by Rayna Tyler
***
Cara
Guilt was an emotion I’d learned to avoid, to push aside, to prevent from interfering on any of my missions. Yet, as I moved along the back streets of the village heading for the dwelling on the outskirts of the trader’s market, the weight of how I’d deceived Zaedon pressed heavily against my chest. Running the justifications for my actions through my mind didn’t help lessen the pressure.
There were a couple of males living close to Torrlun’s home who I knew could provide me with the information on Doyle that I needed, but only one of them was reliable and could be trusted. Des, real name Desmond, was a bit eccentric and refused to do business with anyone who didn’t address him by his nickname. I’d traded for information from him many times over the years and, so far, the data he’d given me had been accurate and he’d never betrayed my confidence.
The war had caused a lot of devastation, mostly to the human settlements, and many of the inhabitants living in Golyndier were wary of visitors, Des being at the top of the list. I’d been afraid he wouldn’t be willing to trade if I’d brought Zaedon with me. Besides being ketaurran, he didn’t exactly blend in well and could be intimidating to anyone who didn’t know him. All it would take was one glance at his broad chest and firm muscles for Des to know there was a warrior hidden behind Zaedon’s easygoing smile.
It was one of the reasons I used to convince myself that leaving Zaedon behind had been a good idea. That and the fact he wouldn’t have agreed to let me go if I’d told him I was heading into the heart of the village where there were lots of people and the possibility of someone working for Doyle spotting me was a lot greater.
I moved along the outskirts of the crowded market, my head lowered so the hood of my jacket concealed most of my face.
The dull brown buildings in this area all had the same faded, run-down appearance. Multiple cracks covered the sandy mixture coating their exteriors. Des’s place was no different, might even look worse. Overly cautious was the best way to describe the male who didn’t like to draw attention to himself, and maybe he’d intentionally let the outside of his home slowly deteriorate.
After a couple of raps, I heard footsteps stop on the opposite side of the closed door. “Who’s there?” Des barked, his deep, gravelly voice laced with apprehension.
I leaned forward, my mouth inches for the wooden surface. “Des, it’s me, Cara.”
Des whipped the door open, lips pressed firmly together and scowling. He stood a couple of inches taller than me, had light hair that was more brown than blond, and dark eyes that were currently narrowed. The male loved his weapons and had two blades strapped to his belt, one on each hip. I’d bet anything he also had a dagger hidden in at least one of his worn boots.
He grabbed my sleeve and pulled me inside, nervously glancing along the walkway in both directions, then slammed the door behind him. “You shouldn’t be here.” He enunciated each word, his tone chastising.
“Why?” I asked.
He’d been close to answering, then stopped himself with a groan. “You know the rules.”
I nodded. “I do.” The initial words spoken during each of our encounters might be a little different, but our conversation was always the same.
“Then you agree to the price.” He didn’t bother waiting for an answer before leading me to a room at the end of a short hallway. The room had no windows, and once inside, he activated the solars, giving the interior a soft glow.
After training with some of the males back at the settlement and learning to use my body as an effective fighting tool, I rarely carried any additional weapons, but over the years, I’d obtained quite a collection, most of them from Des. When the Starward Bounty was his home, he’d worked in operations and was an expert on a computer. Since ketaurran technology lacked the sophistication required to run a spaceship, he’d had to acquire another trade to survive. He’d taken to crafting blades of all lengths and sizes and had a large assortment of his work displayed on the long tables lining three of the room’s walls.
“You’ve been busy.” I walked over to the table on my left, running my fingertips along the hilts of several knives, admiring the ornate designs hand-carved into the handles. “These are very nice.” I glanced over my shoulder to see his smile grow into a grin.
“This one.” I pointed at a thin-bladed dagger. My friends were experts at wielding blades, especially Celeste, and were constantly teasing me about not keeping a knife attached to a sheath on my belt like they did. Sloane was the worst when it came to appreciating the weapons and was going to be jealous when I showed her the one with the blue-black blade I’d chosen to keep hidden in my boot.
“That one’s five cradassons,” Des said, tugging on his short beard.
“Fine.” Telling him I thought the price was a little high would lead to haggling. If I’d had the time and wasn’t worried about getting back to Torrlun’s place, I would’ve talked him down to three.
Des held out his hand, patiently waiting from me to extract the coins from the pocket of my vest. Once our transaction was completed and I’d slipped the dagger into my boot, he asked, “What do you want to know?”
“What can you tell me about Doyle and the so-called price he has on my head?” As of two weeks ago, when Vince had checked in with Zaedon, nothing had changed.
“From what I’ve heard, he wants you real bad.” Des rubbed his chin, his dark eyes narrowing with concern. “Mind telling me what you did to get Doyle so riled?”
“Wish I could.”
“You might also want to know that he’s willing to pay an additional, and considerably larger, amount to get back whatever it was you stole.”
When my friends and I rescued Vurell, a ketaurran physician, we’d taken the toxin the drezdarr had been poisoned with, along with its antidote. We’d arrived at Khyron’s place in Aztrashar just in time to save his life.
During our escape, we’d also taken one of Doyle’s solarveyors, which we later discovered had a hidden compartment containing a case of laser blasters. Following up on rumors and trying to discover if any of the weapons had survived the crash was the reason I’d infiltrated Doyle’s compound in the first place.
At the end of the war, and after Sarus’s reported death, his supporters had gone into hiding. If the laser weapons found their way into the hands of those supporters, they wouldn’t hesitate to start another war, one that our side couldn’t win with blades. If Doyle had offered a lot of money to get the weapons back, it wasn’t hard to figure out whose side he supported.
I couldn’t share any of the details, not without revealing the secret work I did for Burke. I was sure Des would have enjoyed hearing how I’d destroyed the labs in Doyle’s compound so he couldn’t reproduce any more of the toxin.
“Any idea who might be going after the reward seriously? Anyone local?” As far as I knew, there were only a handful of people who might be interested.
“No one who lives around here, at least not that I’m aware of,” Des said.
“Thanks anyway.” I turned to leave, and he placed a hand on my arm to stop me. “There’s something else you might want to know.”
“Yeah, and what’s that?” I asked.
“There’s been rumors, nothing I can substantiate yet, that Doyle’s also involved with the group trying to kill the drezdarr. Some males met with a luzardee at the east-end bar not far from here a few weeks ago. As of a day or two ago, they were hanging around, so you might want to avoid going anywhere near that area of town. I would also suggest you hurry up with whatever business brought you here, and leave.”
I knew the place he was talking about. I’d been there with Burke a couple of times. The meeting with the luzardee had happened right around the same time Khyron had been attacked at the settlement. His group already knew someone was trying to kill him, but none of them were aware that Doyle might somehow be involved. If it were true, it was something the vryndarr needed to know, starting with Zaedon.
It wasn
’t like Des to give out extra information, not without expecting some kind of payment. “Should I be picking out another blade?”
He shook his head. “That one’s for free. Just make sure you let Burke know.”
I shot him a questioning look, wondering how he knew about my relationship with Burke.
“Collecting information is my thing, remember?” He winked. “Now get out of here, and be careful who you trust.”
Chapter Four
Zaedon
“Erin, did Cara say where she was going?” My voice sounded strained as I struggled to remain patient and not take my irritation out on the female. It was not Erin’s fault that Cara had chosen to leave without discussing her plans with me first. Not that I would have allowed her to leave, to risk putting herself in danger.
Had wherever she’d gone been a part of the reason she’d been adamant about making the trip to Golyndier? Knowing how devious she could be, it was not hard to assume leaving me behind had been her goal all along. And if the frustrating female had not already gotten herself killed, I was tempted to throttle her myself.
“I’m sorry, Zaedon, but no.” Erin gripped Torrlun’s arms, letting him do most of the work to get her off the floor. Once she was on her feet, she leaned back against Torrlun’s chest, then gently rubbed her belly.
Rajak stepped in front of his dam, tipping his head backward to peer up at me. “Cara said it was a secret.”
Though I admired Cara’s ingenuity, I bit back a growl. She knew the child would reveal details if asked, and made sure not to give him any.
“Did she say anything else?” Torrlun asked.
Rajak turned his head to look up at his sire. “Only that we did not need to worry because she would not be gone long.”
Not long when it came to Cara seemed like forever. I was raised from birth to be protective of all females. Learning to work with the human females, the ones adept at wielding blades and taking care of themselves, had been quite an adjustment. Even so, it did not prevent the overwhelming need to find my ketiorra and ensure her safety.
I glanced at Erin, who nodded her confirmation that what the young one had said was accurate.
“Zaedon.” Rajak wrapped his small hand around one of my fingers and tugged.
“Yes.” I looked down to see him staring up at me again, his nose wrinkled.
“Why do you think Cara stinks? Momma says it is not nice to say bad things about other people.”
“What?” I remembered the comment I had made the first time Cara and I met. Had she assumed every time I sniffed her afterward that I was making a comparison? Had Erin told her the reason I constantly inhaled her scent was because she was my ketiorra?
If Cara had learned the truth from someone other than me, would it have prompted her to leave? I tried not to believe the worst, that Cara had put her life at risk because she wanted to get away from me.
I did not want to upset Rajak or his parents by voicing my concerns out loud. After running my hand along the side of my head, I knelt in front of the young one. “No, Rajak, I do not think she stinks. I think she smells wonderful.”
Rajak crossed his little arms. “Good, because she is my friend, and I will not let anyone hurt her feelings.”
Erin placed her hands on his shoulders. “Why don’t you go play with your blocks so we can talk to Zaedon?”
“Okay.” He grinned, then walked across the room and plopped on the floor.
By the time I was back on my feet and following Torrlun and Erin into the adjoining room, the tightness gripping my chest had a firm hold on my stomach as well. “Does she know?” I asked Erin the second she stopped.
“She was curious, but I told her it was a discussion she needed to have with you.”
“Then she did not leave because…” Some of the tension eased from my body.
“No, I think her reasons for not saying anything to you stemmed from something else.” Erin gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’m pretty sure that not being able to tell you really bothered her… If that helps you any.”
“It does, but not enough to keep me from going after her.”
***
Lately, rationalization when it came to Cara often eluded me. After hearing she was not aware that she was my ketiorra, at least not yet, and knowing she would not leave Golyndier without the repaired part for the harvester, it did not take me long to realize her reason for leaving might have to do with gaining information about her situation with Doyle.
Her motive was one I understood. Though it was information I did not readily share, Cara was not the only one whose capture came with a large reward. After Jardun’s altercation with the luzardees in Aztrashar, then the attack on Khyron at the settlement not long after, we were aware that someone wanted the vryndarr and the drezdarr dead.
I had learned many admirable, sometimes frustrating things about Cara in the few weeks we had spent together. She cared greatly about the welfare of her family and the other humans. Even with a threat against her life, she was not the kind of female to stay in hiding long. After questioning Torrlun about possible places she might gain information, I followed his suggestion and made my first stop a bar located on the east end of town.
Utilizing my stealth training, a natural part of my daily existence, I kept my head covered and maneuvered through the streets of Golyndier. As with many other places I had visited, the war had left its devastating mark. Some areas, along with their inhabitants, took longer to recuperate than others. The humans I encountered on the walkways seemed wary of strangers and made sure to keep their distance.
The buildings in the outlying area lacked maintenance, the cracks in the exteriors more prominent than on those closer to the center of town. The bar’s interior was not much better. The walls were bare, the overhead solars were not in use, making the late morning rays coming through a single pane the only light available.
A handful of humans occupied seats at several small wooden tables, drinking ale and conversing between themselves. The brief period of silence that greeted me the second I stepped into the room turned into the occasional stare and lowered muttering. Watching them from my periphery, I made my way to the long wooden counter situated in front of a wall shelved with darkened containers designed to hold liquids.
“What can I get ya?” the male behind the bar asked. He masked his wariness by reaching for an empty mug.
“I am looking for a female.”
Disgust flared in his dark eyes. “We don’t do that here. You’ll need to go somewhere else.”
I leaned closer, keeping my voice low. “I am not in need of a female to share my bed. I am searching for a specific female, one who would be seeking information.”
“Sorry, can’t help ya. I haven’t had any females in here so far today.” He set the mug back on the shelf. “You might have better luck at the market.”
In my experience, information was rarely given freely without compensation. Since the male did not make the request and his nervousness seemed to stem from my presence, I had no reason to think he was hiding the truth. “Thank you for your time.” After a nod from the male and one last glance at the others seated nearby, I left.
Torrlun had also mentioned he’d heard rumors of one or two others who provided information for a price. He could not give an exact location only that they could be found somewhere near the trader’s market. Once I reached the busy area, I remained in the shadows of the surrounding buildings, avoiding attention and watching and listening to humans and ketaurrans barter over whatever they had to sell. I had yet to see any sign of Cara and was about to begin scouring the entire village when I spotted her leaving a nearby dwelling.
I was too far away to hear what she said to the human male standing in the doorway, but seeing her alive relieved some of my stress. The tension eased even more when she did not touch him in a way that suggested they had a strong familiarity with each other. It did not, however, alleviate the painful sting of her betrayal.
Cara
adjusted the hood on her head, then glanced at her surroundings and headed in the opposite direction, away from the market. Curious to see if she would return to Torrlun’s place or if she had another destination on her agenda, I kept my distance and followed her.
After passing several buildings, she turned onto the same narrow walkway we had used earlier. Instead of turning right as I’d expected, she turned left, disappearing from my sight.
Unwilling to lose her, I increased my stride, rounded the corner, and groaned when I found the passageway empty.
Wondering where the draeck she had gone, I didn’t bother holding back a frustrated, near feral, growl. Continuing forward was the only logical choice. I was halfway through the corridor when I heard the echo of footsteps coming from somewhere behind me.
An arm, moving rapidly, popped out from a narrow and darkened gap between the buildings, latching on to my sleeve and pulling me inside. Had I not caught Cara’s unique scent, I might have reacted differently. Instead, I let her pin my back to the wall, her chest pressing firmly against mine.
“Someone is following you,” she whispered in my ear, her warm breath caressing my skin and calming me further.
My tracking abilities were usually much better. If I hadn’t been so distracted, Cara never would have detected my presence or gotten this close. Not that I minded having her body pressed against mine. I decided to take advantage of the situation by wrapping my arms around her waist. There was nothing I could do about my hardening shaft or the fact that she stopped squirming as soon as she had noticed.
The footsteps I had heard moved faster and got a lot closer, stopping shortly before reaching the gap where Cara and I were hiding.
“Where did he go?” a male asked loudly, seemingly unconcerned that he might be overheard, most likely by us.
“No idea,” another male answered. “I could have sworn he came this way. After his chat with the bartender, I was sure he’d lead us to the female Doyle is looking for.”
