Chapter 38

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

R ixx kept his head down as he was led through the tight passageways and alleys, trying not to breathe in the fetid scent of rotting garbage and stale urine. Rose had promised to take him through the city in a way that would make it less likely to run into Zevrians, but she hadn't known that would mean going through the most neglected parts of the Den of Thieves.

He put a hand over his mouth and nose to block the smell as he kept his gaze open the ground so he could sidestep questionable puddles and steaming piles of unrecognizable trash. Between being held captive and hiding from the Zevrians, he had not seen much of Kurril, but he suspected he was not missing much.

The crowded outlaw city was a far cry from his home world with dunes of golden sand stretching out like endless waves. The twang of music from bars and the slurring speech of drunken patrons was nothing like the soft braying of jebels and the rustling of palm fronds as a warm breeze swept through the oasis village. He even preferred the metallic clangs of the bounty hunting ship over the rattling of chains from the slave market that drifted to him as they ducked down another narrow pass.

Rose paused at a corner, flicking her gaze to him. "Not much farther."

Rixx nodded, pleased that they were almost to the shipyard. Even so, the knot in his stomach that had formed when he'd left Myrria's home tightened.

Once he was on his ship and off the outlaw planet, there was little chance he would see her again. Dothveks did not fare well on Kurril, and he suspected his crew would take great pains not to stop in the Den of Thieves again.

He would not argue with the logic, especially since he'd been abducted almost as soon as he'd entered the city. There was not much to draw the bounty hunters back unless they were hunting a bounty, and even then, they might pass on the job if it meant losing another crew mate.

But even considering everything that had happened to him in Kurril, Rixx would not trade it for anything. Well, he would easily trade being held captive by the Zevrians. They had been less than friendly to him since they'd believed him to be one of his Dothvek brothers, Vrax, who'd taken their ship. But he would go through all of that again if it meant he would meet Myrria.

Rose waved him forward, and he fell in step behind her, but every step only made his gut ache more. He was getting farther and farther away from the only female he'd truly cared for, the only one he'd formed a connection with, the only one he'd known was meant to be his.

Rixx almost stumbled, catching himself with a hand pressed to the nearest wall. The rough stone scratched his palm, but he barely felt the pain. It was nothing compared to the pain of leaving Myrria behind. He knew deep down that she was his true mate, but that did not mean that she shared this belief.

Myrria was not Dothvek. She did not know about mind mates. She was not empathic, and she had not grown up sensing others emotions and reading their thoughts. She had also been burned by love. He had felt the wall she kept around her heart, and after meeting her worthless mate, he had understood why she was so tentative. He could not expect her to change her life on feelings and instinct when both had betrayed her in the past.

None of that made it easier for him to leave. Not when he knew that he had formed a bond with her, a bond that could not be repeated. She was his, and there would be no one else for him, even if he never saw her again.

Rixx swallowed down the bitterness of loss, almost bumping into a drunk staggering down the alley.

"Watch it," the man mumbled, glancing up and blinking a few times before hurrying away.

Rixx looked at the man rushing away. Had he realized who he was? Should he go after him?

He brushed off his worries. The man was too drunk to know what he'd seen. Besides, they were so close.

He caught up to Rose, who'd paused to wait for him. Her dark hat was pulled down to cover her distinct hair, but her eyes flashed a warning as she gazed behind him.

Quick footsteps made him whirl around, his hand ready to lift his blaster. But it was not a group of Zevrians. It was not even the drunk returning.

"Zala?" Rixx dropped his arm so the blaster pointed at the ground and eyed the girl running toward them. She was not wearing a cloak, and her dark hair flew loose behind her.

When the girl stopped in front of him, she put one hand on her side as she sucked in breath. "I ran the whole way."

Rose stepped forward, swiveling her head from side to side, even though there was no one else in the alley and all the windows were shut. "What are you doing here? Does your mother know you're here?"

Zala's smile faded, the excitement at catching them eclipsed by the realization that she would probably be in big trouble back home. "I had to catch you before you left."

Rixx squared down to meet her gaze. "Zala. You cannot be here. Your mother will be worried."

Zala folded her arms over her chest. "But I want to go with you."

Rose muttered a series of curses under her breath, as Rixx felt the his heart lurch as if a knife had pierced it.

"I would love for you to go with me," he said, "but I could never take you from your mother. She would miss you too much."

"Then she can come too." Zala's eyes were wide and pleading. "We can both go with you."

There were was nothing Rixx wanted more, but he needed Myrria to want it too. Before he could attempt to explain that to Zala, the air in the alleyway shifted, and Rose went rigid beside him.

Rixx slid his gaze to a trio of Zevrians standing at the end of the alley, blasters pointed directly at him.

One of them grinned, exposing the sharp points of his teeth. "We've been looking for you."