Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,37

give him a wider berth. It hadn’t escaped their attention that the male who had angered the Argurma was the one among their company who had ended up dead, even if his reason for leaving the safety of their numbers had been unrelated. The males whispered among themselves about the Argurma, spinning together what they knew of the species with wild speculations. Among the more farfetched of them was that Veral had the ability to enrage wild animals and summon them into attacking by the use of some implant or another.

No one, however, pinned it directly on him.

As far as anyone had seen, the Argurma never moved from his tree, not even when search parties scattered over the surrounding area. He watched everything from the branch where he reclined, unconcerned. In fact, a large predator with pale marbled skin and long leathery wings that lay dead nearby reinforced the perception that he worked hard to keep the crew safe—and in turn keeping his mate safe in the process. Therefore, by their reasoning, ill fortune would only fall upon any who directly offended the male.

Terri had no doubt that he heard everything because every now and then his lips curved in a slight show of humor. The expression was so small that she might have missed it if she weren’t looking directly at him. If any of the pirates had happened to glance at him, they would have been greeted with the sight of a male disdainfully ignoring them, his eyes for no one but his mate.

As flattering as that was—and it warmed her heart to know that she was the most important thing on that planet to him—she wasn’t stupid. His gaze tracked her, but she had no doubt that he was listening to the pirates and monitoring everything they did from his position. As of yet, no one had seemed inclined to leave the tight cluster of trees, and Egbor’s attention was directed toward rallying the crew. A number of males were shouting to return to the ship and leave the cursed world and the tomb of the Evandra behind.

“That male is an idiot,” Azan muttered from where she leaned against a nearby tree, her attention focused on the captain as he waved his blaster around. “They know he will not fire just yet. Unfortunately, he will kill someone as an example soon if they push him hard enough, despite the fact that he cannot afford to just throw away the males who do all of his dirty work for him. Not that he isn’t working hard to get us all killed anyway, ever since he took the Argurma hostage. This venture is the errand of a fool,” she muttered as she shoved away from the tree to join Terri by her side.

Terri’s lips thinned as Egbor drew near his limit and fired into the air. The crew, who had been shouting over each other, fell into silence as the captain sneered. Though his other five hands were currently free of weapons, they hung tense at his sides in a show of aggression and dominance.

“Silence, all of you! I will hear no more superstitious blathering. Do I need to remind you of how much fortune awaits us once we find the Evandra? The entire crew will be wealthy beyond anything you could dream. Focus on that alone. It is worth every risk. We will drink, and feast and fuck! We will have every pleasure laid before us!”

The uncertain mumble shifted to interest as the captain continue to shout out promises of excesses, and more than one male nodded along eagerly.

Terri grimaced at the cheap trick. Sway the masses by telling them that they would be given the very things they desire. It was how the gang gained a foothold in Phoenix, so it wasn’t something she had never seen before. Although a few males showed reluctance, the majority of the crew hastened to gather their supplies in preparation to depart.

“Veral,” Egbor called out as he moved toward the base of the tree. Planting his lower hands on his hips, he glowered up, meeting the Argurma’s cold eyes. Terri could practically feel the tension coiling in the air between them. The captain extended an empty hand out to the forest. “So far, despite our losses, you have done well guiding us. It is time. If you care about the safety of your female, we shall continue on.”

Her mate didn’t reply. His eyes shifted to her seconds before he dropped soundlessly