Murgen narrowed his eyes and stared at Drakkal for several seconds, stroking his fingers along his dangling jowls. Drakkal kept his focus on the durgan; there’d be a signal, perhaps a subtle one, that would precede Nostrus’s inevitable attack, but so long as Drakkal was ready for it…
“I was right about you, azhera,” Murgen finally said. “When I looked at you in the study, I thought you were a prime candidate for breeding with my pets. You’re big, strong, and bold. Direct. A male who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to reach out and take it. You remind me a little of myself. I’ll put your rudeness behind us this time.” He lifted his hands and activated the holocom on his right wrist. “You’re the perfect male to breed with my terran. An exceptional specimen. Of course, we’ll have to finalize the details later, but for now, yes. You may see her up close. Iknowyou’ll enjoy what you find.”
Nostrus stepped forward, his brows angled down over the bridge of his nose. “Master Foltham, I think it best to finishyour transaction and have this azhera escorted off the premises.”
“Haven’t you paid any attention, Nostrus? This azhera is a prime specimen. Exactly what I’m going to need access to in the future. Why, he seems the sort who might even pull himself up out of poverty and become something respectable someday.” Murgen twisted to glance over his shoulder at Drakkal. “He may even be the sort whose services I employ for other sensitive endeavors. The two of you may one day be colleagues.”
Nostrus didn’t try to mask his disgusted sneer.
Drakkal clenched his fists tighter still, and the claws of his right hand dug into the rough flesh of his palm. He flicked his gaze to the terran. She remained hunched in the same spot, her position seemingly unchanged, her beauty somehow greater than it had been a few moments before.
That only further sparked Drakkal’s desire and rage. His want for her had already grown into something undeniable and overwhelming. His fury was like a maddened beast, a snarling thing antagonized by Nostrus, fed to immense size by Murgen, and now threatening to break out of its cage at the sight of this trapped, suffering terran.
Murgen’s fingers moved with surprising dexterity, manipulating the controls on his holocom. A softwhooshcalled Drakkal’s attention to the left. A section of the wall—likely one of countless concealed doors in this place—had opened between this observation window and its neighbor. Drakkal stepped backward to grant himself a better angle; the opening revealed a long corridor with dull gray walls and floors. Two doors stood across from one another a few meters beyond the entryway, lining up with the cells on either side.
Murgen cleared his throat and walked through the opening. “This way, azhera. A rare treat, indeed, especially for such as you. Why, this terran…”
With the concealed door open, that sundrinker fragrance was even stronger.
Drakkal tuned out Murgen’s words, shifting his attention back to the terran. She looked so small and fragile, so…broken, and he wanted to draw her into his arms and make her feel safe and sheltered. But therewassomething more to her. Drakkal sensed it in the same way he sensed the gentle air current created by the ventilation system brushing over his fur, or the scents riding that air, even if he couldn’t define it.
What are you thinking, Drakkal? Don’t be stupid. Take your look and get out of here.
He followed Murgen into the corridor. Nostrus fell into place behind Drakkal, bristling with palpable agitation. Murgen stopped in front of the right door.
Turning his head toward Drakkal, Murgen smiled. The expression created lines of strain around his jutting tusks and pulled his jowls taut. Drakkal did his best not to reflect upon the arrogance, condescension, and eagerness conveyed in the durgan’s features.
Murgen’s was the epitome of what Drakkal and Arcanthus consideredan extremely punchable face.
The interior door slid up when Murgen touched his holocom control screen again. Murgen’s smile widened, and he stepped into the open cell.
About to walk into a cage with a man who says he wants me to breed with his pet. Guess I’m making nothing butgreatdecisions today.
Heat pulsed up Drakkal’s spine. His fur bristled, his ears flattened, and his tail whipped from side to side. His every instinct warned against this, told him it was foolish, that it was a trick, a trap. Every instinct but one—the one that demanded he go to the terrannow. He didn’t understand that drive or its origin, but it was more insistent than all the rest.
Don’t be stupid, he reminded himself.
He followed Murgen into the cell.
Before Drakkal registered anything else, the sundrinker-laced fragrance—which permeated the air within the cell—dominated his senses, so potent that he felt it spread through his body, trailing delightful tingles in its wake. The exotic aspect of that perfume remained unidentifiable, but it was undoubtedly warm, sweet, feminine, and alluring.
It was undoubtedlyher.
Drakkal swung his gaze to the terran, who remained huddled in the corner, her stunning, blue-eyed gaze locked on the males who’d entered her cell. The defiance and intensity in her eyes belied her meek, vulnerable posture.
Her eyes met Drakkal’s, and the tingling sensation within him intensified. Hers were the eyes of a fighter, of a fierce, unbroken spirit.
Hers were the eyes…of Drakkal’smate.
It seemed impossible that he could know it with such certainty, but now that the thought had blossomed, it was indisputable. This terran was meant to be Drakkal’s.
Murgen stopped a couple meters away from the terran. “She’s docile now, but I assure you she’s quite…energetic when it matters.”
Nostrus shoved past Drakkal to stand beside Murgen.
“Come now, Nostrus,” Murgen grumbled, “she’s restrained. She cannot do me any harm.”
“It’s my duty to anticipate potential risks, Master. And nothing about this”—he glared at Drakkal—“is safe.”