing back.
He was expected to bond forever to a mate he didn’t love.
He’d only met her once when she’d come on a goodwill visit with her family. She was beautiful, regal and everything he could hope for in a future mate. As an only child, she’d come with a host of members from her court, guards and her mother and father. Melisizwe had taken to her, as well as their younger brother, Mxolisi. While she was a more than suitable choice as a mate, there were no sparks between them.
Themba had listened to her message. She was kind, even in her voice when she’d told him she hoped his hunt was faring well and wanted him to know she prayed for his safe return. All hunters who entered The Hunt did so at their own risk, it was in the contract they signed. Death was not an uncommon outcome. For him, if death occurred, the bonding contract would be extended to Mxolisi.
After the message, he was more determined than ever to find Payton. Chikondi’s message was a reminder of his future without fire and passion, all the feelings Payton stirred within his soul.
The ground rumbled five paces in front of him. He stopped mid-stride.
A pod?
The ground opened, and with a whoosh, Payton and Jack were hurled out. She landed off to the side, hitting the mushy grou
nd with a thump. She groaned and curled into a tight ball. Her body shivered as if she were cold. Impossible in the stifling heat.
Another groan pulled him from the shock of seeing her. Her very presence right before him was a gift from the Ancients themselves.
“Need...help,” she said through pained groans.
He started for her, but Jack jumped in front of her, snarling with teeth bared.
“Let me pass, Jack. I will not harm your master.”
“No. Not. You.”
That was hurtful, but he ignored it. “I’m all that’s available at the moment. So live with it.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched her eyebrows together. Her collar blinked green, the color of wounded prey. One look at the angry wounds on her shoulder and across her thigh, and he could see why. The claw marks, while not too deep, were very evident.
Anger clouded his vision. Who’d done this to her? A growl erupted from deep within his throat. He would kill whoever had hurt her. Harming Level One prey was against the rules, and the perpetrator was probably paying dearly for his crime, but knowing that didn’t bring any solace to Themba. He wanted to tear a chunk out of the person who’d thought to harm such a beautiful creature.
He ignored Jack’s growls and pushed him away, then dropped to his knees at her side. “What happened?” Jack launched at him, and Themba caught him mid-air with one hand around his neck. “Tell him to stand down, or I will have to harm your pet.”
“No. Please don’t hurt him.” Tearful eyes met his.
“I don’t want to, but if it means saving your life, I will. Give him the command.”
She turned her pleading gaze toward Jack. “Stay.”
Jack stilled, and Themba lowered him to the ground where he immediately went to Payton’s other side and nuzzled her neck.
Themba turned his attention back to Payton. Sweat beaded her face. He focused his attention on the wounds on her shoulder. They weren’t deep, but blood streamed out. What worried him the most was the black fungus inside. If he hadn’t seen the severed green, scaly arm lying on the ground, he still would’ve known a Vaczix had done this. Their claws were sharp, and the fungus that grew on them was deadly. If he didn’t clean her wounds fast she would become infected.
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