The Alien's Equal (Drixonian Warrior #7) - Ella Maven Page 0,34
hide out. They searched for him, but in the end decided I’d been killed and my body unrecoverable. This city, the army, and the Uldani elite have done nothing for me.” He spat the last three words. “They’ve done nothing for any of us except profit of our backs. Most of the Uldani down here are former miners. Many of us have been falsely accused of crimes or know family members who have. All of us know this city is corrupt. We don’t have the numbers to overthrow the army or elite. But I’m assuming you shut down the security, and hundreds of Drix are waiting to storm the city, am I right?”
Again, I said nothing.
He smiled. “That’s what I thought. So, I help you take the city, and you let us live.”
“The Uldani have taken much from us. Our lives, our home, and many of our brothers. Why should we let any of you live?”
Gram nodded. “I know. And I’m sorry for that, but we were not involved in those decisions. Most of us had no idea it was happening, and if we did, we had no power to make a change.” Gram’s voice lowered. “I have more information that I’ve been gathering, hoping to use it to bargain with the Drixonians to help us take the city.”
“Information?”
“Yes.”
Justine tugged on my arm. “Nero.”
I knew the answer was yes. I couldn’t deny working with an Uldani went against everything I believed, but if there was any Uldani I was going to trust, Gram seemed like a good choice.
I nodded. “You have my word. You get us to the hub, and we’ll let you live. As long as you don’t come anywhere near a Drixonian again.”
Gram shook his head. “We only want to live peacefully. No offense, Drix, but I’ll be happy if I never see one of you again.”
A smile crept across my face as I nodded. “My name’s Nero.”
Gram returned his grin. “Nice to meet you, Nero. Welcome to the resistance.”
After providing us with a meal of rationed, tasteless sustenance bars and a powdery drink, Gram led us down a narrow dirt tunnel to a small room where a female stood near a pile of furs.
“Thanks Mags,” he said to the female, who nodded with a small smile. Gram turned to me. “I thought we’d let you get some rest for a few yoras. When you wake, we can talk about how to get you to the hub. But there’s no way we’re doing anything until sundown.”
“We appreciate the room to rest,” I murmured, taking in the room. My training didn’t let me rest until I checked the space for hidden weapons or anything that could hurt my female.
“Hi Mags, I’m Justine.” My female stepped forward, her hand held out, palm turned to the side.
Mags jerked away, and Justine’s eyes went wide before she yanked her hand behind her back. “I’m sorry. On Earth, we shake hands. I forgot…” she blew out a frustrated breath and her cheeks pinked. “I forgot that’s not a custom here.” Then she gave a half-hearted wave. “Anyway, hi.”
Mags swallowed thickly before waving back. “Hello.”
Gram stepped to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Mags was the sister of a miner in debt. When he died, the debt transferred to her and well… She couldn’t pay it. They ruled to sell her to a pleasure house on Planet Vixlicin.”
“What?” Justine shrieked. She whirled to me. “A pleasure house? Is that…?”
“Males would pay to use her,” Gram stated.
Justine seethed. “Fuck these assholes.”
“I’ve been hiding here since,” Mags said, her voice soft. “It’s better than working for the laundry service for the elite.”
“After your Uprising and they walled up the city, life got worse for the majority of us.” I opened my mouth to tell them that wasn’t my fault, but he held up his hand, as if expecting my protest. “I’m not blaming you. I’m only explaining what happened. And to let you know we all have a common goal.” Gram held my gaze for another moment before dropping it and taking Mags’s arm lightly. “Come on, let’s let them rest.”
Mags left but before Gram could step out the door Justine called after him. “Val said she met a female Uldani when she was imprisoned here. She came with four or five males and was…” Justine round her arms out to her side and puffed out her cheeks. “A very large female.”
Gram nodded. “Uldani Royalty. She was most likely pregnant with a litter.