Seht snorted. “
Apparently not. You have been grumbling about it for a while
.”
Aubrey winced. He was going to have to do something about guarding his thoughts.
They turned past a group of boulders, and Aubrey froze. Every hair on his body rose, and an icy sweat formed down his back. Something wasn’t right.
Seht frowned at him. “
What is it
?”
Aubrey stepped back, urging Seht back the way they’d come. “
I don’t know
.” He wasn’t sure what was wrong, but something definitely wasn’t right. He looked around sharply. He didn’t see anything or hear anything other than the wind… He sucked in a sharp breath. That was it; the silence. The shooting and shouting had stopped.
Seht’s fingers dug into his shoulder. “
Over there
.” He raised his chin toward the right.
Aubrey pulled Seht back and shoved him back against a stone, then tugged his hands free of Seht.
Seht winced and teetered off balance. He grabbed the stone for balance. “
Aubrey
?”
His heart pounding in his mouth, Aubrey turned his back to Seht, pressing him back against the stone.
Interstellar Service & Discipline: Lost Star
81
Seht gasped. “
Aubrey
!”
Aubrey pulled the long knife from the sheath.
Four fully armored men stepped from the surrounding rocks. They froze.
One of the armored men tilted his helmeted head. “Holy fuck, the kid is still alive!”
The one in the center, wearing officer’s bars, raised his hand. “Take it easy, kid, we’ve come here to get you.”
Aubrey held up the knife. “Go the fuck away.”
“Who’s that behind him?”
Seht swung the rifle forward, the long barrel pointing past Aubrey. “Good evening, gentlemen. If you’ll excuse us, my pet and I are on our way home.”
The officer nodded. “Somebody shoot that.”
Aubrey held out his arms, bared his long teeth, and growled. “Nobody touches him.”
“Don’t shoot the kid!”
“Hey, is he supposed to have fangs? I thought he was human?”
“Ah, fuck… He’s been bit.”
“Who gives a shit, as long as he’s still breathing?”
“Yeah, but now we know why he’s breathing.”
Aubrey had no clue what they were talking about and didn’t particularly care. He could barely think past the white burning at the back of his skull. It wasn’t fear; it was anticipation. If they took one step closer, he was going to rip their hearts out. His lips curled into a fanged smile.
Seht chuckled. “Gentlemen, I really think you should let us pass, before it is too late.”
The officer waved. “Ignore that and get the kid.”
Two men shouldered their rifles and moved toward Aubrey. Seht’s rifle went off very close to Aubrey’s head. Sound disappeared completely, and one man fell.
Aubrey tightly focused on the man left and lunged. The world drifted into slow motion. It was a simple matter to duck, avoiding the hands reaching for him, and dip his knife into the unprotected arm joint of the man’s armor. As though he had all the time in the world, he carefully angled for the heart. He pushed deep and twisted. He stepped back, pulling the knife free at the same time. Scarlet sprayed in a slow, lovely arc.
It felt right. It felt good. No, it felt better than good, it felt great! He grinned.
The man folded at his feet.
He raced for the man standing nearby. Dodging the grasping hands was so very easy. So was stabbing upward under the jaw of the helmet. He pulled his knife free and twisted away from the spray of liquid rubies.
82
Morgan Hawke
Hunger burned in his belly. He raised his knife and licked at the warm blood running down the steel. It wasn’t enough. He wanted meat. He focused on the last enemy before him. The heart… He was willing to bet he could rip it out and bite into it before it stopped beating.
Somewhere at the back of his mind, someone was shouting his name. He ignored it.
The enemy trembled, and the bitter perfume of fear filled the air between them.
The man dropped where he stood.
Disappointment crashed down. A howl ripped from his throat. Sound abruptly returned.
“Aubrey!”
He stiffened. That voice… He knew that voice. He turned.
Leaning heavily against a tall rock was a beautiful, silver-haired boy. A rifle was slung over his shoulder in an unthreatening manner. The scent of sweat and blood rolled from his body. It was a familiar aroma. It was a delicious aroma. The boy held out his hand. “Come, pet. Come to me.” His voice was gentle but firm.
A chill raced from the back of his skull straight down his spine, leaving shivers in its wake. His hands shook. He took a step toward the boy on shaking legs, and then another. The knife fell from nerveless fingers.
Tall, pale shadows glided at the edges of his vision.
The boy’s gaze darted from side to side, then focused on him. “Look at me, pet, only at me.”
He stepped closer, drawn by the voice and the perfume of his skin. Thought surfaced through the burning haze in his mind. He blinked. “Seht?” His knees wobbled, and he reached out toward him.
“Yes.” Seht kept his hand out, and a crooked smile bloomed. “I can’t go to you.
You have to come to me.”
Aubrey’s gaze was drawn to the rag tied around his leg. That’s right, he was shot.
He lurched to Seht and grabbed for his hand. His knees gave out, and he collapsed in a trembling heap at Seht’s feet. He wanted nothing more than to pass out right there.
“Very good.” Seht slid his fingers through Aubrey’s tangled hair. “How do you feel?”
Aubrey snorted and then groaned. “Like total crap.”
Seht frowned at him, his gaze darting about. “Are you wounded?”
Aubrey lifted his arms to look at them and tugged at his ship-suit. Blood was spattered everywhere, and several rents had been torn into his suit, but the sting of cut flesh seemed to be missing. “Doesn’t feel like it.”
Seht released a soft breath and flashed a small smile. “Good.”
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Half a dozen tall, dark shadows eased from behind rocks and brush to become men in decorative black helmets and armor, bearing swords and bolt rifles.
Aubrey stiffened.
“
It’s all right
.” Seht continued to stroke Aubrey’s hair. “
Just stay as you are
.”
A man in a deep green cape, his shoulders enveloped in black fur, stepped forward. He pulled the black helmet from his head, releasing a cascade of white hair.
Thousands of green beads gleamed among the tiny braids of his hair. An iridescent black circlet graced his brow above gleaming blue eyes that held the deep green glow of reflected light. “
Deshryt
Seht.” He crossed his arms and frowned deeply. “You are late.”
Aubrey blinked.
Eh?
“
Atehf
Syrhus.” Seht dropped his gaze and delivered a short bow. “You could have left me. My ship is jump capable.”
Aubrey’s brows rose.
This
was Seht’s uncle? Cousin? Both?
Syrhus’s gaze shifted to Aubrey, and his brows lifted.
Aubrey pulled his gaze away just in time to avoid a direct stare. He didn’t want this man focusing on him, though he wasn’t sure why.
Syrhus shifted his gaze back to Seht and scowled. “As long as you are in my care, you will be accounted for at all times.”
Seht snorted. “I am so blessed, Syr.” Sarcasm dripped from his words.
Aubrey tilted his head.
He called him Syr?
Apparently that word was a standard form of address to one’s superior. Suddenly his resistance to the word felt a little…silly.
“And you will count those blessings once we reach the ship, I promise you.”
Syrhus nodded toward Aubrey. “Would you care to explain
that
?”
Seht lifted his chin. “
That
is mine.”
Syrhus sighed and scraped a hand through his long, beaded mane. “In the midst of a raid”—he curled his lip, revealing one long fang—“only you would stop to pick up a half-starving stray.”
Stray?
Aubrey felt a growl begin to rise. He took a very deep breath to smother it.
Seht’s fingers bit hard into Aubrey’s shoulder. Apparently he wasn’t happy with Syrhus’s words either.
Syrhus’s gaze narrowed and focused, staring hard at Aubrey. He frowned. “Please tell me that
that
is not the prey Moribund was stalking?”
Aubrey turned sharply away and glared at the ground.
Seht’s nails dug into Aubrey’s shoulder. “It is, Syr.”
Syrhus sighed and wiped a hand down his face. “How many doses?”
Seht’s expression shifted to something like mild disinterest. “On his second, Syr.”
Abruptly, Syrhus turned away to face the other pale shadows and snapped out something in a language Aubrey couldn’t begin to decipher.
84
Morgan Hawke
Aubrey looked up at Seht. “
Is there a problem
?”
Seht stroked his shoulder, but anger shimmered at the back of his thoughts. “
No
.”
Syrhus turned back to Seht. “Come.”
Seht stiffened. “My barque…”
“You are going to it. However, you’re in no condition to pilot anything.” Syrhus stared pointedly at the blood sliding down his leg.
Seht bowed briefly. “Yes, Syr.”
Syrhus turned and started walking.
Seht patted Aubrey’s shoulder. “
Time to go home
.”
Aubrey rose, or rather he tried to. His legs utterly refused to cooperate. Panic slammed into his heart. He looked up at Seht in alarm and watched the boy’s pale face disappear down a long dark tunnel.
Interstellar Service & Discipline: Lost Star
85
Aubrey opened his eyes to a low, domed ceiling lit by small dim lights along the curved wall, and the softness of a mattress under him. The bed and the room around it appeared to be round. An echo of pain radiated in his heart. “
Another needle?
”
“
Yes
.” Seht eased down onto his knees and leaned over Aubrey with a soft smile.
His silver mane spilled down one shoulder to drape across Aubrey’s bare chest. He swept his hand through Aubrey’s overlong red hair, and a wave of affection pulsed straight from Seht’s mind to his. “
How do you feel
?”
Aubrey blinked. How
did
he feel? For some reason it was hard to tell. He went to lift his hand and found it ridiculously hard to do. He frowned briefly and persevered until he was able to touch Seht’s hand. “
I think I’m okay, just tired
.” He spotted a white patch behind the rent in the upper thigh of Seht’s ship-suit. “
How about you
?”
Seht snorted. “I’ll be fully recovered by the time we reach home, as will you.” He grinned. “I have so much to show you.”
Aubrey looked around, but there wasn’t anything to see. They appeared to be sitting in a very small oval room that consisted of silvery curved walls, a mattress, and nothing else. “Where—” His voice came out very hoarse, and it was surprisingly painful. He winced and coughed. “
Ow…
”
Seht pressed his fingers over Aubrey’s lips. “Don’t try to talk. You’ve damaged your vocal cords.”
Aubrey blinked up at him. “
I have
?”
Seht shrugged. “Apparently, you like to scream when you fight.”
Aubrey rolled his eyes. “
Oh
.” He frowned. “
I thought I was supposed to heal fast
?”
Seht nodded. “You do, and you are. However, your entire body is currently undergoing cellular reconstruction, plus you’re malnourished. This will slow the healing process somewhat.”
86
Morgan Hawke
A hole appeared in the wall behind Seht, and Syrhus leaned in. “Is it finished?”
Seht sighed. “I’ve administered the third dose and given him a full battery of vitamin boosters.” He reached up, and a tube formed from the curve of the ceiling, then dangled down. Seht lifted a cuff from his side and attached the tube to it. “I’m setting up the protein drip to feed him.” He looped the cuff around Aubrey’s wrist. “This should hold him until we can get him properly fed.”
Aubrey felt the tiny pins stabbing into his wrist, then the slight chill from the liquid feeding directly into his veins.
Syrhus nodded. “Good.” He waved a hand, indicating that Seht should leave.
“Come.”
Seht looked back toward Aubrey. “I just dosed him, I haven’t…”
Aubrey’s face heated. He knew exactly what Seht was talking about; they hadn’t had sex yet.
Syrhus shook his head. “There will be time for that later. You have a report to deliver. Now.”
Seht scowled but backed out of the tiny room. “Yes, Syr.” He patted Aubrey’s hand and delivered a small smile. “
I’ll be back soon
.” He stepped back, and the opening in the wall spiraled closed.
Aubrey settled back among the cushions and closed his eyes in an attempt to take a nap. Unfortunately, his body had other ideas, namely, his bladder. He scowled. Damn it. He sat up and pulled off the cuff around his wrist.
Something beeped.
Seht’s alarmed presence was suddenly loud and clear in his mind. “
Aubrey, is
something wrong
?”
Aubrey winced while his face warmed with embarrassment. “
I need to…pee
.”
Humor skittered across their link, but along with it came a sudden daydreamlike vision showing a pale hand pressing against the wall to open the door to his little room, then the ship’s narrow hall. Two doors down on the right was the tiny facility.
Aubrey didn’t hesitate. He slapped his palm on the wall to make it spiral open and dashed out into the silver hallway on legs that didn’t quite want to work right. He
really
needed to go.
The facility room was small with a tiny anti-grav toilet and hand washer alongside the glass doors to a sonic shower that took up fully half the space.
Aubrey relieved himself, only to have his dick suddenly pulse to erection so fast his head went light and his knees very nearly buckled. He grabbed onto the wall to keep from keeling over and stared down at himself.
What the—