Serpents of the Abyss (The Darvel Exploratory Systems #2)

by S. J. Sanders

  “Yet your mating pheromones flood this nest,” he spat. “This smells of deceit to me. You would risk your welfare and your nest for this?”

  Slengral snarled at his friend, the ridges around his mouth lifting in a way that they clearly exposed his impressive teeth.

  “You will not speak so of my mate. Not in my nest!”

  Daskh flicked an unconcerned gaze toward him, but his brilliant eyes narrowed on her. As much as she wanted to wilt under that intense scrutiny, Lori met it unflinchingly. It was as close to the truth as he was going to get, so he was going to have to accept it. His disapproval changed nothing.

  In the end, Daskh grunted and turned away, reserving any further commentary, but he didn’t look convinced. Even comparatively easygoing Kehtal had seemed to observe the exchange with concern, and continued to eye everyone cautiously, even after the larger male backed off. Lori only hoped that she would be able to get to the surface soon. She cared for Slengral and didn’t want anything to happen to him if what Daskh inferred was true, nor for him to lose the respect of his friends.

  For everything to be okay for everyone, she needed to get back to the colony soon.

  Chapter 23

  Lori frowned at the large male settled on the spare bench pushed up against the wall kitty-corner to her. The largest Seshanamitesh she had met, Daskh practically filled the bench by himself like a giant stone gargoyle from one of the old cathedrals she had seen pictures of. He had been for there for what felt like hours and barely spoke more than a handful of words to her, most of his communication being carried out in a series of grunts and growls.

  She rolled her eyes and settled back against the cushion. What a conversationalist she got stuck with, and all because the males decided that Kehtal should accompany Slengral just in case there was an emergency. Everyone in the caverns apparently was still on alert for potential cave-ins that could occur even weeks later from structures that were damaged during the earthquake. As a result, she got stuck with him.

  It wasn’t that she had anything against him being there or resented his presence. Frankly, she was exceedingly grateful not to be alone with all the haunting sounds of the cave system surrounding her but that didn’t outweigh the fact that she didn’t want to wait to go up to the surface. She would have rather gone up with Slengral than be stuck in the nest with the nanny snake.

  “Must be thrilling to have drawn the short straw and gotten stuck babysitting,” she commented aloud.

  Green eyes flicked over to her, his scaled brows lowering in a confused expression that she had come to recognize from Slengral. “I do not understand your words, female.”

  She shrugged. “It’s a saying among my people meaning that you were left behind to wait with me rather than going with Slengral.”

  “It matters not,” he replied, adjusting his coils so that he settled more comfortably. “Your people seem to have many things you say and do. Seshanamitesh only know do or do not.” He met her eyes, his gaze boring into hers. “I will tell you this: your human ways are not for Seshana. Keep them to your own world. Here, life is hard, and we must consequently also be hard and direct. We take when we must take and sustain ourselves, and without apology. Your ways endanger him and you.”

  Lori scowled at him once more. “How can taking our time possibly endanger anyone?”

  Daskh hissed and drank in her scent again with obvious relish, although his eyes did not heat with desire as Slengral’s did. They settled on her like heavy, unforgiving stones.

  “You scent of an unmated female. It will continue to draw males. Even if you left Aglatha, they would still seek you from even the smallest whiff of your scent on the air. Even more so if they scent your arousal at all. Slengral will know no peace from being attacked. This is not the future you want,” he growled. His expression tightened in discomfort. “It may not even completely stop the more determined males. You completely lack the defenses that a female of our kind would possess to defend her nest.”

  His wing shifted in a casual, dismissive movement, and he looked away. “I would not be surprised if that is not part of what is drawing males to your people. The scent of unclaimed females would drive vulnerable males nearby mad with desire, even as the scent of flesh would drive their predatory hungers. Even if they realized that you were not just labor beasts, they would consider your males expendable and competition for their interest—and still possibly food,” he admitted.

  Lori stared at him, disquieted. “They would still do that? Eat people?”

  He met her eyes, his green eyes dulling. “It has not stopped many of them, even after being made aware of your sentience. I have no doubt that given the opportunity, those males will continue to hunt among your people and steal your females.”

  “Fuck,” she whispered, driving a hand through her short hair. “I need to get to the colony and warn them. Everyone believes it’s a wild animal, but if what you’re telling me is true, I can’t wait and hope for the best. If sharing information isn’t getting your people to stop killing them, I have to make them aware. They have to know what’s hunting them, that it’s so much worse, and that it won’t stop.”

  Daskh watched her, his mouth opening slightly as if to speak before he appeared to decide against it. His ear ridges dropped back, and the tip of his tail curled in on itself, revealing his discomfort. He swallowed, looking away. Lori felt bad burdening him with this—he wasn’t one of the ones going around killing and eating humans. Not only that, despite his hulking silence, he was kind enough to stick around the cave with her. It wasn’t his fault that all of this was happening or that people were dying.

  No, the only one at fault was the Corp. How the hell could the corporation have missed that the planet was inhabited? Sure, the Seshanamitesh only came out at night, but they were not the only nocturnal species in the alliance. Or maybe they just hadn’t cared enough to investigate before they set up their mining colonies on uninhabited stretches of open land. If they weren’t bothering with more than cursory examination, who knew what lurked in the night? Her eyes pinched shut anxiously as she tried not to picture what other predators shared this world. The Seshanamitesh couldn’t be the only ones—they were just the most direct and immediate threat.

  Lori’s eyes flew open, and she glanced down in surprise when the knotted tip of Daskh’s tail very gently nudged her lower leg. She looked up at his profile, his expression inscrutable.

  “In absence of Slengral, I would give you comfort if you would allow it,” he rumbled, still not meeting her eyes.

  The offer came so unexpected from the gruff male that Lori stared at him blankly. She didn’t know how long she sat there like that, but eventually his wings pressed in closer against his back and the corners of his mouth tightened.

  “Oh,” she said in a tiny, uncertain voice. “That’s… really sweet…”

  And it was. The male sat there beside her, his entire body tense like he was prepared to jerk away from her at a moment’s notice. Like he expected her to refuse him. She couldn’t figure out where exactly that was coming from.

  He was huge, with strong and well-defined features that she had become accustomed to on Slengral, and his eyes such an exotic green that they looked like they were fashioned from gems. If she would have guessed by looking at him, she would have thought he was popular with females. She might have been suspicious of his motivations, but he looked so damned uncomfortable that she couldn’t help but to believe that it was a genuine offer.

  “You can refuse if you do not wish it,” he grunted, shooting an annoyed look at her.

  She smothered the smile that threatened at his sour tone, and she nestled closer to his side, his large wing immediately flaring out to circle around her. She never minded a big teddy bear hug. With everything that had been going on, she couldn’t think of anything she would like more.

  “Actually, I think I would like that. How would you like to…?”

  Lori squeaked in surprise—an actual shrill sound esca
ping her—when his thick arm snatched her up against him, his wings slapping closed around her like two skeins of silk, incredibly warm and smelling of spiced musk. He hugged her tightly to his massive chest, his deep, resonating hum rolling out of him and vibrating through her. Its vibration sank deep into her bones like a hot soothing bath, drawing the tension from her muscles and relaxing her. She cuddled deeper into his warmth, burrowing her nose against the groove between his pectorals as she melted into him.

  She could stay like this forever. She felt so safe and comfortable, like the horrors of what was going on above couldn’t touch her. She might have said that aloud because the next moment his cheek brushed the top of her head.

  “Do not worry, hithana. I will keep you safe.”

  Chapter 24

  Slengral’s wings cautiously stretched wide as he examined the mouth of the cave. The humans had been as busy as he had presumed with all the sounds of activity that had gone on over the last several days. The rubble had been cleared away and new supports installed. Soon they would be returning deep into Aglatha without any care toward for whose home they invaded.

  “I do not even recognize Aglatha’s mouth,” Kehtal murmured beside him.

  He was right. The humans had changed the structure so much with their metal supports and equipment that the ancient formations that had been there are all his life and had been familiar to him as his own wings were gone. It seemed that between the damage done during the earthquake and the aftermath of removing dangerous obstacles that the humans had scarred the cave more than ever.

  Tail flicking behind him, Slengral rose up, his wings carrying him through the cave opening and into the night air. Kehtal followed after him, his body darting through the cave as quick as possible as if afraid one of the large metal creations were prepared to come alive and attack him if he was too slow. Within just a handful of minutes, the male glided at Slengral’s side, scanning the land around them.

  “What are we looking for?” he asked, his voice low.

  Slengral dipped his chin. “We are not looking for anything,” he replied. “I am scouting the route leading to the structure Lori described as the humans’ colony dome.”

  Kehtal jerked in the air in surprise, his head whipping around. “We are going to the human nest?”

  “Of course. That is where my mate wishes to go. I would not take her there unless I know there will be no immediate dangers in our path.” Slengral glanced curiously at the male beside him. “Is there a reason for your objection?”

  “I do not object,” Kehtal corrected, his eyes roaming the landscape restlessly as they flew, “but I am worried. I know your female needs to be above the ground, but taking her to that nest does not seem to be a wise choice. Let the intruders work out their own agreement with the shinara if they are smart enough to win the cooperation of a male to their side. There is no reason to risk her.”

  Slengral sighed. “You tell her that. I tell you now that my female will not agree. She will not rest until she sees for herself that the humans are safe and remain that way. She will not even allow me to take her to the safety of the shinara until she has spoken with her humans.”

  A worried expression crossed Kehtal’s face, his mouth tightening. “It is best that she does not go to the shinara either. I do not think it would be safe for her.”

  Wings snapping once to bring himself to a stop midair, Slengral waited as Kehtal slowed and rounded about and flew back to his side. He was not going any further until the male explained himself. The whole point of this was to satisfy his female and get the humans cooperating with the shinara so that he could take her to safety away from the unmated males of the Aglatha.

  “Explain,” he hissed.

  The male hesitated as he seemed to search for the right words. When he spoke, it was slowly as he carefully selected his wording.

  “Do you imagine that the females would be pleased to know that females of another species on our world were able to lure away capable hunters? They are under no obligation to choose a permanent mate from us, and only very few do so willingly. Human females, willing to mate and nest with us and diminish the number of males the shinara will have available to feed and breed them? Even if they made an agreement, I am not so certain they would not attempt to kill any female who mates with us,” he said quietly. “They are already noting your absence. It would be foolish to assume they will not take exception to it, given your popularity among them.”

  Slengral’s blood ran cold. With his focus entirely centered on what his mate needed and wanted, that was a possibility that had not occurred to him. Although females rarely traveled among the upper caverns settled by the hunters, keeping to their own tunnels and the shinara, venturing into the nest of a mated male who posed no risk to them was not beyond imagining. His stomach twisting, he considered just how fast he could return to his nest. He would need to scout for a viable place to take her far enough from the reach of the shinara.

  He glanced around the landscape stretching out around him, uncertain of what to do. The human dome was still some distance away; it was not too late to turn back and scout for a location away from both the shinara and the human habitation. Even if it would earn his mate’s anger. His stomach soured as if he just sank his teeth into rotted meat. Lori would be distressed if he did that.

  “What do you suggest?” he ground out. “I cannot and will not make my mate unhappy.”

  “Better unhappy than dead,” his friend muttered, earning a sharp look. The male sighed. “The unmated are determined. Even within the human nest, there will be risk of males attacking. There is no guarantee of safety there any more than there is in the shinara.”

  “Then give me solutions, something that will not make Lori hate me,” Slengral snapped.

  He would not be able to tolerate or endure his mate rejecting him. He knew that his friend understood because Kehtal gave him a knowing look before his expression turned thoughtful, his ear ridges fanning.

  “What if we just delay it?” he said slowly. “We will tell her that the way is still blocked at the mouth to give us a few waking cycles to collect intelligence on the position of the shinara.” He grimaced. “You are not the only male who has not been seen as of late. I have no doubt that the shinara will have been searching out the reason. Give me that time and we can make a better decision from the information we will have.”

  Slengral did not like it. It felt too much like deceit, but Kehtal’s idea had merit. Knowing the way that the land lay was important strategy for every hunter. In this situation it would serve them no less.

  “Very well,” he agreed reluctantly, his expression hardening. “You will have two waking cycles and no more. Until then, let us see for ourselves what exactly we are up against with this colony.”

  Kehtal nodded, visibly relieved. As one, they snapped their wings, darting forward through the air to cover the remaining distance. When the dome came into view, Slengral understood its appeal and his mate’s eagerness to return to it. Even Kehtal whispered to himself in awe at the sight of the glowing mound.

  Standing out against the dark, not only was it above ground as Lori had said, but it was also of unimaginable size, capable of containing numerous nests. He peered at it with interest, grunting in approval. A place like that would be easy for him to defend his mate and see to her comforts without having to take her deep within the caves.

  The more he looked at it, the more he coveted this colony not only for its size but also its fortifications. The structure itself looked formidable, and there were a multitude of lights mounted around the perimeter providing more focused illumination than even the thickest cluster of galthie blooms. At various points, he could see numerous metal structures surrounding it in a defensive formation. He was not entirely sure what they did, but it mattered little to him. Their visages alone were like sentinels that would serve as adequate warning if it were his.

  His tail coiled behind him. It would be so easy to take it. The humans patrollin
g the area were easy enough to spot, moving about in pairs or groups of three, none of them matching even a juvenile of his species in size.

  Unfortunately, as much as he was tempted, he knew his mate would not approve.

  “They have females guarding the nest,” Kehtal murmured, drawing Slengral’s attention from his darker desires.

  Slengral hummed with surprise and tasted the air. The salty meat-musk scent of the males mingled with the sweeter perfumes of the females. For the most part he could not visually tell the difference between them in their matching coverings and helmets that obscured their faces in entirety. That a few of them had prominent swells on their chests like his mate indicated they may have been females.

  “It seems that males and females work and live together,” he observed with interest as they watched the humans make a sweep, their steps in time, their weapons raised almost identically. “The females are not segregated and protected within the core with the males as the outlier presence. They are barely discernable from each other.”

  “Fascinating,” Kehtal remarked dryly, his tail twitching with unease. “Meanwhile, they are placing their females in a perfect position to be hunted and picked off.”

  “Because they do not know we are here,” Slengral reminded him, despite his own discomfort seeing the safety of the females being risked against the dangers of Seshana.

  “That will mean nothing to the males who capture them.” Kehtal’s words were grim but irrefutable.

  Ignorance would not protect the humans, and the unmated males would not care even if they were told. In fact, they would take advantage of it.

  As if having spoken an omen, a rattling shriek filled the air, and then another as two Seshanamitesh swooped above, both dropping, their weapons drawn in a coordinated attack. Such a thing had never happened and should not have. It was not their way to hunt, or plan strikes together, but things were changing within the Aglatha and he understood that too well. Had he not invited other males into his nest and placed trust in them? The humans’ presence was changing everything. The humans stood no chance.