The Smuggler's Radiant (Renegades Book 2) Page 6

  Decimen smiled at her. The male was raw sexuality walking. If Makios hadn’t been around, she would have happily gawked at him all day. But Makios was there.

  ‘All I’m saying is, if you ever do meet them, some of them might not be as bad as you believe them all to be.’ Her dad’s words came back to haunt her. If only he knew.

  Rhona glanced at Makios, and her stomach erupted into butterflies.

  How had this happened? What was she supposed to do with it?

  He has horns, for goodness sake!

  He was also sweet, sexy, a comforting presence that worked hard to reassure and make her feel safe. When she cried, he held her and whispered to her in a soft, steady voice, and she’d been crying a lot. She had no idea how he had the patience to deal with her.

  This, paired with her attraction to him, was culminating in fuzzy feelings she didn’t want to look at too closely.

  A week ago, when she looked at him for the first time, she saw a monster. Now, when she looked at his face, she saw a ruggedly handsome male with kind eyes, sharp cheekbones and a sexy smile. There was no monster inside the cage. All the monsters were the people keeping them in the cages.

  The four alien males hadn’t been back. Makios believed they had probably been punished for hurting Decimen. Apparently, there was a demand for Aavani, and bruises cost the seller money. Like selling a ship. Every scuff cost money even though it had no overall effect on the performance of the vehicle. It made Rhona sick to think of people being reduced by that kind of thinking.

  Rhona looked over at Makios.

  He was lying on his back on the floor, his eyes closed, legs crossed at the ankle and his arms, by necessity, under his head. His horns trailed behind his head by a few inches, meaning he couldn’t lay his head flat on the surface. At night, when Makios held Rhona in his arms, it was with one arm. The other was behind his head to support it and keep his horns from connecting with the floor. It caused him pain to sleep like that, and Rhona had tried to stop him, pointing out she was just as able to sleep on the floor as he was. Arguing that he needed his strength and waking up several times a night as he did, was costing him. He shook his head, smiled at her, kissed her on the forehead and pulled her into his arms anyway. That simple kiss had taken her breath away.

  Dammit, what is happening to me?

  Her whole life she had lived by the tenet that aliens were predators who would hurt her. Stay away from them. They’re dangerous. Damaging. Deranged. They view humans in one of two ways: pleasure or profit.

  Why did Makios have to come along and derail her whole worldview?

  She turned back to Decimen, who was grinning at her. He looked at Makios.

  ‘Bugger off,’ she huffed. She shifted from her knees to her ass and sat against the bars.

  ‘Rhona.’ Decimen’s voice sounded the way she thought caramel would sound if it could speak. Silky, smooth and sweet.

  She turned to look at him. His oval pupils contracted, and he grinned and nodded at Makios. Rhona shook her head and laughed.

  ‘Shut up, you.’ She turned and closed her eyes, hearing Decimen laugh behind her.

  She opened her eyes and let them wander up Makios’s body. The tattoos meant something. She gathered that much, and Makios nodded in confirmation when she asked. When she asked him about the gap on his chest, he touched the blank space, then took her hand and placed it there. Beneath, she could feel his heartbeat. She heard it at night, so strong. Stronger than her dad’s, and he was the strongest person she’d ever known. He said something, looking into her eyes.

  His irises were molten silver. His pupils expanded when he looked at her, black swallowing the silver ‘til only a thin rim remained. He spoke unintelligible words quietly and with solemnity. Whatever he said, he meant every word.

  The air between them became charged. When Makios stopped speaking, the silence drew out until Rhona couldn’t bear it any longer, but she felt unable to break it. They kept eye contact, staring at each other until everything else fell away.

  It was the most intense moment of her life and left her breathless and needy in a way she’d never felt before and couldn’t afford to think about now.

  He was alien; he was the other she’d been warned about her whole life. He was the sexiest male she ever met in her life. Every look, every touch, every smile left her needy to her core. If they were alone, she would have climbed atop him and taken care of that need by now.

  Rhona banged her head into the bars behind her a couple of times. On the other side of them, Decimen laughed. In front of her, Makios opened bleary eyes and looked at her with a frown.

  ‘I’m okay. I just miss home.’

  His expression changed to one of concern. He reached out to her with one arm and indicated she should join him.

  ‘Nah, I’m good, big guy. You get some sleep. You need it.’

  Makios pursed his lips but nodded. He frowned at Decimen, who was chuckling throughout their exchange. They entered into a short discussion before Makios, shaking his head, slipped his arm back under his head and drifted back to sleep.

  Turning, Rhona looked at the Aavani, allowing her displeasure to show on her face.

  Decimen looked utterly unrepentant. In fact, he seemed to be revelling in whatever this growing thing was between Rhona and Makios.

  It couldn’t last. At some point, they would reach their destination and be sold. It was unlikely Rhona would ever see either of them again or any other human.

  Michael lay on the ground, bruised and broken.

  Rhona’s eyes snapped open. The image would come into her mind unbidden. It would hit her without warning and leave devastation behind. She swallowed the lump in her throat, swallowed the tears, swallowed the grief. She refused to give this place any more of her tears.

  A golden hand reached between the bars and took her hand; he squeezed it reassuringly.

  Rhona nodded. ‘Thanks, Decimen.’

  She looked at him. When they met, she was so overwhelmed by the presence of Makios, she barely appreciated the golden man. He was stunning, but in a very masculine way.

  At first sight, he appeared like a human deeply into body paint. His lips were full, his eyes were wide, and his nose was slender. But when she took the time to study each feature, she could see his alien qualities. His cupid bow was strong. The philtrum columns connecting the cupids bow to his nose were slightly higher and the dip between them deeper as a result. It gave his lips more dynamism. His eyes were upturned to the outer corner. That, along with how wide his eyes were, gave him a feline appearance. His nose appeared slender because it was long and regular in shape, but it was actually broad, the look of them offset by the width of his cheekbones, which, set inside an oval, long face, made the rest of his features appear narrow. She realised how leonine he looked, not sure how she hadn’t noticed before. Somehow, each of his features hit a balance that worked within the whole to make a damn fine-looking male.

  Add the golden skin, the green-gold eyes and golden blonde hair, and he was a stunning creature. Not to mention the lean muscle. Decimen was ripped. Each muscle had been developed until the individual strands stood out against his skin. Every time he moved, muscle would ripple against his skin in an almost hypnotic way. Putting him in a loincloth was an intelligent choice on the part of the slavers. He would sell just walking to the platform.

  She assumed there was a platform, anyway.

  ‘My God, you are pretty.’ Rhona smiled at him. ‘I know women who would buy you for the bling value alone.’

  Decimen’s burgeoning smile faded and he looked away from her.

  ‘Decimen, I’m so sorry. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever said.’

  He looked at her. There was a deep sadness in his eyes.

  ‘I guess that’s the problem, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘Everyone wants the pretty Aavani male on their arm, and no one gives a shit what you want.’

  Decimen turned until he was sitting on his arse, his back against the bars.
He nodded.

  He looked up at the ceiling of the chamber. From where she was sitting, she could see a wistful look on his face.

  ‘What do you want?’

  At first, there was no answer, but Rhona waited. A tension had entered his shoulders when she asked the question. He took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. He turned around and looked from her to Makios and back again. Then, palm out, indicated the two of them and closed his hand.

  Turning to ensure Makios was still asleep, Rhona looked back at the Aavani. She caused him to confront this unhappiness; she had to be honest now to make it right.

  Makios’s chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. There was a small snore coming from him. It made Rhona smile to hear it. ‘You want someone,’ she whispered. She looked back at Decimen.

  He was studying her face. The sadness seemed to have crept deeper. He nodded.

  Rhona sighed. A thought occurred to her. ‘You don’t want Makios, do you?’

  Decimen’s eyes widened, and he laughed out loud for the first time in days. He shook his head.

  ‘Me?’ she asked awkwardly. His laughter this time was quieter, but he shook his head again. ‘But someone.’

  Decimen smiled at her and sighed. The sadness re-entered his eyes, he nodded.

  ‘I wish we could talk properly,’ she said. Decimen reached out, taking her hand, and again nodded in agreement.

  There was a shift followed by a jerk. A familiar shiver passed through Rhona.

  Makios jerked awake. A moment later, he stood. There was a tension to his face and posture now.

  Rhona looked at Decimen, the earlier sadness in his face usurped by worry.

  ‘We’ve arrived, haven’t we?’

  Both Decimen and Makios nodded.

  ‘It is good to finally sense you, Captain,’ Deyuul’s voice rang in Makios’s head.

  Makios let out a huff of relief and jumped up. He closed his eyes and thanked the goddess that his friend had made it to Addis.

  ‘There is a slave auction in the city of Ilben in three hacri. I suspect that is where you are being taken,’ Deyuul said.

  ‘Makios, are you okay?’ Rhona asked.

  Makios opened his eyes and looked at her. His heart rate increased. Goddess, she was so beautiful. He nodded but held up a finger like she did whenever she needed a moment to herself and closed his eyes.

  ‘Why don’t you just check Tolomus’s head to find out?’

  ‘I’ve never met Tolomus. I can’t read his mind.’

  ‘Then how did you learn where we were headed before?’

  ‘The Enhari that tricked us.’ Deyuul’s voice was venomous. ‘But he no longer seems to be on board.’

  ‘Yeah, he came down here and beat up an Aavani. Tolomus was furious.’

  ‘Did they get humans?’

  Makios looked at Rhona, who was watching him with a frown on his face. He filled Deyuul in on everything that had happened since he’d been taken on the space station Caras seventeen rotes earlier.

  ‘We’re going to prepare. See you on the ground.’

  ‘See you on the ground,’ Makios answered.

  ‘What was that about?’ Rhona asked when he opened his eyes.

  ‘Yes, Makios,’ Decimen repeated. ‘What was that about?’

  Makios looked at Rhona, frustrated he couldn’t tell her the good news. Instead, he looked at Decimen.

  ‘My ship has arrived. My crew are here. They’re going to free us once we’re on the ground.’

  Decimen closed his eyes in relief. ‘Are you sure they can get us all out?’ Decimen opened his eyes.

  Makios smiled with confidence and nodded. A moment later, the hum of the engines died. All around them, slaves stood and looked around, confused faces looked at each other.

  Makios’s smile died.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Rhona said, standing and looking at the creatures in the chamber. ‘Why’s everyone acting weird?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Makios answered, then shook his head when he remembered she couldn’t understand him.

  ‘There’s only one reason engines would stop on a slave ship,’ Decimen said. ‘The Fedhith has priority buyers.’

  Makios looked at Decimen.

  ‘Rich people who don’t want to be seen buying slaves,’ Decimen explained. ‘They’ll have been in prior contact and been given a list of everything on board. They’re coming with specific slaves in mind.’

  ‘Like an attractive human and an Aavani?’ Makios whispered.

  Decimen nodded.

  ‘And possibly a strong Kathen.’

  ‘No. Tolomus is meeting my buyer on the planet. He told me that the day Rhona came on board.’ He looked at the little human who was watching him, her eyes burning with frustration.

  ‘Deyuul,’ Makios said out loud. ‘Deyuul, we have a serious problem.’ This time he spoke in his head.

  ‘What is wrong?’ Deyuul’s voice said.

  ‘Priority customers. They’re doing business up here. I think they’re coming for Rhona and Decimen.’

  ‘We’re coming,’ Deyuul said after a few moments of silence. ‘We should be able to get trackers on the ship.’

  ‘What did you do to piss Tolomus off?’ Decimen asked.

  ‘You know the Protectorate declaration?’

  ‘My previous owner sold me rather than free me, so yes, I’m aware of it,’ Decimen said. There was bitterness in his voice.

  ‘I had a hand in that.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘I’m good friends with the leader’s female. Tolomus met us both, and now he blames us for the downturn in business. I’ll tell you the rest when we retrieve you.’

  ‘Deyuul, is there a way you can sense Rhona without meeting her?’

  ‘If you touch her while connected to me, I may be able to use the connection to creep over.’

  There was a sound. Behind him, the lift opened, and Tolomus led a group of his men on board. With them was a male, a pale-skinned Amaran male with two Raqhan guards. Their blue eyes watched them with malice. Behind him was a Potuun female with a red-haired Luadaal and a dark-purple-skinned Maruzen.

  Makios turned to Rhona, who was watching the newcomers with panic in her eyes. He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.

  ‘Deyuul, do it,’ he thought as he claimed her lips with his own.

  ‘Oh, this will work,’ the Uunda exclaimed with surprise.

  Rhona tensed when his lips first touched hers. Then she relaxed against him and opened her mouth to him, her long arms stretched around him. Makios groaned and stood straight, lifting her into his arms to increase his body’s connection to hers. She gasped against him and then wrapped her legs around his waist.

  Her lips were soft and yielded against his. The feeling of her against him threatened to overwhelm him. He stepped up to the bars separating his cage from Decimen’s and pressed her against them. She moaned into his mouth, her tongue chasing the sound, and placed a hand flat against his face.

  Despite the smell that had been coming from her for rotes, she tasted incredible.

  ‘Kathen, I put the human here because I thought you were honourable. Let her go. Her master is here.’

  The door opened behind him.

  Rhona broke the kiss and looked at the door with fear in her eyes.

  ‘Now don’t be so quick, Fedhith. I was enjoying the show.’

  Makios turned to see the Amaran looking at him through cool green eyes. There was a smirk on his face.

  ‘In fact, throw in the Kathen. I’d like to watch him vrok her. She seems to be enjoying it.’

  ‘The Kathen isn’t for sale.’ Tolomus twisted his lip in disgust. ‘I already have a buyer I’m meeting on the planet.’

  ‘Whatever he’s paying, I’ll double it.’ The Amaran looked at Tolomus. ‘Triple it.’ He said when Tolomus shook his head.

  ‘He’s sold.’

  ‘Shame.’ The Amaran sighed. He looked down at the tent in Makios’s pants. ‘and he’s all re
ady for her.’ He tilted his head. Makios shifted away from the Amaran’s gaze and growled at him.

  ‘Ah, I see he’s possessive. That wouldn’t work in our extended family, would it?’ he grinned at the two Raqhan, who smiled back.

  ‘Let go of the human, Kathen,’ Tolomus repeated. He pulled a stun stick out of his belt. ‘This will bring you down. I imagine it would kill her.’

  ‘Rhona,’ Makios whispered, ‘I’m coming for you. I promise.’

  ‘Makios.’ She kissed him, her eyes filled with tears. ‘Goodbye.’

  ‘No, not goodbye.’ He shook his head, letting her down when Tolomus entered the cell. ‘I’m coming for you.’ He held her head in his hands, desperately trying to convey his meaning in his tone, his look. Something entered her eyes, her face. She frowned.

  ‘Step back, Kathen.’

  Makios growled but took a step away.

  ‘Rhona.’ Decimen put a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘Bye, Decimen.’ She put her hand over his. It broke Makios to hear the certainty in her voice.

  Tolomus grabbed her arm and jerked her to him. Makios growled a warning.

  ‘Have a care, Fedhith,’ the Amaran said. ‘That’s my property now.’

  Tolomus pulled Rhona out of the cell and passed her to the Amaran.

  ‘Let me see you,’ the Amaran murmured. He put a hand to Rhona’s throat and forced her head back. ‘Very nice.’ He smiled at her.

  Makios couldn’t see her face but was growling on her behalf.

  The Amaran looked at Makios and grinned.

  ‘You really like her, don’t you, Kathen?’ He chuckled. He looked down at Rhona, who was struggling against him.

  ‘Get off me,’ she hissed. Her voice was low and angry. The Amaran looked down at her and laughed.

  In a swift movement, he pressed her against the bars and pressed his body against her.

  ‘Ah, you bastard.’ She held her hand up to her head where it had hit the bars.