by Averi Hope
“You know nothing!” his father shouted, slamming his fist on his desk. “I tried to get her to fight whatever had a hold of her, but she pushed me away.”
He may hate me for this, but he needs to hear it.
“And you left,” Caleb said, holding his gaze. “When you should have stayed. When you should have shown her she could be safe with you. When you should have taken her to doctors and tried to understand why she changed.”
The older Keltair’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
“Our mates need us most when they are weak. And strong males protect their females, not abandon them. She didn’t fail you. You failed her.” His fingers trembled with rage. “And you forced me to abandon mine. When she sent me a message, you didn’t permit me to choose for myself, to make my own decision. You forced me to repeat your mistake.”
The hairs on Caleb’s arms stood on end. He hadn’t planned to say these things to his father. He didn’t even truly understand where they came from. But deep in his heart, he knew that seeing Erin almost die had changed something within him. He forgave her for prying into his dreams. How could he be angry that she’d kept them tied together all these years, when he’d never really wanted to be without her, either?
His father exhaled loudly. “You are no son of mine.” He hit the button on his screen and was gone.
Caleb stared, his heart twisting in his chest. He hadn’t really wanted to hurt his father. The man had protected him all his life, ignoring his faults, and focusing on what he excelled at. No boy could have a stronger role model growing up. But for the first time in Caleb’s life, he felt he had something to teach his father. Just like the man had allowed love to rule his pride when it came to dealing with his child, his father needed to do the same with his mother. I’ll fix things with him later. But now I need to focus on my mate.
Absently, he selected the next blinking message waiting for him. It had come in recently, likely right before he’d arrived back in his room.
The captain’s pale face filled the screen, and everything in Caleb stiffened, focusing on the shock and horror on the older man’s face. “I need you to come to come to my assistant’s room.” He swallowed. “To Euery Lang’s room. It seems he’s been murdered. Quite brutally, and all signs point to Erin as the killer.” He rubbed a spot on his bald head, shaking it. “I think this is tied to her mission. I feel there’s an explanation. But right now, I need help making sense of this.”
The screen went blank.
As his shock faded, another unexpected emotion rose to the surface. Fear. Euery Lang must have been the one to hurt Erin, and she must have extracted her revenge without Caleb, that much was clear.
But none of that concerns me as much as where Erin is now.
Chapter Thirty-One
Erin should logically have waited to kill Ahmed’s little traitor, but she just couldn’t. Chances were Erin wouldn’t survive her plan, and she couldn’t risk that Euery would get to keep his life. Not after what he did to me. She lucked out, though. Euery wasn’t expected to check in until the next morning…if things went as planned, Ahmed would be caught long before then.
She clenched her fists and looked at herself in the dressing room of the small shop she’d found in Ortago’s main city. The perfect place to change my clothes…and my appearance.
She was now wearing a light blue leather jumpsuit. It clung to every curve of her body, the wide V displaying a ridiculous amount of her chest. And the tiny recording device in my ear is completely invisible to the naked eye.
Almost perfect.
“You can get clothes anywhere,” the tiny woman with cat eyes and stripes across her flesh said. “You must have come here for more than that…”
She’s right, even though I wish the clothes were enough.
“My hair.” Erin gestured to it, catching the eye of the attendant. “Make it platinum.”
The woman stepped forward and took a metal tool off the table next to her. She swept it slowly down her long hair. Beneath it, her head tingled as her black hair slowly lost its color, until it shown a flawless silver.
“And my eyes,” she said, knowing that their unique color alone might give her away. “Change them.”
“What color?” the woman asked, her harsh accent making the words sound annoyed.
Erin shrugged. “I don’t care.”
The woman made them golden, with silver sparkles shimmering around black pupils. It was more eerie than pretty.
“Makeup, too.” Before the woman could ask, she added, “I don’t care. Just make me look different.”
Closing her eyes, her flesh tingled, burning almost uncomfortably.
“There.”
She opened her eyes. Ahmed would never recognize her. The woman had made her lashes long, shimmering, and golden. She’s drawn black across her eyelids like smoke. Tiny gems ran the length of her cheekbones, and her lips had been painted silver.
“Perfect.” She handed her a card to scan. “Anything else I should know?”
“When you are tired of your new appearance, simply shower it off, ”the woman said, as she charged her fee.
Erin nodded. Good to know.
Stepping out into the chilly city, one of her legs unexpectedly crumpled beneath her. She staggered back onto her feet, leaning against the side of the shop for support. Her breath came out ragged. Pain began to snake through her body like a living creature. She made it the five steps to the alley and sank down. I need more of the injections.
Pulling the small, leather package out from her boot, she unrolled it and pulled out one of the injectors. Taking a deep breath, she stabbed it into the side of her neck. There was a burst of sharp, almost suffocating, pain and then it all vanished.
The world around her felt surreal. Like a dream… a dream that will lead to my death.
A chilly breeze swept down the alley, carrying with it the contradictory smells of Ortago. Tiny purple flowers drifted through the air, snagged from the many ancient trees lining the street. But with the delicate scent of flowers came the harsh scents of the modern world.
Above the street, the wealthy soared in quiet crafts through the tree-lined streets. There were a few smaller, metal buildings, but most of the city was a crowding of towering metal skyscrapers, with ancient nature weaved between.
Erin wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ignore the way her stomach lurched. This was not the day, the time, or the place that she’d originally thought she’d die. But from the moment she woke up from the nightmare, in the back of her mind, she’d already accepted that today would be the day. I didn’t want it to happen this way, but my heart knows it has to.
But first, my task.
Rolling up the leather, she hid the remaining two shots in her boot, then climbed to her feet. As she wandered off the smaller street and onto a main road, she merged with the crowd around her, everyone rushing to their own destinations. A city full of criminals and the wealthy. Or both. Like Ahmed. A wealthy criminal at its worst.
As she weaved down a smaller street, heading toward the poorer part of the city, the day grew darker. Overhead, gray-and-black clouds crowded the oddly deep blue sky, a warning in their depths. A grumble of thunder came, then a small flash of lightning.
Great. Does it have to be so damned ominous?
It took her twenty minutes to catch sight of the building. But when she did, she froze. The buildings in this end of town were mostly short, metal domes, with little to distinguish one from another.
Except for the red door on that one.
Walking with her head held high, the metal flickered and transformed to glass on a building next to her. Inside, bathed in an orange glow, a half-naked woman danced. Every step she took brought to life window after window of women. Above their heads, sharp numbers indicated each woman’s price.
Like an object to purchase.
Anger grew in her belly. This is exactly what she was fighting against. Yes, technically these women were allowed
to sell themselves, because they made the choice. But there might have been reasons they couldn’t control for that choice. The world needed to change its perspective on people being bought and sold in any context.
When she was nearly to the door, she stiffened and stood straighter. If I don’t do this right, I’ll be dead before I’ve even gotten started. She stared for an extra minute, touching her ear. Whatever I see and hear, they’ll see and hear, so I’d better make sure I get what we need. Because regardless of what happens to me, tomorrow morning the captain and my father will both have the recording of everything.
Striding to the door, she hit a red button next to it. Immediately, the doors opened into a small, cold entryway, where two guards stood unmoving next to a metal door.
She took a deep breath. “I’m here to make a very expensive purchase.”
One guard, a massive Vuret, clutched the weapon at his side. “And the password?”
Tossing her head in an annoyed gesture, she tried to calm her racing heart. “Kiss.”
Holding her breath, she waited. The coward Euery had been too terrified to lie to her, right? She’d felt so confident that he’d spoke the truth, but now, uncertainty made the hairs on her arms stand on end.
The guard shifted, entered a code beside the door, and it opened.
She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Thank you.”
As she passed through the door, she cried out as something stabbed her arm. Jumping back, she looked down at her skin. There was a small dot of blood and nothing else. Drugs, she thought. That cowardly traitor had said something about blood before she died…but whatever he’d tried to explain, she’d never know.
Because you killed him, a tiny voice whispered. She clenched her fists. Some crimes deserve death.
“You may enter,” the guard said, eyeing her curiously.
Focus! Damn it! She scolded herself. This is no time to draw attention to myself.
Two more sets of doors surrounded by guards wound down a steep flight of stairs, before she finally came to the room.
At first she wasn’t sure exactly what the room was for. Wealthy men, women, and aliens leaned over a huge circular railing, staring into what must have been a bright room in the center of the room below them.
A naked purple alien, with a wide gold collar, stepped forward. She was small and lithe, with straight blond hair and enormous purple eyes flecked with gold. “Your credits?”
Erin nodded and handed her the card containing a massive amount of credits and her alias. After a moment, the alien flicked her tail and handed her the card back. Then she reached into a pocket hanging from a golden chain around her waist, giving Erin a small device. She frowned down at it.
“First auction?” the woman asked, shifting closer. Her large nipples, pierced with thick gold rings, brushed Erin’s arm. “This button makes an offer. Each time you push it, it increases your offer to one hundred credits above the highest offer. This section allows you to type in an offer. Any other questions?”
Erin didn’t want to look foolish, but she thought the slave might be the best person to ask. “And where are the slaves exactly?”
The woman tilted her head, her big purple eyes filled devoid of emotions. “Why in the showroom, of course!”
At once, the slave turned on her nine-inch spiked heels and teetered to the edge of the railing. Erin followed, all questions dying on her lips as she looked down. A naked male slave had been chained in the center of a room. His legs were spread wide, revealing a massive erection bathed in a pale blue liquid.
Erin swallowed around the lump in her throat.
“Put this in your ear,” the slave whispered.
Erin chose the ear without the recording device and was instantly assaulted by sound. “Prince Haryek is the wealthy youngest child of the royal family of the Snoran Empire. He’s known for being a cocky bastard. And as you can see, it’s probably for his rather large endowment. Now, do I hear five hundred credits?”
A soft ticking sound came, and Erin watched as numbers slowly rose on a screen that floated around the room above the head of the man below. The prisoner below thrashed against his restraints. A female Vuret strode into the room. Wrapping her hairy hand around his cock, she started to stroke him faster and faster. The human male looked as if he was cursing. Pleasured pain and angry resistance warred in his expression. But within seconds, cum squirted from him an impressive distance, bathing the Vuret female’s hand and part of the stage.
She smiled up at the crowd. “He is large and fertile. And the Blue Lasting drug will allow him to come over and over, not being satisfied until long after you are. Each buyer will receive a healthy supply of the drug as they train their new slave, with the option to purchase more.”
Erin stared without seeing. Even though she didn’t want to see the look of pure agony on the man’s face, she needed the evidence. But where was Ahmed?
“Is he not what you are looking for?”
Every hair on her body stood on end as she slowly turned to face the devil himself. Ahmed smiled down at her, his towering figure dwarfing her. A smile curved his bull-like face.
It took her a second to find her voice. “Not exactly.”
“Then what are you looking for exactly? We have the best of everything.”
Her heart raced in her ears. “Someone bigger.”
He laughed and leaned closer, his hot breath in her ear. “Come with me. I have exactly what you need.”
She took a step back, the backs of her legs hitting the railing behind her. “Thanks, but no. I—I enjoy the buying process, and I’ll know what I want when I see it.”
His grin widened, and she noticed for the first time the two guards that flanked him. “Oh, Erin, let’s stop playing this game.” He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, “Because, little human female, we’re not in my dream anymore. In this world, you’ve already lost.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Euery was the traitor,” Caleb whispered, turning his back to the man massacred in the small bedroom.
Captain Vernan and Erin’s father, the fleet admiral, exchanged an unreadable look.
“What traitor?” Fleet Admiral Stowe asked, anger dancing in the depths of his pale green eyes.
Oh, right. Erin didn’t tell anyone what she found.
“When she entered Euery’s dream, he was already expecting her. He knew about her abilities and had arranged to kill her in her dreams.” Caleb took a deep breath. “He tortured her horribly, and Erin planned to return the favor.”
The fleet admiral frowned. “She did this for revenge?”
Caleb hesitated. “I think perhaps a little bit. But, I believe, it was mainly to discover information.”
The fleet admiral’s silver brows drew together. “The golden necklace that we hoped would contain all the same information as Lord Dry-fen’s ended up being empty. Erin was obsessively watching the nanobots in Master Kurfter, as well as exploring his dreams. Somehow, she must have discovered that Euery was involved.”
“Shit!” The captain raked an angry hand through his hair. “The coward must have found out about Erin through my files.”
Lightning seemed to sizzle between the two older men.
“You were responsible for keeping this secret. For keeping Erin safe. You failed on both accounts.”
The captain hunched his shoulders. “I was careful, but—“
“Not careful enough,” the fleet admiral interrupted. “And now, you will clean up this mess and make certain that none of this is ever connected to my daughter.”
Captain Vernan’s eyes widened. “You can’t expect me to cover up a murder!”
Erin’s father stalked closer to him, leaning over the captain. “If you’re not willing to do this for the sweet child you know and love, then you’ll do it because otherwise I will ruin you.”
Neither spoke for a long moment.
“I’ll take care of it.”
Erin’s father nodded and turned
to Caleb. “Now, the question remains, where the hell did Erin go?”
“If I were to bet…I’d say she went after Ahmed personally.”
Her father nodded. “She did discover that the largest sale of sex slaves will be happening soon. On Ortago. And that if we don’t catch Ahmed now, we never will, since he plans to ‘retire’ after this.”
Caleb had told himself he already knew where she had gone, but he hadn’t. Suddenly, he felt an icy chill run through his veins. “Does anyone know where exactly it’s supposed to take place?”
The fleet admiral shook his head.
Suddenly, terror ran down Caleb’s spine like a ghost’s fingers. Erin! Erin’s in trouble!
“I have to go—go find her,” he said shakily, every nerve in his body on edge.
Turning to go, a hand stopped him.
Erin’s father dropped a tiny earpiece into the palm of his hand. “I already sent my team of Intaquals down to the planet’s surface. They’re the best, but they need to be able to find Erin to help her.” He hesitated for a moment. “Is it true that Keltairs have a sixth sense when it comes to their mates?”
Caleb swallowed around the terror that was Erin’s. “Yes, sir.”
“And you’ve made my only daughter your mate?” The words were laced with an unspoken threat.
“Yes, sir,” Caleb said, forcing the confession past his lips.
“Can you sense her, even now?”
He nodded.
The fleet admiral cracked his neck, danger in his gaze. “Then you may be the only person who can find her. But you alone won’t be enough to stop Ahmed. Lead my team to Erin, and let them do what they do best.”
“Yes, sir.” Caleb spun on his heels and had nearly reached the door when Fleet Admiral Stowe’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
