Orri (Intergalactic Surrogacy Agency #3)

18. Vengeance

VENGEANCE

ORRI

I don’t want to approach Isabella empty-handed. Especially after making such a fool of myself. But I don’t know what will suit her fancy. Nothing seems good enough. Or it seems too trite, too gaudy to make for a proper gift.

Flowers, desserts, jewelry. Nothing catches my eye. It’s customary to present one’s mate with a gift to reveal one’s intentions, but I never got to that point with Zannah. And now, with so much riding on this decision, I’m at a loss.

I am about to turn and leave the market when I hear a faint tinkling sound from one of the booths tucked away in the alley. I can’t put my finger on it at first, but it sounds almost…familiar?

Then I recognize it: it’s one of Isabella’s favorite songs from Earth. She told me about a lullaby her mother used to sing to her when she had a nightmare and couldn’t sleep. She told me how it always calmed her down and made her feel safe. She even played a copy of it for me on the network’s video stream.

It’s a soft, lilting tune, but full of emotion. Hope. Safety. Warmth.

All the things I hope I can be for Isabella in the future.

It’s perfect.

I head over to the stand and interrupt the merchant standing there before he can even go into his sales pitch.

“I’d like one of your music boxes.” I point at the one on the display. “One that plays that song.”

The merchant nods, a bit taken aback by my abruptness. These merchants are used to having to haggle for every last credit, and here I was wanting to make a purchase outright. “Yes, yes!” He yelps, eyes alight at the prospect of a new sale. I have no idea how much these must cost, but with the exorbitant import fees on top of the materials and labor…

I grimace. My credit balance is gonna be feeling it later, but I have more than enough to treat Isabella to something special. She deserves it.

He scrambles and ducks under the table to pull out a beautifully wrapped red and gold gift box. “Very good gift.” I notice he’s not wearing a translator, leaving him to muddle through Aesirheim’s language alone. Makes sense, though. Universal translators are incredibly expensive, and the ISA furnishes them as part of the contract between our planets; we need them in order to form relationships with our omegas. For everyone else? It can cost an arm and a leg — nearly literally.

The merchant makes a big show of winding up the example music box again. The song starts anew, a small dancing figure bobbing up and down among stars and clouds. “All the way from Earth, 100% authentic, guarantee!”

I know that if I don’t close the deal as soon as possible, he’ll try to sell me another dozen things. It’s easier to sell to a warm lead, after all. But I’ve been a regular at the markets for years. I know how to deal with his type.

Pulling out my comm, I tap in a number that feels right and a slip of paper prints out, marked with my ID number and signature. I hand it across the table before he can think of any other ideas. What did Isabella say this thing reminded her of? A ‘checkbook’?

“Will this be enough?”

The merchant looks like he’s literally struck gold. His eyes bug out, his mouth drops open. “Yes, yes of course! Here, let me give you a special gift! Bonus!”

He puts another box on top of it, and a gilt-edged card as well. Putting them all into an elegant gift bag, he hands it across the stand. “Thank you for your business, sir! Do come back, we have many deals!”

I nod in thanks and hurry back to my mount. With my gift in hand, there’s only one thing left to do.

Confront Isabella at last and tell her how I feel.

* * *

I push my mount just a little faster, heart beating with the gravity of what I’m about to do. I’ve rehearsed what I’m going to say in my head a million times, but I’m sure once I see her again my mind will go blank.

There’s no words that can really express how I feel, or why I did the things that I did. All I know is that my heart is full — full of love for Zannah, yes, but there’s a new part there, just waiting to be completed.

My love for Isabella. And as I sink into the sway of my mount’s hoofbeats, I know that’s what it is. I was a fool to ever think otherwise. She’s so soft, and small, and perfect, and —

Mine .

I know I royally screwed things up last time we saw each other, but I’m hoping she’ll at least give me a chance to plead my case. If I can just talk to her, maybe I still have a chance. Because my heart knows what it wants now.

It wants her. I want her. In my life. In my home. In my bed.

Bearing my children. Being a mother, a wife, a family…

We’re both a little broken, but when we’re together it’s like two disjointed puzzle pieces finally finding a match. She’s good for me, and I was just too blind to see that before. Too prideful, too stubborn to see what was right in front of me.

When I return to the cottage Isabella and I had been staying at and find it empty, I fear the worst. I’m not surprised, though. Perhaps she’s long gone by now. Perhaps she’s found another mate already. I wouldn’t blame her.

Holding on to a rapidly fraying thread of hope, I call up Orvox and wait as it rings again and again. Finally, her voice comes on the line.

“Is Isabella with you?” She’s the first to speak, and her urgency does nothing to quell my rising fear.

“No…” I start. “Why? I thought she would be…”

A sigh. “Look. I’m not supposed to be telling you this, but we’re at a bit of a loss here. I saw her just a few hours ago, we were running the final checks to clear her for re-assignment.” My stomach sinks. Re-assignment . That meant…

“But here’s the problem,” Orvox continues. “I told her to meet me at the spaceport with her things, but she never showed. Her tracker’s malfunctioning as well. I was about to call you up, hoping you knew something, but…” Her voice trails off.

“I’ll find her.” I’m interrupting before she’s even done speaking, my heart in my throat as I think about her alone and defenseless in the wilds. “I’ve done it once before, I can do it again.”

“Orri.” Her voice is firmer this time. “I’m sorry, but this matter is out of your hands now. She’s formally voided the contract, and any further involvement would be —“

“I said, I’ll find her.” I make no mistake of the determination in my voice, then close the voice line. With a cry, I put on a burst of speed, making a beeline for the spaceport and hoping I’m not too late.

* * *

Her scent hangs in the air, ever so faint. I can’t place it, can’t track it. If only I knew what direction she’d gone. The dock fills with the roar of engines as the shuttle prepares for takeoff. I look at the monitor in a panic. She’s not on there, is she?!

But no. The scent isn’t coming from that direction. It’s faint, but palpable. It doesn’t smell like the soft, sweet scent of arousal or satisfaction I’ve come to associate with her, though.

It smells like pure fear.

An icy realization slithers through my veins. She wasn’t missing because she wandered off and got lost. She was in danger.

Again.

I curse aloud, scanning the scene for any sign of her. Any evidence which way they had gone. I’d failed to protect her. Again. But I swore on everything I had, that this would be the last time. Once I got her in my arms and told her how I felt, she’d never have to feel afraid again.

Adrenaline pumps through my system, sharpening my senses. I look for anything out of place. Anything that doesn’t belong.

Bingo. There’s a duffel bag, stuffed haphazardly out of the way in some bushes next to the parking spots for the hover bikes. No doubt about it. It’s hers.

And that means that some asshole does have her.

With murder in my veins, I whistle for my mount Alyx and hop onto her back, running after the faint trail at top speed. I’m not going to let her go through that pain again.

Whoever has her, he’s going to die by my hand.