Page 39 of Claimed By Brothers

I sneak past the mercenaries guarding his house, thankful there aren’t many to begin with. I may be swift and sharp, but even I can’t hold my own against a dozen of these giants. Carefully listening to every conversation around me, I make sure nobody sees me as I jump through the window and right into Umok’s private bedchamber.

“What the…” He tries to jump out of his bed to fight me, but I move like lightning and put an obsidian blade to his throat.

“Don’t say a word. I’m not here to kill you. I know there will be more of you,” I whisper, motioning for him to slowly get up. “I only wish to talk.”

“What about?” Umok replies.

With his hands up in a subtle defense position, he inches closer to the edge of the bed and sits up. He has bandages wrapped tightly around his torso and his thigh—the latter being the deepest of the wounds Jewel gave him.

“We both know what you’re looking to do,” I reply. “And we both know you won’t stop until you get the human women back.”

“That is correct. Which clan leader are you again?” Umok sneers, his four horns twinkling in the candlelight in a fashion similar to my obsidian blade.

“Binzen Mal,” I say. “I’m willing to offer you a palatable deal to keep the bloodshed at a minimum. I’m sure you don’t want too many of your men to die, either.”

“I could laugh, but I’m a reasonable creature,” he chuckles dryly. “Go on.”

Of course, it’s a swindle, but I have to make it believable in order to get him to consider it. Guilt eats me up on the inside as I utter the lies, knowing how furious and dismayed Izzo would be if he were present. “My brother and I have bonded with Amber, the redhead,” I tell Umok. “We love her. And we would rather die than hand her over to you.”

“Aw.” His mocking tone irks me, yet I must stay calm and cool-headed.

“You will never get her. But I am willing to give you the other three human women in exchange for a starship,” I say. “I’ll throw in three of our surviving girls, too, to sweeten the deal.”

Umok narrows his eyes at me. “What are you playing at here?”

“Amber wants to go back to Earth, and we want to help her achieve that. You may not have experienced true love, otherwise you would understand.”

“I understand,” he grunts and holds his side as he tries to stand up.

“Don’t move,” I hiss and press the blade harder against his throat. One accidental twitch, and I will draw blood. His lips curl with anger, but he remains still.

“I understand,” he says again. “I think it’s madness. Irrational. Foolish. But you lot of the Fire Tribe were always irrational fools to begin with. Living in communion with Sunna’s inner fire and all that garbage.”

“Will you take the deal, then?”

“Let me get this straight. You’re willing to hand over three human women and three more from your own clan in exchange for a ship? Do you have any idea how precious my ships are?”

“I do, considering you crashed one not that long ago.”

He scoffs. “Brazen. Six women won’t be enough. Give me three from each of the Fire Tribe clans, and I’ll call it a deal. I’ll even give you one of my technicians to help you fly the damned thing since the humans can’t.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“You don’t. But you seem desperate enough to try, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“And you seem willing enough to accept,” I mutter. “I’m trying to prevent more bloodshed, Umok. You’ve lost enough men already, and the human women will die fighting you. If you take my deal and honor it, you will have breeders for your people, and I will have a clear conscience. Otherwise, plenty more people will die. It’s futile for us to keep warring with the Sky Tribe; I understand that now. But if I am to lose this battle, I want to at least save the woman I love.”

Umok gives me a wry smile. “You’re the sentimental one, aren’t you? And a traitor to your people, might I add.”

“I’ll ask you one more time,” I shoot back. “Will you take the deal, or shall I just go ahead and slit your throat right now? It’ll buy me a few days before another commander general comes to take your place.”

He thinks about it for a moment. “I do like the ease of procuring so many women at once and with fewer casualties. We agree on one thing, young man. We’ve shed enough blood, and if we can negotiate something that ultimately benefits my people, then fine. I can spare one starship to let you take your human damsel back to Earth.”

“Good.”

I’m uneasy, naturally. I don’t trust him. But getting Umok to agree to this may yield the desired results. All I need to do is make sure the deal is followed through at a different location. Somewhere supposedly neutral where I can ambush his ass and take his starship without handing over a single woman. He may be prepared for that possibility, but I will also be ready. I’m banking on his desperation to get as many “breeders” as he can, and this is a deal too sweet to refuse, given the circumstances.

Prior to entering his house, I heard enough about Umok to understand that the patience of his superiors is already wearing thin, considering the Cloud Mountains crash and the loss of the four human women they worked so hard to bring back from Earth. Umok is not in a comfortable position, nor can he rely on the full backing of his leaders to mount a successful campaign against us.

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