Chapter 17
Chapter seventeen
On’nas
I slammed an elbow into Cix’s face. He grunted and went flying backwards. “Fuck you, On’nas,” he growled. “Or that’s what the humans are doing, right? I hear there’s a science experiment to see if you make good pleasure partners for humans. Do they like your pretty purple dicks?”
“That’s not even close enough to the truth to sting,” I said, laughing.
“You wanted me to take you into custody. Here I am.” I lifted him and threw him towards my shuttle.
His communication had happened shortly after I’d put word out on the dark channels that I was on the hunt.
It was as if he had been waiting, and with Cix, that usually meant only one thing: He had gotten himself into a bind with his Vul commander.
“Make it look real,” he said, and I punched him again. Cix had long been an informant for me among the Vul, but he was in trouble now and needed out. “You can’t let them take this planet.”
“Aw, did you try fucking a human, too?” I asked. His answering wince told me that was exactly what had happened.
“They killed her, so what does it matter? Now there’s a skinwalker wearing her face.” He collapsed onto the ground, breathing hard, and I kicked him, even though it made me feel like a bit of an ass. “And not even one I like.”
“How many have they killed? How many skinwalkers?” I asked.
“You don’t even want to know. Thousands.
” He sighed, looking out at the night sky of Earth, with its strange, silver moon.
Tonight it looked so close that I could almost reach out and touch it.
“This place is magical. It still has magic left, still has places that are wild and beautiful. It can’t be harvested for resources. ” Cix’s voice was panicked, worried.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed him by his collar, dragging him into the shuttle. “How many are on your side?” I asked. “Surely there are more Vul who feel the pull to Earth’s magical mojo that you do.”
He looked around nervously. “There are some, for sure. Can we discuss this… not here?”
I rolled my eyes and stood, buckling into the pilot’s seat. “Don’t make me regret this, Cix.”
“I’ll give you the intel once we’re off Earth,” he insisted, casting a furtive glance over his shoulder. I looked the way he was looking and cursed.
“What did you do?”
“It’s not what you think,” he said, settling into the co-pilot’s seat and flicking the switches that activated weapons and cameras. He zoomed in on a small Vul craft speeding our way and grimaced. “It might be a little what you think.”
“How can you still be running scams while in the middle of a planetary takeover? You’re ridiculous,” I bit out. With my spy work, I had lived years on the other side of the law, and I had encountered Cix more than once. I knew how little I should trust him.
But we were in too deep, and I needed his intel.
I hit the launch booster button on the shuttle, sending a wave of energy at the Vul ship that was approaching, shooting us up and out of the atmosphere.
It was an old trick for escaping gravity that burned fuel like crazy, but it worked when you were being chased.
The EMP blast created by the thrusters would disable them for a few hours at least and, before long, we were pulling into the shuttle bay in the Aunga’ri mother ship.
I cuffed Cix as I stalked inside, following Nora’s warmth and Mu’ol’s slight irritation to find my loves. That was all that mattered, wasn’t it? Them.
They were inside the great hall, as near as I could tell, and I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to burst in there with a cuffed Vul pirate disguised as a warrior, but I couldn’t think of what else to do.
There was some kind of party happening, something with Mia, Axel, and the prince, and when Nora spotted me, she yelped and ran for me, flinging her arms and legs around me.
“I missed you,” she whispered, and I felt it in every fiber of her being.
Our Bhesai Ker’el was strengthening, and I wanted nothing more than to sink into her.
She tightened her legs around my hips, pressing against my cock.
“I like this kind of gown,” Mu’ol said, tugging on her skirt.
Mia walked up, dressed in a fine Earth gown, smiling. “I’m so glad you made it back, On’nas!” she said. “Just in time for our wedding reception. Sadly, you missed the ceremony.”
I should have seen Cix focus in on her, should have stopped him from lashing out with his tail, which had a dart-like weapon in it.
But I didn’t realize what had happened until Mia screamed and collapsed to the ground, her eyes wide, her hand on her neck, shaking. I turned and punched Cix hard in the jaw, hard enough that he crumpled to the ground.
The tail dart bound Mia to him, made her feel his pain, and the punch was hard enough that Mia whimpered. Nora dropped to her knees to check on the other human woman, pulling her into an embrace. I glanced at Cix, who was shaking on the floor. The crafty little fucker.
Vul tail darts were a single-use weapon, one they used to bind themselves to someone who might protect them.
It was a reaction to fear, and I knew at once that I should have taken him to the brig first, should have had him share his intel there.
Surrounding a Vul in this many Aunga’ri was sure to cause them to panic.
And when he’d panicked, something had made him choose Mia.
“Are you okay?” Nora asked. “What was that?”
“I can’t feel T’ukka anymore?” Mia whispered, shuddering.
I glanced at my cousin, who looked like he was going to throw up as Axel rushed in to scoop her up close.
“Why can’t I feel him? I need to feel him.
” Mia cried, wrapping her arms around Axel and burying her face against his chest. Her human lover held her shaking body close, kissing her forehead gently, worry crinkling the corners of his bright blue eyes.
“Take the prisoner to the brig,” Mu’ol barked, and two soldiers rushed forward and hauled Cix off. “I need to speak to my triad. Axel, get Mia to the doctor.”
I stepped up to T’ukka, pulling him aside. “It’s dangerous to have the Bhesai Ker’el bond severed suddenly by outside means. Make sure you are both healthy. Focus on your love for her, even without the bond.”
“How do you know that?”
“My mother had some knowledge of the bond. You’ll be okay, but you need to take care of each other.”
My cousin met my eyes, and I read the worry and pain in his. I could not imagine being severed from Nora in such a way, and I reached out and rubbed his shoulder, trying to offer him what comfort I could. “Is it permanent?” he asked.
“Even if it is, you still love her. That bond between you still exists, even without the psychic connection. The Vul release a toxin via their tail, and hopefully the doctor will find an antidote.”
He let out a relieved breath, nodding. “An antidote.”
“Until then, focus on your love for each other, the love that exists with or without your connection,” I said. He studied me for a moment, then nodded sharply.
“I understand. I will take care of her. We’ll get her to the doctor and see what we can find out about what the Vul did.” He turned and rushed his triad off, pausing for a moment by the door. “It’s not your fault, On’nas. You couldn’t have known.”
“Fuck,” I whispered.
“Why did you bring the Vul here?” Mu’ol asked.
“He is an informant. He has key intel for you, but I did not realize that you were involved in a celebration,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Nora said, moving close to me again. “You didn’t know what was happening here, that we were gathering so many Aunga’ri in one place for the wedding celebration. And you certainly didn’t know how the Vul would respond.”
Sighing, I nodded. “I believe that’s what made him panic. I didn’t know the hall would be full, or that a celebration was happening. But I could have taken precautions.”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “We missed you.” And even as guilt threatened to overwhelm me, the wave of love and warmth that washed over me from Nora and Mu’ol made everything a little better.