Lost Star (13 page)

“Yes.” Seht didn’t even look back.

Aubrey choked. “That was a joke!”

“Actually, it is not. You are to kneel by my feet when I am seated.”

What the hell…?
Heat flashed at the back of Aubrey’s skull. He winced and rubbed just at his hairline. His fingers brushed the collar.
Collars, muzzles, no sitting on the
furniture…
Just how far did the Skeldhi take this human pet…thing? “Do I have to wear a leash too?”

“On occasion.” Seht didn’t even look back.

Aubrey’s mind went utterly blank for three whole breaths. “Seht, I’m not an animal.”

Seht continued to walk. “You are no longer human.”

Aubrey trotted to catch up to him. “I know that, but I’m not some dangerous, insane beast either!”

Seht shook his head. “That remains to be seen.”

Aubrey curled his lip. “Give it a freaking break!”

Seht laughed and lengthened his stride. “You are most definitely feeling better.”

Aubrey followed Seht out of the ravine at full dark. At least, he was pretty sure it was full dark. He could see the occasional star twinkling between clouds, and there wasn’t a trace of sunlight. However, it didn’t seem exactly…dark. He had no problems seeing anything, even in deep shadow.

Seht lifted his head and looked about. His snowy hair practically glowed. “It seems clear, but we should proceed with caution.” He pointed. “My barque is at the base of that rock formation.”

Aubrey frowned at the tall, jagged rocks Seht seemed to be indicating. He saw stunted trees and some low shrubs, but that was all. “I don’t see a ship.”

Seht leaned close. “If you look carefully, you’ll notice that the air seems…heavier just at the base of the tallest stone?”

Aubrey frowned. The air did seem to be wavering a little. “It just looks like rising heat.”

Seht nodded. “The barque is currently reflecting its surroundings as camouflage.”

76

Morgan Hawke

Aubrey’s brows lifted. “That’s an interesting trick.” He’d never seen a ship blend in with its surroundings so well. “What, is it mimetic or something?”

“Yes, that also.” Seht eased down into the thinner scrub. “Keep your voice down.”

Aubrey frowned and mentally thumbed through his internal files. Mimetic objects shape-changed, some on only a small scale, such as a live-steel sword that would always retain its edge, but some ships were capable of making themselves actually seamless and mirror smooth. He moved to Seht’s left side and pitched his voice to a low whisper. “You’re saying the ship’s entire hull is nano-enhanced?”

“Actually the entire ship is mimetic, inside and out.” Seht smiled, flashing a long tooth. “Extremely difficult to steal.”

Aubrey pursed his lips. “I could see how that would pose a problem to joyriders.”

To get on board, he’d literally have to negotiate with the ship’s artificial intelligence. He was pretty sure he had a subroutine that might work…

Seht frowned at him.

Aubrey wiped his thoughts from his mind and pasted on the most innocent smile he could summon, while carefully concealing his teeth. “What?”

Seht shook his head and sighed. “You are clearly going to be a handful.”

Aubrey snorted. “Wouldn’t want you to get bored.”

Seht shot a narrowed look Aubrey’s way. “You definitely need a beating.”

Aubrey smiled. “You know, my dad used to say that a lot.” The scent of musty, sweaty cloth caught Aubrey’s attention. It smelled familiar. It smelled like…his ship-suit. He frowned. “Why do I smell…?”

Seht jerked to a halt and lifted his nose. “Damn!” He turned and dived at Aubrey, arms wide.

Aubrey didn’t have a chance to react. He was slammed onto the ground, landing hard on his back with Seht on top of him. The air woofed out of his lungs. He gasped in a breath.

Seht shoved his hand over Aubrey’s mouth. “
Do not speak aloud
.” He looked to the side, peering through the undergrowth, and eased the bolt rifle from his shoulder. “
It
seems that Moribund has yet to give up on you
.”

Aubrey’s eyes opened wide. Seht’s words were crystal clear in his head, but he knew for a fact he hadn’t actually heard a thing. “
Telepathy
?”

“
Of course
.” Seht glanced at Aubrey. “
You have a good nose
.” He smiled. “
You caught
scent of them before I did
.”

Rocks scattered loudly. “What?” The voice was breathy, masculine, and sounded close.

Aubrey turned to look through the brush but didn’t see anything.

“I thought I saw something.” The other voice was just as breathy, as though they were attempting to whisper.

Interstellar Service & Discipline: Lost Star

77

About four body lengths away, the brush moved. A man wearing foot soldier battle armor stepped out from behind the brush. The visor on his helmet glowed green, indicating that his night-sight was active. The green light gleamed along the long barrel of his bolt rifle. “That kid has to be dead by now. There is no way he could have survived this atmosphere this long.”

A smaller man followed him from the scrub, also in armor and wearing a night-sighted helmet. He looked about. The barrel of his rifle pointed where Seht and Aubrey lay concealed, then passed. “So we’re looking for a body, right?”

Aubrey frowned. Their voices sounded a hell of a lot closer than they actually were.

“A dark-haired and scrawny body.” The first guy moved farther into the open.

“So if it’s moving and has white hair, shoot it.”

“A body, huh?” The smaller man turned back on his companion and began walking backward, clearly covering for his partner. “And what are we supposed to do with this body, carry it all the way back?”

The first guy turned and held up a black bag. “We only need the head, stupid.”

“And if the kid is still alive?”

The larger man shrugged and continued progressing through the brush, his boots making an incredible amount of crunching noises. “We bring the brat back with us.”

The smaller man snorted. “It’d be easier to just bring the head back. Accidents can happen, you know.”

The larger man shook his head. “I heard
he
plans to tap that brain. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want that kid to have a memory of me shooting him.” He nodded significantly. “Not when
he
prefers that kid alive.” The two mercenaries stepped among the taller rocks and out of sight.

Aubrey clenched his jaw.
He
could only be Moribund. The man he had never seen; the man who had forced him to kill so many people. Heat seared the back of his skull. A memory flashed. A long shard of steel sinking into a uniformed body… Hot red liquid spilling over his hands… The smell of raw meat… Something in his chest vibrated and rumbled.

Seht looked down at him and raised a brow. “
You’re growling
.”

“
Huh
?” Aubrey’s thoughts stilled. He blinked up at Seht, shocked.

“
I’m…growling
?”

Seht eased up off Aubrey, rising into a squat. He slid his bolt rifle off his shoulder and into his hands. His fanged smile was chilling. “
You were saying something about not
being a beast
?”

“
Shut up
!” That’s when he realized that was also baring his fangs. He sat up cautiously and felt his cheeks heat furiously.
Crap
.

Seht waved at Aubrey. “
This way
.” Moving quietly, they strode across the clearing and downhill into deep brush.

78

Morgan Hawke

Seht stopped cold among the standing stones at the edge of a broad clearing.

Damn
.

Only a step behind him, Aubrey stared at the wavering air that marked Seht’s hidden ship just on the other side of the clearing.

Seht grabbed the front of Aubrey’s suit and hauled Aubrey behind a large rock.

Held fast in Seht’s grip, Aubrey teetered off balance. “
What the—
”

Seht dropped into a crouch, pulling Aubrey down with him. “
We are not alone
.”

A flurry of whizzing pops echoed between the tall rocks from more than one direction accompanied by shouts in several languages.

Aubrey sucked in a sharp breath. It sounded like a lot of men, with a lot of guns.

Just how many people were hunting him?

Seht peeked past the edge of a jagged stone. “
I do not think they have seen us
.”

Aubrey knelt up and strained to look past Seht’s shoulder. “
Then who are they
shooting at
?”

“
Stay down
.” Seht pushed Aubrey back. “
From the voices, it appears that my cousin
grew impatient and came for me
.”

“
Oh…
” Aubrey scraped a hand through his hair. “
So, how are we supposed to get
past this
?”

“
We go around it
.” Seht looked over at Aubrey. “
Are you good for a fast run
?”

Aubrey snorted. He wasn’t even winded. He grinned. “
Just try to leave me behind
.”

Seht raised a brow at him. “
You’re showing teeth
.”

Aubrey’s grin dissolved into a scowl. “
Well, excuse me for smiling
.”

Seht rolled his eyes. “
You can smile; just avoid baring your teeth while you do it
.”

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79

Aubrey had to work to suppress a growl. Of all the stupid things to bitch about…

“
Can we worry about that later, when people aren’t shooting for us
?”

“
Stubborn brat
!” Seht bared his teeth and released a low growl. “
I am definitely
beating you at my first opportunity
.” He bolted back the way they had come, zigzagging between the rocks.

Aubrey lunged after him. What in Bleeding Fate was
his
problem?

The run through the rocks and brush was a howling mess of gunshots, violent shouts, and moving shadows caused by flashes of too-bright light from muzzle fire.

And blood. The smell of wet copper and raw meat was overpowering. It was also arousing. He was getting hard, and hungry.

Aubrey nearly tripped.
What the hell?
What kind of freak got turned on from blood? Never mind that, how the hell was he supposed to run with a hard-on? His trousers tightened, and his steps faltered.
Shit
. He grabbed himself to set his dick a bit more comfortably and nearly lost sight of Seht in the process.

Seht stopped and looked back at Aubrey, frowning.

Aubrey hurried to catch up.

A red flower bloomed on Seht’s left upper thigh and dripped. As though in slow motion, Seht’s eyes widened, and his lips parted. He turned sharply to the side, slamming back against a standing stone, and collapsed.

Shock blazed at the back of Aubrey’s skull. “
Seht
!” He didn’t think, he threw out his hands and leaped, putting every ounce of power into his legs. He landed practically on top of Seht, very nearly falling on him, and dragged him behind a rock.

Seht gasped on the ground. “
No need to shout. It is merely a bolt
.” He lifted a hand.

“
Move back
.”

“‘
Merely a bolt,’ he says
.” Aubrey moved back and crouched down, unsure of what to do.

“
This is not my first bolt wound
.” Seht sat up and scowled, baring his teeth. He took a breath and grabbed the leg of his suit. “
I doubt it will be my last
.” He dug his long nails into the tear and ripped the fabric, exposing the bullet hole. “
At least it is not in a vital
area
.” He grabbed at his sleeve and wrenched. The fabric ripped from the shoulder and came free.

Aubrey blinked. He couldn’t have done that. He sighed.
Oh yeah…
Seht was mechanically augmented, where he wasn’t.

A whisper of pain throbbed in Aubrey’s leg. He winced. Apparently, words weren’t the only things transferred through the telepathic link in the collar. He felt something else. A freezing-hot searing between his eyes that raised the hair on the back of his neck. Aubrey blinked. Anger, he was feeling anger. Seht was furious.

“
Idiots
.” Seht wrapped the sleeve around his left leg, and a growl rumbled from him. “
We would have made it
.” He knotted the sleeve with sharp jerks. “
But, oh no, Syrhus
80

Morgan Hawke

just had to come down and stir this viper’s nest
!” He grabbed Aubrey’s shoulder. “
Help me
up
.”

Aubrey grabbed Seht under his arm and around his waist to lever Seht onto his feet and against Aubrey’s right side. He groaned under Seht’s weight. “
Bloody Fate, you
weigh a ton
.”

Seht snorted. “
Ah, yes…
” He looped his arm around Aubrey’s shoulders, balancing on his right leg. “
You have no augmentations
.”

“
And you do
.” Aubrey readjusted his grip to free his left hand. “
Give me the rifle
.”

Seht looped the rifle’s strap over his shoulder so that the rifle draped on his right side, out of Aubrey’s reach. “
No
.”

Aubrey stared at him. “
You can’t shoot it—
”

“
Forget the rifle
!” Seht leaned forward, forcing Aubrey to step forward or fall over.

“
Go
!”

Aubrey went. Side by side, they limped forward at a fairly swift walk with Aubrey acting as Seht’s crutch. His feeling of discomfort grew stronger. He didn’t like being unarmed with Seht wounded. If they were attacked, there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it. “
Can I have a knife at least
?”

Seht sighed heavily. “
Very well
.” He pulled his long dagger and sheath from his belt at the small of his back. “
Do not pull it unless there is need, and for Night’s sake, do not
pull it before any Skeldhis
!”

“
Yeah, fine, whatever
.” Aubrey took the sheathed dagger. He jammed it into the slender belt around his suit and felt a hell of a lot better. “
I just don’t like being unarmed
.”