by Zoey Draven
“Our deal still stands,” Valerie tried, if only to buy a little more time. “If I marry Gabriel Larchmont, you will leave the Keriv’i alone.”
“Our deal was forfeited the moment you left Everton,” Madame hissed, narrowing her eyes on her, standing from the table, making Valerie’s heart jolt.
“You want me to go with you?” Valerie asked quickly. “Then we leave alone. Now. Dravka, Tavak, and Ravu will stay here. You won’t touch them again and I’ll return to Everton with you.”
“Oh my dear,” Madame Allegria said, her tone condescending and overly sweet, “that ship has sailed. From now on, you’ll do exactly as I tell you and if you don’t then I’ll lock you up until the wedding and—”
Her words cut off abruptly when there was a loud thump outside the door, a pained human shout following.
Another thump came, as Madame Allegria edged back from the door, towards the bed.
“Go see!” she hissed at the dark-haired guard in the room with them, waving her hand towards the door, pulling out a stunner of her own from a strap attached to her thigh.
Valerie clenched the sedative in her lap and stood from the table, her aunt grabbing her arm so she didn’t try to flee.
The guard had his stunner in his hand and was just opening the door—
It crashed inwards with a splintering force.
And on the threshold was Dravka, his face furious yet focused. Behind him, she caught a quick glimpse of Tavak and Ravu—and the still body of the blond guard on the ground.
Quicker than she could blink, Dravka punched the guard right in the throat, his fist flashing out, making the human male clasp his neck, wheezing and gasping for air, the stunner falling to the ground.
Tavak came up behind Dravka and used the discarded stunner to zap the guard, who cried out—and then fell limp to the floor, a crashing of heavy limbs and dead weight.
Was he...?
Valerie didn’t have time to dwell on it because Madame Allegria tugged her closer, staring down the three Keriv’i males that were stepping into the small room.
Her two guards were down and dispatched. It was only her and them…and even her aunt knew a losing battle when she saw one. She was no match for the Keriv’is.
“Stay back, Kraves!” her aunt said, her voice hard and cold. “Attacking a human is a criminal offense.”
“We’re not on Everton,” Dravka growled, continuing to approach, as did Tavak and Ravu. “Release her now.”
Valerie tried to shake off her aunt’s grip, tugging, all while trying to uncap the sedative, but it was difficult to do with one hand. She heard the stunner in her aunt’s hand flare to life, the slim black device glowing blue for a brief moment when she powered it on.
Dravka looked at it and then back to Madame Allegria.
“I have never harmed a female in my life,” he said, his voice quiet, his eyes focused, “but I will make an exception for you if you don’t unhand my mate right now.”
“Your mate?” Madame Allegria laughed, her lips twisting bitterly. “How cute.”
“If you think you’re leaving here with her, you are very mistaken,” Dravka continued, as if she hadn’t spoken.
Ravu was edging towards them and Madame Allegria’s eyes flickered, retreating farther into the room. Valerie was still struggling to flick off the cap on the sedative, but her thumb kept slipping over it, adding to her frustration.
She must’ve made a small sound, one that Dravka might’ve mistaken for pain, because her male lunged towards Madame Allegria immediately—just as Valerie finally flicked off the seal!
She saw a bright flash from the stunner, a male grunt filling the room, and Valerie moved quickly, yanking her arm from her aunt’s grip as she plunged the sedative’s needle deep into the side of her neck.
A gasp came from Madame Allegria, her hand flying up to her throat, her stunned gaze turning onto Valerie.
But Valerie was already rushing to Dravka’s side, the scent of burned flesh filling the room. His flesh. Dravka was breathing hard, his hand landing on the wall to steady himself. But he was still standing upright. In his shirt there was a large hole, the edges burned away, and beneath it was a wound, slightly bloodied, on the left side of his abdomen. Thankfully, it looked superficial, not deep.
“I’m all right,” he assured her, wrapping his hand around her waist, tucking her close. It must take a lot more than one stun zap to bring a Keriv’i down…though the same couldn’t be said for the unconscious human guards.
“What—what was that?” Madame Allegria hissed. “What did you put in me?”
Her stunner had been dropped to the ground in her surprise and Tavak scooped it up quickly, destroying it in the palm of his hand, the pieces scattering across the floor.
Dravka was straightening more by the second, though his wound had to be painful.
Her aunt was beginning to blink heavily, reaching a hand out to steady herself on the window ledge behind her.
Ravu was dragging the guard in the hallway into the room just as Madame Allegria slid down the wall, her legs beginning to give out. She landed in an ungraceful heap on the floor, her head lolling around her shoulders.
Valerie stepped closer, her heart hammering in her breast, realizing that…they’d done it. They just might be free of her.
“It was only a sedative,” Valerie said, crouching down in front of her. “But it will keep you under for a good while.”
Madame Allegria’s nostrils flared, her eyes shutting briefly before she struggled to reopen them.
“Be glad it wasn’t poison. You’ll still wake up,” Valerie said softly, sensing the Keriv’i males hovering behind her, watching the exchange. “And when you do, know this…Celine Larchmont—that bitter bitch of a woman, as you called her—has copies of your business records. The ones you had to keep stored in the Nu terminal in the basement, with all your whips and chains and blood, where you thought no one would find it.”
“Wh…what?” Madame Allegria hissed softly, her eyes going wide with disbelief.
“All of it,” Valerie said, though she didn’t quite know what the Keriv’i males behind her had managed to pull from it. “And I have a feeling she isn’t your biggest fan.”
“You…you can’t. That’s not…”
Her aunt’s words were beginning to slur.
Valerie stood, looking down at her aunt. The same woman who shared her mother’s blood, who didn’t lift a finger to help her own sister when she needed help the most.
Valerie didn’t feel sorry for her. She never would.
“You deserve every terrible thing that is coming your way,” Valerie said quietly, feeling her throat tighten. “I’ll be reading about your trial and imprisonment in the coming year, somewhere far away, somewhere you can’t touch us. I would say good luck…but I wouldn’t mean it.”
Madame Allegria looked up at her from her position on the floor, hatred and fear and fury burning in her gaze.
Then her body slumped, her eyes closing, her mouth going slack.
Valerie stared down at her, feeling a familiar, warm hand touch her arm.
“Mellkia,” Dravka murmured. “Are you—”
Just then, they heard it.
The sixth bell…ringing out over Nimida.
Her breath hitched.
The vessel to Nzonito!
They had a flight to catch. And they needed to be on it.
“Let’s go!” Dravka growled.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The pain in Dravka’s side was only a brief nuisance as they sprinted through Nimida.
Because nothing could compare to the relief he’d felt when he’d seen his female, unharmed, standing in that room with her aunt.
After he’d strode from the washroom earlier, intending to convince his stubborn little female to mate one last time before they journeyed to Nzonito, instead he’d found their room empty.
He’d dressed quickly, only for Tavak to knock on his door, a frown on his face.
“Valerie was acting strange,” the male had told him. “She went down the stairs.”
“Kruvu?” Dravka had rasped.
“She said to meet her outside in fifteen minutes. That she had to go to the shops. But she was…different. She looked nervous.”
Dravka had frowned, immediately sensing that something wasn’t right. That was when he’d looked at the table, noticing that something he’d laid out there was gone. The sedative injection. Everything else was untouched and she’d even had the satchel of their clothes packed up and ready.
He’d snagged the bag and immediately left the room, going in search of his mate. They’d met up with Ravu at the end of the hallway and quickly jogged down the stairs.
On the second landing, however, they’d heard voices coming through a nearby door and when they’d looked down the corridor, they saw a human male wearing the Everton colors, a uniform of navy blue and green.
Fear had gone through Dravka at that moment. It didn’t take him long to piece together what had happened. Tavak and Ravu seemed to come to the same conclusion because they rushed the guard together, dispatching him quickly before breaking into the room he stood in front of.
Everything had happened so fast.
Focus, Dravka ordered himself, feeling Valerie’s hand clenched into his own as they raced through Nimida, Tavak and Ravu right behind them. That was then. This was now…and right now they needed to catch that vessel before it left Nimida.
His side burned, the flesh sensitive and sizzling…but Dravka had had worse. It would heal. It was the least of his worries. His top priority was getting his female off that colony and onto a safer one, one far away from her.
The transport depot was bustling and crowded.
“Over here!” Tavak bellowed, dodging a Luxirian with chipped black horns, who growled at him when he clipped his shoulder. “This way!”
Dravka pulled Valerie through the crowd, weaving quickly, teeth gritting, unused to crowds of beings. Up ahead, in one of the docking bays, there was a larger vessel. Judging by the sound, the engines were on and roaring. The whole depot seemed to shake with them.
They quickened their pace.
Almost there…
If only they could escape this place, they would be free.
There was no line. Everyone must have been on board already. He could see the doors coming into view and he felt Valerie’s hand squeeze in his own, could hear her ragged breaths.
The doors were closing.
“Vauk!” Dravka exclaimed.
But then Tavak was racing ahead, sprinting faster than they were able to. He reached the doors, holding them until a Killup attendant appeared with an annoyed expression, motioning for him to step back, her voice raised. Tavak shook his head, his chest heaving, digging in his satchel to procure their boarding passes.
The attendant’s lips were pursed in a scowl the moment Ravu, Dravka, and Valerie reached the doors.
“Fine, go, go,” the attendant grunted, snatching the passes from Tavak’s hand when she saw the group of them come running up. “Next time, don’t be late! Or you forfeit your seats!”
“Thank you,” Valerie gasped out. “Thank you!”
The Killup frowned but said nothing, waving them on board impatiently, murmuring something into her Coms device attached to her vest. Tavak and Ravu went up the ramp. Dravka and Valerie followed closely behind them…just as the doors to the vessel closed, sealing them inside.
“We made it,” Dravka breathed, his shoulders sagging, leaning against the wall. “Thank the demavs.”
A laugh bubbled from Valerie’s throat, hysterical but relieved. Even Tavak and Ravu couldn’t contain their small grins. All of them seemed in disbelief of their good luck.
Dravka pulled Valerie towards him, silencing her laugh with a desperate kiss, one that made her gasp.
“You’re in trouble,” he growled into her mouth. “But we’ll talk about it later.”
When he pulled back, her expression had sobered, but there was still bright relief in her gaze.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t let her find you and—”
“When are you going to understand that we’re in this together?” he asked. “That you don’t have to do everything on your own anymore?”
Something flashed in her eyes, her lips parting in realization.
“You’re right,” she said after a moment. Her gaze softened and she stood on her toes to press a soft kiss to his mouth. Dravka groaned. He could never be mad at her, though she’d endangered herself. “We’re in this together. I promise I won’t do anything like that again.”
He pressed a hard kiss to her forehead, his hearts still pumping at the thought that he could’ve lost her that day.
But she was in his arms now. They were leaving Nimida, leaving Madame Allegria in an unconscious heap on the floor of an inn, none the wiser as to their destination.
Or was it possible that…
“How did she find us?” he asked, frowning. “Did the tracker—”
“No, she bribed the pilot. Ben Vanner wasn’t very discreet after all,” Valerie said, shaking her head, knowing where his thoughts were headed. “And she found out we were staying at the inn because a shopkeeper had spotted us. She shouldn’t know that we are heading to Nzonito.”
Dravka nodded, his gaze going to Tavak and Ravu over her head.
“We’ll need to be cautious. I don’t want to take any chances,” he said. “Not with you.”
Once they reached Nzonito, they would take a quick flight out to another transport colony. From there, they would journey to Dumera. It would take longer but they would all feel better in knowing that they wouldn’t be followed.
Tavak and Ravu nodded, seeming to be in agreement.
“Hey!” came a voice, gravelly yet soft, from the top of the ramp. When they all turned, another Killup stood there, dressed in a grey uniform the same color as his skin. “We have to leave port soon. Find your seats and strap in.”
“Sorry, we’re coming,” Valerie called back.
The vessel was larger than it appeared on the outside. On both sides of the vessel were a series of circular tables. Four seats surrounded each of them, two on both sides. There was a wide aisle between all of them and privacy screens were available for all the table clusters, a luxury he hadn’t expected. A bar with food and drinks was at the back of the vessel, a series of washrooms next to it.
It looked respectable and clean.
The vessel was filled with all kinds of beings traveling to the Second Quadrant. Like them, however, most were minding their own business, not even batting an eye when they saw three Keriv’is on board with a human female. Those that did stare felt Dravka’s glare right back until they looked away.
“Here’s ours,” Tavak said quietly, coming to a stop at an empty table cluster, sliding into the seat next to the window, Ravu sliding in beside him.
Dravka nudged Valerie to the seat opposite of Tavak, also closest to the window, and Dravka slid in next to her. He winced, his side aching, but he would bandage himself up once they took off.
Instead, he enabled their privacy shield, a thin, translucent film rising around their cluster. They could see outwards at the vessel cabin but no one would be able to see them inside.
Valerie let out a deep sigh after they all got strapped in. Dravka reached out his hand and took hers, comforted by her heat and scent, though hers was mingled with traces of Madame Allegria’s perfume.
“Is it over?” Ravu asked quietly.
Tavak made a grunting sound in the back of his throat and Dravka squeezed Valerie’s palm, rubbing his thumb over the back of her soft hand.
“I truly believe so,” Valerie said quietly.
Then they felt a vibration. The engines firing hotter. Though it was a larger vessel, it wasn’t as smooth as the private one they’d taken from Everton.
As they pulled away from the docking bay, as the transport depot of Nimida, with it
s bustling crowds, pulled away from view and they were met with a metal shaft that led out to space…they all seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
The takeoff was bumpy. Dravka held onto his female’s hand tightly, a loud roaring booming in his ears when the engine catapulted them forward. Everything vibrated, even the teeth in his skull.
It didn’t take long for the vessel to even out and when he could actually hear again…he heard Valerie say, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
Dravka looked out the window, placing his arm on the back of her seat, leaning towards her. The mysterious beauty of inky, star-riddled space greeted him. Nimida was rapidly shrinking behind them. Soon, it would be nothing more than a speck before it was erased entirely. Like it’d never been.
But his eyes went to her, feeling something settle deep in his chest at the sight of her. When she looked back at him, her green, glittering eyes went a little shy when she saw his gaze was only on her.
“Pax,” he murmured. “Vellka.”
Beautiful.
Chapter Thirty-Six
One week.
One long, exhausting, seemingly never-ending week.
There were two days on the trip to Nzonito, one of which was spent in hyperdrive, which Valerie never wanted to experience again. Once they reached Nzonito, though they were tired, they took the first vessel they could find off the transport colony, to another transport colony about half a day away called Twon’ia. They spent three days on Twon’ia because it was a smaller transport colony and didn’t have regular flights running out of it. It was more of a watering hole and the Keriv’is had taken watch in shifts, looking out for any sign of Madame Allegria, in case she’d had the balls to attempt to follow them.
Another day was spent backtracking towards Nzonito because it was the only colony with direct transport to Dumera—unless they wanted to hop on another three vessel flights.
