Fated Mate Conquered - Luna Voss Page 0,15
sign. At minimum, it indicates that the rest of the crime world outside of the Vostra thinks our side is losing. At the same time, this information represents an opportunity. If Rizban Gordulla is still at the Tajiki Comet, we have the chance to take out one of their most important captains. And one who I personally have a score to settle with.
Hopefully I won’t need to settle a score with the fucking Dajorkans, too.
“I’ll take Geddion and Rojan and we’ll head to the casino right away,” I tell Draga darkly. “I fucking owe Rizban a visit.”
“Capture him if you can,” he warns me. “He’d be a hell of a bargaining chip with Tullionitus Gordulla.”
I may not like it, but he’s right. Tullionitus, the leader of the Gordulla Family, is Rizban’s father. Capturing his son could end the war, and on our terms. “Aw, you’re no fun.”
Draga suppresses a laugh, then puts his arm around Aspen and starts to lead her back inside the mansion. “Come on. We need to get everyone on ships and leave here as soon as we can. Another hit squad could arrive at any moment.”
Kora
The Epeshi pirate ship is more comfortable than I had expected, but there sure isn’t much to do on board. I sit in the cabin that I’ve claimed as my bedroom with the door closed and the window shades shut, watching a movie in the darkness and snacking on popcorn I made in the ship’s tiny kitchenette. I know it’s objectively a better time than many nights I’ve had in my life, especially growing up, but I still feel miserable. It’s stressful not knowing what to expect from my first time going into heat. And having to seclude myself like this, waiting for my heat to come, quite frankly sucks.
So far, though, I feel pretty normal, except for this weird undercurrent of irritability and emptiness. Maybe that’s the early stages of it? I just don’t know. At least next time this happens, I’ll be more prepared.
I take one of the suppressant pills with my popcorn, wishing it was the kind that would stop me from going into heat entirely. Maybe it’s silly to be taking the second stage of the suppressants without the first, but right now it’s the only thing making me feel like I have any control over my life. I may not be able to prevent my heats entirely, but at least I can stop any genetically compatible males from smelling me.
I wish my body would just fucking get it over with, though. It’s the waiting that’s really killing me. Other than the fact that my beacon keeps flashing random colors, I really just don’t feel much different than normal. Is it possible I made a mistake, and I’m hiding out here for no reason?
And then my beacon glows bright gold, practically lighting up the whole room, and I experience a sudden twinge of horniness. Fuck. That’s gotta be my heat coming, right?
But a moment later, my beacon dims, and I’m back to being bored and confused and unhappy. I sigh and continue eating my popcorn, wishing I cared more about the plot of this stupid movie.
Something goes thump outside.
Huh? What’s that?
Another thump. Voices. Shit, what the fuck? Are there really people in the hangar right now? The absolute last thing in the world I want right now is for someone to walk in on me here and ask me what I’m doing.
I pause my movie and stay still, listening. Definitely voices. Several of them. Goddammit.
A few moments later, I cringe as someone opens the door to the Epeshi ship. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. What are they doing here? This was supposed to be somewhere safe, somewhere I wouldn’t run into other people. I can’t believe this is happening. I listen through the door of my cabin as multiple people climb onto the ship.
“… Load up the rest of the equipment from the UPE vessel,” I hear a man’s voice say. Something heavy clangs down to the floor.
It’s hard to tell what’s going on outside the dark room I’m hiding in, but it sounds like someone is transferring items from another ship onto this one. Probably the UPE prison ship I used to work on, now the stolen property of the Butarza Family. I decide to stay where I am, my heart racing. With any luck, they’ll leave after they finish loading up.
It takes them longer to load the ship than I would have expected. I’m not exactly