Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

“ S plit up and don’t crowd her. She’s smart,” said Jaxxon as his men walked through the marketplace. He kept the woman in sight, but staying back at a greater distance than he did the last time.

Wearing a bedazzled baseball cap, her ponytail swayed back and forth, and she moved through the marketplace as if she owned it. She strutted in baggy jeans and a cropped pink shirt. She was a cute little package, and he loved watching as she went about her business.

“This marketplace is hopping! There’s a treasure trove here.” Zade nodded approvingly as his eyes scanned for merchandise sold in the open and others likely sold behind closed doors.

“We’ll find a lot of what we need here and more,” said Jaxxon, making a mental note of more things to send the teens to pick up. He’d see to the more dangerous shops himself. Judging from the dark gleam in Zade’s eyes, his cousin would be more than happy to spill blood today.

Stalls of varying sizes and colorful shops lined the bustling square. Shopkeepers cooked on open grills, while other shops offered luxurious plated meals. It was loud, and certain sections were quite rowdy. It was surprising to see the rich and poor all in one place—a hotbed for theft and murder. Who knows what else dwells in this marketplace when the sun goes down? But we’ll find out.

The sound of Jaxxon’s combat boots on the cobblestone echoed around him as he moved like a storm around the vendors. He made a mental list of everything they sold. This was no ordinary marketplace. It was a trading zone where people bought and sold any and everything and where people socialized and made business deals. There were betting parlors for extreme gamers, lounge halls, and cafés. It was a twenty-four-hour scene for those who lived on the planet and those who visited.

He whistled at what he saw exchanging hands. The vendors selling illegal drugs, rare crystals, and weapons that could bring down gods began closing their stalls when they saw him. Others nodded, watching him closely while praying they didn’t make it on his raiding list. Jaxxon watched as a man fumbled with his lock, trembling fingers unable to twist the key properly. He smirked but didn’t slow his stride. I’ll send the boys back to that one. He chuckled.

Beside him, Zade was a silent predator, taller and leaner. His pretty boy face betrayed none of the lethal intent that pulsed beneath his skin. Where Jaxxon was all muscle and force, Zade was the lightning before the thunder. People underestimated him at first glance, and that was their first and last mistake. His tattoos were equally menacing, wrapping around his neck like the coils of a waiting serpent.

But there were always fools in every crowd. The dangerous ones who thought themselves untouchable.

Ahead, a group of men stood their ground. Toughs with black market tech strapped to their belts and enough scars to tell their own story of survival. They didn’t budge as Jaxxon and Zade approached. One, clearly the leader, met Jaxxon’s gaze with an arrogant sneer. Tal’resh! Jaxxon nearly called the man worthless scum out loud.

Jaxxon’s cruel laughter was deep and mocking, echoing through the narrow market alleyway. “Looks like someone’s feeling brave today,” he said with a gravelly rumble as he smiled at the man. Zade smirked beside him, the challenge already written on the slight arch of his brow.

The leader didn’t move, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his weapon that glowed faintly with enchanted runes. “This is our turf, shadow raider,” he spat, though his voice cracked at the end. “You don’t scare us.”

“Hmm. Is that so?” Jaxxon tilted his head, his smile wicked. Stepping forward, he cracked his neck. The leader’s bravado faltered for a split second—just enough for Jaxxon to sense it.

Shadow magic pulsed along his tattoos with swirls of silver and black shadows. The area around him darkened. The men shifted uneasily. He could hear their rapid breaths and the frantic pulse of their blood. And he could smell their fear, sharp and pungent, draped over them like a cloak.

The leader still stood there, clenching his jaw as sweat beaded at his temple. “We don’t...”

But it was too late—Jaxxon grabbed him, twisting his arm enough to snap it. As the man howled, Jaxxon bent his arm back further. He leaned in close, his expression cold and hard as the man whimpered.

“Tell your boys they work for me now. My associate, over there, will tell you what we need.” He released the man, and his crew quickly pulled him off into an alleyway where Hassan, one of Jaxxon’s crew, stood in the shadows. They could use the extra hands, given the amount of goods they planned to raid. And if the gang proved their value, he’d let them keep their lives.

Mineva was dangerous. Jaxxon knew this gang wouldn’t be the last they would encounter. When you challenged a shadow raider, your ass was on the line. The dragon riders didn’t tolerate disrespect—not today, not ever.

As he turned the corner where the woman had gone, more people got out of his way when he approached them. But some waited until the last second to move—feeling they owned the streets more than any outsider. He saw the gangs, and they saw him. But word seemed to travel fast. Each gang they encountered nodded deference or got the hell out of the way.

He was surprised at how easily the woman walked alone, not changing direction when forced to move between groups of thugs—even greeting some of them. And some even got out of her way. Hmm? What’s that all about?

She moved with a carefree air, clearly knowing what purchases she intended to make. She stopped at a stall, buying fresh baked goods and cheese. Then she moved off, heading toward the jewelry and clothing area. The woman’s movements were graceful and unhurried.

Jaxxon moved through the crowded market with the swagger of a shadow raider. The noise in the busy area faded as he focused solely on her.

Enthralled, he watched her—confident and sassy, just as she had been when they first crossed paths. She’d had a weapon on her. And probably did now. But something was different. He felt it in his bones, in the pulsing energy of his Crelentian blood.

She moved her head to the sound of whatever music was playing in her headphones, her body swaying in step. Her gold-rimmed hazel eyes glinted in the sunlight as she examined a piece of jewelry at a vendor’s stall. Her athletic form moved with effortless grace, full lips curving into a slight smile as she bartered for the price. The vendor cursed and then gave her the piece. She’s savvy. He couldn’t believe his luck. Every gesture and expression called to him in a way nothing ever had before.

Destiny! Fate must have sent you. I’ve roamed a barren world, believing I was the last of my kind. Yet here you are, the answer to a prayer I never dared to utter aloud. Our paths were meant to cross. And I won’t lose you again. Jaxxon was a warlord who wouldn’t be denied.

His jaw clenched. He’d grown accustomed to never having enough, and the thought of having more was scary. He thought he and his men were destined to be alone, their people’s long legacy coming to their final chapter. But as he watched her, for the first time in years, he had a flicker of hope. She could be a Crelentian female. Maybe the last of my kind isn’t the final sentence after all.

Jaxxon continued walking, focusing on his surroundings and the noisy crowd.

“Hi, handsome. Can I help you find something?” The woman was pretty, wearing a tight red dress with a revealing neckline. Her smile was sensuous and bold. She was the type of woman he typically entertained.

“There’re some fun places here. Would you like to join me for an early happy hour?” Her tone made her intentions clear as she smirked.

Jaxxon’s eyes shifted briefly toward her, then immediately drifted back to where his mystery woman moved through the market, her body wrapped in nothing more than baggy jeans that sat low on her waist and her hot pink sneakers. She was examining something at a stall. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, utterly unconcerned with how casual she looked compared to other women who’d arrived at the marketplace in short skirts and dresses. And yet, she turned heads effortlessly as a couple of guys whistled her way.

He chuckled. She doesn’t need fancy dresses or bold propositions. She’s fire in motion—confident, charismatic, and dangerous in her simplicity. He hadn’t seen that in years.

The woman before him shifted, clearly expecting an answer, but Jaxxon’s thoughts were elsewhere.

“Not interested,” he muttered, brushing past her without a second thought.

“That’s a first,” murmured Zade, looking at him with mocking surprise. Jaxxon chuckled. The warlords did more than raid when they visited places. They partied hard and never had a shortage of lovely ladies to show them a good time.

Yet, he couldn’t take his eyes off his mystery woman as she shopped. She’s sexier in sneakers than most are in heels! He watched her tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. There’s a quiet fire in her that doesn’t need silk or diamonds to shine brighter. She doesn’t even know it, but she’s more temptation to me than any of them.

She turned down a different street. He waited at the corner before following. Further down, she entered a store.

“Drak! We must follow her inside in case there’s another exit. We can’t lose her,” said Jaxxon.

“And we can’t use our shadows since you claim she can see right through them! Damn!” Zade’s eyes widened. “This is going to take some getting used to.” He grinned.

“Now you see what I was dealing with when I tried to follow her the other night,” said Jaxxon.

“Excuses, excuses!” Zade laughed, slapping him on the shoulder.

They entered the store. Once ensuring the woman wasn’t near the entrance, they moved off in different directions.

Nuts, berries, and fruits were being sold everywhere. She stopped at a produce display, eyeing each item she picked up with expert skill as she selected the best. After filling her bag, she headed toward the exit. Waiting in the long cashier’s line, she bit into one of the pieces of fruit.

Watching her from the corner, Jaxxon could imagine what her sexy lips felt like.

“You’re not the only one to fall victim to her beauty,” said a store attendant stocking a shelf. “But believe me, she and her friends will hustle you out of your coin.”

“There are others?” asked Zade, walking up with a grin.

“Yep. Quite a few human orphans are over at Ms. Hazel’s science outpost. Their moms were some fancy-ass astronauts from Earth. They got stranded here.” The attendant continued stocking the shelf as Jaxxon and Zade shared a look.

“But they ain’t fancy no more. With no magic, they’re the poorest here. And nothing but fucking liars,” spat the man, looking over his shoulder at a second woman who joined the first woman’s side .

“That first one there is Tiara. She’s not so bad. But the bitch next to her, Maya—watch out for that one.”

Jaxxon swelled, ready to knock the attendant out for speaking so ill of a Crelentian female. Zade’s eyes darkened with fury as he barely kept his tendrils of shadow from unfurling. Having the information they needed, they quickly moved toward the back. Jaxxon used his shadows to trip the attendant onto his ass. They could still hear the man cursing as they exited the back door.

“So, let’s find this Ms. Hazel and her science outpost. That’s where Tiara lives.” Jaxxon tapped his crystal coms, letting the men know to watch Tiara while he and Zade went to find the outpost.

“Do you think the other woman could be a Crelentian female?” asked Zade, but Jaxxon had no idea. He still wasn’t sure if Tiara was either. But one thing was certain—she was gorgeous, and so was her friend.

They spent the early afternoon surveying the science outpost. They learned it was an old military space and science station for astronauts. It was run down and in poor repair. Many humans lived inside the outpost, which was situated around a large square of common space in the middle. They saw Tiara and Maya enter the outpost, walking separately to what looked like small rooms within the barracks.

The outpost also had its own marketplace. Dozens of people stood in lines at various stations getting repairs. An impressive stock of technology was being sold and repaired, though nothing like what Jaxxon’s people possessed. There was a nearby playground and a baseball field, a popular human sport that many others now enjoyed. They also had a school, a few laboratories, and a dining facility.

His men crowded him as they walked through the stations, trying to get as close as possible to catch sight of the females who lived at the outpost.

“Stop pushing and shoving like animals! You’re no better than the fucking dragons!” said Jaxxon.

“ I heard that! ” rumbled Kylo through their mental bond. Jaxxon shook his head. It would be a long day, given the men’s excitement. But he was glad Kylo seemed back to his old self. He’d been worried about the ornery dragon.

“So, what do we know so far?” asked Jaxxon as he walked with Zade after talking to the men to see what news they had gathered inside the outpost.

They learned Tiara’s mother and others were esteemed astronauts from Earth, a planet very far away. The astronauts had been stranded on Mineva when Earth’s atmosphere became so acidic that the astronauts couldn’t return home.

“Judging from what I can piece together from the timeline, Tiara and some of her friends were born here on this mining colony. They became orphaned when their mothers died while later trying to reenter Earth’s atmosphere.” Jaxxon shook his head, knowing how it felt to be orphaned.

“Damn! That must have been hard,” said Zade, his eyes sad as he bowed his head.

Tiara and her friends were raised at the outpost. They were poor and forced to work in the mines. They weren’t enslaved but poorly compensated for the long hours they had to work to make ends meet. Jaxxon’s jaw clenched, thinking of the hell they had endured.

One of his men walked over to where Jaxxon and Zade were talking. “Any news?” Jaxxon was eager for every bit of information he could get. They were pushing their luck, staying too long here. He tensed. The last thing I need is for Tiara to spot me.

“These people are rumored to be gifted with science and technology. Many patrons buy here because the humans make all kinds of side deals to build amazing stuff,” said his colleague. “The mine owners don’t sanction this type of tech! The owners run the government and the enforcement authorities here. Now and then, they conduct searches of the outpost to keep them in check. And I hear the searches are brutal.”

Jaxxon looked around, taking his time to observe what was happening at the stands. He saw some thugs he’d seen earlier. And he saw people coming out of stalls with packs that didn’t look like they were holding food.

He went to one stall and struck up a conversation with one of the thugs.

“What can I get here?” Jaxxon asked. The man looked at his tattoos and then motioned for him to follow.

“Bro, you can get some real good stuff here. I mean...really quality high-tech stuff. But some of it is junk, so you must stay on your toes to avoid getting hustled. Just be careful which vendors you’re buying from.”

“What about the stuff sold by the women here?” asked Zade. He described Tiara and her friends to the man.

“Oh yeah! They’re the main ones who make side deals to build shit. Tiara’s some kind of prodigy. She’s the one who builds weapons and fixes them too. Anything to make a dime.” The man looked over his shoulder and back. “They can’t be trusted either. They might look pretty, but they are manipulative. And they stick together.” He chuckled. “If you mess with one of them—if Ms. Hazel doesn’t get you, the girls will gang up and come for you.”

He didn’t like what he was hearing, and neither did his men as they frowned.

Jaxxon thanked the man, and then he and Zade went to another stall. It’s best to get intel from a variety of sources. The truth was always somewhere in the middle. It was one of the first lessons his father had taught him about raiding.

Striking up a conversation with another patron, Jaxxon asked what goods he could get at the outpost. He heard the same thing. Tiara and her friends were good with science and technology. They sold and repaired technology to keep the outpost afloat. It was the only safe place for them to live, and the reason there was a fence around the entire area.

Without magic, the humans who lived in the science outpost were forced to work in the mines, including the young children. If they were strong enough to move pebbles, the owners of the mines required them to work. The conditions were sad.

“I see a few guards. Are there more men to protect the women here?” Zade asked the man.

He laughed. “Protect them ? Man, you need protection from them !” The man nodded to his left.

Jaxxon turned. He saw the one they called Ms. Hazel. Hell, she looks like ex-military! She was barking orders, and people ran to do whatever she commanded. And behind her walked Tiara and a group of women. They were covered in long-sleeved clothing, which was odd given the immense heat rising in the early afternoon. And they were heavily armed.

Jaxxon whistled as the man barked another laugh.

“The one in front is Tiara. She’s a goddamned sports enthusiast and a gambler. She makes money in the sporting arenas and clubs here when she’s not selling tech. Tiara’s tiny, but if you ever see her enter an arena, place your bet on her! She’s very athletic.” The man cackled. “Maybe working in the mines has honed her muscles. I’ve seen her compete against magic wielders and stronger humans. And she always wins. She’s a daredevil.” The man walked off.

Jaxxon knew Ms. Hazel would likely recognize that he and his men were a threat, so he turned around to go in the opposite direction. It was time to move out. They’d gathered the intel they needed. For now.

Later that day, after leaving the outpost, the men sat in the backroom of a café discussing all they knew.

They argued. “If they are Crelentian females, they shouldn’t carry weapons! And shouldn’t be forced to work!” said one man, throwing his hands in the air. Everyone agreed.

Zade stared in disbelief, his face scrunched. “Crelentian females walking around without chaperones! Our fathers and uncles would turn over in their graves.”

“They should live separated from the men. And men should provide their every need. They should be treated as sparkling jewels—not forced to work in dust-filled mines!” Jaxxon hit the table. “They should be singing, cooking, and sewing. Not mining, fighting, and hustling!”

The men echoed loudly their agreement. Crelentian females lived separately from their husbands and sons before they perished. They lived together in a beautiful city the men built for them with lush gardens, music, and peace. The female dragons lived there too.

Despite the separation, Crelentian males and females enjoyed wonderful marriages built on respect and trust. The women were prized and cared for well. Their people had once prospered as legendary traders with unmatched elemental powers. And now Jaxxon and his men had a chance to restore their legacy.

“We must figure out which of the women are Crelentian. Then convince them to return home with us.” Jaxxon stared at his men as they all smiled at the prospect.

The men were excited, but Jaxxon knew it would take much work. These women were born here. And they’ve developed bad habits my men and I will not tolerate. But that wasn’t the only reason Jaxxon was cautious.

“So, what are you thinking?” Zade turned to Jaxxon, who was thrumming his fingers on the table. Neither of them had eaten their lunch.

“The people say the women don’t have any magic. Perhaps...perhaps they aren’t Crelentians after all. They don’t have tattoos, which all Crelentians develop when they reach a certain age. And most of the girls and women we saw at the outpost are of age.”

A sad chill filled the table as the men grew silent, mulling over his words.

“But...” Zade grinned wickedly, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Perhaps we just need to give them a close examination.”

The men roared with laughter, banging on the table. They joked about seeing a naked Crelentian female drenched in her magic. The sweet scent of their pussy was a craving the men desired. Even Jaxxon wondered what lay beneath Tiara’s clothing.

A plan formed in his mind as a smirk spread across his lips. He couldn’t believe the tactic he was about to suggest, but if it worked, they would hit the jackpot.

“Well, the women talked about attending a nightclub tonight.” Jaxxon eyed his men. “Cloaked in shadows, we’ll see who will dance with us.” He stood. “If they can dance with shadows, they belong on Crelentia!”

“Jaxxon’s going to dance?” Zade roared with laughter. “Now this, I have to see!”

“Oh, I’m not dancing. YOU are!”