He fingered a scar around his neck. She’d done that. Hopefully, he had one on his scalp too. Score two for the single mother and zero for the asshole hunter. Pride settled inside and she took another bite of her protein bar.
“Give up, Fanian. I intend to win this thing.”
He took a deep breath. “Let me explain something to you, Mishka. Each Level is progressively harder than the last. While you sit here and enjoy an afternoon lunch with your children, there’s a family of bessen three clicks from you. Being from Earth, I’m assuming you don’t know anything about them.
They are hairy beasts that, when on their hind legs, are three times my height. They are big but agile, and while they may look friendly, they are anything but. One sniff and their entire pack will descend on you, ripping you and your children apart. They’re also the reason the two hunters who’ve been tracking you cannot advance any closer. I decided to go around them and ended up on this side. You don’t fully understand the danger you’re putting yourself and your children in.”
“A little long-winded, aren’t you?” She humphed. “I ran into them already. I’m not as weak as you think I am. So save it. Your exaggerated speech doesn’t scare me.”
Anger flashed and his lips firmed. “These are facts. Do you want me to tell you some other facts?”
Miranda ignored the small kernel of fear his words created. “Not necessarily, but I’m sure you will.”
His gray features tightened. “There are four main compounds on Turolois, built specifically for different species based on their oxygen requirements. Within each compound are a multitude of gaming arenas. Each arena has anywhere between ten to twelve prey at a time and up to fifty hunters. The games can last anywhere from one day to six months. So as you can imagine, there have been scores of prey on Turolois. But know this. Prey who’ve beaten the game are rare, and to date, only one of them was human.”
Miranda didn’t respond. She didn’t believe a single word that came out of his mouth. This speech had to be one of his scare tactics.
Fanian continued, “Only sixty-five percent of prey are captured. The other thirty-five percent end up dying in the game.” He jutted his pointy chin in her direction. “The odds of you winning are not in your favor, Mishka. You’re most likely going to get eaten by an arrancar, a pack of bessen, or captured by a hunter—today. I want that hunter to be me.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Like it or not, those are the facts and the odds.”
“Was this little spiel supposed to convince me to give up and go with you?” She stuffed her half-eaten protein bar in her pocket. Despite not believing him, she suddenly lost her appetite. She didn’t like those odds at all, made up or not. “I’ll take my chances, but thanks for the info. I wasn’t aware there were hunters following us. You’re the first we’ve seen since coming here. I’ll be more careful next time.”
“Mommy,” Adam said, tugging on her arm. “What does he mean we’ll get eaten?”
She glared at Fanian. “Way to go. You’re scaring my kid with your pep talk.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and shot her a dark look. “You’re stubborn, and you’re putting your family at risk when you don’t need to. What do you gain from trying to advance? You cannot return to Ear—”
“What happens when I finish then?” She didn’t want her son to know they weren’t on Earth. Not yet anyway.
He blew out a breath, clearly exasperated with her refusal to give in to him. “You’ll receive credits to start anew and your freedom.”
“Credits?” Adam asked. “What about our medals?”
She turned to look at him and wiped a bit of protein bar from his chin. “Of course, we’ll get medals, baby.”
“But the robot said—”
Miranda patted his shoulders. “Lies to keep us from Santa. That’s all. You let me deal with him and his crazy talk, okay?”
Adam glanced at Fanian, then back at her. “Okay.”
She kissed him on the forehead. “That’s my good boy. Now, how about we pack up so we can leave?”
Fanian sputtered behind her. “Didn’t you listen to me? The odds—”
She cut him off by holding up her hand. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. The odds are against me. But what you don’t know is that I’m a fighter, and so are my kids. We made it to Level Two when many we came here with thought we’d hold them back. I can do this. We can do this.”
“You’re just a stubborn human,” he growled. “The animals advancing on you now will rip you apart. I’ll have to capture you just to keep your fool self from killing you and your family.”
Her lip curled in a snarl. “I’d rather die than live the life you’re trying to force on us.”
Fanian grumbled, then backed up and eyed the gap between them.
“You’re not thinking about jumping that are you?” She laughed. “Look who’s the fool now? The gap is too wide.”
Fanian took a few more steps back his face set in concentration. What did she care if he launched himself over the edge and fell to his death? At least it would finally get him out of her hair.
Fanian ran forward faster than anyone she’d seen before. He was almost a blur, his feet gliding over the snow as he kicked up small white bursts. When he reached the edge, he jumped, propelling into the air so gracefully she thought he would sprout wings and fly.
Then reality hit. Oh, shit. He’s going to make it!
Just as the thought came, Fanian began to drop. His arms flailed, and he fell. All she could see was the blue of his fingertips, gripping her side of the cliff.
Ha!
Miranda grabbed her machete and stood. After leisurely making her way to him, she peered over the cliff where he dangled.
He glanced up at her. His face was tight with strain. “Care to help me?”
She crouched and unhooked the cross-bow strapped to his back.
“You can’t be serious. You’re robbing me?”
She chuckled. “I’m going to miss you, Fanian. Not!” With a whack of her machete, she cut off his fingers. He dangled with his other hand as blood spurt everywhere. He didn’t beg for mercy or say a word as she chopped off the fingers on his other hand. To her surprise, he didn’t yell as he fell. He only stared at her with the most hateful glare she’d ever seen.
She stood and waved. “Come back from that, asshole.”
She made her way back to her kids and called a pod. After all, there were wild beasts and hunters in the area, and she still had to find somewhere to sleep for the night.
Chapter Ten
Fanian kept watchful eyes on Miranda. She was a click ahead of him. She wore an all-white snowsuit that conformed nicely to her body. Every curve was cradled. Nothing was left to the imagination. She had a body that a male could appreciate.
He shook his head. Where had those thoughts come from? He was on a mission fueled by spite and revenge. He shouldn’t lust after someone who wanted him dead, at her hands, preferably.
He refocused. Although he couldn’t see the children, he knew they were comfortably inside from the two lumps within the sleeping bag she pulled behind her. At least she wasn’t exposing them unnecessarily to the harsh elements. Yesterday he’d been surprised to find them sitting and eating outside as if they hadn’t a care in the world when there’d been danger literally all around them. If he didn’t catch her soon, she was sure to get herself and her children killed.
That was a sad thought. No more hunting this most underestimated prey. Her death would be such a waste. He’d never encountered a female such as her. She was a warrior not by training but by spirit, conviction, determination, and heart.
Wait. What?
What was wrong with him? It had taken all night for his fingers to grow back and even now they were still smaller than normal. Fanian shook his head once again. The only reason her death would be sad was because he wouldn’t get the time he’d invested in hunting her back and because he would have to switch course and hunt another femal
e.
He wasn’t impressed by her. He didn’t secretly like her either. In fact, he wanted to wrap his hands around her scrawny neck and squeeze. Tightly. But that wasn’t a possibility. He had to keep her alive for Az’ud. Az’ud would put her in her rightful place. To do that, Az’ud would just need to keep rocks, string and machetes out of her grasp.
Fanian chuckled. He didn’t care if Miranda could hear him. She probably could, although she hadn’t turned around to look at him. He did not doubt that she’d known the instant he’d found her again. Her entire body movements had changed from hypervigilant to relaxed. Relaxed! As if she didn’t think he could take her down and wasn’t alarmed, he was on her trail. She toyed with him, and he...liked it.
Fanian growled.
The last thought confirmed it. Something was wrong with him. He should’ve stayed in Level One and easily captured one of the other females. By now, he’d be on his way to Az’ud. But for some obsessive reason, he was stalking through a cold wasteland following a slight female and her children instead.
Revenge and pride made him wake up every morning to participate in this ludicrous game, but he couldn’t blame those two points as his only reason for putting himself through the pain of almost dying—three times.
When he was hunting her, he felt more alive than he had in a long time. This was invigorating. It would take a lifetime to forget about such a formidable opponent. But forget about her, he must. Miranda wasn’t for him.
Footsteps. Not Miranda’s. Hm. Another hunter?
If it was, the hunter was too close to Miranda for comfort. The rules were different in Level Two. He could fight another hunter who stalked his intended prey. And Miranda was his. For revenge only, he told himself.
He paused and listened. Sounds of slow-moving water came from that direction. They were by a lake. He stopped his pursuit and concentrated. Grumblings. Human. Definitely not a hunter. More grumblings and talking. Female.
It was only him and Miranda in this area. No animals that would kill them either. Miranda would be safe while he investigated the other female. If he was smart and she was an easy catch, he might claim her. Might.
Besides, Miranda was most likely leading him into a trap. She wasn’t even trying to hide her tracks and obviously leaving him a nice trail to follow. He smirked at that. He would play her game after he investigated this other prey.
Fanian veered from Miranda’s trail and followed the sounds coming from the lake. When he arrived, he found a human female spearfishing. It was the same one who’d made it to Level Two first and the one the Game Warden had been tracking.
Hm. Where is the Game Warden? Had he given up his pursuit?
The female tensed. Fanian stilled. She stood abruptly and stored her fish in a sack. After wrapping a bag around her neck, she made her way in the opposite direction. This one was as good at sensing another’s presence as Miranda was. Maybe humans had another sense that the files had missed logging? Did they have mild psychic abilities? A heightened sense of awareness? Intuition?
He didn’t know but pondered it as he followed her. He opted to use the trees to keep out of sight. Luckily there were plenty in this area.
He jumped from tree to tree and landed lightly on braches too flimsy to hold his weight properly, but he managed. Now and then, the female paused to look behind her, scanning through the tree line. This one could tell somebody followed her, but unlike Miranda had been, she teemed with nervousness and fear. It rolled off her in waves.
She walked faster, stumbling over her feet. Her breaths were hard and heavy. By the looks of it, she wasn’t confident in her ability to use the machete and dagger she gripped in trembling hands. But even so, he wouldn’t underestimate her. There’d been a reason she’d made it to Level Two.
As scared as she appeared, she didn’t run. Fanian wished she would. If she did, his urge to hunt her down would be too great to resist. He closed in. The human walked faster. She kept glancing over her shoulder, looking for him, but not once did she look up. Even if she did, she might not spot him. He was good at what he did.
Why didn’t she use an escape pod to flee? Had she used her allotted two already? This might be too easy to pass up.
She heaved and trotted, her footsteps sloppy like the skittish prey that she was. He could hear her thunderous heartbeat. Blood rushed through his veins, powering his predator nature. His teeth elongated. As he increased his speed, he didn’t care about the brittle branches giving him away with each crack. The female didn’t seem to notice. She was too overcome with fear.
She tripped and fell forward, landing face-first in the snow. Fanian dropped to the ground.
Her legs were twisted at an odd angle, although she didn’t bleed. He would’ve smelled that. She scrambled to stand but slipped and fell again. Her gaze finally settled on him, reflecting the terror that pulsated from her. He liked that.
“This was a lot easier than I thought it would be.” He’d thought this human was like Miranda, crafty. He’d expected a fight. This one was barely worth the effort. She’d obviously only made it to Level Two because the Game Warden had given her tips and helped her.
It could be so easy to claim her and be done with it all. He could be in the processing center and off Turolois before nightfall. He had a decision to make. Give up his ridiculous plans for revenge or leave with this female as his claim.
Pondering his choices, Fanian crouched and absentmindedly ran his fingers over the snow. He liked the way it felt on his fingertips. Cool and wet. Naahrex, his home planet, had a snowy season, and he’d only been on a few planets where snow was prominent. He found that he missed it.
Her struggling breaths broke him from his private thoughts. He looked up to find her watching him. “Are you stuck?”
If she were, it would guarantee there wouldn’t be a fight in claiming her.
“No. I can still run, kick...fight.” She unhooked her foot from whatever it had been caught on deep in the snow, then stood.
All commonsense told Fanian to claim this one and be done with it. If he continued on his path with Miranda, there was no telling where he would end up, and despite his determination, there was a strong possibility he might not catch her at all.
Leaving The Hunt without prey would be costly. He’d have to return the credits Az’ud had advanced him, leaving him destitute—again—and just as desperate as he’d been the past years.
“You aren’t my first choice,” he told the female.
She raised her eyebrows and motioned to the side. “Feel free to keep moving then. I’m sure the love of your life is still out there somewhere.”
The love of his life? Did humans believe in lifemates? Givveks surely didn’t. Oh, wait. She was telling him to leave her alone and look for other prey.
He grinned at his new understanding. “You are being sarcastic?”
“I-I guess.”
“Hm...” The human language was so different from his own. They didn’t always say what they meant.
“Humans are fascinating,” he continued after a pause. “I can see why the warden is interested in your species. Naïve, like children. So much to learn and so malleable.”
“We aren’t naïve, and we’re a pretty stubborn species. I mean, the glaciers on Earth are melting away, and we’re still fighting with each other over if global warming exists. You’ll find we’re much more trouble than we’re worth.”
True. “You’ll be someone else’s trouble. Not mine.”
Her eyes went wide with hope. “So, you aren’t going to try to capture me?”
He cocked his head to the side. “I haven’t decided yet.”
And he hadn’t.
“But you just said I would be someone else’s trouble.”
“I’m not here for myself. I was hired to secure a mate for a customer. He’s much too old and out of shape to participate in The Hunt, but he is very adamant in securing a human mate. Humans are rare, you see. You might enjoy your life as his mate.” Fanian shr
ugged. “Or maybe not. Az’ud is known for his temper.”
She clutched the weapons tighter and lifted her chin at him. “I think I’ll pass on that offer.”
“Would you rather be the warden’s mate?”
“I don’t want to be anyone’s mate. I want to beat The Hunt and leave this place.”
An idea hit him. The Game Warden was particularly interested in this one. If Fanian claimed her, he might do anything to get her back. Change of plans. “Maybe I should capture you. The warden would pay me more than Az’ud would for you.”
The female put her hands up and backed away. “Listen. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t want to be captured by anyone.”
“But what choice do you have?” He stalked closer. The credits the Game Warden would give him in exchange for her would make Az’ud’s payment laughable. He would gladly reimburse Az’ud if it meant a life of no more bounty hunting jobs. Ever. He could find other Givveks and offer them a safe haven aboard his ship. They could have a home.
“I killed before, and I’ll kill again,” she threatened in a voice that was meant to warn but had little effect on him. “You’ll be dead, bleeding out in the snow, and I’ll be far, far away.”
Fanian ignored her taunts. He had to be smart. She hadn’t called a pod yet, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have one. He would have to reach her before she touched her comlink. He crouched, ready to sprint.
“You’ll find that I’m not so easy to kill. Should we test how well you can defend yourself?”
She slowly slipped her weapons into her bag. He locked his eyes on her hand movements. She was about to make her move. She dropped her weapons.
Now! He lurched forward.
Zwipt. Zwipt. Zwipt.
Sharp pain in his skull stopped him. Everything went black.
Chapter Eleven
Miranda was more than happy to see Esme alive and well, but after their hello’s and hugs, Miranda’s attention went back to Fanian, the asshole who refused to die.
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