Chapter 23BerusCamila

Chapter 23

Berus

Berus gawked at the other male in shock. Rehden thought Camila was his mate? This changed everything. If Rehden wasn't just a merchant looking to retrieve his goods for sale or even a slave owner looking to reclaim his property, no wonder he was willing to follow them out into the wilderness to retrieve her. It also explained the male's obsession with her, and his hyper-possessive behavior.

If Rehden truly believed Camila was his mate, then he would fight to the death for her. An owner would be angry that his property was being used without his permission. But a mate? A mate would be in a murderous rage.

And indeed, Rehden had looked ready to destroy planets when Berus greeted him after the act. The other male's expression was calmer now, but that meant nothing.

Berus turned to Camila, and she looked just as shocked. She hadn't realized. Camila never thought of Rehden that way; Berus knew that for sure. He'd seen how she cowered around him, always shrinking into herself like she wanted to disappear completely. She did not return his feelings, that was obvious.

Even now, she shook her head in denial at Rehden's announcement. Good. The thought of Camila being Rehden's mate was enough to set Berus's blood boiling. If Camila was looking for a mate, then Berus should be it. Not this unworthy male.

"Since when?" Camila's usually soft voice was loud in the quiet forest. She took a step toward Rehden, who was still hanging upside-down in the tree.

A sudden fear gripped Berus. What if he managed to convince Camila to choose and stay with him now that she knew he thought of her as his mate?

Berus pulled her behind him with a snarl. "It doesn't matter. You are mine now, Cami."

"I need to know," Cami said from behind him. "When?"

"In the transport, while we were on the run. We spent days together in that small space." Instead of sounding happy, Rehden came across as resigned. "They warned us not to let human females sleep in our beds. I should've been more careful. By the time I realized it, it was too late. You are mine."

A mate bond was supposed to be a gift. Rehden viewed it as a curse. And why? Because Cami was human? Because she was less than him in his eyes?

"Enough!" Berus roared. He turned to glance quickly at Cami. She was scowling. Whatever she'd wanted to hear, Rehden had not said it.

"You want her?" Rehden spat. "Then we fight for her, like the old days. No weapons. Just claws and fangs. To the death."

Whoever won would get to keep Cami for as long as they could hold onto her, as per the old ways long abandoned by Tallean society. It used to be that the winner would hide the female away, keeping her with him to force a mate bond to form. Some stubborn males would keep the female for months, even years, if the female didn't have family to rescue her. Mate bonds didn't always form in situations like this, but they often did.

Most modern females thought the custom outdated and barbaric. They wanted more from their males than just raw power.

These old customs were dangerous for everyone involved: if one side formed a bond but the other did not, the unrequited bond would destroy his or her mind. They went insane as rejection and desperation wiped out their ability to think. Sometimes, the unwanted mate suffered alone. But stories of murder-suicides were also common.

Was that how Rehden felt now?

Berus pictured Cami leaving with the other male as his mate and snarled. He felt a little crazy, too, and he knew he was forming a bond as well.

Rehden scoffed. "Are you such a coward that you'd rather just leave me here? I promise, if you do, I will find you and I will take her. I will hound your every breath, every step from now until eternity." He swung his body around to face Cami. "As for you, when I get my hands on you, I'm going to mark every single inch of your skin, break every finger and toe, until no one will want you but me."

His revolting words had every protective instinct in Berus flooding to the surface. The unreciprocated bond had clearly already started to warp Rehden's mind. No real mate would ever threaten his female, or harm her just so others would not want her.

There was no way Berus would let this male walk away now. Cami would be forever watching her back.

"Get in the transport and lock the door," he said.

Cami didn't move.

"Now, Cami. That's an order."

After he heard the transport door open and close, he aimed the blaster at the cord suspending Rehden and shot. The male fell to the ground.

"You want a fight? You've got one." Berus tossed the blaster into the thicket. "No weapons. Just claws and fangs." He patted himself down and then spread his hands to show that he was weaponless.

Rehden was already on his feet. He unstrapped the knife at his belt and threw it into the thicket as well.

"I accept. No weapons. Just like the old days. Winner keeps the female." He spread his hands. They too were empty.

And the fight was on.

Berus didn't hold back. He let bloodlust rise up and take over. The feeling of his jaws unhinging and his fangs sliding out was a welcome one. His senses heightened, and the need to crush something with his bare hands became overwhelming.

Berus went in with a snarl, punching Rehden in the face. But he only got one strike in before the male ducked and scurried away. There was a smirk on Rehden's face, as if he didn't realize he was living his last minutes.

Berus's next strike would be the last; he was going to eviscerate the bastard, and he was going to enjoy it.

Just then Rehden reached for something on his belt, and a set of small knives flew at him. Berus had guessed the male would lie about being unarmed and was ready for them. He ducked and rolled, dodging the flying projectiles. One of the blades nicked his skin, but the cut was shallow.

Berus expected another trick, but instead, Rehden ran, putting the transport between them.

"Who's a coward now?" Berus asked as he pursued him around the transport.

Rehden let out a cackle. "Not me. I've already won."

Suddenly, Berus's arms and legs felt like lead. His next few steps had him falling to the ground. He struggled to his feet, only to stumble again after a few steps.

What was happening to him?

His eyes landed on the shallow cut on his arm.

Fuck! He'd been poisoned.

Camila

"No!" Cami cried as Berus fell.

She should have warned him. Rehden never fought fair.

Then she was out of the transport and running toward Berus. But before she could reach him, Rehden scooped her up.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" He dragged her behind him as he started away from Berus and the transport.

Cami struggled, her eyes still on Berus. Was the blade poisoned? Was Berus dying?

No! They hadn't spent nearly enough time together. Cami hadn't even gotten the chance to ask him if he wanted to test for compatibility with her yet. If she let Rehden drag her away now and Berus died on the forest floor, that would never happen.

Cami was sick of waiting for things to happen to her. She was going to make things happen herself now, even if it killed her. She had to get back to Berus and then she would call for help. She peered around, looking for a weapon.

How had Rehden gotten here without a transport? How had he crossed the river with all the gargapods and acid leech things? Her questions were answered when she saw a skidoo-like vehicle at the edge of the river, which was now much wider. He dragged her toward it.

"Get on that, and don't try anything funny," he snarled. "Your mercenary is as good as dead, and I'm your only way out of this hellhole now."

"He isn't my mercenary," she replied, remembering what Berus had told her earlier. "The humans on the ship promised to take me to Reka 5. When the crew wasn't looking, he stole me away."

Rehden scoffed. "Of course he did. That's the only way someone like him would ever get a female." He shoved her at the vehicle. "Get on."

Rehden watched as she struggled to get onto the single-person vehicle. He finally decided to help, but only because he thought her too slow. He hauled her onto the seat and then got on in front of her.

Desperate not to have a river between her and Berus, she looked around frantically for anything that could help her escape. Her eyes landed on the blaster strapped to Rehden's belt. She immediately remembered Roxy stealing the bounty hunter's blaster. She couldn't believe that had happened so recently. She felt like a completely different person now.

Rehden usually had his weapon hard coded to his biosignature. It was an expensive feature used in the inner planets to prevent slaves from rebelling. This wasn't his usual weapon, though. The bounty hunters had taken that one, and Rehden had never gotten it back. This blaster was new.

What were the chances he'd had a chance yet to safeguard this one? He'd come after her almost immediately. Unless he'd guessed he would lose his primary weapon and had set up a replacement already, there hadn't been enough time. Cami had to believe this weapon wasn't locked. Before she could overthink it, she acted.

She grabbed the weapon. The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. Hearing Berus's words in her head, she undid the safety. Just as he'd said, it was exactly in the same spot. But this blaster wasn't configured quite the same way Berus's was, and she couldn't tell how to select the power level—especially not with how little time she had, and the way she was pressed against Rehden's back.

Rehden grabbed her wrist.

Shit!

Realizing she had to act now, she pointed the weapon at him the best she could and pulled the trigger, holding onto the weapon with everything she had so she wouldn't lose her grip on it. The recoil and blast knocked her right off the vehicle. Damn, we never did practice that part , she thought as she sailed through the air.

Rehden was knocked off the vehicle as well and splashed right into the water. To Cami's surprise, no hole opened up in him, nor did the blast knock him out. Rather, he was very much alert. With a shocked look on his face, he looked down first at his body and then at Cami. He ripped open the front of his top, revealing body armor inside.

Oh shit!

He might not have had time to put a lock on his new weapon, but he'd replaced his body armor.

"You're going to regret that, mate."

He advanced on Cami, a murderous look in his eyes. But the weapon was still in her hands. She backed away, raised it, and shot him again, this time aiming for his face. But he was able to duck out of the way.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

She fired again and again until she stumbled back, tripping over a rock. Even if she couldn't get him in the face, body armor wouldn't protect his arms or legs.

Rehden roared as red spilled out over his thighs. There was a chunk missing from his leg, and the edges of the wound and his pants were charred. Cami wasn't sure how he was even standing. He must be operating on rage alone. And fuck, was he pissed. Cami doubted he was even trying to stay alive anymore; he just wanted to take her down with him.

She scrambled back to her feet, but not before he managed to reach for her arm not holding the blaster. This was her last chance. She had to make this shot count. Everything hung on it. Her freedom. Her life. Berus's life, too, because she needed to get back there and comm for help.

She pulled the trigger again, and this time, he was close enough that he couldn't dodge it. The blast hit him in the side of the neck. Red spurted, spraying Cami. Rehden released her and stumbled back.

His lips moved, but the words didn't come out as anything more than a gurgle. His mouth was no longer attached to his lungs. But Cami still heard it.

"You're mine."

She shook her head vehemently. "No, Rehden. I could have been yours. But you fucked it up. If you were truly my mate, you would have given me my freedom. You would have loved me. I was never anything more than a possession to you. And now I will be free."

A loud rumbling filled the air, and the water started to vibrate so hard that droplets danced over the surface. It reminded her of when a big crocodile bellowed at the surface, except instead of a croc, many large fins flashed at the surface.

"Goodbye, Rehden."

Blaster still in hand, Cami turned and started running back to Berus, as the sound of splashing and struggling echoed behind her.