Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Margot stepped out of the large ship and into the stink of the rather expansive camp area. The tents, the parked ships, the mess area where the cooks were whipping up dinner—something she might have actually considered tasty not long ago at all. But now? Now she had cleansed her palate and purged her senses. This place? It reeked of sweaty men, oily food, and a lingering note of fear.

Several of the men, clearly angry with her from her recent exploits, moved as if to attack her, but every last one pulled up short when they saw the collar around her neck. The shock band apparently served more than one purpose in her case, though protecting her from molestation and harm was undoubtedly an unintended one.

One she would make the absolute most of.

Margot walked confidently though she didn't feel it under her carefully placed fa?ade, striding through the camp as though she owned it. Or, at least, was given free rein by the man who did. And no one even thought to challenge it.

Rylinn stepped into view from around the side of a tent. Margot quickly ducked behind another one. She was confident, but not that confident.

Need to steer clear of him , she decided. Back-stabbing bastard.

Of course, he'd made it clear just how important money was to him. She'd just been too taken with his charm to realize how it might impact his interactions with her if the choice came between her and a payday.

That answer was now abundantly clear.

She moved fast, heading behind the nearest large tent and redirecting so it would remain between her and Rylinn until she reached the edge. There was a gap she'd have to cross to get where she wanted to go and nothing to hide behind.

"Just put on your big girl panties and do it," she said, steeling herself then walking out tall and confident, as if she hadn't a care in the world.

She didn't even turn to look. Whether or not he was there didn't matter. Only if he called out and stopped her. Otherwise, she would just carry on with the same confident body language that stopped the rest of the men from so much as questioning her.

Only when she'd successfully cleared the area and stepped behind another row of tents did she allow herself to peer back where she'd just been. Rylinn was, in fact, still there, but he'd been engaged in a conversation with a group of men, and his back was mostly to her.

Made it.

She moved with a newfound spring in her step, the little bit of fear acting as a boost to her limbs, not to mention her Infala, which had been steadily pulsing all day. She walked until she reached the holding area at the edge of the camp, but hesitated.

"Is it going to shock me?" she wondered, her fingers running over the cool metal around her neck. She saw Floxxia seated in her cage with a group of other captives and made up her mind then and there. "Only one way to find out."

Margot strode to the cage, taking in its construction better now that she wasn't half-dazed and being hauled through the camp like a piece of meat. It was surprisingly well constructed. Metal, not wood. And it was quite worn. This was by no means the first group of prisoners it had held by a long shot.

"Floxxia!" she called out as quietly as she could while still getting the woman's attention.

The Skrizzit's eyes brightened when she realized who was calling her, rising to her feet and hurrying to the bars. Margot couldn't believe it, but the woman was actually thinner than before, and in only the short time she'd been gone. The others had that same look, sunken cheeks and eyes. Gromm had to bring them back alive, if possible, but it didn't mean he had to waste precious resources feeding them any more than the bare minimum to keep them that way.

"Margot! We heard talk that you'd escaped. I never thought I'd see you back here. We were all so happy for you. At least one of us made it out of here. But now you've returned." Her eyes noted the collar around the human's neck. "Oh, no. A shock collar."

"Yeah. Gromm said it'll zap me if I wander, but he didn't say what the boundaries were. I'm kinda flying blind here."

Floxxia pointed to a tree at the perimeter of the landing area. "Do you see the red square on the tree?"

"Yeah."

"That is a perimeter tracker. If you cross it, your collar will activate. If you stay inside, you'll be fine. Just don't wander out."

"But how much of this place is boxed in?"

"The entire camp, but there are a few narrow paths left open for the prisoners being used as laborers to go forage for food for the men. But don't even think about it. Those parts of the woods are still dangerous."

"After all I've seen, I'm not so worried about it, believe me. But why don't you have a collar? No one in your cage does."

"You just answered your own question. We are in a cage. They don't have a lot of collars and only apply them when they select someone to go on a work outing. Otherwise, we are typically either locked in here or under guard while we perform tasks within the camp. For the most part we are just stuck in here. Hang on a moment. What is that?"

"What's what?"

"Come closer."

Floxxia reached through the bars and pulled Margot's shirt open, her mouth actually dropping open in shock at what she saw.

"What happened to your runes? This isn't my work. And your pigments? They've changed! It can't be!"

"Yeah, about that. I kind of met someone. It's a long, complicated story."

"Met someone?" she pulled at the fabric more, revealing Margot's fully formed Infala. "It–This is impossible!"

Margot couldn't help but chuckle at the woman's utter shock. "Apparently not."

Floxxia's mind was racing. She was a Skrizzit, an expert in all things pertaining to the pigments and runes. This, however, was something she'd never seen before. Never even heard of.

"But your race…" Floxxia shook her head, a million possibilities all running through it at once. "Even with your different physiology, and even with Gromm's strongest of pigments, this should still not be possible."

"I know."

"Do you, though? Your runes have done more than just shift and strengthen. You are Infala mated."

"Technically, not quite. But yeah, we know. We're both as surprised as you are, believe me. It's weird as hell, and utterly new to me. I mean, I'd never even heard of an Infala before I met you. And now? Now I've got one, and it's pulling me to him in ways I never imagined."

The Skrizzit shook her head, processing the information as best she could. She looked around. A couple of Gromm's men were visible at the far end of the area and had taken note, walking toward them.

"Who is it? One of the guards? Or was it that Rylinn fellow? Watch out for him, Margot. He seems kind, but he's as cold and calculated a killer as any of them. Maybe even more so."

"Oh, I know all about Rylinn, believe me. But no, it's not him, thank God. Not anyone from the camp, actually. I met someone after I escaped."

Margot saw the guards getting closer by the second. She really wanted to tell Floxxia about Braxxos, but it was too risky. This wasn't the time or place. But despite seeing him blasted and flung into the woods in the heat of battle, Margot was absolutely certain of one thing. Braxxos was still alive. Her Infala was burning for him, pulling her. She knew without a doubt, her mate was out there somewhere. And she'd do whatever it took to get back to him.

If she could.

"What's that?" Floxxia asked, shifting her top yet again. She poked at the pink flesh of Margot's new scars. "I don't recall this injury. It was definitely not there when I applied your runes."

"I know."

"But you've been hurt. Hurt and healed. Impossible! Your kind does not possess this ability. I would have noticed."

"Yeah, about that. It's all part of this new weirdness." Margot glanced at the guards now almost upon them.

They seemed unsure of exactly what to do, given the collar around her neck. But it would only take a moment for them to decide to investigate further. And more attention was not something she wanted.

"I'll tell you all about it later, okay?"

"Hey, you there! Move along! There's no talking with the prisoners!"

Right on cue , Margot thought, flashing the old woman an apologetic look and stepping back.

"Later," she said, then walked away, leaving a very, very confused Skrizzit in her wake.