5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Z anik sat in the bridge of the Ironclad, the ship's controls and screens casting a dim, cold light. The hum of the engines thrummed around him, a constant purr to ground him.

His thoughts, however, were far from the mechanical precision of his vessel.

They were fixated on the human boy locked in his quarters.

Finn had been a thorn in his side since he arrived, all defiance and rebellious fire. Every glance from those expressive brown eyes had been a challenge, every movement an act of resistance. But after his strange request, something had shifted. Zanik couldn't shake the unease that had settled over him like a dark cloud.

After begging to stay, the human had suddenly become obedient, eager even. He followed orders without a word of protest, his defiant gaze replaced by one of strange determination. It was as if the fire had been replaced by something cold — but that still burned.

Zanik's eyes narrowed. What had changed? The boy had spent so long trying to escape, failing in ways that should have sapped his spirit, but never did.

Yet now, he begged to stay.

Zanik leaned back in his seat, his fingers drumming on the armrest. Finn had refused to say why he wanted to stay. He'd looked cagey, preoccupied. The sudden shift had left Zanik both annoyed and confused. Why would someone who had been so desperate to leave suddenly choose to stay?

His mind wandered back to the conversation with Kelara. He had mentioned sending Finn away, a casual comment that had clearly not been as casual to the boy. Could it be that the mention of selling him had triggered this change?

Well, that didn't matter. Journey 5 was approaching. Soon, Finn would be someone else's problem.

Zanik pushed himself up from the bridge chair, his muscles stiff from piloting the craft. He navigated through the narrow corridors of the Ironclad, his boots echoing softly against the metal floors.

The familiar scent of steel filled his nostrils, grounding him in the present. Despite the ship’s sprawling layout, every corner felt like an extension of his being, every creak and hum a part of his existence.

His thoughts, however, kept drifting back to his quarters — or rather, the quarters that now housed Finn. He had never cared much for personal space, treating his room as just a place to rest his head. Yet, the fact that he had to give it up for the human grated on him more than he anticipated. Each step closer to the room deepened his annoyance, the idea of Finn in his bed gnawing at him.

It felt… wrong. There was something unsettling about it.

Too close. Too personal.

Zanik stopped outside the door, taking a moment to compose himself. He drew a deep breath, then pressed the panel to open it. The door slid aside, revealing Finn sprawled on the bed, looking surprisingly at ease. The sight jarred Zanik. The boy was always trying to escape, always scheming. But now, he lay there, quiet, not even a hint of rebellion in his posture.

“Still here, I see.”

Finn glanced up, his eyes meeting Zanik’s icy stare. “Yeah. No plans to run tonight.”

Zanik’s eyes narrowed. “Convenient.”

Finn sat up, crossing his legs. “Look, I told you. I want to stay.”

“And why should I believe you?”

Finn shrugged, a casual motion that set Zanik’s teeth on edge. “Because it's true.”

Humans , Zanik thought. They're so untrustworthy.

His gaze fixed on Finn, sprawled on the bed — his bed — appearing compliant. The human’s slender frame and tousled sandy brown hair contrasted sharply with the muscular, golden-skinned Borraq. Where Borraq had horns and a rugged physique, Finn was all lean lines and soft skin.

Small, slender — it was attractive in a strange, alien way.

Finn's eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, Zanik saw a mix of challenge and something deeper — something he couldn't quite place. Finn’s brown eyes held a depth and warmth that was foreign to Zanik. It was a warmth that could disarm and deceive, he reminded himself.

Was this Finn's scheme? To seduce him? The thought seemed ludicrous, yet Zanik couldn't entirely dismiss it. It was more subtle than he would expect from someone who had tried to escape so blatantly.

Zanik couldn't shake the memory of his final escape attempt. They'd been navigating the corridors of the Ironclad when Finn had made his move. The boy had lunged with surprising speed, fingers outstretched towards the blade strapped to Zanik's hip.

Instinct had kicked in. Zanik had grabbed Finn, twisting his arm and pinning him against the cold metal wall in one fluid motion. Their faces had been inches apart, and for a brief moment, despite his genetic modification, Zanik had caught the human's scent.

It was just as intoxicating as the stories said, even faint. Especially up close, the boy's heart hammering against Zanik's arm.

Zanik's grip tightened at the memory. It wasn't the attempt itself that bothered him; he had faced far worse threats in his life. But the fact that Finn had gone for his blade... It had put him on edge.

The blade he wore these days was just a tool, not the revered clan blade that could only be touched by its rightful owner. Yet, the attempt at stealing it had still felt like a violation, a reminder of what he no longer had.

The clan blade, a symbol of honor and belonging, was far from Zanik now, along with everything it represented.

His thoughts darkened momentarily. He didn't have a clan anymore. That part of his life was over, replaced by this endless cycle of smuggling and survival.

Trust was a luxury he couldn't afford, especially not with a human who had already proven himself unpredictable.

His eyes locked onto Finn again. The human met his gaze, eyes filled with that same mix of challenge and something deeper. It was as if Finn could see right through him, past the stoic exterior to the turmoil within.

"Are you still planning to send me away?" Finn asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Zanik replied, his tone clipped and cold. What use did he have for a human pet? The boy was nothing but trouble, a liability he couldn't afford in his precarious position. "We're coming up on Journey Five soon."

Finn's expression changed, a flicker of awkwardness crossing his features. He shifted on the bed, his eyes darting away for a moment before meeting Zanik's gaze again. "I could... make you want to keep me around," Finn said, his voice low and hesitant.

Zanik's jaw tightened. The implication in Finn's words was clear, and despite himself, Zanik felt a surge of heat course through his body. Unbidden images flashed through his mind: Finn's soft, human skin against his own golden hide, more of that damnably intoxicating scent...

"No," Zanik said, his voice harder than he intended. "That won't be necessary."

Finn's face fell, disappointment and frustration evident in the slump of his shoulders and the downturn of his mouth. The sight stirred something in Zanik, a feeling he couldn't quite name. Pity? Regret? He pushed it aside. "I have no reason to keep you."

The frustration in Finn's eyes reached a new pitch. "I could give you one."

"I said—"

"Not that." Finn's eyes narrowed. It was a look Zanik hadn't seen before, something cold and calculating. "I could give you something to need."

When Urlek had thrown a half-dead sex slave at Zanik's feet, Zanik had expected fear, submission, numbness. He'd never expected to see an expression like that.

He leaned in. "And what could you offer me ?"

"Information." Finn looked up at him. "But… I've been trying to work out if you'll just take it and throw me away anyway." He looked down at his hands, drumming on the sheets. "Hence the. Um. The other offer."

"Something to sweeten the deal?"

A wry smile, utterly devoid of humor, tugged at the corner of Finn's mouth. "Something like that."

What could Finn possibly know? Details of whatever inane schemes Urlek was cooking up, possibly — but Zanik wasn't particularly interested in anything that bottom-feeder could be involved in.

"Just by telling me you have no way to stop me taking your intel and throwing you away, you've given up an advantage. You're not a very good gambler."

That got a bark of laughter from Finn. "Never have been. But I'm kind of stuck here, boss."

Kelara's term, in Finn's mouth. It felt odd. But Finn's pulse was visibly racing, thrumming in the slender column of his throat. Zanik's gaze lingered on it. Finn's nervousness was no play-acting. "Tell me."

"Only if you agree to keep me."

This was madness. Bargaining with a human…! On top of everything else that made this pact deranged, it was unlikely that Finn had any intel of use at all.

Zanik was a sharp businessman, and this was a bad contract.

He took it anyway. "I agree."

There was no reason for Finn to trust Zanik. As far as Finn knew, Zanik could have been cut from the same cloth as Urlek. Zanik could make an agreement with Finn and then break it in a heartbeat, and there'd be nothing that FInn could do.

But Finn trusted him, anyway. "It's about Rivek. He's your rival, right?"

Zanik clenched his fists. That bastard. "An understatement."

"You and Kelara were talking about him getting an edge on you. That he had more money than you expected."

Finn had been paying attention to that ? Zanik had thought that Finn's change of heart about escaping was because he'd heard he was getting sold, not because of gossip about intersector Borraq smuggler rivalries.

"Yes," Zanik admitted. "My men have been trying to find how he's been bankrolling his expansion into my territory, but he's keeping it very well hidden. I need to find out what he's got and where he's getting it. Now."

"He's raiding the human frontline for resources."

Zanik stared at Finn. The human met his gaze steadily. There was nothing but honesty in those rich depths.

"How could you possibly know that?" Zanik demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

When Finn answered, Zanik felt a chill run down his spine.

"Because I was one of those resources."