by Sonia Nova
HEART OF THE BEAST
Starr Huntress
&
Sonia Nova
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
EPILOGUE
PREVIOUSLY IN THE SERIES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ARE YOU A STARR HUNTRESS?
HEART OF THE BEAST
COPYRIGHT © 2019 BY SONIA NOVA
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This book is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences only. Names, characters, places, and events are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
www.starrhuntress.com
www.sonianova.com
CHAPTER 1
XEEGAN
3,000 credits?
Just to store and transport a black market shipment?
Xeegan narrowed his eyes at the group of pirates in front of him. Sure, he had signed on to far more dangerous jobs for half that pay. Usually, he’d jump at the chance to make some easy money.
Still… Something was rubbing him the wrong way about this whole situation. It was too good to be true.
These pirates had come to Riala just weeks ago. They had wasted no time in starting to spread the word that they were offering easy work for local pirates at a high pay. They had said their client was rich and willing to pay premium. And they were from Tssa’Ki, the planet that was pretty much the black market center of the whole universe. So maybe rates for these types of jobs were higher there, but…
The leader of the group cleared his throat. The pirates looked at him expectantly.
Usually, Xeegan wouldn’t glance twice at a tall, skinny Mehelian like this guy, but this pirate had covered his hairless scalp and lack of eyebrows typical of the race with a chaotic design of tattoos and piercings. His skin was a patchy mix of flaming red and purple – like the bruises that sometimes formed on Xeegan’s skin after a fight – and the overall effect was a little unsettling.
“Let me talk to my associate,” Xeegan said finally, knowing it wouldn’t go down well if he stood there silently for much longer. He didn’t want to give the impression that he didn’t trust them. “Give us one minute.”
The Mehelian shrugged and lit a blunt of zcey, holding it between his stick-like fingers. He and the few other pirates with him strolled to the far side of the courtyard, leaving behind a trail of spicy smoke that made Xeegan’s lungs burn. The pirates started chatting amongst themselves in what sounded like a mix of the whispery Mehelian language and pirate slang.
Xeegan turned to his partner. Zorq had been waiting quietly behind him during the meeting. Even though Zorq couldn’t verbally express what he thought about the whole situation, Xeegan always knew just by a glance exactly what the Ezak-T was thinking.
Right now, his shaggy, horned friend was sending off uncomfortable vibes in waves. Xeegan met Zorq’s blood-red eyes as his friend attempted to make his ten-foot frame look small and unthreatening on all fours. Zorq shook his head from side to side and let out grunting noises.
“Exactly,” Xeegan muttered, keeping his voice low enough that the pirates wouldn’t hear him over the sound of laughter and clinking glasses from The Crown, the bar next door. “But think about it. 3,000 credits? That’s food and board for… Well, for months. We’d be set. We wouldn’t even need to take on any more jobs. Not for a long time.”
Zorq snorted, shaking his maned head.
“I know,” Xeegan said. “I don’t feel good about it either. I’m going to ask them some more questions, at least. But this could be good for us. Okay?”
He waited for his friend to nod. There was no way he would take on a job that Zorq didn’t want to do. They had survived together since the day the Alliance military had shut down the Krezlian operation that had resulted in their creation, and nothing had managed to split them apart since.
Zorq was the only one who understood what Xeegan had been through at the hands of their creators. They had both survived the same grueling experimentation and torturous tests. Both had been raised in a lab in squalid conditions, existing only to serve their makers in their pursuit of the perfect genetically engineered soldier.
If one of them didn’t like a job, they kept looking.
After a few seconds, Zorq shrugged and gave a small nod, though his gaze was still suspicious.
Good enough. Xeegan was suspicious too, after all.
“We have some questions,” he called to the pirates. They met up back in the center of the shadowy little courtyard.
“What, your pet doesn’t like our terms?”
Xeegan’s gaze snapped to the pirate who had spoken. A stocky, blue-skinned Ghelian with small tusks jutting from his lower jaw – and more than a few weapons strapped to his belt. Even so, he would still be a piece of cake for Xeegan to take out in a couple of blows.
No.
Fighting now would just kill his chances of ever working with these pirates, and could give him and Zorq an even worse rep. They were already outcasts, seen as freaks that didn’t belong, even among pirates. The Ghelians and Ekrin ran most of the black market on the planet, and nobody expected to see an Ezak-X pirate, let alone an Ezak-T.
Because of Zorq’s unmistakably beast-like appearance and lack of vocal skills, pirates often made comments. The profession wasn’t known for attracting the most polite, open-minded folks.
“Zorq is my partner,” Xeegan said, keeping his voice steady. “We just have a few questions. Like I said.”
“Let him speak,” the leader hissed at the Ghelian in heavily accented Alliance Standard. “What do you want to know?”
Xeegan nodded at the Mehelian leader. He stepped forward so his body blocked the pirates’ view of Zorq. It also happened to be a good position from which to protect his friend, if things went south.
“We were wondering if this is a one-time job, or if there’s long-term work,” he said.
The leader opened his mouth to answer, but the Ghelian pirate cut him off. “Answer me a question first,” he said, grinning in a way that made Xeegan want to punch out his teeth. “Your partner. Did something go wrong with him in the test tube? Is he the one of you that the Krezlians threw out?”
Xeegan clenched his jaw. Fucking bastard. He could smell the bitter scent of Zorq’s anger rising as well. He wasn’t sure if Zorq had actually understood the insult or was just reacting to his own mood shift, but Xeegan had got it loud and clear. His fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to rip the pirate to pieces.
“Doran!” The leader of the group snapped, turning on his associate. The Ghelian looked unremorseful – as if he was actually waiting for an answer.
It was time to go.
“We’ll get back to you,” Xeegan said. It took all his willpower not to beat the Ghelian to a pulp right then and there. “I know where to find you.”
Without another look at them, he nodded to Zorq to follow him and pushed through the back doors of The Crown.
Soon, they were both out of sight of the pirates and had mixed into the crowd of other outlaws and black market dealers in the bar. Xeegan let out a groan.
“I’m sorry, buddy,” he said to his friend. “It was a fuck-up. Let’s just go home. Maybe polish off that bottle of Ekrin liquor we’ve been saving. We can try again tomorrow. Find something else.”
Zorq stared at him quietly. He still looked mad, his sharp teeth protruding in a snarl, but after a while, the corners of his mouth raised just enough for Xeegan to know he’d be over it soon.
Zorq was happy like that. Xeegan might brood over something for a long time, but Zorq always seemed to get over things quickly. Sometimes, when things were especially bad – when they were lacking food, money, and jobs – Xeegan wished he had some of Zorq’s optimism. He patted Zorq on the shoulder and headed for the exit.
The chilly spring air was a momentary shock after the warmth of the bar. Not that he minded the cold. His body adjusted quickly enough.
They managed to leave the bar without anyone recognizing either of them and wanting to chat, which Xeegan was thankful for. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone. He just wanted to get home and hang out with Zorq – to try to forget how fucked up the people on this planet were and how they all treated them like shit.
Zorq bumped against his shoulder, throwing him completely off balance and pushing him to the ground with his massive body.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Xeegan asked, annoyed.
But when he saw the gleeful expression on Zorq’s face, he couldn’t help but smile. Yeah, Zorq was over it. He knew he should be too. Fuck the pirates. He grinned back at Zorq and got up from the ground.
They had barely walked a few blocks toward home when Xeegan thought he heard someone call his name. He stopped walking.
“Xeeeee?” Zorq asked, using his approximation of Xeegan’s name. His voice was guttural and twisted, but Xeegan always recognized his name.
“You heard it too?”
Zorq tilted his head in a way he always did when he meant “yes.”
Xeegan looked behind them and his heart fell. For a second, he had thought the pirates were following them, looking for a fight, but this was even worse.
Zeon.
An Exak-X male in gray camouflage pants and a black t-shirt jogged up to them.
“I saw you two from a few blocks away,” Zeon said, just barely out of breath. “I thought you might not hear me call.”
“I wish I hadn’t,” Xeegan said, turning away and starting to stride toward home again. “You can’t keep talking to me out in the open like this. You’re still wearing your army fatigues, for fuck’s sake. You want to get us run out of town as narcs?”
The Ezak-X was a nuisance and Xeegan had no time for him today. Zeon had recently deserted his post with the Alliance military and, for some reason, thought that Xeegan would help him out in establishing a career as a pirate here on Riala. As if.
“What should I be wearing?” Zeon asked with a frown, quickening his pace and walking beside Xeegan and Zorq. “Seriously? This is why I need you to…”
Xeegan whirled around, his top lip raised in a snarl. He wanted to tell Zeon off again, like he usually did when the Ezak-X somehow found him and asked him for help. He simply didn’t have time to take someone under his wing. Especially someone like Zeon.
The Ezak-X had every indication of living a comfortable, Alliance-funded life during his time in the military. Zeon didn’t know how to dress, what to eat, where to live, who to talk to… He said he was getting by on jobs here and there, but the shadows under his eyes and the way his ribs were starting to show through his t-shirt made Xeegan wonder.
Having someone like Zeon around would be a liability. He already had to look after Zorq. If he did make introductions for Zeon, got him connected, trained him on what pirates would expect from him, all that… Then that would mean his ass was on the line when Zeon inevitably fucked up.
Though, Xeegan realized, if Zeon tried to get into any field other than piracy on the planet, he’d probably still stick out like a sore thumb. It wasn’t like anyone in the universe was used to seeing Ezak-X anywhere but the military.
Why ask him anyway? Just because they were both Ezak-X didn’t mean shit. Their ties as a species had been broken the moment they were freed from the Krezlians. Zeon had chosen the military, Xeegan had chosen freedom. And Xeegan didn’t owe it to anyone to give them the easy path. He hadn’t been given one either.
“How many times do I have to say it–” Xeegan started, but his words faltered. There might be a way to take advantage of this situation, after all.
He wanted to know if the job the Mehelian and his crew of pirates were offering was legit. The pirates were assholes, but the pay was too good to ignore. If he sent Zeon in first…
“What?” Zeon asked, looking expectantly from Zorq to Xeegan.
“I have a job for you. It doesn’t pay right away, but if all goes well, we’ll all get a big payday and you’ll have made some new connections.”
Zeon’s expression turned serious. “Got it. What is it?”
This was too easy. Xeegan fought the urge to roll his eyes at the Ezak-X’s naivety.
“Zorq and I are looking into a new job but we don’t know much about the pirates offering it. They’re from off-planet and don’t have a rep here yet.” Zeon nodded along as he listened. Xeegan continued. “I want you to ask around about them. See if you can find out anything else about the job that they haven’t told us.”
“Okay…” Zeon said slowly. “That’s it?”
Xeegan nodded. He didn’t trust Zeon with any more details, or even to do things right. He’d probably raise suspicion from the pirates. That would mean he might not get any useful information, but it didn’t hurt to send him out there.
If it did turn out that this job was legit, and that there could be 3,000 credits loaded to Xeegan’s account by the end of the week…
That would mean moving out of their tiny attic apartment. Three good meals a day. Hot showers. New boots without worn-down soles. The list went on and on. And best of all, he and Zorq could take a break from their usual, dangerous, unpredictable work.
“You’ll do it?”
“Yeah,” Zeon said, his eyes gleaming. “So, who am I looking out for?”
That was his first question? Not how much money he could make, or what the job even was that they wanted him to ask about? Sometimes, this guy seemed so eager to be a pirate that Xeegan wondered if he was an Alliance spy.
But then he went ahead and asked a question like that. Even an Alliance spy would know better than to appear too eager.
“A Mehelian with tattoos and piercings,” Xeegan answered. “When we met with him, he had a couple of Ghelian pirates with him, two men and a woman. I’d start by hanging around the bar.”
“The bar?”
Really? The Ezak-X had been here for weeks, trying to build his rep, and still hadn’t found the favorite bar of criminals in this part of the city? What had Zeon been up to, other than bothering him? Apparently, not much.
“See that broken sign with the treasure chest on it? Above that doorway over there? If anyone mentions “the bar” to you in the future, they’re probably talking about that one. The Crown. You’ll find the pirates I’m talking about in there.”
Zeon just kept nodding. “Got it.”
“I’ll meet you in the courtyard out back every night just after the sun goes down and you can report to me. Sound good?”
“Sounds good.”
Zorq grunted his agreement to the plan.
“I don’t want to see you until tonight,” Xeegan warned. He didn’t wan
t the new pirate coming to him with a million questions instead of doing the actual asking around.
Not that he was going to wait until tonight to see him. He’d go home, eat, and then head back to the area to keep an eye on Zeon until it was time for them to meet.
“Go on, then,” Xeegan said. “You might want to change first. At least out of your camo. Just some advice if you want to be taken seriously.”
“Shit…” Zeon said, looking down. “Yeah, okay. Thank you for giving me work,” he said, his tone serious. “I’ll get you good information.”
Xeegan just raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see. Talk to you tonight.”
Zeon took off in a jog in the opposite direction. Why was this guy always in such a hurry? He really did come off as too desperate and eager.
Zorq gave Xeegan a funny look as they continued their walk home.
“What?”
His friend’s expression didn’t change.
“If you’re trying to say you don’t feel good about this… You know, neither do I. He probably won’t get us anything useful. But what’s there to lose? The pirates are all shitheads, but it is a high-paying job… It’s better than going in blind. You know that.”
Zorq gave a begrudging nod.
“We’ll check on him later. Come on. Let’s go home.”
CHAPTER 2
KIRA
Kira drummed her fingers on the bench impatiently. She had been sitting on this same bench for over two hours now, and her patience was growing thin. This was what she got for following leads given to her by a junkie pirate…
Not that she had much of a choice. She hadn’t been undercover for long and was still building a reputation on Riala, so she had to take intelligence where she could get it.
Still, maybe she should have known better. Her contact had said he’d been approached here, in this park, by a group of pirates he didn’t recognize. They had offered him work, but had taken back the offer when they had realized he was in bad health. Said something about needing pirates who could lift heavy crates and hold their own in a fight.
