by Hope Hart
I gape at Rakiz. “You brought your queen here?”
“She refused to stay with the boat. Besides”—Rakiz’s face turns cold, death in his eyes—“I will slaughter anyone who thinks to touch her.”
“I can hear you,” Nevada mutters. “And in case you forgot, I can do the slaughtering myself.”
Rakiz leans closer to me. “She is acting as something she calls ‘lookout.’ She has promised to leave before we attack.” He turns his head. “Haven’t you, karja?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Nevada’s voice is sulky, but I can see her stroke her hand over the slight bump of her stomach. “I’m outta here. Have fun.” She pauses. “But not too much fun without me.”
They are both insane. That is the only answer.
Rakiz escorts Nevada to the door, where his men are waiting. Zintas’ bodies are strewn both inside and outside of the building, and Rakiz pulls Nevada close, taking her lips in a deep kiss. She raises her hand to his cheek, and I have to look away from their intimate moment.
I miss Ivy like a limb.
I turn back as Rakiz gestures to one of his men. Nevada quietly threatens all of the remaining warriors with pain and torture if they let her mate get hurt before allowing the male to lead her away.
The tribe king grins after her, his men fighting back their own smiles. It’s clear that their queen is well loved.
Then we turn and move back inside. I will find out exactly where they have taken my little Flame Hair.
Chapter Twelve
Ivy
Well, this is familiar.
I stare out at the crowd, and the crowd stares back. I’m standing next to a stage, waiting to be sold. Again.
Unlike on the slave planet, where we were sold out in the open, these guys are tense, eyeing the door of the large building warily. That doesn’t stop them from leering at both me and the other unfortunate women who have ended up here.
Also unlike on the slave planet, I’m not trembling in fear. Oh, I’m scared, for sure. But beneath anxiety lies a certainty that I haven’t felt since before my dad died.
A certainty that there’s someone in this universe that has my back.
Vrex will come for me. I know he will.
When it’s my turn on the stage, I block out whatever bullshit is coming out of the alien’s mouth as he lists my attributes. Instead, I run my eyes over the crowd, freezing when I see a Braxian standing to one side, close enough that I can see the flash of his white teeth as he grins at me. He winks one dark-green eye, and I realize he’s not the only one here as I continue to survey the aliens in front of me.
Braxians are dotted throughout the crowd, and the Zintas haven’t noticed them yet. Aroth stands in the front of the crowd with the group of Zintas he brought with him, and he smiles, flashing sharp teeth at me as my gaze lands on him.
Wow, buddy, these guys are gonna kick your ass.
I’m not paying any attention until a shove at my back tells me that I’ve been bought. An alien with dark-red skin stands next to the stage waiting for me, a leash in his hand, and I pause.
What if I’m wrong? What if Vrex isn’t going to make it? My skin crawls as the red alien steps forward, his grin showcasing sharply pointed teeth.
That’s when the room erupts into chaos.
A Braxian leaps forward and punches the red alien in the face. The alien drops like a stone while I gape at the Braxian, who hauls me into his arms.
“I can walk!”
“Quiet.”
I growl. “Put me down, asshole.”
“I was tasked with keeping you safe, female. And the Assassin of Agron is scarier than you are.”
Awesome.
Swords are clashing, and I shudder as a piercing scream sounds. A group of Braxians are fighting in front of us, preventing anyone from getting close as they drive through the crowd and toward the door.
I look over my shoulder, where more Braxians are guarding our backs, cutting down anyone who gets close.
“Ivy!”
I crane my head toward the door. “Vrex?”
Someone has given him a sword, and he’s fighting toward me like a berserker. The room is pandemonium, and I watch as Vrex reaches for a Zinta attempting to escape with one of the women, kicking him in the gut as he tries to flee. He picks up the blue-skinned woman and throws her to another Braxian, who plucks her out of the air, ignoring her screams.
There’s a method to the madness, I realize. The Braxians have slaughtered most of the Zintas, along with anyone else dumb enough to attack or attempt to take one of the kidnapped woman with them.
He came for me. Like he promised he would.
God, I’m so fucking glad to see him alive.
He seems invincible as he fights his way toward me. Like a superhero. But he’s still just a man.
I itch to join the fight. I push my hands against the Braxian’s chest so I can get enough leverage to see over the crowd. He helpfully holds me a little higher, although he’s not feeling cooperative enough to put me back on my feet.
I come perilously close to whining. “I want to fight!”
He ignores me, and I’m forced to watch as the Zintas attack. Aroth meets my gaze, his teeth bared as he drives toward me.
I raise my middle finger. Now, if only I could be the one to—
Vrex is suddenly there, and there’s nothing but surprise on Aroth’s face as he’s impaled on my huge warrior’s sword.
When did you start thinking of him as yours, Ivy?
The Braxian with the green eyes says something to Vrex, whose mouth twitches as if he’s thinking about smiling. Together, they cut down the remaining Zintas, while the rest of the Braxians take care of anyone who thought they could get away with buying and selling women.
Vrex is drenched with blood when he reaches me, but I don’t care as he pulls me to him.
“Thank you,” he says to the Braxian, who nods as he hands me over. The Braxian gives me a look like he’s glad he doesn’t have to deal with me anymore, and I send him a winning smile.
“If I’m not allowed to smile at other females, you can’t smile at any other male,” Vrex growls at me, but his eyes are lit with humor and relief as he cups my face.
“I’ll try my best,” I say, absurdly pleased to feel his arms around me.
Vrex lets me stand, and I stare around us at the carnage.
“Don’t look at that,” he says, his voice soft, and I lean up and kiss him. I’ve seen death and horror, but something about the way he wants to protect me from it melts my heart.
The warrior with the green eyes approaches.
“It is nice to see you alive,” he says. “We have had warriors searching for you for days.”
“This is Dexar,” Vrex tells me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close. “He is the qatai of his tribe.”
I examine the huge warrior. “It’s nice to meet you.”
He nods. “You too.” He returns his attention to Vrex. “We need to leave before news of this spreads throughout this land.”
The wave of his hand encompasses the room, and I carefully keep my eyes on his face, choosing to ignore the splashes of red in my peripheral vision.
“The females have been given credits and set free,” one of the warriors announces, and Dexar nods.
“Good.”
The low murmurs in the room drop to silence as Rakiz appears in the doorway, his face tight.
“Let’s go,” he says, and we all follow him out.
The people who live here are no longer minding their own business as they go about their day. Every single one of them stares at us, most of them in fear. There must be twenty Braxians with us, and we’re traveling in a pack. Vrex has ensured that I’m safely in the middle of the group, surrounded by warriors, but my neck itches as we march through the silent streets.
It feels like an hour later when we finally reach the dock.
The first person I recognize is Nevada. She grins at me, striding forward to give me a
hug.
“About damn time you showed up.”
I laugh. “It wasn’t my fault, I swear.”
“Well, the others will be happy to know you’ve finally been found. Now we just need to find Charlie, and you guys can focus on getting home.”
Vrex tenses at that, and I glance at him. Truthfully, I haven’t even thought about getting back to Earth over the past few days.
More Braxians wait, some of them already seated on the Zintas’ boat. I guess we’re taking it with us. I’m fine with that.
Spoils of war.
Another boat sits next to it. A smaller boat—one small enough that I almost want to ask how the hell all those giant Braxian warriors managed to fit on it.
This boat may not be as large as the Zintas’, but it’s sleeker. It’s a completely different design—the hull curved like the boats I’ve seen on Earth and a large sail waiting to be hoisted.
“Wow,” I say. A scruffy older warrior is ordering around a few of the other Braxians, and they begin turning the boat, preparing to leave.
“I thought Braxians didn’t travel across the water,” I say.
The warrior turns. “We don’t,” he says. “This is the first time. It took me a long time to perfect my design and even longer to build this creation. Thankfully, these warriors arrived to help me finish it.”
I blink at Vrex. “You built a boat to come find me?”
“Finished it,” he says with a grin. “This is Yalex. He was kind enough to allow us to test out his contraption today.”
The look that Yalex gives Vrex makes it clear that the older warrior didn’t exactly have much choice in the matter. I open my mouth, but then I’m slamming it shut as Vrex suddenly turns, thrusting me behind him. He draws his sword as the other warriors do the same.
I turn to see what all the fuss is about, and my mouth drops open.
A Braxian stands in front of us. But he’s like no Braxian I’ve seen before. His hair is shorter, and a gleaming black crown is angled jauntily on his head. His eyes are a deep midnight blue, and they scan me coolly before focusing on the warriors.
He’s surrounded by guards, and I swallow as I compare their numbers to ours. This could be very, very bad.
“I heard rumors that there were invaders in our territory. One of my subjects came to me swearing that my streets were running red with blood,” the Braxian says silkily.
Dexar, to his credit, doesn’t look at all shaken by this new development. “The Zintas took one of ours. Perhaps you should warn your people against such a thing in the future. Especially now that we can cross the Great Water.”
Wait. His people? This Braxian rules over all the creatures in this place?
“Well, consider me shook,” I murmur to Vrex, and he slides me a look.
The king—because that’s what he must be—smiles. It’s not a very nice smile, and I shiver, stepping closer to Vrex.
“I had wondered about our cousins across the water, living in camps like primitives.”
Rakiz bares his teeth in his own smile. “We had also wondered about the savages over here, allowing their subjects to cross the Great Water and trade in flesh.”
I shiver at the look in the king’s eyes. All the Braxians are threatening, especially the tribe kings, but this guy…
This guy is on a whole different level.
Nevada peers around Rakiz’s shoulder. “Nice crown,” she says. “Looks like—”
Rakiz slaps his hand over Nevada’s mouth, and I choke on a laugh. She just can’t help herself.
The king stares at her and then shifts his eyes back to me. All of the warriors bristle.
“Interesting creatures that you have chosen to mate with,” he says.
“Creatures?” Now I’m the one who’s offended. “Listen, you—” Vrex reaches for my hand, squeezing warningly, and I clamp my mouth shut. The king’s midnight eyes scan us, missing nothing.
“I suggest that next time you come here, you refrain from killing my subjects.”
From the way his guards are shifting on their feet, as if itching to fight, I’m guessing this is less of a suggestion and more of a threat.
Dexar doesn’t look scared. But it’s Vrex who steps forward.
“I suggest that next time you allow your subjects to kidnap our females, you prepare for war,” he growls.
The king scans us again. Then, with one last nod, he turns and walks away, his guards trailing after him.
“Who the fuck was that?” Nevada demands, elbowing Rakiz in the ribs. She gives him a look that quite clearly says they’ll be talking about the hand-on-mouth situation later.
He grins at her, but the grin quickly falls from his face as he glances at Dexar. “There have long been rumors about Braxians across the water. We may have assumed they would eventually be our allies, but this is obviously not the case.”
He turns to the boats, and Yalex gives him a nod.
“Time to go,” Rakiz says.
Vrex
Ivy is quiet as we travel across the Great Water. On the way across to where she was being held, all I could think of was her, my attention focused on whether she was safe.
Now that I have her wrapped in my arms, I refuse to lose her. Which is why I’m continually running my eyes over the water, scanning for threats.
“I could teach you to swim if you like,” Ivy says softly. “Maybe not in this water though. God only knows what kinds of creatures would show up to nibble on us.” She shudders, and I almost smile. There are not many things that seem to disconcert my little Flame Hair, but when it comes to the Great Water, we are in agreement.
“I would like to learn,” I tell her. I will never forget the frustration and devastation I felt watching her be taken across the water.
“Thank you for coming for me.” Her voice is small, and I lean down, brushing a kiss on her nose. I will always come for her. But after listening to Nevada talk with her about returning to her planet, I realized that she may not want this.
Why would a brave, beautiful female like her want to stay with a male who makes others tremble with fear? A male who lives alone, far from the other human females on this planet—far even from other Braxians.
I glance behind us as Nevada moves down the boat toward us, Rakiz shadowing her footsteps. I’m reassured by the way he gazes at the water warily, pulling his mate close as she moves across the logs that somehow float on the Great Water.
Across from us, Dexar lounges on the other boat. When he notices us watching, he leans over, languidly trailing his hand across the water and raising one eyebrow as if in a dare.
I’m immediately bombarded by memories of the two of us as young children, when my mother was still alive. We battled to outdo each other, constantly attempting to win our continual war of one-upmanship.
Before we stepped onto these boats, Dexar leaned close.
“Now that you have ceased hiding in the woods like a child beneath his furs, perhaps we can talk about why you left my tribe,” he murmured silkily before stalking away.
I pull my attention back to the present as Rakiz notices Dexar’s taunting and sends him a lewd gesture, making Nevada laugh.
She sits down next to Ivy. “I saw your clues, by the way.”
Ivy goes still. “Really?”
Nevada snorts. “Bright-pink material? Those pajamas were hard to miss. I snuck away from Rakiz and went looking for you. Once he caught up with me—and after he finished beating his chest—he helped me search. We found Zoey, but you’d already been moved by that point.”
“Is she…okay?”
“She’s alive. The healers say she’s getting stronger every day. If you hadn’t left us those clues, we never would’ve found her.”
Ivy leans her head back against my chest, her shoulders slumping. “And Beth?”
“She’s doing well too. She’s at Dexar’s tribe with Alexis. When she escaped, she got caught in a Voildi’s trap. It messed up her leg.”
“Oh God. Beth was
a dancer. A good one, from the few comments she made.”
“Yeah. She’s doing good though. The warrior who found her, he dotes on her. He reminds me of your guy,” Nevada says, flicking me a glance. “The silent type.”
Ivy tenses, opening her mouth. Is she about to refute that I’m her “guy”? She strokes my arm, and I realize I’ve tightened my hold on her. Nevada tilts her head, grinning at me.
“Let’s see,” Nevada says. “That just leaves Ellie, Vivian, and Charlie. Ellie’s mated to Terex and completely knocked up.” She laughs at whatever she sees on Ivy’s face. “And Vivian’s still praying that the Arcav will land here any day and take her back to the land of makeup and hairdressers.”
“And Charlie?”
“That’s what I was going to talk to you about.” Nevada glances at me again. “How do you feel about going up against a dragon, big guy?”
Ivy
I’m still attempting to process everything Nevada has told me as we finally get close to land. Apparently, Charlie was taken by an actual fire-breathing dragon. I asked Vrex about the gorgeous mermaid-like scales across his chest, and he shrugged, simply saying that he was descended from the Great One.
Turns out, the Great One is a dragon, and he took Charlie. Apparently, the other women had kind of assumed that Charlie had been the dragon’s lunch, since she was bleeding so heavily when she was taken. But Alexis saw her not long ago and said she looked fine, only she was obviously being held against her will by a huge, very angry dragon.
Did I mention that the dragon apparently breathes fire?
Vrex seemed unconcerned by this, simply nodding along as Nevada described how the dragon had stretched its huge wings, eyeing Alexis and Dexar like they’d taste great with barbecue sauce.
I fall asleep against Vrex. When I wake up, I have to blink a few times before I realize I’m not dreaming.
I’m on a mishua, still held in Vrex’s arms. It’s dark, and in the distance, I see lanterns burning ahead of us.
“This is Rakiz’s camp.” Vrex’s voice is tight, and my chest aches at the reminder of how bad his life was when he lived in a camp just like this.
