Rokan

ROKAN

" R okan, you look pale. You should lie down." Arilee's voice made its way through the permisteel that seemed to clog my ears. Lines blurred around me as I realized, too late, just what kind of a girl I was dealing with.

"You…" I started laughing, knowing I was losing more of myself by the second. If I only got out one more word, just one more to reach her ears before she could take off again, I needed to make it good. "....perfect little minx."

"But you wouldn't like me if I didn't run, right?" She bent forward, her face so close to mine I could smell her. As my eyes started to go black, it was all I could do. "You know, you're so predictable."

Was I? Or was she just having as much fun with the game as I was?

When I came to, she wasn't there.

The first sensation that found me was a ringing in my ears. Hell of a wake-up call when you've been drugged by a human runaway.

"That fucking woman," I said, shaking my head as the feeling returned there too.

Arilee wasn't just the hardest captive I've ever tried to keep. She was easily the most ruthless.

The ringing ears, the stinging eyes. Gicca leaf. It had to be.

I pieced it all together as I slumped into a chair, raking my fingers through my sweat-drenched hair.

Idiot.

I should've seen it coming. I'd taught her about gicca and its effects myself.

On the bathroom mirror, she'd left a message in lipstain: Your move .

I cursed and shook my head. Only fury could bring her back now. A raging mind knows no limits. I tore around, gathering my stuff to start again. My heart thundered, more alive than it had been since the war.

Davor and the team flashed in my mind. Celestia help me, they'd never let me live this down.

If I didn't get her back, I'd have to explain how I'd educated my mark on the very poison she'd used against me.

Fuck, the boys would eat this up.

And that wasn't going to happen.

I set off from the room, blood pumping with purpose. She fooled me, there was no getting around it. She lured me into a false sense of security starting back in that desert. I should punch myself for how stupid I'd been, mistaking her cunning for acceptance.

She wasn't being quiet, she was studying me. She wasn't curious, she was gathering the means for her escape.

I could imagine her now, boarding a spaceship for where the fuck knows. I'd had enough delays already, and unless I intended to comb the entire universe for her, I knew I had to set out before her trail got too cold.

I left the hotel in a hurry. There was only one place she'd go. With the remaining ticket in my hand, I stepped up towards Little Smelton's only spaceport.

The dinged-up depot of this desert outpost bustled with people in the midday sun. I had a fire in my steps, but I soon realized I'd better ask around to see if anyone saw which ship she took. Off-putting as a Vinduthi warrior is talking to strangers, I needed information and I needed it fast.

I saw a local tavern full of customers half-drunk before their respective flights. I sat at the bar and pulled up the photo Gorin had given me of Arilee.

"Hey, friend," I said, gesturing for a quick brew. "Just a cold one, before I board my flight."

He slid a glass bottle my way. "That'll be 20 credits."

I paid him, leaning forward. "I'm also looking for someone. Human girl," I said quietly.

"Haven't had any of those today. But try Bucky's down the road."

While I took his suggestion, I found a similar answer at Bucky's.

"Have you asked at Theil's? He gets a pretty big human crowd from time to time."

Something didn't line up. By the fourth try, I realized I was being led door to door on purpose. Could it be that my slippery little human managed to convince these shop owners of something to make sure I'd run into a cold trail?

Damn, she was good.

If I wanted to find her, I had to be better.

I couldn't help but admire the lengths she'd gone to put this distance between us. When I got her back, and I would, I'd have to face facts that the fun was over.

Unless next time she decided to fuck me. I wouldn't put it past her.

I decided to take a more liberal approach with the next shop owner, reaching right across the till to grab him by the scruff of his tentacles.

"Hey, let me go!" he yelped. "I said I haven't seen a human."

"You know, I keep getting the same word everywhere I go," I said, tightening my grip. The wind within him tensed with my fist. "If I didn't know better I'd say someone wanted to die today."

"Look! Okay, okay!" he yelped as I released my grip. He tended his sore tentacles before he spoke again. "She said she had a crazy ex on her trail. She was buying items with stolen credits, so I was about to call the authorities. But she said she'd just done the unthinkable to get away from a bad man. She showed me the marks on her arms, so it wasn't hard to believe that she was running from a monster."

Those bruises. I hadn't left them.

But I was going to bring her back to the man who had.

So which of us was the monster?

I shook myself. There wasn't time for thoughts like that. I'd stopped trying to be a decent man a long time ago. It didn't get me anywhere.

"Where did she take off to? And you better have an answer."

The man shifted, ready to cry or shit himself as I flinched, ready to grab him again if he didn't answer me.

"She didn't say!" His answer was as quick as it was relieving. I reached over, yanking at him like a string until he yelped.

"Okay! Okay! She didn't tell me where she was going, but…"

"...but?" I finished hotly, tapping my pistol on his counter impatiently.

"She bought rain gear, boots, and bug repellent. Lots of it."

The next sound was the shop bell ringing as I swept back out onto the streets with a destination in mind. There weren't a lot of places she'd go with a list like that on the credits she could get from exchanging the ticket.

I swung my ticket down at the ticket desk a few minutes later.

"I'd like to exchange this, please."

"And where are we going, sir?"

"Guilgar," I replied. "One way."

Several hours later, my feet hit the deck of the overly warm, sunny moon of Guilgar.

I scanned the vibrant jungle port, picking up traces of her presence. Arilee had a talent for blending in where humans rarely ventured solo, making her stand out without effort.

"Seen this human?" I flashed my percomm at a wary Mondian woman. Her distrustful glare pegged her as my best lead. She fidgeted, eyes darting past my shoulder until I turned.

A sea of sentients swarmed the bustling shipyard. Beyond, locals crowded the streets.

Wisps of steam danced above the forest canopy. Reptilian kids kicked a ball in the dusty square. I scrutinized the throng, one face at a time, until—there.

Arilee stood alone, captivated by a street vendor's artistry. Her face glowed, delighted by the spectacle at her feet, but something more. I hated to shatter her illusion, especially after her elaborate escape.

Blissfully unaware, she reveled in her perceived freedom. The sweet unknown radiated from her features. Bursting that bubble would be brutal.

Somewhere, deep inside, I almost didn't want to do it.

But I'd done a lot of things I didn't want to do. This wouldn't be any different.

I waded into the city's chaos. The road oozed mud from the morning's downpour.

Arilee sported shorts, a tank, and sandals—clear evidence she thought she'd given me the slip for good. A massive hover truck zoomed by, yanking her attention from the crowd to where I stood.

Her pupils widened and all too easily I could imagine her thoughts.

"," her lips reluctantly formed my name. I grinned.

Hey, sweetheart.