talked. She glared at Rygard. “What is it with all of you deciding I’m some sort of deceptive tramp?”
He winced.
“She bested Arteq, kindred.”
Temper boiled up inside. “Hell, I gave him back.”
“Shut up, sweetness.” Rygard said it quietly, for her.
“She is called Sweetness?” Obviously, they had hearing on par with hers.
Silence. She shrugged at Rygard. Collecting her knives, she began plotting the best way to get to the nightstand and deactivate the jammer.
“We hold fire. You hold fire. We will face each other and speak.”
Not a request, but better than a shoot-out in the close quarters of the room again. Exchanging looks with Rygard, she nodded. They stood, slowly, ready to take cover and strike back if it turned out to be a ruse.
Two alien males stood at the entryway, in the open. They were large. The first stood taller than Rygard but rangier. The second, the dominant, every bit as heavily built, loomed even taller. He filled the space around him with the sheer force of his presence.
Behind them, the jaguar lay still, its chest rising and falling as it panted.
The dominant inhaled slowly, scenting the air.
When he spoke, he directed his words to Rygard. “Your scent is one of the trails we hunt. Blood hunt.”
He didn’t answer.
The alien’s topaz stare fastened on her, the force of it slamming into her as tangible as any physical blow. Still her gaze didn’t falter under the weight. “You are…new.”
“Yes.” She didn’t bother to hide the real growl in her voice. The sound couldn’t come from a human woman.
“He is your mate?” The question hung in the air.
“No.”
A pause. She smelled the embarrassment off Rygard, which meant they could too. Served him right.
But damn, she wouldn’t leave him hanging on his own.
“He is my companion, for tonight.” It killed her to say it, made her feel even more like a slut. “And he was about to leave.”
Rygard’s jaw clenched.
The smaller one sneered. “A female chooses?”
A clawed hand lashed out and the lesser male bled from his nose.
“A dominant female is a rarity, cherished among our kind.” The alpha’s focus shifted to Rygard. “A male, dominant enough to match her, is respected.”
Well now, wasn’t that interesting?
“Why? Out of respect for the female, we will not kill you without understanding. I will ask you why , human.”
More questions and thankfully, not in regards to bedding her. She changed weight to the other foot, intent on the secondary male. He stood with shoulders hunched, spine slumped. She could take him. He bared his teeth at her but his scent, acrid and pungent, gave him away. He feared her.
Rygard surprised her by answering, rolling his shoulders. “We didn’t know. Me and my men, we didn’t know.” He looked to her, then to the alien. He had no trouble meeting the other male’s gaze. “We were on a reconnaissance mission on your planet. Commanding officer issued new orders to pick up a package on the return to the landing shuttle. It’s happened the last couple of missions in the sector. Anyone disobeying orders ended up with shit assignments, the kind that get you killed. The adult cats were already dead when I arrived. I only collected the package.”
“Cubs,” the secondary male screeched. “You stole kindred cubs!”
The air sharpened with the bitterness of Rygard’s shame, his guilt.
He teetered on the edge of action, a step away from doing something stupid.
“We’ll get them back for you.” All eyes turned to her. She looked at Rygard. “We can. They’re alive.”
They’d taken the cubs alive for a reason. A huge black market existed for pets. She should know, she’d been one. There must be one on station. Her lip curled at the thought, red haze edging her vision.
She turned to the dominant male. “If we return the cubs, he and his go free. They were following orders.”
“And this commanding officer?” The male sounded intrigued, but Kaitlyn
He winced.
“She bested Arteq, kindred.”
Temper boiled up inside. “Hell, I gave him back.”
“Shut up, sweetness.” Rygard said it quietly, for her.
“She is called Sweetness?” Obviously, they had hearing on par with hers.
Silence. She shrugged at Rygard. Collecting her knives, she began plotting the best way to get to the nightstand and deactivate the jammer.
“We hold fire. You hold fire. We will face each other and speak.”
Not a request, but better than a shoot-out in the close quarters of the room again. Exchanging looks with Rygard, she nodded. They stood, slowly, ready to take cover and strike back if it turned out to be a ruse.
Two alien males stood at the entryway, in the open. They were large. The first stood taller than Rygard but rangier. The second, the dominant, every bit as heavily built, loomed even taller. He filled the space around him with the sheer force of his presence.
Behind them, the jaguar lay still, its chest rising and falling as it panted.
The dominant inhaled slowly, scenting the air.
When he spoke, he directed his words to Rygard. “Your scent is one of the trails we hunt. Blood hunt.”
He didn’t answer.
The alien’s topaz stare fastened on her, the force of it slamming into her as tangible as any physical blow. Still her gaze didn’t falter under the weight. “You are…new.”
“Yes.” She didn’t bother to hide the real growl in her voice. The sound couldn’t come from a human woman.
“He is your mate?” The question hung in the air.
“No.”
A pause. She smelled the embarrassment off Rygard, which meant they could too. Served him right.
But damn, she wouldn’t leave him hanging on his own.
“He is my companion, for tonight.” It killed her to say it, made her feel even more like a slut. “And he was about to leave.”
Rygard’s jaw clenched.
The smaller one sneered. “A female chooses?”
A clawed hand lashed out and the lesser male bled from his nose.
“A dominant female is a rarity, cherished among our kind.” The alpha’s focus shifted to Rygard. “A male, dominant enough to match her, is respected.”
Well now, wasn’t that interesting?
“Why? Out of respect for the female, we will not kill you without understanding. I will ask you why , human.”
More questions and thankfully, not in regards to bedding her. She changed weight to the other foot, intent on the secondary male. He stood with shoulders hunched, spine slumped. She could take him. He bared his teeth at her but his scent, acrid and pungent, gave him away. He feared her.
Rygard surprised her by answering, rolling his shoulders. “We didn’t know. Me and my men, we didn’t know.” He looked to her, then to the alien. He had no trouble meeting the other male’s gaze. “We were on a reconnaissance mission on your planet. Commanding officer issued new orders to pick up a package on the return to the landing shuttle. It’s happened the last couple of missions in the sector. Anyone disobeying orders ended up with shit assignments, the kind that get you killed. The adult cats were already dead when I arrived. I only collected the package.”
“Cubs,” the secondary male screeched. “You stole kindred cubs!”
The air sharpened with the bitterness of Rygard’s shame, his guilt.
He teetered on the edge of action, a step away from doing something stupid.
“We’ll get them back for you.” All eyes turned to her. She looked at Rygard. “We can. They’re alive.”
They’d taken the cubs alive for a reason. A huge black market existed for pets. She should know, she’d been one. There must be one on station. Her lip curled at the thought, red haze edging her vision.
She turned to the dominant male. “If we return the cubs, he and his go free. They were following orders.”
“And this commanding officer?” The male sounded intrigued, but Kaitlyn
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