Page 31 of Songbird
My heart jerked as though starting to beat again after a long respite. “Izzy was weeping?” After she left, I’d been too mired in my own breaking heart to notice anything else.
“Like her heart was splitting in two,” Praxxan said softly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded.
“I just did.”
I felt my body twitch restlessly. The urge to move was overwhelming, but I couldn’t decide which way to go. It was as if my every muscle was alive and pulsating with wild, untamed energy, ready to burst forth into motion. I had no idea what to do first but settled on grabbing Praxxan and hauling him into a hug. “Thank you, brother.”
Praxxan chuckled, patting my back. “I happen to know that Izzy will rehearse for another hour. I’ll make an announcement and excuses for her lack of performance tonight as well as let Siemba know he’ll need to send another operative to Akruvara.”
I gave my brother one last squeeze before bolting from the dock. My heart raced. The anticipation of seeing Izzy, of pulling her into my arms, and finally confessing what she meant to me, made my every nerve-ending sizzle. Yet, as I enteredSpace Pearls, a sense of foreboding settled in the pit of my stomach. The Bojovik security guard was noticeably absent from his post, and despite being near lunchtime, the normally busy restaurant was eerily quiet. I slowed my pace, my steps growing silent as a sudden, familiar unease prickled up my spine. Cautiously, I made my way backstage, keeping a watchful eye out, all the while, worry churned in my gut. Where was my mate?
I found the dressing room door locked. After a couple of knocks that went unanswered, the knot of dread spinning in my gut tripled in size. I shoved my shoulder against the frame, causing it to splinter open, a chorus of frightened squeals coming from the females I found huddled inside. My eyes scanned the room, quickly landing on the frightened but familiar faces of Lucy, Deema, Aqsa and three more females whose names I did not know. But Izzy wasn’t among them, a fact that made my blood run cold. Especially when I noticed the deep, oozing cut above Aqsa’s eye.
“Where is Izzy?” I barked, stepping forward to help the woozy Aqsa to her feet, my eyes scanning her injury. Her cut appeared deep, but not fatal.
“He took her,” Lucy grated, climbing to her feet and brushing the dust from her clothes.
“Who took her?” I demanded, growing murderous.
“Kerzak males. Three of them, though one was a half-breed.” Aqsa said weakly as I helped her into a chair. “She was rehearsing when they came in. They knocked Hudo out and stuffed him behind the bar, then herded the rest of us in here.”Aqsa lifted a shaking hand to probe at her cut. “I tried to help her.”
A guttural, primal roar erupted from deep within me, an expression of the worry and rage that consumed me. My entire being shook with the force of it. The sound reverberated off the walls, filling the room with a powerful energy.
“What happened?” Praxxan burst into the room as if summoned by the sound.
“Kayzon took Izzy.” My voice sounded strange, feral.
“How long ago?” Praxxan’s gaze swept over the females, wincing as he saw Aqsa’s injury.
“Ten minutes, maybe?” Lucy guessed.
“I’ll alert the guard and close all the access points to the station,” my brother muttered before turning to me. His dark eyes found mine alert and vengeful. “Do you have her?”
I knew what he meant without asking.
I closed my eyes, a strange sense of calm settling over me as I centered myself, reaching deep inside to touch long-dormant primal instincts. My Stranac heritage, passed down through generations, pulsed within me. The wild side that my kind possessed, the fierce predator and skilled warrior I’d tamped down to aid my ruse as a spoiled playboy and function in polite society. But now, I embraced it fully as a low growl ripped from deep in my chest. I sucked in a deep breath, and despite the swirling scents of females tinged with fear, I found sweetness and spice. Izzy’s scent called to me like a beacon. My mate.
“I’ve got her,” I grunted.
I took off running toward my mate, knowing that once I found her, I would wrap her in my arms and never let her go again.
Save for the few minutes it would take me to kill Kayzon.
Chapter 15 -Izzy
My feet stumbled as the two large Kerzak guards dragged me along the alleyways of level four. Their grip on my arms was rough, the tips of sharp claws digging into my flesh. The point of the blade one of them held against my ribs was the only reason I hadn’t screamed so far. Kayzon would just as soon kill me. This was all about winning for him. Taking what he thought he owned—his property.
Thankfully, the path we traveled was far from deserted. The citizens here were poorer and less likely to get involved for fear of their own safety. Yet I had hope. I felt eyes on me and recognized the small dark gaze of the Berajbe watching from the crowd. I prayed their grapevine proved as good as Jala thought, and she and Praxxan would hear about my abduction in time to stop Kayzon from taking me off the space station.
Tarrick was already gone by now. As long as I remained at the space station, there was hope that I would see him again. And if I saw him again, hope that we might have a second chance at being together. But if Kayzon took me away... a small sob bubbled in my throat at the knowledge that if I left the Ardeese Valout, I would never see Tarrick again. I would never see anyone again.
Even if I was a lost cause, I hoped someone found the other girls soon. Thankfully, none of them were hurt—well, none but Aqsa. But she’d been conscious and scowling at the big dumbKerzak who hit her when they dragged me from the room, so I hoped her injury wasn’t too bad.
Lost in my thoughts, I stumbled when the Kerzak yanked me around a corner.
“Keep up,” the largest of the two growled, his grip on my arm tightening. I felt a sharp sting and then warmth as a trickle of blood ran down my arm from the pinch of his claws.
