Chapter Seven
Three-eyed Mak was the ugliest male Dare had ever seen. He was scarred, had chunks gouged out of his face, was missing teeth, had a hardness that came from a lifespan of fighting and killing.
But the male hadn’t tried to hit Faylee a second time. Another being would have done that in an attempt to assert his authority.
That suggested he had restraint and intelligence. He could be reasoned with.
Dare’s Drache wasn’t interested in negotiations. He glanced at the exit. It wanted to follow his mate, protect her.
“The boy be safe.” Three-eyed Mak’s accent was thick. “This be my world ’n the boy be mine.”
“The child is mine.” Calling Faylee a child irked Dare. It felt like a lie. He reached inside one of his holsters, extracted a packet of sunstones, tossed it to the male. “This should buy the child’s freedom.”
“That all the boy be worth to ye?” Three-eyed Mak’s unsightly face darkened as he weighed the packet in one of his palms.
“A Dracheon values his mate above all else.” Dare suspected his well-informed opponent knew that about Dracheons and realized who Faylee was to him. “The child is worth everything to me.” He lobbed a second packet at the male.
“This ain’t everything.” Three-eyed Mak shook his head.
Fraggin’ hole. “This is everything I have on me.” Dare gave him his last packet of sunstones. He had nothing left to purchase a ship or other supplies.
“It be a start.” Three-eyed Mak gripped all three packets in one hand. “The boy be right eager to trade his life for yers.”
His mate’s proposal had flattened Dare. She’d offered her freedom, forever, in exchange for a ship, something he needed. “I would willingly trade my life for the child’s.”
Three-eyed Mak narrowed all of his eyes at him. “Ye allowed the boy to walk into a fight. He could of died.”
Dare gritted his teeth. “The child disobeyed my orders.”
She had entered the battle to save him, him, a Dracheon warrior. He wanted to both kiss her and smack her ass until she couldn’t sit down.
“Yeah.” Three-eyed Mak nodded and grinned, an expression that made his countenance even more hideous. “The boy ain’t no good with orders. Had to beat his arse a few times myself.”
A growl rolled up Dare’s throat, the thought of another male’s hands on his mate’s delicate form angering his beast. “You won’t beat the child again.”
“I ain’t afraid of ye, ye fancy arse.” His adversary shook his head. “This be my world. I could smite ye out like that.” He snapped the fingers of his free hand.
Dare could burn the male to ash before he knew he was being attacked. But Faylee was currently being protected by her former owner. “The child doesn’t belong in your world.”
“Yeah.” The male’s shoulders slumped. “He can’t be here no more. That gray-haired Humanoid Alliance bastard already be searchin’ for the boy, thinks he be a girl.” Three-eyed Mak glared at Dare, as though blaming him for that slip. “But utter than that, he know who he be lookin’ for ’n will find the boy. Them bastards ain’t never givin’ up.”
Faylee must have realized that. Dare looked toward the exit again. She hadn’t offered her freedom in exchange for the ship. She’d offered her life. “I’m not worthy.”
“Ye ain’t.” Three-eyed Mak agreed. “But ye be the boy’s only hope.” He tossed two of the packets back to Dare. “Ye be needin’ that.” The male pocketed the third packet.
Dare studied the male. “You care for the child.”
“The boy be alive, ain’t he?” His adversary turned away from him, feigned interest in the cavern wall.
There wasn’t much else in the space to look at. Faylee had no sleeping support, no spare garments, no containers of beverage. Once the fire was extinguished, her makeshift chamber would be cold and dark.
It was clean compared to the tunnels outside. The stench and filth had angered him. No one should live in those conditions.
His mate, the most important being in the universe to him, had spent her entire lifespan in the tunnels, eking out an existence, fighting for every scrap. She had very little, was the poorest of the poor.
Yet she’d generously shared what she had with others. The kids waiting in the shadows had been painfully thin, their eyes large, their hands outstretched.
She’d given them her pilfered nourishment bars, freely doling out the precious treats she’d hidden away. The little trinkets she passed to them were items high-credit beings were unlikely to miss. For the boys, they meant the difference between seeing another planet rotation or starving to death.
She had sacrificed her honor to survive, to ensure others lived, and he had labeled her a common thief. Bile burned the back of Dare’s throat.
He, who had been judged harshly his entire lifespan for a condition he’d been born with, had judged her in the same way.
“I’m a complete ass,” he muttered.
“That ye be.” Three-eyed Mak agreed a little too enthusiastically.
He walked to where Vicuska was lying, gazed down at the unconscious Rebel agent, the expression on his ugly face unreadable.
Dare stepped toward them, preparing to intervene.
The male pulled out a small container from his chest covering. “Get up, ye lazy cunt.” He splashed liquid on Vicuska’s face.
She wheezed and spluttered.
“The cunt be healed. It be a fuckin’ miracle.” Three-eyed Mak grinned at him, his eyes twinkling.
Dare swallowed a laugh. The male had a bizarre sense of humor.
“Ye stay here, ye fancy arse. Tell the boy I be back at sunrise.”
Three-eyed Mak swaggered out of the cavern, leaving Dare with the Rebel agent. He couldn’t leave the injured female and search for Faylee…which he suspected was the male’s reason for rousing Vicuska.
“Woo wee.” The Rebel agent wrinkled her nose. “It smells like someone died in here. What is this place?”
“You’re in the caves.” His beast would have liked the primitive surroundings if it hadn’t been his delicate mate’s home. She deserved much, much better. “You’re safe.”
“Am I?” Vicuska’s gaze drifted down his form, pausing at his groin.
His Drache snarled, rearing back. He belonged to Faylee. No other female should look at him that way.
“You are.” His tone was curt. “I’m Dare. I was sent by Kralj, the Ruler of the Refuge, to escort you to the settlement.”
Vicuska opened her mouth.
“The other Rebels are dead.” He answered that question before she could ask it. “We’re arranging transport.” And his mate’s freedom.
As though his thoughts beckoned her, Faylee’s delicious scent amplified. He moved to the entrance, gazed into the darkness, his beast attentive.
It howled with happiness as he spotted her small form. She hurried soundlessly along the tunnel, an injector gun clasped in her right hand.
Her eyes widened, meeting his.
She was back. Relief rushed through him. He could protect her now.
Her body brushed against his, a brief, light caress. Bliss radiated from the points of contact. She glanced at the Rebel agent. Her head immediately lowered, her hair falling forward to hide her face.
“Three-eyed Mak will be back at sunrise.” Dare relayed the male’s message. “We are to stay here.” It wasn’t his ideal waiting place but it would suffice. “Is that the pain inhibitor?” He held out his hand.
His mate silently passed the injector gun to him.
They weren’t alone. His lips flattened. She wouldn’t speak to him while Vicuska was listening to them.
“Three-eyed Mak and I came to an agreement.” He continued talking to his female while he injected the Rebel agent. “I’m responsible for you now. You can talk, be yourself. I’ll keep you safe.”
His stubborn mate shook her head.
“You’re the boy I bumped into a planet rotation ago.” Vicuska stared at Faylee.
The boy? He frowned. Even a female thought his mate was male?
Faylee extracted the memory chip from one of her pockets, held it out to Vicuska.
“You little shit.” The Rebel agent snatched it from his mate’s dirty fingers. “I’ve been looking for that.”
Dare’s beast growled, not liking the female’s tone. “That little shit saved your life.” He set the injector gun aside, hooked one of his arms around Faylee’s waist and drew her protectively toward him. “Don’t ever speak to her like that again.”
His mate jabbed his stomach with her elbows, hissing.
Fraggin’ hole. He’d said her.
“It was a mistake, child.” He sat on the hard stone, setting her on his lap, surrounding her with his scale-covered form. “I won’t make it again.”
If others viewing her as a boy made her feel safer, he’d maintain that illusion. Her well-being, both emotional and physical, was his priority.
He rubbed her arms, her legs, relaying his heat to her. She calmed. His Drache did also, content to be touching her.
“The boy is a thief.” Vicuska stared at them, her top lip curled in disgust. “He stole my memory chip.” She must not have noticed his error. “If he hadn’t taken it, I would have left the settlement at sunrise. The other Rebels would still be alive.”
“The Humanoid Alliance doesn’t leave any enemies alive.” He knew that from the stories the warriors at the Refuge had told him. “And they’re watching the main landing pad.” That information had been sourced from his mate. “If you had accessed your ship, they would have blown it out of the sky.”
“The boy stole from me.” Vicuska grumbled under her breath. “I don’t trust him.”
Faylee had stolen from her. He couldn’t argue with that statement. “I trust the child.”
His mate had her own code of honor, one he was beginning to understand and appreciate. He would trust her with his life.
Vicuska thought differently, the Rebel agent muttering about having to sleep with her eyes open while she took inventory of her remaining weapons.
Dare tidied his mate with the cleaning cloth, removing the grime, exposing her soft brown skin. Faylee didn’t relax, her gaze pinned on the other female.
His Drache also viewed Vicuska as a threat. It paced inside him, bristling.
He sighed. It would be a long planet rotation.
***
Endless moments later, Dare’s tiny mate was curled up in his lap, feigning sleep, and the Rebel agent was eyeing him like he was the last nourishment bar on the planet.
Vicuska reclined on her side, monopolizing the makeshift sleeping support. Despite the chill in the air, her flight suit was partially unfastened, the tops of her pale breasts visible.
Dare wished she’d put them away. He wasn’t interested in anyone other than Faylee and they annoyed his Drache. The beast viewed the display as aggression against his mate. His claws pricked at his skin.
“Are all Dracheons as handsome as you are?” Vicuska, not knowing how close she was to being decapitated, traced her lips with her fingertips. “All tall and broad and silver-scaled?”
“Silver scales are rare.” Which meant other Dracheons paid more attention to him, noting his failures, his lack of control. They’d pay more attention to Faylee also. She was jaw-droppingly beautiful.
He ruffled her hair, enjoying its softness, the fine black strands slipping through his fingers. If they were alone, he’d lick her all over, starting at the top of her head and ending at the tip of her toes.
“No other agent has made it to the Refuge alive.” They weren’t alone. Vicuska was still chattering. “All we might have is this rest cycle.”
“I didn’t escort those other agents.” Dare gazed down at Faylee. “We’ll make it to the Refuge alive.” He would protect his mate.
Faylee pressed her face into his palm as he drifted his hands over her cheek. The movement was slight, would be undetectable to the Rebel agent watching them, but he felt it, her response warming his soul.
She wanted his touch and he wanted her. He swirled circles into her soft skin with his fingertips. The bruise on her jaw was fading. Her eyelashes fluttered. Her lips curled upward.
His beast was enthralled. His humanoid side couldn’t look away. She was so exquisite, so—
“I can give you everything you’re now wanting from the boy.” Vicuska’s interruptions aggravated his Drache. Her words disturbed all of him. “You can use me with no guilt.”
The Rebel agent had seen his desire for Faylee, believed her to be a young boy. She thought he was lusting after a child. Dare’s face heated.
She viewed him as being the lowest type of creature, a grown warrior who preyed upon the helpless, the innocent. In her eyes, he had no honor.
And he couldn’t correct her wrong impression, couldn’t defend himself.
He’d promised his mate he’d keep her secret. Faylee’s trust was worth more to him than a stranger’s good opinion.
“Dracheons are loyal to their fated mates.” That was all he could say. It sounded like a feeble defense even to his own ears.
“He’s a kid, Dare.” Disgust colored Vicuska’s voice. “Leave him alone and use me instead.”
“You want to be used by me?” What type of female desired the sexual predator she believed him to be?
“No, I don’t want to be used by you.” The Rebel agent sat upright. “But I would make that sacrifice to shield the boy from your attentions. I’m fighting the Humanoid Alliance because I wish to stop abuse like this.”
Her accusations jabbed into his soul. For the longest time, all he had was his integrity. Having it questioned hurt him…greatly.
“How many solar cycles does the boy have—ten?” Vicuska waved her hands, the motion agitating his beast. “He doesn’t know right from wrong. You do and you know what you’re doing to him is wrong.”
He wasn’t doing anything to the boy because they weren’t alone.
“You have no honor, warrior.” The Rebel agent leaned forward. “If I didn’t need your help, I would—”
“Shut up.” Faylee yelled, her voice, loud and clearly feminine, startling both of them. “You’re on a secret mission.” She lifted her head and glowered at Vicuska. “And the walls have ears.”
The Rebel agent’s jaw dropped. “Y-You’re female.”
His mate had exposed her identity…for him, to defend his integrity. Dare’s chest heated. And frag, she was fierce, his beast bellowing its approval.
“Yes, I’m a grown female.” Faylee jumped out of his lap, her body vibrating with emotion, her eyes flashing. “He’s a Dracheon warrior.” She pointed at him and he straightened. “A being universe-renowned for honor. And you’re incompetent.”
Vicuska’s face turned red. “I was chosen for this mission.” She stood also. “They must—”
“They must not have been able to convince anyone else to take it.” His tiny mate made her opinion of the Rebel agent’s skills known. “Because if it weren’t for Dare—the male you criticized—you’d be dead.” She slammed her clenched fists against her hips and stared up at her much taller opponent. “You’re a terrible agent.”
The two of them glared at each other. Vicuska said nothing.
Moments passed.
The female sighed. “I am a terrible agent, aren’t I?” Her shoulders rounded. “I heard about this opportunity and I was tired of making supply runs, flying ships back and forth and I thought, ‘How hard could it be?’”
It was Dare’s turn to stare. “Your predecessors died.”
“I didn’t find that out until I had already agreed to the mission.” Vicuska blew out her breath. “It explained the lack of volunteers.” Her lips twisted. “I worked so hard on my disguise. I thought it was good.”
“It wasn’t.” Faylee’s response was blunt. “I knew you were a Rebel the moment I saw you.”
“Shit.” Vicuska plunked her ass on the stone floor. “And you would be the expert on disguises.” Her smile was sheepish. “I thought you were a boy.”
“Now you know I’m not a boy.” Faylee stepped closer to Dare. “Everyone knows that.” She gulped air, her face growing pale. “Everyone.”
The fear in her voice caused his beast to pace.
“You’re safe, mate.” He drew her to him. “I’ll protect you.” He nuzzled against her neck, seeking to comfort her.
“There’s a reason Three-eyed Mak calls females cunts,” she whispered. “Pleasure worker is the only role for females living in the caves. They…they don’t last long.”
“No one will touch you.” His voice deepened, his Drache close to the surface. “I’ll kill anyone who tries.”
“I don’t know how to survive as a female.” She covered his hands with hers, that small act of trust calming him. “If I can survive. The caves—”
“We’re leaving the caves.” He reminded her. “There are a variety of roles for females in the Refuge…and on Dracheon.”
She wouldn’t ever be alone. He would remain by her side, ensuring she had nourishment bars, beverage, a place to live. His mate wouldn’t want for anything.
“There are a variety of roles?” Her face brightened. “Do they have female thieves?”
She wanted to continue that dangerous profession. He swallowed his groan. “They don’t have thieves on Dracheon.” The reprimand for stealing was death.
“But they do have thieves in the Refuge.” His clever mate grasped what he hadn’t said.
“There are other roles.” He would steer her toward one that was less likely to incur Kralj’s wrath.
She wrinkled her nose. “I have no other skills.”
“Are we stealing a ship?” Vicuska broke into their semi-private conversation. “Is that why we have a thief on our team?”
“That thief is my mate.” He would always have her on his team. “And we haven’t yet determined how we’re sourcing a ship.” Dare disliked having to rely upon Three-eyed Mak for that crucial part of the plan. “We should rest.” That was all they could do at the moment. “We’ll need our energy for the next planet rotation.”
“Do you and your mate require privacy?” The Rebel agent grinned. “I could turn my back, stare at the wall.”
He gazed down at Faylee. Her face was pink. The walls had ears, she’d said. They might be betrayed, might die.
But bonding with her might result in death also. Both of them could die. Because if he lost control and killed his tiny mate, that would be the end of him. He wouldn’t survive that experience.
They had to wait until they reached Kralj’s terrain.
“We’ll be alone once we reach the Refuge.” That decision was the right one.
The disappointment reflecting in his female’s eyes said she didn’t agree.