Soul of a Predator

by Angela Verdenius

  Sighing, she propped her booted feet on the console and crossed her ankles.

  Even, measured footsteps sounded in the corridor, then Shaque entered and sat down in the chair beside her. Holding out a hot mug of una, he looked at the profiles on the viscomm.

  Surprised, Elyse looked from the mug to him questioningly.

  "You've been in here for three hours,” he said shortly. “Thought you could use something to drink by now."

  Shaque never did anything for anyone for no good reason. Taking the mug, she looked dubiously at it, and a coldly amused smile twitched the corners of his lips. Lifting his own mug to his lips, he took a mouthful, swallowed, then took her mug from her hand and replaced it with his own. Sipping from her mug, which was now his, he returned his attention to the screen.

  Taking a sip of the una, Elyse relaxed as the liquid slipped through her. Hot and sweet, just the way she liked it. And the way Shaque likes it? It had to be, for she was drinking his una, wasn't she?

  "So,” Shaque finally said. “find anything?"

  She shook her head. “You?"

  "Nothing of note, but then again, we're looking for slightly different things, aren't we?"

  Well, well. What is the hunter sniffing after now?

  Staring out of the space shield, Shaque propped his own booted feet on the console and crossed his ankles. She'd have thought he was mocking her, but she'd seen him do the same thing several times when she wasn't there. Just something else they had in common.

  Rather than disturb her, it caused a ripple of amusement.

  "What are you looking for, Elyse?"

  "You know. Who I really am."

  "But there's more to it than that."

  Elyse looked out of the corner of her eye at him. The blonde hunter was still gazing placidly out of the space shield.

  "Your sister, Nerissa."

  "But there's still more.” He took a leisurely sip of his una.

  Not replying, she waited with interest to see where his thoughts were going.

  "You hid your bloody nose from Donika."

  She shrugged.

  "She doesn't know about your illness."

  "No need to worry her."

  "If it isn't a serious illness, Elyse, you wouldn't care if she knew."

  Uh-oh. “You don't know Donika."

  "You're twins. Twins are close."

  "We're not tied at the hip.” She added ironically, “And we're not totally alike, remember?"

  "And why is that, Elyse?” Resting the mug on his flat stomach, he continued to contemplate the universe. “Why are you part mutant, but not your twin? Or is she part mutant after all?"

  "No, she's not."

  "So how come you're twins, but only you are part mutant?"

  "When did you start to speak more than a few words?"

  The look he slanted at her was unreadable.

  Taking another sip of the hot una, Elyse savoured the sweet, hot taste while wondering why Shaque was so interested.

  "Well?” he prodded.

  "I thought you were only interested in finding Nerissa?"

  "I'm travelling with you. Whatever happens with you just might affect both us."

  "Trust me, you'll be all right."

  "I like to know the whole story."

  "Bit late for that now."

  "I wasn't concerned until I saw you hiding something from your twin. Now I'm wondering."

  Turning her head, Elyse saw him looking directly at her, and she met his gaze with cold determination. “The why and what is my business, hunter. You only have to be concerned with finding your sister. Once you find her, we part ways."

  He looked her over appraisingly. “Does she know you still carry the mutant inside you, that you were never ... rehabilitated ... like Sonja?"

  Bastard.

  "Does Donika know you take medicine to hold the mutant at bay?” he continued quietly.

  "You know nothing, Shaque,” she retorted sharply.

  "Does Donika know,” he pressed relentlessly, “that the hormone obviously never disappeared from your body the way it did to Sonja?"

  "You're just guessing.” Her skin prickled.

  "The mutant gene inside you is good at mutating enough to pass for a normal gene, normal enough to satisfy the authorities that you are no longer a threat.” His cold eyes gleamed. “But you're still very much a threat, aren't you, sweet Elyse?"

  "You have no idea what you're talking about.” Hot and cold flashes skittered across her skin. Her heart started to pound.

  "I've seen you, Elyse. I saw you on that table back on Saalm. It took two men as big as bloody trees to hold you down. Your eyes were red. Just as I've seen those little flashes of red whenever you're angry, or dangerous.” His smile held no humour. “I can smell the danger on you. Sense it in you. I just bet you're a powder keg waiting to explode, Elyse. And that, my little mutant, is why I need to know what is going on. I don't know that I'm keen on the idea of you turning mutant while we're out in space. Having to shoot you would be ... anti-climatic ... after all this time."

  Swinging her feet back to the floor, she stood up and walked out of the cabin. Only once she was outside, she remembered that the viscomm and all programs were running, giving him access to a lot of things no bounty hunter should know. Going back inside, she saw him sitting in exactly the same place. Without a word, she reached over and wiped the screen and programs clear.

  "You're trying to find a way to subdue the mutant inside you,” Shaque stated. “That's it, isn't it?"

  Cocky bastard.

  Silently he saluted her with the mug, and for the first time, she felt real irritation. She left the cabin before she grabbed his mug and smacked him over his handsome head with it.

  Retreating to her cabin, she grabbed her nightclothes and strode into the bathing cabin. The warm shower helped calm her irritation down, but his words brought her sister's face to mind.

  No, she hadn't told Donika about her illness. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. There'd be time for that later. She blamed the shampoo getting into her eyes for the sudden tears.

  Get a grip. Get a grip. Don't let that bastard hunter get to you. He thinks he knows it all, but he doesn't know. He doesn't really know what's going on.

  Leaning against the shower wall, she shuddered. And cried a little bit. And wished that she didn't know the truth.

  * * * *

  They fell into the now familiar pattern of each keeping to their own thoughts. Each did their own research, studied the coordinates, went through the daily safety checks of the engines and laser guns, read and ate. All in silence. A whole week passed with nothing said between them.

  Shaque was more than aware of Elyse, though. He kept a wary eye on her, the first thing he did every morning looking directly into her eyes to see if there were any signs of redness.

  She knew, and he was sure that was the reason that she sometimes refused to return his gaze sometimes for several hours. Amusing herself, no doubt. And he more than knew that by the amusement in her eyes when she finally did look at him out of those big, brown eyes.

  But their silences weren't uncomfortable, rather, almost soothing. The quiet sound of pages turning, footsteps, daily living, all done so quietly, was ... soothing. Most times, music played softly in the background.

  It was probably one of the few times Shaque had truly relaxed. But not relaxed enough to forget about his companion.

  * * * *

  Landing on a planet on the outskirts of the Outlaw Sector, Shaque knew they shouldn't have been able to get there so fast, but with Elyse's hidden whatever, it seemed it wasn't impossible after all.

  Standing in the corridor just outside of his cabin, he buckled up the laser belt around his lean hips. “Rough place."

  Strapping the sheath to her forearm, Elyse tested the blade of the dagger against her thumb before slipping it into the sheath and picking up the other sheath. “Yep.” She glanced back into the control cabin, in which she wa
s standing in front.

  Checking the power of the lasers once more, though it was unnecessary, Shaque holstered both lasers.

  Elyse slid the other dagger into the sheath on her other forearm.

  Shaque slid his daggers into his boot tops.

  She did the same.

  He slipped a dagger into the sheath in his waistband at the back of him.

  She slid a dagger into the sheath in her waistband at her back, and another into the sheath high up between her shoulder blades, where she could reach it by grabbing over her shoulder.

  Her laser belt snapped on easily, and she tied the laces securely around her thighs to keep the holsters secured.

  He sheathed the daggers to his arm sheaths.

  They both rolled their sleeves down and donned their jackets.

  And looked at each other.

  Hard.

  Maybe, Shaque mused, they really were alike in many ways. At least he now knew where she hid her weapons. Sobering thought, she also knew the same about him.

  Elyse shook her head briefly, turned and strode down the corridor to the door leading into the stairwell.

  As they walked through the cargo hold and down the ramp, coming out into the bright sunshine, Shaque glanced around. “I'll get the ship fuelled and more fuel in the storage tank."

  "Fine.” Elyse started towards the settlement. “I'll get the stores organized."

  Glancing around, Shaque took in the ships that were already docked. Several planet shuttles, a couple of private space crafts, some planet cruises, and ... he grinned. A bounty hunter ship. He'd have to go and find them later, see what news they had.

  He didn't like to admit it, but he did miss his pack.

  Finding the docking bay attendants, he had them refuel the ship and the storage tank while he did a check of the outside plating, searching for any weaknesses. Once he was satisfied all was well, he paid the attendants via his dinno card and crossed over to the bounty hunter ship.

  It was empty. No one came out to check when he stood in view of the camera, so he knew they were all in the settlement.

  With Elyse.

  Hoo boy.

  Still, she could take care of herself. But even as he thought it, his pace quickened. The last thing he needed was her injured, or the hunters. It wouldn't bode well for his mission. Their mission.

  The settlement was busy, large and crowded. The streets were full of settlers, travellers, and travel discs. Above the settlement flew several planet cruisers. Two pursuit crafts manned by peacekeepers flew amongst the busy air traffic.

  The main street was cobbled, and stalls lined one side of the street, while shops lined the opposite side, all vying for the attentions of both settlers and travellers.

  It was the kind of place to harbour petty outlaws and a few more brazen ones amongst the teeming streets of humanity. It was the kind of place where tempers got short, fingers light, and the law was stretched.

  Wishing he'd thought to ask where Elyse was going for the stores, Shaque pushed his way through the crowd. The stalls he passed and could see ahead didn't have her slim, quietly-composed figure standing near them, and he didn't see her in any of the shops.

  Just when he was starting to wonder if she'd ditched him to double back and take off in the ship, he saw her in a little shop tucked back between two bigger shops.

  Relief pulsed through him, and he stepped up onto the veranda and into the shop. She only glanced at him and continued talking to the shop owner.

  Browsing the shelves, Shaque chose a few more goods. Hell, the woman had nothing very sweet in her food storer at all, and Shaque liked sweet treats to nibble on.

  A floral scent drifted to his nostrils and he glanced sideways to see her walk past him towards the other end of the shop.

  Yep, he liked sweet things to nibble, and she smelled sweet.

  He almost dropped the bag of sugar sweets he held when he realized where his thoughts had drifted. Hells bells, he really needed to seek some tavern whore's company while they were here, if he was starting to think of Elyse as sweet!

  Taking a step back, he looked along the shelves to see her bending over a barrel to peer inside. The woman had a really nice backside.

  He couldn't believe he was thinking such thoughts. Women never meant more to him than a short time to slake his desires, to bury himself in their warm flesh, but always aware that they paid him for that dubious privilege. Most of them were wary, if not scared, of him. Some saw him as a challenge. In turn, he saw them as convenient. He certainly never thought of them as sweet.

  Elyse was anything but sweet.

  Shaking his head, Shaque went back to pursuing the lolly and candy shelves. He really needed a break from being confined with her in that ship.

  By the time he'd finished selecting several bags of lollies and a large box of sugar sweets, as well as several compubooks, Elyse was organizing for the delivery of their stores.

  "How about we grab a bite to eat at the tavern before we head off?” Shaque suggested, balancing a small box of doughnuts in his hands while his gaze flicked over the street through the grimy shop window.

  "Want to visit with your hunter friends?” Her gaze also swept over the street before returning to him expressionlessly.

  "Change of scenery."

  "Mmm."

  He gave her the cold look.

  She gave him the expressionless look.

  Angling his head, he gazed down at her.

  "Fine. We'll load the stores up and then go for a meal and a drink.” Peering into the box of doughnuts, she picked out a chocolate coated one that he'd been planning on eating as soon as he got the chance and bit into it. Chocolate pudding oozed out of the side and she licked her tongue along her lips to catch it. “Not bad."

  The glide of that little tongue along those luscious lips was doing something not bad to his nether regions, too. Shit, I so need to get laid. The thought made him scowl. He chose when to get laid, never before had he needed to!

  One of her elegant brows arched up in that irritating way she had of expressing mild amusement and she held up the doughnut, took another bite, and then sauntered back to the counter.

  Taking a deep, steadying breath, Shaque forced his gaze from the unconscious sway of her hips and looked back out into the street again. What he really needed was some male company with decent man talk. No floral scent and no big brown eyes.

  Not that he cared about floral scent or big brown eyes.

  Shit.

  The stores were loaded onto a hover tray and the store assistant, openly nervous in the company of Elyse and Shaque, kept silent on the way to the ship. Elyse didn't program his body pattern into the security system, but unloaded the stores herself.

  Privately, Shaque thought it was a wise move, and one the bounty hunters did, too. He assisted her in unloading the stores and packing them away, except for the box of doughnuts, which he left on the dining cabin table.

  Once finished, they headed back into the settlement. Not bothering to hide the fact that he was looking for the pack, Shaque checked out the three taverns for any sign of the bounty hunters. Elyse followed silently, her gaze studying the people as they passed them on the street.

  Shaque found the pack sitting in the third tavern, a roomy place with high ceilings and some younger tavern wenches.

  Standing just behind him, Elyse said, “I'll go and sit at the bar while you have a little chat with your friends."

  Shaque gave her a quick nod and started towards the pack. To be truthful, he wasn't sure exactly how the pack would react to Elyse being with him, and didn't really care anyway, but he welcomed the chance to spend some time alone with the hunters. He glanced over his shoulder to see Elyse swing up onto one of the stools at the bar. As long as he could keep her in sight, he'd be content.

  Recognizing Creed's pack, Shaque approached the table. “Room for a lonely hunter?"

  "Hot damn, if it isn't Shaque the lone hunter with his little mutant in tow.” Cree
d grinned, his gold tooth flashing. “Park your arse and relax."

  The other hunters greeted him cheerfully, shifting their chairs so he could slide one in amongst them.

  "Speaking of mutants,” Erlar said, peering around with interest, “Where is she?"

  "News travels fast.” Shaque pointed towards the bar where Elyse sat and then gestured to a tavern wench, who came across, trying to hide her unease. “Ale and a slice of cake."

  Relieved, she hurried away to fill the order.

  "Hey, when it concerns you and Elyse, news always travels fast.” Creed flashed the gold tooth again and peered towards the bar, where Elyse had her back to them. “So? Have you both managed to not seriously damage each other yet?"

  Shaque nodded.

  "Right,” Creed said dryly.

  "It must be a barrel of laughs, the two of you onboard one ship.” Erlar grinned. “Dead silence."

  "What do you talk about?” Kerey, a hulking brute with a hideously scarred face looked curiously at Shaque.

  "Whatever is necessary.” Which, as far as Shaque was concerned, pretty much said it all.

  Obviously it wasn't enough for the hunters.

  "Do you actually speak to each other?” Kerey persisted. “Or do you take it as a good sign to simply half draw your daggers and sneer at each other?"

  Shaque took his arms off the table as the tavern wench placed the plate of cake and mug of ale before him. Picking up the fork, he broke off a slice of the cake and started eating.

  "I think they have their own way of communicating.” Creed winked at Kerey. “But imagine them in bed together?"

  Shaque choked on the cake.

  "Dagger point.” Musingly, Kerey stroked his chin. “Trying to decide who goes on top."

  "Who's in charge.” Creed nodded seriously. “If the blood should be shed before, during or after."

  The hunters laughed uproariously.

  Shaking his head, Shaque picked up the mug of ale and took a deep drink. His gaze went to the bar and he saw Elyse watching him in the mirror. Her eyes gleamed faintly in the light from overhead.

  Picking up the glass in front of her, she took a sip, then swung around on the stool and stood up. For a minute he thought she was going to come across to his table, but instead she moved across to a table in the far corner and sat down opposite a thin young man with bad skin.