Oh, thank God. Relief made her almost dizzy, but she forced herself to concentrate on the conversation.
“Good. Use the net and get him out of there. We’ll take him to our camp and see if we can wake him up.” Chotgor laughed, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. “I want him to be conscious when I get started.”
She watched in trembling silence as they threw one of the spirin’s nets down into the hole and then hauled up Aidon. The net had already pulled tight around his body, but he hung limply in its strands, so still that for a dreadful moment she thought they had been wrong about him being alive. Chotgor apparently agreed because he approached and pressed a scarred hand to Aidon’s neck. He grunted, then smacked Aidon’s face. His body rocked back from the blow, but he didn’t react.
“Bring him,” Chotgor ordered.
Two of his henchmen strung Aidon’s body between them, and the whole party headed for the riverbank. The Pardorian cast a last look over his shoulder, and she could have sworn he was looking directly at her. Was he trying to tell her something?
Her body still trembled, and her mind raced in frantic circles as she tried to figure out how she could help Aidon. As much as she wanted to charge after him, she didn’t stand a chance against six males, and if Chotgor captured her, she had no doubt he would use her to hurt Aidon.
She needed help. Help…his grandfather! He had helped her before, and despite Aidon’s doubts about how much he cared, she was sure he would help her again. He was only one man, unless she could persuade him to bring others with him, but he was the only hope she had.
As she retraced her steps through the jungle, not moving as cautiously this time, she realized that the light was fading. She would have to make the trip to the village in the dark. All the things that Aidon had warned her about, everything that she had seen over the past week, floated through her head. Her hands were shaking so badly that she almost dropped Trouble. But despite her terror, this was the only way that she could think of to help Aidon. She had to do it.
As soon as she reached the clearing and was back on familiar ground, she headed for their house at a run. Trouble whined, and she let him down to run next to her. He stayed glued to her side.
When she reached the house, she hesitated momentarily, her breath rasping in her lungs as she tried to think. She knew Aidon kept weapons here, but the only ones she could use were the poisoned darts. Could she take them and go back after him? She stared out at the lengthening shadows as she tried to decide and finally concluded that it wasn’t a sensible option. No matter how good her aim, she didn’t think she could drop six males before they stopped her. Instead, she quickly placed the darts in her wrist sheath and headed for the door. Trouble whined when she tried to get him to stay in the house.
“I have to go to the village. You can’t come with me.”
But despite her best efforts, he managed to slip past her when she opened the door, then hovered just out of reach. She didn’t have time to chase him down, and to be honest, having him at her side made her feel a little better. Urgency was a drumbeat in her veins. Taking a deep breath, she set off at a run.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Aidon snapped back to consciousness with a start, but he was too well trained to reveal that he was awake. His head ached, and he could feel dried blood matting his hair, but it was a minor injury. He would heal. He was tied to a tree, his arms stretched painfully behind his back by the rope connecting them. More rope circled his waist and pulled his feet apart. The tight knots dug into his skin, but he should be able to slither free of them as soon as he evaluated the situation.
His head had sagged forward over his chest, and he left it there, using his other senses to gauge what was going on. How could he have been such a fool as to be captured by a simple pit trap—and how had the strangers known enough to create one?
His first thought was of Hanna, but to his great relief, he couldn’t detect her sweet scent. Instead, he caught the acrid smell of the intruders. Teasing apart their individual scents, he could detect four—no, five. His heart sank as he recognized Chotgor and realized why they were here. Apparently the bastard hadn’t died in the fire after all.
Another scent drifted past, and he almost flinched—Chotgor had a Pardorian with him? Aidon would have sworn that no Pardorian would ever assist an offworlder against one of their own. Perhaps with his mixed blood, they didn’t consider him to be a true Pardorian. There was something elusive but familiar about the Pardorian’s scent. Could it even be someone that he knew?
“I don’t understand why we don’t just take over the bastard’s house. I hate this fucking jungle.” The harsh voice came from close by, but Aidon remained limp in his bonds.
“You heard what that Pardorian said—that he would have set traps.”
“Yeah, well I think I’d rather take my chance on some theoretical trap than face another one of those things that took Deerel.”
“He said we would be safe here on the beach.”
“We’d better be. I don’t like the green son of a bitch.”
“Just be patient. You know Chotgor will let us take care of him as soon as we’re back in the city. Him and his bitch.”
The first man laughed. “As long as we get to play with her first. It’s been too long.”
“You go two days without getting your dick wet and you think it’s too long, Chindek.”
“Well, it is.”
The ribald jokes continued as the two males moved away, leaving Aidon to consider their conversation. If they were avoiding his house, that meant that Hanna should be safe. Although he didn’t understand why they would think he had extensive security measures. Why had the Pardorian told them that? For that matter, why had he suggested that they set up camp here? While the clearing beside the river was safer in some ways, it could also be far more dangerous if they attracted the attention of one of the river predators. Had the Pardorian known that? It certainly sounded as if he was not assisting them voluntarily if they were threatening his female.
Even as Aidon thought that, a hand brushed against his where they were tied behind the tree. Three slow taps. A hunter signal to indicate that he should wait.
“Hey, you.” A new voice, harsh and angry, cut through the night. “What are you doing with the prisoner? Get away from him.”
“I was simply ensuring that his bonds were still tight.” The Pardorian’s voice also sounded oddly familiar.
“Oh yeah?”
A rough hand jerked on the already tight ropes, causing them to cut into his flesh, but he forced his body to remain limp and motionless.
“I reckon they’re tight enough, but you stay away from him.”
“If that is what you want.”
“Yeah, that’s what I want. And if you don’t want your female to come to any harm, you better pay attention to what I want.”
The Pardorian did not respond, and both males moved away. Aidon couldn’t detect anyone else close to him, so he chanced a look from under his eyelashes.
The tree he was tied to was at the very edge of the jungle, and he recognized the long spit of rocky land beside the river. They were downstream and around a bend from his house. As long as they stayed away from it, Hanna would be safe until he could return. Night had fallen while he was unconscious, the river and surrounding jungle veiled in darkness. A large bonfire roared on the beach a short distance away, and he counted the figures he could see in the firelight, confirming his earlier estimates. Even from here, he could recognize Chotgor despite the terrible scars revealed by the flickering flames. There was no doubt the other male was here for revenge.
The males passed a bottle back and forth as they sat by the fire. The Pardorian kept his distance, his back to the fire so as not to hinder his ability to see his surroundings. Aidon tried to identify him, but the light was too uncertain and it had been too long since he had seen the other members of his village.
One of the males staggered away from the fire, moving over to
the river to take a piss. Aidon saw the Pardorian watching him, but he didn’t warn the fool. The male groaned with relief just as an usan tendril snaked up out of the water, circled his waist, and dragged him under. He didn’t even have the chance to scream, but the splash aroused the attention of the other males.
“What the fuck was that? Where’s Jivet?” Two other males approached the riverbank, but unfortunately, they were smart enough not to get too close. They called for their missing colleague a few times, then returned to the fire. One of them stalked over to the Pardorian.
“What the hell just happened?”
“I warned you that the river was dangerous,” the Pardorian said calmly.
The male snarled. “We’re pretty dangerous too. You’d best remember that.”
“Of course. How could I forget?”
Frustrated, the male stomped back to the fire. “I’m tired of this, Chotgor. Can’t we just kill him and get it over with?”
“No, Chindek. I’m not just going to kill him; I’m going to make him pay. He destroyed my operation and left me to die in that fire. I will have my revenge!” Chotgor’s voice reached an unstable pitch as he yelled at Chindek.
Aidon saw the other males exchanging glances and wondered if they heard that note of insanity as well.
“Are you sure that this is the right male?” one of them asked tentatively. “He doesn’t look the same.”
“Damn Pardorians can disguise themselves. My contact traced him here. I know he’s the same one.”
His contact? Who would have the knowledge to identify Aidon to Chotgor, let alone know enough to send him to his home? Aidon picked up his jobs through a central guild, but they were committed to maintaining the privacy of their employees. If that were no longer true or if they had a traitor in their midst…
His attention snapped back to the fire as Chotgor stood.
“I’m tired of waiting. Wake him up.”
“How?”
“I don’t know,” he said impatiently. “Throw water in his face.”
Chindek looked to the river and shook his head. “I’m not going near that in the dark.”
“Fool,” Chotgor snapped. “Aren’t any of you brave enough to fetch water?”
His males looked at each other, but none of them stepped forward. One of them suddenly groaned and clutched his stomach.
“Pretending to be ill doesn’t excuse your cowardice.” Chotgor started to turn away just as the male bent over and vomited up the contents of his stomach. The other males stepped back in disgust, but the first male’s spasms didn’t cease. He dropped to his knees, still retching, and Aidon saw the bile turn to blood before the male collapsed.
The other males stared at him in shock. Even Chotgor seemed stunned at the rapid demise before he turned to the Pardorian with a snarl.
“What happened to him?”
“He must have eaten something that disagreed with him.”
“He had the same thing we did.”
“It wouldn’t take much—if the wrong kind of leaf or berry fell in his food, it could easily be fatal.” The Pardorian stared at Chotgor, his face impassive. “I warned you that the jungle was dangerous.”
“And I warned you that if you wanted your female to live, you would provide safe passage.”
“Three of you are still alive. You are faring much better than most offworlders who enter the jungle.”
“You’d better pray that the odds remain in our favor.”
Chotgor turned his back on the Pardorian and rejoined his two remaining followers. The three of them huddled by the fire, their low-voiced conversation too quiet for Aidon to hear. When he looked back at the Pardorian, the male moved his hand, sending another hunting signal: Now.
Praying that he was doing the right thing by putting his trust in this unknown male, he groaned and raised his head.
Chotgor immediately strode over to him.
“I know who you are,” he snarled. “And you’re going to pay.”
Aidon briefly considered playing innocent, but there was no point. Even if Chotgor believed him, he would simply kill him more quickly.
“If you are still alive, then I must be losing my touch. But I’m flattered that you thought me worth the chase.” He deliberately let his gaze travel to the body crumpled by the fire. “You seem to have lost one of your followers.”
“I don’t care as long as I have you begging for mercy.”
Behind Chotgor’s back, Aidon could see his two remaining males exchange glances. The Pardorian stood to one side, and Aidon caught a slight movement as he flicked something at the nearest male. The scent of surat berries reached him, and he almost smiled. The male was about to discover just how attractive surat berries were to certain small but vicious flying insects.
“You don’t believe me?” Chotgor loomed over him and raised a knife. “Will you believe me when I’m stripping the skin from your body an inch at a time?”
“I don’t believe you’re going to get the chance.”
The male who had received the berry juice suddenly yelled and slapped his arm. Chotgor looked over his shoulder, and Aidon took advantage of his distraction. He changed his form to that of a Thurdal—a tall, slender race with remarkably agile bodies—and slipped free of his bonds. Chotgor was still staring at his follower, now frantically trying to reach his back. He dropped to the ground, trying to grind himself against the dirt, but Aidon knew that would only make the insects more vicious.
Aidon stepped to one side and transformed again, this time to his true form, and melted back into the jungle. The Pardorian mirrored his actions and joined him. Together they watched as Chotgor ignored his injured male and turned back to the tree. He roared in outrage when he saw the empty ropes.
“Find him!” he bellowed.
His one remaining follower was crouched next to the now unmoving body of the first male. He stared up at Chotgor.
“How? Everyone is dead except for us. We don’t even have your guide anymore.”
“Are you going to let the jungle take care of them?” the Pardorian asked softly.
“No. This ends here.” Aidon darted a look at the other male. Something about him still seemed familiar. “Do we know each other?”
A smile twisted the Pardorian’s lips. “I’m Naiz.”
The memory snapped into place. They had been friends when he was a child, but Naiz and his family had left the village before Aidon had hit his troubled teens.
An outraged bellow drew their attention back to the clearing. Chotgor and his remaining companion were fighting. The knife flashed in Chotgor’s hand, and then he was alone on the beach as the other man crumpled to the ground.
“Your grandfather used to say that rage was the enemy of reason,” Naiz said.
“He always did have a way with words,” Aidon admitted.
“I’m going to find you!” Chotgor roared. The knife in his hand dripped blood as he gazed into the jungle.
“Do you need assistance?” Naiz asked.
“I think you provided enough of that. Why did you? I know they have your female.”
Naiz’s face turned grim. “They took her while I was at the market. Chotgor told me that they wanted to hunt an arslan even though it’s forbidden. I didn’t like it, but I was willing to go along to keep her safe. It wasn’t until we arrived here that I knew they were after you.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t going to let them hurt a fellow Pardorian, especially not you, my friend.”
“Thank you. As soon as I take care of Chotgor and make sure that my female is safe, we will return and rescue yours.”
Naiz clasped his forearm, then Aidon stepped into the clearing. He didn’t bother to change his form—Chotgor would never live to tell the tale.
Chotgor’s eyes widened as Aidon emerged from the jungle.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m the one you’ve been hunting.”
“How did you disguise yourself so quickly?” Chotgor asked suspiciously.
>
“It’s not a disguise. It’s who I am.”
“I don’t care what you look like. As long as you die.”
Chotgor raised his knife and ran at him, his fighting skills obliterated by rage. Aidon waited, letting the other male come to him. Just before he reached him, Chotgor staggered and slapped a hand to his neck. A dart lodged there, and he fell to his knees even as he pulled it free.
Aidon stared in disbelief as Chotgor collapsed. Leaves rustled, and then Hanna stepped out of the jungle.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hanna ignored the bodies lying on the ground, only interested in Aidon. Blood trickled down the side of his beloved face, but he was alive, alive and healthy. She threw herself at him, and he caught her as she burst into tears.
“You’re all right. Oh God, Aidon, I’ve been so scared.”
“Hush, saachi. I’m just fine. But why are you here?”
“Because she didn’t believe me when I told her you could take care of yourself.” Tanor stepped out of the jungle, and Aidon stared at him as the rest of the villagers who had accompanied her joined them.
“I don’t understand. What are all of you doing here?”
“Hanna said you needed help. So we came.” Aidon’s grandfather snorted as he looked around the clearing. “I see we were too late to join the fun.”
“Fun?” Hanna sniffled. “Chotgor was going to kill him!”
“You went to the village? By yourself?” Aidon still looked stunned.
“Not exactly. Trouble went with me.”
“I told you to go to the house and hide! Don’t you know what could have happened to you? I just watched three males die because they didn’t respect the jungle.”
She gulped, glad she hadn’t known that before she’d left. The run along the river path had been terrifying enough.
She ran as far as she could, walked long enough to catch her breath, then started running again. As night closed in, the familiar sounds of the jungle became strange and threatening. She worried about Trouble, but he kept close to her side. Once he growled and came to a halt, peering out over the dark water. She paused next to him, her heart pounding in her throat. A slithering sound came from the darkness, followed by a quiet plop as something disappeared beneath the water.
Hanna and the Hitman: A SciFi Alien Romance (Alien Abduction Book 8) Page 16
