Page 73 of You're Not My King!

Tanner moved on to bandaging my wrists and it made me curious. “So why are you breaking the rules?”

“You’re the leader’s mate, are ye no?” He cocked an eyebrow, huffing a small, self-assured laugh. “So, when he comes here and lays waste to this shitehole, you’ll remember who helped ye. Maybe put in a good word for me, aye?”

That sounded like a cop out if I’d ever heard one, as if he was hiding his true nature behind a hardened exterior. I knew that tactic well, so I wouldn’t call him out on it. Even if it was the truth, I couldn’t blame a guy for sucking up to keep himself safe.

Didn’t mean I wasn’t gonna be a shit though.

“Hm, I dunno. Might just tell him to wipe the whole place out and start again.” I shrugged, and I swore Tanner’s lip twitched.

“Dacks-ur on his way,” my guard barked in warning, and Tanner cursed.

“Try your best to keep those dry,” he said, scrambling to shove everything back into his bag. “And if yer asked, you did them yourself.”

I nodded, wondering how the fuck I was supposed to wash clothes without water, but hey, stranger things had happened. “Thank you.”

He picked out one more thing from his satchel, something round and wrapped in cloth. “Here. You’re no doubt hungry. It’s no much, but it’ll tide ye o’er.”

As if on cue, my empty stomach rumbled. I took it gratefully, hiding it in my basket for later. Tanner stood, turning to my guard. “Go easier on him, alright?”

The alien reeled as if slapped, like he was genuinely offended Tanner would suggest that he wasn’t. “I never hurt hoo-man,” he said. “Only for show, when chief see.”

He was… pretending to be stony? Was that the case for all the guards, or just him?

Without a ‘fuck you’ or a ‘goodbye,’ Tanner turned and disappeared as if he’d never been there. Seconds later, the chief strolled through the camp, his six lackeys close on his heel. He was clearly on a mission, something was vexing him, judging by his sneer, so he didn’t even glance in my direction, but I could see how everyone shrank into themselves—the humans especially. God, I hated the bastard. If only his bum leg would fall off so he’d bleed out.

That’d be peachy.

The rest of the day passed in a mundane blur. I wandered back to the far end of the river, away from prying eyes to splash the sweat from my face. I felt a little awkward when Cesare wandered over carrying a basket of freshly skinned pelts, and began dunking them under the surface. I didn’t know how to act, not when I saw the dejection in his eyes or the bites and bruises littering his skin, so for a long time, there was only silence and the trickle of water.

Until he broke it.

“I… I don’t want to talk about what happened,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “This is my life for now, and I’m gonna bear it.”

I hated how defeated he sounded already, but I understood. It reminded me of myself a little. “Okay,” I said. “Just as long as you know I’m here if you need me.”

Cesare nodded, grateful, his eyes turning glassy before he sniffed and distracted himself with his chore.

“Sooo, I gotta ask…” I started after a long moment, cringing when he stiffened briefly. I quickly added, “How did you end up on U’suhk and not anywhere else?”

“Oh.” He relaxed. “Well, I failed their tests. I was an app developer back home, but apparently, because of my age, I didn’t meet some criteria for any of the techy planets. I’m also…” He swallowed thickly. “I’m kinda defective, according to them, so even though they thought I was conventionally attractive, they couldn’t send faulty goods to the…”

To the pleasure planet, I finished for him, mentally. “Same with me,” I said with a self-deprecating laugh. “I just thought I was an ugly fucker, but apparently, I was too malnourished, so they had to send me here.”

That earned a small snort. “You’re definitely not ugly.” It was as if he’d said it without thinking, his cheeks blushing rosy pink when he realized, gaze dropping.

“Aw, thanks, kid,” I cooed like the bastard I was, and before Cesare could gather up his basket and scurry off into the hills, I changed the subject, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “I’m going to get us out, just give me time. I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but I need you to stay strong, ’kay? I can’t do this alone. Can you do that?”

Cesare peered around as if nervous, checking we weren’t being listened to before he nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

I smiled, and he stood, nodding before returning to his duties on the other side of camp. All I had to do now was take my own advice, stay strong, and not buckle under the pressure.

Easier said than done.

With a sigh, I picked up my own laundry, preparing to leave the comforting sound of the river and probably collect more damned berries. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a palm-sized, flat pink rock poking out of the ground—as if it had been deliberately lodged there. It looked like an unfinished arrowhead, as if it had been carved from the rock but then left without the fine details.

Had Tanner left it here? Or Cesare? It didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to ignore it.

When my guard wasn’t looking—he claimed to be a good guy, but I trusted no one—I snatched up the rock before pretending to wash my hands in the river, instead slipping it inside the top layer of bandage around my wrist, secure and hidden.

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