Page 2 of The Price of Peace
I didn’t know how the female was still going. She obviously wasn’t Rykantosian. With her tawny skin and that white hair, I would’ve sworn she was a Pleiadian if I didn’t know better. I had no idea why a Pleiadian bounty hunter would be on Rykantos; or why a Pleiadian would be doing as a bounty hunter at all. The profession was a bit low brow for those stuck-up fekks.
But, then again, Regent Jökull was head of the syndicate I was working to bring down when everything went to shit. Jökull was proof Pleiadians weren’t as morally superior as they liked everyone in the universe to believe.
But still, a bounty hunter? I found it hard to believe. As I listened to the wind whistling through the abandoned tunnels, causing old wooden equipment to creak in the dark, I tried to control my twitchiness. I focused all my attention on listening for anyone or anything creeping up on me. I couldn’t afford to get caught. I couldn’t go back. And I definitely couldn’t be tried for treason before I got proof of my innocence. If I failed, I’d be hauled off to cryoprison and locked in stasis or worse, I’d be shipped off to a prison planet to fight in the gladiator rings until my sentence was up or, more likely, killed by a Lithomorph. One pounding from those rock fekkers and I’d be toast!
For all that burns, Xyrox! Focus!Wind. Creaking. Sand blowing. Alone ... Wait. Was that a drip? Could there be some water in here somewhere?
I lifted my face to the air and flicked my tongue out to scent for moisture. I turned in a slow circle, repeating the action.There!It was faint, but there was a slight moisture in the air in that direction, deeper into the pitch-black mine. Even if it was a small puddle, it would give me an advantage over the female hunter. I crept down the tunnels, flicking my tongue every few steps.
The motion soon became automatic, and it took me back to my academy training days with my best friend, Luick. One time, we were dropped into a similar mine. We had no supplies, no map, and no way of telling what dangers lurked around the bend. The training was unforgiving. We were expected to get ourselves out or die trying.
I sighed softly. Poor Luick. I had to hit him pretty hard when I escaped to make it believable that I’d surprised and overpowered him. The male had a mate and three chits. Icouldn’t let anyone suspect he’d been in on it with me. My lips quirked up in a half grin. I did owe him for the time he gave me a black eye and tore four scales off my back when we were undercover on Zylothian Prime.
Lost in my thoughts again, I almost missed the single water droplet that landed on my cheek. I froze. Another one hit the top of my head, landing between two of my black braids. I tilted my face up. Sure enough, water dripped from the rock ceiling onto my forehead.
I searched my pockets for the small plastic container with a lid I’d found the first day I had buried myself and hidden in the sands during the heat of the day. I’d hoped it would come in handy at some point and now it was. I could only pray it hadn’t previously held some nasty poison that would seep into my system slowly with the water but—I shrugged. Beggars can’t be choosers, and I was thirsty. Squatting in a comfortable position, I held the small container under the drip and waited patiently for it to fill drop by drop.
“Well, aren’t you chivalrous?”
Spinning in shock at the soft but snarky voice, I fell flat on my ass. The owner of the voice plucked the water bottle from my hand and took a long drink.
Of all the fekking, burning suns!My dehydration must’ve been worse than I thought. I must have passed out for a moment while waiting for the tiny bottle to fill, and the fekking Pleiadian bounty hunter snuck right up on me!
A light clipped at her waist illuminated her. Staring up at her from my ignominious position, I froze, a response lodged in my throat. She had the most magnificent violet eyes I had ever seen … and, what the fekk? They were glowing like amethysts lit from within. “Who are you?”
Her eyes narrowed at the question. “Fugitive enforcement agent Veylora. I’ve come to take you in Quorath.”
Veylora. That was an old, distinguished Rykantosian name. I cocked my head at her. “Not possible. You’re not Rykantosian.”
Those beautiful eyes rolled so far up, I thought they might get stuck in the back of her head. They didn’t, and she drilled into me with them again. “Not that it’s any of your business, criminal, but I was adopted. Now put these on.” She took a step back from me and threw a pair of laser cuffs at my chest. “I’m assuming you know how to use them given your previous line of work.”
I stood slowly, my eyes darting around looking for a way out. There was only the way I’d come in, which the female was blocking, and a smaller tunnel to the right. Going over the probability of my diving into the tunnel before she could blast me, I was surprised by what she said next.
“I’m not taking the chance of getting anywhere near those pretty muscles until you’re all tied up.”
I smirked. “Well, that’s awfully complimentary, but it’s not going to convince me to put them on.”
Her striking face scrunched up in a scowl at me while she pulled out a warshade emitter and pointed it in my direction. The weapon was tiny, but I knew it could turn me into a puddle on the right setting.
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you blabbering about? Put on the cuffs.”
Motioning toward my body, I grinned at her. “You wouldn’t want to mess up my pretty muscles with that blaster, would you? But you forgot to mention the tattoos. They cost me quite a bit. You wouldn’t want to mess those up either.”
She gaped and her eyes widened. “Pretty muscles? What are you talking about?”
“You just said that.” I scoffed. “Has the heat gotten to you, bright eyes?”
“I didn’t say that out loud,” she answered through gritted teeth.
A bark of laughter escaped me. Yes, she was trying to drag me back to prison or certain death, but something about her amused me. Fekking hells if she wasn’t gorgeous as well. And there was something else … “Okay, Agent Veylora, whatever you say. But I’m still not putting these cuffs on.” I tossed them back at her.
The female continued to stare at me in consternation, her violet eyes glowing ever brighter against her tawny skin and pale, white-blonde braids as they drilled into me. Her expression was enigmatic as we studied each other. The moment swelled around us. Something inexplicable pulled me toward her. I even took a step before I opened my mouth to speak again. I clamped it shut a second later when I heard other voices down the corridor.
3
PEACE
“Iswear I saw her come this way,” a voice said. “You can’t miss that hair.”
