3. PEACE
PEACE
“ I swear I saw her come this way,” a voice said. “You can’t miss that hair.”
“You always think you see her. You see her around every corner. You just want to go home,” a second voice responded.
“Of course I do. But you know I can’t until we find her. Regent Jokull wants her badly.”
“Why?”
“How the moons should I know? And I don’t care.
It doesn’t matter why. It just matters we find her and bring her to him, and I know it was her at that bar.
Three days ago, I was nursing a Centaurian ale at the Back Slot, my favorite dive bar in Port Rykan, and there she was!
Just like in the picture! Tawny skin, violet eyes, that white-blonde hair.
It was her! It had to be! And we’ve followed her here.
Just like I know I saw her duck into these tunnels not half an hour ago. She’s here somewhere.”
What the fekk? Are these guys hunting me?
Xyrox’s finger came up to his lip in a shushing motion.
Like I’m going to make a sound when those two clearly followed me here .
His dark brows shot to his forehead as his green eyes flashed in my direction.
Did you hear that?
Xyrox nodded.
That’s … impossible. But before I could wonder anymore about it, the ex-intergalactic agent pulled me against his chest and into a dark alcove I hadn’t even noticed. He covered me with his large, dark red body.
“Turn off your lamp and close your eyes. They’re glowing.
” His voice was more of a motion against my ear than a sound, but I heard him loud and clear.
In any other circumstance, I wouldn’t be taking orders from my bounty, but these guys were obviously hunting me, and, at the moment, I didn’t see any option but to accept the help.
Wait? Did he say my eyes were glowing? What the hell does that mean?
With no time to question, I closed my eyes and tucked myself tight against Xyrox’s tall, broad body.
I didn’t know why this Regent Jokull wanted me, but I also didn’t want to find out.
Being the hunted rather than the hunter was not on my Kartokian card today.
But leave it to me to get myself into some weird situation.
The voices fell silent as the footsteps got louder, scraping against the rock behind us.
Xyrox pressed me harder into the stone. My hands rested on the wall of naked, warm muscle that made up his chest. They felt like rocks heated by the mid-day suns.
I fought the urge to rub my hands against the smooth texture and instead rested my forehead on his sternum, trying to make myself as small as possible.
My breaths were quick and short, but not because I was anxious.
I felt myself inexplicably, I relaxing into the fugitive’s hard body as I drew in his spicy, masculine scent.
Mmm … what is that? Smoked battolinwood? Yum.
I mentally slapped myself. Stop it, Peace! Danger, girl! Focus!
Don’t worry, I’ve got you, little bounty hunter.
I scowled. Fekk! He tells me not to be quiet, and he’s talking, anyway. The fekking idiot is going to get us killed.
You’re the one with the big mouth.
What?
You’re the one running your mouth.
You can hear me?
Of course I can hear you. You’re practically shouting.
But I’m not talking. I’m thinking to myself.
Shh! They’re almost on us!
I’m not talking out loud!
His breath hitched in my ear—out loud this time. Fekk. Neither am I. I think we’re talking using just our minds.
Are you crazy?! Before I could think anything else, the footsteps stopped directly behind us.
“I thought I heard something,” the first voice said.
“I didn’t hear anything.” The steps paused. I was afraid to even breathe. Xyrox’s chest quit moving. His heart thumped under my hand for one beat, then two.
“I think you just heard that water dripping,” the second voice said. “Keep going. She must have gotten past us somehow.”
As the sound of their steps grew softer, we both breathed normally again, and I raised my head. Xyrox dropped his arms and took a step back from me. I felt his eyes in the dark, and I didn’t know what to say. What just happened?
Carefully keeping my thoughts blank, I extended a hand and pushed a button on my laser cuffs, capturing one of his thick wrists. His green eyes flashed in surprise and darted to our wrists now locked together. I smirked when he glanced back and scowled.
“You’re making a big mistake.”
“Oh, I don’t think so, fugitive. I’m doing my job. Let’s get out of here.” I gave him a tug, which moved him exactly not one millimeter. Fekk!
Still, I kept up the bravado. “And no more of whatever that talking in my head thing was. I don’t know what kind of tech you stole and how you kept it on you through processing, but you can just cut that shit out right now.” I yanked at him again, but was jerked to a stop.
“That wasn’t me,” Xyrox hissed. “It started with you. You’re the one who’s something … alien.”
A hard lump formed in my chest. Alien. I hated that word.
Kids made fun of me growing up for looking so different from them.
Although there were many different races on Rykantos, we lived outside a small village and I was an anomaly.
“Alien” was one of their favorite taunts.
Zame taught me to accept my differences and even embrace them, but being called “alien” was one of the things that still got to me.
I wanted to yell at Xyrox and call him a criminal, but two strangers were still somewhere in the tunnels and might hear.
So I locked my jaw and bit back the words.
Instead, I decided to give him a little demonstration of just how “alien” I could be.
Quick as Zantonian lightning, I grabbed my captive’s forearm, bent my knees, and flipped him over my head.
Exceptional strength and speed were a couple of my other alien traits that surprised people—especially large, male fugitives. As ex-agent Xyrox Quorath blinked at me and tried to catch his breath, I gave him a little finger wave and zapped him with my warshade emitter.
“Nighty, night, asshole,” I whispered as I flung my unconscious bounty over my shoulder, to transport him to my ramshackle flyer. I smiled as I imagined the new, fancy ship I would buy with all the credits I would soon be collecting, thoughts of the strangers hunting me leaving my mind.