Razov

RAZOV

I staggered down the narrow alleyway, passing into shadow so deep it seemed to go on forever. My eyes adjusted to the gloom, which was a good thing. The squirming woman in my arms made the going more difficult than it would have been otherwise.

The time limit on my disguise neared and while I was happy to have my own body back, I wasn't looking forward to the pain involved in the transformation.

Only cosmetic, my ass. If I'd known how much it hurt, I would have made a different plan.

"Don't you think maybe it's time you put me down?"

The woman writhed, her supple body moving in a way that did not feel entirely displeasing, but it was enough to make me have to shift my grip. I wished she would stop her fussing. I had enough things on my plate as it was.

"The sooner I can take you to safety, the sooner I can let you down," I said. "It would help if you would stop wriggling."

"I'm just trying to get comfortable," she said. "I'm not used to being carted around like a sack of Dinuvan potatoes."

"Trust me," I said with a rueful grin. "They weigh less."

"Hey!"

I sighed.

I was not really any closer to finding the missing guns. Nor had I managed to locate Tessi's friend, Mera.

I had, however, found a promising lead. I tried to tell myself that's why I took her with me when I left the auction.

I was not ready to face the truth of the feelings she awakened inside of me.

"Stay still," I growled as she inadvertently jammed the point of her elbow into my eye socket. It actually hurt for a few seconds, and my eye teared up.

"Your incessant noise will bring pursuers down on our heads," I snapped.

"Sounds like a ‘you' problem," she snapped back.

I wanted to admire her effervescent spirit, but I was too busy being infuriated by the situation.

You'd think it was the first time this woman had been carted off by an alien before. Surely she would find me preferable to those who had enslaved her.

I'd gotten her out of that place, right?

Oh shit.

I still resembled a Volek on the surface. She no doubt thought me simply another jailor out to do bad things with her.

"What do I care who holds me prisoner? And if it's station security, you're the only one who will be fucked."

I whipped her out of my arms, planting her back against the curving substation wall. A line of illumination fell across her pale features as she let out a gasp of surprise. My hands pressed into her shoulders, keeping her upright, her feet dangling above the deck.

Eyes as pure blue as a pristine ocean blazed up at me. Her full, red lips parted to let out heavy pants. My mind emblazoned every detail of her into an indelible memory.

I would never forget this moment, not ever.

"What are you?—"

"Shut. Up." My lips curled back in a snarl. If only I had my Vinduthi features, she might be further cowed.

As it was, I'd have to make do. "You are going to get us both caught, and the likelihood of it being by station security is so miniscule as to be laughable. I will allow you to speak, but you must keep your voice down. Do you understand?"

Her face paled, and with a jolt, I realized I hurt her strained arms.

Dammit.

Carefully, I picked her back up and kept walking, faster now.

"Where are you taking me?" she gasped.

I looked down at the coat wrapped around her and laughed. "Seeing as I grabbed the wrong coat on the way out the door, I guess I might as well take you back to the Volek's place."

"Aren't you the Volek? Or a Volek?" she asked. But then her eyes lit up. "I knew there was something off about you. It didn't smell right. You're not a Volek, are you?"

I had to give it up to her. A lot of dames would have lost their shit in that situation. Instead of fighting like a hellcat—futilely, I might add—or breaking down in tears, she tried to play the situation to her advantage.

"Hell no," I said, laughing my ass off at that notion. "I sure as hell ain't a Volek. I know I look like one right now, but…"

I grimaced as my skin shivered with the first painful contractions of the transformation back to my real self. As I stumbled, she took the opportunity to slip out of my arms. I snagged her wrist, pulling her closer.

"Stick around," I said with a growl. "You'll find out."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. We need to keep moving."

"Just let me go," she said, her eyes big and shining. "Please, I promise I won't tell anyone about you."

"That's not gonna happen," I growled, looking down at her voluptuous body, all curves and inviting softness. She might as well have been naked, even muffled up in the coat. "Just look at the way you're dressed. You wouldn't make it a hundred feet in the Under like that, and you know it."

"I'll take my chances."

"I will not." I leaned my face close to her own, trying to come up with a reason that would make sense. "Listen up, human. I would gladly abandon you here to your fate, but I came for Mera and you tried to escape with her. So like it or not, you're coming with me."

I gave her a long, hard stare.

"There are a lot of ways we can get to the Volek's crash pad. One: you can walk there, which would be my preference because it would leave both my hands free to fight if it comes to that."

I held up two fingers in front of her as I endured another agonizing contraction.

"Two: I could knock you out. You wouldn't believe how close I am to doing that already." I lied my ass off. I wouldn't…. couldn't have hurt her. I don't know why, or how I knew. But I knew it all the same.

"Three: I can gag and bind you and drag you along by your hair so you learn what happens to stupid human girls who piss me off. Which one would you prefer?"

She swallowed, and my eyes immediately flew to the delicate lines of her throat.

"If I have a choice," she said in a tight voice, "I'll go with option number one."

"Smart girl. Don't make me regret this, and keep your fucking mouth shut."

I let her go, and her hands immediately went to her throat. She gave me a long, hard stare as I gestured at the tunnel ahead.

"Head towards Shanklin Crossing. I assume you know the way from here."

She glared at me, but did as she was told. I followed, keeping my gaze swiveling about for any signs of danger. The darkness of the tunnels gave way to an ambient orange glow.

Shanklin Crossing wasn't an actual crossing, but a wide, hexagonal tunnel that traversed about a quarter of the station's hull near the aft deck. The Uune had built it for some reason no one could fathom.

"Amelia, don't get too far ahead of me," I ordered. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem. Right now? The effects of the disguise were wearing off, my bones and muscles screaming in agony.

"Just Amy," she answered. "It's what my friends call me, and getting me out of that place should qualify you."

"Very well, Just-Amy, I am called Razov."

"Razov is a Vinduthi name, and it's not ‘Just Amy." She pointed at herself with exaggerated slowness. "Call me Amy. Got it?"

I tilted my head to the side. "Call-me-Amy?" I said, trying not to grin. Teasing her was a fantastic distraction from the pain.

"Now you're doing it on purpose," she said, rolling her eyes. "So juvenile."

"You're a feisty one. I see why they were trying to sell you. You would be hard to break."

"No one could break me," she snapped, her blue eyes narrowing.

I took a step toward her and she paled, but her chin stayed high, proud and fierce.

"If I had the inclination, I think I'd enjoy trying," I growled. "Turn around and walk. Quickly, now. We're running out of time."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"I don't know yet. Probably turn you over to my superior for questioning."

Amy shivered, rubbing her bare arms with her hands. "I don't like that idea."

"Nor should you."

We reached the crossing, and then I took over leading the way. This close to Kwayd's hideout, the neighborhood got even rougher.

It hadn't bothered me coming down here before, but now I wasn't alone.

I drew my pistol and kept it fully charged as we navigated a series of short, dark, and narrow tunnels leading to the Kwayd's hideout.

With another touch of Havek's hacking tools, the door slid open and I stumbled inside.

"This is the biggest room I've ever seen in the Under," she said in awe.

"Indeed. It appears our Volek friend has blocked off a sluice gate in order to free up this space. It's a wonder why the Uune haven't come and fixed it yet."

"This isn't your space?" She turned around, the adorable wrinkle between her eyebrows almost enough to distract me from the pain.

I closed the door behind us, and then fell to my knees as sweat poured off of my body.

"Um, are you sick or something?" she asked.

"I am…fine," I gasped, then bit my wrist to muffle a scream. It felt as if my body were being torn to pieces by a thousand metal hooks, the sensation looping on itself, over and over.

An endless moment later, and it all stopped. I ran my hand over my face and felt my familiar Vinduthi features had returned.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

I got to my feet and pulled off the dead Volek's coat, pulled my own clothing out from where I'd stashed it.

"Never better."

Her mouth fell open when she saw my real face for the first time.

"You really are a Vinduthi. What was that?"

"A Glamour Gun. Heavily modified. It is designed to render facial features malleable for a single evening, but I'm afraid I abused the technology." I moved my jaw around and stretched my face. "I'll have to just hope nothing is permanent."

"Well, it's a small price to pay," she said. "You look much better."

I gave her a suspicious glare, but she just stared right back at me, her hands on her ample hips. What a ferocious creature. I could see that she would not be easy to tame, not that I wanted to try.

However, first, she needed to clean up. Now that we were in better light, I noticed the scraps of fabric still hanging from her shoulders had once been a simple dress.

Now it was little more than blood-soaked strips, barely covering her curves, ripped open down the back to the swell of her hips.

Even if we were headed to the Promenade, she'd attract far too much attention.

And when did that critter come back? The bright pink and orange fuzz was almost painful to see. There was no way I would have missed it while carrying her here.

Was it following her somehow?

"Hey little one," she crooned, her voice soft as she stroked its fur. "If you've got a way to escape, you should probably take it. Things here are still dangerous."

It moved down her arm, circling around until I couldn't see it anymore.

And it didn't reappear.

"What in all the Void is that creature?" I muttered. None of the sentients I'd ever met looked like that. Was it some sort of pet?

She shrugged. "No idea, but honestly, can you say that's the strangest thing that's happened to me today?"

True.

And not important, not right now.

Stalking through the apartment, I searched for what I suspected had to be there. "There's a refresher in there," I pointed. "Figured there'd be a reason for Kwayd to build his little hideaway so close to the water supply."

Her eyes grew large. "Do we really have time?"

No. Of course not.

But the idea of making her run through the station with the traces of that disgusting auction still on her made my blood wild.

"Take all the time you need."

She quickly stepped in, then backed out with a moistened towel in her hands. "I'm not entirely sure what sort of bath products a Volek uses, but I think I'll just wipe myself down for now. There's a certain odor that I'm not sure I'd ever get off of me."

Her hands went to the straps of the dress and I turned away quickly. "I'll find you something to wear."

My vision blanked, despite standing right in front of the hanging clothing. My entire body was all too aware of Amelia, standing behind me, the soft sounds of the towel as it ran over her skin, my brain filling in far too many details, her intoxicating scent almost a drug.

"Um.. can you help me?"

My fingers twitched, grabbing a shirt at random before I caught my breath.

"What's wrong?" The words sounded strained, even to my ears. Help her? Would she let me wash her down, caress her…

"I can't get the collar off."

Right.

Surprised at the amount of effort it took, I held the shirt out behind me. "Put this on first."

My shoulders weren't the only thing that stiffened as her fingers brushed mine to take the garment.

All right , soldier, you can do this . I tried to fill my mind with anything other than vivid images of what was happening behind me. What are the six most efficient ways to break someone's pelvis? Focus on anything, anything at all, other than her.

"I'm ready now." Her voice, so sassy before, was quiet now, as if she felt the tension in the air.

Turning, I froze.

The Volek's vest hung to her knees, the coarse fabric dull gray, the shape baggy, hiding Amy's body.

And still she was beautiful.

I must have stared for too long. Her eyes slid to the side, even as her cheeks darkened. She bit her lip, small white teeth flashing, before meeting my gaze again.

Reluctantly, I dragged my gaze down, focusing instead on the collar on her neck.

But before I could pick the lock, a sharp rap came at the door.

"We know you're in there," snapped an electronically enhanced voice.

Well, hells.

Only one group of thugs used that type of vocal modulator.

"Let us in. Now."

Station Security had found us.