Ahead of them, what looked like leafless trees sharpened to spear-like points surrounded the village, with the whittled tips crossing like entwined fingers in the center. An iron doorway was the only entrance she could see.
Fenton dogged her heels, so at first she thought the sensation of being stalked was from him. The empress’s brisk pace kept her from really taking in the scenery, but she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. “What the frack?”
The group leader’s head whipped in the direction she’d indicated, and her chemical whip lashed out just as what looked like a giant mountain lion with wings charged from the trees.
“Run!” Gwella barked out the command as the patrollers whipped at the humongous beast with their chemical whips. It roared in fury, rearing up on its hind legs to lash out with its massive claws. Alison gaped in horror as the group leader was cut in half with a single swipe.
More patrollers spilled from gates, chemical whips at the ready. The helcat took down two more patrollers, one with its teeth and another with the sharp barb on its tail.
“Don’t look anywhere but forward.” Fenton gripped her hand in his as the patrollers surrounded their empress and her hostages and ushered them through the gates. Alison protested when the heavy iron doors slammed shut behind them. At least ten women were still out there.
Fenton too seemed annoyed. “Aren’t you going to send help?”
Gwella shook her head, still winded from the mad dash to safety. “They are already dead. The helcat is probably feeding on them even now. Anyone I sent would just die beside them.”
“That’s a helcat?” The name fit; that huge creature looked as though it had been forged in the deepest pit of the inferno. “Why would anyone settle on a planet inhabited by such awful creatures?”
Gwella didn’t answer and Fenton squeezed her shoulder as though warning her to watch her tone. But the screams of the dying carried through the gaps in the roof, and she didn’t understand why the empress didn’t just evacuate all her people to safety.
A patroller, the one who had led the rescue from the village, moved toward Gwella, who shockingly, hugged the other woman fiercely. “Well done, Dani. If it had replicated or brought others we would have been done for.”
Dani pulled back and Alison saw worry on the young woman’s face. “They are prowling closer to the village at every pass.”
“Despite the sonic disrupters we planted. Damnation.” Gwella shook her head. “We can’t withstand many more attacks like this.”
The sounds accompanying the helcat’s latest meal added a sickening validity to the dire prediction.
Alison met Fenton’s gaze and saw her own worry reflected there.
From the people of Hosta, to the assassin, and now giant, monstrous predators with a penchant for humanoid flesh. Would they ever catch a break?
14
Fenton had never truly appreciated his sister’s life as a whore until he came to Daton Five. Playing the role of Alison’s breeder, he had no power and his opinion mattered not at all. He watched the men of the small village go about their daily business, drawing water from the lake, tending children and taking orders from the women, even though the male inhabitants of the planet outnumbered the women by at least three to one.
As he and Alison were escorted to their small hut, he grit his teeth when a patroller remarked to Alison at the audacity of her breeder to walk by her side as though he were her equal.
“He is,” Alison murmured.
He was appreciative for that, even if the gratitude galled him. What was wrong with these men that they’d continue with mundane tasks while valiant women died just outside the gates? Why didn’t they rise up, protect their females, whether the women wanted it or not? They had both the strength and the numbers, yet they all lived as second-class citizens with their fates not of their own making.
One thing Fenton had learned as the overlord’s ward: Sometimes the smartest move was to keep his observations to himself, no matter how much he resented it. Especially if his input would only end in punishment. He shuddered remembering the burn from the chemical whip. Not an experience he wanted to repeat.
The village was actually more of a colony, with private rooms built along the perimeter one on top of the other in a hive-like fashion and a large lake in the center. Sunlight filtered through the fallen limbs that protected the community. The lake, he’d noticed, was well stocked with fish, and crops grew up on either side of the lake. Fruit trees surrounded a common eating area. The villagers under Gwella’s protection clearly functioned as a collective. Given the horror that existed just beyond their walls, they had no other choice.
“These are your assigned chambers. Our numbers are few and none will bother you. Do not try to leave without an escort.” The patroller had hard, piggy eyes as she stared at Fenton with disdain.
“Thank you.” Alison smiled, breaking the tension by pulling him inside and shutting the door with a groan.
The rustic interior surprised him. Fenton saw no modern amenities, no running water, no electricity like on the ship. Still, he intended to search for listening devices. Unfortunately, Ari was throwing an angry fit.
“Let me take her.” Alison unfastened the sling he’d rigged to keep his niece secure. Hiding his surprise, he helped her free the irate little girl and handed her over.
She quieted instantly, fat teardrops clinging to her thick lashes.
“She likes you.”
Alison cast him a withering glance. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
He hadn’t meant to insult her. “You said before you didn’t want to have children.”
“I don’t.” She rocked back and forth with Ari on her hip, a small smile tugging up the corners of her mouth as the baby stared at her in wonder.
“Why?”
She made an irritated sound. “Del, I’m tired and she’s hungry. Could you please make yourself useful before you grill me like a fracking steak?”
He moved closer to her, invading her personal space. “Lovely, don’t think for one heartbeat that I will put up with that derogatory shit in private. You want something from me, you ask. Nicely. Are we clear?”
White teeth sank into her lower lip, but she nodded. “Please, would you get Ari something to eat?”
“Of course.” Fighting a smile, he shrugged out of the pack.
“She’s a little bit ripe. You think they’d give us some water to bathe her?” Alison set Ari down on the nearest pillow and the spell was broken. The little one shrieked like Alison was sticking pins in her.
“You can ask. I doubt they’ll whip you for it.”
“Does it still hurt?” she asked softly.
He rehydrated some baby formula with water from his canteen. The skin still ached dully but he shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Conversation was cut short after that, as Ari wound herself up to wailing. The sound irritated him, but Alison seemed deeply disturbed by the piercing shrieks. Her hands shook as she changed the little one’s diaper.
Picking up his niece, he plopped the bottle in her mouth. Her rosebud mouth closed around on it and she sucked greedily. The quiet was sheer bliss.
“Are you all right?” He frowned at Alison.
She sank onto a cushion, rubbing some chemical cleanser between her palms. “Those creatures. God, Del, it was awful. The women just didn’t stand a chance.”
“I know.” He wasn’t sure what to do about it, though.
“You know how something looks fantastic on the surface and then turns out to be awful?”
“You mean this planet?”
She nodded. “I like Gwella, I like the scenery, like the culture.”
He scowled. “Don’t you believe men and women should be equals?”
“Of course. But there’s something about seeing the women take charge here that really speaks to me. They’ve made their own society and are determined to protect it. I can’t say I’d make the same choice, but it’s admirable.”
She put her head in her hands. “I’m not explaining this right. I’m so tired and I don’t want to fight with you anymore.”
He backed off immediately. “Try and get some rest if you can. I’ll work on getting Ari to sleep.” A nasty side effect of the stasis pod was that the one who’d spent time in it had a hard time establishing a decent sleep cycle. Ari had been awake for more than thirty-six hours without rest. So had Alison.
She nodded slowly. “I just need a nap.”
Stretching out on the pillows, she pulled the blanket over herself.
Del rocked Ari for several moments and watched Alison sleep. The men of this backwater planet might not feel a need to protect their women, but Fenton sure as hell did. Even if he had no idea how to go about that.
Ari drifted to sleep and he wrapped her in a blanket and placed her on a low cushion next to Alison. Though he craved nothing more than cuddling up next to them and getting a little shut-eye, he instead turned toward the door.
The sour-faced patroller was still there. “What do you want, breeder?”
“My women require water for both drinking and bathing.” Alison would be ecstatic to have the stone tub he’d spied by the fire pit filled with hot water to wash herself in when she awoke.
The patroller pointed to the lake, which was visible from where they stood. “Buckets are down there. You have to haul it up yourself, unless you find another breeder to help you.”
“Has the water been purified?” Alison had her shielding, but Ari was susceptible to all sorts of alien microbes.
The patroller nodded. “We take care of our own.”
He thanked her and under her sharp gaze headed down to the water. Buckets lined the shore, leading him to believe this was the normal way of doing things.
On his fifth trip, he paused to catch his breath when a noise across the lake caught his attention. Men had been piling logs in the freshly dug hole, most likely for the cooking fire. But work had ceased as the shouts grew louder. “Explain yourself, you frigid bitch!”
Patrollers pushed through the gathering crowd. “Breeder, control yourself or we will put you in chains.”
The irate speaker ignored them. “You took her from me, and for what? How many more will die for your pride?”
A chemical whip struck him on the back. He grunted on impact but remained standing. Fenton winced in sympathy, having experienced the lash firsthand.
“Answer me, you heartless harpy!”
Again the lash struck him and even from this distance, Fenton could see the welt on the other man’s back. He fell to his knees, his voice too low to hear. The patroller drew the handle back, but a hand gripped her wrist before she let it fly again.
“The breeder is grieving for his woman. No pain you give him will trump the loss he’s endured.” It was Gwella’s daughter, Dani, who spoke with authority.
“He disrespected our empress. The law says—”
“The law be damned. He is not a helcat, you cannot punish him as though he were one when his only crime is love.” Dani moved to the injured man’s side.
Before Fenton knew what he was doing, he moved closer to the spectacle. The lure of obtaining information had him hooked and Dani seemed reasonable.
Creeping through the trees, he moved aside the common area and watched as the empress’s daughter cleaned the grieving man’s wound.
“I want to fight,” he said, but with no conviction behind his words. It was clear to Fenton that they’d had this conversation on more than one occasion. “I could have saved her, gotten her back inside before the gates closed.”
“She died a hero, protecting her empress and the lives of innocents. Did you see the little one with the strangers? She wouldn’t have stood a chance if not for Jori’s sacrifice.”
He didn’t respond, didn’t so much as twitch as the young woman patched him up. “Go home, Har, you have little ones who need you.”
“I don’t want another one. You can’t just replace what Jori and I had, slide someone else into her slot.”
“I’ll try to put it off a few days. But your offspring need a protector. It’s what Jori would have wanted.”
“I won’t fuck her.”
“Then you’ll be replaced.” Dani didn’t say it cruelly, just as though she was stating a fact. “A breeder who won’t breed is useless.”
The man turned to look at her, his face lined with misery. “It’s not right. None of this is.”
She watched him walk away. “I know.” Dani’s shoulders slumped.
Another man, taller, broader, almost Fenton’s size with a thatch of jet hair threaded through with gray moved away from the crowd. “Are you all right?”
He didn’t touch Dani, but Fenton could see he wanted to.
She shook her head. “Kel, how can I chastise him when I agree with him? The men should be fighting alongside us, we need every able-bodied person out there helping us hunt the helcats. The rules are archaic.”
“Love, don’t. Don’t do this to yourself. You’re only following orders.” This time he did reach for her and tugged her into his embrace. “If I’d lost you today . . .” He let the statement hang.
“Ssshhh.” Dani pulled out of his hold and cast furtive glances around the green. “You can’t say things like that out here. What if someone knew? They’d never let you come to me again.”
Fenton had heard enough. Not wanting to eavesdrop on what was clearly a private moment, he snuck back around the lake, considering what to do with all he’d learned.
Alison woke when Fenton shook her shoulder. “You need to get up if you want to bathe before dinner.” Groaning, she rolled to her side and slung an arm over her eyes. “Don’t tease me with that. It’s below the belt.”
He frowned at her midsection. “You’re not wearing a belt.”
“It’s an Earth slang term for a low blow, hitting outside the marked areas.” Some things just didn’t translate well.
He still appeared mystified but nodded. “I wasn’t teasing you. The water is warming in front of the fire. I thought you could go first and then I’ll bathe Ari.”
She sat up and saw steam rising from the stone tub before the roaring fire. “But there’s no running water. How . . . ?” Her gaze slid to him.
Fenton shrugged. “A bucket at a time from the lake. It’s clean, I checked.”
Her jaw dropped. “But why?” She could have dealt with the chemical foam. Hauling enough water for her to bathe in went above and beyond.
Fenton shifted his weight, his gaze landing anywhere but on her, as though the question made him uncomfortable. “I knew it would make you happy.”
Her heart clenched so hard her hand actually went to her chest. Just when she thought he was ready to be done with her, he went and did something amazing just to make her smile.
“You are so good to me.” The words tumbled out and she followed up by wrapping her arms around his neck. Strong arms snaked around her, molding her body into his. There was nothing sexual in the hug, it was pure affection and it scared her a little, but she refused to let go.
Any woman who let go of this man was an idiot.
He pulled away first. “Come on, we’re expected at dinner.”
“As long as we’re not for dinner.” She shuddered when she thought of the helcats. “Have you checked everything out?”
“Yes, no listening devices. The technology these people employ is limited. Their lifestyle is primitive, which is odd for a space-faring society.”
“Why don’t they just leave?” Alison asked as she unfastened her dress.
Fenton’s eyes turned hot as they skimmed her body and his tone was a little rougher as he replied, “Where would they go? Every planet has problems.”
“Not of the man-eating cat variety.” She stepped over the lip of the tub and sank into the warm water. Closing her eyes she
let the water soothe her aches and pains. “Mmm, that’s nice.”
Fenton crouched to tuck Ari’s blanket more tightly around her. “So, you don’t want to stay here?”
Though he posed the question casually, she heard something else in his voice. “Why would I?”
“You are very well protected from the assassin here. I doubt even he could best the helcats or sneak past Daton Five’s front gate. And you said you liked the culture.”
Lifting one leg from the water she studied it, enjoying the warmth from the flickering fire. “Admired is a better word, especially for Gwella. She’s so strong and in command of herself and those around her.”
“Not as much as you might think. There is dissension among the men. They want to fight, and some of the women agree with them.” He briefly related what he’d witnessed by the lake. As he spoke he moved closer to the tub.
She loved the way he looked at her. Even at her peak, no man had ever stared at her the way Fenton did. Almost as though he didn’t see her flaws, or more accurately, that he didn’t think she had any. “Why do you want me so much?”
Reaching forward, he traced her collarbone with one finger as if he had to touch her. “Do I need a reason to desire you?”
Slowly, Alison nodded. “I come with an entire space freighter of baggage, and you have your own to contend with. Why take on mine too? I’m not all that unique in the galaxy.”
He didn’t answer right away. She appreciated that about him, that he was so deliberate, not running his mouth to hear the sound of his own voice. So many men just told a woman what she wanted to hear.
“You accept me as I am.” His fingers sought out his scar as he spoke. “I haven’t always had that.”
“I know what you mean.” She shifted in the water, feeling a sudden chill of foreboding. She covered the hand he had on his face with her own. “You’re a beautiful man, Del. Inside and out.”
The blue in his eyes turned molten, hot with the searing lust that was never far away. Instead of falling back on old patterns and enticing him sexually, she continued to stroke his face with tender care. “What happened here?”
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