Page 7 of Marked By the Bounty Hunter

“You helped him escape once. Any idea where he might have gone?”

I shook my head. “He’s just another regular. Comes in when he needs a quiet drink, sometimes talks too much after a few rounds. That’s how most of us learn anything on this station – drunk people love to chat.” I thought for a moment. “But there’sthis info broker in Green Section, runs a shop. She hears things too, same as any of us who deal with the public all day.”

A crash from the front room cut me off. Odra’s muffled curse followed.

“Everything okay out there?” I called.

“Fine! Just a customer asking about parts for their atmo-scrubber. Give me a minute!” Another bump. “Stay back there until they leave.”

The sound of haggling drifted back, but something in Odra’s tone made my skin prickle. His words were too careful, too measured.

Tyrix must have sensed it too. He moved with liquid grace, pressing me further into the shadows between shelves. My back hit cool metal, sending a cascade of small parts skittering behind me. His body curved around mine, one arm braced against the shelf above my head while his other hand settled at my waist - protective rather than restraining.

The shelf above us groaned softly, and his grip tightened. I could feel his heartbeat now, faster than I’d expected for someone so controlled. Dust motes danced in the thin beam of light between us, stirred by our shortened breaths. His claws left tiny scratches in the metal beside my head, catching the light like stars.

“Someone’s scanning,” he whispered, his lips nearly brushing my ear. “Electronic sweep.”

I should focus on that threat. Should be planning our next move. Instead, all I could think about was how his thumb was tracing slow circles against my hip, how his scent wrapped around me like smoke.

“They’re gone,” he murmured, but didn’t step back.

I should push him away. Should put space between us before this got complicated. Instead, I found myself leaning into his warmth.

His thumb traced my bottom lip, feather-light. “Dangerous game you’re playing, little human.”

“I like dangerous games.” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

A growl rumbled in his chest. His head dipped lower, breath fanning across my skin. My eyes drifted closed...

“If you two are done hiding,” Odra called, “I’d like my shop back!”

Tyrix jerked away like I’d burned him. I sucked in a shaky breath, trying to steady my racing pulse.

“We should go,” he said roughly. “Find Jevik before they do.”

“Right.” I smoothed my shirt with trembling hands. “Business first.”

I stumbled slightly as we straightened up, my legs unexpectedly shaky. Strange.

I followed Tyrix out, ignoring Odra’s knowing look. The recycled station air felt cool against my flushed skin.

“So this trader,” Tyrix said as we walked, “you think that data broker will actually help us?”

“Maybe. She’s like me - keeps her ears open, remembers what drunk people say. Out here on the Edge, that’s usually all the network anyone has.” I shrugged. “It’s not much, but sometimes it’s enough.”

He nodded, falling into step beside me. We headed for the transit tube in silence, both lost in our own thoughts about what we might find - and what it might cost us to find it.

TYRIX

The transit corridors buzzed with the late shift crowd - merchants closing shop, maintenance crews starting rounds, smugglers pretending to be either. I tracked potential threats while keeping pace with Nalina.

She moved with surprising grace for a human, weaving through the press of bodies. The length of her neck drew my eye when she glanced back to check my position. The proximity stirred memories of Odra’s shop - her warmth, her scent, the way she’d leaned into me...

“Watch it!” A Cerulian worker stumbled between us, antennae flicking in annoyance.

I swallowed a growl. Focus. The hunt came first. Always.

“Two more levels to Green Section,” Nalina murmured. The words barely carried over the station’s constant drone, but my hearing caught them easily. “Stick close - the access corridors get tricky.”

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