Page 11

CHAPTER 11

S asha

“Lower,” I grunt at Eirik as we cling to the shadow of a side street. The Fortress, Sargul’s vast mansion, tucked away against the mountain on one side, is just what its name implies. A fortress, designed to keep him and his most precious possessions inside.

I need to figure out a way to sneak in without anyone noticing me. I turn to Eirik and eye him critically. He wears a long black cloak made of a material midway between synthetic leather and cotton, fluid and thick at the same time. It has a hood attached that’s big enough to hide his face, but there’s no hiding how big the guy is.

And big guys mean big trouble, as far as Sargul is concerned.

“If the guards spot you, we can kiss my plan of sneaking in incognito goodbye,” I grit between my teeth as Eirik leans over my body to peer at the short flight of steps leading to the entrance of the Fortress. “Brute force isn’t the solution to every problem, you know?”

Eirik growls behind me, but doesn’t argue. I scoff with irritation, but I can’t say I’m surprised he doesn’t know how to hide. A man like Eirik has no need to keep to the shadows, no need to remain inconspicuous. Men like him walk like red flags wherever they go, and this is the source of their power. He’s simply not used to being a mouse. Can’t fault him for that.

Still, there’s no way I’m going to get in unnoticed with him on my ass.

“This isn’t going to work.” I turn to him, then push his large body against the stone wall. He’s so big, he barely fits into the shady corner even though the street is weakly illuminated with a single torch. “You need to wait for me here. I’ll be faster alone, anyway.”

Eirik frowns, the deep shadows of the street casting an otherworldly glow on his blue on blue eyes.

“Out of the question,” he says, his voice low and dangerous. “Where you go, I go. I’m not letting you out of my sight until the end of the deal.”

I exhale forcefully, shaking my head. Eirik is too suspicious and too stubborn. We have a deal, a deal that spares my family’s life and allows me to finally leave Valcan.

I’m willing to risk a lot to make it happen. This includes arguing with a Huugwor warrior.

“It’s not like we can just walk you through the front door. You’re hardly discreet, if you didn’t notice.” I keep my voice low, but my tone is still cutting. “Even those two idiots will know to ring the alarm as soon as they see you.”

I jerk my head toward the two guards flanking the double door of Sargul’s fortress. They sit on the steps and lean on their elbows, taking swigs of some kind of liquid from a bottle they share in turns. Probably some hard liquor or another. Judging by the way they sit sprawled on the stairs with their legs wide open, they’re well into their drinks.

This is why I insisted on coming at this hour. The guards will be just drunk enough, the change of guard a couple of hours away, far from their minds. They will be relaxed, sloppy in their judgment, especially when they see me.

After all, Sargul’s unofficial adoptive daughter coming home will surprise no one.

“I can take care of them,” Eirik whispers, his face remaining dead serious when I turn an outraged glare his way. “They won’t have a chance to sound any alarm.”

“I know these guys,” I retort, biting my tongue. “Matok and Kalru are no great criminal minds. They’re just trying to survive out here, same as everyone else.”

When Eirik doesn’t seem convinced, I add, “You gave me your word. No one dies unless they attack you first. This includes the guards.”

Eirik scowls at me, but he doesn’t protest. It’s a good thing the Huugwor takes honor so seriously, or he would just go on a rampage and murder everyone he sees.

I look at the guards for just a few more moments, trying to figure a way to get inside with Eirik on my tail. The guards are Binget, a species hailing from some distant planet at the far end of the Empire where the native people live in burrows all over a frozen landscape. Their bodies are squat and burly, covered in a short brown fur, their musculature bulging around their short limbs, perfect for working in the restricted confines of tunnels and mines. They’ve never even seen their home planet, being born in one of the many mining operations around the capital of Valcan. They are one of the few species who are known to survive the mines of Valcan, but I can’t imagine it was a nice childhood.

Somehow, they made their way to Tartarus and lived drunkenly ever after. Not that I blame them.

As Eirik’s impatience radiates all around him like some sort of electric buzz, I mutter under my breath. I need to figure this out quick, or the Huugwor is going to take matters into his own hands.

Or fists, or spikes. Or whatever deadly weapons he has.

I watch the guards as they hoot and cheer at a human woman walking up the short flight of stairs to the front door. As the brothers catcall her, she undulates her hips from side to side, her short skirt barely covering her rounded bottom. She doesn’t wear any underwear. From our lower viewpoint, we get a full view of her ass and pussy as she stops at the top of the stairs to exchange a few words with them. I know her, but her name eludes me. She’s a nice enough woman, one of the many who come to the Fortress late at night to make a quick buck selling the use of their bodies in a dark corner. Most of them also clean the guy’s pockets before leaving, but that’s not something I hold against them.

Seeing her flirt with the drunk guards, I suddenly have an idea. An idea that makes sneaking in my conspicuous Huugwor companion possible.

“I have an idea.” I turn to Eirik, who stands tall and menacing, his gaze on the guards like he’s a guard dog about to launch. “Pull on your hood and whatever you do, don’t talk. If they talk to you, just grunt and growl. You should be good at it.”

Eirik looks down at me from his regal height, his brows still furrowed, his eyes reduced to slits. He doesn’t like the way I talk to him.

Too bad. He’s in my world now.

“Hold my hand.” I extend my hand to Eirik, who just stares at it like it’s a venomous snake. I sigh and reach for his hand, trying not to notice how big it feels around my own. How safe it feels to have a hand like that holding mine. “Just trust me. I want this to go through just as much as you do.”

We lock gazes, and for a moment, I forget who we are to one another. I forget this is a dangerous game I’m playing and this dangerous man is playing alongside me.

Then the prostitute laughs a loud, gaudy laugh and I’m pulled from my daydream.

It’s now or never.

I lead Eirik behind me, his long legs easily keeping up with my pace. He does as I say and holds my hand, and when I glance back, I see the hood is pulled deep over his head and he keeps his gaze down. Good, now all the guards are going to see is a huge guy holding my hand.

My heart beats so hard inside my chest I think I’m going to faint, but I keep my expression in my usual resting bitch face as I walk to the stairs and then start climbing. Eirik stays silent behind me, but as my palm becomes sweaty, he squeezes just a fraction.

I’m not sure if it’s a threat or a reassuring gesture, but it eggs me on to keep going.

“Hey there!” Matok calls as I reach his level. “Whatcha got there, Sasha? You captured a giant or what?”

Both Binget men burst out laughing like they just came up with the joke of the century, the prostitute soon following. I remember her name now. It’s Jexa.

As I lock gazes with her, I see her eyes darting to Eirik and wariness immediately settling on her features. Jexa keeps laughing, though, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Women like that know how to judge the danger level of a man, even covered in a black cloak.

And she’s right. Eirik is the most dangerous man in this city.

“Didn’t have to capture him, Matok,” I quip, lifting my brows and twisting my body to show that Eirik is holding my hand. “Though I don’t guarantee I won’t use shackles on him later.”

Eirik squeezes my hand again, this time enough to hurt.

More laughter follows my jest, but it’s shorter lived.

“What’s your date’s name?” This time, it’s Kalru who speaks. “Tell him to take his hood off. We can’t let just everyone get inside.”

Silence stretches as my heart beats in a panic. I didn’t think this through, I realize. I’ve never been good at lying.

“Maybe her date doesn’t want people to know he’s roughing it with the likes of her,” Jexa says, her tone languid as she turns to Kalru. “Maybe he’s got himself a wife, waiting for him.”

Kalru opens his mouth to counter, but Jexa bends over and laughs as she pulls on her cleavage, freeing her large, round breasts. Kalru’s eyes widen and he takes another swig of his liquor, a bit of saliva hanging from the corner of his lips as he swallows.

“That right, Sasha?” he calls, but doesn’t look at me. “You like fucking married men? Didn’t take you for that kind of girl. You were a sweet little kid growing up.”

“They’re all that kind of girl,” Matok interjects as Jexa sits down on Kalru’s lap, pulling the hem of her skirt all the way up, exposing her very naked pussy to view.

“She’s the boss’s daughter,” Kalru answers, but his speech is slurred and he can’t seem to pull his eyes off Jexa’s displayed sex.

“Leave her alone.” Matok gestures for me to leave, not even sparing me another glance as Jexa spreads her legs open, and he leans in.

Not wanting to see whatever the brothers plan on doing with Jexa, I pull Eirik behind me the rest of the way. As we get to the other side of the doors a bit of my anxiety lessens, but I don’t lower my pace.

We’re on borrowed time, now. Everyone who will see us knows me and there’s no turning back. I’m betraying Sargul and there will be no forgiveness offered. It’s just not in his nature.

As we take turn after turn in the maze that is Sargul’s fortress, Eirik keeps silent behind me like some sort of sentient gargoyle. I navigate the passages easily, avoiding encounters with people, listening before turning the next corner. I know exactly where to turn, what little doorway to take to sneak in without being seen.

As we get deeper and deeper into the building, Eirik stops me. His hand is still holding mine and his pull doesn’t give space for arguing.

“We need to keep going,” I whisper to him without looking back, my attention to the sounds of distant voices coming our way.

“Why did the guard call you Sargul’s daughter?” Eirik asks me, pulling me toward him.

Shit. I should have thought this through.

I have no choice but to face him. I hesitate before answering. For some reason, I want to keep this part of my life to myself, but I know I’m in too deep. The Huugwor’s blue gaze pins me down and there’s a stubborn turn to his lips. He won’t budge and there’s no way for me to drag him along unwillingly.

“That’s because I am,” I angry-whisper back at him. “Well, kind of. I’m an orphan. Sargul took me in when I was five years old.”

“And you’ve been stealing for him ever since?” Eirik tilts his head to the side. His head is too deep in the hood and I can only make the outline of the upper half of his face.

“He gave me three meals a day and a bed to sleep in,” I retort, surprised by my own defensiveness of Sargul and my childhood. “He did this when everyone around left me starving.”

Eirik opens his mouth to speak again, but no words come out. Instead, he pins me to the wall and when I try to protest, he places a hand over my mouth to prevent me from speaking. I’m about to lose it when I hear what his acute Huugwor hearing heard way before me.

Those voices are closer now. I was too distracted by my conversation with Eirik, I didn’t pay enough attention. There’s no way out. We’re going to get caught.

The sound of footsteps bounces on the stone walls and a woman’s laughter bursts out, quickly followed by a man’s grunt. It’s a couple, looking for a quiet place to fuck. And we’re just in that quiet place, right now.

As Eirik’s body tenses and I feel violence is just a hair away, I act upon instinct.

I move, pushing Eirik’s body against the wall. My hands reach for his face and I pull his head down, pressing my lips against his. At first, he freezes, his entire frame rigid like a steel rod.

Then, just as the couple’s voices turn out from around the corner and I see them in my peripheral vision, he kisses me back. His hands grab my ass and he grinds me against his hard length. His tongue invades my mouth, his taste clean and good.

We kiss and grope each other like horny teenagers as the new couple sees us and bursts out laughing, then retreats, no doubt to find another free corner. But even as we find ourselves alone again, he doesn’t stop kissing me.

And for all I’m worth, I kiss him back.