Page 21 of Survivor
I raised my chin to stare him in the eye. “Do you have balls?”
He blinked down at me, momentarily thrown, but then his grin widened. “Hell yes, we do.”
I canted my head. “Well, I suggest you back the fuck up if you want to keep them.”
Blondie made a choking sound that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
“A female who can resist your charm, Jaron.” The final guy in the trio spoke up.
I glanced at him, shaved, inked head, sharp hawkish features, and one eye that glowed eerily—mechanical maybe?
He smiled, close-lipped and ambiguous. “Braker’s through there.” He jerked a thumb to his left, and I followed the direction to see a closed door. “You best not keep him waiting. He isn’t the most patient of fellows.”
I stepped around Jaron and walked across the room to the door, hyper-aware of their attention on me.
Cybornex, Cyborgs? A meld of man and machine? I’d need to speak to my guys about them. Could they be trusted? Were they pirates like Braker had been?
So many questions and the man who could answer them was beyond this door. It opened as I approached. The room beyond was sparse and decorated in muted colors. There was a corner arranged with some seating, a bar, and a man. He stood with his back to me, looking out of a rectangular window.
The window we could see from the pits.
This was Braker Rock.
“Amazing, isn’t it? What any species will do for money?” His voice was gravelly, and his tone was jaded.
“Money can save lives.”
He snorted. “Is that why you’re here? To save lives?”
“Yes.”
He turned to face me, and I bit back a gasp. The left side of his face, from his temple slashing diagonally across his nose and under his left cheekbone, was metal. Smooth metal with one red, piercing, glowing eye. The right side looked human. Handsome even, and his thick chestnut hair that held a slight wave gave him a boyish air even though there was nothing remotely boyish about his presence.
His lips curved in a smile. “From the look on your face, you’re new to my species.”
“I’m new to a lot of things.”
“Human females are rare,” he said. “Unless they’re being kidnapped by Trads or seduced by Athions.” He spat the final word out as if it was a dirty thing.
“You have a problem with Athions?”
His lip curled derisively. “I see that you don’t. Your sweet kiss was broadcasted to the whole arena.” His human eye narrowed. “You’re out here, on a spaceport with an Athion. You’re either running to something or away from something, and the way you fight … No regular human fights like that.”
My scalp prickled. “I have skills.”
“You also have a beast inside you. I know what you are. You’re a one-percenter.”
Ice filled my veins. “What do you know about one-percenters?”
He was powerful. He knew about one-percenters. What’s to say he didn’t know about the warrant out for our arrest? I scanned the room, looking for a quick escape.
“I know what their drug did to them. I know what it wakes inside them, and I know not all one-percenters have the same beast. It’s different for you. I know they’re discarded by the Trads and wanted by the Athions.” Sadness crept into his eyes. “I know that once taken by the Athions, they don’t make it out alive.” He took a step closer. “Are the Athions making you fight? Using you? There’s more than one. Three Athions and a Trad.” He frowned. “Is the Trad a prisoner too?”
My pulse skipped. “How do you know all this?”
His smile was smug. “This is my port. I know everything. The Athions were flagged over a week ago, and the Trad not long after. I didn’t think too much on it, not until Vartin brought you in. A human female traveling with one of the Athions. So, tell me, what deal have they brokered with you? What have they promised? Because I can tell you, whatever it is, it’s a lie. They’re snitches that work for the Athion government. Their only goal is to take you with them and hand you over to die.”
My chest was tight as I recalled the moment Tide had admitted this. “I know.”
