by Hope Hart
“You’ve been training with Vrex.”
Rakiz grins at me, his teeth bloody, thanks to the elbow I just smashed into his face.
“The Assassin of Agron has much to teach us about combat.”
I smile, leaping forward as if attempting to plow my fist into his gut. He dodges it, but my leg is already up, my foot slamming into his ribs.
Rakiz snarls, but his eyes hold appreciation. “You’ve been training too.”
“Dexar has much to teach me.”
The snarl turns into a scowl, and I almost laugh. The two tribe kings were once reluctant allies and are now friends. But that friendship is still fraught with competition and ego.
I grew up training with Rakiz. By now we know exactly how the other fights, which makes each fight more challenging.
I’m furious at my father, at myself, at the world. A fight with Rakiz is exactly what I need. I want to bruise and bleed until my outside matches my insides.
I lost her.
My little healer has given up on me. The female who never gives up on anything—even a wounded karja—has decided I am wasted effort.
Because I hurt her. And she knows I would likely hurt her further.
My head snaps back as Rakiz’s fist cracks into my cheek.
The world turns gray, and Rakiz’s eyes are no longer amused when I finally meet them again.
“If you can’t concentrate while fighting, choose another activity.”
Fury courses through my blood. I know Rakiz is goading me, but fury feels better than desolation and regret.
I growl, feeling my cheek split where his knuckles made contact with my skin. I feint with my right fist, then whirl, driving my knee into his gut as he dodges right.
He slumps just enough for me to hammer my elbow into the back of his head. The warriors surrounding us erupt, shouting encouragement—to both of us.
There are few things Braxians enjoy more than watching a good fight.
Rakiz drops to his knees but instantly jumps back up to his feet.
“You are fighting as if possessed,” he notes. “Should I guess why?”
I ignore him. Rakiz is excellent at getting beneath his opponent’s defenses—both physically and mentally.
“Aaah,” he says when I don’t reply. “This is about the human healer.”
He smiles as he says it, and my blood turns to fire. I roar as I lunge at him, and his eyes are as hard as the smile that plays around his mouth.
My fault. Zoey’s pain and sadness are my fault.
“Rakiz!”
We both turn as Beth appears, her face pale. Rakiz frowns at her, and she ignores the warriors who grumble, unhappy with the interruption of our fight.
“I was just in the healers’ kradi. Moni says Zoey never returned when she went to collect plants in the forest.” Beth hesitates for one moment and then firms her jaw. “Nevada went to meet her.”
Rakiz’s face drains of color before flushing a deep red, his whole body trembling with rage. I reach for my sword, and I’m running toward the forest before I even realize I’m moving. Behind me, Rakiz bellows orders at his men, and the camp jumps into action.
Zoey.
The thought of her terror drives me forward, and I reach the forest, roaring her name. Some of the human women are already here with their mates, all of whom are staying close to them, their eyes hard, swords in their hands.
Terex steps close, and I glance behind him at his pregnant mate. “You should take her back to camp.”
“She won’t leave until we know what happened to her friends, and I won’t make her.”
I frown at that, and he shakes his head.
“You still have no understanding of these human females.”
I ignore him, and we spread out, searching for clues. Rakiz falls into step with me, his face a mask of fury.
We almost trip over the bodies.
I drop to my knees, shaking Kroniz as Rakiz and his men check Nevada’s guards. He seems to be breathing, and I frown. I see no blood, no lump on his head, no reason for him to be unconscious.
A branch cracks behind us, and Ellie steps forward, her face gray. Terex holds her elbow, and it seems as if it is only his strength that keeps her on her feet.
“Check for a red mark,” she murmurs. “Some kind of…burn.”
Kroniz groans as I cut off his shirt, finding the red mark on his chest. I recognize this. This comes from the stick weapons the Dokhalls used in battle against us.
“They have Nevada. My pregnant mate.” Rakiz’s eyes meet mine, the devastation clear.
Ivy is out of breath as she reaches us. “They’re both smart. Nevada may be pregnant, but she’s still training. I’d bet on her against a Dokhall bastard any day. And Zoey…”
I meet her eyes, and she nods at me reassuringly.
“She’s got this, Tagiz. We’ll find both of them.”
Rakiz gets to his feet and begins giving orders. Kroniz groans again, finally opening his eyes.
He frowns, obviously confused, and I fight not to roar at him for allowing Zoey to be taken.
“Dokhalls,” he says, and I nod.
“Tell me what happened.”
“They came out of nowhere. One of them must be dying. I ran him through. Check which direction he was heading in. Look for a trail of blood.”
“How many of them were there?”
“Five. Likely four now. They wanted Nevada.”
I growl. “They want to use her to blackmail Rakiz into giving them the ship.”
Kroniz nods. “I’m sorry. They were here with no warning. They must have been planning this for some time. But there is no excuse for our failure.”
Moni appears, her face drawn as she begins checking on the other warriors.
I stand. “We will find them.”
Vrex and Ivy call out, drawing my attention to fresh drops of blood scattered on a fallen tree, while Rakiz finds a tiny, blunt knife on the ground in the opposite direction. Vrex leans close, keeping his voice hushed.
“Ivy says she has the impression the Dokhalls aren’t used to being outdoors. They fell for our traps during the battle, and they are not experienced at covering up their own tracks.”
Moni steps close to Rakiz and murmurs to him. He holds up the knife, and I examine the handle.
It’s Zoey’s knife.
She had to decide—take the knife with her and hope to use it or leave it as a sign for us to find them.
She’s trusting us to save their lives. Even after we allowed them to be taken.
For a moment, my throat is so tight I can’t speak, and my voice is hoarse as I struggle for control.
“We need to split up.”
Vrex nods. “Ivy and I will go with Rakiz toward the east. You take some of the guards and go west. We’ll divide everyone else we can spare and send them to canvass the area just in case the tracks are an attempt to distract us.”
I don’t hesitate, gesturing to Jozet, Makil, and Grez. Kroniz has managed to get to his feet, and while his steps are wobbly, he insists on joining us.
“We will set a fast pace,” I say.
He nods. “I will keep up.”
I don’t argue, simply moving toward the east. We find more tracks, and I shudder at the thought of Zoey at the mercy of those who have none.
I will kill them all.
Zoey
I’m pretty sure Nevada is in real labor. She’s leaning over, holding on to a tree and panting as one of the Dokhalls sneers at her, grabbing her arm in an attempt to make her move.
She strikes out with her fist, and he raises his stick. The sight makes my heart pound, and my mouth goes dry. He waves it threateningly, and Nevada ignores him, groaning.
He growls, pointing the stick at her, and Nevada’s hand lashes out, faster than I could’ve imagined. She pulls the stick from his hand, slamming it into his head. The other Dokhalls immediately advance on her, and I thrust my body between Nevada and them. They’re not hitting a preg
nant woman on my watch.
“Get out of the way, Zoey.”
I ignore that. Out the corner of my eye, I can see a spark of blue light from the weapon in her hand as she advances on the Dokhalls, but the light quickly fades.
Nevada laughs bitterly. “I’m guessing you guys need the ship to charge these things. We noticed after the battle that the ones we took from you no longer seemed to work so well.”
One of the Dokhalls snarls. “We will soon have our ship back, and you will be in our cage, your spawn sold as a slave, human whore.”
Oh no, he didn’t.
Nevada dodges around me, and this time, she throws the weapon like a spear, hitting the Dokhall straight in the face.
Blood flows from his flat nose like a river, and he lets out a sound remarkably close to a squeal. Nevada snorts and then groans, obviously struggling through another contraction.
One of the other Dokhalls steps close, and I lash out, aiming for his balls as he grabs my hair. He’s too fast, and he shakes me, my scalp burning as Nevada holds on to a tree again, panting.
“I may not be able to kill you until after we have our ship, but I can kill this human to teach you a lesson.”
I wince, my eyes hot as he pulls on my hair. Nevada nods, straightening, and her eyes are resolute as they meet mine.
“Fine.”
We walk silently after that, surrounded by the Dokhalls. Nevada has to stop multiple times, and I count between her contractions, feeling the blood draining from my face.
Three minutes.
Three fucking minutes.
“Hurry up.”
I scowl at the Dokhall, and he looks unimpressed. When Nevada starts walking again, she glances at me, and I can see the knowledge on her face.
She might be having this baby today. Her contractions seem too strong for Braxton-Hicks, but I won’t know until I can examine her.
My hands begin to shake. I’ve helped deliver babies before, but never solo. I’m not an ob-gyn, or even a doctor, and I have none of the instruments I’d need to get Nevada through this.
Please, God, don’t let it be the real thing. You took my mom away when I was nineteen. You let me be abducted by aliens and almost killed. You owe me.
We stop at a cave. By now, Nevada is damp with sweat. From the look of the cave, these Dokhalls have been planning this for some time. There’s a collection of furs on one side, a pile of badly carved utensils next to them. Further back, a large, wooden bowl sits on the dirt floor, likely carved from a fallen tree. It’s filled with water, and I’m suddenly desperately thirsty.
The Dokhalls push us toward the back of the cave, close to the water, but I don’t dare reach for it. I bet they’d kill me before allowing me to give Nevada some water.
We sit with our backs against the cave wall, and Nevada closes her eyes, her knuckles turning white as she clenches her fists. The Dokhalls huddle close to the cave entrance, likely making more plans to ruin our lives.
“Listen to me,” she gasps afterward, and I lean close. “If this is the real thing, and I’m having this baby, you’ll need to take it and run.”
I squint at her, and she reaches out, burying her hand in the front of my dress as she pulls me close, eyes wild.
“I’ll distract them. You do whatever it takes to get my baby to Rakiz. Promise me, Zoey.”
“No. You’re both making it through this.”
She bares her teeth at me. “I saved your life, you bitch. Save my baby.”
I smile as I reach out and push her hair off her face. “And you were worried about your maternal instinct. Listen to me. Listen. I’m going to make sure you get out of here. If I can’t, I’ll get the baby out and come back for you. So if it comes to that, and I end up hauling ass out of here with your newborn, don’t do anything stupid in the meantime.”
We’re only a few miles from camp. These guys aren’t planning to keep us hidden for long. They want to threaten Nevada’s safety and get Rakiz under their control. It’s not like they can post a ransom note. They need to be able to send someone back to negotiate.
And from the furious voices at the front of the cave, they’re deciding who that unlucky guy will be right now.
Kroniz managed to gut one of the Dokhalls when they attacked. The wounded Dokhall trailed after us for a while before he was unable to move any longer, and his friends decided to use his blood as a distraction, taking us in the opposite direction before we circled back around.
I know the Braxians, and when they find the blunt knife I dropped, they’ll immediately head in this direction. Nevada and I weren’t exactly being careful not to disrupt the forest around us as we walked through it. Each time she leaned against a tree, clenching her teeth through a contraction, she made sure to leave that tree with a little less bark. And I scuffed my shoes over every single fallen tree, kicked at leaves, and overturned rocks.
I know Tagiz too. And even with everything that has happened between us, I know he’ll be coming for us.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have dropped that knife,” I murmur to Nevada. “It was too blunt to be much use, but maybe I should’ve kept it.”
Nevada shakes her head. “After they switched paths, we had to leave some sign behind. I have a knife strapped to my thigh,” she whispers. “But it’s all I have. We need to take them by surprise.”
I almost laugh. Of course Nevada has a weapon hidden beneath her dress.
“Okay,” I say, blowing out a shaky breath as my mind races. “There are only four of them left. That little guy is clearly the runt of the litter, and it looks like they’re sending him back to negotiate with Rakiz. That’ll give us three.”
Three armed Dokhalls against a woman in labor and me.
Great.
I examine the Dokhalls, searching for any signs of weakness as they argue. After Kroniz slid his sword into that Dokhall’s abdomen, one of Nevada’s guards managed to cut another Dokhall. That one is favoring his right arm as his left hangs by his side, red with blood.
The Dokhall who seems to be the leader has the longest horns, and they wind back from his face, glinting in the sunlight. He hands a piece of material to One Arm, and the Dokhall wraps it around his shoulder, tying it with his teeth.
The third Dokhall glances at us, and he glowers at me as we make eye contact. His nose is definitely broken, and it must be painful because he winces every time he talks.
Karma is a bitch.
Chapter Eleven
Zoey
The Dokhall they sent to negotiate with Rakiz hasn’t come back.
It’s been hours, and I’m starting to panic. Soon after she became tribe queen, Nevada taught some of the warriors how to track through the wilderness without using their noses—which they previously relied on when they were hunting Voildi. But there’s no sign of any Braxians, and I’m not sure how they could’ve missed our tracks.
Nevada’s face is scrunched in pain as she pants through another contraction.
She meets my eyes as soon as it’s over. “My water just broke.”
“Okay.” My mouth goes dry. “We’re going to get through this, Nevada. It’s going to be okay.”
She ignores that, her eyes drifting around the cave.
“I was so excited when I learned I was pregnant,” she murmurs. “I was scared, sure. But I pictured the day I’d give birth, how Rakiz would get to see his baby born. How we’d always keep our kid safe.”
The Dokhalls begin to argue, muttering amongst themselves. They glance at me, and one of them scowls, gesturing for the other two to follow him closer to the cave’s entrance.
I have to do something. I have a plan, but the only way it will work is if the Dokhalls decide they’re thirsty.
If it’s the only shot I have, I have to make it count. I reach into the folds of my dress, wrapping my fingers around the rag in my pocket, still holding the green berries I collected earlier.
They will regret taking us from our home; oh yes, they will.
Long H
orns points to something outside, and I know I’m not going to get another chance.
My stomach swims, but I lunge forward, squeezing the berries and straining the green juice through the handkerchief.
I stare at the water, squeezing as hard as I can.
Do no harm.
I squeeze harder, pleased when the juice begins to dissolve. I sweep the handkerchief through the water, spreading more of the juice.
But take no shit.
I scooch back to Nevada. One Arm glances back at us, and I do my best to seem innocent. He scowls, and I carefully avoid looking at the bucket of water.
“Listen,” I murmur to Nevada when her contraction is over. “I doubt they’re going to offer us any water, but if they do, don’t drink it, okay? Try not to even touch it.”
Her eyes widen, her lips trembling with the hint of a smile before she tenses again, reaching for my hand.
“You sneaky bitch,” she gasps out. “I knew you had it in you.”
I manage a tiny smile. “Do you want me to examine you?”
She glances at the Dokhalls. “We need to know how dilated I am, don’t we?”
“It doesn’t have to happen now,” I tell her. “But I should probably check soon.”
She leans her head against the wall of the cave.
“Rakiz will come for us,” she murmurs as her eyes slide closed. “He’ll come.”
Tagiz
I slice through the Dokhalls. Somewhere behind me, deep in the forest, Rakiz roars in fury.
These Dokhalls attacked with no warning. When we demanded to know where Nevada and Zoey were, they gave us blank looks. Obviously, the Dokhalls who managed to survive the battle have split into factions.
Unfortunately, this attack is preventing us from finding our females.
One of the Dokhalls darts close, his light-stick glowing blue. I dodge, but he makes contact. My entire body jolts, my hands going numb, and I drop my sword.
He grins, charging me, his stick held high.
His grin turns to dismay when the blue light disappears. I’m still unable to pick up my sword, so I lash out, kicking at him. My movements are clumsy as I recover from the jolt of his weapon, but I’m lucky, my foot catching him in the jaw.
