Chapter Eight
Vicuska and Dare had criticized her for being a thief, yet, at sunrise, they munched happily on the nourishment bars she’d stolen.
They washed the flattened treats down with the beverage Three-eyed Mak had a boy deliver to them. That precious though slightly cloudy liquid was likely pilfered also.
Faylee kept her opinions to herself. She’d said enough over the past planet rotation. By now, every cave dweller in Mirage must know she was female.
She felt exposed, vulnerable. Without thinking, she shifted closer to Dare, pressing her body against his hard muscle.
Despite his talk of fated mates and undying loyalty, he would leave her. He’d have to. She didn’t fit into his fancy-arse world.
Her fingers curled around the memory chip she’d stolen back from the Rebel agent. She was a thief, couldn’t stop stealing. It was her only skill, her sole means of earning credits, of feeding herself.
It was all she’d ever known.
Her Dracheon warrior had the luxury of always acting with honor. He was big and strong and she would borrow his protection while she learned how to operate in the Refuge. Then they would part.
Forever.
She pushed her pain aside. They were together now. She had to focus on that.
Because even this moment with Dare wasn’t guaranteed. Boots pounded against stone and she flinched.
Three-eyed Mak entered the cavern. His fists were already clenched. That didn’t bode well for the confrontation or for her.
“Ye set on dyin’, boy?” He settled his gaze on her. “Boys be bellyachin’ ‘bout yer squawkin’.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” She bowed her head. The Rebel agent had questioned Dare’s integrity, had implied he didn’t have honor. She couldn’t remain silent.
Three-eyed Mak reached out his right hand. She braced herself for pain.
“Do not touch her.” Dare growled, moving closer to her.
Her former boss lowered his hand. “Look at me, boy.”
She met his gaze.
Three-eyed Mak stared at her for one seemingly endless moment. He didn’t move, didn’t say anything, standing before her as though he was transfixed by what he saw.
“Fuck.” His eyes softened. “Ye look like her.”
She barely heard his words, didn’t know what they meant. Her? Was he referring to her mother? Three-eyed Mak never talked about the past, about how he’d found her. Had he known her parents?
The male shook himself and scowled. “I want ye ’n the fancy arses gone.” He scanned the cavern. “Stinky Jim be waitin’ with his ship at the north entrance. It be yers.”
They had a ship. Faylee’s shoulders lowered. She knew the vessel. It was a rust bucket but it should get them to the Refuge. “Thank you, sir.”
Three-eyed Mak’s gaze returned to her. “Stinky Jim ain’t a fancy arse.”
“I understand, sir.” They would have to look like him to get through the Humanoid Alliance stopping points.
“They ain’t better than us.” He jerked his head toward Dare. “Remember that, boy.”
“I will, sir.” She disagreed. Dare and Vicuska were better beings than she was. But she would keep his words in mind.
Her former boss took a long, thorough look at her, his expression unreadable.
“Get, boy.” His voice was gruff.
He turned and left without another word.
The being she had known for twenty-one solar cycles, the only constant in her lonely life, was gone. She didn’t know why she thought the good-bye would be more momentous. That wasn’t Three-eyed Mak’s way.
“What do you know about Stinky Jim’s ship?” Dare placed his hands on her shoulders, the contact comforting her.
She faced him. “It’s a small hauler. The cargo is refuse.” The ship made the caves seem luxurious. “I can fly it.”
“Flying is what I do,” Vicuska said proudly.
“The captain will be communicating with the Humanoid Alliance.” Faylee bent over, scooped some guck off the cavern floor, smeared it over her cloth-covered chest. “Ye ain’t Stinky Jim. Ye be fancy arses.” She mimicked Three-eyed Mak’s way of speaking. “There’s space for one other being in the front of the ship. The third being will have to travel in the back, under the refuse.”
“I’m not leaving your side.” Dare rubbed dirt over his face.
She preferred he was the being beside her also. “They’ll be looking for a Dracheon with silver scales.”
His forehead furrowed. “I can appear human…if I concentrate.”
He gazed at the cavern’s rock wall, jutting his jaw, clenching his fingers into fists. His eyes glazed over. His breathing leveled. His scales receded.
Faylee preferred his shiny silver scales but he did appear human. He would fool the Humanoid Alliance yes-males.
Her warrior also looked as though his mind was somewhere else.
“Are you with us?” She peered up at him.
He didn’t answer her. The flames in his eyes were spookily low.
Fear flowed down her spine, chilling her to the bone. “Dare.” She touched his arm.
He jerked. Silver scales covered his tanned skin. The fire in his eyes returned. A rumble came from his throat. “Mate?”
“I thought I lost you there for a moment.” She smiled at him, relieved.
“A normal Dracheon can control his beast easily.” He didn’t meet her gaze. “It takes everything I have. I can’t speak, can’t move, can’t be touched.”
“That’s fine.” She could work with those limitations. “It’s better that you don’t speak.” No low-credit being talked like him. “Or move.” His body language screamed threat, declared him to be a predator at the top of the food chain. “If I need you to release your beast”—if something went wrong and the situation became dangerous—“I’ll touch your arm like I just did. You can then kill everyone.”
He grinned. “I’m very good at that.”
“What do I do?” Vicuska asked. The Rebel agent was reluctantly coating herself with grime, her perfect nose wrinkling.
“When we reach the stopping points, you won’t move or speak either.” She viewed the female more like their mission than part of the team. “You’ll remain still in the back of the hauler, refuse layered on top of you.”
“That part of a hauler isn’t climate-controlled.” Dare surprised her by sharing. “It’ll be hot. Carry a container of beverage.”
“Gotcha.” Vicuska slid a container between her big breasts.
Faylee lifted her eyebrows and looked at her male. How did he know so much about haulers?
“I’ve searched ships arriving at the Refuge,” he explained.
“Then why am I organizing this part of the mission?” Her lips twisted. He had been in the enemy’s role, would have insights about how they thought.
“You know how to move from place to place undetected.” Her Dracheon warrior didn’t appear to care if she took the lead. “Vicuska, cover your hair also.”
That was good advice. The Humanoid Alliance would be searching for a red-haired human female, might spot the light-catching strands through the garbage.
They splashed muck on themselves and on each other. Faylee rubbed her dirty hands over Dare’s back, savoring the power in his form, the hardness of his muscles. The scales he’d lost during the battle with the Humanoid Alliance had already been replaced.
Her male threaded his fingers through her hair, spiking some of the strands, the dirt stiffening them. He showed no signs he was repulsed by the act, by the smell. His eyes were lit with flames. He tapped her nose with a dirty finger and she blinked.
“Are we ready?” Her voice was breathy. She wanted him, enjoyed the touching.
“We’re almost ready.” He gazed down at her. “Vicuska, turn around.”
Faylee’s body hummed with anticipation. “We don’t have time to—”
His lips captured hers, silencing her words, redirecting her thoughts to him, only him. They had time for a kiss, perhaps more.
She grasped his shoulders and leaned into his fit form. He ravished her mouth, their tongues tumbling, twining, his heat branding her, marking her as his.
He tasted of smoke and aroused male. His hardness pressed against her stomach. She rubbed along him. His fingers curled under her ass. He lifted her higher, pressing her against him.
This was worth every sacrifice she had made in the past couple of planet rotations and would make in the future. She’d risk her lifespan again and again, with no hesitation, for another one of his embraces.
Needing a tinge of pain, she flicked her tongue against his teeth. He growled and sucked on her injured flesh, the tugging felt down to her pussy.
This wild warrior was hers for the moment, all of his attention on her. She wasn’t invisible, wasn’t unworthy, not in his fire-filled eyes. She was feminine, priceless, strong.
“I’ll stay close to you, mate.” He leaned his forehead against hers, his warm breath wafting over her cheeks. His scales decorated every exposed part of him, the tiny ridges visible through the dirt. “You’ll never be alone.”
“I could fuck this up.” She whispered the confession, admitting to that fear.
“Then we’ll fight.” His smile was rueful. “That’s what I do best.” He reached into a holster, dropped a dizzying number of sunstones into her palms, closed her fingers over them. “These are for your little friends.”
Friends. She’d never seen the boys in that light. Although they had no credits, no freedom, they did have each other.
She might no longer be considered one of them. Girls were ridiculed, despised, hated by the boys, viewed as weak, emotional, useless.
But she continued to care for them and after she left, she couldn’t cover their shortfalls. The not-yet-skilled boys, the ones without her ability to steal, would owe more and more to Three-eyed Mak, falling deeper into his debt until they could no longer escape the caves.
The sunstones might buy some of them their freedom.
She looked up at Dare, wanting to thank him yet unable to say the words. No one had ever cared for her like this, giving her something for nothing.
He squeezed her hands. “Now, we’re ready.”
She inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled, mentally preparing herself to face the boys. “I’ll go first.”
“I’ll be right behind you.” Dare placed his hand on the small of her back, the contact buttressing her courage.
“I’ll be last.” Vicuska muttered. “Trying not to get in the way.”
“We have to protect you.” Faylee attempted to ease the Rebel agent’s unhappiness. “If we die, the mission could still succeed. If you die, the mission is over.”
“No one is dying.” Her warrior pushed her out of the cavern.
Boys crowded on ledges, lurked in the shadows. She met their gazes, her chin high. It felt strange to look at them directly. She’d hidden her eyes from the boys her entire lifespan.
“You don’t have to leave, boy,” one of them yelled.
“We’ll protect you.” Another voice from the darkness contributed.
She was still boy, still one of them. Faylee swallowed the ball of emotion forming in her throat.
“I have to leave.” She spoke loudly to enable them all to hear her. “My presence here is putting you in danger.”
That prompted a flurry of boasts and scoffs, the boys claiming they weren’t scared and didn’t need protecting. No one would mess with Three-eyed Mak.
Free to speak after solar cycles of near silence, she joked with the boys, sharing things she’d always wanted to say. She commented on one boy’s impressive speed, another kid’s ability to mimic, admired an older boy’s burping prowess.
They teased her about sounding like a girl, gave her a rough time about keeping the company of fancy arses. Dare and Vicuska remained outsiders, excluded from the conversation.
Which emphasized how much she belonged. Glowing with that acceptance, she headed toward an exit large enough for her big Dracheon male to maneuver through. It was positioned closest to the settlement’s north entrance.
More boys stepped forward to say good-bye. She distributed the sunstones to the smallest, the slowest, the least-skilled kids.
She approached Overclocked reluctantly, knowing that would be the most difficult farewell. Since the boy arrived at the caves, struggling with all his might to keep up with Three-eyed Mak, they had felt an affinity toward each other. They were two beings who were different, who didn’t quite fit in their worlds.
She would miss him.
When she came within reach, her friend dropped a device down to her. She caught it, examined it, didn’t know what it was.
“It’s a voice changer.” He didn’t meet her gaze. “Stick it to your chest, boy.”
She did that immediately, hiding the device under her ragged chest covering. “Thank you.” Her voice now resembled his, boyish yet light, suiting her small form.
Overclocked shrugged. That slight movement told her everything he couldn’t say. He cared for her, would miss her too.
“Any merchant in the settlement would be lucky to have a being with your skills.” She placed her remaining sunstones on his ledge. “Pay off your debt and get out of here.”
Overclocked nodded.
She tilted her face upward, not allowing her tears to fall. That would embarrass both of them. Boys didn’t cry.
“Good-bye, my friend,” she whispered as she strode away from him.
“I’m proud of you, mate.” Dare’s voice was gruff.
Why was he proud of her? Did he think she was leaving her life of crime behind her also? She sniffed. “Overclocked has other skills. I don’t.” Stealing was all she could do.
“You have many skills.” He splayed his fingers over her back as they walked. “You merely haven’t discovered them yet. You’ve been too busy staying alive.”
“You’re good at disguises.” Vicuska contributed to the conversation. “And seeing in the dark. The light is very dim here.”
“Your sight will improve even more after we bond.” Dare’s assumption that would happen was reassuring. “Dracheons have superior senses.”
“I’ll be the best thief on the planet.” She stuck her head out of the cave’s exit, scanned the crowded pathway, didn’t spot any Humanoid Alliance minions.
She merged with the masses of beings. Dare attracted some attention, but it was brief. The higher-credit beings looked at him and then looked away.
Her lips twitched. They likely thought he’d ask them for help.
She navigated the pathways, leading her team through the settlement. The route became less and less occupied, the few beings using it preoccupied with their own tasks, their own worries.
It was the working part of Mirage. The pathway to the north entrance was primarily used by tradesbeings. Stinky Jim and his wreck of a ship didn’t garner a second glance.
The eccentric male cackled to himself as he spotted her. “She’s all yours.” He waved proudly at the vessel.
The bridge was open to the air, had space for two torn seats. The transparent panel erected at the front, designed to block the wind and sand, was cracked. Garbage hung from the ship’s sides. The panels were dented and rusted. Flying insects buzzed around it.
The back was a closed container. Dare opened it. The refuse was waist deep, the smell repulsive.
Vicuska’s face paled. She pinched her nose and waded into the mess, not hesitating, not making a sound.
Faylee’s respect for the female increased. She might look like a fancy arse but she had the nerve of a cave dweller.
Dare shut the back, sealing the Rebel agent inside the space. She wouldn’t exit until they arrived at the Refuge.
Faylee moved to the front of the ship. The ramp to the captain’s seat was missing. She tried to reach the threshold, couldn’t. The ship hovered too damn high off the ground.
Dare grinned and tossed her upward. She grasped the frame, steadying herself. Some of the metal crumbled in her hands.
Her huge Dracheon rounded the front of the vessel and claimed his place beside her. Metal scraped against metal as he made space for his longer legs, pushing his seat back as far as it could go.
The trip wouldn’t be comfortable for any of them. The padding under Faylee’s ass oozed liquid. The console was coated with a layer of black grease. She studied the controls, managed to move the ship forward.
The crowd parted in front of them. They puttered along at what appeared to be the hauler’s top speed. The rattling was deafening.
Three Humanoid Alliance minions were waiting for them at the gates. They looked at each other, their lips moving. The youngest male threw his hands in the air, shook his head, walked to her side of the ship.
She glanced at Dare. Her warrior stared straight ahead of him, his face blank, his body tense. His scales weren’t visible. His beast was under control.
“Where are you going?” The male eyed her.
“We be goin’ to the Refuge for a pickup.” She spat on the console. “The usual. Same shit, different planet rotation.” She laughed off-key and scratched her leg.
“Right.” The male looked down his nose at her, his disdain palpable. “And you?” He addressed Dare.
“The big arse don’t speak.” She answered for her warrior. “He be dumb as a fresh turd but strong, can lift this here hauler wit one hand.” She smacked the goober she’d left on the console.
The Humanoid Alliance minion’s top lip curled. “What do you have in the back?”
“Rottin’ vegs, dead things, shit, all the stuff ye fancy arses ain’t wantin’.” She wiped her hands on her ass coverings.
“I have to open it up, take a look.” The male walked to the back.
“Suit yerself.” Fuck. Aware the other males were watching her, she didn’t glance at Dare, tried to remain calm.
If the male spotted Vicuska, they were dead.
The Humanoid Alliance minion opened the back, then immediately closed it again. “Son of a Palavian whore.” He rushed to the edge of the pathway, bent over and vomited, puking on the white stone.
The other males laughed, slapping their knees, clearly entertained.
“You’re cleared to proceed.” The biggest one waved them through.
They’d passed the first stopping point. Faylee exhaled the breath she was holding. The ship jerked forward, chugging along at a pace only slightly faster than she could run.
Sand swirled around the ship. Sweat dripped down her spine, Carinae E’s solitary sun heating her form. The settlement gradually faded from view behind them.
She squeezed Dare’s wrist. “It’s safe.”
He lurched, his scales rushing to the surface. “Did they touch you?”
“My stench kept them away.” She grinned at him. “You don’t need to kill anyone…not yet.”
Her warrior didn’t laugh, didn’t smile. “A normal Dracheon could better protect you. He could control his beast and be aware of his surroundings, talking and acting like a human would.”
“Normal Dracheons sound extremely boring.” She preferred her much-more-savage male.
He stared at her for a moment.
“Am I right?” She suspected she was.
His lips curled upward. “You’re right. They are extremely boring.”
She threw her head back and laughed.