Page 12 of Primal Bond

It was just as intoxicating as the stories said, even faint. Especially up close, the boy's heart hammering against Zanik's arm.

Zanik's grip tightened at the memory. It wasn't the attempt itself that bothered him; he had faced far worse threats in his life. But the fact that Finn had gone for his blade... It had put him on edge.

The blade he wore these days was just a tool, not the revered clan blade that could only be touched by its rightful owner. Yet, the attempt at stealing it had still felt like a violation, a reminder of what he no longer had.

The clan blade, a symbol of honor and belonging, was far from Zanik now, along with everything it represented.

His thoughts darkened momentarily. He didn't have a clan anymore. That part of his life was over, replaced by this endless cycle of smuggling and survival.

Trust was a luxury he couldn't afford, especially not with a human who had already proven himself unpredictable.

His eyes locked onto Finn again. The human met his gaze, eyes filled with that same mix of challenge and something deeper. It was as if Finn could see right through him, past the stoic exterior to the turmoil within.

"Are you still planning to send me away?" Finn asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Zanik replied, his tone clipped and cold. What use did he have for a human pet? The boy was nothing but trouble,a liability he couldn't afford in his precarious position. "We're coming up on Journey Five soon."

Finn's expression changed, a flicker of awkwardness crossing his features. He shifted on the bed, his eyes darting away for a moment before meeting Zanik's gaze again. "I could... make you want to keep me around," Finn said, his voice low and hesitant.

Zanik's jaw tightened. The implication in Finn's words was clear, and despite himself, Zanik felt a surge of heat course through his body. Unbidden images flashed through his mind: Finn's soft, human skin against his own golden hide, more of that damnably intoxicating scent...

"No," Zanik said, his voice harder than he intended. "That won't be necessary."

Finn's face fell, disappointment and frustration evident in the slump of his shoulders and the downturn of his mouth. The sight stirred something in Zanik, a feeling he couldn't quite name. Pity? Regret? He pushed it aside. "I have no reason to keep you."

The frustration in Finn's eyes reached a new pitch. "I could give you one."

"I said—"

"Not that." Finn's eyes narrowed. It was a look Zanik hadn't seen before, something cold and calculating. "I could give you something to need."

When Urlek had thrown a half-dead sex slave at Zanik's feet, Zanik had expected fear, submission, numbness. He'd never expected to see an expression like that.

He leaned in. "And what couldyouofferme?"

"Information." Finn looked up at him. "But… I've been trying to work out if you'll just take it and throw me away anyway." He looked down at his hands, drumming on the sheets. "Hence the. Um. The other offer."

"Something to sweeten the deal?"

A wry smile, utterly devoid of humor, tugged at the corner of Finn's mouth. "Something like that."

What could Finn possibly know? Details of whatever inane schemes Urlek was cooking up, possibly — but Zanik wasn't particularly interested in anything that bottom-feeder could be involved in.

"Just by telling me you have no way to stop me taking your intel and throwing you away, you've given up an advantage. You're not a very good gambler."

That got a bark of laughter from Finn. "Never have been. But I'm kind of stuck here, boss."

Kelara's term, in Finn's mouth. It felt odd. But Finn's pulse was visibly racing, thrumming in the slender column of his throat. Zanik's gaze lingered on it. Finn's nervousness was no play-acting. "Tell me."

"Only if you agree to keep me."

This was madness. Bargaining with a human…! On top of everything else that made this pact deranged, it was unlikely that Finn had any intel of use at all.

Zanik was a sharp businessman, and this was a bad contract.

He took it anyway. "I agree."

There was no reason for Finn to trust Zanik. As far as Finn knew, Zanik could have been cut from the same cloth as Urlek. Zanik could make an agreement with Finn and then break it in a heartbeat, and there'd be nothing that FInn could do.

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