Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,36

to begin his trek back to camp.

“Five down,” he growled to Kaylar.

“Be certain to practice some restraint and not kill them all before I arrive,” his cousin said.

With a snort, Veral rinsed the blood from his body in a pool of water, his internal scans searching for any sign of approaching lifeforms. That accomplished, he turned away and left the pipe and cloth abandoned at the base of the tree among the splatters of blood.

The evidence remaining would be enough to convince Egbor that the male had been killed by something in the forest while he was attempting to enjoy what he had pilfered from the captain’s cabin.

It did not take him long to return to camp. Though the guards had shifted positions to spread out further, eyes fixed on darkness of the surrounding forest, no one had noticed his absence nor marked his return.

Veral slipped easily back into the tree, resuming his place over where Terri slept. As he crouched once more upon the limb, he saw Azan’s eyes open as she met his gaze. She gave nothing away of her thoughts, nor did she make any attempt to alert anyone. She inclined her head to him before rolling on her side and dismissing him.

He frowned at her back until his attention was pulled once more to his mate. Terri’s face was relaxed in slumber, so he was startled when her eyes opened. Relief spread across her face. She must have noted his absence and had been worrying while he was away. Although her human vision was terrible, he had no doubt that she was able to pinpoint his presence by the glow of his eyes.

Not wishing his mate to feel further distress, Veral crooned softly down at her as he stretched out on his belly on the branch to lie over her.

“Anastha, sleep,” he whispered. “I am here.”

“Veral,” she sighed, her eyes drifting shut once more as she curled against the youngling burrowed between her and Azan.

Lifting his head, his eyes narrowed on an animal slinking through the branches, enormous wings angled at its side. It must have flown into the tree while he was away. Its head dropped down, wings unfurling as it prepared to fall upon the females, likely targeting the youngling between them.

Hissing, Veral snapped to his feet and yanked it from the branch. It snarled, twisting in his arms and attempting to dig its claws into the tough material of his armor. Veral gripped the underside of the creature’s jaw and snapped it viciously. When the animal dropped to hang limply in his grasp, he threw it a short distance from the tree, where it would doubtlessly be discovered. He stared down at its corpse, his mandibles clicking as he wrestled his aggression back under control before returning to his place on the branch.

Dropping once more above his mate, he lay there, watching over her, until sleep claimed him. They would both need their rest.

12

The missing male from the upper crew was on everyone’s lips as they cast cautious glances around them. Even Egbor seemed to be more on edge, though he had publicly denounced the male as a traitorous creature who deserved to be eaten.

That was the official consensus after the team returned with the damning evidence of all that remained of the Blaithari. It had been little more than a scrap of fabric that reeked like the stuff that the captain enjoyed smoking and another long smoking tube. At the sight of them, the captain had flushed red and spat upon the ground with a string of curses. As far as he was concerned, it was clear that the male had stolen from him, and had snuck off to enjoy it when he was eaten for his trouble.

That was the accepted version of events, and it wasn’t far from the truth—though Terri knew the true creature that killed him, and it was nothing that came from the forest. She had been afraid when Veral disappeared, worried that something terrible would happen to him. When he returned, she had been too relieved to care where he had been.

All that mattered was that he made it back safe.

She understood now exactly where he had been. He had stalked the male and killed him. Terri had no tears to shed over the pirate, but worry plagued her ever since the call of alarm had gone up that someone would suspect him.

To her surprise, no one voiced outright suspicion against Veral, though the pirates seemed to