Venomous Lust

by Mary Auclair

  Hazel

  Pain shot through her arm as Gerkin bent it behind her back, straining it to the point of near fracture. Still, she didn’t stop. She reached with her free hand toward Gerkin’s arm, scratching at his tough skin without breaking it.

  It was no use. She wasn’t getting away from him.

  Gerkin dragged her through the barren land, hoisting her roughly over the dead stalks, jolting her along like a ragdoll. The other Eoks were escorting Khal in a more dignified but slower pace, surrounding him, their ionic guns lifted like he was a bomb about to blow up any second.

  They were smart to do so.

  But it made no difference for her. Soon, Gerkin had dragged her away from the dead field of the Medina Forest and into the Ilarian cloning facility. They passed few people on their way—just a handful of Ilarian guards, but no additional Eoks.

  She didn’t know what that meant, but it was a good thing if not too many Eoks had followed Gerkin all the way to Muhar. Ilarian guards were cold and heartless, but for all their terrible efficiency in following orders, they were not nearly as skilled warriors as Eoks.

  “I will kill you!” Hazel didn’t relent, screeching like a banshee, twisting around to bite any available area of flesh, but Gerkin’s hold was too tight and all she did was manage to hurt herself even more.

  She didn’t care. She was past caring.

  Gerkin laughed, then walked into a small, all white, windowless room. As the door closed on them, Gerkin lifted Hazel up, pushing her back against the wall. His left arm, broad and strong, pinned her upper chest in place. It was the left side, the one Khal had severed. Inescapable. Too-pale eyes met hers, full of perverse joy.

  “You’re a hellcat, for sure.”

  Gerkin’s right hand, his intact one, ran over her body, traveling from her waist up as he lowered his face. She knew he was going to kiss her before his mouth closed on hers.

  Hazel bit down as hard as she could. Blood flowed in her mouth as Gerkin cried out in pain. He pulled away from her, wiping blood from his split lip, his eyes gleaming.

  Glittering with a sick anticipation that promised as much pain as she could ever imagine. Much more pain than she could withstand.

  “Just how I like them.” He spat on the immaculate white floor, the red stain like a promise of more to come. But the next time, she knew it would be her own blood. “The breaking is always the best part.”

  The slap came, blinding her. Her ear was ringing so loudly, she barely heard Gerkin’s laugh as he threw her like a lifeless doll. Her teeth chattered as her back hit the opposite wall, her entire body slumping under the impact. Hazel fought the confusion of the impact as she twisted to keep Gerkin in her line of sight.

  She had no hope of fighting him in hand to hand combat. He was Eok, a force of nature, all powerful.

  Gerkin watched her as she backpedaled away from him, struggling to sit up. The white room was bare, completely devoid of any furniture or windows. As Hazel glanced around, a slithering dread filled her mind.

  “What is Knut going to do with us?”

  This was the question now, wasn’t it? They were done: Khal in chains, the Muharee murdered, and herself captive. Her only hope was that she could save Khal, Celaith and Zaxis.

  Gerkin’s good hand went to his groin, his pants distended by a powerful erection. “You should really focus on what I’m going to do with you.”

  No.

  Hazel scrambled to her feet as Gerkin kept looking down at her, lust painted clearly on his face. He took a step forward, his hand closing and opening at his side convulsively, his mouth hanging slightly open, his eyes shining with sickness.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed this quite so much,” Gerkin said, hovering above her, his hands going to the buckle of his belt, his intent crystal clear.

  Terror raged through Hazel’s body in great waves of adrenaline and she lifted her fists, ready to fight no matter the odds. Then the door opened and a white-clad figure walked in, interrupting what Gerkin was about to do.

  “I see you didn’t lose any time.” Knut’s purple eyes went to Gerkin, then descended pointedly to his erection. The distaste was obvious on his fine features as his mouth twisted downward. “But I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. Hazel will not be yours to enjoy after all.”

  “You promised me I would have her.”

  Knut tsked at Gerkin, annoyance clear in his tone and face. He raised a dismissive hand to the Eok, his purple eyes trailing over Hazel.

  “I promised you a female, Commander Gerkin, not this female.” Knut took a step closer, his gaze on Hazel full of cold, clinical assessment. “I have much better plans for this one.”

  Knut approached Hazel, his movements confident, totally unimpressed by her raised fists. His hand shot out, fast and surprisingly strong. He grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm to the side. Pain shot through her limb and Hazel had no other choice but to follow Knut’s movement.

  Her knees touched the ground, then an Ilarian guard came up behind her, grabbing a fistful of her hair to pull her head back. Knut peered down at her, his long, thin fingers closing around her chin. Insults flew from her mouth as she tried to free herself from his grasp, but she was helpless. The Ilarian was much stronger than her.

  “Humans.” Fingers dug painfully into her flesh as Knut’s pupils shrank in his purple eyes, becoming fine lines. “Some say I owe my fortune to your species. That without your trade, I would have been nothing.”

  There was a hatred, a depth of sickness in Knut’s tone, in his eyes, that chilled Hazel all the way to her soul.

  “But I rather think if it wasn’t for me, your worthless, defenseless kind would have been wiped out by savages like our friend, Gerkin.”

  “What have you done with Khal?” Her voice was surprisingly steady, and she saw the pupils move in those dark purple eyes. His thin-lipped mouth compressed to a fine line as Hazel kept her gaze steadily locked with Knut’s. “What about my friends?”

  He didn’t like being challenged by a human. He wanted to see her cowering and pleading, and she wasn’t going to do any of those things.

  “Your bloodmate is more useful to me alive than dead, at least for now.” As Gerkin frowned and opened his mouth to speak, Knut shot him a warning glare and the Eok closed it again, mute, but with resentment in his eyes. “The Duke will pay a handsome ransom for his only son, at least once I start sending him to his mother in pieces. It always amazes me, the lengths some people will go to to protect their offspring. Such a waste of resources, when one can simply produce many more.”

  “I guess you just don’t understand the importance of family.”

  Knut’s lips lifted as he kept his brutal hold on her chin. Her skin was screaming with pain, and she knew there would be bruises along her jaw in the shape of Knut’s fingers, but Hazel didn’t let it show.

  “Family is just another name for weakness.” Knut spoke with disdain. “A primitive imperative. I’ve long since got rid of mine.”

  The monster gleamed in those purple eyes and Hazel was brought back to that day when he’d pulled her sister away from her. Knut had looked at her the same way then, with a profound enjoyment for her suffering that had left her aching inside from all the hatred she had to keep bottled up. She was nothing but a pawn in his eternal game of greed and power.

  “What about Celaith?”

  “Aaah!” Knut’s lips lifted in a smile. “The Arvak is a wonderful distraction, so exotic. It’s a pity there’s not much demand for them on the slave market. She has such spirit, such fire. Much like you, my dear. I might give her back to Gerkin as payment instead of you. He likes his females with bite, or so he told me.”

  Gerkin’s mouth lifted in a greedy smirk as Knut spoke, the prospect of owning Celaith clearly pleasing him.

  “You won’t get away with this. The Muharee will fight back. They will kill you for what you did to their homeland. You’ve become reckless, you didn’t have to destroy their Mother Forest. You
did it just out of spite, and now, it will be your undoing.” Hazel bit the words out, struggling to free her face. She couldn’t stand Knut’s touch anymore. Anger clouded her judgment, making her reckless. All she wanted to do was hurt this male who had destroyed so many lives; make him pay for the suffering he spread like a disease wherever he went.

  But as the Ilarian guard held her still, she was reminded once again how powerless she truly was.

  “I will destroy the Ring’s Headquarters and all those inside it. I won’t stop until I’m the only power that remains.”

  “You can’t use the negative particle bomb on the Ring’s headquarters,” Hazel answered defiantly. “You will destroy an entire solar system. Your home world of Avonie is within range.”

  “Yes.” The word was like a promise, like a kiss of death and suffering as Knut’s breath fanned her face. “And then, no one will be left to stop me. My power will be absolute, in the Ring and Beyond.”

  The monstrosity was so overwhelming, Hazel wanted to cry, wanted to shrivel up and disappear. “You are nothing.” She spoke low, but she saw the effects of her words on Knut. His features tightened and his eyes blazed. “And you’re going to die. Nobody will even remember your name.”

  Knut’s hold became even more bruising, but still Hazel refused to cry out. She knew what Knut was, what made his soulless heart beat faster, what aroused his sickness. He loved to see the pain he inflicted, loved to feel the fear in the hearts of those he tormented. He derived pleasure from it.

  A pleasure she wasn’t going to give him.

  Anger flashed in those purple eyes, the vertical pupils retracting and expanding in quick succession as he tried his best to hurt her. But Hazel kept her face blank, refusing to show how much it hurt. She knew bruises in the shape of the Avonie’s fingers would mark her face, but still she held on.

  Knut let go of her, the anger in his gaze replaced by something even worse.

  Joy. Glee. Anticipation.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a spirited plaything.” Knut spoke like he could taste the words on his tongue. “My last toy got away from me, but you, my sweet, I will make sure you never slip between my fingers. And who knows, maybe once I’m finished with you, I’ll send you over to Gerkin.”

  Hazel kept silent as dread made its home in her heart. She had been holding on to the hope that she could save her friends, but she had been a fool.

  She wasn’t going to save anyone, least of all herself.

  “I will wipe the Muharee and their Medina from the face of this planet until not even the memory of them remains.” Knut kept talking, his eyes missing nothing of her misery, drinking it in like the bloodthirsty monster he was. “No one can stop me now. Not now that thanks to your dear Commander Khal, Prime Councilor Aav is as good as dead.”

  Hazel blinked in confusion and Knut chuckled. The sound was gleeful and sinister like nothing she had ever heard before.

  “The Eok has always been the key to my plan.” Knut motioned to Gerkin. “No one will suspect the all-powerful Commander Khal when he informs the Mantrilla Matriarch that he’s coming back with both me and the bomb. She will welcome him with open arms. And when she finally understands, it will be too late.”

  “Khal will never help you. He’s stronger than any of you.” She heard the devotion in her voice, the absolute confidence. Because it was true. No one was as strong as Khal, as loyal. “No matter what you do to him.”

  Knut laughed, then clapped his long, fine-fingered hands together in a repulsive display of hilarity. “My poor, poor dear.” He was still laughing. “It’s not what I’m going to do to him that will make him break. It’s what I’m going to do to you.”

  Cold slithered inside Hazel’s veins, choking the oxygen from her lungs. An urge to scream mindlessly grew from deep in her belly and rose to the surface. Because she knew Knut was right. Khal could withstand anything. Anything except whatever was done to her.

  Khal was their only hope, and she was his only weakness.

  * * *

  Khal

  He raged against the bars of his cell, but it was just to vent his feelings. The bars were made of Allurium, they wouldn’t even budge. His mind was laced with fear; fear for Hazel, for what Gerkin was going to do to her now that she was under his mercy.

  Mercy? Gerkin had none.

  Khal’s eyes scanned the long rows of cells, all in darkness. The cells were in a basement of some kind, the floors made of barren dirt. Whoever had designed the plans for the jail didn’t plan on keeping anyone alive in there for very long.

  As the only other prisoner in the jail moved, Khal tensed. Anger spilled over again inside him, his instincts getting harder and harder to control. His fear for his bloodmate would push him further down the slope to madness in a matter of hours, he knew that.

  Just thinking about how terrified Hazel had been made it worse. He had to stop, had to focus his mind to find a solution out of this jail. With a supreme effort, Khal brought his mind to the present.

  The prisoner in the other cell moved again, turning on the raw dirt floor. As a broad-featured Cattelan male looked back at Khal, his dark yellow, almost brown eyes gleamed from behind long black hair within a scarred, mottled green face.

  “Roohl,” Khal called out, confused. “What are you doing here?”

  “Same thing that happened to you.” Roohl moved slowly, his scarred face twisting with pain. “Knut outsmarted me. I came to him after Gerkin gave me the invitation to join him. I was supposed to be one of his generals, one of those who would rise to power once Prime Councilor Aav was overturned. Turns out I was just as much of a fool as you.” The tone was derisive and hostile, but there was a wound in Roohl’s voice, something broken Khal knew would never be repaired.

  “What happened to the Mother?”

  Dark yellow eyes glittered, sharp and full of anger. “You’re not asking what happened to my crew. No. You want the Mother because you think it’ll help you escape Knut, but you’re a fool twice over.” Roohl chuckled, but instead of being abrasive, the sound was broken and full of despair. “There is no escaping him. Knut killed my entire crew. He just told Gerkin to kill them all, even after we all pledged our allegiance to him. He didn’t even bat an eye.”

  “That’s a thousand bounty hunters, hardened to combat.” Khal frowned, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place, finally making sense.

  Roohl lifted his lip in an ugly sneer. “My bounty hunters gave him the fight of his life. Twenty of mine for each one of his. Not more than fifty of you blue warriors against a thousand of mine.” Roohl’s sneer faded. “But in the end, it didn’t matter. They’re dead now, and Knut has my ship.”

  “Fifty?” Khal frowned. The garrison of Garana had a hundred Eok warriors. “Where were the rest of them?”

  “Dead, most likely.” Roohl sniffed, then spat on the dirt floor. “That’s what I would have done if I’d planned on taking over. Find out who’s with you, then get rid of the rest.”

  Roohl turned his back to Khal again. He was a defeated creature, just waiting for death.

  Khal’s thoughts ran at a thousand miles per second. This was a lot of information, information he needed to use to figure a way out.

  Why keep Roohl alive? What was Knut hoping to do by keeping him alive?

  And Hazel. Where was Hazel?

  The tangles of Knut’s devious mind were too thick, the plot he had no doubt laid out in front of all their paths too cunning. All Khal could hope for to foil him was that Knut had overlooked something. Something alien to him that he would not even think about.

  Khal’s thoughts were cut short by the sound of footsteps. An Eok warrior—the same as before, the one named Affek—was walking toward him, stone faced and silent. He was flanked by two Ilarian guards carrying ionic guns.

  “You are coming with us, Captain Roohl,” the Eok warrior said. “Looks like you’re going to be reunited with your ship after all.” Then the Eok looked at Khal. “You, to
o, Commander Khal. And do not resist. I do not want to have to kill you.”

  There was a darkness in the way Affek looked at Khal, a coldness that he hadn’t seen before, not even in Gerkin. Where Gerkin was perverse and mean, this Eok seemed completely devoid of feelings altogether.

  “How can you betray your nation like this, Affek?” Khal moved to the edge of the cell, his fingers closing around the bars. “Tell me what happened to your brothers on Garana.”

  A cloud passed over the other Eok’s eyes, some deep, unfathomable grief that Khal didn’t understand.

  “My brother’s name was Hayro.” Affek spoke with a dead voice. “He was the warrior who helped you escape Garana. He was the first to fall when Gerkin gave the order to kill those who were not with him. I chose life, Commander, but there is not a single breath I have taken since that I don’t regret it.”

  Affek’s eyes misted over and the Eok was clearly reliving the horror of what Gerkin had ordered them to do. Then it was gone, and Affek looked at Khal again.

  “There is no forgiveness for us, Commander,” the Eok went on, the darkness seeping all the way into his voice. “I envy you. You will get to walk the Night Lands alongside the Midnight God, and stand with your ancestors alongside your bloodmate.”

  The pit of the Eok’s despair was as bottomless as it was dark. Whatever had happened to break his spirit had leeched all willpower from him, turned him into a soulless follower. A soulless follower much like the Ilarian guards, except the Eok knew what he was doing was wrong.

  “Redemption is never out of reach,” Khal lied. “It’s the road leading to it that gets more and more painful.”

  The other Eok locked gazes with Khal, but there was no light behind the blue of his eyes. He wasn’t going through to him.

  “You are an honorable warrior, Commander Khal, but there is no changing the past. It is better that way. Now, your hands, please.”

  “Not before you tell me what Knut intends to do with Hazel.” Khal took a step back, his talons pushing out of his fingertips. “A bloodmate is sacred, Warrior. You have a duty to protect her.”