Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,29

going to need a little more assurance than that. Where exactly does that put us now?”

The pirate shrugged, her expression relaxed and almost bordering on friendly. “It means a truce. I am still an opinionated, crude pirate who would sooner shoot someone than make pleasantries with them. But I will have your back in truth and do my best to make sure that you get out of this alive if I can, and not just as far as it serves that pompous ass Egbor’s interests.”

Terri nodded. “That sounds pretty fair. And what do you want in return?”

Yellow eyes widened at her in mock surprise. “I am not sure what you mean. Is my admiration and general amusement at watching Egbor fail to impress you or bring you under his thumb not enough?”

“Not really,” Terri replied, a smile twitching at the corner of her own lips.

“Smart female. Another reason I can tolerate you breathing the same air in this room with me. You are correct. There is something more…”

“And what would that be?”

Azan leaned forward, her eyes cutting to Garswal, who had occupied himself with Azan’s broken datapad. His rail thin body hardly seemed to take up any room on the bed as he hunched over it, his small, blunt claws tapping on the screen. Her voice lowered to a hiss.

“I want Egbor dead. Call it intuition, but I think your mate is going to be the only one who has a chance of accomplishing it, and that you have the strength to see this all to the end. That you will make certain that your male destroys him rather than letting him flee this planet. One way or the other, I do not want the captain leaving the planet’s surface with the treasure of the Evandra,” she whispered, her breath brushing Terri’s ear in a lethal hiss.

At Terri’s wide-eyed stare, the female rocked back on her heels, her voice returning to its normal volume as she brushed her hair over her shoulder with one of her hands. “Like I said, a truce. We throw our fates together on the planet.”

“But you’ll still kill me if you’re ordered to—if you can’t see a way around it?”

The pirate shrugged. “It would not be personal. But I have a feeling that the captain will know it is in his best interests not to give any such order, so that chance is small.”

“I’m guessing this is the best offer I’m going to get, isn’t it?”

“The best I can offer, I am afraid. No one on the ship will offer you better, that is for certain. I certainly wouldn’t trust any of the males on this ship.”

“But I can trust you?” Terri murmured doubtfully.

“Not really, but I will vouch for myself that I am the better bet.”

Azan’s expression continued to remain open and almost friendly in the face of Terri’s concerns. In the end, the female was honestly giving Terri all the information she wanted to make an informed decision—and it was obviously in her favor to accept. In any case, despite the pirate being…well, a pirate, she hadn’t been all that bad. Just annoying, more often than not, and occasionally amusing. More than anything, though, she had kept anyone from approaching and potentially harassing her. Hard as nails, she would make a good ally on the planet when she no longer had the buffer of private quarters.

“Very well,” Terri said.

Azan’s lips curled in a wicked grin as she threw an arm around her. “Good decision. You, me, and Garswal here are an excellent team. We will watch each other’s backs on that death pit of a planet we are headed to.”

The male glanced up, delight lighting up his face to be included as he eagerly nodded. Terri’s stomach sank at the idea of the boy being at risk on a dangerous planet, but she knew that in the end neither she nor Azan would have any choice. Garswal was everywhere the captain was unless the captain wanted some time alone, in which case he was sent to their quarters. He would be going down to the planet, and no objection was going to change that.

She prayed that this alliance with Azan might spare all of them.

10

The air was wet. That was Terri’s first thought as she exited the ship several days later when they finally arrived at their destination.

At first, she had been glad that they had finally arrived. Her mind had been filled with the anticipation of seeing her mate and some relief