Page 71 of Master
Fuck that hurt!
No time to be a whiny twit, not if I wanted to survive long enough for Tarook to rescue me.
He would come for me—I knew it.
I felt it.
The heavy thud of my heart echoed the determination and desperation he would feel upon discovering me missing. He would be relentless, not stopping until he held me safely in his arms.
I just had to survive until he found me.
Holding my left arm close against my side, I scrambled onto my knees. The only Kerzak I'd gotten up close and personal with was the ambassador who wanted to buy and eat me, and he was much more refined compared to the four creatures milling about the small campfire. Instead of brightly colored silk robes, they wore loincloths and thick leather belts adorned with weaponry.
We occupied a small clearing. Pines stood so thick around the perimeter they appeared as a solid wall in the encroaching darkness. I didn’t know where or how far these assholes carried me, so trying to run might not be the wisest course of action. The Kerzak probably knew this, which is why they left me untied. My eyes darted about the landscape illuminated by the fire, surreptitiously hunting for something I might fashion into a weapon. I noticed a few sticks and a couple of rocks—nothing that would do any damage against ten-inch blades and clawed fingers.
Atkins Parlow stepped into my field of vision; his thin lips curled into a smile. I'd never wanted to smack someone as badly in my life. And I used to deal with teenagers for a living.
"What the hell, mayor?" I snapped, situating myself so that, hopefully, he wouldn't notice my injured arm.
"Ahhh, beautiful Clara. I'm so glad you're awake."
Parlow knelt beside me, much too close for comfort. I wondered how long it would take the Kerzak to retaliate if I punched the mayor in his ugly, smug little face.
"Allow me to present my associates, the Kerzak." Parlow gave a flourished wave as though introducing me to royalty at a fancy dinner.
The Kerzak didn't look fancy. They looked angry and mean… and hungry.
"Kerzak aren't supposed to be on Tau Ceti." I'm sure he knew this tidbit, but saying it aloud gave me the faintest hint of superiority.
"She's smart as well as beautiful," Parlow chuckled.
When Tarook got here, I knew he'd kick the shit out of Parlow.The thought made me smile.
"Fuck you." Until Tarook arrived, my words would have to fight the battle.
"All in due time," Parlow purred. My stomach flopped at the insinuation.
He scooted closer. "Right now, I need to know how you and the Vaktaire counteracted the mumje."
Realization slammed into my brain, leaving me open-mouthed and blinking.
"You did this, didn't you?" I tilted my head, watching his expression as I worked out the kinks in my theory. "I saw you, though. You got infected... you were coughing..."
"An Oscar-worthy performance, if I do say so myself," he smirked. Behind him, the Kerzak made grunting/huffing sounds—their version of laughter, perhaps.
“You didn’t get infected. That’s why you were coughing. The mumje didn't dampen your basic reflexes.” That part was simple to deduce, but questions lingered. “How did you escape infection?”
"My friends here helped me put together an airtight room in my house. It was quite simple, really. I knew what time the mumje would deploy and excused myself moments before. I was nowhere near the town square when the drug fell." The mayor's shoulders squared pridefully. "I just had to wait until it rained to test how compliant the drug made humans." He frowned, the first kink I'd noticed in his armor of smugness. "Unfortunately, no one realized you and your Vaktaire boyfriend escaped infection, and your boy made himself master before I could."
It made Tarook sick to put himself in the position of master to others, despite the necessity. Parlow, however, pouted at losing the privilege.
What a fuckhead!
Thick, rounded shoulders gave a carefree shrug. "It would have been fun to boss some of those self-righteous assholes around. No worries, we still have the information needed. From what I'm told, mumje works quite well on humans, better than other species. What we didn't expect is for you to come up with a way to counteract the drug. I need to know how you did that."
"Go to hell. I'm not telling you shit, you bastard!" I hissed.
There was a flash of movement to my right and a furry hand connected with the side of my head. I went sprawling, bells ringing in my ears, injured arm screaming, and vision dimming.
