Page 10 of A Mate for Vasek (Tallean Mercenaries #11)

Vasek

Vasek moved through the woods, careful not to brush up against any of the myriad vegetation around him.

He recognized some of the plants, but not all of them, and the rule about surviving the New Rhean wilds was to not touch anything you didn’t know.

The area around his hideout was familiar enough that he wasn’t too worried, especially since he’d cleared out anything dangerous the last time he’d been here and transplanted a fast-growing and resilient weed in its place.

He realized what had triggered his alarm before he even got to it.

The culprits were nearby, feasting on a fresh kill.

He’d seen the tiny creatures hunt before and knew that they could take down prey much larger than themselves because they hunted in large packs.

Each of the predators was barely the size of his closed fist, but the herbivore they’d brought down was almost the size of a dragus pup.

Looking at each one alone, one would never think it possible; that was the advantage of teamwork.

He also knew that the creatures did not attack Talleans, or anything bipedal, for that matter. Mainly because their main predator was a scaled bipedal creature.

They were able to move quickly in the trees, and they must’ve chased the creature right through the perimeter sensor he’d set up in the branches.

He’d already figured something similar had happened from the single flash of fur before the camera had fallen.

The cameras were triggered by movement and set so that small creatures didn’t set them off, so it hadn’t turned on until the creature being chased was right in front.

Vasek set the sensor back up, securing it more thoroughly this time. Too preoccupied with their meal, the tiny creatures ignored him, squabbling amongst themselves for the choice pieces.

He’d just finished and was heading back to his shuttle when the farthest of the proximity sensors on the other side of his hideout started going off.

This one alarmed him much more, because unlike the one he’d just fixed, this one was on the side closest to the port.

He quickened his stride, hurrying back to his shuttle where he’d left Dawn.

He checked the video feed as he traveled and cursed. It was Morad and his males. He recognized the gaudy cropped jacket he’d been wearing. The thing must’ve been Kotch’s once because it didn’t fit Morad’s more muscular frame.

That surprised Vasek since he hadn’t gotten any news of Bakum’s demise, at least not before he’d left his shuttle.

He’d spent most of the morning researching whether it was possible to form a mate bond even without a scent trigger.

His research had confirmed what he’d already known.

It couldn’t. He did find several very insistent people who believed it could.

But there just wasn’t enough evidence to support it, and Vasek was a man of science.

Then, Vasek had attempted to find another canister of olfactinull; he swore he had more in that mess he called his supply cabinet. He’d failed miserably. He’d just managed to shove everything back in when he got the first alert from the proximity alarm.

Morad being here before taking care of Bakum was noteworthy.

Vasek had learned in his career that things weren’t always as they appeared.

Morad had focused on Bakum back at the inn, claiming that the male had something he needed.

He hadn’t verified what, so anything Bakum had on him was suspect.

Including Dawn. Morad had also asked about her, though the question had been casual and in passing.

Vasek hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that everyone involved was hiding something from him. Now, his suspicions were confirmed.

But what could Morad want with Dawn? His initial thought that it was her valuable dress couldn’t be it, because she didn’t have it anymore. But did Morad know that? If he’d met with Bakum he would, unless Bakum had lost or ditched the dress before he was caught.

A stab of something akin to anger had him gritting his teeth at the thought that Morad could be coveting Dawn for himself. From what he’d gathered, Dawn had been with Kotch for a while. Could Morad have wanted her the whole time?

Vasek wondered if it would be a better idea to just take off and fly over to the planet’s other main port instead of risking an encounter with these guys.

He tried to count how many of them were here, but the foliage had filled in since the last time he’d been here, and half the screen was blocked by a wall of green.

Vasek knew something was wrong even as he approached the shuttle.

He sniffed and cursed his reduced ability to smell.

The olfactinull claimed to only work in the area that it was sprayed in, but anyone who’d used it before knew that it dulled the olfactory nerves for some time after.

He made his decision. They weren’t going to wait around and confront Morad, even if Vasek was curious why he wanted Dawn. Perhaps Dawn would tell him.

He opened the door to an empty shuttle.

Fuck! Dawn!

Vasek had left the shuttle to check on the alarm, not even thinking she would run. They were in the wilderness, and when he’d left her, she’d been on one of his spare PPCs. She’d looked so bored, and feeling bad, he’d given it to her so she could pass the time playing some games.

Video games were a new idea among the Talleans.

Before companies like Hullean Vision, the human- and Tallean-owned “virtual reality” sim and game company out of Reka 5 came along, the only thing close were training simulators.

The “games” Hullean Vision came out with were similar to the training scenarios they already had, except with fantastical scenarios that one would never encounter in real life.

The locales were especially imaginative and beautiful.

They were a huge hit, and since then, other games, including ones just on a screen and with the sole purpose of entertainment and wasting… er, passing… time, had come out.

Dawn had been playing one of those when he’d left.

Locking up his shuttle, Vasek searched the environs, looking for clues on which way she’d gone. He could smell a bit, and when he found no broken branches or tracks, concluded that she’d gone on the path of least resistance—and least dangerous foliage—and taken the only path which led to the river.

This part of the river was too fast-moving for her to cross. She’d be swept away easily, so he could only hope she hadn’t tried. There weren’t any signs she had. His nose, while impaired, was still able to determine that she’d followed the river toward the port, rather than away.

Was it on purpose? Did Dawn know where she was going? She seemed to be moving with purpose, so Vasek assumed she did. The problem was that her path would take her straight to Morad.

He heard male voices before he found her. They had her surrounded. Vasek used their distraction to sneak in close.

Morad had found Dawn, and was questioning her. Curious, Vasek hid behind the tree and listened as he looked for the best angle to attack.

Dawn

“Look what we found, boss.”

Dawn backed away from the asshole who approached her with his blaster drawn. It was one of the thugs Kotch had hired recently. By “boss” he’d probably meant Morad.

And just at that moment she almost backed into the asshole himself.

“I can’t believe that medic lost you already,” Morad said. “If he hadn’t been the one who’d installed my eye, I would’ve never agreed to his terms. I knew the moment I caught news that Bakum was alone that the medic would have you. Saved us some time by splitting up the squad. ”

No wonder the group looked smaller than before. The other thugs must have gone after Bakum and the physical key.

“You know what I’m looking for. Tell me the code and I might let you live.”

Dawn knew he meant the code to the safe where Kotch kept his most valuable possessions.

One such thing was the artifact he’d come across a few months ago.

The artifact was rumored to be very valuable, and he’d been sure it meant he’d be able to retire immediately in luxury.

He’d never have to sell another bloody shipment of weapons again…

as soon as he found someone reputable enough to buy it from him without straight-up murdering him for it.

Bakum was supposed to have been that person. He’d murdered him for it.

Except that Bakum hadn’t known, and probably still didn’t know if he was still alive, that the safe required more than one key. Morad did, though. And for some reason, he thought she had the code.

“I already told you. I don’t know it.” She really didn’t, and she had no idea why Morad was so dead-ass sure she did. Was it something Kotch had said? “I don’t know what Kotch told you, but I don’t know the code. Don’t you think I’d tell you if I did? What use do I have with it?”

“He said that only he and his favorite slave knew the code. That must be you.”

His favorite? There was no flipping way that was her. Sure, he might have warmed to her at the end, believing that she’d brought him and his business good luck, but she wasn’t his favorite.

“I’m not his favorite.”

“You have to be!” exclaimed the guy with the scab over his cheek crease. “He brings you to work often and dresses you in the finest clothes.”

Morad narrowed his eyes at Dawn, and for a moment, she considered bolting and running back to the shuttle even though she knew she wouldn’t get far.

Disappointed that she couldn’t get her hands on the cable, she’d waited some time after Vasek had left to check on the alert before leaving.

She’d worried that she might bump into him, but she hadn’t, so he must’ve gone the other way.

Would he be back at the shuttle yet? Did he know she was missing? Would he even come after her?

“We asked one of the Fietes he owned,” he said, his voice low, steady, and menacing. “She says you are his favored one because he does not make you do any of the housework.”

“Because I am in the office running his business. I keep his records and run his errands, and I clean the office. A human is more prestigious for business than a Fiete. When he’s home, he spends most of his time with the Fietes. He only calls on me occasionally.”

Kotch had spent some time with her in the beginning, curious about what humans were all about, but after the novelty wore off, he’d gone back to spending most nights with the two Fiete women.

In the inner planets the Fietes were common, but out here they were rare and usually kept inside the homes, so they were very seldom seen.

Dawn had only met one other who had not been owned by Kotch, and she’d been very nice, but also kind of slow.

Kotch had also preferred the Fietes because there was no risk of forming a mate bond with them. Also, a much smaller chance of getting murdered in his sleep.

“Lies!” The one with the scab reached for her, and she scrambled away, trying to put a tree between them.

Morad got to her before he did, grabbing her by the hair.

“She might be telling the truth. Kotch always did prefer the obedience of a Fiete over the fire of a human. He never quite appreciated the challenge.” He pointed to one of the thugs.

“Contact the auction house and halt the sale of the two Fietes,” he demanded.

The other guy didn’t look too happy to be ordered around but did as he was told, muttering something unintelligible under his breath.

Morad turned to her, first looking pensive, then sly. “If that’s the case, he must not have played with you much. Good. You’ll be all mine.”

Panic set in at his words. Morad always had an interest in her, but Kotch didn’t like to share, not even toys he wasn’t using.

“Fuck that!” said one of the thugs. “You said we were going to sell her after we got the code and split the profits.”

“I say we sell her only after we’re all sick of her. She’s pretty. Kind of like our women, but rounder and with lighter hair,” suggested another.

Dawn glanced around wildly, looking for escape, and despite not finding one and knowing that it was futile, she still tried to make a run for it.

She hit Morad on the elbow as hard as she could with the heel of her hand and wrenched herself from his grasp.

She didn’t even make it a few yards before she was hauled back by one of the brutes.

Suddenly there was a loud roar, and the male holding her released her as they all turned to the sound. Vasek was charging at them. His cheek creases were extended, and his fangs were so long they jutted out past his lips. There was rage in his eyes, a ferocity that sent horror through her.

He was everything that Dawn was scared of in these Talleans. The very reason she needed to get back to Earth.

He landed on the closest of her assailants before he’d had time to react, and there was a flash of red as blood spurted from the guy’s throat, splashing them all. Holy shit! Vasek had just torn out his throat!

Dawn stood there frozen, her heart pumping furiously in her chest as Vasek threw the limp body to the ground.