Page 6 of Tail Me No Lies
If this didn’t pan out, there was always Serene’s cousin.
ChapterTwo
Nox
Some things were easier saidthan done.
When Nox arrived at the central hub on Corra, he was rumpled, exhausted from being awake for hours on end, and otherwise in a foul mood. A male had standards to keep. Appearances mattered. Nox’s uncle had beaten that lesson—literally—into his hide. Don’t appear weak. Don’t look disorganized or desperate. Your enemies will sniff out any signs of weakness and pounce.
Despite all those adages repeating in his head, Nox felt like he had been chasing his tail. The last few days had been a scramble and he could not let appearances slip. Not once. Too much depended on it. Once he secured his spot on a shuttle, though, the mask slipped, and the enormity of what he’d done caught up with him.
When he got off the shuttle, he planned to rent a room, take a hot shower, and change into fresh garments. He left the low-orbit station with little more than the clothes on his back. He made a quick stop to purchase a new identity fob and a spare. That was all. He prepared as much as he could with the little time he had before walking away from his old life. Not that he would miss it. The only person he would miss was safe, and that was what mattered most. Possessions were meaningless and easily replaced. Wherever he landed, he had enough anonymous credit to land on his feet.
Not that he planned to stay on Corra. The planet was the closest destination from his last known location. Those hunting him would be watching the transportation centers and searching through countless hours of video feeds. The planet had to be a mere stop. Besides, there were places in the galaxy far better suited for a male like himself.
During the flight down, Nox flipped through the matchmaker’s information packet. Technically it was Distinction’s tablet. The male didn’t need it, so Nox took the item. It was a bad habit and one that caused his current predicament. He stole his uncle’s most precious possession.
While his uncle needed to learn that people were not possessions, one did not steal from Ashen and expect to remain in good health. Disappearing quickly and quietly was the best option.
The packet contained several images of a farm. Mostly they were shots of the property—fields, barns, livestock, farm shit—meant to entice a greedy male who wanted to marry for wealth. Only one photo had been of the human female herself.
Dr. Ruth Washington. Not a medic but a scientist.
She smiled nervously at the camera, large glasses perched on her face, cheeks red from the sun and her dark hair tied back, but a few lazy curls escaped from its restraints. A few strands of silver wove through her hair, catching the light.
This was a female who lived her entire life with a planet under her feet. She breathed an unfiltered atmosphere and never had to take supplements to counteract the lack of natural sunlight.
A farmer.
Instinct told him that she would smell of green, growing things and fresh earth. She was so far removed from anyone he had ever encountered.
A possessive urge rose in him, primal and wild.
Mine.
This female was his.
The urge made no sense. Tal did not mate bond. There was no physical or biological response, yet he knew it to be true. This female was his mate.
Well, that complicated his plans to get off Corra as quickly as possible. Then again, the universe had a way of wrecking perfectly serviceable plans.
Body thrumming with this new revelation, he made his way through the transportation hub. Then he spotted a familiar male he’d rather avoid encountering: his uncle.
Any notion that Ashen was on Corra on a benevolent quest to forgive his nephew’s transgression was dismissed. Ashen was not the benevolent type, and he held a grudge with longevity that made mountains envious.
No. If he was on Corra, he was there because Nox had failed to sufficiently cover his trail. Why his uncle came in person unsettled Nox more than being tracked. Ashen rarely sullied his hands in the day-to-day business. He had minions for that. Until a few days ago, he had Nox and his extraordinarily sullied hands for that.
Ashen was there to make an example of Nox, therefore it was in Nox’s best interest to stay out of sight. No one stole from Ashen and lived. No one. Not even his nephew.
Nox had to reach his mate.
Keeping his tail tucked tight to his side, he allowed himself to be swept along with the crowd. The flow brought him close enough that his uncle’s voice pierced through the noise of the busy station.
“I do not care. This is a small planet. Find him,” Ashen ordered in the tone of a male used to being obeyed.
Nox moved past, holding his breath and silently reciting the seven virtues.
Humility. Patience. Kindness.
