by Pearl Foxx
“It seems the younger generation of Hylas prefers a good time over diplomacy,” Gerrit said with a hint of a growl in his voice.
They walked beneath the gilded archway at the front and paused atop the grand ballroom’s central stairs that led down into the party.
Clearly, they were late. The lights had already dimmed, the music turning to the primal drumbeat. Shadows moved behind the curtained-off areas. “That son of a—”
“Hush,” Jude hissed beneath her breath right as a young Hylan servant came up beside them. Gerrit hadn’t even seen her. “Hi!” Jude said to the woman, whose curly hair left a peek of pink nipples showing beneath the ends of her strands. “We were looking for Tavorn and, um, some food. Can you help us?”
The servant smiled and dipped her head. “You two must be starving.” She winked at Jude, who merely cocked a brow at the Hyla.
Gerrit held back a laugh. He loved that Jude wasn’t a blushing bride sort. Quite the opposite. She seemed ready to punch the next person who brought up her sex life.
“Follow me,” the Hyla said with another curtsy.
Green scales glinting, she took them down the stairs and to the front of the room, where, behind a waterfall of Arakid silk curtains, Tavorn held court atop a mound of cushions. He wore a robe that fell open over a bare, slender chest that was alabaster pale. His scales occasionally rattled, and his long auburn hair was piled atop his head in a braided bun. He smiled pointed snake teeth at Gerrit and Jude as they entered through the curtains, which the servants parted for them.
“Greetings to the happy couple!” Tavorn chimed with a clap. The other higher-ranked mages and officials sat around him and imitated his clapping with half-hearted effort.
Gerrit dipped his chin at Tavorn and ignored the rest.
“Evening, Tavorn,” Jude said brightly. She sat down beside another mage and smiled at him. The man’s icy demeanor melted. “I’m starving! You wouldn’t happen to have that amazing meat from—”
Even as she spoke, servants brought in trays of food, all fresh and steaming. They arranged them on the floor before Jude and Gerrit.
“Will this please you, my dear?” Tavorn asked when the servants had finished and left with a bow. “I specially ordered mawfin meat for our dinner tonight.”
Jude beamed at Tavorn. “This is perfect! Thank you so much.”
She stacked food onto her glass plate. Gerrit would have preferred to do it for her, but she’d moved so fast he thought she might have bitten his hand off if he’d accidentally come between her and the food. The woman could eat. He loved it.
When she brought some of the mawfin meat to her mouth, only Gerrit noticed the way her fingertips shook and the horrified glance she sent toward the massive barbed creature circling beneath the illuminated glass floor. But she ate the meat, and Tavorn smiled widely.
“How is our human guest finding married life? Especially to a Vilka?” one of the other mages asked, his face carefully neutral.
But Gerrit heard the insult in his words. What was wrong with mating a Vilka? His hackles rose. Before he could snap, Jude said, “If you’re asking if he sheds on the rug, he doesn’t.” She winked at the sour mage. “And as for married life, I simply hope I get some sleep soon.”
She turned her smile on Gerrit and offered her mouth up for a kiss. He obliged, narrowing his eyes at her as he pressed his mouth to hers. Her hand on his thigh squeezed in warning.
What was his clever, beautiful mate doing?
Tavorn was laughing with delight. The other mages followed suit, their laughter echoing hollowly against Tavorn’s open-mouthed hoots. “I like her, Gerrit. I only wish I’d gotten to her crash site sooner. Maybe I could have claimed her for myself!”
Gerrit’s mouth fell open, his chest rumbling. He would tear Tavorn’s Avilku-blessed head off—
A large chunk of mawfin meat was shoved into his mouth before he could speak. Jude smiled sweetly at him and wiped her fingers on his pants. Her other hand gave him a hard squeeze. He was going to have bruises after this meal.
“Thank goodness he did,” Jude said, turning back to her food. With each bite, Tavorn’s smile grew wider. For all his flesh trading and sexist notions, he basked in Jude’s approval. Perhaps it was because she was beautiful. Perhaps it was simply because she intimidated him. Either way, Gerrit smelled Tavorn’s delight as Jude chattered on. “I would have hated to have to kill another Draqon male.” She pouted at the mage beside her, whose brows were rising higher the more she talked. “It was just so easy, you know? The poor things. Such beasts. Sure, they’re fine when they’re flying around and spitting acid, but without a mate on their back to land the kill shots, they’re not much good, are they?” She lifted a shoulder and popped some cut fruta into her mouth.
The mage’s mouth fell open, as did the mouths of a few others in their circle. The Hylas were powerful and wise, but not even their clan had escaped the terrors of the Draqons, and Jude had just made the entire clan sound like a bunch of misbegotten sheep.
She’d also made herself appear powerful, ruthless, and unbeatable in one fell swoop.
Gerrit felt himself hardening as he sat back and watched his mate regale the mages with tales of her flight school back on Earth and her more harrowing adventures in basic military training.
Even Tavorn was asking her questions as the human servants came in an hour later to clear the food, most of which Jude had devoured. Suzanne was among the servants cleaning up, and Gerrit gave her a nod. She smiled at him and quickly looked away. He noticed the other servants were giving him long stares as well. Perhaps Suzanne had shared his vow to see her and her fellow human slaves freed. He kept his attention diverted in case Tavorn saw, but Gerrit thought it took great nerves—and huge balls—to flaunt his flesh trading in front of the Vilkan Alpha.
For now, he let it slide. But the Hyla would pay. Gerrit would see to it.
The lights dimmed even more, and beneath them, the Hylan mating knots were growing in number. Jude leaned back against Gerrit’s chest and sighed. “Gerrit mentioned Caj would be here tomorrow. I must say, I’m going to hate to leave your beautiful home, Tavorn.”
Tavorn preened. “We will hate to see you go! It’s been ages since I’ve had such wonderful conversations. Gerrit is a lucky man. If you were to stay another few days, I might try to win you over for myself!”
Gerrit had learned from watching Jude win over the prickly mages; he smiled blandly at Tavorn and kept his mouth shut.
“Oh, you wouldn’t want me to stay much longer!” Jude waved off Tavorn’s words.
“Why is that?” Tavorn sounded upset.
“Because if I were to stay here any longer,” Jude said with buttery sweetness that almost had Gerrit choking on his drink, “I would have to insist on that poor creature being freed!”
She pointed a finger at the mawfin circling beneath the ballroom’s floor. It moved listlessly, tilting slightly on its side as though it were too exhausted to keep itself upright. The barb in its tail had turned the skin gray and dead, with black decay creeping out from the barb’s metal hooks.
Tavorn blinked first at the mawfin and then at Jude. “Whatever for? It’s just a mawfin!”
Tavorn and the other mages had consumed a considerable amount of punch while Gerrit and Jude had merely sipped. A ruddy blush stained Tavorn’s pale cheeks crimson, and he swayed atop his cushions as he craned around to get a clear view of the mawfin.
Jude nodded at Tavorn like she understood his slurred sentiment. “Humans used to keep sea creatures in tiny tanks on Earth. They used to pay money to sit and watch the animals do flips and tricks. Can you imagine?”
Tavorn recoiled in disgust. “What? You can’t possibly be serious.”
“I am. It was so …” She trailed off, thinking of a word.
“Barbaric?” Tavorn offered helpfully.
“Exactly! Barbaric. At least you’re not paying to watch this pitiful thing, I guess.” But she wrinkled her nose in distas
te as she studied the creature. “It’s just so sad.”
“You!” Tavorn shouted, making Jude jump in surprise. Gerrit had his hand wrapped around her arm, ready to pull her to safety, before he realized Tavorn was yelling at some nearby Hylan servants. “You there! Yes, you three. Get down there and free the mawfin! I can’t stand to see its pathetic state any longer!”
The servants went wide-eyed at the demand, but when they realized he was serious, they turned and scampered off.
Tavorn sat back on his pillows. “It’ll probably die in the open ocean.”
“But it’ll die free,” Jude said. She beamed at Tavorn, her dark lashes fluttering. “You’re such a good man, Tavorn.”
This time, Gerrit did choke on his drink. It won him another surprisingly firm squeeze of his thigh. He held his tongue.
“Thank you, dear Jude. I try. That’s what matters, is it not? The trying to be good?”
Gerrit took a deep drink from his glass. Jude elbowed his side and said to Tavorn, “Of course! What more could someone ask for than trying? Speaking of …” she mused, tapping her chin. “It’s so good of you to offer us the medicine as a wedding gift. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you would honor a human such as myself with the graciousness of such a precious gift. It just goes to show what a leader you are. How powerful and giving and good. Does it not?” she asked the mage beside her.
He straightened with a start and nodded furiously.
“I mean, he’s such a great leader to offer the medicine, right?” She lobbed this question at another mage. Beneath her pointed questions, they had to agree with her, lofting Tavorn’s greatness and his generosity to give over the medicine. All right beneath his nose.
Gerrit had to marvel at his mate. She was using Tavorn’s own mages to hold him accountable for giving them the medicine, while at the same time equating Tavorn’s gift with his leadership. If he were to deny them now, he would undermine his own power on multiple levels.
Her words bolstered him. “It’s really nothing,” he said, glowing with drink and Jude’s esteem. “It’s our duty to our fellow clans. That’s how things work on Kladuu. Those who are able must share with those who are weak. It’s the only way.”
An iciness swept down Gerrit’s arms, prickling his skin. The Vilkas were not weak. None of the clans were. They were forced to come begging to the Hylas because they had hoarded the relics beneath the ocean and kept the medicine for themselves. They were the strongest clan because they allowed only the best beggars to have a sliver of what they needed to live.
“It is,” Jude said. “I only wish we had a leader like you back on Earth before the planet was ruined by human greed. You’re so generous, Tavorn. Can we expect the medicine tonight?”
The question came on the heels of a compliment that already had Tavorn nodding in agreement. He froze.
Jude cocked her head at him, her eyes stretched wide with an unspoken challenge. All the mages turned to look at Tavorn, their own questions in their eyes. What would their generous, perfect leader do now?
Quickly, Tavorn resumed nodding. “I’ll have it ready in the morning. I’ll send the servants down to retrieve it tonight. It’s a long journey to the bottom of our ocean.”
Gerrit finished off his drink before dipping his chin at Tavorn. “Thank you,” he said roughly.
He hoped Tavorn read the roughness in his voice as emotion. But it was rage. At Tavorn’s words, Gerrit realized the Hylan leader had had no intention of giving them the medicine. Not if it was still at the bottom of the ocean. It would be an all-night trip for the Hylas to swim down and retrieve it. But Tavorn’s words did suggest there was truth to the rumor that the relics from the bottom of the Hylan ocean were necessary for the medicine his clan needed.
Filing that information away for later use, Gerrit stood and offered his hand to Jude before he fed Tavorn to the mawfin. “Perhaps it’s time we return to our rooms. We don’t want to keep our generous hosts up too late.”
Jude’s smile was blinding as she took his hand and rose to her feet. Around her, the mages and Tavorn got to their feet as well. They all bowed their heads toward her. “I see your mate wants you all to himself tonight,” Tavorn said, and Gerrit heard the jealousy in his voice.
His smile at the Hyla was more a baring of teeth. “I’m afraid I can’t hold myself back any longer.”
Jude laughed and said her goodbyes before Gerrit could say anything else. As they walked away, Gerrit felt Tavorn’s hard glare on his back. Knowing he was watching, he wrapped his arm around Jude’s waist, pulled her against his side, and planted a trail of lingering kisses on her neck.
It likely wasn’t the most diplomatic move, and Jude apparently disapproved because she hissed at him. But Gerrit couldn’t help it. Jude was his. And he’d never been that great of a politician anyway.
Beneath their feet, the servants had reached the mawfin. From a safe distance, they released the end of the chain holding the mawfin in place.
It didn’t realize its freedom. For a few moments, it merely circled. With each pass, it swam a little farther until the realization dawned. Its fin whipped back and forth, and the creature swerved forward. Its movements were jerky and uneven, but with the barb in its tail and the chain trailing behind it, the mawfin dove straight down to the dark, deep waters beneath it.
It raced away as if it thought the Hylas might take its freedom back with a rip of the barb.
Gerrit knew the feeling well.
18
Jude
The evening had worn on her. Jude knew how to play bitchy one-upmanship as much as the next girl in the military, but Tavorn was something else. He’d wanted to humiliate Gerrit, and that was something she wasn’t about to stand for.
Whatever else may be going on between them, Gerrit was a good person, and he clearly cared about his people to the point where he was willing to put himself directly in harm’s way to get them the medicine they needed.
Medicine that fuckwit Tavorn clearly had not intended to hand over.
But she’d fixed that.
And she was proud of that. She was proud that she’d handled the Hylas when Gerrit was so clearly agitated by them. She was proud she’d been able to help him, and she was proud to be the woman on his arm.
When they returned to their hut, a tray of chocolates sat on the table and Jude rushed forward to put one in her mouth.
“Wait, those …” Gerrit said, but she’d already popped one in her mouth and started chewing.
She promptly started gagging as the taste burst across her tongue like an oil slick. She waved a hand in front of her mouth like she could blow away the horrible, acrid taste. Eyes watering, she spat it up on the tray.
“Those are an acquired taste.” Gerrit looked at her sympathetically with his nose wrinkled up as she continued spitting.
“What in the name of all that’s holy under the sun is that?” she choked out.
“You don’t want to know,” Gerrit chuckled.
She had to know. Not knowing was worse. “You have to tell me. Otherwise, I’m going to come up with something way worse than what it could possibly be.”
“I’m betting not.” Gerrit’s chuckles grew into a full-fledged belly laugh.
“I will spank you,” Jude threatened.
“Promise?” He smirked. “But brush your teeth first.”
“Gerrit,” she growled. “Tell me.”
He laughed so hard he had to sit down. Jude was actually worried he might hurt himself as he hyperventilated around the words. “It’s a Hylan delicacy, at least to them.”
“But not to Vilkas.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Not to anyone else.” He sat back, grinning, eyes shimmering. “It’s a kind of mollusk that eats its own waste, and over time, it cannibalizes itself. The Hylas fish them out of the water when the mollusks are nearly dead and then feed them to other larger mollusks. What you just ate,” Gerrit paused to gag, “is the waste of the larger mollusks.”
“No.” Vomit rose in her throat. “No. You’re lying.”
Gerrit pressed his mouth together, shaking his head. He was holding back another laugh. The asshole.
“Are you telling me I just ate a shit-eating cannibal that had been shit out by another shit-eating cannibal?”
“Basically.”
Gerrit’s laughter followed Jude up the stairs as she ran to their small bathroom and gargled salt water in her mouth. And then gargled again. And then again just for good measure.
When she turned around, Gerrit stood in the doorway, huge and imposing, but the smile on his face was so full of affection Jude’s breath caught in her throat.
The look of warmth in Gerrit’s eyes fought against the part of her that longed to be home. How could she possibly leave him when he was so alone? And as much as she liked him, he really needed a little coaching on how to deal with people. She could do that for him—with him. She wanted to do that. And how much she wanted to stay terrified her.
She shook her head and redirected her confusion into frustration. “How could you let me eat that?”
“I did try to stop you.”
“Not very hard. You’re a giant shape-shifting alien wolfman. The least you can do is keep me from putting pooped-out, pre-chewed poop in my mouth!”
Gerrit doubled over laughing again and propped his weight against the doorframe, making it impossible for her to get past, which just pissed her off more. She stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, waiting impatiently for him to compose himself, but every time he looked up at her, he just started laughing again.
“Fine. Glad you’re having fun,” she finally said, pushing against his shoulder until he let her through.
“Oh, come on,” he said, grinning, “don’t be like that. If it were me, you’d have hurt yourself laughing by now.” His voice vibrated with that safe, affectionate warmth that threw her off guard.
The feelings in her chest were terrifying her.
She whirled around, letting her fear turn into anger. “No way,” she growled. “I’d be compassionate and understanding. Not an asshole like you’re being.”
