“I’d like to hire you,” the female says to me, and Rakiz looks surprised by this but stays silent.
I stroke my mishua. I think I can guess what it is this female wants from me, but I ask anyway, “What task is it that you need?”
“Karja,” Rakiz says, and I tilt my head. Karja are dangerous animals on this planet, and yet the tribe king has named his mate after them.
The female raises her hand to Rakiz’s face, and the crowd is silent as they seem to have a wordless conversation.
“I need to do this,” the female says. “Please.”
Rakiz nods, and I narrow my eyes, mentally filing away this interaction to analyze later.
Rakiz’s mate glances at another female, who steps forward. The warrior closest to her sends me a warning look, and I almost snort. These warriors may choose to fear for their own lives when I’m around, but they have no need to fear that I will steal their females. I learned young that a mate and children are not for me.
“We are from another planet,” the second female says. “We were separated from each other, and I was kidnapped by the Voildi along with two other women. One of them is safe now, but the other one is responsible for the damage to Killis’s eye.”
I tilt my head at this. Everyone on this part of the planet has heard of what happened to Killis’s eye. And it is a rare person who would feel any sympathy for the Voildi. It would take a fierce female to accomplish injuring Killis.
Rakiz’s mate clears her throat. “Her name is Ivy. She was last seen running through the prexas after she escaped from the Voildi. Will you help us find her?”
The females are so tense that they seem to barely breathe as they wait for my answer.
I take a moment to consider it. Truthfully, I have no need to earn another favor from Rakiz. However, some instinct inside me is urging me to agree to this task.
I have learned to always listen to my instincts.
Rakiz meets my gaze, and I raise my eyebrow.
“If I do this, you will owe me one favor, due at the time of my choosing.”
The king’s jaw tightens, but he nods, and I bow my head.
“It is done.”
The females walk away, and Rakiz watches his queen as she laughs with one of the warriors.
A mate is not for a male like me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t wonder what it would be like to have a female of my own.
Rakiz turns to me. “We saved Zoey—one of the females who was taken. The Voildi had almost killed her, and she is still recovering at my camp. But the other female is nowhere to be found. Do you believe you can find her?”
“I would not agree to this task if I did not believe I could do it. There are only so many places an alien female could be in that area, particularly if she has no credits.”
Rakiz tilts his head. “These females are not like any females you have encountered before,” he warns me.
I snort. “You may be enchanted with your new mate, Rakiz, but that does not mean that this female will present any kind of challenge.”
The tribe king stares at me for a long moment, and then a slow smile spreads over his face.
“Good luck, Vrex,” he says softly.
Ivy
I sprint through the forest, well aware that the Voildi will be hunting me. And after that little incident with Killis, he may decide that the pleasure he’ll get from killing and eating me is worth more to him than any money he’ll get for selling me.
Ugh.
I jump over a fallen tree and wince. I rolled my left ankle when I leaped out of that second-story window. I’ll need to suck it up though ’cause I can already hear the Voildi shouting as they chase me.
The air is cool on my face as I run. I probably only have a few hours of daylight left, and I need to find somewhere I can hunker down overnight.
I have no idea where I am. The forest looks the same from every angle, the trees close enough that I almost brain myself on a branch as I whirl, looking for some kind of path.
“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”
Tzu was right about that. And if there’s one thing I can do, it’s run. Even in my half-starved state, with a messed-up ankle, a bleeding thigh, and no shoes, I feel confident that I can run for miles. The problem? I don’t know if the Voildi can also do the same. And since they hunt in a pack, they may find a way to trap me.
I scan my surroundings. Distantly, I can hear the rush of water, which could be some kind of river. Getting wet right before the temperature drops and the sun disappears is not a good idea, however. The trees are high, but even if I climb one of them, I’ll be trapped up there if the Voildi find me.
My heart pounds as I hear them get closer. I’m sucking air so quickly that I’m close to hyperventilation, and I make an effort to match my breath to my strides.
I need somewhere to hide.
I move further toward where I can hear water. At the very least, the sound of the river may cover up the noise I’m making as I crash through the forest.
“Shit!”
I barely manage to make it to a stop before I fall into a hole in the ground. It appeared out of nowhere—perfectly round and without any markers explaining what the hell it could be.
The Voildi are getting closer, and my mouth goes dry. If it’s some huge animal’s lair, I’m about to become dinner, but at this point, I’ll take any hiding spot I can get.
I peer down the hole, and the breath leaves my lungs in a rush. I’m staring at a ladder, and there’s a dim light glowing
