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  “My advice is to limit the number of beings.” Dita answered for the Ruler. “Convince her to leave her associates behind also. It’s easier to sneak two beings into the Refuge than thirty beings.”

  The two beings were the Rebel agent and himself. There was no room in that equation for a third being, his mate.

  Dare exhaled deeply, relieved. He wouldn’t be meeting her on this mission.

  “What do you plan to wear?” Dita eyed him. “You have to conceal every expanse of bare skin, including your face.”

  His Drache rumbled with discontentment. It didn’t like excess garments, was annoyed by the ass coverings Dare insisted upon wearing. “I haven’t—”

  The doors opened. Three tiny beings flew into the chamber so quickly their forms blurred. Smack. Smack. Smack. They hit Kralj’s leather-clad chest, their arms and legs flattening against him.

  The winged offspring slid down his form, falling. The Ruler caught them in his arms. They chortled with glee, flapping their wings, gripping his jacket with their chubby fingers.

  Their father was the next to enter the chambers, flying through the doors at a more controlled speed, his expression harried. “Sorry, sir.” Orol apologized. “They figured out the new locks and escaped.”

  “They are modified humanoids.” Kralj had little tolerance for failure. “I’ll have the locks upgraded. You work on their landings. That was…undignified.”

  One of the male offspring, Dare couldn’t distinguish between the trio, rubbed his face against the Ruler’s neck, cooing happily. The other two squirmed as they slugged each other, flesh slapping flesh.

  Orol pried them one by one off Kralj’s jacket. They howled with distress.

  “They know they shouldn’t be coming here without permission.” The winged warrior put two babies on his shoulder, tucked the third under his left arm. “We’ve discussed—”

  “Did you find them?” Rhea, Orol’s mate, entered the chambers, her face red, her chest heaving. “Thank the stars.” She took one of the offspring from her male. “I turned my back for a moment and they were gone. It was like they synchronized their escape.”

  That was probable. The babies would have a sibling bond and they were enhanced beings, would be fully grown within a solar cycle.

  Dare gazed at the little warriors with a tinge of envy. He wanted offspring…and a mate.

  But that came at a risk, a risk he was unwilling to take.

  Orol and Rhea worked as a team to manage their small family. As the couple wrestled with the tiny males, they plotted ways to restrict their charges’ movements.

  Which was counterproductive as their babies could hear them.

  They were three modified humanoids versus one modified humanoid and one extremely skilled human. And the babies were motivated. They clearly wanted to be with Kralj, around whom much of the action happened.

  The couple should concede defeat now.

  Kralj and Dita bumped shoulders, relaying information through touch. They had the power and ability to evict Orol, Rhea, and the three little males from their working chambers, yet they didn’t.

  That told Dare they enjoyed having the babies close to them. The tiny warriors, the first of their kind, had given all of the modified humanoids hope.

  They wouldn’t be risking their females’ lives by mating with them. Dare quietly slipped out of the chambers, headed toward the settlement’s gates.

  There were tasks to complete before he left for his mission. He had to seek Dita’s expertise on how to remain undetected. Weapons and garments had to be retrieved. But first, he’d take one more look at the beings waiting outside the walls.

  He couldn’t quash that impulse. His more rational humanoid side dreaded meeting his female, knowing it could end in her death. His Drache, driven by its primitive urges, had to find her, was growing increasing restless.

  Perhaps his female, whoever she was, would have the strength to handle his beast. He lacked control. She could have it in surplus.

  She’d be a female with the highest integrity. He was certain of that. She would be his match in that area.

  The combination of honor and control would cause his mate to be appreciated and admired by other Dracheons. They would embrace her. Not with open arms. That wasn’t their way. But with polite approving nods.

  And because she was his and he was hers, they would be forced to accept him as well. They would include him, welcome him, respect him.

  There would be no more discussions about whether or not a genetic anomaly such as himself should be allowed to mate, to exist. They would see the proof in his mate’s humanoid-like face.

  He didn’t fit into their society but his female would.

  She’d be a paragon, the perfect Dracheon.

  His beast yawned yet again.

  Chapter Two

  Faylee, one of the best thieves in a settlement filled with thieves, hid in the shadows, waiting, waiting for her mark. This score wasn’t high value.

  It was about sating her curiosity. Her target, a Rebel female, had been carrying around a memory chip in the front pocket of her ass coverings since she arrived at Mirage. Every so often, she’d touch it, ensure it was safe.

  Faylee wanted to know what data the other female carried. Information was power. Three-eyed Mak, the male she owed an obscene number of credits, valued knowledge more than credits. She might be able to buy her freedom with the memory chip, leave this fraggin’ place, go somewhere no one knew her, live as a grown female.

  Fuck the muscles off some male.

  She wiggled. Pretending to be a boy had kept her safe her entire lifespan— especially as everyone knew she belonged to Three-eyed Mak, a being no one messed with—but it was lonely, isolating. The Rebel female’s memory chip could be the score to change all that.

  Faylee slid her hands in the folds of her chest covering. Carinae E was a hot, desolate planet, but it wasn’t warm enough for her. She was always cold, chilled to the bone.

  Her future home would be hotter than Carinae E. Her stomach growled. And it would have plenty of nourishment, free nourishment. She’d eat and fuck and talk, be free, gloriously free.

  The doors to the structure opened and the Rebel female strolled out, laughing and chattering loudly with two males.

  According to the conversations Faylee had overheard, the female was on a secret mission and was trying to be covert. She didn’t wear the Rebel uniform. Her weapons were concealed. A head covering shaded some of her face.

  But the pale skin that was visible was clean, too clean for a being residing on the dusty, dry planet. Strands of vivid red hair curled around the Rebel female’s nape. Her boots were polished to a shine and she walked as though she was invincible, her hips swaying, her breasts barely constrained by her chest covering.

  She attracted too much attention to move around unnoticed. Every male looked at her, wanted her.

  No one looked at Faylee.

  She smothered her envy. Her invisibility protected her, kept her safe.

  The Rebel female’s higher profile, in contrast, would result in death. The Humanoid Alliance already searched for her.

  Faylee touched the handle of a gun. It had been stolen from the Humanoid Alliance commander. Focused on his interrogation of a merchant, he hadn’t noticed her sliding by him. The gun had been shiny. She had to have it.

  The Rebel female also didn’t detect her presence.

  Faylee scurried from shaded spot to shaded spot, following her mark and the female’s entourage. They merged with the crowd. Several of Three-eyed Mak’s minions were working the pathway, lifting credits, weapons, decorations from oblivious beings.

  She pelted forward, slipping through the gaps between males, females, offspring. Short, small, and thin, she fit into the tiniest of spaces. Because she was ragged and dirty, no one truly looked at her. She was one of the many poor. Wealthy beings had taught themselves to ignore her kind, to not see her.

  She bumped against the Rebel female, using t
hat contact as a distraction. Her hand delved in and out of her target’s pocket, unnoticed.

  “Hey, boy.” The female frowned. “Watch where you’re going.”

  Faylee bobbed her head, keeping her eyes averted, and dashed away, as though continuing to an imaginary destination.

  The males laughed. “Even boys are attracted to you, Vicuska.”

  The Rebel female’s reply was too quiet to hear.

  No one chased Faylee.

  She placed the memory chip in one of her many pockets. Her chest and ass coverings looked like layers of rags. The garments, in reality, served two purposes. They concealed her form from curious gazes and they held her pilfered loot.

  She was a thief and knew no hiding place was safe. All of her precious objects were carried on her body.

  She spotted the Humanoid Alliance commander ahead of her. The brutal male held a pleasure worker by her neck, had raised her until her booted feet dangled high above the ground. The female spluttered, kicking, her face turning blue.

  “Did. You. See. Her?” The commander shook the female.

  Wishing to avoid him and the conflict, Faylee abruptly turned right and sprinted along a quieter pathway. The sun touched the roofs above her.

  Frag. She was late. Three-eyed Mak wouldn’t be happy with her.

  The caves, her boss’ domain, were situated at the edge of the settlement. She ducked her head as she hurried into the darkness. The coolness and the stench hit her, as effective as any wall, separating the poor from the credit-rich.

  No one entered the caves if they could avoid it.

  She squinted, navigating the tunnels by memory. Trash and grime oozed around her boots. Liquid dripped. She doubted that moisture was precious water.

  “Three-eyed Mak is looking for you, boy.” Overclocked peered down from his ledge. Dimly lit viewscreens and other devices surrounded the boy.

  She issued a low grunt, not trusting him with her voice. Overclocked was the closest being she had to a friend but even he believed she was a male and younger than she truly was.

  She would give the memory chip to him. Although the information was likely protected, he should be able to read it. No one in the caves knew more about technology than Overclocked.

  But not now. She’d deal with Three-eyed Mak first. He’d want his payment.

  She reached into one of her pockets, pulled out a sunstone, placed it on the lip of the ledge.

  “You don’t have to give me that.” Overclocked scowled. “I can earn my own credits.”

  The boy had a damaged foot that had never healed, couldn’t move quickly enough to be a thief. He begged instead.

  The Humanoid Alliance commander had kicked a begging boy to the point of death the previous planet rotation. Faylee preferred Overclocked stay in the cave until that male was gone.

  She grunted and ran along the tunnels, passing more and more beings.

  “He’s waiting for you, boy.”

  “We tried but could distract him for only a few moments.”

  “There’s no avoiding the beating this time.”

  The boys relayed information as she passed them. They were right. Her tardiness would earn her a beating. Three-eyed Mak didn’t appreciate being kept waiting, viewed it as a sign of disrespect.

  She turned and entered the cavern he’d designated as his working chamber. It was crowded with boys, her fellow thieves pandering to their master.

  Three-eyed Mak sat on a huge chair at the far side of the space. Mounds of glittering objects were piled before him.

  Her fingers twitched. She was attracted to shiny things, always had been.

  “Yer late, boy.” The male squinted all three of his eyes at her. He was hideously ugly, half of his nose missing, his face scarred and craggy, a patchy excuse for a beard only partially covering his chin. His fingers were folded into great fists, a forewarning of the beating to come.

  She dipped her head, acknowledging she was late, and kneeled before him. Wetness soaked through her ass coverings.

  She placed decorations, credits, other objects before her, revealing the goods in order of value from credit light to credit heavy, giving him the show he enjoyed.

  Having been Three-eyed Mak’s boy for twenty-one solar cycles, far longer than any other being in the chamber, she knew what he liked. She, more than anyone else, could manage his volatile moods.

  The pile of sunstones garnered a reaction from the crowd. They were extremely valuable and easy to spend, coveted by species all over the universe.

  Three-eyed Mak’s scowl didn’t waver but his fingers loosened, his way of conveying he approved. He couldn’t allow her to escape without any reprimand, however. That wasn’t his way.

  “That all ye got, boy?” He spat, the goober landing on the toe of her right boot. “Whatcha been doin’? Spendin’ yer time gazin’ at the stupid cunts again?”

  Some of the older boys sniggered.

  Her face heated. She had been watching the females, not lusting after them as the boys believed, but wishing she had their freedom, yearning for a time when she could reveal herself, be who she truly was.

  She had one more offering for her boss. Her fingers curled around the handle of the gun she’d stolen from the Humanoid Alliance commander.

  Three-eyed Mak would secretly value that prize but he would have to punish her for obtaining it. Very few of his boys had the skills to steal from the enemy without them knowing it.

  Bracing herself for the pain, she set the gun on the stone floor.

  Boys gasped. Three-eyed Mak’s eyebrows lifted. He gazed at her and she saw the flash of excitement, of pleasure in his eyes.

  Then it was gone. His ugly face screwed up with feigned fury.

  “Ye stole from them?” His voice echoed off the walls. “From them?”

  He jumped to his feet. The other boys scrambled backward, moving out of range of his huge fists.

  “Ye stupid arse.” He stomped forward, his boot heels ringing against the rock. Faylee flinched with each step he took. “Them Humanoid Alliance bastards got Erinomean Green Fire ’n fuckin’ World-Enders ’n whatcha do? Ye bring yerself ’n all of us to their damn attention.”

  “They didn’t see me, sir.” She lowered her head and her voice. Speaking at the unnatural deeper tones grated her throat.

  “That be the only fuckin’ reason we still be breathin’.” He swung his left arm.

  She saw the blow coming, didn’t try to avoid it. Pain exploded in her jaw. She was tossed backward, her body smacking against the stone.

  “Steal from them again ’n ye won’t be breathin’.” He cracked his knuckles and looked around him. “Whatcha all gawkin’ at? Get!”

  The chamber emptied, the boys rushing to lighten the pockets of the settlement’s wealthy. Faylee pushed herself to her feet, her head spinning.

  Three-eyed Mak picked up the Humanoid Alliance gun. “This be a fancy piece.” He grinned, revealing a missing front tooth. “Them bastards musta’ been right pissed.”

  “I expect they were pissed, sir.” She hadn’t stuck around to find out.

  “Upset.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Ye ain’t to use the word pissed. Ye know that, boy.”

  He didn’t like it when she talked like him. “Yes, sir.”

  Her jaw ached but she didn’t show it. He didn’t like for her to display weakness either.

  “There be too many of them Humanoid Alliance bastards skulkin’ around.” His forehead furrowed. “The squawk in the settlement be them bastards be huntin’ the fuckin’ Rebels.” He looked at her. “Leave them alone, boy, ‘til the dyin’ be done.”

  “Yes, sir.” She touched the memory chip in her pocket. He would be pissed…upset if he found out about her latest score.

  She couldn’t involve Overclocked in her secret project. It was too risky for the boy.

  Her solar cycles with Three-eyed Mak had earned her some leniency. He beat her for misdeeds he killed others for undertaking. Her friend hadn’t built
up that goodwill.

  She had to find another way to access the information on the memory chip.

  “Get.” Three-eyed Mak waved his hands. “Ye won’t make payment by sittin’ on yer arse.”

  She hurried out of the chamber, not wishing to spend more time in his company. Three-eyed Mak was the only being in the settlement who knew her secret.

  They never talked about it, but he, despite his rough speech, was highly intelligent and prided himself on tracking all information flowing through the settlement. She assumed that included her true identity.

  Being around him made her nervous. He could reveal her secret at any time. If that happened, she’d be a dead human walking.

  Females didn’t last long in her world. They were used and discarded, less valuable than a piece of debris.

  She exited the caves, blinked at the brightness of the sun. The air was dry and fresh. She kept her head down, her hair partially concealing her face, and she shuffled forward as a boy would, stuffing her hands in her pockets, kicking rocks.

  Her movements were aimless at first. Being still was dangerous, made one a target. It was better to figure out her plan as she walked.

  Three-eyed Mak had brought a new boy into the caves two planet rotations prior. That kid wouldn’t make his quota. She would have to earn double if she was to cover his portion.

  It was time to work.

  She returned to the main pathway, the most crowded thoroughfare in the settlement. The credit-heavy visitors often frequented the site, wishing to spend some of their wealth on useless trinkets and garments that could only be worn once.

  Dashing from shadow to shadow, she scanned beings as she passed them, looking for her next mark. The scent of fabricating nourishment bars teased her nostrils. Her stomach rumbled. She ignored it, intent on her task.

  The shine of metal caught her attention. A loud-talking, big-haired female meandered along the route, gazing at stalls filled with goods. Over fifty gold-colored bangles decorated her right wrist. She wouldn’t notice if she lost one or two of those decorative pieces.

  That was the trick to a long lifespan as a thief—steal what others wouldn’t miss. Take their least valued possessions, items they were unlikely to realize were gone. Faylee increased her pace, brushed against the female, relieving her of two bangles.