Orri (Intergalactic Surrogacy Agency #3)

20. Warned Away

WARNED AWAY

ORRI

“Y eah, I got the feeds.” Ulfar beeps me through the comm. If the ISA isn’t going to help me on their own, I have other methods to try. “Cams show your girl getting on a hover bike with some human guy. Never seen him before. Had this weird striped tattoo down his left arm, but that’s about all I can tell at this resolution.”

My heart nearly stops. It can’t be. “Repeat that,” I say, voice shaking.

“A striped tattoo? It’s not that uncommon, I guess. But all I got was the back of him, so I don’t know what his face looks like. He’s a piece of work, though, I can tell you that much. Listen — don’t do anything stupid. The ISA’s sending out a team. I already volunteered. We’ll be on our way for backup, just…hold out till then.”

I don’t care if they send the entire army to save Isabella. I’m not waiting another second. Ulfar is still yapping in the background, but I tune him out as best I can.

“Kidnapping like that? Poor girl. Isabella, right? She’s been through a lot already. Can’t keep her out of trouble for even a second.”

I growl at the mention of her name. I don’t want anybody to malign my absent omega.

“I didn’t mean anything by it, of course!” Ulfar scrambles to cover his tracks. “Just…why her? What’s so special about her?”

“She’s mine.” And that’s all he has to know. I click off the comm and let out a breath, fists clenching and unclenching. If my hunch is right, things are even worse than I imagined.

I remember when we were sharing our stories. Isabella told me about a man down on Earth that treated her badly. Made her afraid, even though he should have treasured and protected her. She came to Aesirheim looking for a new life, and I swore up and down that if I ever came across the sorry sack of shit, he’d pay for ever hurting my omega.

My omega. The words felt somehow right in my heart. I just hoped that she saw it the same way.

If it really is that son of a bitch Adik…

I push Alyx faster, racing west. He won’t live to see another sunrise.

* * *

When I reach the fork in the road leading to the forest or the mountains, I need to make a choice. If I pick wrong, it could mean the difference between life and death. I try to put myself in Adik’s shoes. If I wanted to get away and hide somewhere I wouldn’t be caught, where would I go?

My comm beeps again, interrupting my thinking. I don’t want to answer it. However, when I see it’s Ulfar, I groan and patch him through. “What now?”

“You’re heading toward the border. Be careful. If he gets out of range, we won’t be able pursue them without a permit from the neighboring lord, and —“

“Screw the permit!” I shout. “Wouldn’t you have done the same thing for your sister?”

It’s a low blow, but he doesn’t realize just how serious I am about this.

“I…I’m sorry, man. Just be careful, okay? And remember the dactyl migration path goes right through there.”

“Who?” I barely hear over the sound of my own heartbeat.

“The dactyls, remember? Soren sent out a memo to our entire team. We’re supposed to stay away from them.”

Shit. He’s right.

“They won’t take well to you barging in there guns blazing.”

I grunt. Why now? I can’t afford to get attacked by an overzealous monster or a pack of them while I’m trying to save Isabella. I don’t even have my armor on, but I do have my weapon. I don’t want to kill them, but if I have to…

“It’s not worth it, man. They travel in packs, and I don’t care who you are, you can’t take on a whole herd of them alone. Wait for me at least—“

With a frustrated roar, I hang up the call. I’m not waiting for Ulfar to show up.

Isabella — who I now know is my real heart-mate — is worth fighting for. It’s time for me to fight for my mate.