by Hope Hart
He seems to be closest to Terex, but even Terex leaves occasionally, and he’s pretty much shacked up with Ellie now. Terex is also in charge of the warriors, overseeing training, and delegating men and weapons.
A few days ago, in a moment of weakness, I even found myself defending the guy. As if the tribe king needs my help.
I was getting a late start on the day, since Asroz couldn’t train me that morning. A knock on the door sounded while I was pulling on my boots, and I rolled my eyes when Arana opened the door, revealing two young warriors who were petitioning Rakiz to be able to begin training with the adults.
“Maybe you would have a better chance if you waited until the king has finished eating his breakfast, hmm?” I asked, and Arana’s mouth fell open while the boys spluttered, reddening as they backed out the door.
Rakiz grinned. “Fierce female,” he murmured, his eyes heating.
I stalked straight out the door, unsure why I’d felt the need to step in.
Now it’s time to leave this camp behind. And I’m shaking as I think about what’s going to happen next.
I’m lying wake, staring at the ceiling. In a few minutes, I’ll need to get up and get ready as if it’s a normal day.
The good thing about being hated by most of the women here? They’re willing to help me leave if it’ll mean that I’m no longer sleeping in the king’s hut.
Two days ago, I stopped in at the seamstress’s kradi. Eres is a hardworking woman with a daughter my age. One I’m pretty sure Eres would like to be queen. The seamstress handed me a pile of clothes, including a pair of her mate’s old leather pants, which she’d adjusted for me. Now I have a full wardrobe with enough changes of clothes to get me through weeks of travel.
“Here you go,” she said, handing me the clothes. “Be careful.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, and she gave me a rare smile before adding an incredibly soft blanket to the pile.
I get up, making sure my clothes are ready to grab later. Rakiz’s eyes meet mine, and I almost blush as his gaze scans my form.
So what if I’m wearing his shirt? It’s not like there are any pajamas around here.
Rakiz’s dark gaze tells me he likes what he sees, and I turn away as he stretches, leaning down to grab his pants. I’m well aware that the guy sleeps naked, and I have to keep my eyes from wandering over in his direction whenever his furs slip low, revealing the tantalizing V leading to his…
Quit it, Nevada.
Arana knocks on the front door, and I hear her bustling in. I grab my clothes for the day and move into the bathing room, where I attempt to ignore Rakiz’s deep voice while he murmurs to Arana.
I’m too nervous to eat, but I take a plate and sit in my usual spot. Arana will fuss if she notices I don’t have much of an appetite.
Within moments we’re left alone, and I shift restlessly, aware of Rakiz’s eyes on me.
“Is something wrong?”
I want to ask him one more time, beg him to see reason. But I know he’s not going to see things my way. He can’t.
When I first got here, I was even angrier than I am now. I confronted him when I realized his men had gone to look for our friends without me. His words run through my head now, further cementing my decision.
“The day I allow a female to hunt Voildi is the day I will no longer be fit to rule this tribe. You would die within days. You have no knowledge of this planet and its dangers and no understanding of exactly how much danger you would be in.”
He’s going to lose his shit when he finds me missing, and what little trust we have between us is going to be smashed to pieces. I wonder who he’ll send after me. Rakiz has to assert his authority. He won’t be able to help himself.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just not that hungry.” I put down my plate, giving up. “I have to get going.”
I pull on my boots and get to my feet, blinking as Rakiz is suddenly standing in front of me.
“Tell me what is wrong. Did someone upset you?”
“No,” I get out, ignoring the lump in my throat, and he frowns, moving closer.
This will be the last time I see him, and I take a moment to memorize his face. It’s all hard planes with a nose that has been broken more than once. His lips are the only things that keep him from looking like a brute, and they’re full and lush, begging for me to nibble on them.
Fuck it.
I reach out and pull him close, and he doesn’t need any further encouragement. His mouth slams down on mine, conquering as his hands slide to my butt, hauling me up until my legs are wrapped around his waist.
I gasp into his mouth, and he responds with a growl, his tongue battling with mine.
God, he’s a good kisser.
His hand slides into my hair, angling my head so he can plunder deeper until I’m writhing against him, grinding on his hard, thick—
“Ahem.”
I tense. Oh no.
“Oh my God,” I mumble against Rakiz’s lips, and he ignores me, teeth teasing my bottom lip as the hand on my butt pulls me closer, his cock rubbing against my clit.
“Ahem.”
I jolt, using two hands to push against Rakiz’s chest until he pulls away. He stares into my eyes for a long moment, cheekbones flushed with arousal, and my eyes drop to his lips again. I want nothing more than to—
“Nevada.” Anara’s voice is amused. “There’s someone here to see you.”
I shove against Rakiz’s chest again. “Put me down,” I hiss, and he finally complies, although he holds me close—likely using my body to hide his giant erection.
I pinch him, but he holds me tight.
I clear my throat. “I’ll be right out, Anara. Thank you.”
She smiles at me, her gaze pleased as it flicks from me to Rakiz and back again. Then she nods and turns, moving back into the other room.
Rakiz finally releases me, and I dart away. I avoid his eyes, unwilling to see his satisfaction—or worse, smug triumph.
“Nevada.”
I turn, raising my eyes to his. There’s none of that on his face. Instead, he looks like a man barely holding onto control. A man with one hell of a raging hard-on.
“We will talk about this,” he says.
“Later.” The lie is bitter on my tongue. “I need to go. We’ll talk later.”
His gaze examines my face, looking for…I don’t know what. Then he nods, turning and striding out the door.
I watch him leave, strangely sad.
Goodbye, Rakiz.
Nevada
The person at the door is the seamstress’s daughter. Her mother sent her with a long, warm cloak for me. I smile, rubbing the thick material.
Clothes. Check.
Now it’s time to handle the food. I’ve already made my arrangements, and I stroll right into the giant food kradi. Several people nod at me in greeting, the servants busy preparing the morning meal.
I hang around, listening to the gossip, and most people ignore me. Finally the moment comes when the kradi is empty for a few scant seconds as people carry meals outside.
Byni—one of the Braxian women—nudges a huge cloth sack at me.
“If you get caught, I had nothing to do with this,” she warns, and I nod.
“Thank you.”
I haul ass out of the kradi and head to Vivian’s. She’s nowhere to be found, but I stash the provisions under Alexis’s furs, ready to grab later.
Food. Check.
Next I need weapons. I already have my sword, which is always on hand. But at the very least, I’m going to need a couple of good knives. Unfortunately, Rakiz has ensured that every person in this camp knows I’m not allowed anywhere near the kradi where most of the weapons are stashed.
I find Ellie watching Terex train. The warriors aren’t using swords right now, and she and I both stand for a moment, enjoying the sight of them engaging in a good, old-fashioned brawl.
Terex takes a vicious kick to the gut, and Ellie fli
nches beside me. I smirk at her reaction, and we both grin as he leans forward with a brutal right hook, and his opponent goes down.
“I’m ready,” I murmur to Ellie, glancing around. I know damn well that Rakiz has eyes on me, and if I’m not where I usually am around this time, someone is sure to narc on me.
“Are you sure I can’t talk you out of this?” Ellie’s voice is hopeful, but her expression is resigned as she turns to me.
I shake my head. “We need to go now.”
She nods and follows me, glancing once more at Terex. We split up, and I take the long way to the weapons kradi, walking quickly but not rushing. The last thing I need is to draw attention.
I move to the back of the kradi and listen in as Ellie gets to work.
“Oh, hey, Braz. Terex has been looking for you. He wants to talk to you.”
“He wants to talk to me?” The warrior’s voice cracks slightly on the last word, and I grin. Guarding the weapons all day must be boring as hell, and he’s likely more than a little excited at the idea of being called by the great Terex himself.
I feel bad. Terex and Rakiz are going to rip him a new one when they find out he left the kradi. It’s probably a good lesson to learn. The last thing a guard should be doing is abandoning their post. Ever.
Granted, none of the warriors will be expecting a woman to deceive them. None of the females here would dare.
I roll my eyes at that, but I still feel bad for Ellie. When Terex finds out that she helped me—and he inevitably will—he’s going to be livid.
I shrug. Chicks before dick.
“Nevada!”
I’ve missed the end of the conversation, and Ellie is hissing at me. I creep forward and raise an eyebrow at her expression. She’s wide-eyed and pale, glancing around as if expecting to be caught any minute.
“You look guilty as hell. Just stand here and keep an eye out for a moment. Quit looking around. Pretend to be Vivian and examine your nails or something.”
She glares at me but takes my advice. I hold back a laugh as she hunches over in front of the weapons kradi, every ounce of her attention on her fingernails.
If someone notices that the guard has left, her bad acting isn’t going to fool them for long.
I glance up to the sky.
Give me a hand here, Jack. This shit will be a whole lot easier if you’re by my side.
I dart into the kradi, eyes widening as I take in the goodies laid out in front of me. They’re stored neatly on shelves, and I’d love nothing more than to spend a few hours in here, examining the medieval-looking swords, knives, and other weapons. I move deeper within the tent and narrow my eyes as I find the knives. They range from tiny throwing knives the length of my little finger to huge hunting knives the length of my arm. I grab a couple—one for fighting up close and one for anything else I might need while out in the wild.
I elbow Ellie as I move past her, and she glances at me, nibbling on her lower lip.
“I wish I could give you a hug,” she whispers, and I smile at her.
“Same. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Ellie doesn’t point out that I have no business promising such a thing on this planet, but she nods. “Be careful.”
“I will. I have to go before I lose my window. Don’t forget to grab the clothes and food from Vivian’s kradi and stash them behind the mishua pen in our spot.”
She nods again, her eyes filling with tears, and I wish I could throw my arms around her, but we can’t be seen saying goodbye.
“Get out of here before the guard comes back,” I say, turning and stalking away.
Weapons. Check.
The next part is the hardest part of my plan and the only part that’s completely out of my control. I have to rely on a certain pain in my ass, and my entire plan hinges on her. All I can do is hope that by endlessly drawing Racia’s attention to all the other mishua every time they left the pen, I’ve made my point clear.
She wants freedom? I’m the girl to give it to her.
I strut into the mishua pen, eyeing the warrior guarding it as he nods at me.
“You’re late.”
“I was talking to Terex. He wants to see you, by the way.” I keep my voice nonchalant, striding toward my shovel.
“He wants to see…me?”
I grin. This guy has been an asshole to me ever since I arrived. He seems to feel personally offended every time he sees me wearing my pants, and he’s made it clear that if it were up to him, I would be forced to wear a dress and choose a mate.
Unlike with the guard at the weapons kradi, I have zero remorse for how much trouble he’ll get in for abandoning his post.
I shrug as if I couldn’t care less. “You’re Lariz, right?”
I glance at him out the corner of my eye, picking up my shovel as I move toward my poop mountain.
He doesn’t even look back at me. He’s too busy heading toward the training arena.
Idiot.
I eye the mishua, who bares her teeth at me, likely picking up on my anxiety. I force myself to take a deep breath and then blow it out.
“Here’s the thing. You want out; I want out. You have approximately ten seconds to decide if you want your freedom. Otherwise, I’m taking one of the other mishua.”
She stares at me, and I shrug, moving toward the herd, which gathers on the opposite side of the pen. I’m bluffing, of course. None of the other mishua will allow me near them.
Racia snorts, and I hide my grin as she comes up behind me.
“No funny business, then,” I tell her. I glance around and then climb over the pen, grab the bags Ellie hid for me, and climb back inside, where Racia stares at me with her red eyes.
“Yep, you have to carry me and my stuff. I know for whatever reason you’re not a fan of women, but would you rather have a short exercise ride with a warrior or an adventure with me?”
I let her think about it while I grab her saddle from the attached kradi, which passes as a tack room. I’ve never actually saddled one of these beasts, but you bet your ass I watched closely every single time someone did it in my presence.
I turn with the saddle in my arms, and the mishua waits.
“I’m choosing to take this as a sign that you’re all in,” I mutter.
I move closer, ready to leap out of the way if she decides to kill me, but she stays still, allowing me to saddle her up.
I attach the bags to the saddle, and my breath comes faster. I don’t have long now. If I get caught…
I push that thought away. The last thing I need to do is make this mishua even more skittish.
I take the cloak from one of the bags and pull the hood over my head. Then I pick up a handful of dirt and smear it on Racia’s skin.
She lets out a growl, whipping her head toward me, and I duck, barely avoiding being gored.
“Don’t be an asshole.” My hands are shaking at the close call. “Look, dummy. All the other mishua are dark green all over. You’ve got those lighter patches right there on either side. Probably why Rakiz chose you, the vain idiot. If we don’t cover them up, the sentries are going to notice that you’re the king’s mishua, and we’re both screwed.”
I move toward her again, and she shies away. Frustration hits me, and to my shock, useless tears almost rise to my eyes.
This is my only shot at finding the other women. If I’m caught now, Rakiz will never let me out of his sight again.
I turn away, attempting to get ahold of myself. Then I jump back as the mishua snorts into my ear.
“For fuck’s sake, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
She stands as if she doesn’t have a care in the world, eyeing me like she’s wondering what I’m upset about. I freeze as she slowly moves toward me, shoving her head under my hand, which is still filled with mud.
“Are you sure? ’Cause I don’t have time for temper tantrums. Fuck me around again, and I’m taking one of the others.”
It’s an empty threat, and I suspect
she knows it, but I sigh, slowly raising my hand toward the lime-green scales on her side.
“These are beautiful,” I murmur. “It’s a shame to cover them up.”
She tosses her head, and I’m pretty sure she’s preening. I laugh, and then I jump into action, stepping around her and swiping the mud down her other side until those scales are covered.
It’s now or never.
I want to lead her to the fence and use it as a mounting block, but if I can’t get on her now, there’s no way I’ll be able to do it out in the wild.
I’m not graceful, but I manage to haul myself up onto the mishua’s back, my muscles straining. Racia stands still, although her muscles are more tense than I’ve ever seen them. I adjust my cloak so that it covers me completely, making sure my hair is tucked underneath.
“Right, let’s get the hell out of here.”
While the odds are against me with this escape attempt, I have a few things going for me as well. For one, no one is going to expect me to ride out of here on a mishua. After all, the beasts are often challenging for even the most experienced warriors.
I push that thought down. If I think about all the ways I can end up dead in a ditch somewhere, I’ll go curl up in Rakiz’s furs and never leave his hut again.
My chest hurts at the thought of the tribe king. My experience staying with him has taught me that underneath the arrogance and high-handedness, Rakiz is just a man. A man who is going to lose his shit when he finds me gone.
That thought gets me moving even more than the thought of the guard coming back, and I knee the mishua. While I sat on Leai’s back on my way to camp that first day, I wasn’t at all in control of where she walked. Asroz had tied her to his mishua, and all I had to do was sit and contemplate how I could find the other women.
Now I need to steer her myself.
It’s not unlike riding a horse, except that a horse is unlikely to throw you and gore you with huge horns if it feels you’ve been disrespectful.
