3
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Tekil
This dark-haired female with large green eyes smelled familiar from the start, a mix of body odor and a faint hint of vanilla. She wears a light brown covering that exposes her arms and drapes the top of her thighs. Tekil needs to get away from her, but some unseen string will not allow him to leave. Some of her words are strange and hard to understand. The translator leaves gaps, sometimes even lagging behind.
For weeks, her smell has taunted him, driving him almost to insanity. A protective instinct to find and escape with her almost drove him mad, yet there was never an opportunity until today.
His body responds to her touch with strange feelings and uncharted urges; he doesn’t fully understand even though he wants to act on every single one.
And then there is duty, Tekil reminds himself. I need to concentrate on rescuing my…team, as the Acradidia call them. But her speech is distracting and her scent so confusing…
Just before she wraps a cloth torn from her own covering around his eyes, slightly easing the pain, he can see the pulse in her neck as her heartbeat quickens. At times, he can smell her fear, and then it’s like a switch flips and she smells dominant.
Powerful.
Tekil doesn’t know what to make of it.
Andred draws close now, his smell alerting Tekil that he and the female are not alone. He accidentally shoves her a little too hard, not understanding his own strength. Tekel tears the cloth from his eyes, and quickly glances over his shoulder to make sure she is unharmed before facing Andred.
Baring teeth, they stare each other down, both poised to attack. Even on Kintuke, Andred was always a bit unstable, always defying the rules. He was never happy with his station in life as a mere laborer from a lessor Quad, which left him bitter towards anyone he deemed more important. So—almost everyone.
Kill him! Vi’del screams inside Tekil’s mind.
I agree. Kill him now , Zeno advises as Tekil hesitates.
Vi’del and Zeno—also known as the ‘team’—are being held in another part of the cave. Once mere work acquaintances, now the three Kintue males are brothers linked by a common enemy.
The experiments have changed Andred; Tekil feels it, sees it shining in his eyes. Hopefully, the Acradidia did not inflict too much damage; it would be better for all if Andred can still be reasoned with. With that in mind, Tekil stands his ground, refusing to lower his gaze.
I cannot kill him , he tells the others . I may need his help to free you.
They do not reply, which is a relief. Tekil doesn’t need any more distractions; the presence of the female is bad enough.
After a long, tense moment, Tekil finally growls: “Change!”
Indecision crosses Andred’s face before he concedes and morphs into his natural form, standing an inch or so shorter than Tekil, and completely naked.
Not that he cares, Tekil thinks with distaste, as Andred crosses his arms and smirks.
Andred’s eyes glide to the female, and an involuntary warning growl rumbles from Tekil’s throat.
She is off limits.
“Tekil.” Andred’s gaze shifts back toward him. “I am glad to see you are…” his eyes quickly glance over Tekil, “…mostly unharmed.”
He is well aware that this is Andred’s way of calling him a failed experiment, trapped somewhere between half-man and half-beast. His teeth never recede; the tuffs of fur and uncanny strength are always present, more than the other Kintue -shifters.
“Pity they did not change your arrogant attitude when they altered your DNA,” Tekil bites back.
Just kill him! Zeno roars.
Not one for patience, especially now, he would have killed Andred instantly.
Quiet , Tekil growls at Zeno, temporarily silencing him.
Andred’s lips curl into a smile; or perhaps it is a sneer.
“I see you still act as superior as ever,” Andred mocks.
But he does not care; Andred’s hostile envy for anyone from the Ruling Quad is well known by everyone on Kintuke.
And then Andred’s eyes slide over Tekil’s shoulder, making his shoulders tense. Something… unexplainable …sparks his protective instincts, making him more volatile. Then his gaze rakes over Andred’s perfectly transformed natural form and he deflates on the inside.
You are a hideous, failed experiment that no female will ever find attractive, he reminds himself, his spirits sinking further when not even his own team tries to reassure him otherwise.
Still, just the thought of Andred that close to the female sets his animal on edge. The fact that Tekil has an animal lurking on the inside—demanding certain things—rankles his very being.
And right now, his animal is demanding that he keep her away from Andred; Tekil himself concurs. Andred has no regard for anyone but himself, and if he can use the female to hurt him, he will do so gladly.
Just kill him and be done with it! Vi’del snaps.
Tekil clamps down on his temper. Both members of his team have embraced their animals—their ruthless sides—and would kill Andred without hesitation. Tekil on the other hand refuses to let go of reason and thought, but finds himself constantly fighting a never-ending internal battle of three against one: his animal, Zeno, and Vi’del against Tekil’s Kintue self.
Tekil knows the instant the female steps up behind him. His entire body bristles with the need to keep her out of Andred’s line of vision.
He shifts his weight, blocking her from his opponent’s view.
Andred smiles menacingly as he notes the protective stance. “Is this a challenge?”
“No,” Tekil replies firmly, hoping he sounds believable. There are more important matters at hand, like rescuing the others.
But the gleam of volatile amusement in Andred’s eye says he has taken it as such; Tekil sighs loudly, not wanting to participate in Andred’s games. Still, Tekil knows he must be hypervigilant without the help of his team to protect the female.
“Any idea how we are getting away from here, and back to Kintuke?” Andred asks in a deceptively casual tone.
“None readily comes to mind. You?”
“No.”
“Do you remember how they captured you?”
Andred shakes his head. “One minute I’m in my living area, and the next I wake up in a cage.”
The female steps around Tekil, making him tense further. “We need to come up with a plan.”
Andred scoffs. “You think?”
Another low growl rumbles from Tekil’s throat, aimed at the irritating male, but she ignores it and pats his shoulder.
“No need to be a smartass!” she retorts at Andred.
Tekil’s lips twitch, enjoying her sassiness.
Andred cocks his head to the side. “And just who are you?”
What did she call herself? Ah, yes, Myla. How did a Human manage to get this far into the galaxy? Tekil wonders. They normally keep to the Tri-sectors—more specifically, the Skau Space Station...
“Myla.” She wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead. The sprinkle of brown dots across her cheeks are turning red.
“Myla,” Andred repeats silkily. “How did you manage to get this far away from the Skau Space Station?”
She shrugs. “Vacation.”
Incredulous eyes shoot her direction. “Vacation…” Tekil barely mouths slowly. What was she thinking? Who in their right mind would take a vacation on their own, this far from home?
“Where are you from?” Andred continues in a more skeptical tone.
Not that I blame him. ‘Vacationing’ in this part of the galaxy is unheard of.
She shrugs again without answering. Andred narrows his eyes as Tekil studies her face, both males suspicious. She must be lying. There is no way a Human would vacation alone in this part of the galaxy, where most of the slave trading takes place. Slavery is illegal, but the law is rarely enforced this far away from Galactic Council Security.
Breaking the scrutiny, she huffs impatiently. “Seriously guys, how are we getting out of here?”
Andred snorts, a mocking sneer spreading across his face. Tekil rolls his eyes, wishing he would go away. As much as he may need his help to rescue his team, he is more of a hindrance than an ally.
The need to work with Andred irritates Tekil immensely. As someone who worked under Moak in the Ruling Quad, he knows that Andred hates him for that reason alone. He made that clear on Kintuke long ago, and in the many months they were held prisoner here. Always yelling ‘freak’, and other offensive words when the Arcadida came for him.
His taunts and mockery were heard by each and every individual from every species in those horrid cells, and probably by the Acradidia themselves. Tekil’s constant appearance of half- transformed creature only fueled Andred’s taunts even more.
Near the end of the DNA ‘remodeling’, Tekil had just entered the last phase before he would have been taken to a ‘ training’ facility. The last phase: inserting a chip in the base of his neck to prevent escape. They have already inserted the chip to link him electronically with Vi’del and Zeno, which allows him to communicate mind-to- mind.
His eyes shift toward Andred, wondering if he, too, has been electronically linked to his team.
His eyes shift back to Myla with her glorious long auburn hair and that striking splatter of brown dots across her nose. She appears so delicate, so fragile…yet her spirit is strong.
What would the Acradidia want with a Human? Is she the only one, or are there others?
“You guys do realize I don’t even know your names, right?” Myla shatters his thoughts with her oddly-accented voice.
Stepping forward abruptly, he replies, “I am Tekil.”
Andred grins, taking his own step forward, using his shoulder to knock Tekil out of the way. “I am Andred.” His voice oozes seduction, making Tekil bare his teeth.
When Andred glances over his shoulder and shoots him a triumphant smile, Tekil turns on his heel and walks away. He knows better than to let Andred get under his skin; moreover, he needs to be aware, to be careful. This attraction toward Myla is not normal; he must not allow Andred to use it against him, or to bait him into playing mind games.