The Human

by Jenny Foster

  Something seemed to move in the shadows behind the aquarium. Cat kept going, but much more slowly now. “I did not bring the king with me,” she told the shadow. As if the Krak didn’t know that already! “… but I know where you can find him.” She listened into the night but heard nothing other than the buzzing she remembered so well. This time, it was softer, and a little muted – less excited than last time. She wondered if this was how the ocean creatures communicated with each other. She tilted her head to the side and listened.

  A silhouette materialized from the heavy, swaying blackness, and started gliding towards her. It was one of the Krak. They all looked the same to Cat, so she had no idea if she had already talked to this one or not. Her heart was beating in her throat.

  No problem, the Krak said. Cat had the impression that he was smiling, but that it wasn’t a pleasant smile. Evil was emanating from him, and it made her shiver. She took a careful step back, to stay out of his reach. The king will be here in a minute. Consider your promise as kept. Her knees went soft in relief. You served us well. The Krak are satisfied. Is there anything we can do for you?

  No, thought Cat, but kept herself from saying that out loud. She had the distinct impression that the fish creatures were not used to anyone rejecting their benevolent offers. “That is very nice of you,” she responded instead, and tried to think of something she could ask the Krak for. The last thing she wanted was for these scary fish creatures to owe her a favor. She thought that might be even worse than the other way around.

  Just when she thought of something she could ask the Krak for, all hell broke loose.

  Chapter 12

  When Talon felt that hand on his shoulder, analyzing and dealing with the situation melted into one unit. Being the damned idiot that he was, he had forgotten about the king’s men. He turned around in one smooth move, so that he could look his opponent in the eye. At the same time, he released his predator from its jail. The lion had been waiting for an opportunity like this and stormed out. The animal wasted no time on a pain-free change. He took over command in a split second, moving bones, and growing teeth and razor-sharp claws.

  Talon’s hand shot out, softening the blow at the last second. The man who had come up behind him was not ill-disposed towards him. His instinct recognized the face of a friend who thought as little about Ferthoris as he did, so he reduced the fatal blow to a push that made the man fly down the steps with a loud crash. The noise alarmed the others. There was nothing he could do about that now. He sprinted to the front door, tore it open, and ran in the direction that would lead out of the city the quickest. He sniffed the air for Cat and thanked all of the Gods that he had instinctively chosen the same direction she had taken. He couldn’t even contemplate how many valuable minutes he might have lost, otherwise!

  With his animal at the surface, it was easy for him to rely on his sense of smell in the pursuit and let his eyes scan the dark streets at the same time. The exciting synergy of all senses put him in something like a state of intoxication every time. Cat’s scent trail practically glowed in his direction, and when he had calmed down enough to get his animal under control, he turned his thoughts back to Cat. He wasn’t sure if a future together was even possible anymore, but he would fight for it to his last breath. He just needed to get her to hear him out.

  Just. He laughed softly. That job would be harder than shaking off Ferthoris and his men. There were a few men among the guards that the king had brought with him, who also had predators living in them, even though they weren’t as experienced as he was. He could easily have covered his tracks, but Cat hadn’t been that careful. Humans, he thought, both desperate and amused. This was just like them.

  Gradually, he came to the realization that Cat was moving in a straight line out of the city in the direction of the abandoned zoo. He cursed softly when he heard the bodyguards’ soft tapping behind him, accompanied by the king’s heavy footfalls. A small part of him wanted to warn the moron with a crown that he was running straight into the Kraks’ arms, but a different and much stronger part coldly calculated the chances. He didn’t think that Cat was running to the Krak with the intention of delivering the king into their hands. She was probably trying to apologize to them, or doing something else emotional, thinking that she owed it to them for moral reasons. It was fine with him, if Ferthoris followed him to the Krak. He stopped and listened. It was quiet. Had the bloody beginners on the guard already lost his trail? He sighed softly when he realized that, in addition to everything else, he would need to make sure that they found him again without seeming obvious. If it wouldn’t have been such an undignified move, he would have rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue at them. Did he really have to do everything himself around here?

  Ten minutes later, they had found him again, thanks to some hints as to his and Cat’s location that were more or less discreet. It almost seemed like they had lost his trail on purpose, or had only searched half-heartedly, so that the king wouldn’t notice when they didn’t succeed in finding the traitor and the new bride.

  The thought gave him a glimmer of hope.

  Could it be that he would be able to return to his home with Cat? He would have gladly given up the loveable desert and the blood-red sun for her, but if the Krak took care of the king, and if the men were just as fed up with the king and his crazy moods as he was… If – too many ifs. There would be time later for these trains of thought. Now, the most important thing was taking care of one job at a time, and the next job was to close a trap.

  He passed through the entrance to the zoo, making sure that a broken branch would show the kings’ men the way. He scraped at the gravel a little with his feet, turned left towards the aquarium and stopped dead in his tracks. A sight he would never forget, as long as he lived, awaited him in front of the deserted building. His Cat was standing in the middle of the square. She was completely relaxed and even smiling. Her gaze was strangely empty, something he could even see from far away.

  The thing that scared him the most though, was something completely different. The Krak had formed a half-circle around Cat. At first, he thought they were going to circle all the way around her, but then he realized that they were not threatening his beloved at all. It was quite the opposite. They were prepared to protect her. The buzzing coming from their throats and the swaying of their strange bodies with their tentacles, started the minute Ferthoris entered the scene. Talon turned around, because he didn’t want to miss a single second of this. He retreated slowly to the edge of the half circle and watched as the king moved forward to reach for Cat, but then he stopped when he recognized the Krak.

  “What is going on here?” he asked. There was no trace of fear in his voice, proof once again of how dumb he was. Ferthoris came closer until he was close to touching Cat. “Come with me now,” he ordered. When Cat didn’t move and just stared at him with those horribly empty eyes, he stomped his foot on the ground. “I want you to come with me. I won you fair and square. You belong to me.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Talon saw one of his men take a few hesitant steps forward. His mates grabbed him immediately, shaking their heads at him vigorously. He would have loved to join them, but he didn’t dare. Not yet. He didn’t know how the tentacled creatures would react and he wanted to stay near Cat, just in case he needed to intervene.

  He almost missed the moment when life returned to her eyes. She looked at him briefly. Fury flashed in her eyes. Talon was relieved, because at least it was a feeling – anything was better than the expressionless, emotionless look from before. New hope flowed through his body when she glared at him angrily one more time, before turning her attention to Ferthoris. He had no clue about the danger he was in and licked his lips in anticipation. He was probably imagining undressing Cat and adding her to his collection of exotic women.

  Cat’s expression turned cold when she looked at the king. Talon knew that the Krak had burdened her with the memory of their dead woman, and he could only imagine wha
t was going on inside her. It was also hard for him to have any sympathy for a man who had rewarded his loyalty by placing a bounty on his head.

  Everything happened very quickly after that. Cat did nothing other than point her finger at Ferthoris. The black mass of Kraks started moving. You could see a tentacle here and there in the moonlight. Talon had an idea of what was about to happen but couldn’t turn his eyes away.

  The king understood far too late. He turned, and the second he started to run, a tentacle shot out and wrapped around his ankle. Cat withdrew. The Krak surged ahead. Another tentacle found its mark.

  The king screamed.

  Chapter 13

  Cat looked around the spaceship that had belonged to the king of the Kantharians not too long ago. She still shivered when she thought about the last few minutes of the life of the man who had won her in a poker game. The terrible gratification she had felt had been much worse than the gurgling and screaming that had fallen silent at some point. The feeling hadn’t let up until the Krak had pulled back and were out of sight. Even so, she would never forget it. She didn’t want to forget it, because it was an emphatic warning about how easily it was to ignore all humanity and sympathy.

  She stood up and left the luxuriously furnished passenger area. She didn’t feel at home there at all. Everything had Ferthoris’ signature on it and seemed completely overdone. She walked towards the cockpit, or more accurately, the bridge, because a huge ship like this surely didn’t have something as insignificant as a cockpit. Talon had taken on the role of captain, and she thought he had mastered the assignment incredibly well. Every day, she could see how much his men – that’s who they were, not the king’s men – respected him. He was tough, but fair, and she liked that.

  She walked past one of the men and smiled when she saw Talon. He was in the middle of explaining how to recognize a black hole and avoid it, to another man. When their eyes met, she gulped. It was still a miracle that they were flying back to his home planet together, so they could live there. He had described the desert planet to her in the most glowing colors, and she was looking forward to growing old there with him.

  A trace of anger still remained though, buried deeply within her. Talon had told her that he only wanted what was best for her, and that he had trusted Shazuul just like she had. Cat still didn’t quite understand what role the Sethari had played in everything that had happened. At times, it seemed to her that Talon’s trust in Shazuul was even bigger than her own, and that seemed strange to her. She would need to ask him when she had a chance, about what the two of them had talked about behind her back, but there was plenty of time for that. Right now, she needed to familiarize herself with a new people, their customs, and their traditions.

  Talon and the other men had long been fed up with their moody and crazy king and were happy that the Krak had removed him. They didn’t know what would happen when they got home, and the people didn’t have a king anymore, but they were ready to take that risk.

  Similarly, Cat was taking a risk in spending the rest of her life with a man with whom she still had a bone to pick – and who still made her heart race every time he looked at her. Sometimes, all she needed was a look or a smile to know what he was thinking. Usually, she was thinking the exact same thing, and they would find each other again in uninhibited necking, acting more like teenagers than adults. That didn’t mean that they both didn’t enjoy passionate kisses and the hidden glances they exchanged.

  “Cat,” Talon said as he looked up from the blinking surface. “I was just thinking about you.”

  She smiled back, and their eyes met. “What are you up to?” Talon asked, and she answered him immediately.

  “I was thinking about how you and I are going to grow old together and are going to spend the rest of our lives together. It is a beautiful thought.”

  His eyebrows shot up quizzically. “I can’t remember you asking me,” he joked, imitating her appalled reaction when he had made her his companion without asking her. She stepped closer and kissed him on the cheek, because she didn’t want to overdo it in front of his men.

  “Then I will ask you now, and you had better say yes.”

  “Or else?” he laughed and pulled her to him. “Don’t worry, darling. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  Good plan thought Cat, because I just happen to know someone I could ask for a favor.

  THE END

  P.S.: In “The Human”, you just read the third part of the Betania Breed series, and I hope you enjoyed it immensely. Maybe you feel the same way I do and are a little sad that the novel is over but are also giddy with anticipation at diving right into the next book. If so, then I have good news! There is a fourth part titled “The Dragon.” Just like the two books that came before this one, the novel is self-contained and doesn’t have to be read in sequential order. Can you guess who will have the man’s leading role? The fourth book in the Betania Breed series is all about Cat’s twin brother, Coran, and his adventures. You can look forward to a prickling and exciting love story. We have provided an excerpt for your reading enjoyment in the next few pages.

  Look for a special surprise on the next page! Have fun exploring the mysterious background information that follows.

  Sign up to the mailing list at www.jenny-foster.com/releases. I’ll let list members know when more Betania Breed romance novels are ready to go and will give subscribers a chance to read them for free.

  Yours,

  Jenny Foster

  Mysterious Background Material

  Dear Readers,

  I have a very special surprise for you today. As a small thank you to you for your loyalty and encouragement, there is a surprise from the Betania Breed universe for you, because without you, the ones who read my books, I would still just be writing for myself in my quiet little room.

  Thank you!

  The Top Secret File

  Behind every story, there are many secrets that should be exposed. If you love mysteries, or just want to take a look at a file that is usually kept top secret, then please visit my website and start the download here: www.jenny-foster.com/file

  On that note, I want to thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Have fun discovering and digging!

  Jenny Foster

  Sneak Peek Volume IV

  A merciless fighter with a lost past.

  A woman with the skill to awaken his memories.

  A kiss that might save the world.

  My name is Coran Burke.

  I’m unique among the fighters in the Black Squad.

  I’m more than human. I can fight longer than my comrades. I am impervious to pain.

  I fight until my opponent is destroyed.

  My new assignment takes me to Dassuria, on the trail of an alien dragon lord. To beat him, I’ll have to dig deep into my own past.

  At his side is a woman with deep entanglements in his dealings. Despite my misgivings, I can’t get her out of my head. She’s unearthed feelings I’d long ago abandoned and has stirred something in me like no one has ever done before.

  She should be my enemy, but she appears to be the key to my survival – a puzzle I’m hesitant to solve.

  Love or duty.

  Passion or loyalty.

  Dragon or human.

  The choice is mine, but at what cost?

  Reading Sample:

  Chloe saw the New One’s clenched fist speeding towards his opponent’s chin, as if in slow motion. The move, though flawless in its powerful execution, meant nothing but trouble for her. Worse yet, if the New One triumphed in this fight, Chloe would lose her job – and that was if she got off easy. In a worst-case scenario, her sister would be punished for her “misconduct” and Shor Dasquian wasn’t squeamish when it came to punishment.

  For a second, she allowed herself the luxury of an alternative: she defied her boss’s instructions and let Coran (that was the New One’s name) win. She imagined Shor’s dumb face, and how his usually pale skin would be marked by pur
ple-red, pulsing veins. That thought brought her right back to her senses. She had seen what a furious Shor was capable of, once before, and she had no desire to experience this for herself – or to watch what he would do to her sister. So, she concentrated on both men again, waiting for the right moment, as they went at each other in the ring.

  It wasn’t easy to influence another creature’s emotions to the point of making them act as she wished. Chloe’s gift (or her curse, depending on whom she was dealing with) was a two-edged sword. Whenever she penetrated another’s head, to manipulate his feelings, she experienced a kickback, for want of better word. The thing she selected and strengthened, so that she could provoke a certain reaction, always came back to her. There were days when Chloe wasn’t sure any more, if she still had feelings of her own, or if she merely fed on foreign emotions, like a parasite.

  The noise from the audience around her swelled, as Coran’s opponent landed a painful hit and then added in an extra kick. The noise sounded like a collective intake of breath, which faded to a sigh of disappointment in slow motion. The audience in “Starfighter” paid many space dollars for these illegal fights and they demanded blood. A face that had been pounded into mush or a heavily wounded fighter who had to be carried out of the ring – those were all extras. However, blood was an absolute requirement of every fight. Chloe suspected that some of the colorful species who gathered here on Dassuria, preferred blood as a source of nutrition. One could see it in the way their eyes glazed over and their nostrils flared, as soon as the first drop flowed. The coppery smell mixed with masculine sweat from the ring and stirred the masses up.