Skimming over the other males, his eyes fell at last on the source of his current problems. Egbor strutted below with his personal guards as he sought the best sleeping accommodations. Coming across a spot that he wanted, he ousted the male who was already occupying it in order to make his own bed on the green plant life that covered the expanse of the bog lodged between two curved roots. Even as he lay there among them, the ridiculously expensive weave and stitching on his robes made him stand out among his crew. He looked like a pampered idiot. It was a deceptive and cultivated appearance.
And at that moment, there was no one that Veral hated more.
This planet should have been a private place where he could leisurely explore with his mate while they worked side by side. Instead, he was forced to see her under constant threat. He did not doubt that the second-in-command—Azan, she was called—would do all that she could to keep Terri from harm. Whenever she stood near his mate, her bearing had an attentive protectiveness to it, daring anyone to approach.
But he also knew that the female had iron in her that had been fashioned and tempered by the fires of pain and cruelty. He could see it within the depths of her eyes, cold and merciless.
Right now, she was biding her time, waiting for some sign of the advantage she sought. He knew that she wanted to kill the captain. It burned within her eyes whenever she watched Egbor unnoticed. She hated the male even more than Veral did, of that he had no doubt. But to preserve her life and position, much the same thing for a female in a pirate crew, she would kill his mate if ordered. If that happened, then Veral would be forced to slaughter her along with everyone else.
Although sometimes it was easy to forget when he was with his mate, he too was a cold, merciless killer, after all.
Movement in the distance attracted his attention, and he stilled. One of the Blaithari males was moving away from the safety of the trees. Veral’s eyes tracked him, following the male’s unsteady movement over the solid mounds in the bog, his hands trailing along the sides of trees to stabilize himself whenever he came within reach of one.
Veral leaped down from the tree, taking to the shadows. Most of the pirates had already drifted off to sleep. The few males who had been left on the first shift of guard duty were easy enough to avoid as he silently stalked after his prey.
Drawing nearer, a hard smile pulled at his lips. It was the Blaithari who had attempted to shove his way between Veral and his mate. Right now, however, he was looking around furtively while he made his silent escape.
Where was he sneaking off to?
The male still smelled of the bog water and bits of sediment that clung to him. At some distance from the camp, he stopped and ducked behind a tree. Veral climbed into the tree to give him a better vantage point as he watched his target dig into his bag and pull out a long narrow pipe and a folded white cloth. Sitting down at the base of the tree, the male set the cloth on his thigh and unfolded it review a pinch of tangwal gum.
Veral tilted his head. Tangwal gum was an expensive—and highly addictive—drug and aphrodisiac. It was known to be difficult to obtain except by those who knew the right contacts. It explained why the male had crept away under darkness. The smoke had a distinctive spicy scent and, if one didn’t smoke it regularly and build up a resistance to its side effects, would stimulate an intense sexual arousal.
A plume of smoke rose in the air, and Veral wrinkled his nose at the overbearing stench. This was the perfect opportunity to catch the Blaithari unaware. His muscles tightened, preparing to drop on the male…
“Status report,”Kaylar broke through, interrupting Veral as their private frequency opened in his mind.
Catching himself, he snarled silently as the branch beneath him creaked, making his target jump to his feet and scurry away from the tree. The male’s uncertain eyes flicked around; his pipe clenched firmly in his mouth. Veral stilled among the foliage, glad for its thickness that obscured him as he watched and waited for the male to let down his guard again.
“Stable. We arrived planetside. As expected, the captain, lacking a suitable ship to land in these conditions, had me pilot my own ship down to transport his crew.”
“That is fortuitous. It will make the situation easier. Disable transmissions between the landing team and the pirate vessel, kill the pirates, disable pirate ship, escape. This will be so easy it will be like a vacation. What is your plan?
“We are taking the scenic route.”
“Repeat?”
Veral chuffed to himself. He had already began integrating some of his mate’s more peculiar and colorful phrases.
“Something my mate says that refers to intentionally taking a longer route.”
“That is nonsensical. What does the view have to do with plotting a route?”
“I believe it originally refers to taking routes designed for pleasure rather than expediency.”
“Your humans are an absurd species,”Kaylar scoffed.
Veral could not argue that absurdity was a big part of human culture from what he had gleaned.
“Regardless, going the longer route over the region’s hazardous terrain has been successful in delaying the pirates.”
“Casualties?”
“Only the four males who fed the local wildlife.”
“I am beginning to question whether or not we had the same warrior training, cousin.”
Veral bared his teeth at the open mockery in his cousin’s transmission. His vibrissae whipping around him, he moved through the branches, sliding back toward the opening above the Blaithari who had settled once more against the tree. The pungent smell of the tangwal gum still hung in the air, but it was joined by the overpowering scent of male musk that offended his scent receptors. Glaring down in disgust, he curled his lip at the pirate eagerly stroking himself.