unable to find them.
I close my eyes and search. I’m almost certain that they are nearby, but something is interfering with my senses. The Valittu had a very small signature when we were on Earth, and it’s likely that he’s simply very hard to track. He’s stealthy.
Still, I’m sensing something in this restaurant, something similar to the Valittu. I don’t think it’s him, but I feel it could lead me to him.
When we enter the restaurant, a waitress asks us how many.
I tell her “Four,” just to piss off Kiveta, but he glares at me and tells her “two.”
We sit down, and I study the menu.
I want more of those cheese steaks. They are the best tasting thing I’ve ever eaten, and I never expected to find them on some primitive backwater like Earth.
I scoff at the menu. It has plenty of high-calorie meals that will get me ready to fight, but nothing as dense and greasy as the cheese steaks.
Kiveta and I look up in unison as the kitchen door opens. I sense something strong. As the door shuts, I lose the ability to sense it clearly.
I cock my head at Kiveta. “Is that…”
“Valittu?”
“We can’t just barge into the kitchen.”
“I can send one of my bodies,” he says.
I sigh. “Fine.”
I hear a hiss as his exoskeleton coat opens up beneath the table, and then I see the gross little green thing scurry quickly across the carpet. It changes colors to match the environment, and a few people catch sight of it, but it slips into a door before anyone can be sure they really saw anything.
“You missed the kitchen, dipshit.”
“My body is climbing through a vent in the bathroom. I will check the kitchen from the safety of the vent.”
“Climbing through the vent like a rat. You really think you deserve the fertile prize?”
“Four is better than…”
He trails off, and his face twitches in anger as he remembers that he now only has three bodies. Not four.
I watch his face. It goes slack and stares off into the distance. He must be focusing on what he’s seeing in the kitchen.
“What is it?” I ask. “Another Valittu?”
His eyes flicker toward me for a moment, but they soon go slack again. He speaks to me in a slurred voice while his eyes stare blankly forward. I’ve been keeping close tabs on Kiveta for weaknesses. As far as I can tell, the further his bodies get from each other, the less responsive they all are. With one of his bodies so far away, he struggles to keep his consciousness connected and running smoothly.
I’m keeping all this in mind, because as soon as we kill the Valittu, I will need to kill Kiveta.
“It’s another Valittu,” Kiveta says. “But not the one who took the fertile prize.”
“Another warrior?”
“He’s chopping vegetables with a tiny knife. Still, he looks strong. Maybe retired. He’s got six-dimensional scars.”
“We should leave before he senses us.”
Kiveta nods, and soon I see a hint of movement in the corner of my eye. His camouflaged third body scurries beneath the table cloth. I feel a brief gust of wind on my legs, and then I hear the hiss of air as Kiveta’s exosuit opens and closes again.
I wanted to eat, but I can’t risk another Valittu sensing us. The fact that the one from Earth came here, and that there’s another here means that he likely came here for that reason. The chef Valittu is likely in contact with the one who took the prize. He probably even knows where she is.
If the chef were weaker, we could just torture him to find out where she is. It will be easier to watch him instead. He’ll lead us to her unknowingly.
Thirteen
Raiska
It didn’t work. I didn’t bond her.
I hold her tight in my arms. I’ve never felt so good. There’s a warm hum all around my body, and it’s been over an hour since I came inside of her. I should feel crushed and defeated because we didn’t bond, but I’m too happy to have her. I want it to be enough.
If it weren’t for the Breeding Games, it would be enough for me. I want to fill her with my child, which requires bonding, but if not for the Games, I’d have all the time in the world to figure it out.
My father told me I was different from my brothers. When he gave me the ability to control others’ minds—an ability I no longer ever want to use—he told me there