At this point, I have no choice. I twist in place before descending the ladder quickly and drop to my feet as soon as I can see the ground in front of me.
I’m about eight feet below the entrance to the cave, which is not a cave at all but a tunnel.
I don’t hesitate. I sprint away from the ladder, desperate to put some distance between myself and the Voildi.
There are only a few things in life that I’m certain of, but I know for damn sure that I’m not going to be sold to a huge, furry guy on an alien planet.
I’m still clutching the hook in my hand, and it glints at me in the low light, covered in Killis’s blood. And likely some of mine. A weapon is a weapon at this point, but I’d give anything for a gun.
I snort. The Arcav outlawed guns on Earth years ago. It was one of the first things they did when they invaded.
I haven’t held a gun in my hand since I went hunting with my dad when I was a kid.
Still, any kind of weapon would be welcome right now.
I can hear voices, and I slow as I come to an intersection. To the right, I can hear males having some kind of argument, and things are getting heated. I hear a thump and a high-pitched scream, and I shiver.
That’s a nope from me.
I head to the left, picking up the pace. Obviously, these underground tunnels are well known on this planet. That means that when the Voildi can’t find me aboveground, they’ll be coming after me down here.
And I bet they know where these tunnels lead.
The tunnel suddenly opens up to some kind of room, with multiple other tunnels leading off it. I survey the people in the room—a woman with dark-blue skin and a Voildi, who narrows his eyes at me.
I raise my rust-stained hook threateningly.
“There is no violence in the trading posts,” the woman says, moving slightly closer. “Those who break this rule are punished by the creatures who call this region their home.”
The Voildi sneers at me but turns to leave. I make a mental note not to choose that tunnel in case he’s waiting for me. He’s dressed differently to the other Voildi, wearing nothing but a thin loincloth, but who’s to say they’re not working together?
“So violence in the tunnels is A-okay, but these rooms are off-limits?”
She nods. “The prexas, yes. The trading posts are neutral ground.”
“Do you know which one of these prexas will get me away from this area and aboveground?”
She runs her eyes over me, pausing at my hair. While this planet may be kicking my ass, she looks beaten down by life. Her dark eyes have circles under them, and her shoulders are hunched as if she needs to constantly protect herself from the world.
“That one,” she murmurs, pointing to a prexa on the opposite side of the trading post, next to the one the Voildi chose. “Follow it until you get to the fifth intersection and then go right. Three intersections later, turn to the left and keep going until you find the exit.”
“Thank you,” I murmur. “I appreciate it.”
“Good luck,” she says, her eyes already moving past me as someone else enters the trading post.
I don’t stick around.
“Right at the fifth intersection, left three intersections later,” I repeat to myself as I break into a jog.
Over the next couple of hours, I alternate between running and walking—needing to conserve my strength but feeling increasingly desperate to get out of here. These tunnels—prexas—go on for miles, and I’d give just about anything for a breath of fresh air at this point.
There are more voices up ahead, but I’m not turning back now. I don’t slow down, and I’m running through the third intersection when the breath is forced from my lungs as I’m suddenly slammed against the wall.
The creature has dark-gray skin, and his breath smells like a sewer. He bares his teeth in a grin as he leans down, trapping me against the dirt wall.
“You look different,” he grins. “Where did you come from, strange female?”
I wrestle with disbelief as a guy who looks like a leathery gray tortoise calls me “strange.”
“Oh, you know, here and there. Take your hands off me before you lose them.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “You are funny, strange female. We will get many credits for you at the market.”
I glance over his shoulder, my heart sinking. There are two more tortoise men behind him, all wearing the same shit-eating grin.
“Market’s shut down,” I say. “You may need to rethink that plan.”
The man studies me out of black eyes, and I clutch my hook. I’ll never forget what it was like to be stolen by the Grivath and sold like a piece of meat. That will never happen to me again.
I clutch my hook tighter, the metal warm in my sweaty hand.
“Let her go,” a deep voice says, and the tortoise men all turn their heads. I crane my neck until I can see the outline of a huge male, his face shadowed by the light glowing behind him.
“We found her first. This is no concern of yours, Braxian.”
My heart pounds faster. Braxian? They’re the race that the Voildi are so scared of. If he can distract these assholes, I can get the hell out of here. Here’s hoping that the enemy of my enemy really is my friend.
Chapter Four
Vrex
There’s no question that this is the female I have been looking for.
Her hair spills over her shoulders, the ends in tangles, but it still glows like fire in the low light. Her eyes are wary as she stares at me, and her lip is bleeding. I suddenly feel an urgent need to force the Kusa to take his hands off her.
“We found her first,” he says again, returning his attention to the female. She scowls at him, and I step closer as the light catches
